Historic house move coming soon

BASTROP (kXAN) - On his five-acre farm near Paige in Bastrop County, Robert Kraft hopes he is only days away from taking delivery on a dream come true.

Kraft had only moved to his new place some six weeks before the tragic wildfires that hit the county in September wiped him out.

A chance discussion in his dentist’s chair led the aspiring dairy goat farmer to Barry and Suzanne Sharp, of Cedar Park, who were wondering what do with the almost century-old home they had inherited in Mexia, near Waco.

With the help of Mike Draper, an Oak Hill area wood salvage expert, the Sharps and Kraft got together and solved each other’s problems.

In the process, a remarkable old home dodged the wrecking ball.

Jim Swift first reported this story last week. You can view that original report by clicking here .

Now, we have several other related features for you, as well.

On this page, you will find extended interview segments with Mike Draper. One explores his first forays into the old wood reclamation world. Another reveals the background and development of his business model.

And a third documents his amazing one-man disassembly of an aging Columbus, Texas, dance hall to reclaim wood for the construction of a new Oak Hill headquarters of his companies, This Old Wood and Old Texas Floors .

There is also a slideshow of photographs showing the progress on some Draper projects.

And finally, you can find a link to the video Robert Kraft posted on YouTube , tracking his unsuccessful effort to save his house and barn when the wildfires swept over his property.