Previous Owners Begged Her Not To Renovate—She Did It and Stunned Internet

A video about a woman who renovated her home after its previous owners were “begging” her not to has gone viral on TikTok.

The video was shared by Jaci Marie Smith (@jacimariesmith), a lifestyle influencer/photographer based in Southern California. The clip begins with Smith explaining how the previous owners “were like begging us not to renovate the house.” The video has amassed 2.3 million views since it was posted on May 31.

The home built in 1959 was purchased by Smith with plans to fully remodel it. “The home was in our price range, a good size for our family, and in the area we want to live,” Smith told Newsweek. “We always had plans of renovating it to make it what we wanted.”

In comments left in a previous video shared by Smith revealing one of her bathroom renovations, some TikTokers were critical of her choice to redo the bathroom. Tristenikaika said: “This is what’s called ruining the charm of a house. Disgusting.” User morgan wrote: “But the before had so much charm.”

In the later viral video, Smith addresses the reaction she often gets from followers. “I think people also assume that the house we bought is like a mid-century gem, a house with so much historical character and that we are just these heartless people ripping away this house… we’re erasing history and just painting everything white,” she says.

But according to Smith, the reality is far less dramatic. The home, she explained, had already been renovated in the early 2000s and had lost most of its original mid-century charm. “There was not much charm in this house to begin with,” she told Newsweek. “It didn’t have much charm or any redeeming qualities we loved.”

The viral post comes as home renovation spending in the United States was reported to have surged in recent years, with the median spend rising by 60 percent between 2020 ($15,000) and 2023 ($24,000), according to a survey conducted by Houzz, a home design website.

Kitchens were the most commonly renovated interior room (with 29 percent of those surveyed having done so last year, followed by guest bathrooms (27 percent) and primary bathrooms (25 percent), the survey found.

Smith said the former owners of her home were emotionally invested. “I think they were just very attached to their home and the memories it held,” Smith said. “They lived here for a long time and it was nostalgic for them. I don’t think they wanted to see it get completely flipped like an investor would do.”

The viral clip includes before-and-after footage of the bathroom renovations, which dramatically replaced outdated, plain interiors with spa-inspired designs featuring modern fixtures and finishes. “The bathrooms felt particularly dated and not cozy at all,” Smith said. “We wanted our bathrooms to feel comfortable, and spa-like which I think we achieved. Our primary bathroom is arguably my favorite room of the house.”

‘Absolutely Beautiful’

The results have drawn high praise online. “The bathroom renovation looks INCREDIBLE oh my word,” commented TikTok user Hannah | Marriage + Motherhood.

Another user, elsie_AF, wrote: “That new bathroom reveal! I thought that was from a magazine GORGEOUS.”

Tattooed24seventinkabrat was more blunt, saying: “Good lord it was awful before… it’s absolutely beautiful now.”

Even those skeptical of renovations in general seemed to side with Smith’s approach. “It had no character before. You gave it character,” wrote madsnaseum.

Other users directed their criticism at the previous owners, who had urged Smith not to make changes.

“The previous owners need to leave you alone! They sold the house,” wrote user Hpach.

Aaisyah added: “Do they…not understand giving up ownership in exchange for…money? You know, the concept of a transaction?”

Smith emphasized that her intent was never to erase history, but rather to create a space that worked for her family’s needs and lifestyle.

“Our interior renovation is just about done and we ended up doing more work than we initially anticipated. We knocked down walls, reconfigured rooms, etc. We are so happy with it and now we are beginning on landscaping which will also be an exciting journey,” she said.