Half century of brotherly tradition culminates in dream home

Half a century ago, the shuttered Tucson Citizen newspaper featured a photo of Spencer and Steven Smith, two of the newest kids on the block, fresh from Nebraska.

The boys were pulling weeds, cleaning yards and delivering newspapers as they found ways to earn a few bucks in their new desert home.

Over the next several decades, the brothers moved on to even bigger projects building and remodeling homes. They built homes for themselves and a home for their parents, and teamed up for other construction projects in Tucson.

The Smith brothers are at it again, putting finishing touches on a new home they are building for Spencer and his wife, Katheryn Smith. It is likely the last home the brothers, now in their 60s, will build together.

Its probably the time we see each other the most, Steve said of building homes together.

Its just fun, Spencer said. It gives you a lot of satisfaction. Every stage of it is just fun.

There are plenty of grins recalling a recent day that Steve, 65, operated a backhoe and Spencer, 67, was on shovel-and-hose duty, keeping the dust down.

Its almost like being a kid again an adult sand box, Spencer said.

After having worked on other projects together, the brothers in 1991 built Spencer and Kathys first home, before children entered the picture.

The kids Graham, 21, and Hannah, 20 are now in college, and it was time to downsize. Working with Long Realtys Sue Hill, who sold them the lot for the home they built in 1991, the Smiths in the fall of 2013 located a pristine 1.3 acre lot in the Catalina Foothills.

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Half century of brotherly tradition culminates in dream home