There’s nothing quite like the charm and beauty of an older home. Intricate woodwork, bookcases covering walls, and antique fireplaces add character and uniqueness that are hard to match with modern accommodations.
If only their walls could talk, they would have many interesting stories to tell. Truly, the people living in them are proud owners of a little piece of history.
Just like the members of the Facebook group “Our Old House,” who are sharing their homes dating all the way back to the 1700s. In addition, they post updates, challenges, successes, and questions that come with owning a vintage estate. So scroll away to marvel at the timeless charm and appeal of these old beauties!
We also reached out to Ash and Tez, an English family currently living in a grand Château de Lalacelle and documenting their adventures on YouTube, to ask about their experiences of owning an old French castle.
You can find their story below!
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Welcome to my home,this has been in my familiy since the 1700’ century. It was built in Empire style and had a viking grave in its garden. An historical home that I love. It is in the east of Norway
I found this 400 year old window in our hall
Our house in the south part of Sweden, in the village Onnestad. The house name is Villan, it was built 1876. The tower is built 1916-19. We have lived here since 2002
The “Our Old House” Facebook group was created in 2017 and has gathered over 1.4 million owners and enthusiasts who enjoy vintage architecture. With so many people sharing their old abodes, the group is full of various unique styles and stories. From cozy bungalows to Victorian mansions, these homes are every aficionado's dream.
The dining room in my 1830s house. Before & After. I did all the work myself!
Who would have ever been so crazy as to put a dropped ceiling like an office?? Nice work, OP.
Last weeks have been amazing in winter wonderland .
I live about 60 km North of Stockholm in Sweden. 500 meters from my house there is a ”small” mansion. It is said that my croft belonged to the blacksmith who worked on the farm. The croft is probably from the 19th century, if not earlier. When it's cold outside, I enjoy the wood stove in the kitchen and the tiled stove in the living room
Envy, deep green seething envy! Love your dog as well.
One incredible story of an older home comes from Ash and Tez, an English family currently living in a castle (click to see) in north-western France. They kindly agreed to have a chat with us to tell us all about their journey.
When asked about purchasing the property, they told Bored Panda that they wanted to live in France for some time and always saw it as a part of their future. “When Covid hit, we moved the plan forward, as we wanted to be able to be together as a family, and we can do that here. As soon as restrictions were lifted, we were on the first ferry to France and purchased the château.”
Hello everyone, my name is Moa-Lina and this is my farm ”Brofalls gård” in Sweden, which I share with my partner and two friends. It was erected in 1825 by two sisters named Hellwegh and is located a 25 minutes drive from Astrid Lindgren's childhood home in Vimmerby, Småland. I'm a children's book author myself, so it's a very inspiring environment to be in.
Here are some festive pictures of our late 18th century grade II listed farmhouse in Dorset, England
This looks like the house from the movie The Holiday with Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz. If it is you can actually rent it for holidays.
Before the purchase, it had been abandoned for 40 years and was in big need of repair. The Château didn't have much life left in it with crumbling chimneys, broken windows, and a leaking roof. Fortunately, Ash and Tez came to save it and with determination and a lot of work, their home is starting to feel like it's from a fairy tale.
First photo is what our 1928 Mediterranean Revival looked like when we purchased in 2017. Second one is after painting and opening arches for the porch we thoroughly enjoy. Lots of sweat equity but our home smiles now. What do you think?
Our tiny swedish cottage. Before everything was painted in white. We added colour, wallpapers and cosyness.
Hello from Tennessee from a new member of this great group. We live in a Georgian Revival built in about 1905 and boy has there been a lot of love poured into it over the last 35 years, when my husband purchased it ‘as is,’ which was as an 8 room boarding house. Thankfully many of the original features remained, but alas, not the pocket doors on either side of the foyer. Many six panel doors remain, including the funny one with the angled top for the coat closet under the stairs. We redid the kitchen this year and I love it. The sleeping nook with the angled ceiling is on the third floor, and a really nice space with light from the three dormer windows, and of course the warmth of the old heart pine floors
Bought a house from 1922 that I’m renovating by myself. First room is starting to take form as a little guest room
The renovation journey started in 2021, and was documented on their YouTube channel called “Escape To The Dream, Restoring The Château.” It already has 349 videos and 157k subscribers, showcasing how much this family has achieved in a relatively short time.
During it, they dabbled in restoring almost everything, as they were doing it mostly with their own two hands. The video of the two-year recap of the Château’s renovation now has over 3.5 million views.
Our house is a converted church from 1873 (150 this year). The heating was crippling us the first year. Since then we installed double pane thermal windows over the original stained glass and have built partitions inside to section off the foyer and the reduce the footprint needing heat. The addition of heat pumps in the bedroom and kitchen have made us quite cozy in the winter months.
Bran new to this group. This is our house located in Illinois supposedly built in 1832. I’ve been told it is a Victorian. Not sure what kind of Victorian. I don’t believe it’s Queen Anne. If anyone knows we would appreciate it
I knew this was Illinois as soon as I saw it. I am currently renovating a 1920 house in Il, unfortunately, it’s not very exciting. I’m pretty sure it’s a Sears roebuck house. I love this style of house, looks beautiful
My wife and I bought our 1880's house in 1980. The roof leaked, the furnace was a fire breathing dragon, the siding was falling off, the cast iron sewer pipe was rotten, the wiring was knob and tube, and the house had one foot in the grave. We were just a young couple and took a chance.
That first night we slept on the floor of the living room in sleeping bags listening to a raging thunderstorm all the while hoping the plaster ceilings weren't going to cave in, but we had a dream. We wanted to bring the house back to its former glory.
We're in our 60's now and have zero regrets. Our original vision was a powerful motivator and every minor project we finished gave us hope we could restore and preserve our house. We just want to let other young couples know that dreams and visions are powerful motivators and that it's possible to transform a property and preserve it for future generations!
Renovation and restoration like this are always labors of love. Well done!
It’s no surprise that living in an older home, especially a historical one, comes with its own unique characteristics and quirks. We were curious to know if there were any unusual features in their castle that they'd come to love while living there.
They told us that it’s definitely the distance between things. “At home, you might nip down to your shed or garage, which is a couple of seconds job. Here, our garage is 100m away, so every time you forget or need a tool, it’s a ten-minute trip.” The whole property is 21 acres, so it’s no surprise that its owners have some walking to do.
Last winter I bought this custom built bungalow from the 94 year old original owner who had it build with her husband in 1956. All of the timeles original finishes like the solid mahogany planked walls and cherry built in buffet/china cabinet remain. The process was like I was adopting her child, she wanted it to go to someone who will cherish it. The house still has the 1956 range from Eatons, Canada. I would love to find a period correct fridge to match. Wondering if anyone has any suggestions as to what I should look for. I’ve heard some models/manufacturers were much better than others in that time.
I bought a1953 Ranch from the Original owners nieces ( she passed on at 100). They had it custom built ( second house to be built in the neighborhood) so we have the only 3 bedroom house with a garage in our neighborhood. Best I can figure is it was a wedding present when they got married because it sold to them upon completion for 1 dollar. We have the original pink bathroom, kitchen counters with the chrome edge & wood floors, we had to do upgrades like windows & electric but kept as much as we could original. There is something homey about knowing we are only the second owners
This is our old house, built in 1863, we are 10 miles away from Gettysburg, Pa. My husband is a grain and hay farmer. We bought it to keep it from getting developed, and add more land for him to farm
Thank you for sustaining the land. I don't live far from you, and it is getting overdeveloped.
However, they wouldn’t change it for anything, and some extra exercise only does them good. If they had the chance to live in a modern home now, they couldn’t do it. The reason for this is the lack of character in new houses. Indeed, the charming castle is something that only a few are lucky to own in their lifetime.
This is our old house after the first snow fall.
We are in Prince Edward Island, Canada
I just wanted to introduce myself and share a photo I took! This is our 12ft tree in our foyer. Our home was built in 1910❤️. We love all of the character this home offers! We’ve updated quite a bit, and there is still quite a bit I would LOVE to update. But, I don’t want to take away from the charm that a 110 year old home has to offer! We even love the imperfections of the home
Hard to believe my riverside cottage is 100 yrs old. It was originally a summer getaway for New Yorkers. The siding is our native hemlock with a metal roof. The dark brown with red
(or green) trim is a traditional color combo for forest homes
They also kindly shared some tips with people who are considering buying an older home. “My advice to anyone who looks at a project like this would be to expect the unexpected. No two days are the same and whatever budget you were thinking for renovations, double it!”
Wisconsin 1912
First time home buyer here, but long time lover of old homes. In the process of buying this beautiful home, but was wondering for ideas on what the specific style is. I want to make sure if I touch anything I make sure I make it be period specific. Ideas on period specific paint colors, trends ect. Listing says it was built in 1920, but Wisconsin historic website has it as 1912. Any help is great!!! Thanks:)
Looks like a victorian to me. Lovely! Google Sherwin Williams Late Victorian to get an idea for paint colors. This also looks like it could be by a specialty builder in your area. You can check your local historical society to see if you can find who was the architect and what else they built in your area to get ideas on houses that have already been refurbished.
Our front parlor this Christmas!
Ash and Tez also encourage people who want to take on a similar journey to bite the bullet. “This has always been our dream, so to be living it together as a family is a truly magical experience that none of us would swap for anything. My advice to anyone thinking of doing this is; do it while you can! Enjoy life and your family!”
Raise your hand if you bought an 1840’s house, and decided to rip up carpet and remove the drop ceilings from the second floor prior to moving in…. But discovered an undisclosed flying squirrel infestation… so you had to rip down the plaster and lathe, but made the most of it by leaving exposed beams in the bedrooms 🫠
Next step… finish putting up the drywall, spackle and paint, sand down and refinish the floors. Then we can finally move in lol
I absolutely love to see everyone's Christmas photos. I especially have a soft spot for small homes decorated so cozy this time of year. Our Christmas tree is much smaller and bare this year because we have a wild little one. Happy Holidays from our 1875 home in RI.
My old house from 1930 on the banks of the River Rhine
I was introduced to this group by someone touring our home during our hometown Christmas Home Tour. I’m so happy to find it! Our family has been in our home since 1994. It was vacant for 25 years, so we’ve had our work cut out for us! It was built in 1907, the year Oklahoma became a state, but some of the wood for the house was shipped before statehood, because we found wood under our stairs stamped “Muskogee, I.T.” meaning Muskogee, Indian Territory. I’m sharing pictures of the house decorated for Christmas
A summer picture of my house, located in Sweden
Their story is truly inspiring and proves that not just princesses and princes can live in a castle. Owning a vintage home isn’t easy, but with a little bit of love and care, it can become the forever home of your dreams just like it did for Ash and Tez and the rest of the people from this list!
I had a empty space, where the kitchen stove stood. I wanted something there. But not in the way of the kitchen sink cabinet. I found a 1922 ironing board cabinet. Just the door was barely salable. It been sitting outside. How long ? Who knows
I stripped the white paint off. Then I found out behind the kitchen wall..is the bathroom medicine cabinet. So I built another 4 inches onto the wall. It's not perfect, I just do my best. Now a jelly cabinet
Love the ceiling! I was just looking at faux hammered tin or copper for my house.
I just wanted to introduce myself and share my flat . The building was built in 1850s I just love it
My mother's house at Christmas is one of my favorite places to be.It was built in 1913 and moved to its final resting spot in 1998
Note: this post originally had 52 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
Now, people of Bored Panda, do you see what you can do by cutting out those Starbucks lattes and those avocado sandwiches? These ARE stunning homes, but I feel like I am sitting outside of a candy store with holes in my mittens.
I'm really hoping the first part of your statement is sarcasm. 😬
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Hugh, it's still possible to have a nice house in Europe. Not in the big cities of course but in the country. I have a little house, huge garden and live in a village. Great view too. I think it depends on where the house is located (area and country).
Load More Replies... Now, people of Bored Panda, do you see what you can do by cutting out those Starbucks lattes and those avocado sandwiches? These ARE stunning homes, but I feel like I am sitting outside of a candy store with holes in my mittens.
I'm really hoping the first part of your statement is sarcasm. 😬
Load More Replies... Hugh, it's still possible to have a nice house in Europe. Not in the big cities of course but in the country. I have a little house, huge garden and live in a village. Great view too. I think it depends on where the house is located (area and country).
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