Cheap Old Houses: An Unconventional Guide to Loving and Restoring a Forgotten Home

by Elizabeth Finkelstein, Ethan Finkelstein

From the founders of the HGTV show and Instagram Cheap Old Houses comes a stunning collection of beautiful, affordable homes and inspiration for buying and restoring an historic house.

Welcome to the magical world of Cheap Old Houses, where the new American dream comes with zero mortgage and an affordable lifestyle fit for a storybook. Ethan and Elizabeth Finkelstein have 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. Cheap Old Houses features the stories of how these homes were acquired and lovingly restored.

Within these pages, you’ll discover sprawling Victorian mansions, Italianate-style farmhouses, off-the-beaten-path cabins, and even old churches turned into residences. You’ll meet a couple who camped out on their back porch while they made their 6,000-square foot manor livable, and homeowners who found a free bungalow and moved it seventy miles to their property. Additionally, Elizabeth, a historical preservationist, gives information on the details to preserve in historic houses, from pocket doors that might be hiding in the walls to badly cracked plaster walls that are worth repairing and butler’s pantries that are once again more desirable for storing dishes and small appliances.

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.

Genres: Nonfiction, Design, Architecture, Art, Adult, Coffee Table Books

286 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 10, 2023

Reviews

[Marshall Hughes · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a book about people buying and restoring "cheap" houses without much information on how much was actually spent after all the work and hard years spent restoring them to livable condition.
Also for a book about old houses there are surprisingly few pictures of the interiors of many of the homes which show them in their entirety. I got the impression that they were showing the best sides but not the complete package.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked it, the pictures are beautiful! I just there were some before pictures of the houses.

[Jennifer Taulane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pored over the photos, enjoyed digging into the stories- reminders of the beauty of salvage and reuse.

[Stephanie A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

OBSESSED with this coffee table book; to read it is to enter a waking dreamscape. Divided loosely into sections according to style, each chapter is full of beautifully selected photographs of each house to highlight both interior rooms and small design details, with a good story about finding each one, interspersed with general information on the type of materials one sees or might look for to refurbish old houses like these.

I spent a solid two weeks reading this slowly, not only for the text but also to simply drink in all the details of the pictures. I want to go to there, but everywhere. I know in my heart I do not have a tenth of the fortitude needed to learn how to make such a restoration affordable, but I love everyone who does. Thank you all a thousand times over.

P.S. I had not previously heard of the Instagram or the show; off to expand my horizons!!

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

beautiful photographs and amazing houses!

[Elizabeth Humphreys · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to go buy a cheap old house now

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is always fun to see the go getters who take on restoration projects likes the ones in this book, and do it a bit at a time vs. paying someone to get it all done and pretty. The book has a lovely assortment of houses from a variety of locales and eras, plus the stories and supply lists for those looking to match design items.

[L.M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is BEAUTIFUL! From the time I was a little kid and watched an old abandoned house I loved torn down to make way for a widening highway, I've had a soft place in my heart for old houses and the people who document, rescue, and preserve them. These are my people. The houses in this book are absolutely stunning and some of the people were definitely BFF material. I love how they captured all different types of homes, from your typical old Victorian, to a schoolhouse, to a defunct hydropower station, in all different places (though I lost count of how many people were escaping from California).

I had only two problems with this book and with the concept as a whole. First, as a former owner of a cheap-ish old-ish house I can tell you though they may be cheap to buy, they are infinitely more expensive to own and maintain. But worth it. The other problem was that one of the owners in the book talked about a home ownership program she took advantage of to buy her house (for $78,000). I think that's great, I think municipalities that offer programs like that to help preserve their historic structures are really doing a great thing. But the owner termed this as "attempting to make home ownership possible for not just those with generational wealth." LOL! I'm sure she's not actually walking around thinking that everyone who owns a house is a Rockefeller or that their mommy and daddy bought their house for them, but now the world thinks that's what she thinks. The authors or editors should have saved her that embarrassment (even, or perhaps especially, if that really is what she believes).

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cheap Old Houses has been a favourite Instagram account to follow, but I didn't think I'd end up buying the book. I originally ordered it via my public library, but I knew I wouldn't finish it by its due date, and I was truly enjoying it. The photographs are beautiful, I love all of the details!

The people who have entirely changed their lives, their locations, to take on these projects are amazing to me! I already followed many of the people featured throughout the book, but as I was reading, I added more Instagram accounts to follow along with. I also appreciated the different categories of buildings that were selected for this book, and different locations.

I would love to be able to join these homeowners, in being able to take something that no one else sees the value in, and bring it back to life. For now, I'll enjoy the book, hopefully the show again (Canadians seem a bit behind in HGTV airing it), and the Instagram account that Ethan and Elizabeth Finkelstein continue to illustrate great possibilities through.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

An unusual collection mansions, cabins and unconventional homes, mostly located in the Midwest or Deep South. The amount of work to repair and maintain these structures is mind boggling, something not much mentioned in the text. On the other hand, bricks and stone are durable and they are insanely expensive when used for building modern houses. The purchase prices appear incredibly low to anyone living in urban California.

Its a large, but not giant book that's has a plethora of photos along with some text explanations. You can think of it as a small coffee table book. Some of the more unusual homes include a Mid Century Modern home, a converted brick power station, a cabin converted to a bookstore among others.

Having rescued a small 500 sq ft home, I know the amount of work it can take to restore old houses. Enjoy the photos and essays but be a bit wary of those who make these projects look easy. A decent read, but I'm unlikely to buy another condemned home for renovation.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book to skim through if you love old houses because there are pretty pictures. Not enough showing what the house as a whole looks like from the outside, though, or information about what the actual work entailed. The pages that are about specific features of old houses (tile, radiators, wallpaper) were actually the most interesting. I can't help but know, having a family old house to take care of, how much it costs to do what these people have done, so I always think How on earth did they afford to do this? It would have cost us more to restore the original wood windows in our house than to replace them, and then we'd have needed storm windows which would have cost that much again. If this is something you feel is your purpose in life, this book will make you convinced it's possible, but the details will be up to you....

[SusanwithaGoodBook · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter got this for me for Christmas and it's perfect! She knows just what I love. I watched all the episodes of the Cheap Old Houses HGTV show last year, so this was a fun look at more lovely old houses rescued by wonderful people willing to take on the huge task of renovating, restoring, and living in these jewels of our history that are scattered across the country. I wish I could buy and fix up an old house. It always breaks my heart when an old place is torn down. They CAN and SHOULD be saved if at all possible. There's just too much waste. The problem is that a lot of these houses are located in remote areas, not in cities near me. But still, if I can, someday I'll save an old house. Till then I'll just live vicariously through books and shows like this one.

[Liv · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the variety of houses (and other converted buildings) featured and the beautiful images. However, focusing on fewer homes would have allowed for more depth about their renovation processes, their surprises, and their total cost. While the purchase price is mentioned for the homes, the renovation price is not. While hard work is occasionally mentioned, the books make it feel like the renovations happened by magic. Some process photos or certainly before and afters would have made a larger impact. As a whole, this book felt like scrolling an Instagram feed without further depth. It is full of eye candy but little substance, especially as it promises to be a "guide to loving and restoring a forgotten home."

[L · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book about people rescuing old houses. The photography is beautiful. The homes are astonishing. The colorful styles are cheering and positive. Real people live in these homes that may or may not be totally ready for modern life, yet they are making it all work somehow. This book really made me wish I was young enough to start life over with an old home in desperate need of saving. Maybe I have to just stick with the one I have and keep it all going as long as possible. A truly inspirational, lovely and loving book.

[Kamryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have no knowledge whatsoever of the corresponding TV show, but I REALLY liked this book. Watching two minute clips on social media has given a sense of “you have to fix it all NOW” to renovation projects on my feeds, but this book delightfully embodies the opposite by including pictures of *unfinished* bits of the houses too. The anecdotes and photos were excellent. Now I kinda wanna buy an old house to renovate 😅

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The love of old houses is demonstrated in this book. It gives a more in depth look at several cheap old houses, cabins, and others than the episodes on the eponymous TV show. The author includes some links to favorite resources for lighting, fixtures, etc. Included also are some insights on some aspects of old houses that appeal to certain people. Well written, engaging and inspiring, this guide will charm the right readers.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm obsessed with the Instagram account, and it was lovely to see what people do when they purchase an old house. It feeds my soul to see restoration and preservation, not renovation. Why not five stars? I'm not sure, but it didn't leave me breathless. More pictures? More story to go with each house? I'm not sure what was missing, but I love the whole movement so much and really liked the book.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to pick up the Kindle version of this book from my library. I really enjoyed it. I love their Instagram feed - followed for years, and I loved this book. I saw a print copy in my local bookstore and the pictures are a lot better in print.

[Kaitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

My only complaint is that I wished for more photos and longer descriptions of the houses themselves! That aside, I appreciated the variety of houses featured and, especially, the resources listed for replacement parts and additional information on restoration techniques.

The best thing I can say is that reading this has inspired me to look at my 1940s house for little restoration projects. Perhaps I'll start by scraping the paint off the pink tile in the bathroom?

(I have a print copy of this book, not sure why that's not available as a choice! Looks lovely on my bookshelf next to my copy of A Field Guide to American Houses.)

[kendall · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is like porn to me

i would have liked more details about the restorations (as well as the cost of restorations) and more pictures of each house, but i still really enjoyed reading all the stories and looking at all the unique aspects of each place!

[Katie Buckley · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED this beautiful book. It felt like every word was chosen with such care-the same went for every photograph and special feature. There’s something really special about restoring something forgotten to its original splendor, and this book celebrates that. So enjoyable.

[Kayla Zabcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

beautiful photographs and wonderful written histories of each property. great recommendations for vintage element resources: stoves, chandeliers, tiles, wallpapers, sinks, and so on. one day, I'll have my own cheap old house and I'll come back to this book for inspiration.

[EThayer3 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice book showcasing several old houses that were bought cheap by owners who love old houses. Most of these house needed massive repairs. I would have loved to see more pictures both before and after as they were lacking.

[Jyw · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed perusing the pictures and taking a fresh look of embracing some of the things I would typically want to immediately rehab or remodel. Instead, the owners of these properties often embrace the worn out floorboards, mismatched, staying, and even torn and dilapidated wallpaper.

[Melki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine nabbing a mansion for $25,000! True, it may be a money-pit that needs to have EVERY single thing improved or replaced, but . . . still.

Whether you're a home improvement guru, or just an armchair Mr./Ms. Fix-it, this is a fun book for dreaming and drooling.

[Elisa M · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just meh for me. So hard to relate to the lifestyle these people lead- I couldn't get any ideas for my own house from the book. Also I would have liked to have seen more of each house- the photos were pretty limited, showed just a few rooms and only small parts of those.

[Dixie]

Just glanced at it.

[Sidra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love old houses and seeing how people renovate them.

[Bethany Owen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting read…wonderful pictures, quick chapters make it fly by. Inspiring!

[Rachel P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super fun to read! Love the idea of restoring an old bungalow❤️