You Won't Believe the Amazing Renovation of This 106-Year-Old House in Upstate New York

Lisa and Mark (pictured, with Avery, 7, and Owen, 3) sealed up a side entrance in the kitchen, making room for a wide Viking stove, set against a slate-tile backsplash. Custom cabinets with antique glass panes and Restoration Hardware light fixtures add to the finished look, as does a built-to-order island.

Bright Idea! Extending an island's countertop provides comfortable space for knees.

"I knew I wanted a classic farmhouse style — simple and clean," Lisa says. Today, her collection of vintage yellowware looks right at home in the dining room, displayed on a 100-year-old pine hutch found at a local antiques store. The bowls hold fresh produce as well as antlers found on the property.

For 14 months, the Hellmans stayed in nearby motels while overseeing construction and remodeling. "We pulled out the entire inside of the house," Mark says. "The amount of plaster and debris was just staggering." Here, new custom sofas (from Benny's Upholstery in Liberty, New York) mingle with a vintage trunk used as a coffee table.

Once they'd taken the walls down to the lath, the Hellmans set about restoring the entire stairwell, including its unique paneled side. The couple also uncovered gorgeous pine floors beneath grimy linoleum, but the boards were full of plumbing holes from the many kitchens and bathrooms that existed in the different apartments. Rather than replace entire planks, the Hellmans plugged up the openings with stoppers fashioned from branches found on their property — a charming personal touch that sure beats wood putty.

Instead of pricey artwork, the Hellmans focused on landscape paintings as a theme, scooping up many for next to nothing at flea markets, then grouping them together for greater impact. They have two rules for the paintings that line their hallway: Each artwork must cost under $100 and include a house.

Bright Idea! A newel post offers a great display opportunity for a lantern, a trophy, even a pheasant!

The best advice they got: "Our contractor talked us into replacing the old windows. We lost some character, but wound up saving thousands in heating bills."

Though they had to replace the beyond-repair tin ceiling with a plaster version, Mark and Lisa added interest to the room by installing beadboard along its lower walls. The antique table, chairs, and rug are family heirlooms, and the wrought-iron chandelier is custom-made. "She started buying stuff for the house a year before we moved in," says Mark, with a laugh. "Plates, silverware, and chairs all piled up in storage."

Since the home had been divided into multiple residences, it didn't come with a true master suite. After the renovation, it not only had a master bath, but three and a half others and six bedrooms.

The couple converted a former studio apartment into a luxurious retreat, including this bathroom. The claw-foot tub, by Kallista, shares the space with a glass-walled shower.

The Hellmans furnished this guest room with an antique headboard, plus Country Curtains' shade and matching toile shams. "We saved big by slowly amassing furniture during construction," says Lisa, "instead of waiting until right before we moved in. That allowed us time to look for great bargains."

Flea-market paintings, along with vintage apothecary jars corralled on a silver tray, pretty up the guest bath.