The day we moved into our first home, reports of heavy rain and flooding led the local evening news broadcast. This wasn’t new information to us because earlier in the day as we carried items into the basement of our new home, we encountered water seeping through the stone foundation and then flowing through the back wall and down the property.

I was thinking we’d made a big mistake, but I tried not to show my despair to various siblings helping us move our belongings in one rented truck and several wet pickups. The next day my husband cleared out a culvert that appeared to be responsible for the misdirected water, and that became the first of many problems solved in our beloved 1929 Craftsman cottage.

Before purchasing the home, we had admired its four-over-one vertical-pane windows, its unpainted wood trim, and its handy built-ins, but it soon became apparent that taking care of a home — especially an old one — requires dedication and insulation installation. As we addressed problems, and the needs of a growing family, some of the old house’s other secrets were revealed: The staircase to the basement had been moved, and a dormer and second bath added upstairs.

We left our own mark on the property. We renovated the kitchen from its harvest gold glory and added a screen porch that overlooked the woods out back. Those beautiful four-over-one windows became a labor of love as we replaced sash cords and reglazed every pane.

We outgrew this house 15 years, three children, and one dog later. We had painted every room, removed wallpaper from several, upgraded the electrical, rebuilt the garage, and chased out multiple generations of mice. Our next stop was a 1963 multilevel home in the same town with a purple vanity and bathtub, lots of paneling, and other problems to tackle. While our current home doesn’t have that Craftsman charm, it works for a busy family reducing in size as the kids go off on their own.

Since we moved out of our first home 10 years ago, the old house has welcomed two new owners. When we drive by now, we wonder what is happening in there. Recently, a big trash receptacle filled the front yard, and the remains of our once-new kitchen were visible. Was there a fire or a flood, we speculated? Did they tear out the built-ins to get a trendy open floor plan? I’d like to tell the owners to appreciate that old, deep bathtub and not to touch the stained glass above the front door. I’d let them know that an elderly neighbor who used to live across the street remembered the house being built when she was 9 years old. I’d tell them that the Olympic torch passed by the front porch on the way to Atlanta in 1996.

And most important, I’d advise them to clear out that drainage culvert in the front corner of the property so that the house stays dry in a deluge.

Amity Kelley, who works in technology at Curry College, lives in Sharon. Send comments and your 550-word essay to Address@globe.com. Please note: We do not respond to submissions we won’t pursue.