All photos © Stephanie Munguia for Cheap Old Houses
In Episode 6 of Who’s Afraid of a Cheap Old House?, we traveled to Albany, NY to spend time with Ali + Nur, helping them find their first-ever home in America!
Restoring old houses is a big part of what we do, and it’s incredibly fun. But the most rewarding part of working with cheap old houses is that they allow an entry point into a competitive housing market for so many people who feel left out of the game. Ali + Nur raised their children in a one-bedroom apartment in Queens, and never felt that homeownership in America would be possible for them. Looking at fixer-uppers (cheap old houses!) allowed that narrative to change. And well, the rest of history!
All photos © Stephanie Munguia for Cheap Old Houses
In Episode 6 of Who’s Afraid of a Cheap Old House?, we traveled to Albany, NY to spend time with Ali + Nur, helping them find their first-ever home in America!
Restoring old houses is a big part of what we do, and it’s incredibly fun. But the most rewarding part of working with cheap old houses is that they allow an entry point into a competitive housing market for so many people who feel left out of the game. Ali + Nur raised their children in a one-bedroom apartment in Queens, and never felt that homeownership in America would be possible for them. Looking at fixer-uppers (cheap old houses!) allowed changed that narrative. And well, the rest of history!
Before we dive in too deep, let’s take a moment to relish in the beauty of this exterior transformation. When we talk about buying “the worst house on the block,” this is exactly what we mean. The stucco was flaking off in chunks, and the awkwardly large dormer at the top was a the result of an open porch having been enclosed decades ago. We vowed to open it back up to bring it back to its original charm! And doesn’t it look SO much better now?!
Our architectural designer Scott Reed worked with Dunn-Edwards DURA to bring this house back into the early 20th century. Arts + crafts bungalows always leaned into earth tones! Here, we used a beautiful taupe for the exterior base, and made the windows pop with shades of green and reddish-orange. The oak door just needed to be stripped. Voila! Perfection, 1920s-style!
This rooms are small and charming, and the house just needed someone to give it the slightest glow-up inside. The brick mantel is original to the house, and it’s a showstopper (like in so many little bungalows of this period, it’s fabulously overscaled and takes up most of the room!)
The woodwork in this one would not have been painted originally, so we kick-started this family’s restoration by stripping a few select areas (the front door and stairs). Elsewhere, our interior designer Jennifer Salvemini ditched the bright white paint in favor of more earthy tones that softened the spaces and grounded them in the period.
Our FAVORITE part of all is the smallest change that made the biggest difference! My friend Whitney owns the most inspiring little shop in Athens, NY called Opera House Co. While browsing there one day, we found a set of three tiles that were absolutely perfect for the fireplace hearth. We used them as accent pieces alongside period-perfect clay tiles from Heritage Tile. Look at that hearth shine!!
Here again, a tiny space that just needed a little love! Swapping out the light fixture for a mission-style chandelier made a huge difference.
Let’s see the before-and-after:
We approach the design of every room, ALWAYS AND FOREVER, by working with the original details. This little room had two absolutely wonderful features: a beautiful stained glass window, and a built-in that had lost most of it’s detail (but we found the original doors in the basement, naturally!)
The color was drawn from the beautiful jewel tones in the stained glass.
The bedroom wasn’t much to look at before, unless you love fuchsia! It opened into a small room in the dormer that was originally an open porch but had been enclosed several decades ago.
It just took a little freshening up to make this place feel like a soothing retreat! Returning the upper porch to its original open configuration created the most beautiful outdoor seating area outside for Ali + Nur. Stickley (arguably the most iconic furniture name associated with the Arts + Crafts period!) helped Jennifer outfit the room.
Of course, we mixed in a few non-period antiques antiques, too—our favorite trick for making rooms feel alive, and not frozen in one time period. Isn’t that Victorian dresser lovely?
Remember that this couple raised two children in a one-bedroom apartment in Queens, NY. This is their first private bedroom! And a what a beauty it is.
We generally believe in reusing as much as humanly possible in old kitchens. But these cabinets were held together by forks. Literally.
This house needed a kitchen that matched the period!
If you tuned into the episode, you’re aware of what the kitchen meant to Nur. It was the primary reason why she passed on the other, amazing bungalow we showed the family, which was filled with the most incredible Tudor detail but lacked a kitchen entirely. She adores cooking for her family—the kitchen is EVERYTHING to Nur!
The layout of the existing kitchen wasn’t terrible, but the style didn’t match the house at all. The beauty of bungalow kitchens is that they were really the first “modern” kitchens, outfitted with matching cabinetry, as modern kitchens still are.
Bungalows were built all around the idea of FAMILY, so instead of hiding the kitchens all the way in the back, out of sight of visitors (as the Victorians did), builders of bungalows integrated kitchens right into the main space of the house. Just like today, they were intended both as work spaces and as gathering spaces.
Hence, bungalow kitchens often had ironing boards, breakfast nooks, and other essential items built right in. In this kitchen, which is very long and narrow, we did our best to incorporate seating right into the countertop. Mothers in the 1920s used their kitchens to do all of their chores while also feeding the family. The dining room is directly off the kitchen (good-bye, formal butler’s pantries of earlier times!), so it really is a space to cook, chat and gather all at once!
You know us. AND YOU KNOW OUR RULE. No kitchen is complete without a lamp on the countertop!
Cabinets in bungalow kitchens ALWAYS went all the way up to the ceiling. And the hardware always stood out! We worked with Charleston Hardware to find matchbox latches and bun pulls that mimicked those that would have been used way back when. We love the contrast of the dark hardware against the soft white of the cabinets. We drew inspiration from our vast collection of historical photographs from the period in choosing glass-front upper cabinetry.
Tile countertops are a very period-appropriate choice for this space. Heritage Tile (who also outfitted the fireplace hearth) came through again for us here. The tile makes a simple design feel full of texture and fun! We chose to go with a checkered floor, which is also something they did ALL the time back then! We are so grateful for this era for introducing the idea of the family-friendly kitchen to the world. Functional AND fun! We love it!
Another thing we love about the owners of early “modern” kitchens is that they were not at all ashamed to see their appliances. On the contrary, these newfangled devices were meant to be celebrated and shown off! If you could have a modern fridge or even a dishwasher, you wanted people to KNOW about it! (We think they would have been confused by the idea of “panel ready” dishwashers!)
The appliances supplied by AJ Madison have a decidedly retro feeling and fit the space perfectly.
Once again, the use of an antique light fixture proves to be the single most effective design choice one can make in an old house! Isn’t this green one fantastic?
You’ll have to watch the episode to see Nur’s reaction to the kitchen. SPOILER ALERT: There was screaming and there were tears!
Our deepest gratitude to architectural designer and fellow champion of old houses, Scott Reed, for his invaluable insight and guidance on so many aspects of honoring this building’s era and history. Thank you to the tiny-but-mighty design and build team, lead by interior designer Jennifer Salvemini, who worked hard to celebrate the building’s history and character.
It takes a village, and we’re so fortunate to work with a team of preservation-minded contractors, designers, fabricators, and more to achieve our vision.
Design & Build
Kent Hansen
Hansen Complete Remodeling
General Contractor
Brian Crabb and Ruth Storc
Design Producers
David Figueroa
Build Producer
Edin of Edo’s Home Renos
Painting
James Waterhouse
Jack of All Trades
Production & Filming
Ann Lewis Roberts, Jenny Daly,
Jon Beyer, and Bill Gaudsmith
Executive Producers
Phil DePietro
Line Producer
Steve Bowler
Supervising Producer
Cory Dross
Director of Photography
Mike Spencer
Audio Mixer
Kathryn Zavistak, Alex Nam, Greg Corwin,
Carlos Escoto, Kirk Murray, and Dan Tivin
Editors
Nick Batchelder, Paul Celello,
Owen Goldstoff, and Alec Wright
Production Assistants
Amy Goodfriend-Nussbaum
Clearance Supervisor
Kelly Taylor
Post Production Coordinator
Victoria Chiaro Snyder
Executive in Charge of Production
Erika Smith
Supervising Story Producer
Ann Marie Lizzi
Segment Producer
Bill Keller
Camera Operator
Tori Dunn
DIT
Kurtis Endreson
Production Manager
Jon Earnest, Kevin Lowe,
and Sam Rubin
Story Producers
Andi Nunez
Post Production Supervisor
Gregory McClintock and Goga Sordia
Assistant Editors
Elizabeth Stephenson
Associate Producer
With our sincere thanks to our incredible partners:
Dunn-Edwards DURA
Paint
AjMadison
Appliances
Medallion by Cabinetworks
Kitchen cabinets
Charleston Hardware Co.
Hardware
Vintage Tub & Bath
Kitchen fixtures
Stickley
Bedroom furniture
Spoonflower
Fabric and textiles
Casper
Mattress and bedding
George’s Market & Nursery
Landscaping
Proven Winners
Flowers and plants
Heritage Tile
Kitchen, living room hearth
Kichler Lighting
Light fixtures
Eternity Modern
Furniture
Jafri Rugs
Rugs
Juniper Print Shop
Art prints
Don’s Moving & Storage
Logistics
Heritage Tile is synonymous with Subway Ceramics, the beautiful tile first made in the early 1900s for the New York City subway stations. But their collections go far beyond the 3×6 light-reflecting white tiles!...
For years, the appliance retailer has helped make vintage-inspired dreams come true for Cheap Old Houses fans with multiple giveaways of beautiful SMEG refrigerators — full-size and mini, alike! When Elizabeth and Ethan asked, innocently, “what are the chances you’d like to help us absolutely transform a handful of kitchens for ‘Who’s Afraid of a Cheap Old House?’,” AjMadison answered simply, “we’re in. Whatever you need.”...
Expertly framed art is the cherry on top of the old house sundae. Whether modern and minimal, bold and Baroque, or fun and floating, FrameUSA’s collections were beautifully crafted statements to showcase prints and tie rooms together. Quality? Impeccable. Service? Top-notch and so personalized....
We have the most fun when we’re playing and mixing architectural and historical styles from different eras. Old houses do not need to feel like museums, frozen in time, one-note style statements. An Italianate house with mid-century inspired decor? Love that! A vintage bungalow with contemporary furnishings? Adds such interest!...
We wrote a book for anyone who has ever dreamt of changing their life to rescue an old house. We’ve scoured the country to find homes in desperate need of saving—including a $45,000 Victorian in Mississippi, a $25,000 mansion in Indiana, an $82,000 recreational camp in Maine, and more. With hundreds of beautiful photographs capturing these homes in all their glory, you’ll be inspired to find “the one”—a fixer upper to rescue that will rescue you right back.
Houses we don’t show on Instagram or Facebook, delivered weekly to your inbox. Get ALL FOUR of our premium weekly eNewsletters with a monthly subscription package. With 16 eNewsletters per month, you’re looking at over 2,000 dream houses each year!
• Cheap Old Farmhouses
• Ultra Cheap Houses
• Cheap(ish) Old Houses
• Cheap Houses Abroad
• Access to our secret Instagram feed
