Sisters Kristen and Kathryn Groom always dreamt of starting a business together. While they loved the idea of running a bed and breakfast, they presumed they'd have to wait until retirement.

Then, in the winter of 2022, they found their dream property in Welland, Ontario: a huge 118-year-old manor house needing some TLC. Once they got the keys, the pair opened the doors to their first guests just two months later, despite having zero DIY or hospitality experience.

Click or scroll on to tour their historic home and watch the transformation unfold...

When Kristen (left) and Kathryn found the rambling mansion for sale in a nearby town, they fell in love with the old home deciding it was "meant to be". With eight bedrooms and six bathrooms, transforming the manor was a daunting task, but one they tackled head-on, with a little help from family, friends and neighbours.

In launching The Rose Manor, the sisters, who have a nine-year age gap, have been branded the 'Canadian Gilmore Girls' on social platform TikTok in reference to the long-running US TV show set in and around a charming country inn. It's a mantle they're more than happy to take on, so let's see how similar it is to characters Rory and Lorelai's Dragonfly Inn...

The manor was built in 1906 for Colonel Hugh Alexander Rose II. Redesigned around 1920 in the Tudor Revival style, it's characterised by exposed timbers with stucco infill.

The exterior was modified to appear more Tudor in style because the Colonel had become fascinated by the era while serving in Europe during the First World War, according to Kristen and Kathryn.

The Colonel was a lawyer and a master gardener. He tended to many of the roses that still grow on the property today. This wonderful image of the old home was provided by the Welland Historical Museum.

The sisters have taken great care to pay tribute to Colonel Rose (pictured) and his family, especially as they believe the friendly spirit of his daughter Birdie still resides at the manor, opening drawers and walking the corridors at night.

"We named our guest rooms after them. We wanted to honour the care and beauty that went into building and maintaining a space like this," say the sisters. 

"We’ve had relatives of the original family come back to tour the space and it is so nice to hear how happy they are with the life we’ve brought into it and how the public gets to enjoy it."

"As weird as it sounds, old homes have a bit of a feeling like they are alive", say Kristen and Kathryn, "so keeping her happy and true to herself was important to us. We wanted it to feel lived in but also still stylish and modern enough for our guests to enjoy." 

Overall the bones of the old home were in place and are much the same today as they appear in this vintage postcard. While an extension had been added in 2016, it honoured the home's 1906 character adding modern amenities that would help it function as a guesthouse.

Rose Manor had been on the market for a while by the time Kristen and Kathryn's mother spotted it online. While the sisters weren't sure if it was the right location, their mother convinced them to book a tour with the realtor. Ontario's winter weather almost stopped them.

"When we saw the property for the first time, we had just had a massive snow storm so we couldn’t quite see all the outdoor spaces and some of the doors were snowed in, but we fell in love and decided we couldn’t pass it up," the sisters recall.

The pair lived together in a two-unit bungalow before they bought the bed and breakfast. They had some furniture but not nearly enough to fill an eight-bedroom home. As a result, they bought 90% of the manor's furnishings second-hand and started collecting it before they had even moved in, storing it in their garage (left).

They scoured Facebook Marketplace, antique shops, thrift stores, online auctions and estate sales for the perfect pieces to complement their new home. Friends and family also donated items they were no longer using, which they thought might suit the space and provide a modern update to the previous owners' more traditional style, which can be seen on the right.

Kristen and Kathryn closed on Rose Manor on 26 May 2022 and they welcomed their first guest fewer than two months later on 1 July, which was, rather auspiciously, Canada Day. 

Luckily, aside from some major plumbing issues that required some of the original pipework to be replaced, most of the issues that needed fixing were cosmetic. It meant they could turn the house around in a short space of time.

As soon as they were given the keys, the industrious sisters kicked off the transformation by having the original floors refinished in the living room and dining room. Then they stripped wallpaper and had almost the entire property re-painted. It took an all-woman team about 3.5 weeks to paint the whole building. These photos show the great room during the first stages of redecoration.

While Kathryn and Kristen took photos and videos throughout the transformation, one of their biggest regrets is that they didn't make a walk-through video of the home the day they got the keys, because, in their words, they "didn't think anyone would care".

Their 20,000 TikTok followers would probably disagree!

Today, the great room is an elegant space where guests can relax in style and even get married. According to Kathryn and Kristen, much of the work has been carried out by their father.

"We had very little experience with anything renovation-related and our Dad, who helps us with a lot of our projects, is self-taught or learned from our Grandpa, but was never formally trained", they say. 

"It has been really nice to learn little tips and tricks along the way; we've been able to expand our skills and feel more confident taking on projects ourselves." 

The pair used marble-effect peel-and-stick tiling to revamp the front entryway floor. It's a temporary solution, but it's still holding up nicely two and a half years later. Quicker and cheaper than laying real tiles, these self-adhesive tiles (right) are a great time and money-saving option.

The next jobs included retiling the great room fireplace and kitchen backsplash, replacing all the kitchen appliances and installing a new washer-dryer to keep up with all the guest linens.

The sisters turned the master bedroom's walk-in closet into the Rose Suite, which now serves as the bridal suite when they host weddings.

These before and after photos of the Birdie Suite show how the sisters upgraded many of the light fixtures in the manor. They sourced them all from antique stores and Facebook Marketplace, often repainting them to bring them up to date.

While a dab hand at upcycling, any electrical or repair work and troubleshooting is their dad’s domain.

"We call him first if anything happens. We outsourced plumbing, tile work, drywall, concrete and some of the bigger projects, but most of the smaller things that go along with owning a 1906 home, we do ourselves." 

For Kristen and Kathryn, it wasn't any one thing that proved the hardest part of the renovation. Rather, it was the knowledge that transformations don’t happen overnight.

"Curating a space to your liking takes time", they say. "Especially because a lot of what we sourced for the space is second-hand. So you have to be patient with your vision. It keeps things more cost-effective but also allows us to slowly add more character into the home."  

As we can see from the changes the pair made to the Jennie Suite, their patience certainly paid off.

While the interiors came along, the driveway was cracked and crumbling, hardly a good first impression to give to new guests. So the sisters worked with local concrete company Gigante Concrete Inc. to refinish it, which instantly gave the manor's exterior a much-needed lift.

"We also did major transformations on our garden areas", they add. "A lot of the gardening our mom helps us with. She has the green thumb." 

The outdoor paths of Rose Manor were transformed, making the outdoor spaces safer for their guests to roam and explore. Always keen to save and repurpose materials, Kathryn and Kristen saved the original flagstones that were removed and used them for paths throughout the property. 

The work they did on this path really made a difference, but also helps with income as the sisters now use this space to host picture-perfect wedding ceremonies.

Once the essential exterior projects were complete, the ever-resourceful sisters turned their sights on creating more areas on their 0.5 acre (0.2ha) plot for their guests to enjoy. 

This garden shed was taking up valuable space and the pair decided it had to go. Kathryn and Kristen knocked it down then spent the summer of 2023 building a micro-greenhouse in its place... 

"Both our Dad and our amazing neighbour Stan spent all summer working on [the greenhouse] with us," say the sisters. "It was so much fun to complete and turned out really well.

It is super rewarding to already see it being used and nice to be able to add our mark to the outside property that was unused space beforehand."

The sisters were keen for the 10 x 16-foot (3 x 5m) hut to fit seamlessly within the historic context of their home. To do this, they sourced vintage leaded windows gifted to them from another local family who has a historic home in the area.

They found additional elements on Facebook Marketplace. The result, you'll agree is a gorgeous outdoor space.

Known as The Glass Garden, what was once a dingy garden shed now serves as a beautiful venue for micro weddings and elopements. 

Kathryn and Kristen also rent it out as a photography space. They decorate it seasonally and their Christmas set proves popular with families wanting to snap the perfect holiday card.

So now The Glass Garden is up and running, what's the next project the sisters want to tackle? They'd like to add a cover to their side deck so guests can enjoy breakfast outdoors, whatever the weather. But they also have a bigger project in mind for their dad to help out with...

"We joke that we have to roll out our projects slowly to our dad so that it becomes his idea", they say. "So this will be news to him, but we want to build a built-in library set-up in our great room, with a rolling ladder and coffee bar. This is the heart of our home and we think it would be show-stopping and another area for photography rentals."

Working so closely with a sibling isn't everyone's idea of fun, but Kristen and Kathryn wouldn't have it any other way. Aside from creating such a beautiful space together, they love that they get to be creative with new business ideas and no one can tell them no but each other.

When times get tough and they feel daunted, they know that someone always has their back. Of course, the biggest perk is having someone to share the quiet times with.

"When we don't have guests or events, we get to hang out... binge-watch TV in our PJs and have 'girl dinner' with no one judging us for not having protein", they reveal.

"It will never be 100% perfect, but that's part of the charm", Kristen and Kathryn remind other DIY dreamers. "The creaking floors or the squeaky door adds character to your space. You don’t have to troubleshoot everything," they advise.

"Go easy on yourself. Whether it is a personal family home or a business venture, it will get to where you want it to be eventually and you can rest easy knowing you are working towards your dream space. It is scary and feels risky at times but if we can do it, so can you!"

Over time, the business-savvy sisters have developed additional revenue streams; everything from hosting ghost walks, spiritual events and cooking classes, to creating clothing that celebrates the Niagara. They even launched their very own Groom & Grow spa products. But they're not stopping there.

"We want to explore other properties and hospitality-based businesses," they reveal. "We could see ourselves expanding to a boutique hotel, wedding venue or a spa-type space in the future. We love working together and we love creating spaces that people love to be in. We don’t know what the future holds but we do know this isn’t our last venture."

We cannot wait to see what they do next!

Loved this? Tour more amazing real-life renovations around the world