I just bought this house for under $12K Cash including the closing costs. I'll be doing a full renovation in effort to bring this house up to snuff to be part of my fleet of rental houses.....actually it's only a few houses, but many more are part of my dream!
In this house there is no sub-flooring, instead the tongue and groove flooring was laid right on the joists. It's not in the best condition so I'm putting down a layer of OSB which will stiffen up the floor and give me a single, level layer throughout the entire house. The process is simple, the material is trimmed to fit, cutting any holes for floor registers and nailed or screwed to the existing floors. I also deal with an interesting problem of a tree growing where a tree shouldn't grow.
In this video I assemble and install a shut-off valve in the main water line. I'm using a ball valve, where many homes use a gate valve, I prefer them since they are much faster to turn on and off and leak less in my experience.
In this video I show the first day of really getting into demolition! It's pretty simple, get in there and start tearing things out.
This video is part two of doing the demolition in the house and getting all the crap out of the way so I can get down to work
In this video I man up and blast down the chimney in my $12k house. Doing so makes such a difference and makes the space much more usable. Doing a renovation like this adds huge value and makes for a great seller or rental.
In this video I start the framing. The goal is to insulate, run wiring and plumb the house. Framing the walls out also gives an easy way to drywall since the existing walls are cinder block. I'll be doing the same to the back of the house as well, including some re-framing and adding of interior walls.
In this video disaster strikes when I find out that I have to rip out the floors in the entire rear of the house and the wall that separates the kitchen from the bath! Renovations hit you with challenges like this, the best thing to do is charge ahead and not get bummed. On the bright side, this will give me easy access to make repairs and do work that you will see in upcoming videos.
In this video I continue work on the back of the house. Specifically tearing out the floor....that's only a few minutes out of this long video, the rest is me running my mouth answer a lot of questions and reacting to comments I have read under these videos. I also just go over anything that pops into my mind.
In this video I continue work on the back of the house. Removing rotten joists and replacing them with new lumber. I also add a second beam and go over upcoming plans. Enjoy.
In this video rough in the kitchen plumbing enough to get the sub flooring down. I also add a second beam and go over upcoming plans. Enjoy
In this video I reinforce the center beam and add a ledger strip under the joists.
In this video I install floor insulation and lay down the sub-floor.
In this video I frame up walls in the kitchen on top of the sub-floor.
In this video, I relocate the electrical panel
In this video, I build the wall the separates the bathroom and laundry room as well as frame up a rough opening and prepare to frame the bedroom closet.
In this video, I level out the ceilings to solve issues related to drywalling.
The washing machine, dryer, water heater, breaker panel and additional storage will be designed into the small space. In this video I plumb in all the waste lines, that's the drains to all the fixtures that run down into the sewer, or in some cases, a septic tank. I'm using a combination of pipe sizes such as 1.5, 2 and 3 inch PVC. Most of the pipe is in the bathroom/laundry room walls with the remaining lines in the crawl space that hook to the sewer
In this video I rough in most of the electrical, install lighting and make some mistakes
In this video I plumb all the pex water lines in my renovation project.
In this video I prepare the exterior of the house for stucco (parging) by clearing things out of the way, tearing down the front porch and pressure washing the wall.
In this video, I extend the overhangs on all sides of the roof. The additional coverage protects the house and adds some architecture that the house was lacking. Next up is re-roofing.
In this video, I start re-roofing the house. I start with removing the old asphalt shingles. I decided to re-sheath the roof, I did so by layering on a layer of 7/16 OSB over the existing plywood sheathing. I dried the house in with 30 pound felt paper. This set's me up to plumb my vents through the roof, apply drip edge and shingle the house up...coming soon. This video ends with applying plywood to the underside of the overhangs and spray on a coat of Olympic solid stain. It's quite a project but one that I am enjoying, both the work and sharing the process with you all.
In this video, I announce the next house I'll renovate if I hit 100,000 subscribers by the end of this series. Please share the videos, hit thumbs up and leave a comment. All these help place videos higher in searches. I also answer some common question, tell of my plans, cut an access to the attic, plumb my waste vents through the roof and show the house all "cleaned up" inside.
Here I make some architectural brackets to support the roof overhangs. They are built simply so that most anyone could copy them for their own project.
Renovating this small house by myself is taking some time, but it is starting to look pretty good. The exterior is getting close to being done, leaving the shingles, porches and trim to go.
I'm currently working on the outside, getting things ready to have the power restored as well as installing shingles very soon. To do that I had to remove a bunch of scrappy trees, rehang the SE cable and nail down some drip edge.
Getting the new roof on this house has been a huge project, so many steps had to be completed to have it done......but it's done. That's how projects go, they seem like they will never end and then all of a sudden they are. After my part in working on the roof, I ended up hiring out the rest of the job to a roofer. It was simple, just nailing down shingles, but it was good "practice" for me to let someone else take over once in a while. The results were great in my opinion. The job took them only 2 hours to complete. While I did spend some time watching them install the shingles, I was able to work inside wiring up the new electrical into the panel
In renovating a house, the steps seem endless, when doing all or most of the work yourself it makes it seem whatever endless times 10 would be. Here's yet another one of the steps to get this house done. Venting the attic so that cool air can enter and hot air can leave the ridge vent. This also helps improve the air quality in the attic and reduce the chance of mold and mildew. In the next video I show installing gutters.
In this video, I install DIY gutters from Lowes. I kind of wish I would have had them done by a pro, but I did not. Regardless, gutters are pretty simple. These come in 10-foot sections and all the fittings are available to do what you need to do.
In this video, I wire up my breaker box. It's much more simple than many would think. You simply cut wires to length and attach them by tightening screws. Many people confuse difficult with simply not knowing how to do something. Digging a pool by and is hard, tearing off shingles and refoofing is hard, wiring a breaker box is not. Anything anyone else does can be learned. If you want to know how to do something, take the time to learn.
In this video, I plan my front and back porches and did the holes for concrete footings. I also go over my plans to either rent or sell this house.
In this video, I simply mix and pour some concrete and run my mouth a bit. First I dug the holes below the frostline and using quikcrete fill them 8 inches. There's not a lot to it, but mixing concrete is always fun.....to me at least.
This is a big video and major progress on my tiny little investment property. With the footings in place, I start framing the porch. I build the deck and got started on the steps. The porch is pretty much bomb proof so that it will be safe and long lasting. In the next video I will be finishing up the stairs and building the columns, roof and hand rails. All the lumber is pressure treated.
A covered porch keeps you out of the rain and sun, making for a nice transition space as well as protecting your entryway. In this video I build simple box columns and frame the roof.
Using common materials, you can make some pretty nice handrails. I like to use spruce 2X lumber and rip the components to size instead of purchasing purpose made components. This allows me to get dimensions and scale to suit my liking. In this case, ripping the pickets to 1 3/4 inches. Additional components such as capping the rail with a 1x4 and trimming the edges with shoe molding turned upside down are simple ways to dress up this simple rail. You can also use beaded screen trim to cover the lower joint between the bottom-most 2x4 and the picket assembly. Small details like this make things more "architecturally considered" and less DIY. In the end, the rails will get caulked and receive a coat of solid stain. Up next is finishing the rails down the stairs, shingles, gutters and paint.
This darn porch has turned into a big project, but an enjoyable one. In this video I finish up the railings down the stairs, talk a bunch and set some 1/2 boxes for mounting outdoor lights. For those that are curious and read these words........I chose not to do music in this video and instead just go with the "sounds of the jobsite". Which included several radio shows and random Youtube videos such as Tony Robbins........keep an open mind.
I'm OK!!!! Just been busy.......that's for all the people that have been asking. I should be back posting regular videos of progress and hopefully get the house finished within the next month or two. This update tells about my first inspection and what I need to do. I also go over the next steps that will move this house toward completion.
After a two month dry spell, I'm back with a major step in the house. Insulation is done, most all the small things are taken care of to pass the current stage of inspections so drywall is going up very soon which will transform this house. Buying and renovating an investment property is tough, it pushes the DIY to the max but in the end, when you sell the house or keep it as a rental the rewards are worth it. Follow me in this process of getting this little cinder block shack into a respectable home.
This video renovating my $12,000 investment property is a medley of tasks. I cut some trees down from around the house, build some steps, do some electrical wiring up the heat pump, and finish building the front porch. I'm now ready for an inspection. Next up is drywall and everything else. Things are looking good.
In the renovation process, drywall is my least favorite step, it is slow, heavy, dusty and I just plain don't like it...........although it is satisfying to see it going up. In this video I start hanging sheetrock on the ceilings and walls. I also show a little of the electric going live and wiring an outlet.
Drywall continues in the renovation of this income generating investment property...also known as a rental house. Everything is hung except for the bathroom. In the next video, taping and mudding begins, which is the least fun part of gutting a house. This video is mostly rambling about some thoughts, not for everyone, but exactly what some need.
My least favorite aspect of drywall........MUD! In this segment, I start taping and mudding the walls, aka...joint compound. I'm using mesh with hot setting compound. It is a chemical based fast setting compound that sets in 90 minutes. In the next video, I'll finish up the drywall......hopefully and be on to painting.
I'm off the fast setting joint compound and on to the lite weight all purpose premix. I'm so relieved, the 90 minutes feels like 15 minutes of impending doom. Widening the butt joints, doing some repairs, laying in tap in the corners and more. Doing a renovation of this level on your own is clearly a big task, even in a vacume of not having anything else to do, which is not the case. I'm burning lots of gas, kerosene and midnight oil to get this job done. In the next video I will have the drywall complete and be moving on to painting......hopefully. With the house painted, I will clean it out completely, lay flooring, trim, finalize the electrical and start installing cabinets, plumbing fixtures and appliances. It's been a long, but debt free, journey and I greatly appreciate you all having my back along the way.
My foolish behavior has got me into a pickle, and it is pronounced Dri-wall. Such of nonsensical thing to do on your own....but I did. A renovation is easy to get out of hand but that's normal. The key is to learn your leassons, I pray I never do drywall again. If you read these descriptions first, you will see me gradually come unhinged throughout the video, culminating in a wild rant. On the plus side, I passed my inspection, plumbing that is. The next inspection is the final. THis will be the last drywall video, next will be priming and paint, then floors at which time this house will transform from a dirty construction site to a clean, blank slate.
You may notice something about this segment of the renovation..........EXCITEMENT! I do some loud fast talking, lots of work and pop in my version of funny here and there. In this video, I prime and paint all the walls and ceilings in the house. Using a Graco paint sprayer, I am able to quickly get the paint on the walls then back roll for an even application. Word! Next up is floors, final electric, and more.
MAAAAJOOOOR Progres. Everything is wired up and I've moved on to floors. I'm flipping lights on and off and plugging things in wherever I want. I start laying the flooring as well. I went with Luxury Vinyl Plank, the click together kind. I got what was in stock at Lowes, it's Shaw resilient. The color is Franklin Hickory I think...... I also muscle the water heater in place in preparation for getting it hooked up.
I've had a lot going on lately so this video is a little different. The renovation is going well, but could definitely be moving faster if I had my way! I get most of the floor laid and mount the cabinets. Next they will be painted, counters installed along with the sink and plumbing connections. The next video will hopefully show huge progress
This video may be a little too delirious for some but after so much work and editing videos along with other life events, I feel like doing what I want at the slightest whim.......deal with it. In this video, I finish up the flooring, move the exterior door, install the interior doors, trim, cabinets, etc......this video represents 7 days worth of work despite only being 10 minutes. Getting close but still work to be done.
Here's a big kitchen update, I had more to show but the video was getting big........more to come with only a few videos to go.
I was quoted $750 for one window and trimming the rest. I ended up doing it myself, ordering a window from Lowes for $140 and trimming the windows with pressure treated decking boards. I also install the window stools and abruptly end the video before showing the results just to mess with you......just kidding, I forgot to film it or lost the clips, not sure. But all will be shown in the next videos. As the project is coming to an end, I'm doing tons of small stuff that would be too slow to film but again, I need to have something new to show you in the final video!
This is the final video of working on the house! After almost 2 years it is finally done. In the next video I'll show you the end result. Thank you for following along.
The Final Tour at last, what can I say, the house is done and already rented. Thank you all for following along.
I've gotten more questions about this house than I ever thought possible. This ugly ducking of a house started as a somewhat impulsive buy for me. I wasn't really looking to buy but there it was. What turned out to be a "simple renovation" turned into a huge project and even bigger overall Youtube series, channel, book and a growing relationship with many viewers. It's been about a year since I finished this house, it rented in a day and the first renter has now moved out and the house re rented. This video shows the amazing condition that the first tenant left it in.
I paid $8500 plus closing costs which put this house between $9000 and $9500 total.....$9000 rolls off the tongue easier. I expect to spend around $10k on repairs, having less than $20k invested. The house would then rent for $700- $800....maybe more or could be sold for around $150,000
DEMOLITION!!! One of the most exciting parts of a renovation. I'm starting this project doing some problem solving. Real work begins with tearing out the kitchen and bathroom. My plan has already changed a little since this video, meaning that I'm going further than I planned.......as usual. This is going to be a big project but I'm looking forward to it. I'm going to start this project with footage I filmed a few months ago, soon I'll be caught up to where I am and then the videos will be released in real time........hopefully with an improved style, more information and more frequently. This house is a long list but it's really not that bad. I'll only have to rewire what I undo, all the plumbing is in one wall and under the kitchen. The majority of the work will be redoing the kitchen and upstairs bathroom completely. The roof will need to be replaced, probably paint the outside of the house and clean up things outside. The rest of this project is more cleaning, painting, and normal work you'd do in between tenants.
Construction begins along with a little demolition in this video. I connect the two bedrooms with a new doorway then relocate the bathroom wall out into the bedroom just a bit. This makes for a heck of a bathroom and leaves the back bedroom small, but still "normal" for a house like this. As you can see, this renovation is getting more involved than I mentioned, but that's the beauty of my videos, you get more than I promise.....I always dive in more than I expect but how else would you convince yourself to take on a project like this. I hope you enjoy the video, give it a thumbs up and let me know your advice on what to do next, I've been working on the house since this was filmed but there is still plenty to comment on that I could benefit from
Major progress on the second floor, rocking out in the bathroom fixing the floor and framing up the layout. Ya'll let me know what you think about this format of the video, the back and forth of working and talking.
In this episode, we move from the upstairs full bath downstairs into the kitchen. The renovation continues framing in the bathroom, a new wall for the porch and rebuilding an old door salvaged from another house. Lots of work in this video and some new filming and editing ideas applied. This is also the first video with the new camera lens, allowing me to show more in one shot. Great for indoor filming and not having to move the camera constantly. As you can see, this renovation is becoming more involved than I intended.....but who is surprised by that? My request to you is that you leave a thumbs up on the video and give me your ideas regarding what I should do going forward in this renovation.
In this episode, I open up the doorway a bit between the kitchen and dining room. The working portion of this video is short. Next up I'm starting plumbing and did not want to mix this with that so I took this opportunity to address some thoughts and questions viewers have brought up as well as go over my plans for the renovation. Don't want to hear the talking, no problem, skip out after the door is done. Thank you for your time, looking forward to the next one.
This is a big video as far as marking progress. When I get to plumbing, I always feel like the worst is over. In this video, I tackle the waste lines starting in the kitchen and moving into the basement. In the next video, I'll show you the conclusion of the plumbing and probably start the electric........maybe. The list is still long but with this house, I'm not going for perfect. I mainly want to fix what is in disrepair and make a few upgrades that will keep this place low maintenance. I've also come to the conclusion that I REALLY need some help on these projects.....hopefully I'll be able to stick to that and get some more people involved so these renovations don't take so long.
It's official, you have caught up to me and now on my heals as I renovate and post in real-time. Be patient, it's a hard slow process without filming and editing. Let me know what you think about this new style of going over things more as I go. In the past, many have enjoyed it so I thought it might me a nice change of pace on the channel. In this video I start wiring in lights and a fan as well as doing a little more demolition, tearing out drywall. This is the stage in a renovation project where it feels like things are starting to be put back together. It's not far off from having drywall installed and painting the interior......at that point, this place will go from a half gutted mess to a much cleaner, finished space. The project is far from done but closer every day.
I'm going to say this is my favorite video in a long time, I enjoy making videos but from the start of the day till I finished this video sitting at the computer, I had a great time. Got lots of work done, made big decisions and followed through. In watching this video, consider your own home, imagine something you want to do and just doing it.....that's why I do these videos. You can have an idea in the morning and be well on your way by days end. Don't be scared, anything you do wrong can be fixed. I hope you enjoy the video, let me know your thoughts about the talk at the end of the video. Thanks for watching.
Things have been going great with the project and channel, all a lot of work, but going great. I figured people would like this house, but I didn't expect it to be this popular but here we are with all the videos getting over 100,000 views. As I've already mentioned, I'm doing more talking in these videos than I've done in the past, explaining small things, offering advice and showing how to do some stuff. Let me know if it is going in a good direction or if it' a touch to much talking. I'm not looking to please everyone but want to offer something different than past videos. I figure that this style of video is more helpful to those looking to get into this work and seeking a better understanding of what is involved. A renovation, even after doing several can be so involved and confusing at times. I hope to clear up what is involved, to show you how much work it can be but also that it is all "doable" if you work hard.
we make huge progress.....some is because we are simply getting a lot done, and other aspects are just grueling...so it's nice to have it out of the way. I start the electric, finish the ducting, do a spot of framing and complete the wiring of the "NEW" bedroom and bathroom. While filming videos slows things down, I enjoy the process from start to finish and am pleased with the renovation so far. My wish is that these videos find the right people and help show them that they too can take on projects like this, even if they don't know exactly how to do the work. I started out having never done any of it myself and learn as I go. Don't let what you don't know or think hold you back. Go blank and just do the work. Let me know if you have any questions, I'm glad to help if I can.
This channel and each video I post has surpassed what I thought they ever would. The growing crowd has gotten attention from many companies but I have not wanted to work with companies until now. I have all kinds of reasons but overall it felt like time. With this support, I plan to upgrade some of my equipment to make the video process go faster, hopefully shaving hours off the process of editing
we take care of the rotting, stinking basement floor. A haphazardly built wood floor over concrete and dirt. The basement was so moldy and mildewy that it smelled strong, like ammonia. It had to go and it did. This video shows that process, basically just grunt work, smashing and removing.
I solve a huge problem, the collapsing living room floor due to an improperly framed staircase opening. It was a mess and still is not perfect but more than adequate for the situation and a lot better than the original. I also address some plumbing and electric including installing an expansion tank, pressure test the lines and wire in for lights, switches and outlets in the basement. I'm hoping to wrap this renovation up soon which means nose to the grind stone. Keep an eye out for more!
I take care of the biggest single problem in this house, redoing the roof. Most all of the problems in this house are due to roof leaks over the years. I'm kind of going at all this backward but I sort of had my reasons. In the future, I am going to do all my roof and exterior repairs first, that way at least the house has a nice appearance right from the beginning. In this episode I get started on the back of the house, ripping off layers of paper and shingles. Repairing overhangs, resheathing and tar paper. It doesn't even have shingles and it's probably the best roof this house has seen in years.
I continue roofing as well as do a major clean up and vent the plumbing. I've been away for a while but back at it. Look forward to many new videos coming soon on this $9000 house renovation.
Takes a different approach, I talk my way through a project, it goes how it goes. I start by working out the transition between the dining room and kitchen. The "Problem" is that the kitchen is lower and I widened the doorway. This left a gap (hole) in the floor. The answer was to create short joists that taper down the kitchen floor. I then filled this in with a 3/4 ply to create a subfloor, this will later be covered by the finished floor later on after the kitchen gets its new vinyl planking. This is one of those projects you start not knowing exactly how you are going to complete it. It worked out fine in the end. Next, I tackled cleaning the main part of the basement, cleaning out the mess, saving some things while disposing of the rest. I also introduce a new aspect to the channel, a mini series answering the question of what I do with reclaimed wood removed from the house. I can't save it all, but the best is reserved for making furniture which is sold and funds these renovations. I'll be taking a minute or two in each video to work on a farm style dining table. I'll sell it then buy more stuff for the house....don't worry, I'm going to stay on task just want to share this side project with you. Let me know what other projects you would be interested in seeing worked into these videos in the future.
I reach my end of year whits and it presents itself in the form of shear nonesense in this 2019 Homemade Home Christmas Spectacular.....it's not all jokes, serious work gets done on this renovation, completely reframing the front bedroom floor. I decided to sister on new joists to help with the sag........there's a lot of other stuff, but that is the gist. Thank you all for watching, it has been a lot of work doing the renovation and I'm not always motivated to stay on task, what kept me going when I wanted to run the other way is knowing people are waiting for videos. Thanks for the pressure!
I start tearing a drywall ceiling out of the dining room and before it was over I had ripped out the walls, rewired the room, installed new lights, opened up the doorway and moved into the living room and gutted it as well. On top of that I finish constructing the base of the farm table in the mini series.
I finish up the electric in the living room and start the long process of getting all the window openings ready for new windows. The current windows are old, poorly installed, flashed, etc and overtime they have leaked and rotted out the framing. In this process I am knocking out the rotten wood and framing in the openings. The plan is to have all new vinyl windows installed, which makes a huge difference in the comfort of a house and its appearance. It's been a while since I posted a video, I've been working on the house and doing other projects, working at another property and trying to have a nice time without always having the camera rolling. It was a nice "break" but hopefully I can get back to the videos now. This video was also a little off beat, skipping around what I was doing and also did not work on the farm table mini series...all that will resume in the next video.
I avoid the Corona virus by keeping my nose to the grindstone. To distract myself from the end of the world, I decide to tear up the side porch on the house, replacing the roof and foundation. This renovation has clearly gone far, much further than I wanted but that seems to be the pattern for me.
I repair the front porch roof framing, sheathing and black paper. It involves the never ending process of demolition, risking life and limb and putting things back together. I also spend some time on the side porch repairing and reframing.
I return to Youtube by cutting down some trees and tearing into yet another room. I also introduce a new project a tiny house build from my past that has come back to haunt me.
In Episode 24 I make big progress on the house tearing out more walls. I get the stairwell taken care of and down to the studs. I wired the upstairs bedroom along with installing additional lighting. I'll have two can lights and a fan. This will help with heating and cooling. While I have more experience renovating houses than the average homeowner, I continue to learn so much and look forward to applying these lessons in future projects. One such task is wiring up the stairwell light, I decided to install a 3 way switch so that the light could be turned on and off at both the bottom and top of the staircase. It is the first time doing so but I've already got several more I plan on wiring up in other locations. As mentioned in the video, it's been a while since I've worked on the video. I have been not only been busy but in need of a mental vacation.......which was nice. I'm looking forward to continuing on this house, marching toward the finish. At this point, I don't only want the rent it will produce, but I just want it off my plate so I can move on to more enjoyable and personal projects. We also make a return to the farm table series, completing the top made from reclaimed tongue and groove pine boards from this house
It's been a while my friends, thank you for hanging in there. My return starts with some announcements along with framing for ducts, window rough openings, headers and working on the gable overhang in preparation for the roof job.
This video shows a few shots of the shingles going on as well as rebuilding a floor system. Old houses often have rigged up construction. As a result of many different builders and given enough time you can end up with a house that looks as if it has been built by Dr. Suess' wildest characters. In this video I do some demo then tighten up a floor system with nice new lumber and joist hangers.
In this video we first take a look at the final result of the roofing job and take another trip to my house. The remainder of the video is spent rebuilding the supporting wall to the stair case and rewiring the lights in the dining room after taking them down to reframe the floor system. I hope you all are enjoying the weekly videos, they are keeping me on track and working hard on the house. Back to work.
This video is rather diverse, from finishing up small details to an epic battle with the concrete block. I finish up the last step in the staircase, wrap up some electrical, complete some framing as well as wrapping up the farm table build. This tremendous 1 hour video is my longest yet. I finish off the video with some Q & A from the comments and address common themes as well as ramble away on topics of my choice.
This video starts off with a little work outside finishing off the side porch underpinning. I frame up a door and hinge it off one of the porch supports. This is the type of project that is great practice when learning to work on a house, simple but hands on teaching the basics. If you are looking for a house to fix up for the first time, this is the type of work you are looking for, not an entire gut job. Keep it simple by taking your time and finding the best house you can afford. The remainder of the video is spent failing my way through adding an electrical circuit for some basement lighting. Clearly this house is a handful and I'm feeling it....but I will forge on.
I consider this video my biggest progress so far in buckling down to get it ready for inspection. My master plan is to take it one room at a time, focusing only on that room until it is done. This makes it easier for me to stay focus and not waste time bouncing around. In this video I do a fair amount of demolition, then framing walls and window rough openings as well as general clean up of the floors and walls. I'm already on to the next room, filming as I go and look forward to showing you more next week.
The master plan continues to impress me with its effectiveness. With that said, I yet again underestimate what I need to do which results in a much bigger job than I expected. I do this often but am normally pleased with the results in the end. In this video I wrap up the back bedroom and bathroom. Up next I will be coming downstairs to give it laser beam focus and get it crossed off my list. Trust me when I say that I am trying my best to stay on task despite all the other responsibilities that I have. Stick with me and I WILL finish this house. Thank you all and good night.
In this video I take care of two rooms, the kitchen and dining room. I'm on a roll and closing in. Cleaning, settling small details and some lingering medium tasks in the effort to get this houses rough in inspection taken care of.
That finishes up the main living areas in the house. Up next I'm down into the basement and trying to get the house prepped and painted
In this episode I tackle starting to clean up the basement but most importantly I finally defeat the concrete block. The rest is just window dressing. Stay tuned for more.
My single biggest progress and it was a lot of work, a full wash down then paint job. Using a pressure washer, cleaners and brushes I was able to prep the aluminum siding for paint. I then spray a high quality latex paint using a Graco X5 sprayer using a 50 foot hose and 413 tip. I am wildly pleased with the outcome. the siding, softies and fascia look as if they where just installed..perhaps not perfect, but in striking contrast to what they looked like.
THIS IS MY MOST REQUESTED VIDEO OF ALL TIME! Since I revealed the concrete block it quickly became an attraction. As I neared tearing it down piece by piece I have had so many people say I should make a video of all the footage beating it senseless.....well here it is, enjoy.
This video is simple, I do a clean up and replace the front door. That's an oversimplification, but that's what I do. It was an involved process so I wanted to show it in one video. It really is a striking difference to the appearance of the house and much more pleasant to not have to kick open the door every time I go inside the house.
This step made this house look much less like a construction site and more of a home. Using simple tools and materials, I am able to create a crafted handrail that is much more appealing than ready to buy components.
Well...I'm not sure what will happen next but it has been a heck of a year in so many ways, both good and bad. This marks the final video of the year for me, on this channel at least. I may post a few on the other channels, "The Homestead Craftsman" and "Common Cents". In this video I dress up the porch ceiling and wire in for a fan. In keeping with the rest of what I do, I try to keep in simple materials wise using luan and 1x2 strips. Once Painted and caulked it will have a clean classic look.
Welcome back everyone, I had to take some time off but I am back for another big year of working on junky houses. As this house gets near to the final day of work, think about what you would like to see next. In this video, I tear out the old steps and build new. It felt good to get this task done. I'll be tackling more soon so stay tuned. I'll probably do a video every 2 weeks for now, maybe more and if I get busy, maybe less. But I promise I'm doing as many as I can.
Another eye sore taken care of. This door install was very satisfying. I'm looking forward to getting inside the porch and making improvements. Keep watching for updates.
construction of the side porch starting with the footers. I'll wrap up the project in the next video with building the stairs, decking and rails. A small porch like this is a great project that takes a few days but makes a world of difference.
the completion of the porch leading to the sunroom. A small porch like this is a great project that takes a few days but makes a world of difference. Most questions that are asked are answered in the talking portions of the video.
this video shows painting a porch that was drastically altered. The columns have been replaced, ceiling vaulted and paneled. The rails where made an a new set of stairs built. For paint, I'm using a Valspar solid stain, plain white for the rails and columns and a shade of blue for the ceiling per viewer request
this video shows painting a porch that was drastically altered. Continuing on the front of the house, I install lights, receptacles, a new fan and a storm door. The renovation is taking a while but with each step, I get closer to the goal. Hang in there!
I think it's sneaking up on me, the inspection that is. I'm running out of things to do before the critical eye of the building inspector scans my work. Plumbing, electrical and carpentry, all on the list for this video.
Once I had a rough design for my tiny house, I knew about what size trailer I need. The search consisted of Craigslist, newspaper classifieds and checking junk yards for travel trailers. I found a 20 footer and a local junk yard and paid $100. I hauled it home falling apart with some pretend tail lights spray painted on the back bumper. I stripped off the camper, keeping some items, down to the trailer. With the rust cleaned off I applied some rust converter and sprayed Rustoleum Rusty Metal primer on the frame. From there, I reinforced the trailer with angle iron in and around the frame. The frame is now drastically stronger and stiff. The final step was painting, I used Rustoleum Black.
In this episode, I continue work on the tiny house after getting the salvaged trailer ready to build on. Using traditional construction materials I frame up the tiny house into my design. Building a tiny house is not much different than a not so tiny house, same wood, same tools and similar techniques. Join me in this step towards a simpiliar debt free life.
In this video I show how I bolted my tiny house to my trailer. I also touch on my progress that I have made. This video simply answers the frequently asked question of "How did you attach the house to the trailer?" I hope you enjoy the video and get some ideas of how you will attach your house to your trailer.
In this episode, I'll be showing you my windows and talk a bit on how I made them. In general they are made from free recycled windows and inexpensive everyday materials that most anyone can access. While they where very time consuming and did offer up a challenge, I feel that many people could make there own in the way that I did. All in all, the windows where fun to make, while they where the single longest step so far during this build. The window sashes came from old houses, the stained glass windows I made from scrap pieces of colored and clear glass and the frames for all the windows where made from 2X4's. In the video I say I've got about $50 at most, but it could be around $75 ish or maybe a little more......but maybe not. I forgot to mention the glazing compound and paint, but still, all the windows in the house where less expensive that one new window purchased at a store.
Before you install a window, you can add some extra protection by adding some window and door flashing tape, then with the window installed you can run another layer around to seal up the gap between the window and the rough opening which will protect from moisture and air flow. There are many brands and they are all fine to use. Here's my video on doing the process to one of the windows in my tiny house.
In this video I'm trimming my awning windows using 1 inch pine. It is a very simple look with an inner and outer frame. Each window is individually framed one at a time. Slopes where added to flow water off the windows. There's still a couple more window trimming videos to come, the stained glass windows and the small porthole windows. I'll also put together some videos down the road for the interior trim. Thanks for watching and be sure to subscribe to my channel. I also have two other channels that will most likely be of interest to you, check them out, the links are below.
In this video I show my front door to my tiny house. It was made out of common building materials along with some cherry lumber. The front door makes a statement for the rest of the house, so I wanted to be sure to give it a level of detail and interest that would draw people in and put them in a mindset of intrigue. I did this with a simple design and subtle details, such as color shift, texture and multiple materials. I hope you enjoy this video and find inspiration in your own projects.
Flooring makes a big difference in the end result in any house. Wood flooring, especially old pine flooring really ads a warmth and richness to a space. This flooring was reclaimed from a house that was torn down. After cleaning up the tongues and grooves and cutting to length it is installed the same as any new flooring. There's some extra time involved of course, but the value and quality of what you get is great. I spent $0 on the flooring, I only had purchased the nails for the flooring nailer and my time.
I'm back on it and this time I'm not letting up. I want this thing done and usable. This video is kind of a slow start back in as far as videos go, but I'm getting my brain warmed back up as I dive back into this long overdue project.
Got a little less talking and more working in this video. My number one goal, other than finishing the house, is getting the roof done. Well, I got it done. This video shows finishing up the overhangs and getting the metal roofing down. Be sure the keep watching, I'm two videos ahead of you right now so there's more to come....including moving it to it's destination.
Welcome to the start of a new project, don't worry, the $9000 house will continue to be worked on and shown in videos. This is a dream project for me, an off grid combination of a workshop, living space, studio, lumber storage sawmill shed. Basically, if I was a bachelor hermit, this is where I would live and never leave. Starting in the woods, most all materials will be sourced from the woods, cutting down standing dead trees and milling them into lumber.
This structure will serve many purposes which will probably change throughout time. For now it will serve as a both a place to stay and play. The ground level will keep my sawmill covered and me out of the elements when milling lumber. It will have additional space to store lumber, equipment and work outdoors on projects without getting rained on. The second floor over the main structure will be a 16X14 paradise, it will be set up like a one room cabin. While I will not live here, I will stay here on occasion and so will any guest I may have. I'm not sure of the exact details but it will have basic furniture including a bed, table/desk and seating. I will use it as an office and creative space on top of a place to get my beauty sleep. I am looking forward to the interior finishings such as the flooring, wall paneling and making windows, including stained glass. I plan on making everything, the furniture, flooring and so on.....I even want to make the quilt that will cover the bed. While this building will serve a purpose it is a novelty project in terms of the level I want to be crafted. I'm not saying it's going to be "Perfect" I simply mean I am going to do whatever I want
In this video I make major progress framing out the second floor including the opening for the staircase and then of course build the custom set of stairs to fit. It's not a traditional set, I wanted to do something interesting as well as utilize the lumber I had without having to find a log to make large stringers. The stringer is a 2x8 with dados cut where the treads are located
In this video I am fortunate to mill a huge FREE oak that I will use for flooring in the build. First as sub flooring and the remainder as finished tongue and groove flooring. It might not look like much progress but the amount of effort to go from tree to standing on the flooring is quite a bit. I also add bridging that both strengthens the walls and creates a nailing surface for the siding. In preparation for the roof framing, I placed 4X4s as top plates. This makes for a strong attachment point for the rafters and supports the gable end overhang.
This is Ep. 5 of the off grid build. This structure will serve many purposes which will probably change throughout time. For now it will serve as a both a place to stay and play. In this video I will start construction on the roof framing, making my final design on the loft dormer. Again, all the lumber is being milled from lumber around the mill on a portable bandsaw mill.
This is Ep. 6 of the off grid build. This structure will serve many purposes which will probably change throughout time. For now it will serve as a both a place to stay and play. In this video I will finish the roof framing over the loft, including the rafter tails under the dormers. From here we have some big steps coming, building the extension, roofing and so on. Again, all the lumber is being milled from lumber around the mill on a portable bandsaw mill. And for those that have asked, I do a $9,000 house update