Woman Restores Crumbling 1890s Manor to Turn It Into a Vacation Rental


  • Tabetha Heemstra bought a crumbling 1890s manor in Rensselaer, Indiana, in July 2020.
  • She’s been restoring the 3-bedroom house ever since and plans to turn it into a vacation rental.
  • She enjoyed it so much that she even bought the fixer-upper next door for her next project.

Near downtown Rensselaer, Indiana, stood a charming old house that Tabetha Heemstra fell in love with at first sight.

The Queen Anne-style property was in disrepair, but even with paint peeling off its exterior, Heemstra could see its potential.

A woman standing in front of a crumbling 1890s Victorian manor in Indiana.



McKinley Manor



“My neck would turn towards it as we’re driving past, and I’d be like, ‘Somebody should do something. Somebody should fix and put her back to her former glory,'” Heemstra, 55, told Business Insider.

In July 2020, she became that person.

Heemstra's gear while scraping paint.

Heemstra’s gear while scraping paint. She has to use different types of paint scrapers and even dental tools on some of the exterior details.


McKinley Manor



At that time, she had been gradually stepping away from helping out at her husband’s waste removal business because she wanted to focus on her passions.

She said it was her husband who had suggested that she try restoring houses, on account of her love for decorating and designing.

Heemstra started looking around to see what was available, and it was like fate when she discovered that the old, crumbling house she loved was on the market.

The exterior of the house when Heemstra first bought it. The paint was peeling off the house.

The house had been poorly maintained, and paint was peeling off the building’s exterior.


McKinley Manor



“I was like, ‘You’re kidding me. This is for sale?'” Heemstra said. She went for a viewing the very next day and put in an offer.

Within three weeks, the house was hers, she added, preferring to keep the amount she paid for the property private.

Houses in Rensselaer have a median listing home price of $249,900, based on the latest data from real-estate platform realtor.com.

Built in the 1890s

The three-bedroom, two-bathroom home was built in 1893 based on a design by prominent American architect George F. Barber, according to a National Register of Historic Places document that Heemstra shared with BI.

The empty parlor before restoration.

The parlor before restoration.


McKinley Manor



The property had been sitting empty for about a year when Heemstra came along.

Apart from the peeling paint, the windows were leaking, and even the plumbing system had to be replaced.

Composite image showing how the first and second-floor bathrooms looked like before the restoration.

Composite image showing how the first and second-floor bathrooms looked like before the restoration.


McKinley Manor



“They had put a new roof on it the year before I bought it, and that was really honestly about the only thing that I did not need to do,” Heemstra said. “Everything else had to be done.”

Turning it into a vacation rental

Heemstra started working on the fixer-upper almost immediately. It’s been over three years and the restoration is almost complete, she said.

The exterior of the manor. There are two more upper sections left to restore and paint.

The exterior of the manor. There are two more upper sections left to restore and paint.


McKinley Manor



All that’s left are two upper sections on the exterior that need to be repainted, which Heemstra says she’ll get to after winter.

She lives about 20 minutes away and has no intention of moving into the house once it’s done.

Instead, she plans to turn it into a vacation rental where she can host getaways for couples and families.

Rensselaer is about 100 miles south of Chicago, and a two-hour drive from Indianapolis. Vacationers often visit the Jasper County Fair or go on an art walk to explore public murals and sculptures around the town.

A parlor room that's decorated with fancy furnishings, including a chandelier, patterned wallpaper, and wood furniture.

The parlor is now a room where brides can get ready for their big day.


McKinley Manor



Heemstra also sees the space as having potential for brides-to-be and has transformed the parlor into a dressing and make-up room filled with several antique vanities.

“There’s a cool place downtown Rensselaer that’s a wedding venue. It’s an old building, but they don’t really have space for brides to get ready,” she said. “So I was like, maybe this would be a good place.”

The kitchen after renovation.

The kitchen after the restoration.


McKinley Manor



Doing it herself

Heemstra did most of the work herself. She hired professional contractors — mostly people she knew from church — to help her with plumbing and electrical work.

She’s only ever completed small renovation projects in her own house in the past, and nothing comes close to the scale of restoring the manor.

The sitting room after renovation.

The sitting room.


McKinley Manor



The most tedious part of the restoration process was working on the exterior, which has a lot of decorative detail. Sometimes Heemstra even had to resort to using dental tools to scrape the old paint off.

But the hardest part is getting into the groove of learning a new skill, she added. That said, she enjoys the challenge of trying new things, such as glazing windows.

“Don’t tell me I can’t learn something new. I’m going to figure it out. It may not be perfect but I’ll learn as I go,” Heemstra said.

One of the bedrooms in the house. The room has a light blue color theme and features a bee wallpaper.

One of the bedrooms in the house.


McKinley Manor



Already rented it once out before

Even though the house isn’t ready on the outside, Heemstra says that she’s already rented the place out once.

“It was for the fiancée of my friend’s son to use while her bridal party got ready for their wedding in September,” she said. “It was nice to be able to provide a beautiful spot for friends and a nice dry run to see how the space would work out for them. “

The bathroom on the second floor after restoration.

The bathroom on the second floor.


McKinley Manor



Despite the effort it took to restore the manor, Heemstra says that she enjoyed the process so much that she’s even got her next project lined up — the house next door.

“I like the idea that it’s right next door. It was empty, and I felt like if I fix that up, it’s only going to help my house with renting and value,” she said, adding that her husband thought she was insane.

“He’s like, ‘I can’t believe you bought that.’ And I’m like, ‘I know, I’ve lost my mind,'” she continued.

A composite image showing the sink area and the shower area of the bathroom on the first floor.

The bathroom on the first floor.


McKinley Manor



Have a realistic timeline

Heemstra has a piece of advice for those who are interested in restoring old houses: Be realistic about how long it’ll take to complete the project.

“It’s going to take longer than you think — I was so naive,” she said. “People would ask, ‘When is it going to be ready?’ And in my mind, because of work that I’ve done before on our home, I was saying June 2021.”

That would’ve meant that Heemstra completed the restoration project within a year of buying the home.

The front porch of the house after restoration. There is a swinging seat where visitors can lounge.

The front porch of the house after restoration.


McKinley Manor



But she ended up missing and moving her deadline multiple times after, she said.

“It’s not cheap. It’s not for the faint of heart, but if you have a desire and a love for saving old homes, you go for it,” Heemstra added. “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time — that’s what you got to do.”



We will be happy to hear your thoughts

Leave a reply

Funtechnow
Logo
Compare items
  • Total (0)
Compare
0
Shopping cart