Many of these blogs deserve the shout-outs (and more viewers/readers) for the amazing jobs they've done in their homes, and I'm proud to promote each and every one of them.
Old Town Home
By far, this is my favourite old house blog. I've come to love Alex and Wendy, and their wonderful old house. They have done an amazing job of every DIY project they've tackled, and I'm constantly impressed with their work. They both have a very good eye for style, and I really like the way they decorate and style their home. It's a very clean, modern, and stylish decor, and I love that they incorporate antiques along with modern pieces. I always look forward to any of their posts.
Old House Dreams
This isn't really a blog, but it's one of my primary sources of inspiration. This site is basically just a list of historic homes for sale. The photos are simply the listing photos, and are sometimes not the best quality, but some of the homes listed are simply breathtaking. Sometimes they are total gut-jobs, and sometimes they have been pristinely restored, but it's a great place to see original details in old homes such as original light fixtures, plumbing, built-in cabinets, pantries, and other fun things. It's also interesting to see how some of the nicer homes are decorated. I can't imagine all the work that goes into the frequent posts made on this site. I tip my hat to the owner (a young lady as I recall).
227 North Street
This is a breathtaking restoration effort. It's clear that the current owners have spared no expense in this renovation. Marble tiles, wainscotting, restored gas light fixtures, a complete custom kitchen, etc. They've gone through a LOT of efforts to restore the home, including stripping and refinishing two staircases, all the original doors, mouldings, floors, etc. An amazing blog.
1893 Victorian Farmhouse
Mrs. D. is the sweet old lady who is the owner and restorer (along with her husband Jon) of this wonderful Victorian farm house. Though the house-related posts lately have been less frequent (but progress is still being made!), this blog is definitely near the top of my list. Some of the finished rooms are simply amazing. From the colour choices, to the custom draperies, there is a lot here to like. The showstopper for me, is the bathroom. Simply amazing. Mrs. D. is not afraid to think outside the box when it comes to decorating her house, and she brings a lot of beautiful and unique details to the mix (like the bird hooks, and fun vintage items). She's also a very skilled crafter. She does an amazing job of restoring antique lamp shades, reupholstering chairs, and she loves to sew custom purses and tote bags for friends. Additionally, she's an amazing painter. Definitely check out her blog.
Brick City Love
A "new to me" blog that I just recently discovered, is quickly becoming a new favourite. This row house is owned by a young couple, and the renos seem to be primarily driven by Carrie, who boasts a fearless DIY attitude. The bathroom renovation alone is enough to make you weep (in a good way)! The historic details in this home are breathtaking. I am in love with the mouldings. Carrie's style in some cases, is a bit too adventurous for me (like the orange radiator in the master bedroom), but everything is extremely well done, and tasteful, and worth checking out. After I found this blog, I literally spent the next few days going through the entire thing. Words can't accurately describe how horribly the place was painted before renovations began (seriously, red and navy blue everywhere), so you'll have to have a look at those photos to truly appreciate how far this place has come.
TrafRd
This is a blog documenting the restoration of a beautifully detailed 1864 house in Birmingham UK. The owners are making every effort to keep all the historic aesthetics and details in the home, which involves a lot of time consuming and tricky repairs to old crumbly plaster mouldings, neglected fireplaces, and missing trim. I absolutely love this home's facade.
Laurelhurst 1912 Craftsman
Another wonderful house. These "crazy" owners have gone through insane amounts of work to painstakingly strip every inch of millwork in their house, and their efforts have paid off. There are a ton of wonderful and custom details. If you love Craftsman details, this is the blog for you!
1915 Craftsman Bungalow
Oddly, this blog seems to have disappeared from the web. Fortunately, their Flickr account is still active. I adore their beadboard kitchen, and all the "old timey" accessories. A beautiful house.
A Country Farmhouse
I have mixed feelings about this blog, but I can't deny that the house is absolutely gorgeous. The house has been featured in several publications and my only issue is that I'm not a big fan of all the stark white. Otherwise, the place is absolutely spotless and GORGEOUS! The grounds around the house are also very picturesque, with mountain views, and fresh flowers all around. All the photos are amazing.
Brooklyn Limestone
My favourite feature in this house are the original floors, and the very ornate mouldings. The current owner also happens to have great decorating style, and she has some of the most fun and unique holiday decorations I've seen anywhere on the web.
Our Old Rowhouse
Another fantastic couple, fixing up a much neglected (yet beautiful) house.
L. Norris Hall House
The owners of this wonderful house have a real talent for reusing/recycling salvaged materials in their renovations. The kitchen in particular is a wonderful mix of new and old materials that has a great original feel to it. A ton of work has been done on this house, both on the interior, and the exterior.
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Those are my top 12, but there are many more awesome blogs. Sadly, several of the ones I follow are seldom updated. Here are a few more good ones you can check out.
1900 Farmhouse (jaw-dropping kitchen remodel)
Bennington Colonial (wonderful stained glass and millwork)
Big Old Houses (wonderful tours of huge historic homes)
Paul Cutting (preservation carpenter specializing in early log homes)
Portland FourSquare (another beautiful Foursquare)
First Home Dreams (a fellow Ontarian, who has a lovely brick Victorian)
Eclectically Vintage (wonderful and unique decorating ideas)
1918 Eaton's Eager (one of the first old house blogs I followed)
The Dusty Victorian (another great old Victorian house)
1912 Bungalow (wonderful historic renovation with a clean, modern style)
1914 Foursquare (famous on the web for her "criminal restoration" story. A truly wonderful house, and owner)
Kansas Bungalow (a wonderful house with original unpainted trim)
Old House (a very extensive Victorian restoration - scroll back to around May 2010 for some pretty awesome photos)
Also, just a quick FYI, I spent about 5 hours putting this post together (writing, going through the blogs for photos, editing, adding links, making the banners etc. If you made the list, show some love, and leave a comment, and if so inclined, pass along my blog).
