All photos © Stephanie Munguia for Cheap Old Houses
All photos © Stephanie Munguia for Cheap Old Houses
Welcome to Troy, New York! And to Episode 5 of Who’s Afraid of a Cheap Old House?, in which we helped Vanessa and Dan start their life in a darling Colonial Revival home.
This house was a challenge for us, and one we embraced wholeheartedly. Vanessa and Dan came to us with the smallest budget of any couple on the show, but also with the biggest hearts and the most “can do!” attitudes! Which meant that if we could tackle a lot of work together as a team, we could save immensely on labor costs, and if we could prioritize doing only the most essential projects, we could make a big impact. This one was all about small wins!
All photos © Stephanie Munguia for Cheap Old Houses
Welcome to Troy, New York! And to Episode 5 of Who’s Afraid of a Cheap Old House?, in which we helped Vanessa and Dan start their life in a darling Colonial Revival home.
This house was a challenge for us, and one we embraced wholeheartedly. Vanessa and Dan came to us with the smallest budget of any couple on the show, but also with the biggest hearts and the most “can do!” attitudes! Which meant that if we could tackle a lot of work together as a team, we could save immensely on labor costs, and if we could prioritize doing only the most essential projects, we could make a big impact. This one was all about small wins!
Let me start by saying: THIS WAS MY DREAM KITCHEN. Though tiny, it was covered in the most beautiful subway tile that we estimate dates to the 1930s. Old subway tile lacks any sort of bevel and has extremely thin grout lines. It’s also exceedingly expensive to replicate today! So when we found an entire kitchen full of it, we nearly lost our cheap old minds. There was also an original built-in cabinet above the sink, which OF COURSE we kept!
Our interior designer Jennifer chose to keep things simple in the kitchen, since all rooms open into one another and the bright colors of the adjacent spaces form a beautiful backdrop to the simplicity of the subway tile. Countertops by MSI Surfaces have a marble look, and play nicely off of the marble window sills. Pair that with retro-style SMEG appliances by AJ Madison and hardware by Charleston Hardware, and toss in a bunch of antiques (like this amazing butcher block CAN YOU STAND IT!?!) and you have yourself the perfect little vintage kitchen.
And of course, you can’t forget my cardinal rule of all cheap old house kitchens: JUST! ADD! LAMPS!
This little dining room is every bit a jewel box, and we decided to add a showstopping period chandelier to anchor the entire room. Look at those wheel-cut shades! This was actually a FB Marketplace find that Ethan and I had sitting in our basement, waiting for the perfect place to use it. And since the dining room is visible right through a colonnade as soon as you walk in the door, the glowing chandelier hits you right over the head with an abundance of magical, old house sparkle! It’s just SO GOOD!
Vanessa loves wallpaper, and sent us some examples of floral motifs that she loved for the walls. So, we went straight to our favorite company producing reproduction period wallpaper: Adelphi Paper Hangings! We actually get to visit their showroom in Episode 7 (stay tuned!) and it’s incredible to see how they carry on the tradition of blockprinting, just as they used to do way back when. We love how this wallpaper packs a punch in this dramatic little space.
Round it out with an antique hutch, and presto! The perfect dining room for this adorable family.
They loved their colonnades during the era in which this house built. Open areas flanked by columns divide each of the rooms, which means this is essentially an early open floor plan! Interestingly, the foyer in this house is actually right in the center of the downstairs and is the central access point for the dining room, parlor + kitchen.
We threw all caution to the wind with this one and just decided to have fun with color! Bright greens and chartreuses are at play. We found a perfect period light fixture on FB Marketplace for $100 that could easily have been with the house when it was first built.
Stripping the bright white paint off of all the columns made a huge impact in this room, and cost us only the price of a heat gun and some masks! Vanessa and Dan pitched in, too, to make it happen!
I’ll start by stating the obvious: I REALLY WANTED TO RIP OFF THIS VINYL SIDING. But, the budget on this house just didn’t allow it. Secondarily, I REALLY WANTED THAT FRONT DOOR GONE. And that much, I got!
On the show, we took a trip to our friends Jessica’s farm store and antique shop (shout out to Tiashoke!) and there we found a door and sidelights for $200 that matched the house perfectly. Making that small change on the exterior was a huge win, at least in my book, and brings the owners one step closer to a period-perfect restoration. Cheap old houses are often about prioritizing budget, and we love celebrating the small wins as much as we love big, dramatic changes.
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
George’s Market & Nursery
Landscaping
MSI Surfaces
Countertops
Vintage Tub & Bath
Kitchen fixtures
Charleston Hardware Co.
Hardware
Spoonflower
Fabric and textiles
Don’s Moving & Storage
Logistics
Lot 32 Flower Farm
Flower arrangements
AjMadison
Appliances
Proven Winners
Flowers and plants
Kichler Lighting
Light fixtures
Adelphi Paper Hangings
Wallpaper
Venus, artist
Artwork
Juniper Print Shop
Art prints
FrameUSA
Art frames
Here are some “before” shots of this house, and some that show our team and fearless homeowner Vanessa getting down and dirty with heat guns!
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.
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