See how a homeless Detroit man turned a $1,500 house into his dream home over a decade of painstaking work

• Michael Gray bought an abandoned home in Detroit from his nephew for $1,500 in 2009.
• He's spent over a decade renovating it himself from flooring, to drywalling, to painting.
• Gray spoke with Insider about his multiyear process of transforming the home into a livable space.

Michael Gray has spent more than 10 years turning a derelict house in Detroit into a cozy home for him and his family. 

In November 2009, Gray, who's now 70, purchased an abandoned home from his nephew for only $1,500. After years of renovations, he's transformed it into a dream home for his wife, Cynthia. 

"It was all built with love," he told Insider.