Nina Becht tells PEOPLE that after moving into her 1905 Colonial, a hidden staircase and other historic details changed how she views renovation
Credit: Nina Becht
NEED TO KNOW
• Nina Becht, 27, documented the first week inside her 120-year-old Colonial home in a TikTok that resonated with fellow homeowners
• She originally planned major renovations, including combining several rooms into one massive kitchen
• After discovering a hidden staircase once used by household staff, she’s rethinking how much of the home should change
When Nina Becht got the keys to her 120-year-old Colonial home, she imagined the first week would be filled with demolition plans, contractor meetings and conversations about which walls needed to come down first.
Instead, she spent seven days scrubbing windows, hauling boxes and falling in love with the very features she once planned to remove. In a TikTok documenting her first week in the home, Becht shared the reality of settling into a century-old house, and viewers quickly connected with her unexpected change of heart.
“When we first bought the house, I was planning for a much more dramatic renovation to start,” Becht, 27, tells PEOPLE. She says she envisioned combining the dining room, kitchen and mudroom into one expansive kitchen while also merging bedrooms to create a larger primary suite.
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But once she and her husband moved into the home and began spending time in each room, the house started telling a different story. What looked like renovation opportunities on paper began to feel like pieces of history worth preserving.
“Honestly, it happened almost immediately once we got inside and started spending time in the house,” she says. “As we cleaned and really began living in it, we kept finding original details that had survived for over a century.”
The turning point came in an unexpected place: a hidden staircase tucked off the kitchen. More than 100 years ago, the staircase was primarily used by the home’s household staff, and realizing it could disappear during a renovation forced Becht to pause.
“Expanding the kitchen like we planned would likely mean removing that staircase,” she says. “Talking about removing it made me realize some features deserve a little more appreciation before they’re changed forever.”
The shift wasn’t entirely sentimental. Like many first-time owners of older homes, Becht quickly learned that even before renovations begin, there’s plenty of work to do.
She says the couple underestimated how long deep cleaning would take and hadn’t fully considered the sequence of major home projects, from electrical updates to painting and refinishing floors. Starting with smaller improvements also makes more financial sense, giving them time to understand the house before making irreversible decisions.
Credit: Nina Becht
As they move forward, Becht is trying to strike a balance between modernization and preservation. She credits her brother with giving her the philosophy she now hopes will guide every renovation decision.
“My brother said it best: ‘The goal is to preserve its character without making it a museum,’ ” she says. “It’s our home, so it still needs to be functional for the way we live, but we can do that while still giving the house and its history the respect it deserves.”
The first week also shattered one other assumption she had about living in a century-old home. While she expected creaky floors and perhaps a few spooky feelings, the reality has been something entirely different.
“I also expected the house to feel a little haunted,” Becht says. “But it’s surprisingly bright, warm and full of life, so I haven’t gotten a single spooky vibe from it.”
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Credit: Nina Becht
That doesn’t mean every renovation idea is off the table. Becht says she and her husband will likely revisit plans to expand the kitchen someday, especially because they both love cooking and hosting friends and family.
Still, after just one week in the home, she’s already reconsidering how much change is really necessary. “We originally talked about going full open concept,” she says, “but now I can’t imagine losing the dining room.”
For now, the nurse practitioner and content creator is focused on cleaning, painting and getting to know the house that has stood since 1905. The walls she once planned to tear down may be staying put a little longer.
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