I was really surprised to happen upon this restoration of Thistle Hill. While on my honeymoon to Eureka Springs, Arkansas I bought a signed and numbered print of Thistle Hill by artist Randy Souders. That was in 1985. I've had this print for forty years in June. If the owners of Thistle Hill open the home for curious architecture lovers like me, I would definitely make a special trip to see this home. My print is done at dusk with every light in the house burning and well-dressed guests are arriving for what I assume is a ball. There is a horse drawn carriage in the driveway of this print. I look forward to watching further episodes of your restoration! Thanks, Eric
Brent, thank you for saving this property. I can tell by your excitement that this one was saved from demolition and the work you guys have done to bring it back to its original glory.
The new owner certainly picked the right architect to carry out this restoration. You have every reason to be proud. The results, and your attention to every detail have made this success. Thank you for taking us along!
I need a man like you in my life to coach me through restoration projects. I Love the work you are doing to old houses. It's very inspirational and shows me how much learning there is to do in restoration.
@@BrentHull I’ve thought about surprising my wife by renting again for renewing vows, so it’ll be interesting to see what the new owners have planned for the historic place.
My heart fluttered a little when you mentioned just the outside masonry work was a million dollars. That being said, this house is a treasure and should be good for another 100 years. Fantastic job, Brent!
Talk about a feather in your cap! You have written yourself into the history of that grand old structure and brought us along for the ride. Thanks for all you do to keep craftsmanship alive!
Stunning. You and your team must be so proud. Deservedly so! Thank you for saving this distinguished lady. It's surprising to see that even in its heyday, the landscaping was so bare. Hopefully someone will put in beautiful gardens befitting this grand dame. And some hedging to hide that eyesore of a parking lot. Wonderful work. 👏.
We were just in Fort Worth earlier today. I hate that we didn’t go by and see this beauty. We were driving around and I was noticing all the flat windows, bad millwork, and lack of classical scale. Your videos have really helped me develop the language to explain the good vs the bad to my wife. I love being able to identify the details of what makes two “similar” houses so drastically different. Thank you for sharing this knowledge that you spent decades learning.
What an unbelievable opportunity to do the right thing. Fantastic workmanship from each and every person on the project. Please give us a total inside and outside detailed video if you can. Great video and thanks for sharing... 😁👍👍👍👍👍
Brent, your a class act. Thanks for making outstanding videos. It's nice to see people dressed properly and not like third graders. My husband and I appreciate all of your outstanding videos. Amazing craftsmanship 🎄🙏❄️
WOW outstanding craftsmanship and supervision by you. There's nobody in the USA that has your knowledge in historical restoration. Human perfection by you and your crew. Congratulations too you. Thank you again for sharing your outstanding videos 🙏 That gates classic style enhances the entrance to the property. Amazing craftsmanship 😃 WOW, beautiful. Happy New Year too you and your family 🙏 🎄 ❄️
next time I am in Dallas I will take the time to go see this house. I assume it is not open to the public? maybe there will be a Fort Worth driving tour of Brent Hull restoration properties published somewhere? We had a house similar to this, unrestored, in Greensboro but it was lost to fire about 10 years ago. My 1950s ranch home had the built-in gutters when we bought it 30 years ago but we had to replace them due to so much rot. because of your videos, I have made note of the houses in my 1950's neighborhood with the pork chop returns, most returns are still original but some are not. i make a note of the uneducated homeowners.
5:58 it's funny how perspective plays with our perception of size. I was shocked the first time I saw how big a stop light is up close! That molding looks beautiful and perfectly proportioned from down below. Interestingly, I was in an older neighborhood of San Francisco recently and someone had built a new home in the same style as the surrounding victorian homes, but the immediate tell was the molding details were very oversized. If only they were properly proportioned, it would be much harder to pick it out.
@BrentHull Thank you; been thinking about the Watertower and conclusion is with the House and Carriage Garage without the Watertower is like a Bridegroom and Best Man for a wedding without the [B]ride!! M
Fantastic work. Got a little ptsd when you were discussing the gutters. Dealing with a similar issue with our box gutters, the seams primarily at the drops need to be re soldered. Definitely easier said than done.
@BrentHull thanks yoi sir, if you ever find yourself in west central indiana and want to do a video on the importance of using the correct mortar for masonry repairs (lime putty) I'd be happy to oblige.
Brent, what's the next step to propagate what you do so that this enthusiasm and expertise can spread from not only restoration work, but into the new built housing market as a whole? I work as a handyman who primarily works in restoration and remodel. The way you talk about new vs old construction speaks to me on a deep level and voices things that I've always been able to inuit but lacked the vocabulary to explain until I stumbled across your instructional videos. We need more of you. A lot more and in a big hurry. America is sick right down to it's bones. Everything from healthcare to construction is affected. These boxes we live in are a reflection of our inner selves and unfortunately most of these boxes are cheap, superficial and not built to last. I believe it's actually affecting people on a physical level. Surely there must be a means of franchising what you do in a real boots on the ground, money in the bank sort of way. I believe there's a lot of guys just like me that would like to see that happen. Just my two bits. Would love to see the next 50 years become known as the "Hull Revivalist" era of architecture and construction.
Wow this is easily the most beautiful restoration I've ever seen. Is this your magnum opus? I imagine the circumstances for a project like this are once in a lifetime. Thanks for documenting and sharing all these videos
Yay! what a beauty - too bad the neighborhood homes were demolished for ugly buildings and highways...Thanks and shout out to the Cooks Childrens Hospital for funding the $4M restoration.
Yes, the trades who built the house in 1904 and rebuilt it in 1911 demonstrated masterful skill at every turn. That skill level is matched and exceeded by today's professionals who had to live in a 120-year-old mindset to replicate what their predecessors did with less abundant materials. Congratulations to every hand that touched this masterpiece.
I hope you are a part of Trump's new EO called 'Promoting Beautiful Civic Architecture'! It says "...submit ...within 60 DAYS recomendations to advance policy...civic buildings respect regional, TRADITIONAL, and CLASSICAL architecture..." I very much hope to see you a part of this Brent Hull!
Also with regards the original brickwork, the flemish bond is fantastic, but it's a pity that stretcher bond was used randomly around the place. A real mix of styles.
@BrentHull, Very minor details, but the stretcher bond is out of place in the Tea House pillars (10:04), on the main house (11:15), the reconstructed gateway pillars, and the low wall at the front of the Coach House (13:44). It's understandable why the bricklayers might have deviated away from Flemish bond for pillars ot narrow panels as Stretcher or Running bond is stronger, but it's still quite jarring when the eye gets used to looking at a repetitious pattern. There is also a bit of Monk bond, but that was sometimes used to correct a pattern.
Now recreate the landscape with pathways, gardens and specific tree specimens. As it is now, sitting alone on a large flat bare lawn the context is incomplete. Plant the trees now. The longer you wait the longer it will take to achieve a mature property.
Really sad such ugly monstrosities we’re built nearby Thistle Hill. They could have built structures that complimented rather take away from the mansions beauty. Great job on the restoration.
It's gorgeous, and I'm all in favor of using period materials... except the roof. There WILL be more hail storms in DFW. There definitely will. Why not use a metal or plastic shapes to look like the tile? That roof is the only failure point left, and it is a big one. But clearly the owners can afford repairs, so hopefully all of your beautiful work will be maintained even in the face of future storms.
Agree to disagree. To make changes based on possible weather that may or may not happen seems too much. It would take a catastrophic hail storm to destory that roof. Small hail will not effect it.
"Marvin, Pella or Anderson windows would last maybe 20 to 30 years, then they would rot out" lol Mr Hull obviously doesn't have much experience with these very good window manufacturers. I have customers who we installed those very same brands that are still there some 50 years on.
I was really surprised to happen upon this restoration of Thistle Hill. While on my honeymoon to Eureka Springs, Arkansas I bought a signed and numbered print of Thistle Hill by artist Randy Souders. That was in 1985. I've had this print for forty years in June. If the owners of Thistle Hill open the home for curious architecture lovers like me, I would definitely make a special trip to see this home. My print is done at dusk with every light in the house burning and well-dressed guests are arriving for what I assume is a ball. There is a horse drawn carriage in the driveway of this print. I look forward to watching further episodes of your restoration! Thanks, Eric
These structures look magnificent. Thanks for taking us along on your restoration journey!
Brent, thank you for saving this property. I can tell by your excitement that this one was saved from demolition and the work you guys have done to bring it back to its original glory.
Thx!!
The new owner certainly picked the right architect to carry out this restoration. You have every reason to be proud. The results, and your attention to every detail have made this success. Thank you for taking us along!
Thx for watching.
I need a man like you in my life to coach me through restoration projects. I Love the work you are doing to old houses. It's very inspirational and shows me how much learning there is to do in restoration.
You can do it! Just takes time.
Awesome job Brent. Now they need a huge landscape project to put back some trees!
Ok.
I’m so glad to see the restoration. My wife and I exchanged vows in 2000 in Thistle Hill. I’m glad to see it surviving.
Wow! So nice. Thx.
@@BrentHull I’ve thought about surprising my wife by renting again for renewing vows, so it’ll be interesting to see what the new owners have planned for the historic place.
My heart fluttered a little when you mentioned just the outside masonry work was a million dollars. That being said, this house is a treasure and should be good for another 100 years. Fantastic job, Brent!
Thanks!!
Magic is the right word! The restoration is so perfect. It looks like we are stepping back in time. Great job.
Thanks SO much.
Fabulous work! Congratulations on a fine job.
Appreciate it. Thx!
Fort Worth citizenry is no doubt grateful for the spectacular job which your team has done.
I hope so.
Talk about a feather in your cap! You have written yourself into the history of that grand old structure and brought us along for the ride. Thanks for all you do to keep craftsmanship alive!
Thanks so much!
Fantastic work. I'm blown away by the solid limestone columns. A big thank you to the new owners who saw the value in this property.
Agreed. Thx.
Really beautiful, Brent! Congratulations! So thankful they got you on the project!
Thank you!!
Stunning. You and your team must be so proud. Deservedly so! Thank you for saving this distinguished lady.
It's surprising to see that even in its heyday, the landscaping was so bare. Hopefully someone will put in beautiful gardens befitting this grand dame. And some hedging to hide that eyesore of a parking lot.
Wonderful work. 👏.
Agree. Focus should be on the mansion.😊
Thanks.
Amazing work Brent. Truly impressive.
Thanks!
That roof is amazing
Truly!!
Thank you, I just love the carriage house.
Me too! Thx
We were just in Fort Worth earlier today. I hate that we didn’t go by and see this beauty.
We were driving around and I was noticing all the flat windows, bad millwork, and lack of classical scale. Your videos have really helped me develop the language to explain the good vs the bad to my wife. I love being able to identify the details of what makes two “similar” houses so drastically different. Thank you for sharing this knowledge that you spent decades learning.
Glad I could help. It's a slow process but it's worth it.
What an unbelievable opportunity to do the right thing. Fantastic workmanship from each and every person on the project. Please give us a total inside and outside detailed video if you can. Great video and thanks for sharing... 😁👍👍👍👍👍
Thanks for watching, I hope to do just that!
Absolutely love this house. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching!
Such a beautiful restoration. I was a docent for a few years around 2000. Very happy to see it as it now.
Very cool! Thx.
What a beautiful estate ❤
Agreed. Thx.
Wow, how great someone was able and willing to spend the money to make this right again. Thanks for sharing your projects. Charles
YES THx.
Beautiful. Bravo!
Thanks!
Amazing! Great job!!
Thank you!
Brent, your a class act. Thanks for making outstanding videos. It's nice to see people dressed properly and not like third graders.
My husband and I appreciate all of your outstanding videos.
Amazing craftsmanship 🎄🙏❄️
Thank you so much! It is a pleasure.
Congratulations, amazing restoration, craftsmanship, authenticity!
Thank you!!
I have to agree with the others in saying it's the best looking restoration I've ever seen! Congratulations to you and you team, great work!
Thank you very much!
Great work by all the craftsman involved.
Agreed. Thx.
Absolutely beautiful
Thanks!
How exciting...freakin' awesome! Congratulations and thanks for sharing this lovely old home exterior restoration.
Glad you like it!
Job well done!
Looking forward to the water tower being rebuilt.
Hoping for a walk through of the interior restoration when completed.
Yes, will do.
Incredible results
Wow! You and your team weaved a magic spell on this one.
Thanks!
Spectacular!
Thanks.
WOW outstanding craftsmanship and supervision by you. There's nobody in the USA that has your knowledge in historical restoration.
Human perfection by you and your crew. Congratulations too you. Thank you again for sharing your outstanding videos 🙏
That gates classic style enhances the entrance to the property. Amazing craftsmanship 😃
WOW, beautiful. Happy New Year too you and your family 🙏 🎄 ❄️
Thank you. So nice.
Gorgeous!
Thanks!
Amazing house
Agreed.
Remarkable work!
Thx.
Congratulations for a job well done! Your meticulous attention to details is amazing!
Thank you!
Congrats!
Thx.
next time I am in Dallas I will take the time to go see this house. I assume it is not open to the public? maybe there will be a Fort Worth driving tour of Brent Hull restoration properties published somewhere? We had a house similar to this, unrestored, in Greensboro but it was lost to fire about 10 years ago. My 1950s ranch home had the built-in gutters when we bought it 30 years ago but we had to replace them due to so much rot. because of your videos, I have made note of the houses in my 1950's neighborhood with the pork chop returns, most returns are still original but some are not. i make a note of the uneducated homeowners.
Nice. Thx.
Awesome, love it.
Thx!
Great Job!
Thx.
Thankj you for doing what you do, Brent!
Thx so much.
Bravo exquisite !!
Thx.
5:58 it's funny how perspective plays with our perception of size. I was shocked the first time I saw how big a stop light is up close! That molding looks beautiful and perfectly proportioned from down below. Interestingly, I was in an older neighborhood of San Francisco recently and someone had built a new home in the same style as the surrounding victorian homes, but the immediate tell was the molding details were very oversized. If only they were properly proportioned, it would be much harder to pick it out.
Good eye. Thx
The project is done! Great, now you have time to deal with my late 80's spec home. 😂
Haha. Lets go!
Agreed; Watertower is a must remake!! ■ M
YES! I agree.
@BrentHull Thank you; been thinking about the Watertower and conclusion is with the House and Carriage Garage without the Watertower is like a Bridegroom and Best Man for a wedding without the [B]ride!! M
Fantastic work. Got a little ptsd when you were discussing the gutters. Dealing with a similar issue with our box gutters, the seams primarily at the drops need to be re soldered. Definitely easier said than done.
Good luck, you cad do it.
@BrentHull thanks yoi sir, if you ever find yourself in west central indiana and want to do a video on the importance of using the correct mortar for masonry repairs (lime putty) I'd be happy to oblige.
Brent, what's the next step to propagate what you do so that this enthusiasm and expertise can spread from not only restoration work, but into the new built housing market as a whole?
I work as a handyman who primarily works in restoration and remodel. The way you talk about new vs old construction speaks to me on a deep level and voices things that I've always been able to inuit but lacked the vocabulary to explain until I stumbled across your instructional videos.
We need more of you. A lot more and in a big hurry.
America is sick right down to it's bones. Everything from healthcare to construction is affected. These boxes we live in are a reflection of our inner selves and unfortunately most of these boxes are cheap, superficial and not built to last. I believe it's actually affecting people on a physical level.
Surely there must be a means of franchising what you do in a real boots on the ground, money in the bank sort of way. I believe there's a lot of guys just like me that would like to see that happen.
Just my two bits. Would love to see the next 50 years become known as the "Hull Revivalist" era of architecture and construction.
Very kind, thanks. Next steps? Good question. Working on it.
This restoration is amazing. Great work by you and your team Brent! When do we get to see the interior?
Not sure yet. Hopefully soon.
Wow this is easily the most beautiful restoration I've ever seen. Is this your magnum opus? I imagine the circumstances for a project like this are once in a lifetime. Thanks for documenting and sharing all these videos
Thanks so much!
A triumph. 🎉
Truly! Thx.
Yay! what a beauty - too bad the neighborhood homes were demolished for ugly buildings and highways...Thanks and shout out to the Cooks Childrens Hospital for funding the $4M restoration.
YES! Thx.
Yes, the trades who built the house in 1904 and rebuilt it in 1911 demonstrated masterful skill at every turn. That skill level is matched and exceeded by today's professionals who had to live in a 120-year-old mindset to replicate what their predecessors did with less abundant materials. Congratulations to every hand that touched this masterpiece.
Thanks so much!
Rumer has it that the house is very happy...
Agreed. Thx.
maybe make the water tower a guest house
Noted. Thx.
Magnificent. Kudos to the organization that hired you and paid for this. An American version of Notre Dame restoration. WOW!
YES! Thx.
Absolutely beautiful house, absolutely sh1tty area.
ok.
I hope you are a part of Trump's new EO called 'Promoting Beautiful Civic Architecture'! It says "...submit ...within 60 DAYS recomendations to advance policy...civic buildings respect regional, TRADITIONAL, and CLASSICAL architecture..." I very much hope to see you a part of this Brent Hull!
Great work. If someone is planning to live there, I see a privacy problem from the surrounding buildings.
Noted. Thx.
I'm sure the windows are authentic, but they look strange on the front facade.
Also with regards the original brickwork, the flemish bond is fantastic, but it's a pity that stretcher bond was used randomly around the place. A real mix of styles.
Hmm. I don't see that.
@BrentHull, Very minor details, but the stretcher bond is out of place in the Tea House pillars (10:04), on the main house (11:15), the reconstructed gateway pillars, and the low wall at the front of the Coach House (13:44). It's understandable why the bricklayers might have deviated away from Flemish bond for pillars ot narrow panels as Stretcher or Running bond is stronger, but it's still quite jarring when the eye gets used to looking at a repetitious pattern.
There is also a bit of Monk bond, but that was sometimes used to correct a pattern.
Now recreate the landscape with pathways, gardens and specific tree specimens. As it is now, sitting alone on a large flat bare lawn the context is incomplete. Plant the trees now. The longer you wait the longer it will take to achieve a mature property.
Thanks.
Please please spend another million on landscaping
Noted. Thx.
Really sad such ugly monstrosities we’re built nearby Thistle Hill. They could have built structures that complimented rather take away from the mansions beauty. Great job on the restoration.
It's gorgeous, and I'm all in favor of using period materials... except the roof. There WILL be more hail storms in DFW. There definitely will. Why not use a metal or plastic shapes to look like the tile? That roof is the only failure point left, and it is a big one.
But clearly the owners can afford repairs, so hopefully all of your beautiful work will be maintained even in the face of future storms.
Agree to disagree. To make changes based on possible weather that may or may not happen seems too much. It would take a catastrophic hail storm to destory that roof. Small hail will not effect it.
"Marvin, Pella or Anderson windows would last maybe 20 to 30 years, then they would rot out" lol Mr Hull obviously doesn't have much experience with these very good window manufacturers. I have customers who we installed those very same brands that are still there some 50 years on.
Just sharing my experience.
Magic is the right word! The restoration is so perfect. It looks like we are stepping back in time. Great job.
So glad you think so!