The husband and wife have been married for 26 years, and have renovated old homes for over 20 of those years. While Laine, 48, also runs a bridal salon, and Kevin, 54, runs an advertising agency, restoring old homes is their main love. “For both of us, restoration is our love and our passion,” explains Laine.

Finding a fixer-upper

Growiпg υp iп Coпway, Arkaпsas, Laiпe υsed to pass the stυппiпg Victoriaп hoυse oп the way to aпd from school. “I пever saw a liviпg breathiпg soυl aroυпd the hoυse, so I didп’t eveп kпow if aпybody lived there,” explaiпs Laiпe. With the coυple already owпiпg a 1933 coloпial revival пearby, they drove past the abaпdoпed home every day, hopiпg to eveпtυally make it theirs aпd start their υltimate fixer-υpper project.

Buying a teardown

Eveпtυally, iп 2011, the hoυse came oп the market aпd the coυple boυght it for $106,000 (£78k). However, there was a catch as it was beiпg sold as a teardowп. “Oυr foυпdatioп gυy crawled υпder the hoυse after we’d pυrchased it aпd said, yoυ haveп’t boυght this hoυse have yoυ?” explaiпs Laiпe. He theп weпt oп to tell the coυple that they coυldп’t go iпto the hoυse agaiп υпtil they had bυilt a пew foυпdatioп.

The house today

After years of hard work aпd reпovatioпs, the home, which the coυple пickпamed ‘Scottie’ is υпrecogпisable. The exterior has beeп remodelled from a diпgy aпd brokeп home iпto a pale blυe dream, while the iпside is jυst as stυппiпg. Let’s take a look at the breathtakiпg home traпsformatioп…

Before: the porch

Old listiпg photos show the porch as it was before Laiпe aпd Keviп got their haпds oп it. Uпstable dυe to the crυmbliпg foυпdatioпs, the space, which was sυrroυпded by overgrowп weeds, was iп пeed of a refresh.

After: the porch

Before: the hallway

Before the restoration, the staircase was completely enclosed. “When we bought the house it was dark and awful, like a dungeon,” says Laine. The second floor was closed off, so the Berrys opened it up and restored the stunning spindles to open up the hallway to make it a light and bright space.

After: the hallway

“One of the things that we love about homes of this period are the central halls where you can have the long hallway and the front door and the back door,” says Laine. And that’s exactly what the couple chose to do. After unblocking the stairs, they moved a small powder room that was blocking the back door and opened up a breezeway.

After: the hallway

Today, the stunning space features a mural on the wall and white hardwood floors. Laine and Kevin thought that they’d be able to keep the original floors in the house, but sadly they weren’t able to. “We were so excited we pulled up the carpets and found the original hardwood floors. We thought we’re going to be able to keep them and then our workmen kept falling through because of the termite damage,” says Laine.

Before: the living room

With most of the home inhabitable, Kevin and Laine had to start demolition as soon as the house was safe to enter. “We discovered that it basically was being held together by the carpet and the panelling that was on the walls,” says Laine. There were also a number of large holes under the carpet, that reached down three feet!

After: the living room

Sitting just off the entryway is the formal living room. When it comes to finishing the house, Laine has a strict rule, “if we lay on it, or we sit on it it’s new,” she explains. Everything else is chosen carefully and pieced together from estate sales, thrift shops and car boot sales.

Before: the bedroom

As with most old houses, Scottie was full of hidden surprises. The couple discovered that the house actually had 12-foot ceilings which were disguised under panelling which stopped short at just nine feet. “Kevin went to make a little repair in the ceiling and discovered that the ceilings were not nine feet, they were 12 feet,” says Laine.

After: the bedroom

Today, the difference in all the rooms is vast but is especially noticeable in the master bedroom. The only sleeping space in the house while the Berrys use upstairs to store furniture for their other fixer-upper projects, it sits just off the hallway.

Before: the bathroom

After buying the home in 2011, the home was unhabitable due to the termite infestation and unstable foundations. However, one thing it did have was a working toilet. “We lived with my in-laws, they were so gracious. But what was supposed to be a six-month jaunt with them ended up being almost a year and a half,” explains Laine. The first 16 months of their huge project cost them an estimated $120,500 (£88k)

Before: the bathroom

After moving the bathroom from the back of the house, the couple decided that they wanted an ensuite in their master bedroom. As usual, with a vision in mind, they decided that this would be the perfect space with its original windows, fireplace and double doors.

After: the bathroom

Sitting behind the master bedroom, it’s the perfect retreat. “We have one full bath behind that space because it’s just the two of us and I don’t want to see any more toilets!” explains Laine.

Before: the bathroom fireplace

When they started restoring old houses 20 years ago, Kevin and Laine didn’t document their journey. But in more recent years have gained a huge following on their Instagram with their latest projects. With a huge knowledge of restoring period features and maintaining the character of old homes, Scottie was no exception, and they set to work on restoring this old fireplace.

After: the bathroom fireplace

With stunning moulding and a marbled stone, it makes the perfect addition to the bathroom. In fact, the couple are so passionate about bringing historic houses back to life that they started Our Restoration Nation, a website dedicated to showing people their projects and creating a community of people who want to learn how to save houses and preserve history.

Before: the dining room

Before the house was condemned, the couple came in and made some amazing discoveries. “We came in and we pulled the 1970s panelling off the wall and found out that yes, there was a hole for pocket doors, but there were no pocket doors,” says Laine. They eventually found the missing doors hidden in the garage.

After: the dining room

“We realised that they had taken our beautiful eight-foot pocket doors from inside the house and turned them into shelves to put oil cans on in the garage. We were able to salvage those, and put them back,” says Laine. Her favourite thing about the house, it reminds her of how far they’ve come and what can be done with some preservation and restoration.

After: the dining room

Steeped in history, the home once belonged to a local, who gifted it to his son as a wedding present. Today, the daughter still lives behind the Berrys and shares stories of her childhood with the couple. “We found an instruction booklet for a big pot-bellied stove and she told us that they fitted it in the dining room and the first time they lifted it, it exploded. So there’s just lots of fun history that we were able to uncover through the process,” says Laine.

Before: the kitchen

Old listing photos show a kitchen in dire need of repair. When Laine and Kevin moved in, the kitchen wasn’t in a working state, so it was time for them to get their hands on it. The couple completely redid the kitchen, giving it a fresh new look…

After: the kitchen

Kevin’s favourite part of the house, the kitchen has been renovated to a modern standard with period touches. “One of the things that I think we see people fail the most on when they’re doing restorations, is they put this uber-modern kitchen in a historic house and it just doesn’t flow properly,” explains Kevin.

Aside from the pocket doors in the garage, the couple also found their kitchen sink sitting in a pile of rubbish. After resurfacing it and putting it in the newly designed kitchen, it’s the perfect addition. Overall, the second leg of their project which included the new kitchen and moving the powder room cost them around $11,000 (£8k).

With the 2,500-square-foot house still a work in progress for the couple, Laine can’t wait to get her hands dirty renovating the upstairs, adding two bedrooms and a bathroom. ” I think a lot of people get their spaces to a place and they let it sort of stagnate, but I think our homes are as living as we are, and they have to evolve and change. So it’s constantly changing, there’s always a new wall colour or a change in theme,” says Laine.

Currently in the progress of restoring seven other historic homes over America, Laine and Kevin have their hands full creating a community of like-minded people. We can’t wait to take a tour of their next finished project!