Current project · Historic restoration in Salisbury
The Gaskill-Blackmer House
A 19th-century Victorian home, restored by Michelle and Ronny Camilo as their own family home.
Photography by Sean Meyers
A leap of faith
Bought from photographs, loved at first sight
In 2025, Michelle and Ronny were looking at new construction in North Carolina when a historic home in Salisbury caught their attention. They looked at other properties, but kept coming back to this one. They took a leap of faith and bought the Gaskill-Blackmer House from photographs, before seeing it in person.
The goal was never to create a museum. It was to make the house a warm, inviting home while preserving the 19th-century integrity of its structure and history, so that it tells the story of the house and the story of the family who lives in it now.
The learning curve
A 127-page to-do list
After years of high-end new construction, the biggest surprise was the list of work required for a home protected by historic covenants. Michelle and Ronny learned the details that make an older home special: the patina of old brass hardware, the smoothness of old wood finishes, the creak of floorboards, the nooks and crannies, and the beauty of imperfection.
“All of those interesting details that came exclusively with this house were the things that made the work special every day.”
Michelle Camilo
Restoration notes
- Only minor changes to the floor plan; some rooms were given new uses.
- Door hardware replaced throughout with period-appropriate pieces, for consistency.
- Original light fixtures reused wherever possible, sometimes in new locations.
- The Victorian parlor tradition kept alive with family portraits, keepsakes, and heirlooms.
- A freestanding shower set on marble floors, following how Victorian-era European homes added showers without disturbing existing stone.
- Custom glass and brass fittings brought from Florida.
During the restoration
Down to the structure, and back again
From the roof to the floor joists, every part of the house has been opened, repaired, and put back together. Tap any photo to enlarge.
Renewed
Inside the house today
Victorian ideas, brought into the present: rooms that feel lived in, with every original detail given room to breathe. Tap any photo to enlarge.
Found in the walls
A bottle from the year Ronny was born
Old houses keep secrets. While opening a wall, Ronny found a hidden bottle of North Carolina wine, produced the same year he was born. It now has a place of honor in the house.
My experience in restoring this house is like when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. It’s bringing something that was considered gone, back to life.
As featured in
Salisbury The Magazine
“Back to Life: Michelle and Ronny Camilo restore the Gaskill-Blackmer House.” October 2026, pages 32–37. Story by Brenda Zimmerman. Photography by Sean Meyers.
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“We are honored to help families create homes that feel meaningful, peaceful, and lasting — spaces where beauty, craftsmanship, and renewal come together.”