A Ukrainian woman restored an old cottage near the Polish border all by herself
A woman from Lviv gave a new lease on life to a neglected stone house that is over 100 years old and located on a farmstead near the Polish border. Despite the building’s near-ruined condition and neighbors’ advice to tear it down, the woman decided to restore the old dwelling and transformed it into a comfortable and cozy home.
The hamlet where the house stands is tiny. There are no more than 10 residents and a few abandoned buildings, as the owner explained. It was one of these that she received as a bonus with the land plot. According to local elders, the house was over 100 years old.
The condition of the building at the time of purchase seemed almost catastrophic: the roof had practically collapsed, and the floors and beams were rotten. Neighbors advised her not to even bother—just tear it down and build something new.
Everything changed when the owner decided to clear away the plaster from one of the walls and discovered limestone beneath it. The stone masonry reminded her so much of old buildings in France and Italy that demolition was no longer an option.
According to her, the restoration took about two years. They started with the roof—since, essentially, it was already gone. At the same time, a crew of local men reinforced the foundation, reconfigured the interior layout, and installed water and sewer lines.
The owner herself worked on the facade: she cleaned the stone by hand, filled the joints with clay, and planned the exterior design. She chose classic wooden windows with mullions—more expensive than vinyl-clad aluminum, but, as she put it, they blended seamlessly into the stone wall. All the doors—both the front door and the interior doors—were crafted by a carpenter from a neighboring farmstead.
At one time, this building housed a barn, a living room with a stove, and a granary all under one roof. Now, the non-residential part serves as a workshop and storage area.
The owner shared the story of the restoration of this century-old building on her YouTube channel, Maruta Joy.
