Fall 2024: I Bought an Abandoned House—Here’s What Happened Next
When we first acquired this house in August of 2024, it had been left unattended for over 15 years. It was completely full of books, clothes, trash, and many little critters. I had a plan to completely flip the home and get it ready to rent by August of the next year. I knew it would take a lot of hard work, I had a vision, and I knew the place had some amazing potential!
When we first acquired this house in August of 2024, it had been left unattended for over 15 years. It was completely full of books, clothes, trash, and many little critters. I had a plan to completely flip the home and get it ready to rent by August of the next year. I knew it would take a lot of hard work, I had a vision, and I knew the place had some amazing potential!
Our first step was to dig through and save any furniture we thought we could restore. Then our team headed in to clean out everything that remained. We filled three entire garbage trucks, and it took a week just to empty the house. At this point, I was very nervous, and the task ahead seemed daunting.
Would we really be able to finish all of this in just one year?
You can see the state of the home when I first purchased it. The amount of stuff filling the space was indescribable. It was truly an intense task just to haul all of this out! I have also included some before-and-after pictures to help you visualize the cleaning process.
It was great to see the space cleared out so I could start making decisions about the layout and designs.
Kitchen
Living Room
Bedroom
Office
The next stage of our renovation was demolition, during which we tore up carpeting, removed crumbling plaster, and gutted all the old bathrooms. We also had to remove the knob and tube wiring and all of the old radiators. Everything in the house was stripped down to the studs so I could plan the new layout. Now that the house was free of moldy carpeting and old chemicals, my dog Izzy loved to join me on my walkthroughs. She loved to sniff around and explore, and didn’t at all mind the noises of our busy team (see if you can spot her in some of my photos! )
We exposed four windows that had been boarded up by the previous owners, opened up the attic space to fit a bedroom and a full bathroom, and even expanded the basement to make room for future renovations. I also decided to redo the first-floor layout to create a more open floor plan. My new design allowed for a mudroom, closet storage, and a powder room to greet you at the backyard entrance, while a wide-open living area, a large kitchen window, and a beautiful fireplace would become focal points from the front door. Below, I’ve added some pictures of what the house looked like with nearly everything stripped out. Next steps: start rebuilding!
Winter 2024: What Could Go Wrong?
As can be expected with an old house like this one, we started running into some problems as fall came to an end. First, the roof needed patching and replacing. We discovered a family of raccoons that had been using a hole in the attic as their own personal entrance. We had to evict them and quickly seal the hole so the house would be rainproof and completely dry for the winter.
As can be expected with an old house like this one, we started running into some problems as fall came to an end. First, the roof needed patching and replacing. We discovered a family of raccoons that had been using a hole in the attic as their own personal entrance. We had to evict them and quickly seal the hole so the house would be rainproof and completely dry for the winter.
For the next step, the foundation needed to be reset before we started building our new porch. This is where those unexpected challenges crop up: the new foundation sank after the first try and had to be repoured. After the second attempt, everything was securely set in place, and we could build the new porch, complete with Trex decking, wooden support beams, and a brand-new roof. Later, we added a restored porch swing that was original to the house, as well as goat wire fencing around the ledge.
After finishing the porch, we dug up the backyard, built an outdoor entrance to the basement, and constructed a new deck off of the back door.
We dug a foot out of the basement floor to allow for more head clearance. We also installed a French drain in the floor. This was a huge undertaking as the digging needed to be done by hand. In December, the cold weather brought more problems: a huge pipe burst and a water leak in the basement, both of which set us back thousands of dollars. The project was starting to feel more overwhelming, very expensive, and I’ll even admit, less fun. But I sought out an adventure, and that’s definitely what I got. Onward.
Spring 2025: The Vision Starts to Grow
As spring arrived, things started to turn around. We reframed the new layouts, reinstalled the plumbing and electrical systems, and began soundproofing and insulating the house. I could start to see the vision coming to life. We had some family friends help us install all the soundproofing and spray-foam insulation. Those extra-long hours allowed the drywallers to come on schedule, and they were amazing. In just two weeks, they had finished the whole house. Next, we replaced every window in the home and got the AC and mini-splits set up for the summer months!
You can see more images of our progress, reframing, insulating, and soundproofing.
And more pictures of our work on the exterior, including:
Exposing and replacing old windows
Adding new siding and a new back door
Excavating the backyard
Our next steps were to tile the bathrooms and add brand-new doors to all the rooms. We built custom shelving into each of the new closets so they all had functional storage, and we added new crown molding to complete the look. Next, our flooring experts came in to install riftsawn red oak for the first and third floors. On the second floor of the house, we were able to salvage and refinish the original wood floors, preserving the only remaining original piece of the home.
Summer 2025: The Finishing Touches
As the summer came to an end, we began the long process of priming, painting, and furnishing the home. We had a team of excavators pour a pathway across the back yard and clean up the front landscaping.
Meanwhile, our electrician was installing new lights, the Amish builders brought in our custom kitchen cabinetry, and the carpenters built up the railing to wrap around the porch. My daughter Kylee worked hard staining the main posts, frames, and porch swing all black to match the new front door.
The house was finally starting to come together. The windows let in beautiful natural light and the fresh white paint brought an openness to the space. Our team began to work on restoring antique furniture that we salvaged in the house, and the design started coming to life. We repurposed many items- balancing sustainability and style all while staying within our budget. Our Amish builders installed beautiful custom cabinetry in the kitchen and vanities in the bathrooms, and the carpenters installed a few sliding barn doors. We picked out countertops, light fixtures, carpets, and artwork. As the final pieces come together, we are looking forward to having our first renters make this beautiful space into their temporary home!
Below we have some amazing before and after photos, showing all of the incredible work that got done in the last month of this project. A huge thank you to our team for putting in the hard work!
Kitchen
Second Floor guest bedroom
THird Floor Bathroom
Living / dining room
Second Floor Bathroom
Primary bathroom
Primary Bedroom Walk-in Closet
Third Floor bedroom