Former HGTV Hosts Rebuild 300-Year Homes in Massachusetts

Mike Lemieux and Jen Macdonald—formerly hosts of HGTV’s “Houses with History” and now running Full Circle Homes—are turning back time across Massachusetts, documenting restorations on YouTube as they lift historic houses, rebuild foundations, and preserve deta

The first thing you notice in the footage is the silence around the work—no gloss, no rushing. Just a historic structure waiting for the next careful decision.

Mike Lemieux and Jen Macdonald. the former “Houses with History” hosts. are now sharing their restorations of Massachusetts homes dating back hundreds of years on YouTube. through their work with Full Circle Homes. The couple renovated antique properties around Massachusetts for years, and for two seasons they brought that mission to HGTV. Now. with no new seasons planned. they say they “launched our own YouTube channel” to keep the camera where it belongs: on the details and the behind-the-scenes labor.

Lemieux. a general contractor and history buff. and Macdonald have turned their shared obsession into a production schedule of their own. On their YouTube series. “Full Circle Homes – Mike and Jenny. ” viewers “can follow along and see everything that they saw on HGTV. but with more behind-the-scenes footage and detail.”.

Their story starts on a personal timeline as much as a construction one. Growing up in Sandwich. Lemieux and Macdonald knew each other from school. but after “one awkward date. ” they went their separate ways. Years later, both landed finance jobs in Boston while quietly holding onto what they call their real love: real estate.

In 2010, they ended up together again at the same cookout. The conversation turned to local real estate—specifically a beauty they’d each eyed in Kingston. They were “smitten with the house—and each other.” The couple founded Full Circle Homes in Plympton. and their passion for lovingly restoring antique homes burned so fiercely it landed them on HGTV for two seasons.

On the channel now, viewers can watch them at work on a 300-year-old house in Dartmouth, a 300-year-old Rochester antique Cape, and a circa-1700 Cape in Plympton.

Macdonald moved to Plympton in 2015. She said they have “been doing house restorations since we’ve been dating—about 15 years. ” and that the work kept rolling forward—“One house turned into another.” The couple calls their early years a chain reaction: “Mike got his general contracting license. ” Macdonald said. “I started getting more in depth with interior design, and it just grew from there.”.

They learned from their own projects, then started taking on client work, eventually building a résumé of restorations. Macdonald said they’ve worked on “maybe 50-plus mostly antique homes on the South Shore. South Coast. and Cape Cod.” Lemieux added that many projects “that people would tear down” instead became something worth preserving.

If the labor is meticulous, the relationship is just as visible. The two often finish each other’s sentences and laugh at something the other said. Through their humor—and the steady cadence of renovation decisions—their shared goal comes through: keep the history, solve the puzzle, make it livable.

The work isn’t just about aesthetics. Lemieux framed it as a way of connecting the past to the present. “You’re taking something that’s got ties to not only the history of the community. but many times. the history of the United States. ” he said. “You’re doing an archeological exploration of the chain of ownership.” He described restoration as joining that chain and exploring it “with the community. ” calling it the “connective tissue of the community.”.

Macdonald described the alternative with equal clarity. “It would be easy to demolish the house and put up a McMansion,” she said. But she said the homes are “part of the fabric of the community.” She also talked about the practical side of preserving character. saying she loves “solving the puzzle: How can I make this house functional for the family?. How do we do a bathroom and make it feel like it’s always been here?”.

Right now, their projects span both client work and their own holdings. For clients. Macdonald said they have a 300-year-old house in Dartmouth and a 300-year-old house in Dennis “both getting new foundations.” She added they also have a 300-year-old house in Brewster. Their own projects include a schoolhouse they bought off Middlesborough for $1—an 1890s Rock Village Schoolhouse.

When Lemieux chimed in, he pointed to the process: “A town RFP (request for proposals).” Macdonald said it was a blind bidding (auction), and they won. She said they’ve been working on it “for a couple years.”

The Dartmouth renovation is the kind of undertaking that forces hard choices—and requires patience. Lemieux said it’s tough to tell the exact year. but it goes back “to the early 1700s at least.” Because it comes under FEMA regulations—he said the Slocum River goes right in there—the project doesn’t only preserve; it protects. Lemieux said they “had to not only try to preserve as much of the property as we could. ” but also “lifted the whole house and put it on a FEMA-approved foundation.”.

For that project. he said they’re doing “full soup to nuts.” The plan is to leave as much intact as possible. while moving through heavy repairs because “the house was in really bad shape.” Lemieux described lifting the structure. excavating. and placing it onto a brand new foundation. He also said they’re rebuilding the historic chimney with working fireplaces. and that they’re combining what clients wanted with the details required by the Historic District so the house “looks much the same way it has for the last 300 years.”.

Their own living situation shows they don’t treat “historic” as a costume. Macdonald said their office and store, Mayflower Mercantile in Plympton, dates to 1827. But she said they “actually live in a badly done 1970s Garrison Colonial” and are trying to make it look like an antique reproduction.

That line—between fear and curiosity—also shapes how they talk about historic homes for buyers. Macdonald said, as a real estate agent, she sees people get scared of historic signs on houses. There’s confusion around historic restrictions. she said. and sometimes even just seeing a name and year on the front is enough for people to pull out of driveways. saying. “Oh. I can’t deal with this.” Her response is simple: explaining so they aren’t afraid.

Lemieux emphasized another practical issue that can be less visible but just as critical. “Installing modern HVAC,” he said. “You don’t want it to be visible, or interrupt the aesthetic of the home.” He called for the right mindset and the right techniques.

When asked for advice for people interested in buying a historic home, Lemieux urged a more patient approach. “When you buy an older home. experience it. live in it for a while. and then make decisions. ” he said. rather than “just saying ‘Gut the whole thing and start over.’” He also warned that restoration is different work. Hire contractors and service providers with experience dealing with historic property. he said. because “a lot of times we get in there after they’ve hired somebody without experience. and we have to correct issues.”.

One restoration they clearly love is the Deacon Eldred house in Sandwich. Macdonald said they rent it out now on Airbnb and Vrbo. and she described personal history tied directly to the building. Growing up, she said, it was the Thornton W. Burgess Museum. Her mother and grandmother worked there. and she said she’d been “all throughout that house.” Then. she recalled. it sat for 30 years “melting into the ground.”.

The town put the property up for request for proposals, she said, and Full Circle Homes won the bid. Macdonald called it “just the cutest house,” and said, “I love it.”

The Deacon Eldred house has also had a public moment on television. Before and after versions of the renovated property appeared in a 2023 episode of HGTV’s “Homes with History,” connecting their current YouTube work back to the audience that first found them restoring Massachusetts history.

It’s a pattern that shows up again and again in their story: a house people might discard becomes a home that keeps its character—while still being made functional, safe, and ready for the next family to step inside.

MISRYOUM USA News Massachusetts HGTV Houses with History Full Circle Homes YouTube historic homes restoration Plympton Dartmouth FEMA Slocum River Rock Village Schoolhouse Deacon Eldred House Airbnb Vrbo