When empty nesters Jean and DeWitt Paul were on the hunt for a new home, they had a fixer-upper in their sights. They took a chance on a remarkable abandoned farm in rural Pennsylvania – and boy, did it pay off. Now, five years after they got their hands on the property, the once-derelict acreage has been transformed into a beautiful, rural retreat. 

Click or scroll on to see the stunning transformation...

In 2018, Jean and DeWitt were living in their suburban Las Vegas home when they decided to up sticks and start a new adventure.

They had spent 18 years in the city running their business and raising their four children who had since grown up and left home. Now, they had the urge to relocate to somewhere completely different. 

"Once a month I would come to Pennsylvania for a week for our business so we decided it would be easier just to be back here," explains DeWitt. The couple runs a franchise of Foot Solutions, a foot wellness retail store, so it made sense to make the move to the Keystone State.

Searching for a fixer-upper for sale in what would be their new home, Jean came across a listing for a rundown, 31-acre abandoned farm that was up for auction on Zillow. The couple put in a bid straight away before they'd even visited the property, before driving more than 2,300 miles to Pennsylvania to see it for themselves. However, their bid was rejected. 

"We rented out our [Las Vegas] house and loaded up all of our furniture and had no place to live when we left," says DeWitt.

This image, taken in 2018, shows the state of a dilapidated building on the property on the couple's very first visit to their future home.

After taking one look at the acreage, they decided to put in a second, higher bid of $220,000, which was accepted.

With six buildings, two small barns, a big barn, a small house, a garage, and the main house, the project was going to be no small feat, but it certainly had bags of potential. 

The farm dates back to 1890, when the first-ever deeds were recorded. Ervin J Marsh built a farmhouse and a large barn on the land nearly 120 years ago. The property was auctioned off to cover Marsh's debts in 1934 and snapped up by John Hofford and his family for $1,525.

Decades later in 1974, the Albertsons purchased the current 31 acres for $54,500, and in 1987 they built the farmhouse that Jean and DeWitt live in today. As they got older and the upkeep got too much, the Albertsons sold the home.

The new owner, who had won $10 million in the Publishers Clearinghouse Sweepstakes, a local lottery, bought the house, but it went into foreclosure 16 years later.

The farm had been left abandoned and every building was in dire need of repair. This farmhouse, dating back to 1881, was uninhabitable and was in desperate need of major structural work, while the main house, which would be Jean and DeWitt's future home, needed a complete overhaul.

Despite the horrendous, lingering smell in the main house and the dilapidated state of the buildings, DeWitt and Jean saw the property's potential and set up a website to document their ambitious renovation project.

With no time to waste, the couple completed on the home and moved in three days later, with only the very basics in place so that they could live and work in the house.

Here, the couple can be seen before the hard work began, sitting where their new kitchen island was to be located.

"They let us actually come in a few days before and tear out carpets and start getting things cleaned up because that was going to have to be done anyway whether we got it or not," says Jean. 

The farmhouse was originally nestled behind overgrown bushes when the couple arrived. So much so, that they weren't even sure how big it was before they got the keys. 

After the Pauls cleared all the greenery away, they were relieved to see that the home was already in pretty good shape structurally, but the peeling paintwork was in need of some attention. 

Today, after a lot of hard work, the exterior is unrecognizable. The front of the house was painted crisp white and the surrounding grounds were tamed and landscaped. The couple also removed swathes of rotten wood and railings across the sweeping front porch.

Before the Pauls got their hands on it, the home's porches were shrouded in overgrown plants and trees.

The property features a large porch that runs the length of the back of the home, two balconies on the upper level and a picturesque front porch, which was one of the first projects the couple tackled when the renovation got underway. 

Liking this? Click on the Follow button above for more great stories from loveEXPLORING

A labor of love, the front porch of the main house is now a dream come true. "We'll go sit out for dinner and there'll be deer jumping on the front lawn and you know it's just very, very private and very picturesque," says Jean. 

In old, abandoned houses steeped in history, there are often buried relics from the past for new owners to unearth.

When Jean and DeWitt started to landscape their front garden, they discovered an amazing feature beneath the overgrown grass, which added plenty of charm to the front yard...

The couple uncovered a beautiful flagstone walkway buried under the mud and grass. When the weeds were cleared away and the stones cleaned up, the beauty of their new path was finally clear to see.

The rustic stone is a stunning compliment to the white, clapboard exterior and refurbished porch. It finally looks like home! 

Inside the house, the hallway was one of the most urgent jobs on Jean and DeWitt's to-do list. 

Although structurally sound, it required a serious overhaul. Most offensively of all, the floor was coated in cat faeces. The smell was unbearable, so the space required a deep clean and a complete redecoration.

Fast forward and the stairway has been turned into a light and bright space. The floor, railings, doors, and ceilings have all been refinished and an awkwardly positioned door on the lower landing has been removed.

The chandelier has also been repositioned into the center of the ceiling and, more importantly, this area no longer smells!

With wallpaper and carpets needing stripping out, the couple spent two months just clearing out the home. Not just confined to the hallway, cats had taken over the rest of the house too and the couple say they needed gas masks just to walk through the property.

After two months of trying to survive without a kitchen, the Pauls decided to dedicate a chunk of money to the space. With Jean desperate to have somewhere to cook, the new design was knocked up in just two hours.

Even though the initial plan was quick and seamless, the couple still came across a few bumps in the road when it came to executing the design of their kitchen.

They ran into some structural problems and had to overcome an issue with the ventilation – the beam centered above the hob was blocking the new position of the ventilation hose, which meant that the hose had to be angled.

However, the resourceful couple arrived at a solution and spent just $46 on devising a new ventilation hood.

Today, the kitchen is one of Jean and DeWitt's favourite places to socialize and entertain. Despite being designed in just a few hours, the kitchen is a perfectly functional and stylish space. 

While new elements were brought in during the renovation, many older features were thankfully salvageable in the historic farmhouse.

The original stone fireplace was something that Jean and DeWitt wanted to incorporate into their new home. The impressive hearth is pictured here surrounded by bicarbonate of soda to help soak up the awful smell from the cats.

The fireplace was missing a mantel, but this was easily rectified. Jean sourced corbels from a local antique store and refinished them, while the wood plinth was salvaged from the acreage's barn.

It turned out to be one of the only elements that didn't require major work and the revamp cost the couple just $40.

However, other parts of the main house required far more expenditure – overall the couple spent $150,000 on the renovations.

Much like the rest of the house, the living room was languishing, but it had promising bones, including a bay window and wainscotting across the walls.

To open up the layout, Jean and DeWitt decided to knock down the wall that separated the lounge from the kitchen and create a spacious new family room. 

Now located just behind the breakfast bar in the new kitchen, the living room was one of the first rooms finished. This meant that Jean and DeWitt had a restful place to retire to, away from the dust, while they renovated the rest of the home.

Jean made the curtains and window seat herself and also found the sofa at a discount store for just $50. 

Putting every nook and cranny in the 5,000-square-foot home to use, the couple utilized the available space on the ground floor by creating two pantries in the kitchen for storing dry goods. 

However, this small alcove, which was somewhat redundant, was in need of a new lease of life...

Overhauled and given fresh purpose, it's now a small home office, which Jean and DeWitt proudly shared photos of on their Instagram page.

With a new desk, a photo shelf, a reupholstered chair, a new lamp, and lots of painting and refinishing, it's been transformed into a compact workspace with a beautiful view over the front garden. 

One of the worst parts of the house, the laundry room has undergone one of the biggest transformations of the entire project.

Before the couple got their hands on it, the space was filthy, neglected, and completely uninhabitable, but now it's one of Jean's favorite rooms.

The couple started from scratch with the space – and for good reason. When they first got the keys to the property, they noticed that the house already had a washer and dryer. However, the machines were swiftly thrown out after DeWitt discovered piles of moldy towels sitting in the drum. 

Before ripping the room's fixtures out completely, Jean and DeWitt made it livable so that they could figure out what they needed from the space.

The room has direct access to the backyard, so it was important that they had somewhere to put dirty clothes and shoes. Consequently, the couple created a countertop over the washer and dryer that doubles up as a laundry bench.

Described by Jean and DeWitt as the most important room in the house, the laundry space also features a utility sink and lockers for guests to keep their belongings in. 

Another room in need of attention, the master bedroom featured ancient carpet and old-fashioned wallpaper.

Handily located on the ground floor just off the grand hallway, Jean and DeWitt used the space as a carpentry room for a year and a half while they completed other parts of the renovation. Following a revamp, it's totally transformed...

Bright and airy, it's hard to tell it's the same room. The statement bay and arched windows make beautiful focal points and bathe the space in plenty of natural light.

There's a king-sized bed dressed in homemade pillows and a runner made by Jean, while the window seat offers stunning views out over the grounds.

Before its renovation, the room had a split-level entrance that led out to the foot of the staircase in the hallway.

One of the major changes Jean and DeWitt made to this space was to make the floor plan all on one level. They also relocated the door away from the staircase.

The difference is astounding, and with a crisp, modern take on the décor by Jean, the space looks brand new. The couple has also added a stylish sliding barn door, a fitting homage to the farm's former life, to separate the space from their private bathroom.

The vast, 400-square-foot private bathroom required a lot of attention and is one of the home's ongoing projects. Now almost complete, the room features a freestanding tub, a new shower system, heated towel rails, and a washer-dryer. 

Upstairs, the home has four guest bedrooms, one of which is used by Jean as a sewing and crafts room.

Even spaces that just needed redecorating proved to be a serious undertaking. "There was wallpaper on every wall, in every closet and every bathroom. There were probably 15 different types of wallpaper and it all had to come down," reveals Jean. 

Jean and DeWitt turned the dated guest bedrooms into beautiful spaces where they could host their growing family.

"Our children live all over the country, so we really wanted this property to be a place that would draw them back with the grandkids," explains Jean. Today, the farm is a hub for the Pauls' extended family.

The upstairs of the farmhouse was filled with walk-in wardrobes that carved up the usable living space and made it much smaller. Jean and DeWitt rearranged some of the walls to make better use of the square footage and even turned one closet into a stunning private bathroom.

While the Pauls did most of the work themselves, they still had to call on a few tradespeople for any specialist work.

"When we changed the closet to a bathroom, we had to run a plumbing line up and make sure we weren't going to flood the place, so there are a couple of things that we've had to use professionals for," explains DeWitt.

Today, the walk-in wardrobe has been turned into a useful extra bathroom with beautiful countertops and a plant wall.

Jean and DeWitt had to rip out most of the bathroom suits when they moved in as they weren't in a salvageable state. An old vanity in one bathroom is the only piece that remains – the rest of the wash spaces had to be completely remodeled. 

One of the main reasons Jean and DeWitt snapped up the property was its incredible, sprawling grounds.

While most of the land was desperately overgrown when they first got the keys, the couple has carved out three miles of tranquil trails on the acreage, which meander through meadows and woods teaming with nature. 

There's no doubt that Jean and DeWitt's hard work has paid off. They removed over 330,700 lb of compostable greenery to create the trails, and also rebuilt this beautiful footbridge.

The couple loves exploring their new and improved 31 acres – they never imagined they'd unearth this rural idyll when they first purchased the overgrown property.

While the main house is transformed from its languishing state, when we caught up with the couple in November 2023, they told us that it remains something of a work in progress. 

The master bathroom, a sprawling 400-square-foot space that required a significant overhaul, is now almost complete, but there are still a few other projects on their to-do list.

As Jean and DeWitt plug away at the home's remaining loose ends, over the past few years, they've also turned their attention to renovating other parts of the acreage...

When the pandemic struck in 2020, the couple decided to focus on renovating the estate's farmhouse, a beautiful old building dating back to 1881. Like the main house, it was in a poor state of repair and required a lot of work to bring back to life. But remarkably, it's now been transformed into a beautiful retreat for friends and family – and it's also proved a big hit with vacationers. 

The Pauls have also renovated the red and white carriage house on the property, and have their sights set on rebuilding the old piggery too.

Given their extensive experience in bringing historic structures back to life, they have wise words of advice for any aspiring renovators: "It's gonna take more time and money than you ever imagined," says Jean. "Learn as much about the history of the place as you can so that you can do the restoration with integrity and incorporate the past as much as possible."

Liked this? Click on the Follow button above for more great stories from loveEXPLORING

Now take a virtual tour of the world's most enchanting stately homes