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!
