Illinois Victorian House: In 1894, a 4,000-square-foot Illinois Victorian house was built; 132 years later, a 67-year-old retiree bought it for $97,500 and has already spent $85,000 restoring just 1,000 square feet.

Rebecca Roucloux Avery, 67, had already done what most people aspire to: She owned a new home in Austin, a city where people pay premiums to move to. She was retired, financially stable, and lived in a modern building built to last. But then he left it all for a 132-year-old Victorian house in Vermont, a small town in Illinois, according to a report from Realtor.com. Worse yet, he spent almost as much money fixing up the place as he had paid for it in the first place.For Avery, leaving Austin wasn’t about the house. It was about the people who were in it. He wanted to be closer to his family. So proximity to progress really mattered less. And that was exactly when he stumbled upon something that looked like destiny wrapped in red brick and a mansard roof. Together with his partner, he is renovating the Victorian house built in 1894. They have already spruced up 1,000 square feet. After four months of ownership, with the foundation and roof fixed, she is learning how expensive it can be to restore old houses. There’s more to do, but Avery is someone who loves projects, so that keeps her busy.A Facebook post changed everything.Avery didn’t want to spend his entire life in Texas. That’s when he saw an old Victorian house made of brick with a mansard roof. “It looked like Herman Munster’s house. It wasn’t even for sale,” he told the outlet. She always wanted to live in a big, old Victorian house, as she loves history and architecture. Since Vermont has its own Facebook page, Avery posted about the Victorian house she was interested in. “I asked if anyone knew of any houses for sale. People responded, informing me of a house that was two blocks from the one that first interested me,” he recalled.It was a 4,000 square foot house and the asking price was $125,000. His son paid a visit and discovered it had a new roof and a nice basement. The sellers were ready for a handshake deal for $110,000. He thought it was a great bargain, since it could sell for $200,000.He continued looking for other houses and that was when he found the one he bought. The 4,000-square-foot home sits on half an acre. The Victorian home has five bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms. She called the owner directly and he revealed that he bought the house seven years ago at auction for $10,000. The house was already deteriorating. The roof had been leaking for years. There was no air conditioning or kitchen. A fire in the basement had left its own damage. The asking price was $160,000. Their real estate agent, Nick Curtis, helped arrange a proper inspection of the Victorian home and negotiated a reduction with the seller from $160,000 to $97,500. I had an insurance claim on the roof that I had never filed; She took advantage of that. Agreed to perform $10,000 worth of foundation work during the inspection period. But the renovation work was just beginning. The foundation’s work cost $45,000. The roof and rotted deck cost another $40,000. These were the most expensive items, which he had been warned about. But they weren’t the only surprises.“When we repaired the roof, we closed the chimney, which accidentally trapped some bats inside that flew out while I was on the couch watching TV. The second topic was water. The basement flooded after heavy rain. We needed a sump pump. It took me 12 hours to get the water out and I was crying. The last thing was a strange design quirk. The third floor had a balcony that opened to a bathroom and a giant bathtub. “We put sheetrock over that and turned the balcony space into a closet,” Avery told the outlet.Despite all the problems, Avery is happy because she feels that this is the house meant for her. “It was the right house for us. This house makes sense because my partner and I can do the renovation work. He’s already done some electrical work, helping to remove knob-and-tube wiring. I do the design and have spent many hours removing wallpaper, resurfacing the walls and sanding. I’ve spent 40 hours alone in one room,” he said.They are not trying to change this house. They’re not even sure it’s their forever home: At 4,000 square feet, it’s twice what they need, and the stairs seem steeper every year. But this house is everything she hoped for. Neighbors drive by regularly now and stop to ask about the renovation. He has invited about 20 people to come in to see the transformation. They tell him how beautiful it’s becoming, how grateful they are that someone is saving this part of their city’s history. He has found a community and is happy. After all, home is where the heart is. In the end that’s what matters most, right?