Mind if we drop by?

Everyone worries about keeping a clean home and staying on budget. Now, add in the fact that guests could drop by at any time and that going over budget means reporting to the Nevada Legislature and you'll understand first lady Dema Guinn's dilemma.

Eight years ago, Mrs. Guinn inherited a mansion somewhat devoid of personal charm and in need of substantial repairs. With the couple set to move in during February of 1999, repairs to the mansion's major problems began in September and were not completed until after the couple had taken up residence.

During her time running the mansion, the Guinns have raised $6 million in private funds to restore the property, including planting 300 rose bushes, 23 new trees and new fences. The grounds were redone, including the modification of a waterfall into a covered dance floor and enclosing the patio.

"It is a very special treasure for the people of Nevada. They look at it as their home and it is their home. All I wanted to do was add and add very little," Guinn said.

The 18,000-square-foot mansion at 600 N. Mountain St., sits on 1.7 acres, with the front facing east toward the Capitol.

It has 11 bedrooms including three in the guest cottage and a one-bedroom apartment on the property. There are also 10 bathrooms on the property and six offices in the mansion, for the first lady and her assistant, Capitol Police, Nevada Highway Patrol, the mansion coordinator and the grounds keeper.

In every room there are nuances that are distinctly Mrs. Guinn, reflecting her love of history and family. From the paintings she has cajoled from various state museums to her personal knickknacks that litter shelves and open spaces.

"I added a lot of artwork from the museum and that is mine. The first ladies' pictures have been enlarged. The former first families didn't have any personal things downstairs, but to me it makes it feel like home," she said. "A lot of the accessories are mine. I tried to bring my life here. Everyone likes to come in a see pictures of the family."

Almost every room has photos of the Guinn family and subtle reminders of the family's presence in the house - from the coaster next to the governor's favorite chair in the family room to the scattering of chew toys left by the house's official greeter, a miniature poodle named Mimi.

The mansion's annual budget for 2005 was $276,520, to cover operating expenses, salaries, insurance utilities and travel expenses. Since Mrs. Guinn took over she has returned more than $350,000 back to the state's coffers from her budget.

"There is no longer a full-time cook and housekeeper, they come in to help but I do the cleaning and cooking," she said.

One of Mrs. Guinn's most treasured acquisitions is one of the first things visitors see when they enter the front doors, one of the two Mackay Silver candelabras appraised at $500,000 each. The silver for the pieces was mined from Virginia City and sent to Tiffany's to be formed into the pieces and is part of a larger collection. They are on loan from the University of Nevada, Reno.

The mansion also includes a haunted clock, boots from former governors Robert List and Paul Laxalt and a formal dining table purchased from an estate sale for $800 that has welcomed former President Ronald Reagan; California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and first lady Maria Shriver; and Christy Todd Whitman.

Dema said the main goal of the improvements is to make the mansion functional and enjoyable, especially for families.

"The grandkids think it's the greatest house," she said. "They don't understand why we have to move, why grandfather can't be governor forever."

Yet later this year when she makes the mansion ready to receive the next first family, it will be the people and not the building that she will miss most.

"I'll miss the people of Nevada and interacting with them, especially the ones who come here every day, but I love the whole mansion," she said. "I brought my personal stuff and I have never felt like a stranger in this house."

The Guinns are keeping their home in Las Vegas and are in the process of building a new home in south Reno.

-- Contact reporter Jarid Shipley at jshipley@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1217.4