Former HGTV couple lovingly preserves oldest homes in Mass.

Home improvement

Former Homes with History hosts are now sharing their restorations of 300-year-old Massachusetts homes on YouTube.

Mike Lemieux and Jane MacDonald grew up in Sandwich and knew each other from school, but after an “awkward date,” they went their separate ways.

They both eventually got financial jobs in Boston while secretly longing for their true love: real estate.

Then one day in 2010, they ended up at the same cookout. The conversation turned to local real estate, specifically the beauty they both had their eyes on in Kingston. They were in love with the house – and each other.

The couple founded Full circle homes In Plympton. Their passion for lovingly restoring antique homes burned so intensely, it led to them appearing on HGTV for two seasons.

“Houses with a history Flocking on HGTVgoHBOMax and Discovery+ watched New Englanders restore centuries-old homes across Massachusetts. With no new seasons planned, “we faced it and launched our own YouTube channel,” said Lemieux, a general contractor and history buff. on “Full Circle Homes – Mike and JennyViewers can “tune in and see everything they saw on HGTV, but with more behind-the-scenes footage and details.”

Currently, you can watch them working on a 300-year-old house in Dartmouth, AR 300 year old antique Rochester headand A About 1700 kip in Plympton.

The couple moved to Plympton in 2015, and have been “renovating the house since we were dating — about 15 years,” McDonald said. Turning one house into another. With vague nostalgia, they remember “the first face.”

“Mike got his general contractor’s license. I started getting more into interior design, and it’s just evolved from there,” McDonald said. “We learned a lot working on our own projects, and then we started doing client projects, and now we’ve worked on, oh my God, I don’t even know… probably over 50 vintage homes mostly in the South Shore, the South Coast and Cape Cod.”

“Many projects that people will tear down,” Lemieux added.

The two would often finish each other’s sentences and laugh at something the other said. And through it all, their shared passion for restoring Massachusetts homes shines through.

They spoke with The Globe about old homes, current projects, their processes, tips, and more.

What do you love about antique homes?

Lemieux: You’re taking something that has ties not only to the history of the community, but oftentimes, to the history of the United States. You are doing an archaeological exploration of the property chain, and you will not only become part of that chain, but you will be able to explore it with the community. It is the connective tissue of society.

You look at these structures — 250 or 300 years old — and you realize that what we think is difficult today, with all the technology we have, these people were building these properties of nothing. They had to grind trees and find tools. It is a reminder of what it takes to build this nation.

McDonald: Ditto for everything Mike said. It would be easy to tear down the house and build a McMansion. But homes are part of the fabric of the community. They have personality. Not only do I love learning the history of the house, I love solving the puzzle: How can I make this house functional for the family? How do we make a bathroom and make it look like it’s always been here?

What are you working on now?

McDonald: For clients, we have a 300-year-old house in Dartmouth and a 300-year-old house in Dennis, both of which got new foundations. We have a 300 year old house in Brewster. Then we have our own projects going on. We are building a school that we bought from Middlesboro for one dollar (Rock Village School building in the 1890s).

Lemieux: City RFP (Request for Proposals).

McDonald: It was a blind bid (public auction), and we won. This is one we’ve been working on for a few years.

Tell me about the Dartmouth Project.

Lemieux: It is difficult to determine the exact year, but it dates back to at least the early 18th century. It is subject to FEMA regulations, because the Slocum River runs right there. So not only did we have to try to preserve as much of the property as possible, we lifted the entire house and put it on a FEMA approved foundation.

We’re making a whole soup to nuts on it. We leave as much as possible intact, but the house was inside truly Bad form. We lift it, excavate it, put it back on a brand new foundation, and will rebuild the historic chimney with working fireplaces. We will do every detail the clients wanted, and also keep the details the historic district wanted, so the house looks the same as it has for the past 300 years.

Do you live in a historic home?

McDonald:Our office and store, Mayflower Trading In Plympton, it dates back to 1827. But we actually live in a Garrison Colonial area that was poorly done in the 1970s. We’re trying to make it look like an old version.

What are some problems that historic homes typically face?

McDonald: As a real estate agent, I see people being intimidated by historical markers on homes. There is a lot of confusion about historical restrictions. Sometimes, as soon as they see the sign with the name and year on the front of the house, people pull out of the driveways, like, “Oh, I can’t handle this.” So it’s just explaining to them so they’re not afraid of those things.

Lemieux: Installation of modern heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. You don’t want it to be visible, or to interrupt the aesthetic of the home. You have to have the right mindset and the right techniques.

What advice do you have for people interested in purchasing a historic home?

Lemieux: When you buy an older house, test it out, live in it for a while, and then make decisions, rather than just saying “take it all in and start again.” When you hire a contractor or service provider, make sure they have experience dealing with historic properties. A lot of times we get there after they’ve hired someone with no experience, and we have to correct the problems.

What is your favorite project?

McDonald: the Deacon Eldred’s House in Sandwich. We now rent it on Airbnb and Vrbo. Growing up, it was the Thornton W. Burgess Museum. My mother and grandmother worked there, so I was all over that house. It had been there for 30 years, melting into the ground. The city put it out for proposals. We won the bid. It’s just a nice house. I love him.

This interview has been edited and condensed slightly.

Lauren Daly is a freelance culture writer. Can be accessed at [email protected]. She chirps @lorendelli1And Instagram on @lorendelli1.

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