Placidity: From Family Legacy to a Promise of Craftsmanship

When I first stepped into that house on Lake Placid, Florida, in 2015, I saw both opportunity—and a challenge.

Winston, the owner and my mother’s cousin, had chosen this peaceful lake because it was a haven for private pilots like him. He was a charming, generous man, and though he had done well for himself as a property manager, by the time I began visiting, the house had been left to the mercy of time and Florida’s relentless climate.

I called the property Placidity, a nod to the calm waters of the lake. I even printed Winston a couple of shirts with the name and planted a mango tree in the backyard—a tree that, funny enough, only just started bearing fruit this year. But the house itself? It was falling apart.

It desperately needed a complete overhaul. The caulking was gone, leaving gaps for all sorts of creatures to wander in. The top floor was painted yellow, the bottom gray—a mismatched duo that made it one of the ugliest homes on the block. Overgrown weeds turned the shoreline into a swampy jungle. Yet beneath the neglect, I saw the potential. The structure was solid, the location beautiful. With enough care, it could be a masterpiece.

I never pushed Winston about it. I didn’t want to offend him.

In 2020, Winston passed away at the age of 93. My mother, who had lovingly cared for him during his last years, inherited the house as a token of his gratitude. Soon after, she moved to Colorado to help my sister through a difficult divorce, leaving me as the only one left to tend to the property. I was living in West Palm Beach then, exactly 100 miles away, but I felt a responsibility—no, a calling—to preserve this piece of family history.

I knew if we ever sold the house in its current state, it would go for half of what it was worth. But more importantly, I wanted to create a place my mother could return to when her time in Colorado was done. That’s when the project Placidity truly began.

The renovation was daunting. Hundreds of thousands of dollars of work loomed over me, and every contractor I spoke to either quoted outrageous prices or lacked the pride in craftsmanship I was looking for.

Having worked in the home improvement industry for years, I knew the only way forward was to do it myself. I have high standards for my projects—no shortcuts, no slapdash work. Every brushstroke, every repair had to meet a level of quality I could be proud of.

Room by room, I transformed the house. What was once a neglected shell became a serene, welcoming home. Short-term tenants raved about the fresh, inviting spaces when I completed the work and placed it as an Airbnb. Neighbors were amazed at the attention to detail. And I realized something important along the way: this wasn’t just about renovating or painting. It was about creating environments where people feel at peace.

That philosophy became the heart of my work—and the birth of Placidity Pro Painting.

What began as a family legacy on the shores of Lake Placid has grown into a mission: to elevate homes with craftsmanship that brings peace, beauty, and lasting value.