Excerpts from article --
In 1991, Warner and Allison McConaughey longed to have a house of their own, but limited funds suggested that home ownership might be an impossible dream. Then Warner learned of a house auction in Atlanta, where they lived. "It was built in 1910, an American Foursquare," he says, "which was a really popular style after the Victorian period -- a simple two-story home with simple rooms." It was also a mess, as it was vacant for 20 years.

Only one person was bidding against the McConaugheys; when he dropped out, they got the house for $15,900. Warner felt confident that, given his and Allison's expertise -- she is an interior designer, he is the founder and president of HammerSmith, a Decatur, Georgia, general contractor -- they could bring the house back to something approaching its former beauty.