‘We Spent 2 Years Renovating a 1905 Victorian Mansion Instead of Retiring Early’

Dawn and Gary Goldman considered retiring early along with all of their friends—but the thought of being idle left them uneasy, so they decided to buy a dilapidated Victorian mansion and bring it back to life instead.

The couple chanced upon a 1905 mansion in Bellaire, MI. And though they both work in home-related fields—she as a designer and he as a general contractor and construction attorney—this was their first time working on a project together.

“We don’t play pickleball, so we needed to do something,” Dawn tells Realtor.com®.

“I often say—only half-joking—that aside from our children, this renovation has been one of the highlights of our 38-year marriage.”

Now, after two painstaking years of renovations, the couple have put the home on the market for just under $1 million.

How a vacation turned into a historic home renovation

As a couple of “reverse snowbirds,” the Goldmans have lived in Miami for almost 40 years. However, Dawn has strong roots in the Great Lakes State.

“I’m originally from Michigan, and in 1988 I brought my husband here on vacation. He instantly fell in love, especially with the crystal-clear, glacial blue lakes that this region is famous for,” says Dawn. “Eighteen years later, we were fortunate enough to purchase a vacation home on beautiful Torch Lake, and we’ve been enjoying summers there ever since.”

During one of those trips to their lake home in late January 2023, they went to visit the neighboring town of Bellaire—a favorite area hot spot about 16 miles from their Torch Lake abode. Bellaire has great restaurants, coffee shops, and the apparently “famous” Short’s Brewery—a live music venue that’s now the go-to for local music.

“The whole town has such a fun, vibrant energy—we’ve always enjoyed spending time there,” says Dawn. “We also love browsing real estate in the area and often spend weekends driving around looking at homes.”

On this particular trip, Dawn spotted the Victorian listing in Bellaire on Realtor.com, and they checked it out.

From viewing to offer in 15 minutes

Though a historical renovation project wasn’t really their intent at the outset, Dawn had become intrigued with the idea of restoring a Victorian home after a recent visit with her daughter, who just moved to Park Slope, Brooklyn in New York City—a neighborhood full of beautifully preserved Victorian brownstones.

“I became enchanted with them, walking the streets for hours, imagining the interiors past and present,” says Dawn, who even started following the Brownstone Boys on Instagram—a couple who specialize in restoring old brownstones while preserving their historic charm.

“Owning and restoring one myself felt like a pipe dream—certainly not something I imagined finding in Michigan or Miami, or convincing my husband to do,” Dawn says.

However, once they met with their Realtor® and saw this Victorian home in person, that dream began morphing into a real-life renovation plan.

Sadly, the Bellaire Victorian—known as the Hinman House, after the prominent Bellaire doctor and businessman who built the home in 1905—had fallen victim to a space heater fire during the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, the once-stunning historic home was in a sad state of disrepair. Because the plastered walls were blackened and many of the floors damaged beyond repair, it was put on the market in 2023 at a fraction of its value.

Still, where others saw dilapidation, the Goldmans saw possibility.

“When we first toured the home, our impression was how solid and sturdy it felt,” says Dawn. “The exterior brick was dirty with some smoke damage, and the main porch had rotted in places—but overall, it looked surprisingly good.”

Inside, however, was another story. The fire damage was concentrated in the middle of the house, with one wall severely burned. The rest of the interior was completely blackened from smoke.

“It was so dark, we needed flashlights in broad daylight, and yet, I saw the potential immediately,” says Dawn. “There was a grand staircase—structurally sound but covered in soot—pocket doors, and 12-inch trim and baseboards. To me, it was magic.”

Fortunately, her husband Gary, who had years of experience as a general contractor with his company, Blue Lake Builders, also saw its promise thanks to his quick structural assessment—and the fact that the basement was dry, with no signs of mold or water damage. Though the smoke damage was extensive, and they had no idea how they’d clean it, they knew it was possible.

They made an offer that day—about 25% below asking price (it was listed at $200,000, and the Goldmans offered $170,000)—and requested a 45-day inspection period.

“We planned to bring in a structural engineer and a restoration specialist from Detroit, but the seller wanted a quick 10-day close!” says Dawn. “After some discussion, we lowered our offer further [to $138,000] and went for it—we closed in just seven days!”

Funny enough, they were only inside the house for about 15 minutes before flying back to Miami. They wouldn’t see their “grand purchase” in person again for more than three months.

Bringing a piece of history back from the dead

During the months between purchasing the Victorian and returning to work on it, the Goldmans lined up an engineer, hired a residential designer, applied for demo permits, and started planning.

While Gary thought it would be a quick three-month renovation, Dawn says she had an inkling it was going to be more involved. However, neither of them thought it would take two years. The work needed to restore the home to a condition beyond its former glory was extensive.

Step one was the deconstruction phase. Once the structural work was evaluated, the Goldmans brought in a local crew to begin demolition.

“All the lathe and plaster from the interior walls and ceilings came out,” says Dawn. They also decided to completely open up the back of the house—removing the wall where the fire started—so the kitchen, dining room, and second parlor would become one large space.

In the process, they discovered that the interior walls were plastered directly onto the brick exterior (without any chicken wire or other mitigating construction materials) and covered with multiple layers of wallpaper, thereby making it impossible to remove the damaged interior plaster without destroying the brick.

To solve that problem, the Goldmans brought in a sand blaster. However, before that work could be done (so they could replaster the walls from the inside), they were told they had to strip every inch of wallpaper.

“That became my job—I spent six weeks removing it!” says Dawn.

After that, for several months, Gary focused on structural work—leveling floors, replacing rafters, and joists—while Dawn stripped wood on the grand staircase and elsewhere.

They also finalized the kitchen design and decided to add 2.5 new bathrooms—since the 3,500-square-foot house originally had only one.

“On weekends, we’d sort materials, make supply lists, and trek to Home Depot which was 31 miles away,” says Dawn, who adds that finding tradespeople (roofers, masons, drywallers, and tile installers) to help with certain projects was another full-time job

However, by Thanksgiving of 2023, everything was in motion. They closed up for the winter, returned to Miami, and planned to resume in the spring of 2024.

The finishing touches ended up a challenging puzzle

Over the winter, the Goldmans worked on figuring out the windows. First, while they were back in Florida, they had a vintage-glass repair shop in Traverse City, MI, reglaze and restore them. Then, in the spring of 2024, Dawn and Gary learned how to reinstall casement windows themselves.

“I had no idea the hidden mechanics—massive counterweights, pulleys, and ropes—were tucked behind the trim,” says Dawn. “It was a steep learning curve, but we figured it out and by the end, I’d say we could go pro at restoring pre-1942 windows!”

They also spent copious amounts of time trying to get the right trim and doors aligned since they hadn’t labeled the doors and frames when they initially took them out during the demolition phase.

“We spent nearly a week—eight hours a day—lugging heavy doors around trying to match them,” says Dawn, adding that even more challenging than that was the trim. “Each piece was unique, often made up of multiple parts, and no finish carpenter would take on the challenge.”

So, the Goldmans did it themselves—measuring, sorting, and laying out every piece of trim by type and size in separate rooms.

“Gary would measure and call out what he needed; I’d hunt down the right piece and bring it to him, and then he’d miter it on-site—sawdust everywhere,” says Dawn. “Six weeks later, the old trim was beautifully reinstalled, looking better than ever.”

The final result? A historic home that’s better than new

After two years of work, often seven days a week when they were in town, the Goldmans’ Victorian labor of love is complete.

“We saved the solid-oak pocket doors and hardware, the grand staircase, about half the original flooring, all the windows, doors, trim, fireplaces, and even the back staircase off the kitchen,” says Dawn, noting that the Bellaire Historical Society has been very supportive of their work restoring this home.

At the same time, they were able to add plentiful modern touches. The kitchen is entirely new, with wood cabinetry, quartz countertops, and high-end appliances.

They added a spacious primary suite with a walk-in closet and large private bath, plus another en suite for a secondary bedroom. All the mechanical systems—plumbing, electrical, roofing, and HVAC—are brand new as well, and the house now has two separate heating and cooling systems for comfort and efficiency.

“We like to say it’s a new house with old features,” says Dawn. “Now, we’re simply looking for someone who will love this house as much as we loved restoring it.”

Throughout the process, the couple estimate they invested around $700,000 in the home’s renovation and feel confident they “bought smart and made good choices.”

While they’re poised to make a profit when this beauty sells, Dawn and Gary discovered that the real joy of “saving” this piece of history from ruin was in the process.

“At the conclusion of this, we realized that not only had we created a beautiful home for a new family to love, but we shared a great journey together,” says Dawn. “In the latter years of our careers in real estate, we brought a deserving beauty back to life.” 

As for what’s next? Word has it that learning to play pickleball has finally entered the chat.