A New Jersey couple bought a 116-year-old house for $435,000. They spent 5 years renovating it, finding new parts of its history as they ripped up carpet and restored floors. Now, they're listing the home for $649,000 — check it out.

Amanda GohMay 18, 2023, 11:54 IST

The exterior of their 1907 Dutch Colonial home.Wilfred House

A New Jersey couple traded their rental apartment for a 1907 Dutch Colonial house that they bought for $435,000.
Maggie Rogers and Joe Gesualdo documented their lives and the five-year renovation on social media.

Maggie Rogers and Joe Gesualdo had been renting a 435-square-foot studio apartment in Jersey City for four years when they decided they wanted more space.

Maggie Rogers and Joe Gesualdo sitting on the front steps of their home on the day they closed the deal.Wilfred House

After being outbid on the first house they made an offer on, the couple chanced upon a 1907 Dutch Colonial home in the same area and fell in love with the property at first sight.

The couple's 1907 Dutch Colonial home with a mint green facade.Wilfred House

After being outbid on the first house they made an offer on, the couple chanced upon a 1907 Dutch Colonial home in the same area and fell in love with the property at first sight.

As lovers of old homes, the two of them liked that their house came with original features including the staircase and wooden floorboards.

The staircase was one of the main features that drew the couple to the home.Wilfred House

While the house was in pretty good condition, the interiors were a mix of styles from renovations that were completed at different times by different owners.

The living room.Wilfred House

The couple bought the house in July 2017 for $435,000 and moved in in September. They started out hiring contractors, but ended up doing the bulk of the renovation themselves.

A selfie of the couple during renovation.Wilfred House

The couple bought the house in July 2017 for $435,000 and moved in in September. They started out hiring contractors, but ended up doing the bulk of the renovation themselves.

The contractors also declined to restore the original wooden floorboards that the couple found beneath the blue carpeting in their library.

A collage showing the original wooden floorboards that were hidden beneath a blue carpet in their library.Wilfred House

After the whole fiasco with the hallway floors, the couple decided to take matters into their own hands and rented a floor sander from Home Depot.

The library room floor was the couple's first-ever DIY project.Wilfred House

Although it's been five years since they moved in, Roger says that renovation is an ongoing process.

The library.Wilfred House

"We've completed all of the major projects that we wanted to do but there's an endless list that could probably last us the next 20 years if we wanted to do it," Rogers said.

The couple's kitchen nook.Wilfred House

"We've completed all of the major projects that we wanted to do but there's an endless list that could probably last us the next 20 years if we wanted to do it," Rogers said.

The couple has also built a 101,000-strong following on Instagram by sharing snippets of their space and their renovation online.

The couple only just completed updating their kitchen a few days ago.Wilfred House

One of the most exciting parts about living in an old home is tracing the property's history, Rogers said.

The dining room.Wilfred House

But after their initial breakthrough, their research ground to a halt as there wasn't much information online.

The couple received an anonymous package in the mail containing old real estate photos and listings of their house from the '30s, '40s, and '50s.Wilfred House

In a twist of events, the two of them got to know the son of one of the former owners who lived here in the '70s.

A 1971 photo of the couple's house that was provided by the son of the former owner, who's also pictured as a child standing on the front porch.Greg and Wilfred House

But the coolest thing that they received were old photographs taken from inside their home, Rogers said.

An enhanced black and white image from around 1911 of Wilfred Stull's daughter, Helen, looking at a book at the dining room table.Wilfred House

Most of the furniture in the house are secondhand items from thrift stores, Facebook marketplace, or picked up during their neighborhood's "freecycle night."

Rogers standing on their front porch with a thrifted cabinet and a rug from their neighborhood's freecycle night.Wilfred House

After over five years of calling the place home, the couple is putting the four-bedroom property on the market for $649,000.

One of the bedrooms in the house.Wilfred House

And while the couple is parting ways with the house, they're not letting go of the Wilfred House Instagram handle.

One of the bathrooms in the house.Wilfred House

Since the property is not located in the historic district, nor does it have an official name, there wouldn't be an issue for them to keep the Instagram handle.

The half-bathroom.Wilfred House

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A New Jersey couple bought a 116-year-old house for $435,000. They spent 5 years renovating it, finding new parts of its history as they ripped up carpet and restored floors. Now, they're listing the home for $649,000 &mdash; check it out.

Maggie Rogers and Joe Gesualdo had been renting a 435-square-foot studio apartment in Jersey City for four years when they decided they wanted more space.

After being outbid on the first house they made an offer on, the couple chanced upon a 1907 Dutch Colonial home in the same area and fell in love with the property at first sight.

As lovers of old homes, the two of them liked that their house came with original features including the staircase and wooden floorboards.

While the house was in pretty good condition, the interiors were a mix of styles from renovations that were completed at different times by different owners.

The couple bought the house in July 2017 for $435,000 and moved in in September. They started out hiring contractors, but ended up doing the bulk of the renovation themselves.

The contractors also declined to restore the original wooden floorboards that the couple found beneath the blue carpeting in their library.

After the whole fiasco with the hallway floors, the couple decided to take matters into their own hands and rented a floor sander from Home Depot.

Although it's been five years since they moved in, Roger says that renovation is an ongoing process.

"We've completed all of the major projects that we wanted to do but there's an endless list that could probably last us the next 20 years if we wanted to do it," Rogers said.

The couple has also built a 101,000-strong following on Instagram by sharing snippets of their space and their renovation online.

One of the most exciting parts about living in an old home is tracing the property's history, Rogers said.

But after their initial breakthrough, their research ground to a halt as there wasn't much information online.

In a twist of events, the two of them got to know the son of one of the former owners who lived here in the '70s.

But the coolest thing that they received were old photographs taken from inside their home, Rogers said.

Most of the furniture in the house are secondhand items from thrift stores, Facebook marketplace, or picked up during their neighborhood's "freecycle night."

After over five years of calling the place home, the couple is putting the four-bedroom property on the market for $649,000.

And while the couple is parting ways with the house, they're not letting go of the Wilfred House Instagram handle.

Since the property is not located in the historic district, nor does it have an official name, there wouldn't be an issue for them to keep the Instagram handle.

A New Jersey couple bought a 116-year-old house for $435,000. They spent 5 years renovating it, finding new parts of its history as they ripped up carpet and restored floors. Now, they're listing the home for $649,000 — check it out.