Age: 59

Occupation: Retired contractor

Size: 7 rooms and a basement. Taxes: $308 a month

Location: Homewood

Prized Possessions: Tropical fish (three 180-gallon aquariums, one 150-gallon aquarium)

Tools: 7 chain saws, 5 circular saws, 10 hand drills, 6 routers, 12 hammers, “a couple hundred screwdrivers”

Entertainment: 8 TVs, 3 VCRs, 3 DVD players, 100 DVDs, 15 remotes

Miscellaneous: 7 telephones, 7 computers, 20 Hawaiian shirts, The Story of Civilization by Will and Ariel Durant (ten-volume set)

Lost Somewhere: Legal papers, books, magazines

In His Own Words: “I just keep upgrading. I like top-quality stuff….I especially like the mushrooms [in the aquarium]. They’re so innocent. They just sit there and look pretty. They won’t hurt you.”

Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): photos/Lloyd DeGrane.