2008 Reader Remodel Contest Winner: Texas Queen Anne

As we took inventory of details salvaged from the old location, even the kids grew excited—with a little cash incentive. After a while, I started paying Spencer and his friends $5 for stripping corner pieces of door and window trim, and $10 for 8- to 10-foot-long borders. Lindsay and her friends accepted trips to the mall or movies in exchange for hours spent removing nails from flooring.

Shown: Brackets on the dining room's plate-rail wainscot are new. Water-damaged beams in the original coffered ceiling were covered with melamine and painted. New egg-and-dart crown molding replaced original trim that was also damaged by leaks. The 1920s glass chandelier was an eBay find.