Renovating an 1850 Philly Rowhome (Resolving Structural Issues)
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- Опубліковано 10 лют 2025
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#diy #homerenovation #architecture
Go Birds! 🦅
@@ChrisHytha Go E-L-G-S-E-S!
People probably think you're crazy for keeping the nails, but I'll tell you, one of the coolest museum displays I've ever seen was at the Vikings touring show where they rebuild an entire longboat putting the nails where they would be if there was wood to nail them into. It's held up entirely by criss-crossing fishing line so all you see is the shape of the boat, in nails. Was absolutely beautiful. It was such a cool way to display history because the wood WOULD have decomposed with the nails staying. You could feel it as though you were seeing the ghost of the ship.
I'm certain that you will find a wonderful way to use them.
That sounds incredible!
Keep the vestibule. Living in the city it’s a great way to see who’s at the door with extra security. Also a place for shoes to be removed. It’s a area to keep the heat or cold out of the house when coming and going
Considering the amount of space it takes & the light it blocks, I recommend rethinking the entryway. Yes it provides some privacy which can be dealt with otherwise & thermal transition during winter, but 16 sf is a lot in a small house
Absolutely remove the vestibule. Think of your space like a small apartment, which that first floor is. There are no vestibules in any NYC apartment! You just have to live with cold air rushing in during winter months. The space gain is worth that.
Keep the vestibule. Maybe add a window to the wall. In winter you will like having it. The cold air won’t go into the house when you come home. Plants won’t get a chill.
Wow, as a Canadian I never even thought of the security issue ……I guess Philly is a “distinct” kind of place compared to where I live.
@ me too. I was thinking winter not safety. 👋🇨🇦
From a practical perspective, the vestibule is nice, it functions as a mini coat closet and mudroom to take your shoes off, and not get rain or salt in your house. It breaks the wind coming in so you dont lose all the heat in the winter. Its a bit of history of the house thats also pretty functional.
Considering the amount of space it takes & the light it blocks, I recommend rethinking the entryway. Yes it provides some privacy which can be dealt with otherwise & thermal transition during winter, but 16 sf is a lot in a small house
Agreed. The vestibule is anachronistic and a space hog. Chris can totally live without it. Cold air coming directly in is a minor nuisance.
I think he should replace the vestibule with an actual closet between the front door and the window, with the back wall of the closet as close to the window as code will allow, and as deep as he can without interfering with space needs and natural light. He needs storage for things like sidewalk salt, shovel, footwear, outerwear, grocery bags, and so much more. Waterproof flooring inside the closet and the space defined by the closet at the front entrance of course.
Unfortunately a closet there would ruin the living room, the couch would have to be 2' from the TV, lol
Agreed. My great grandparents had a 3 floor row house (and enclosed side alley) in Philly's Queen Village. Supposedly built by the same people that built Carpenter's Hall. Chris' house reminds of it, and the vestibule, which had doors on either side. I always thought it was cool.
this series is so good, dear youtube algorithm please take this comment as an endorsement of the video thanks
All Hail the Algorithm 🙌
Get a magnet! One you can drag across the floor. Useful for keeping the job site clear of things that hurt shoes.
they making rolling magnet sweepers- like a metal broom. Will be very useful for job site cleanup, especially for your nail recovery efforts. get one with a quick release!
One of the things I find legitimately charming about this channel is how Chris does everything the hard way until viewers recommend something better. It's fun to see him learn as he goes along!
man, i gotta say. im not an architect, im not into DIY or renovations, heck i dont even think i'll ever own a home one day. yet i am over here super invested in this whole journey. when i see the thumbnail im filled w excitement n i cant wait to see all the zigs n zags that this project will take. my compliments to you for the courage n fighting for something to call yours.
Thanks for your support!
The holes in the joists were for gas lighting I believe like the pipe in the basement. I like the vestibule maybe consider a see through (glass) vestibule or alternative. 👍
I like your idea for the vestibule.
I was about to type the same thing.
Great minds think alike.
The only other possibility for those holes would be for passing through the tubes from “knob and tube” wiring. The house is old enough to have gone through all types of residential electrical wiring. But the hole diameter seems larger than what the tube diameter was.
hey! I live in a philly row home like this with the same vestibule. it is definitely nice to have for insulation purposes. I always take off my shoes so philly doesnt come into my house! it just makes a little barrier that I didnt realize I would appreciate as much as I do.
same here in my philly row home. I appreciate a nice transition space as well.
Watching these reno projects sometimes feels like slowing down to rubberneck at a highway accident. That mix of fascination, horror, and guilt. :)
😂😂😂 well said. Do you follow Jenna Phipps?
setting my watch to bro's upload schedule
Its a great way to start the week.
Really glad I discovered this channel early on in this project. You never see reno projects like this from actual experts.
On the one hand, I understand wanting to remove the vestibule as a means of opening up the space to fully expose the joists. However, as someone who grew up in an old house whose front door opened directly into the living room without any form of barrier, a vestibule-less entrance is a quick way to invite frigid air directly into the heart of your home during winter. Thankfully we were generally able to get away with not using ours since our family most often used the back door due to its proximity to the driveway, though it would have been nice to have a defined space conveniently located at the front of the house where guests could put wet shoes and hang jackets whenever they arrived.
Ultimately, it all comes down to what you're most comfortable with, but if you do choose to keep having a vestibule I suspect you'll need to tear out the existing one and fully rebuild it due to the rotten wood. And if you go down that route, whose to say you can't design something different than what's currently there, such as an entry surrounded by walls of glass panes?
Edit: I'd also be curious to see how keeping the vestibule but changing the side it opens would affect the flow of the home.
Let's talk about your foundation, one rubble stone foundation owner to another. When the time comes to scrape the impermeable cement render off your foundation walls, you've got a great local resource in LimeWorks in Telford. You really must use a lime mortar on these old, permeable foundation walls. Below grade it really is essential. You'll save gobs not having to ship it in. My mason basically wouldn't let me hire him to chip the old parge coat and point the old stones, it's not a particularly challenging job once you have the right material. LimeWorks has tons of good documentation to help you along.
I have actually parked a friends basement before with products from limeworks. Will do!
Everything aside, it's probably a miracle that you got this house. Looking at everything, that building had some SERIOUS structural issues that were only getting worse. It took someone willing to dig deep and make big changes to actually fix it. Long and short, you deserve a really great home and I think you're well on the way to having one.
Cheers! Thanks for your support. Who knows how long this place would have stood if not for this intervention. The termites were actively eating it away when I got my hands on it
@@ChrisHytha I have no doubt that you have saved that home.
Keep the vestibule. The entry of a house is a "service area". Cold air, dirt, smells, delivery guys and so on would immediately get into the living area. This means cold air on sofa every time someone comes home. Also: shoes are dirty and tend to smell. If you insulate the vestibule and put in a well sealing door towards the living area, you can also keep the original door of the facade and the "shoe area" is always well vented. My two cents about the ceiling. The problem is also the noise coming from above. Watching TV or even talking downstairs gets hard if your hear every step that is made above.
putting a pro vestibule vote in the comments real quick. I have one at my apartment and I love it. you realistically won't do anything better with the space so close to the door.
Team vestibule. You can do a fun historic tile pattern on the floor to add some character back. It's also functional for the hvac and security. If you have to rebuild it, maybe make it slightly wider so you can fit a shoe rack or something so it's not in the way too much.
And also good against flies and mosquitoes 😉
if you tear down that vestibule, definitely do something else to give the entrance a stop and a separation from the room. it's more secure feeling and helps with room design. i have a front entrance right into the living room and i wish we had even a half-wall to separate it
Considering the amount of space it takes & the light it blocks, I recommend rethinking the entryway. Yes it provides some privacy which can be dealt with otherwise & thermal transition during winter, but 16 sf is a lot in a small house
@@ttopero wow you're very passionate about this topic.
yeahhhh maybe use the extra brick to recreate the vestibule? it’s dope historic part of the house , and just cause the wood is rotting doesn’t mean the whole thing needs to go away, could be rebuilt with the brick and give your home some new character 🤷🏻 also love the exposed joists with the 3” insulation idea👌 that’s perfect. Great job though chris you’re continuously killing it! can’t wait till the next video!
Hell yeah!
I love the old joists and want you to expose yours since mine couldn’t be and I’m living vicariously through these videos lol. I do love vestibules, the insulation effect is no joke, but I understand why everyone ends up removing them.
Morning Chris, first Go Birds SB 59 Champs. Now, I would keep the vestibule, even if it means remodeling it some, because having that space as a mudroom and cut down on draft is very functional.
I've been following progress (150+ episodes and counting) of Martjin Doolard's UA-cam channel , a Dutchman who is renovating two high pasture cabins in the NW Italian Alps. Watching yours, I think, has me just as hooked as Martjin's. All the best..
I like the idea of sound insulation and keeping the ceiling joists exposed. I also think you should keep the vestibule….serves as a nice barrier from the cold windy wintery days. What about putting in a large multi-light glass panel in the non-door wall with similar door to give some good light while maintaining the coziness of the living room?
This!! I would also at a little bit of insulation and drywall between the joists (and find sth to close off the stairs, we use curtains in the NL), to keep all the heat escaping to upper floors
(3:58) My sister just purchased her first investment property in Chicago and she has a skylight in her Kitchen, and her living room area. Chris, those skylights on the 3rd floor are going to make you smile EVERYDAY! There going to be beautiful.
I can't wait! Just paid the bill the other day to order them. Splurged for the manually operated vented skylights with a pole used to open them. $2,200 for both of them 😅
@@ChrisHytha The bills just keep racking up! 😭 It'll be so worth it though.
Thank you for sharing your experience with us. I appreciate it. You are doing a fantastic job. Don’t apologize for anything, it’s all good 😊
The holes in the beams are for a gasline to a ceiling lamp. Had the same in a flat of comparable age in Amsterdam, the Netherlands
My guess, I grew up in a 1914 Foursquare that had Blaugas lights(and still has some!) My great-uncle used the pipe in some cases as conduit when he wired the house for electricity...
keep the porch... er vestibule (soz, in uk thats called a porch!) as its a great heat trap and shoe and coat removal room 😊
nice work with the concrete fix, lets hope any others that may appear are as easy to fix
Wait, what?! Tearing it down? When I got recommended this channel, I thought, Do I really need another home reno on my feed? But I am so glad I watched and I am completely hooked. Can't wait for next week.
Thanks for your support! Just tearing down the termite damaged wood section, the brick section can be saved!
@@ChrisHythathe cliffhanger had me shaken 😂😅
I am , by no means an expert, I do own a 100year old house, but I am convinced that your row home is still standing by the grace of God and the plaster and lath.
It's held in place by structural paint layers and the fact that wind can't hit it too hard because of the neighbors
Maybe some wallpaper also.
Definitely keep the vestibule. It’s in keeping with the age of the home. You may need to replace the termite damaged wood, but I think it keeps the character.
Definitely recommend keeping the vestibule, I feel like the anti-vestibule folks aren't accounting for the fact that a Philly row home is right on the sidewalk, it's nice to have a little bit of a buffer, not just for mudroom and thermal transition, but also just the cozy feeling on not feeling like you're directly on the street.
One thing you could do to maximize light is maybe have a window or some transparent material on the vestibule wall facing the living room, it could be a cool callout to the transparent floor you're planning to build on the third floor.
With the sound insulation: You’ve got to seal all the gaps with something dense/ heavy. So especially the party wall to your neighbour’s house but the same is true for wood floor. Like you can get a dense mastic or putty or something in a tube. What’s the finish of the floor above? you could add something there instead of at the bottom
I discovered your channel a few weeks ago and became addicted to it. I have watched all your videos and look look forward to watching this one!
Thanks for watching!
I’m surprised you are awake, I thought you would be downtown chugging a few and celebrating. Remember Love Hurts!! Go Birds!!
This is such a cool project. Its also awesome to watch to see how all these issues get fixed in old houses.
Our building looks out to the ocean so gets all the weather and salt water. The brick facia is going soft in a similar manor to yours. We are having the bricks ground back to solid material filled in with a special mortar then an outer render to seal the building Its not cheap or noise-dust free but its going to be worth it same as the brickwork of the house sorted. 2x👍
Keep up the great work! Keep the vestibule if you want to open the space up consider a fixed window or glass pane in the vestibule wall.
Im so happy you decided to renovate instead of demolish, saving so much material from being thrown away. Great for the environment
No, nothing he is doing is "great for the environment" , that is just a plain stupid thing to say.
@@groovy1937chill out man
My basement is full of old wood and can't wait to find a new use for it all!
@@groovy1937 yes there will technically be environmental problems with the removal of certain areas of the house but its still better than if it were completely taken down and trashed
I second the mostly glass vestibule. It will keep the weather break, maintain but modernize the history of the house, and can be as simple or fancy as you like.
(15:09) Chris, that was a tone of work! Bravo. The joist are absolutely stunning.
16:56 someone get this poor guy a magnet!
…you gotta save as many nails as you can as your framed wall piece sounds fantastic!
Theory = CAD, pencil & paper. Practical = blood sweat tears and buying good tools, keep going.
The people who were saying to demolish it are crazy IMO. You have a ton of cool details in that structure that are fully functional. I like the idea of exposing some of the joists in the ceiling. And I assume some brick will be left exposed. I have a Manayunk property that I currently rent, but will need renovation eventually. Your giving lots of inspiring ideas.
Wow, I don't know how you manage to stay so calm when showing us the brick situation. I was anxious just watching it, expecting that one little piece holding things up to come collapsing down at any minute.
So you discussed here why you aren't tearing it down and starting over, which definitely makes sense. But I am wondering : do you think you would still have bought this house in the first place if you had known then the extent of the structural issues you have since uncovered ?
Great video - i enjoy keeping up with your progress. :)
If I knew what was in store before I bought, I probably would have chickened out, but I do not regret it, as it has been a huge challenge, pushed me out of my comfort zone, and has taught me a ton!
(24:42) You got me so excitedddd!!🥳
Keep up the great work! I kept my vestibule when renovating a Fishtown house, had a nice transom window. I found it helped during the winter to keep the living room warm when entering/exiting. But if all the wood work is eaten away, ugh, probably just take that little wall down and have the room be clear.
Exactly the reasons why I think he should keep it! Considering all of the other remodeling, couldn’t be too expensive to rebuild it if necessary. Personally, if it were me, keeping the cold out would be ideal.
Considering the amount of space it takes & the light it blocks, I recommend rethinking the entryway. Yes it provides some privacy which can be dealt with otherwise & thermal transition during winter, but 16 sf is a lot in a small house
@ttopero I see your comment under everyone who likes the vestibule.
I live in a small apartment that came without vestibule. I build one. The comfort it provides, both mentally and physically, is worth the loss of the small amount of space.
That space would be taken by a coat & shoe rack anyway, but now you don't have to look at shoes while sitting on the couch.
I didn't have a vestibule in my Philly row house, and didn't miss it. I liked having more open space in the front room compared to my neighbors who had vestibules. While I understand the heat loss perspective, in my experience the door was never open long enough in the winter to cool the house significantly. All that brick means a lot of thermal mass. We had hooks on the wall for coats and a shoe bench, and our couch backed up to the front window was adjacent to the door. At most I'd put in a half wall for a key drop.
It's also way, way easier to get large objects through a single door than through a vestibule. Fridge, couch, new furnace, etc.
Absolutely a great point about getting furniture in and out. I had to call an ambulance for someone with a vestibule and they couldn't get the stretcher into the house.
Assuming you dont live alone forever you will definitely regret leaving those ceilings exposed. Not having any sound reduction barrier will make it sound like a war zone when someone is walking in the room above.
Not to mention conversations that “little ears” don’t need to hear.
@@chasetonga lol
Thats alotta buckets. 😮
My vote on the vestibule would be to replace it with a thin profile steel frame with some sort of salvaged glass / stained glass. If you have any salvaged lumber, the frame could be made from that as well. Budget permitting....
BRICKS what a subject. The OLD ways of firing the clay was to stack them around the fire source and dry them . The bricks close to the heat and fire dried hard. The farther away from the heat and fire the weaker the strength of the bricks. Those bricks were sold as seconds and masons would use them as fillers. Some mason didn't care where they were used, as you have found.
I had a mason who does a lot of historic building restoration do some brickwork on my place. He said that sometimes bricks just get to the end of their life. So, yes, some bricks are better than others.
You are quickly gaining skills and experience that I don’t possess but it just seems to me that your efforts to preserve what already exists is delaying discovery of potential issues as well as solutions for them. But you seem to have evaluated this yourself and are prepared to do what is necessary. So keep going! Really interesting!
(10:45) Say hello to my little friend!! Love this JackHammer.
Go Birds!!!🎉🎉
Bird gang
You might want to consider getting a fan to transport any particulates to the outside. You would of course want to have openings opposite so it has an intake as well as the exit point. That way less of the the potentionally harmful dust is swirling around and landing inside.
Wow!! That's very exciting; much good progress is being made! I think the peace of mind of knowing exactly what you will have when completed is well worth the effort. Additionally, no one can take away the actual work experiences you are gathering to add to your six years of education and your new city licenses. I'll add getting this all done before goofballs tariffs hit will save you 25%, and that's good too!!
18:56 - regarding kitchen joist replacement. I suggest you look into the places that offer reclaimed lumber from old buildings being demolished. You can get some “old growth” beams that could be used to give the look you wanted to preserve.
Yes! Happy Monday!
(2:49) YOU LOVE US LOL! 🤣🥰 Thank you, King!
Glad you appreciated it! Extra effort for sure, but the visuals are what set this channel apart!
@@ChrisHytha Your right! I truly appreciate the work you put into your content.
Baltimore row home owner here! Love watching the progress and comparing your house to the homes around here including mine. Extremely similar! Mixed feelings on the vestibule. In my house they dropped the side wall to like 4 ft and removed the doorway, still tiled floor which steps up to the heart pine.
I swear to you this is one of the best series on youtube. Not currently, ever. Keep up the amazing work.
Keep the joists, they're stunning! Insulate from above.
You Go man! Keep the joists visble, i did that too!!
My advise with the vestibule is to keep it along with the original front door (if you still have it). Then put a solid front door on the inner doorway (mine is steel). With so many package thieves stealing deliveries off the front stoop, I use it for the mailman. My front-front door is not locked during the day and I have a sign to "deliver all packages inside this door" hanging on the front-front door. All my neighbors, who removed their vestibule, now regret it.
A place for packages sounds nice. I see my neighbors have package boxes out front, secured to the property, so mailman can drop them in the box, and you need a key or code to take them out
Wow dude so much progress! please get some dehumidifiers going !!! big love man
(21:10) It's a extra annoying expense but it'll be $700 well spent! Having this space cleared is going to feel like a breath of fresh air.
Keep the vestibule, it's classic!! A nice tile floor with a stained glass door. As always, thanks for taking us along.
Keep the vestibule if space in that room is big enough for your funiture layout. The house coming along with all teh hard work. Great job.
Considering the amount of space it takes & the light it blocks, I recommend rethinking the entryway. Yes it provides some privacy which can be dealt with otherwise & thermal transition during winter, but 16 sf is a lot in a small house
i like the entrance way, its opens you up to a nice like "mud room" that also acts as a like air buffer between the front door and inside to keep the cold air when entering out, also when you leave the entrance way it opens up in to a big bright space which would be nice and go with the theme you have to space opening up.
The nail drop edit at 16:09... You didn't have to, but you did and it's wonderful.
Your idea for sound proofing the ceiling and then adding back in some salvaged wood is a good one.
I grew up in just north of you in an old stone schoolhouse from 1879 that my parents had remodeled in the late 50's -early 60's in spartan international style (popular at the time?), that took 3 years to finish. They also exposed the joists and we did not have sound insulation. Let me tell you, the sounds really carried. I wish we had measured the decibel levels so that we could have convinced my dad to insulate.
Since then, each home we do, we always insulate the lower floor ceilings for sound proofing.
I start off every week with a cup of coffee, something small to eat, and these videos. Thank you very much and keep on making such great videos.
My back also hurts just watching this 🙁 and then hours of editing? Your resilience is astounding.
I really enjoyed your progress and thought process. The vestibule seems to subtract from the "potential" for a nice front room, but from a practical point of view, creating an "air lock" at the front door will greatly enhance thermal comfort in the winter. If you choose to keep a vestibule, you probably have to rebuild it anyway. Keep going....your journey is exciting!
I’d keep some separation outdoor - livingroom. Even if it’s just a low partition wall with some hooks for jackets.
Love the montages of you cleaning up the mess you made with the demo! I'm sure it was a huge pain at the time, but satisfying to watch in the edit.
Edit: If it were me, I'd leave the joists exposed but cover the floorboards with drywall and a thin layer of insulation. The contrast would look nice, and I feel like it would look more intentional and "finished".
I like the thinking! A LOT of work though. I had designed a removable wooden slat ceiling for a basement to fit between the joists to provide some noise insulation while keeping the ceiling height open & pipes accessible. It was a lot of work but provided so much coziness compared with a false or even gyp board ceiling.
Chris, I love seeing the drawings, well worth all the time I’m sure you spent studying! As for the entryway, I say loose it and open up the room it’s a much better use of the space. Keep up the good work, it’s coming together!
Your videos are so amazing and I enjoy watching you expend so much time and energy while I sit on my couch 😉👍🏻👏💪🏻
20:27 Keep the vestibule as an idea, but replace the current setup with glass and metal framing (at least on the right side as you walk into the house). Gives you more light coming in, and it makes it a feature, rather than something you’ve built around.
German here, so I am a bit biased, because we tend to always have "hallways" at the door. They serve as a place to take off your shoes and hang your coat and also create a bit of a separation to the living area. The reason for the quotation marks is that they are sometimes rally too small to be considered a hallway, we (or at least the part I'm from) just tend to use the same word for it.
I think it's really good to have. When I was in New Zealand, the house I was staying in had the front door open directly into the living room which I found uncomfortable, especially when my housemates would come home in the winter while I was sitting on the sofa. So I'd definitely keep it and add some hooks and (depending on how wide it is) some place to put wet shoes - although I am aware that in the US it's not uncommon to keep them on in the house.
Definitely keep the vestibule, it's always a great thing to have in our cold climate, keeps the icy air out of the house.
@chrishytha I learned my lesson immediately when it comes to nails after trying to pull one off, it flew right into my eye. Thankfully I had my glasses on. Always wear goggles for that stuff! Those things are unpredictable.
Love the exposed beams! Armstrong makes a plain white (paintable) "acoustic plank" that looks like shiplap. Easy to work with and would help deaden sound some...
Any renovation is a nightmare. And thanks 4 bitting down Kansas. Can’t stand there success
Hey Chris, I bought the book and everyone loves it. I hope more people get it because it’s great to have lying around when you have guests over. Keep up the great work
Thanks for your support! Love to hear that you are sharing the book with guests (:
Big job!
LETS GOOO Look at you now, from sponsoring your own videos and now you got a nice squarespace sponsorship. Keep it up love to see the place progress
Love the soundtrack selection on this video. Really like the idea of the nail assemblage (when it happens) and, as ever, each new problem brings a new solution and moves things one step nearer your dream. All via those delightful thumbnails.
Please don't get rid of the vestibule. It makes for an excellent transition space between the outside and the living room. It also helps keep winter snow and rain at bay. Adding an interior door to the vestibule will help insulate sound. You can also put a tile or other water tolerant floor in the vestibule and use the space to hang dripping coats and umbrellas in the winter.
I sold my 1852 South Philly rowhouse last year and one of my favorite parts was the vestibule. We were fortunate that the majority of the house (save kitchen and bathrooms) was basically untouched since the 19th century.
Wow thats a lot of good progress. That shot with open beams is super nice. Definitely keep some of the ceiling open on the living room. Adding bit of insulation between the floors and then using wood for fake floorboard look is tedious route, but it's best compromise between sound insulation and interior look. Personally I would rebuild the vestibule. Maybe make it little bit smaller, but having separate space for wet shoes keeps the rest of the house clean. When I was living in apartment I missed having a vestibule. Separating the entryway from living space just feels more comfortable and also cuts draft and noise coming from the outside. It is transitional space between indoors and outdoors, and gives a bit time to stop and readjust.
I really appreciate the 2D and 3D visualisations and all the additional explanations! It sets you apart from other channels, and it takes us along on the journey while actually understanding what's going on (for those like me with 0 background in architecture and engineering). We're learning! And rooting for you all the way 🙌🏼 step by step you'll turn this into a solid, happy home.
Holes for Knob & Tube wiring or gas for lighting. You are going to have a very cool house when you are done !
Thanks for the new word. Ive never heard of a wythe of brick until you said it multiple times in this video.
Keep the vestibule! Only restore it to an 1850 re-creation--only my two cent's worth. I am in my fourth historic home with an original vestibule, and I find the vistibules invaluable for a number of reasons. I so enjoy your journey and can relate to your pains and joys of discovery! Keep up the wonderful efforts! Greetings from Detroit!
17:55 they're probably from old ceramic knob-and-tube wiring, specifically the tubes going through the joists. looks like the place was re-wired with nylon wrapped cable in the 1930s or 40s, like mine, except they seem to have removed all of the knobs and tubes in yours.
edit: 18:20 nevermind, you do still have some tubes, with wire still through them. I haven't a guess otherwise.
edit2: 23:15 Gas lighting pipes would make sense for those holes in the joists.
To save $700, get some grocery bags from Walmart and fill each with some of the dirt and rubble. Every time your crew leaves, each take a bag and drop it in a trash can away from the house. If you plan it right, all the drops will create a pattern that looks like a peace symbol. (Rebuild the vestibule. If you want to see the exposed beams above the vestibule, make the vestibule shorter than the beams and use a translucent panel for the vestibule ceiling. Rebuilding the vestibule also means that you can design functional features into it while keeping some of the period correct artistic touches)
Get yourself a pair of tile nippers to pull out all those nails. We had a room full of plaster and lathe and it was a lifesaver.
I commend your efforts to save this house. You being an architect, I am sure it will come out great and can't wait to see the end product. But, boy, you are the poster child from home inspections if there ever was one! ;)
I love my vestibule. It keeps noise out of the house and allows a place for package deliveries.
My take on the beams is that since the ones in the kitchen aren't that great, you could either 1) hide them with a drywall ceiling, as was done previously around the house, or 2) use some wood filler to make the beams more attractive and paint them white, giving the sections between the beams the same treatment as in the living room (i.e. insulation and wood paneling). Either way, painting this section of the house white will make it brighter and feel less cramped. In the living room, I would put some sort of white trim between the exposed beams to make the space brighter as well. If you decide to remove the vestibule, you can remove all the drywall and keep the woodwork as a place to hang coats and store outdoor shoes, while still maintaining a sense of the house's history.