High-flying executive says she's happier than ever after quitting the rat race to spend her days renovating quaint historic homes in Maine

A apical executive has said she's 'never been happier' since quitting her high-powered profession and deciding to renovate quaint mini homes for a living.

After climbing nan firm ladder, Laurel LaBauve is now much apt to beryllium recovered scaling a stepladder arsenic she restores quaint historical homes successful Maine.

The erstwhile vice president has swapped PowerPoints for powerfulness tools, and has nary regrets, saying 'I perfectly emotion what I do.' 

'It's incredibly stressful and a batch of difficult work, but seeing nan translator of these homes and really happy they make nan caller homeowner makes it each worthwhile,' she told nan Boston Globe. 'I dream I ne'er person to retire.' 

LaBauve, proprietor of SoPo Cottage, has transformed an awesome 21 properties successful nan picturesque Willard Beach area of South Portland, Maine.

Before taking connected nan caller career, she was a Vice President astatine pharmaceutical manufacturing institution Merck for 5 years, aft years moving arsenic nan firm Vice President of Worldwide Operations for IDEXX Laboratories. 

She followed her passion of creating caller life into modest-sized early to mid-20th period single-family homes.'I wanted to do thing creative, and I person ever loved aged houses,' LaBauve said. 

'In nan early 1980s, we lived successful a 1790s location successful Maryland and, successful New Jersey, successful a 1918 Arts and Crafts house. We lived successful a caller location only once, successful Phoenix. I didn't for illustration it; it lacked soul.'

'I person nary favorites,' LaBauve said. 'I autumn successful emotion pinch each one.'

But she doesn't for illustration to telephone it 'house flipping,' arsenic she insists her attraction is connected 'high-quality renovations' that make each location 'as awesome arsenic possible.'

'Technically, you could opportunity I americium 'flipping' houses, but I dislike that term,' she said. 'It denotes cheap, cosmetic updates and doing a fast, superficial occupation truthful that you tin make arsenic overmuch money arsenic possible. 

'For me, nan attraction is connected high-quality renovations wherever I effort to make it arsenic awesome a location arsenic possible,' she told nan outlet. 

After 3 decades successful nan firm world, LaBauve took nan leap successful 2011 and discontinue her job.

It was 'kind of terrifying,' she admitted. 

'I was moving arsenic a firm vice president successful operations and productivity, and my husband, Richard, and I moved each over. 

'Before we moved to Maine, we lived, among different places, successful New Jersey, Arizona, New Orleans, and we bought 8 different houses. We tore down walls, installed sinks and cabinets, laid tile. I realized that I enjoyed that activity much than my time job.'

Now a sledgehammer has go her champion friend.

'When I look for my adjacent project, I don't want a location that's excessively nice,' she said. 'I would alternatively bargain a location that needs everything.'

'The biggest creation problem is ever nan kitchen. Today, we want large kitchens, but astir of these houses measurement astir 1,500 quadrate feet. 

'I return down a batch of walls, utilizing alloy beams to create structural integrity and to unfastened up nan interiors. My hubby jokes that I've ne'er seen a wall that I did not want to return down.

'I emotion to see, arsenic we unfastened it up, really a location is going to look. I for illustration to create a location that still has its historical characteristic but that functions nan measurement we want today.'

'I do immoderate is needed, and do each nan finishing. I particularly bask laying tile; I effort to do each nan tile work.'