You never cease to amaze us. When we asked you to submit your projects, more than 1,000 of you responded with work that showed the abilities of all you dedicated DIYers. Here's a look at 10 of your top picks for whole house renovations chosen by TOH editors and your fellow readers.
Submit your own house in the 2010 Reader Remodel Contest for a chance to win cash prizes and appear in the July/August issue of This Old House magazine.
Who: Dorian W
Where: Bowling Green, Ky.
After purchasing our 1896 Victorian, we found out that it was a rare George Franklin Barber designed home that had been 'remuddled' in 1914.
Who: Dorian W
Where: Bowling Green, Ky.
So we found the plan, took off the porch, stripped the house and put back together the original porch and balcony.
Who did the work: I did some of the work myself
Cost: About $140,000
Who: Karen M
Where: Middleton, Mass.
We bought our fixer upper one-story in 2000 and completely remodeled the entire house ourselves. (We even hand stained the cedar shingle siding in our living room!) By doing so much work ourselves, we were able to use our equity for a loan to hire a contractor to help us frame our ranch into a cape.
Who: Karen M
Where: Middleton, Mass.
I designed all the changes myself and my husband and I have been doing all the interior work—sure helps that he is a licensed plumber!
Who did the work: I did some of the work myself
Cost: More than $100,000
Who: Gary K
Where: Harris, N.C.
I took an old (1840 or near) slave overseers house belonging to a customer from Florida. He bought it to keep it from being torn down and to make it into his dream old house. We had to jack it up and redo the foundation, and then redo every part of the house, preserving all historical parts and adding common comforts.
Who: Gary K
Where: Harris, N.C.
Where it had no bathrooms for the lack of plumbing it now has 3 and a half. We have added 2 more buildings on the site as well. We bought and tore down a 100 yr old barn and rebuilt it on this site as well, and it now has plumbing as well. We are still adding to the property, with a old corn crib, and a pond with water fountain, and much more. This has been a 4 year project and goes on today, it started with the house, who knows where it will end up!
Who did the work: I did all the work myself
Cost: More than $100,000
Who: Wendy K
Where: Isle of Palms, S.C.
We bought a little cottage on a great lot near the beach. A title search confirmed that the house, in addition to being one of the oldest on the island (1914) was once owned by acclaimed American poetess Beatrice Witte Ravenel. She was one of the Witte sisters, famous in Charleston society of the late 1800s. The sisters were known for their beauty and intellect. And also the fact that their father once was so smitten by a trained bear at the circus, he bought it on the spot and brought it home to his daughters.
Who: Wendy K
Where: Isle of Palms, S.C.
The house was extremely dilapidated, housing mostly raccoons and rats in the attic and ceiling! We raised the roof and added dormers, giving us space for three bedrooms and two baths upstairs, and painted everything white. We recycled windows from a house on a neighboring island that was being torn down (which were the exact size as the original openings!) then moved the entire garage from that demo to serve as a guest house. Local ordinance dictated the two structures be attached via heated space, so the idea of the cabana was born! We installed glass garage doors, heated slate floors, a big fireplace, and a small pool. We retained many of the original floors, paneling, doors as well as an original built-in china cabinet.
Who did the work: I did all the work myself
Cost: More than $100,000
Who: Vesta C
Where: Newark, N.J.
We did a complete remodel of a historic house built in 1930. The remodel/rebuild included the exterior and interior where we gutted the walls, installed all new electrical wiring and plumbing, put in force air heating/ac, and gutted the kitchen closing off backstairs, a window and a back door, adding french doors. We also took two bedrooms and one bath to make a master bedroom suite, which includes master bath and main bathroom.
Who: Vesta C
Where: Newark, N.J.
Carpet was removed and revealed beautiful hardwood floors. We kept the original window, ceiling, and crown moldings along with the french doors, a claw foot tub, old bathroom sink basin, the original doors, and crystal door knobs. New windows were installed, new roof and siding, and the garage was rebuilt. This was my first experience as a project manager. I also learned a lot about historic homes and had to defend my plans to the Historic Preservation Board. Overall, I am extremely pleased with the results and it was all worth it!
Who did the work: A contractor did all the work
Cost: More than $100,000
Who: Jeff W
Where: Springfield, Oreg.
In the summer of 2003, my 7-year-old daughter told my wife: I had a dream last night that God gave us a super house for $1! In the fall of 2004, my sister-
in-law took my wife to an antique store Ruthie B's, in a 1928 Bungalow. They found the house was going to be sold for $1 and would have to be moved. I contacted the owner and asked if the house was really $1. Yes, was the reply. I said I would be down with a check. We purchased the house and found a half acre lot 15 blocks away. In spring of 2005, the house was moved.
Who: Jeff W
Where: Springfield, Oreg.
We gutted the house down to the studs, pulled old wiring and plumbing. We removed walls to expand the kitchen and a bathroom. We rewired, put on a new roof, re-plumbed, drywalled, finished floors, created a master bathroom and built a full basement that included an office, utility pantry, and workshop. We transformed a closet into a master bathroom and created a large main level bath. We raised the ceiling in the master bedroom. We created a sunroom from the old enclosed porch. This room has panoramic windows and a view of the Willamette River, great place to watch sunsets. We attempted to keep the house as original as possible. This includes the wide entries between rooms, the colors, cedar shakes on the dormers and the fixtures. We love the layout and feel of this house and are thrilled that we were able to rescue it and turn in into our home.
Who did the work: I did some of the work myself
Cost: More than $100,000
Who: Neil J
Where: Yadkinville, N.C.
My wife and I purchased the Davis farmhouse in the spring of 2007. As you can see from the before photo of the front of the house, our new home wasn't in any way symmetrical. As we began demolition to remove the warped tongue and groove wall planks, we quickly learned why the house was a little off center. Under years of layered paint and crooked planks lay one of the most beautiful treasures I had ever seen. Little did we know that this house was originally built with hand-hewn forest pine.
Who: Neil J
Where: Yadkinville, N.C.
Three fourths of the front section of the house was an actual log cabin with the remaining fourth being built in the 1880s as a timber frame structure. As you can see in the before picture of the upstairs den, the ceilings were about 7 feet high and all of that beautiful timber was covered in planks or plaster. We decided to raise the ceilings on the second floor, clean the entire log structure, and leave all of the interior log walls exposed. The rest of the house received a complete renovation as well.
Who did the work: I did some of the work myself
Cost: More than $100,000
Who: Brock M
Where: Cardiff by the Sea, Calif.
My wife and I purchased a home originally built in 1954, which stood at 1,225 square feet. We completely remodeled and our home now is approx. 3,000 square feet. I designed and constructed our home.
Who: Brock M
Where: Cardiff by the Sea, Calif.
My objective was to seamlessly tie in the existing building with the new addition to expand for our growing family. I used modern building materials with finishes that can stand the test of time all while trying to continue with the feel of the beach community we reside in.
Who did the work: I did all the work myself
Cost: More than $100,000
Who: Tim O
Where: Wallingford, Conn.
The house I renovated has been in my family from the day it was constructed in 1909. I purchased the home from my mother and father and decided to completely renovate the house. It had been a two-family rental property for the past 20 years, so it was a little neglected to say the least. I began the renovation in October of 2005 with the second floor while my fiance and I lived on the first floor. I finished the second floor along with the attic in June of 2006 and took the summer off the recharge my batteries.
Who: Tim O
Where: Wallingford, Conn.
In October of 2006 I started the renovation process again while we lived in the newly renovated second floor. The first floor renovation finished up in May of 2007, just in time for our wedding on 7/7/07. I have an architectural background so I designed everything myself. I completed all of the construction myself as well, but left the roof, windows, siding and HVAC system up left to the professionals. It was completely worth the effort and I would do it again in a heart beat. It is something that I am extremely proud of. I actually learned everything I needed to know from watching This Old House from the time I was a child until now. I think my great grandfather would be pleased to know that the house he built is still in our family and looking as good as it did in 1909. It was a fun renovation and I learned a lot about myself.
Who did the work: I did some of the work myself
Cost: $50,000 to $100,000
Who: Gary A
Where: Red Lodge, Mont.
When we bought this house, which is located in the Hi Bug Historic District, it was a duplex with not much curb appeal. The first floor was 5 inches out of level from one side of the house to the other and the only way to maintain the integrity was to build a new floor system on top of the old system.
Who: Gary A
Where: Red Lodge, Mont.
Two years later, after substantial demolition, it's a house that now truly contributes to the historic character of the district. The renovation involved gutting the duplexes to allow for a modern layout as a single family home—rebuilding the first floor to include a master suite and building a new entry foyer and staircase. I did most of the work myself, except for roofing and landscaping to keep costs under control. I also kept the existing siding, just adding paint and trim to the newly built porch to give the house more curb appeal.
Who did the work: I did some of the work myself
Cost: More than $100,000
