In Illinois, a couple purchased a rundown, 200-year-old house. Over the past five years, the couple has infused new life into it, deeming their efforts “worth it”.
35-year-old former emergency room nurse Megan Grandchamp and her husband Christopher Grandchamp, a police officer in Aurora, currently live in the property built in 1843 with their three children. Despite having no experience in renovating houses, this family embraced the daunting challenge. They have spent over $300,000 and countless hours witnessing the results of the renovation.
“We didn’t know what we were getting into,” Mrs. Grandchamp told The Epoch Times, “When you walk into a 200-year-old house, there are always surprises.”
It all started in 2019 when Mrs. Grandchamp, who grew up in Oswego and moved to Yorkville after marriage, stumbled upon the house not far from Yorkville. “I found this house in Oswego by accident, it’s about 10 to 15 minutes away from Yorkville,” she said, “We went to a show that day and made an offer that evening.”
The house was originally built in 1843 by a mason named John Hem and underwent expansions in the 1900s.
The property had been in the same family and well-maintained until a couple bought it 25 years ago but never got around to repairing it.
When the husband passed away, the house became a burden for the wife. Despite the challenges of upkeep, she continued to live there.
“The house was in such disrepair; the grass was over my waist,” Mrs. Grandchamp said, “We didn’t even know the boundaries of the property. We couldn’t see the property lines because it was so overgrown.”
The interior of the house was even more daunting.
“The roof was leaking,” said the full-time mom, “We had it inspected, and they said everything was wrong with it. So it needed everything: lighting, plumbing, and air conditioning.”
However, the couple was not deterred by these obvious issues and envisioned a bright future for their home within the old structure.
“It’s just so neat,” Mrs. Grandchamp said, “You can tell everything was handmade. … Modern new houses aren’t built like this.”
Mrs. Grandchamp was fascinated by the slate foundation, large window sills, and workshop on the land.
“I love old things, I always have,” she said, “I’ve always had more of a fondness for older homes than new homes.”
However, after purchasing the house, the Grandchamps were faced with a “pure shock.”
With a 5-month-old baby in tow, they had to renovate the house to make it safe and comfortable for living.
They sought help from family members skilled in various construction fields, working hard to breathe new life into their new home.
To have a place to live, they first organized half of the house (although not necessarily comfortably), then renovated the other half.
“We had to live in one half of the house while we experimented and renovated the other half,” Mrs. Grandchamp said. “Then, once that half was completed, we moved over there. We did the main kitchen first because you need a kitchen. We redid the bathrooms and completed the master bedroom in the suite. Once those were done, we could comfortably move in. Then we started to renovate the children’s bedrooms. But it’s been over five years of work.”
As the renovation progressed, they were amazed by everything they discovered, from bugs and mouse droppings to antique fixtures.
“It’s cool—like, you know, having sconces on the walls because they didn’t have electricity (when the house was built) … they had gas lighting,” Mrs. Grandchamp said. “They had radiators in every room—that was how they heated their house.”
“We found a few things in the walls, like old shoes, old items like various patterned mousetraps everywhere… it’s cool.”
Another intriguing find for the Grandchamps was a handwritten postcard on a wall, sent by someone vacationing overseas to the residents of the house.
“I wanted a house like this, and then you rebuild it,” Mrs. Grandchamp said. “Once you start pulling down the plaster walls, you find some things. But for us, we knew everything needed replacing so it didn’t surprise us.”
They preserved most of the house’s foundation.
“The foundation work is very expensive; they knew how to build in 1843,” Mrs. Grandchamp said. “The expert who inspected our foundation said it’s in great shape, very straight. All we needed to add were some drainage tiles for waterproofing.”
Undoubtedly, for the Grandchamps, the completed house is an exciting achievement.
The meticulously restored two-story house features a living room, a large kitchen and dining room, four bedrooms, two balconies, and two lofts.
“We are starting a design company; we’re almost finished with the renovation,” Mrs. Grandchamp said. “For the outside, we put a pool in because we had a concrete courtyard in the back. We are working on it now. It’s like a guesthouse with a pool; it will have a bedroom, and there will be another kitchen. It’s basically a suite for permanent guests.”
She shared her design inspirations, saying, “My main focus of design was to have more open space. When we first bought it, the house was very closed-off, which was normal for that time.”
The Grandchamps, with their large family, opted for an open layout.
Reflecting on the five-year journey, Mrs. Grandchamp said, “We were definitely naive. But the reward is when you take a picture of the finished house. Once everything is done, you forget the hardship, the tearing down, the stress of finances, and all the trouble.”
The Grandchamps have reaped the rewards of their labor and now enjoy their revitalized home. Mrs. Grandchamp mentioned that her family loves sitting on the balcony.
One of the most surprising things during the renovation was the relationships they built with people associated with the house, as the family still keeps in touch with the widow who sold them the house.
“They have been here so many times,” Mrs. Grandchamp said. “They’ve seen what (we) have done, and they love it. They appreciate our hard work. It’s fun to be able to share that with them because they’re older and can’t repurchase the house and redo it again. But through us, they witnessed the rebirth of the house.”