Nowadays, many people view the option of buying an old house and gradually restoring it as more sensible than purchasing a new one. It's widely known that there are both economic and aesthetic benefits to revitalizing and modernizing an existing structure, rather than constructing a new one. The house is sold for a lower price, and since the restoration can be spread out over time, the financial burden doesn't hit all at once.
A couple from Paris transformed an old house they bought into a living space with their own efforts. Although many admired the end result, there were those who believed that the house had lost its soul.