NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — For Troy Walls, it's a labor of love — he's building his family's new home with his own two hands.
"I think there's a real nostalgia to it, for sure," said Walls.
In just a few short months, he and his family hope to move in, but someone else beat them to it.
"I had found a cigarette butt on the floor like a couple days earlier," said Troy. That's why he and his dog made a surprise visit one night.
"So, essentially, I had my dog here, and he was downstairs barking up at the door," he said.
That's when a man upstairs answered.
"I heard a voice come back that said, 'get your dog; I'll come down,'" said Troy.
A squatter emerged from the second floor
"When he told me that, I was like, 'What?' Like, 'he was in the house?'" Walls' wife, Kelly, said.
After Troy confronted the man, he left — but not for long.
"A neighbor reached out to Kelly, and I guess they were driving by and saw somebody on the porch looking in the window, trying to open the door," said Troy.
The man disappeared before cops arrived at the South Nashville house.
"It was a shocker," said Troy. "You don't expect to walk into that for sure."
With so many homes under construction in Nashville, the Walls worry it could happen to someone else.
"When the officer came out that night, she was saying that this was something they're seeing a lot more of," said Troy.
The Walls hope others learn from their story.
"We're going to get a camera," said Kelly. "So, cameras are good. Lock up; make sure your doors are locked."
