One hundred thirty years ago, two identical rowhouses were built at 1333 and 1335 Liverpool St. in Manchester. These days, the only thing that's identical is their red brick, window placement and owners' devotion to restoring them -- in their own personal styles.

The 1880 townhouses with matching mansard roofs will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday for the Manchester House and Garden Tour.

This neighborhood is known for its wealth of sturdy old houses on larger lots than other parts of the North Side, which explains why the gardens get equal billing on this tour. But these two gardens are not as dramatically different as the interiors. In fact, both owners freely admit to peeking through the backyard fence with a touch of garden envy.

"His roses are incredible," said J.T. Doughty of the more than 150 varieties that Tsambiko Caperis grows in the raised portion of his yard at 1333 Liverpool St.

Mr. Caperis, meanwhile, admires his neighbor's wisteria, with its massive, twisted, at least 40-year-old trunk and canopy of vines and leaves that envelopes but not overwhelms a custom-made arbor. Long green pods are all that remain from the dark purple flowers that covered it in spring.

"It's my urban oasis," Mr. Doughty said proudly.

The two men share the camaraderie that comes from understanding the joys and frustrations that come with saving a very old house.

"I hear their drilling and sanding and swearing and they hear mine," said Mr. Caperis.

Only once did his neighbors complain, when Mr. Caperis was running a belt sander well past midnight while refinishing a floor in time for the holidays. And that was only because they had to work the next day.

The two row houses were in very different states when the men purchased them. Mr. Caperis bought a wreck that had been abandoned for $22,000 in December 1999 through the Manchester Citizens Corp. Mr. Doughty and Brian Keller paid $175,000 in June 2003 for a house that was mostly restored or renovated. Mr. Doughty says he's never lost the fascination he felt from the moment he visited with the Realtor.

"The hardest part was trying to keep my jaw from hitting the floor," he recalled. "I kept saying to my agent, 'I want this house.' "

All of 1335 Liverpool's first-floor trim was intact, including marbleized slate mantels on the decorative fireplaces, pocket doors and crown molding on the 12-foot ceilings. The biggest change the owners made was to paint the trim white and the walls in deep jewel tones. The upstairs, however, had been modernized by previous owners. Mr. Doughty is particularly proud of how closely he and a woodworker friend were able to replicate the old molding and doors with new MDF (medium-density fiberboard). He's currently working on turning a front bedroom into a TV room and about to start rehabbing the kitchen according to suggestions he received in a Renplan consult through the Community Design Center of Pittsburgh.

Mr. Caperis, on the other hand, was looking for an old house that he could rebuild according to his own artistic vision. He knew exactly what he was getting into. Consider his taste in movies:

"I love 'The Money Pit,' " he said.

A hairstylist who dabbles in pottery and painting, Mr. Caperis has preserved much of the house's original dark-stained woodwork and floors and filled its many rooms with antiques and other odd items he has bought or found.

"I'm a scavenger," he admitted as he proudly showed some of the architectural items he has found in North Side trash.

In a cabinet in the front hall, he displays old photos and newspaper clippings he found in the walls and photos of the large family that once lived here, given to him when some of them visited.

For his kitchen, Mr. Caperis designed the Craftsman-like cherry cabinetry and molding that was then crafted by master woodworker Karl Kennedy of Coraopolis. Mr. Caperis found the Mexican hammered copper sink online, the Belgian hood at Architectural Emporium in Canonsburg, and the emerald green Viking stove at an appliance store (it was sharply discounted because of its color).

His love for detail shows up everywhere, in fragments of stained-glass windows incorporated in new ones, in Greek letters he had carved into his garden pavers, in the mosaic tiles he spent eight months laying in the master bath.

"I'm an artist," he said matter-of-factly.

But when asked where he sells his paintings and pottery, he looked surprised.

"I give them away."

The 12th annual Manchester House and Garden Tour runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Also, local artists and vendors will be selling at a street fair in the 1300 block of Page Street. Tickets, $12, will be sold until one hour before the end of the self-guided tours in front of the Conroy Education Center on Page Street. Parking is available on Page and Manhattan streets, North Avenue and in the parking lot of the Xpedx store on Western Avenue. Information: 412-335-5650 or www.manchesterhistoricsocietypa.com.

Doug Oster writes a blog, "Growing With Doug," exclusively at PG+, a members-only web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.