Count THE COST

Don’t underestimate the amount of both time and money needed to restore an older house. Here are three costs to work into your budget.

• SANDPAPER.

As part of the restoration of the original floors, Kayla and her family spent many hours sanding them down. “Who knew it would require so much fine sandpaper to restore 162-year-old floors?” Kayla says.

• PAINT.

To give their historic home the beautiful, photofriendly neutral palette it needed, Kayla and her family repainted the interior themselves. “The 10-foot ceilings and original windows required a massive amount of paint,” she says. “Every time we turned around we were buying more.”

• FURNISHINGS.

Getting pieces that suit both style and function can be a challenge in a historic home. “We had to find unique pieces that would photograph well, yet were durable for the public,” Kayla says. “We found that many older pieces seemed to be the most reliable and sturdy; hence the antique dressers, vanities and chairs.”