Joe and Chelsea Gray, a married couple from Massachusetts, bought a house built in 1755 using the VA home loan program. The New England colonial home sits on nearly an acre of land, has five bedrooms, 1.5 bathrooms, and a total of 12 rooms covering over 2,700 square feet.
The couple was shocked that previous owners had covered up the home’s original, centuries-old features. They felt it should be “illegal” to hide such history. On August 6, they shared a video on Instagram showing the renovations they’ve been working on since 2018, including revealing these hidden features. The clip has been viewed over 10 million times.
“Because the house is so old and we could see exposed beams in other areas, we had a strong feeling there might be original wood hidden behind the drywall,” Chelsea Gray told Newsweek. “But we couldn’t be sure until we decided to check.”
She added, “There’s a big beam that runs across the center of the kitchen, which was partly visible even with the drywall and made the room look divided. When we took down the drywall on one side of the kitchen—the part you see in the video—we found the original wood in amazing shape. It just needed a good cleaning.”
Screenshots from an Instagram video showing Joe Gray removing drywall from his kitchen ceiling to uncover a secret hidden above. He and his wife are renovating their centuries-old house.
Screenshots from an Instagram video showing Joe Gray removing drywall from his kitchen ceiling to uncover a secret hidden above. He and his wife are renovating their centuries-old house.
“Taking down the drywall to reveal our original 1755 ceiling was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made,” they wrote in the video’s caption.
Chelsea Gray told Newsweek: “It took about seven months of hard work to get from the moment we first hit the drywall to what you see in the video. We’re still not done, even after almost two years.”
She added, “We both have full-time jobs and are learning DIY renovation skills as we go, so our projects take a while to finish, especially something as big as a kitchen remodel.”
The homeowner said she felt a “mix of emotions” when they found the beams. She added, “The big center beam you see in the video, covered in nails, was the most surprising part for both of us when we saw how huge it was.”
“We thought we might find some cool, original wood above the drywall (or at least we hoped), but we never expected to find something so beautiful,” she said.
In the U.S., buying and fixing up old homes is much more common than buying new ones. Last year, over 4 million people bought existing homes, while less than 1 million bought new builds.
Massachusetts—where the average house price is $624,300, according to Redfin—is home to many residential buildings that date back centuries.
People left comments on the couple’s viral Instagram video to share their thoughts. One person wrote, “Who would want to cover that up?”
Another person said, “This room makes me feel like you’d hand me a drink and ask me about my travels.”
One user said, “This is like a crime! It’s so beautiful,” while another commented, “This is the kind of home renovation I love. No more grey/white/beige.”
