Cost of Renovation: $310,000
Before:
German immigrants William and Elizabeth Klaus settled in Kansas in 1856, completing construction of this pioneer farmhouse in 1887. Much of the original exterior, built of locally quarried stone, had been covered over. Inside, the original structure had to be gutted and rebuilt. But the owner, an architect and accomplished local artist who purchased the property in 1992, was just the person to do it.

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TOPEKA, KANSAS

Cost of Renovation: $310,000
After:
This renovation proved tricky. When the roof was removed, the walls became unstable and required massive bracing while the rafters were replaced. The contractors discoverd remnants of an upper-floor fire from the 1930s. All interior and exterior trim was reproduced to match mid-19th century style and design. And the original stonework on the exterior walls has been uncovered once more.

Contractor: Winston Brown Construction, Topeka, Kansas

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TOPEKA, KANSAS

Cost of Renovation: $300,000
Before:
This makeover began as a front porch renovation for a 19th century farmhouse. But the more the family got into the project and grew comfortable with the contractor, the more they decided to go full bore.

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URBANDALE, IOWA

Cost of Renovation: $300,000
After:
The daughter and her husband who lived in the home wanted a certain contemporary flavor, while her parents, who own the property, had their own ideas about what this historical renovation should look like. This is what they came up with after lots of design meetings over the kitchen table.

Contractor: Silent Rivers Design/Build, Urbandale, Iowa

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URBANDALE, IOWA

Cost of Renovation: $550,000
Before:
This quaint turn-of-the-century farmhouse 100 miles north of Milwaukee provided plenty of fodder for an interesting renovation. The cost exceeeded our $500,000 budget, but you'll see why we included it in the next slide.

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DE PERE, WISCONSIN

Cost of Renovation: $550,000
After:
This was a recent winner of the Chrysalis Award for Design/Build Award Residential Historic Renovation. The owners turned a 2,000-sqaure-foot house into an updated, 4,000-square-foot home. Notice how the roof lines have been reworked on the original structure, and a large addition has been added to the right side of the house. There are some luxurious touches not seen in the photo as well: The front courtyard has a 9-foot diameter fountain that complements an 18-foot diameter fountain located in the middle of the driveway. And there's a 600-square-foot chipping and putting green in the yard.

Contractor: Hall Development & Construction Co., Inc., De Pere, Wisconsin

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DE PERE, WISCONSIN

Cost of Renovation: $540,000
Before:
Yes, we're over budget again. But this is the Burton J. Westcott house, a Frank Lloyd Wright creation built in 1908 and the only example of Wright's prairie-style architecture in Ohio. The home had been divided into apartments and had suffered significant wear and tear over the years. The owners wanted to halt the deterioration and restore the building.

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SPRINGFIELD, OHIO

Cost of Renovation: $540,000
After:
Wright considered the Westcott House a significant representation of his work. Although the renovation involved extensive structural stabilization and updates, including the installation of an invisible geothermal heating system). The walls, floors, doors, windows, trim, bath fixtures, light fixtures and roofing were all Wright restorations. Furniture designed by the reknowned architect was also added, as well as new landscaping in the front. Quite a difference.

Contractor: The Westcott House, Cleveland, Ohio

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SPRINGFIELD, OHIO

Cost of Renovation: $75,000 (Estimated)
Before:
Here's a relic from Daniel Boone days. This cabin was built in 1818 by David Gordon and served as a pioneer home for his pioneer family while they were building a larger home. When they moved, it became a slave quarters. The cabin was purchased in 1926 by Stephens College in this central Missouri town, also home to the University of Missouri. A Stephens College administrator, Enoch Arthur "Pop" Collins, had the cabin restored in 1935 with replacement logs brought in from old Kentucky cabins, but it was crumbling and rotting again by the time the city bought the property from Stephens College in 2001.

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COLUMBIA, MISSOURI

Cost of Renovation: $75,000 (Estimated)
After:
The City of Columbia had a contractor dismantle the cabin timber by timber and relocate it. Rotten logs were replaced with timbers from other cabins. The fireplace also was dismantled, with its original stones marked and saved for re-assembling. The roof and floor were transported intact, however. Then the cabin was re-assembled at nearby Nifong Park by a city restoration crew. Note the shake shingles on the gable ends and the chinking between the logs. The Boone County Historical Society wants to conduct public tours once the restoration project is completed, sometime later this year or next year.

Contractor: Trillium Dell Timberworks, Knoxville, Illinois

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COLUMBIA, MISSOURI

Cost of Renovation: $100,000 (So far)
Before:
This four-bedroom Gothic Revival home, built in 1865-66 for Union Army officer William LeDuc and his wife, Mary, sits on a four-acre estate along with a carriage barn, ice house, apple orchard and grape arbor. After the war, LeDuc became an attorney and entrepreneur, later serving as U.S. Agriculture Secretary. He's best remembered for championing the development of American-grown teas and sugar beets. But the family was never wealthy. For years, his daughters ran a needlework business from the home.

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HASTINGS, MINNESOTA

Cost of Renovation: $100,000 (So far)
After
In 2003-04, the Minnesota Historical Society bought the house, upgraded utilities and made structural repairs and landscape improvements. The City of Hastings then took ownership of the renovated site, and the Dakota County Historical Society installed exhibits, opening the house to the public last year for tours and programs. There are still a few repairs to be done, along with original furniture restoration.

Contractor: Dakota County Historical Society (DCHS), Minnesota

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HASTINGS, MINNESOTA