We bought a rundown mansion for $155,000 that had been ABANDONED for 30 years – people said we were CRAZY but now it’s worth $900,000

Despite being dilapidated and abandoned, when Trey and Abby Brothers first saw the falling brick mansion in North Carolina, they knew it was their forever home.

Abby, 33, and her husband Trey, 35, transformed the old mansion into an incredible, modern home, adding a massive $745,000 in value to their once dilapidated home.

The couple, who share two children, bought the dilapidated property in June 2018 for $155,000 after seeing it online.

They spent nine months completely renovating the mansion and moved in just before the birth of their son in December 2020.

The mansion, built in 1913, had been untouched for more than thirty years and they knew it would take a lot of work to repair it.

“When we saw the house in person, we knew it was our home, but it looked so sad and dilapidated,” Abby, a registered nurse, told NeedToKnow.co.uk.

“A lot of people told us we were crazy for buying a house of this size that required so much work,” she admitted.

The massive 6,000 square foot space is located in Aberdeen, North Carolina. The brick Colonial Revival mansion features six bedrooms, four bathrooms, a grand foyer with a grand staircase, as well as a kitchen that opens to the dining room, a study, a living room and a large loft.

The house was originally built for a family and the brothers wanted to keep it that way.

“We wanted to make our house just that: a home,” Abby said.

However, the task ahead was a huge undertaking, requiring everything to be updated. The plumbing, electricity, windows and walls were all from 1913.

“There was no central air conditioning, which is crucial for the hot North Carolina summers. There was radiator heat but it was extremely difficult to heat the house so this was also replaced and the radiators removed,” Abby explained.

The couple shared their DIY journey on Instagram (@turningthepagemansion), where they now have more than 24,500 followers.

There was also a lot of damage to the property after years of disuse, with some rooms completely unusable.

“(The house) had many leaks in the roof, which led to severe water damage, the worst of which was in the dining room,” the mother of two recalled.

“We couldn't walk all the way into the dining room because the floor had given way and it was in the basement. “That's why this entire side of the house needed new floor joists and floors and the roof was repaired and replaced,” she added.

With the help of family and friends, the couple carried out the renovations themselves as much as possible.

“We helped with the demo and we also had our input on every project, in whatever form,” she said.

“Trey refinished the terrazzo floors in the bathrooms and created the concrete countertops in the kitchen/utility room,” she continued.

“Trey, his mother and stepfather laid all the tile in the kitchen and bathrooms, with the exception of one bathroom. My family and I laid the tiles and that was enough for me, but we did all the painting on the inside ourselves.

In total, they spent $268,494 on renovations, making the property now worth $900,000.

The family is happy with their 'warm and cozy' home, even though they still have some work to do.

'Our house is of inestimable value to us. We loved our home when it was falling apart, but that love has grown even greater,” Abby said.

“Living here, we see all the flaws, but when we know how far our house has come, we can overlook the flaws,” the mother said proudly.

The family is excited to spend Christmas at home and they have decorated the expansive space with four large trees and two small ones.

“We put lights on the stairs, in the windows and even around the porch,” the mother said.

“Once the holidays are over, we still have some work to do, but for now we're just enjoying the holidays as a family.”