100 Year Old Dilapidated Houses Given New Life - Some Are Completely Unrecognizable

Cartwright House in Terrell, Texas

When Tom and Nancy Aldridge bought this house, it needed a lot of love and elbow grease put into it. The results are amazing!

But first a look inside

This is the entry way.

A peek into the living-room

Here you get a glimpse of the living-room from another angle in the entry way.

Traditional living-room

The house was bought with most of the original furniture

Cartwright House is on the National Register of Historic Places

Because the house is on the National Register of Historic Places, when they hired an architect, Ron Hobbs, and a contractor, David Mauk, they had to get any proposed work done approved by the state. Luckily for them it was approved.

Ready to see what it looks like on the outside?

Ok

But first here is just a peek!

Beautiful huh?

I told you earlier the results were amazing!

Built in 1883

Although the house was approved to be used for a Bed & Breakfast, Tom and Nancy Aldridge have no intentions of turning it into one. The house is actually back on the market in hopes that someone will turn it in to a bed and breakfast.

Tom and Nancy Aldridge I am sure are very proud of the work they've done to this historical beauty. I know I would be!

Queen Anne bungalow in Atlanta, GA

The condition of this home was driving down the property value of a Grand Park neighborhood. It had been neglected for many years and was in pretty bad shape. 2 of the residents in that neighborhood decided they wanted to take on giving this house a much needed make over. So that is exactly what Carl Mattison and Rob Smith did.

Taking a look inside

The inside of the house was in just as bad of shape as the outside, maybe even more so. Floors were covered with paint or linoleum and the walls covered with paneling, probably put on sometime in the 70's. Look at the entry way now! Just beautiful!

The kitchen was in pretty bad shape

No appliances worked in the kitchen. The previous owners left behind a lot of belongings. In the kitchen alone there were at least 8 mixers, 5 blenders. Just stacks and stacks of things everywhere including 30 of the same plates. After selling all that and the cabinets from gutting the kitchen, they began tackling their new design for the kitchen.

As if the cork-board type ceiling wasn't bad enough, the bold blue color scheme stuck out like a sore thumb.

What once was a blue blunder, from cabinets to counter tops all blue, the kitchen

is now more eloquent with a softer color scheme - gray. They also added a center island / breakfast counter made with a Vermont marble island top which cost $2,000.

Wall taken down

The was between the kitchen and dinning-room has been taken down giving it a more open floor plan feel. The once coal burning fire place has been restored and converted to gas.

Raising the ceiling

To conserve heat - the ceiling in the living-room was lowered at one time. Mattison raised the ceiling giving it a coffered design and stripped the hardwood floors of the paint that someone had put on them (why someone would paint a wood floor is beyond me), then took out the window for the hidden television he put in its place. (it is behind the painting)

Beautiful master bathroom

The bathroom was not in working order. It was cramped and not much to look at either. The tub and toilet were in their own room with a sink roughed in a little space leading into the bedroom.

The new bathroom has everything an en-suite would need. Including a separate closed in glass shower. The original claw-foot tub was refinished and the outside painted black. The sink has a Vermont marble counter top, same as the one in the kitchen.

The area where the sink was has been turned into a little coffee station leading into the master bedroom.

Guest bathroom

There was some sort of pass through between the front bedroom and another room. Mattison removed the shelves that someone had put there and the fireplace as there was no need for it, the house already had two other fireplaces and turned it into an en-suite guest bathroom.

In the new guest bath he used the sink that was originally in the kitchen. He re-glazed it and painted the bottom so that it would match the medicine cabinet. He also tiled the bathroom from the floor up to the ceiling. Wanting to leave it with more of an open roomy feel to it, he chose not to put in a vanity.

Addition on the back

Three gables were added to the back of the house. There are bedrooms and a 3rd bathroom upstairs, bringing the house from a two-bedroom, one-bathroom to a four-bedroom, three-bathroom.

A screened in porch was added so that people could sit out there with out being eaten up by mosquitoes and other bug annoyances. A fence was also put up to block access to the alleyway.

Beautiful front sitting porch

The outside of the house had vinyl siding probably due to a home improvement made in the 1980's. It has suffered a lot of rain damage. He wanted to see the condition of the original wood paneling so he removed the vinyl siding. He was able to patch and paint the original siding. He also raised the ceiling of the porch back up to the original height. Beautiful work!

Doesn't even look like the same house

This Queen Anne bungalow was built in 1905 and was surely showing its age. Mattison removed the awning that was put on in the 1930's. He added wood railings so that it would match the style of the other houses in the area.

Two upper gables were added but still fit the size and feel of the home.

It is common to find the little yellow address sign hung on homes. "It's an icon representing sun and sky and unity in our now brought-back-to-life neighborhood."

The Brady House

Katie and her husband bought and renovated this 1910 Arts & Crafts house. They own a remodeling and development company that focuses on historic house renovations.

Entryway

Opening it up and making it brighter, a more inspirational place to sit and play that 1899 Wissner piano, which Carol King did when she rented the house in the 1970's.

Eat in kitchen nook

With new windows and door it brightens up the room. The window storage bench adds a nice touch.

Living-room & Fireplace

In typical 1970's decor which was probably when it was last updated, everything was in dark tones. Now the room is bright, light and airy. Very uplifting.

Kitchen

This one is probably my favorite of all the rooms. So open and lots of cabinet and counter space. With plenty of lighting. Love the color too! Getting rid of the linoleum and refinishing the wood floors gives this kitchen character.

Master bed-room

This doesn't even look like the same room. It is beautiful! Again doing away with the floor covering and restoring the natural wood floor.

Second bed-room

The theme through out this house seems to be "brighten it up". Very simplistic but beautiful! This home is beginning to take on a whole new charm.

Bathroom

The old bathroom was a mess! Dark and dreary and a bit crowded. The color although typical of the 70's was just awful1! Relying mostly on the light through the window and skylight was not enough to bring this room to life. Painting it a much lighter color and putting in the mirrors and wall sconces is just what this bathroom needed.

Basement

The dark basement didn't leave much desire to entertain down there. Now with fully finished ceiling, walls and floor and some paint and lighting this makes the perfect family room. An additional touch was putting in a wall and an exercise room behind it. Another job well done!

The outside

Even the outside got a new face lift. With new paint and additional brick work porch enclosure and some curb appeal landscaping, this house was ready for resale. It sold quickly!