Originally built in 1908, the brick home was dilapidated with its back third falling in and half the roof missing.

A modern bathroom has hexagonal tiles in different patterns on the floor and various textures on the walls - Asbe/Getty Images ...

A couple years ago, I moved into a 1950s brick ranch on a pine-shaded street in Birmingham. It's the kind of neighborhood where puppies and strollers outnumber cars and the houses are generally ...