North Carolina Family Gives Historic 116-Year-Old Mansion BIG Makeover Without Changing Its Charm

As if home renovations weren't stressful enough, this homeowner gave his historic 116-year-old North Carolina mansion a full facelift—and we're in awe of the finished product.  

Adam Ramsey Miller has a passion for restoring old homes. "I started renovating houses about 12 years ago. [My wife] Jessica and I would buy these historic homes and we'd restore them. I would do the work and she would design them—and we got really good at it and that's what we do now," says Adam.   

But, this mansion that his wife grew up in takes the term "old home" to another level. "We decided to purchase the house, but with one caveat...I got to document the story of renovating it," he explains.  

Built in 1906, it's no surprise that this home needed some major upgrades to make it functional for Adam, his wife and their five children. 

"One thing you have to understand if you're working on old houses is the roof is the most important thing. Once you do these repairs, you could take as much time as you want. We redid the entire porch including the columns that are over 30-feet tall," Adam says.  

However, Adam was still able to keep certain elements the same. "The goal with this house was to look as original as possible. We oiled up [the front door] instead of replacing it. We refinished all the wood floors, we kept all the chandeliers. All the woodworking is original to the house."  

Rachael Ray Show

Rachael Ray Show

They also brought in some new old pieces. "My wife collects a lot of vintage, eclectic finds, so most of the stuff in our house is decorated with thrifted or salvaged items," he says.  

"One of the most challenging parts of renovating this house is just keeping the old character in it because you want to modernize and keep it comfortable for your family, but you also want to honor the house and its history." There is no question that you did that, Adam! We're in awe.