It was awesome seeing you and your wife talking about your marriage and the struggles you went through, through your marriage, I hope that the younger generation will take note of the advices you gave.
Thankful for a 'real' renovation show that resists the urge to gloss over the true work and costs involved in projects. Also really appreciate your vulnerability with ur wife in the interview portions. God bless you both. (From Ottawa)
Thanks for sharing a little history on your quest to own your first home. Brings back so many memories. I'm 74 been married 50 years. My wife and I just started updating our house of 30 years. Lots of challenges but up to the task. You have been an important part of the process. Thanks again.
I unhappily had a couple relatives pass away, but they left us enough of an inheritance that I was able to buy a house as a single parent when I was 38. I had already paid off college loans and bought a car, but it was tough to clean up damage after a pipe burst. I also had to reroof and continue to do upgrades to my home. Then I had to have a brain tumor removed and my health took a beating. I am happy to say my daughter has paid off her loans, bought a house and a car and is already making more annually then I have ever made. I just hope she wants a child some year soon now.
I live in western Washington and my home is 70+ years old. This series is very helpful as I’m trying to make this house modern and most importantly safe. These videos are incredibly useful. I appreciate that no corners are cut. I paid $1,200 per month to rent a small house with a small yard that we couldn’t fix things in. We now own a large three story home on 8 acres that my grandfather built in 1948. Mortgage is $998 per month. Renovating this home has been a breeze thanks to you sir. Please keep up the exceptional work you do! Thank you
Was looking at the possibility of changing up the siding but had a siding contractor tell me I was an idiot to do it because my siding is old growth cedar in really good shape!! Who knew? (Apparently not me..) So looking to get a good paint job later on down the line instead. Definitely appreciate the honesty of the guy. (Effectively told me that if he did it he would end up selling the cedar and making a profit! Lol!) Nice to see that these days..
Looking really good. My renovation starts in spring. Just cleaning up outside yard and patching some holes before winter. House I got has been vacant ten years. I'll own it for less than I pay rent a year and thanks to guys like you. I'm not scared to jump in and try to do some of this stuff on my own. Amazing thing, my landlord will be helping me with some stuff. Electrical, plumbing, framing, making sure it looks nice and is up to code. He knows this stuff and appreciates when I started renting from him, he ask how long I'd be there. I replied, when I buy a house. He knows I bought this and has offered a hand, I expect two years before it's livable although it's honestly not bad right now. Just upgrading everything, finishing an unfinished addition, 14x30. I'm excited and can't even step on the property until October 1, 2020.
Similar story with my house. First house I've bought, built in 1956, needed some much needed love after being neglected for the last 10-15 years. The place reeked of animal urine on all the floors and sprayed up onto the walls, electrical was never update (panel was at least thankfully). You should see how they framed and ran electrical in my basement, its like a caveman was doing DIY work here. My favorite was repairing the cracks in the ceiling caused by the ceiling fans installed in mounts (the old school kind with the 2 stupid nails either side) that never should of been used that way. Thanks for all your help, tips, and insight Jeff its been a huge help.
Thanks for not editing out the botched window cut out. That was hilarious 😂 and caught me off guard...I've rehabbed 2 homes on my own and felt like during the process I had bitten off more than I could chew, but I truly enjoyed the whole process. It was like doing a great big craft project (so many different projects, a regular rabit hole). One house was a craftsman style home and I really felt honored to freshen that pretty girl back up. It was awesome working in a home that someone had taken so much pride in building (cedar closets, wood floor, archways, nooks, pink bathroom tile...thick baseboards and crown molding, great vibe) And about your botched window cutout, I had a similar problem with replacing a broken panel in an old door. It took me three times is a charm for that replacement cut. I love watching you and your wife and hearing your life story, but mostly seeing the strong commitment. you two inspire me. God Bless you and your family.
Thanks for all the videos. My husband and I just bought a 1970's fixer-upper on a beautiful piece of land here in Georgia, USA. While we hired professionals to replace windows and siding, we are renovating the interior ourselves. So I sit here with drywall mud drips on me, watch the videos for the 3rd and 4th times, and eat my lunch. It's a pleasure to see you and your family working together and the projects turning out so beautifully. Gives me hope. Blessings to you all.
Thank you! I am DIYing my 60-year-old house in NZ. It was moved to Taupo from Auckland on a truck. Moving a house seems to be a NZ thing - not something that you would ever see in the UK where I am from. So my house is a wreck. Moving it warps all the walls and doors/windows. But it is a much cheaper way to buy a house than buying a "done" one. Been raining this weekend - the lounge is flooded. There is no lining behind the weatherboard and there is a hole in the roof where the chimney used to be (the chimney can't be moved with the house). I had been feeling overwhelmed until I saw your video. I'm inspired! I feel like I can do it now 🙂
ABSOLUTELY! I lived (rented) in a house in Cape Neddick, Me. that was owned by a contractor that had a door most frequently used with NO structure to protect a resident from the weather. It was a nightmare trying to get groceries in the house when it was raining, windy, heavy snow! It made NO sense! Not a good landlord move!!
Oh gosh, I am watching both you and your wife talking about your journey to buying your first home....both of you are such an inspiring couple....you so deserve this success and happiness....I have just so fallen in love with you both and your children....you make a wonderful family.
I love how REAL you and your family are. Not everyone is a mega millionaire and it’s so much more fun to watch shows like yours that are relatable with life struggle and just getting a home let alone renovating it lol. Keep up the great work guys!
I have enjoyed this episode so much with you both talking about your lives. I think memories are more important and time, you don't get that family time back and kids grow up. Its the memories and the holidays that matter more than a house. Unlike my friends, our first house when my daughter was 8 months old was very small but it was affordable and we fixed it up slowly. We got alot of grief from people about how small our house was, but it gave us our life style and our memories. We are just about to settle on our new home that we hope we will have it until we retire. The house is a bit outdated but we can make it our own slowly, its has been our dream to have a few acres to call our own to have chickens and a vegie garden. I don't regret having our small house in the beginning, as now those people who gave us grief about our tiny house and bought those big houses and over capitalised are renting, as they couldn't afford their mortgages. We had a small mortgage which gave us an opportunity to save and actually enjoy our lives. Life is a struggle but it was important for us that it was financially manageable.
What a great family, thanks for the video Jeff. It was really nice seeing a more inside look into your regular life you have that X factor that really makes your videos enjoyable and fun to watch. Congratulations on everything and cheers to more success and happiness to you and your family
I love the life advice you provide with your wife. The world where one could survive alone is no longer, we can only make it if we help each other. You two are great parents; the proof is in your children.
I’ve binged over 4 hours of your house redo tonight and paused at 18:51 when you asked the love of your life if anything should have been different. The answer is; no matter the circumstances, you’ve raised a beautiful family and everything happens as it should.
The Ol' rental trap lol. I have always been weird about staying home. I even commuted to college instead of living on campus. I'm ready to move out. I feel like I'm super late (I'm 25) but I am okay with it because it's let me get a really good credit score and not have to fall into the paradigm in which I move out before I'm ready only to move back in with debt and a bad credit score to only be able to afford a crappy rental and so on. Don't be ashamed to do it though! There's a difference between deadbeat and living at home and they aren't the same, so at least help out around the house if you're going to stay!
Hi Jeff, Hope you are all well & safe! Although I cannot stop watching your programmes, and huge fan of DIY but as myself disabled (spinal problem & broken neck). I still try to do things at home even my consultant warned me not to lift a feather. So, we recently moved to a two bedroomed bungalow. My wife, her son & myself got so many things that we run out of space very quickly, especially for keeping my electric wheelchair and those tools I need for my rehabilitation/physio. We got a brick shed at the front of the property, which has couple of shelves but not enough for our needs. Anyway, cutting the story (well Novel in this pace I guess) short we decided to put some shelves up so my wife can use that as her pantry to make some room. We end up buying longer than we need for the shelves, and because it will be very hard for me to use Manual Saw, I went ahead and bought a basic *_Circular Saw (Cabled) - Hychika CS-190C_* and looking on UA-cam for learning do's/don't and tips so it will be much easier for me to handle. With all due respect to other on UA-cam, I would like to take the advantage to learn from you. I been watching a lot of the contents from your playlist. While you were using the CS in this video (22:00) the bell rang in my head to ask your opinion and tips to use Circular Saw (CS) safely and efficiently. I guess, I have to buy a Workbench next so I can clamp the materials to safely before try to tackle the CS. But due to my health issue I had to retire when I was only 40 yrs of age from Marine (Merchant Navy), it is hard to just go ahead and buy stuff I need, therefore lot of my projects are on hold including creating contents for my own channel. Financially we are totally rely on my allowances from the Social Fund. Nevertheless, have you any video that talks about tools, especially the CS and how to set up the workbench etc., on your channel? My other project to make box so I can keep the CS safely out of the way getting damaged. Any many other project to build my studio. Any help & advice will much appreciated. Please convey my regards to your better half and your kid Matt as well as Max. Please look after yourself and each other & Stay Safe! Remember, *_Life_* is *_Short_* so *_Live Long_* and *_Prosper_* . All the best! Cheers!!!
It really is a blessing that Daddy is bigger, stronger and smarter lol....love the doggy watching you guys rip the siding off the house, his doggy eyes are glued to the outside wall, maybe Zeus is waiting for another stick....adorable watching you guys.
Love the construction-dad/pro pep talk about productive time and beating the rush at the store. Reminds me of the old adage "if you have to eat a frog, eat it first, and if you have two frogs to eat, eat the larger one first" My partner and I just bought our own home ('74 split foyer) around a month ago, and the first job we decided to do is replace the bathroom fan. Well, you would have probably considered it more pathetically brutal than the fan with the unconnected duct due to it being not only not connected to any ducting, but also covered in loose cellulose insulation. Best part is I'm the one on the hook for doing all the attic work because I'm 5'7"/135 lbs, and my partner is 5'10"/270 lbs. Found you for the paint prep and bathroom fan videos, staying for the laughs, the pep-talks, and the life lessons.
I’ve just bought my first house at 26, nice two bedroom cottage! Amazingly here in Scotland the government give you £25k towards your mortgage deposit! The cottage is in need of renovation, really enjoy your videos!
You asked what kind of siding your viewers would select and why. I'd select board and batten for multiple reasons. Authenticity - Your home is 140ish years old. Board and Batten was actually stylish 200 years ago. Besides the authenticity of it, it's just really beautiful on a vintage farmhouse like yours. Historically, farmers would use sawmills to cut the long boards, and the battens were out in place to make the structure as airtight as possible. I'd hope this is still true today. In the north (Canada), I'd use whatever I could to keep the cold air out and the warm air in. I just found your channel tonight and I've been binge watching. I'm so excited to see more as we look for our vintage farmhouse and "revision" it. - Edited to add: WOW! I love the colors. Quite the transformation!
This is so cool Jeff! You've inspired a lot of the work I do Max, great job with the video. Love at the end you set your camera up perfect and the edit of old to new was flawless
Love the talk about work ethic! As a nurse of 10 years I learned a LOT working trauma ICU. Being good at anything takes humility, willingness to learn, ask questions, and constant challenges. If you aren't challenged you don't learn as much as quickly.
When we had our house built, I put on roof boards from a barn, as a board and batten system for siding after staining the house twice which lasted about 20 years. I removed the wood siding and replaced it with vinyl siding.
Jeff you’ve come along way. I’m a proud fan for sure, I remember when you were just building that deck a few years back. We appreciate you! Love from the Boston, MA!
We had our front and sides done in B&B vinyl siding 3 yrs ago, it looks great (In response to @20:00). Lots of compliments from the neighbours and people walking by.
The free advice at the end is on point. I do irrigation and outdoor lighting. My boss takes his son to school so we can't get to work some days until 9, then he picks up his son at 3. It is imperative that we drive separately otherwise I only get 6 hrs a day. Im single so i love to be working making money.. First in and last out.
Felt like my dad was advising me. I'm never gonna learn to build the house but didn't even realise that the video ended....it was wonderful listening and watching you. The most beautiful thing is whatever you said. I've been trying to save money to buy land so I can have a house and become a farmer. Probably I would be buying this year...so excited
You can also get vinyl siding that is board and batten style and installed vertically instead of horizontally like traditional lap siding. I think that would be an amazing compromise for an older house!! ♥️
I'm not remodeling a house but I really enjoy watching your videos. They're edited so well and you are fun to listen to. Also, it's nice to hear you interact with your wife.
Love all of your educational videos and I appreciate them as well. I'm in the middle of renovating my master bathroom right now. I have used a lot of your tips so far.
@49:42 --- this is gold. I've seen some of these snippets before, but it was interesting to have it all together. Also fascinating to hear that you were "trapped" in the rental market for so many years. Solid advice there. The green siding does look good. I wonder if a vertical board+batten (vinyl even) on the walls with horizontal in the eaves might have made for an interesting look.
So glad your son has taken an interest in your trade- learning from a master. My sons were not interested, my husband is an auto mechanic, sadly for him, they only know how to do minimal maintenance and come to him for the big stuff (and watch!)
@18:35 Married with 5 kids, I got my house at 31, which I had planned to stop renting before my 30’s but we kept having babies lol. Anyways, we had to make those sacrifices you talked about. No holidays, old cars, one pair of shoes a year, you name it. We’ve been here a few years now and although it’s non stop work on the old house I think it was worth it. You’re videos have helped me with a number of problems. I watch your channel like it’s a Netflix series. Lol 🙏🏾
Hello, had my cracked cedar siding replaced with Hardy Board. Love it. No painting or staining. Hail will not damage it. House is less drafty.... that could be due to new Tyvek underneath and the new caulking. I want Hardy Board on my next house, too.
Thank you for showing us you and your wife are still human. With the housing market being the way it is, a 26 yr old as myself with a good job finds in close to impossible to fulfill the homeownership dream. It was nice to hear that you rented for many years before being able to save for a house. Just seems almost anyone who I talk to that's in their 40's/50's thinks of home ownership as a part of life as they don't talk too much about it.... yet its extremely harder today.
Amen Prophetess. I love that this is a ‘real’ couple, I love that they share their journey. This is what I would say more couples experience excepting his skill level. I enjoy this blog channel more than I can express. And I meant to include Tommy Silva with my comment about Norm ☺️😉
First, I love your videos. Second, it always amazes me how the family members that don't do the work are always the ones to, so easily , be ready to start the next job or move to the next place. My wife from California goes, I think I'd like to live in the middle of the US. He's never been outside of California and I'd be the one using the snow plow. LOL!
Lots of fun to watch! Funny fact, I live in the Netherlands and I am renovating a add-on to my shed in my backyard. I think I use the same siding as you do. It's imported from Canada, it's called Kaycan. I have it in Natural Oak-color. It's very easy to use and install. Love it
Grant you this was about 35 years ago, but my step-father had vinyl siding put on the house I helped him build, it was supposed to be flame retardant. We lived there about six years when a fire started on the outside of the house. That siding went up like candle wax. I will never purposefully put vinyl siding on any building. If I could have a house wrapped in granite rock I would feel safer when I closed my see to sleep at night. I was the last one out of the house. No burns, just a little to much smoke. If my only chose is board and batten or vinyl siding I choose the board and batten. I can always rock it up slowly.
Is it possible that young Matt has a phobia for bugs, I can imagine as he is pulling the siding off that the bugs are falling down the back of his hoody lol, and Zeus so darn cute sitting back and watching.
I like your honest talk about renting for years rather than ignoring the fact it is incredibly expensive to buy a house these days and once you have it how much more value you can create in equity and the fact morgages are cheaper than renting... i bought for the fact my morgage was half what I was paying in rent. This keeps people poor and needs to change in many countries. I also like your work, you do a good job.
In the Netherlands you can renovate a rented house but return it to standart when you move out. If the new owners like what you have done, you can negotiate costs on what you have spent. Pretty neat 😁😎
We've got rats somewhere's I think. We're having to flush the toilet by emptying a bucket right now and I left one full in the bathtub and came back the next day and a rat had drowned in it. We're not moving in until we get the AC running and some hot water. We bought our 1906 balloon framed house for cash and are broke now. We are almost done replacing the octopus flex duct with insulated rectangular duct and hoping the AC works when we turn it on. I bought a bunch of lightweight cordless tools and we both go to town on it. I've got deconstruction down to a fine art. They did a DIY "Open concept" except they didn't put an beams in so the trim was holding the roof up. I've learned a lot on this channel, thanks for sharing your adventures. Our house looks better by comparison!
6:20 . Don't get me started on Mortgages. We went to three BANKS, 2 lenders and all turned us down. Even with 51.5% down on a house worth 448,000//00 which we bid on at 270,000.00 . I"m retired and wife works. It was like pure hell. The house we purchased is a 1944 4 split level home, with garage. Its all maintenance updated to do. The roof on the 2:12 slope garage im going with a roll on rubber coating, (after i strip the shingles, air it out one week, reinforce any issues on roof.) then doing a self adhesive GAF roll system. All joints I'm thinking of using fiberglass mesh and rubber sealant. Love the videos and nice to see you'll both taking it in stride. God Bless yo sir and stay safe.
My wife and I decided that renting was not an option for us when we got married...so from out of the gate we bought our house when the market was low. Best feeling in the world to own your own place. We bought new to avoid all the reno work, but in 20 years of marriage and living in the same place, there is not much original (on the surface) left in the house. It amazed me that every time we would open something up to start a project, all the hidden mistakes we'd find that the builder left behind.
I vote board and batten, typical of the era. With price of wood rising every day, vinyl is way less expensive. I plan to use board and batten on an addition next fall. It will contrast with existing cedar shingle siding. Another great video! Thank you.
That was a fun our. I have a brick house. so no siding, but i just love to watch. Also a dream crushed, i hate getting up early, so no contracting for me!
In answer to your sideing question I'd go with the wood siding on an old home. I think it looks goods and helps maintains some of the old fashioned look if you chose the right type or you could get to play with something like shou sugi ban.
Some tips for the future, tyvek requires a 6" overlap on horizontal, 8" on vertical and 12" each way on corners. Idk where you're at or your building codes but in Manitoba any flat surface or opening requires a drip cap, for an added bonus some builders here ask for end Dams though they're not required. Lastly, vinyl J's look better as a mitre on the corners
Seeing how I forgot, I am enjoying the show..glad to see that you're restoring the old house and not demo'ing it for the work is too much or you don't like the layout.
I believe in renovation, saving old homes, but geezer, the dirt, filth, bugs, rot can be so .... overwhelming. Our house was built in 1800, and it still could use renovating after 15 years of doing what we could on our budget. It's like, RIP old house, a modular may take your place, lol. Kidding.
I’m 38 and still live with my parents. At this point, I may just wait until the house is inherited to me (and likely my bro) and keep living here. It’s a small 1800s New England house. Wouldn’t have to worry about rent or mortgage at that point.
I have really been enjoying your videos. I was clueless going in but I feel a lot more confident that my hubby and I stand a chance at this someday. It looks like a lot of work but not nearly as challenging as I had first imagined. The biggest thing is tools since we have nothing xD we've never had a home of our own but I cant wait to own one at this rate.
I'd stick with the siding I have now. Concrete shingles (of course with the age of this house, it probably has asbestos in it too) The stuff is basically bulletproof. Doesn't rot, doesn't get dinged easily, haven't really noticed anything expansion/contraction wise. And it takes paint beautifully.
It was awesome seeing you and your wife talking about your marriage and the struggles you went through, through your marriage, I hope that the younger generation will take note of the advices you gave.
Cheers At least I shared my 2 bits!
Thankful for a 'real' renovation show that resists the urge to gloss over the true work and costs involved in projects. Also really appreciate your vulnerability with ur wife in the interview portions. God bless you both. (From Ottawa)
I love their father son dynamic. Every job is a lot easier when you have a good sense of humor.
Cheers and good music!
Ain’t that the truth...
ya
Thanks for sharing a little history on your quest to own your first home. Brings back so many memories. I'm 74 been married 50 years. My wife and I just started updating our house of 30 years. Lots of challenges but up to the task. You have been an important part of the process. Thanks again.
That is awesome!
I unhappily had a couple relatives pass away, but they left us enough of an inheritance that I was able to buy a house as a single parent when I was 38. I had already paid off college loans and bought a car, but it was tough to clean up damage after a pipe burst. I also had to reroof and continue to do upgrades to my home. Then I had to have a brain tumor removed and my health took a beating.
I am happy to say my daughter has paid off her loans, bought a house and a car and is already making more annually then I have ever made. I just hope she wants a child some year soon now.
I live in western Washington and my home is 70+ years old. This series is very helpful as I’m trying to make this house modern and most importantly safe. These videos are incredibly useful. I appreciate that no corners are cut. I paid $1,200 per month to rent a small house with a small yard that we couldn’t fix things in. We now own a large three story home on 8 acres that my grandfather built in 1948. Mortgage is $998 per month. Renovating this home has been a breeze thanks to you sir. Please keep up the exceptional work you do! Thank you
Was looking at the possibility of changing up the siding but had a siding contractor tell me I was an idiot to do it because my siding is old growth cedar in really good shape!! Who knew? (Apparently not me..) So looking to get a good paint job later on down the line instead. Definitely appreciate the honesty of the guy. (Effectively told me that if he did it he would end up selling the cedar and making a profit! Lol!) Nice to see that these days..
We have cedar siding, too. Wouldn't dream of changing it.
Looking really good. My renovation starts in spring. Just cleaning up outside yard and patching some holes before winter. House I got has been vacant ten years. I'll own it for less than I pay rent a year and thanks to guys like you. I'm not scared to jump in and try to do some of this stuff on my own. Amazing thing, my landlord will be helping me with some stuff. Electrical, plumbing, framing, making sure it looks nice and is up to code. He knows this stuff and appreciates when I started renting from him, he ask how long I'd be there. I replied, when I buy a house. He knows I bought this and has offered a hand, I expect two years before it's livable although it's honestly not bad right now. Just upgrading everything, finishing an unfinished addition, 14x30. I'm excited and can't even step on the property until October 1, 2020.
congrats!
Similar story with my house. First house I've bought, built in 1956, needed some much needed love after being neglected for the last 10-15 years. The place reeked of animal urine on all the floors and sprayed up onto the walls, electrical was never update (panel was at least thankfully). You should see how they framed and ran electrical in my basement, its like a caveman was doing DIY work here. My favorite was repairing the cracks in the ceiling caused by the ceiling fans installed in mounts (the old school kind with the 2 stupid nails either side) that never should of been used that way. Thanks for all your help, tips, and insight Jeff its been a huge help.
Cheers Kyle!
Thanks for not editing out the botched window cut out. That was hilarious 😂 and caught me off guard...I've rehabbed 2 homes on my own and felt like during the process I had bitten off more than I could chew, but I truly enjoyed the whole process. It was like doing a great big craft project (so many different projects, a regular rabit hole). One house was a craftsman style home and I really felt honored to freshen that pretty girl back up. It was awesome working in a home that someone had taken so much pride in building (cedar closets, wood floor, archways, nooks, pink bathroom tile...thick baseboards and crown molding, great vibe) And about your botched window cutout, I had a similar problem with replacing a broken panel in an old door. It took me three times is a charm for that replacement cut. I love watching you and your wife and hearing your life story, but mostly seeing the strong commitment. you two inspire me. God Bless you and your family.
It's fun to meet the woman behind the man! Hi Michelle!
Hello 👋
Considering the amount of work you have to do; you have a great positive attitude towards it all. It's a pleasure to watch you guys work.
Thanks for all the videos. My husband and I just bought a 1970's fixer-upper on a beautiful piece of land here in Georgia, USA. While we hired professionals to replace windows and siding, we are renovating the interior ourselves. So I sit here with drywall mud drips on me, watch the videos for the 3rd and 4th times, and eat my lunch. It's a pleasure to see you and your family working together and the projects turning out so beautifully. Gives me hope. Blessings to you all.
Thank you! I am DIYing my 60-year-old house in NZ. It was moved to Taupo from Auckland on a truck. Moving a house seems to be a NZ thing - not something that you would ever see in the UK where I am from. So my house is a wreck. Moving it warps all the walls and doors/windows. But it is a much cheaper way to buy a house than buying a "done" one. Been raining this weekend - the lounge is flooded. There is no lining behind the weatherboard and there is a hole in the roof where the chimney used to be (the chimney can't be moved with the house). I had been feeling overwhelmed until I saw your video. I'm inspired! I feel like I can do it now 🙂
I would recommend a small roof above the front door, it makes a huge difference when it's raining and you're trying to unlock the door.
That depends entirely on the wind, some roofs don't help at all if the wind is always blowing that direction.
ABSOLUTELY! I lived (rented) in a house in Cape Neddick, Me. that was owned by a contractor that had a door most frequently used with NO structure to protect a resident from the weather. It was a nightmare trying to get groceries in the house when it was raining, windy, heavy snow! It made NO sense! Not a good landlord move!!
Done in the style of a documentary. Good job MAX!
Glad you like it thanks for the comment Wei. New eps every 3 weeks and trust me they only get better
Oh gosh, I am watching both you and your wife talking about your journey to buying your first home....both of you are such an inspiring couple....you so deserve this success and happiness....I have just so fallen in love with you both and your children....you make a wonderful family.
I love how REAL you and your family are. Not everyone is a mega millionaire and it’s so much more fun to watch shows like yours that are relatable with life struggle and just getting a home let alone renovating it lol. Keep up the great work guys!
I have enjoyed this episode so much with you both talking about your lives. I think memories are more important and time, you don't get that family time back and kids grow up. Its the memories and the holidays that matter more than a house. Unlike my friends, our first house when my daughter was 8 months old was very small but it was affordable and we fixed it up slowly. We got alot of grief from people about how small our house was, but it gave us our life style and our memories. We are just about to settle on our new home that we hope we will have it until we retire. The house is a bit outdated but we can make it our own slowly, its has been our dream to have a few acres to call our own to have chickens and a vegie garden. I don't regret having our small house in the beginning, as now those people who gave us grief about our tiny house and bought those big houses and over capitalised are renting, as they couldn't afford their mortgages. We had a small mortgage which gave us an opportunity to save and actually enjoy our lives. Life is a struggle but it was important for us that it was financially manageable.
What a great family, thanks for the video Jeff. It was really nice seeing a more inside look into your regular life you have that X factor that really makes your videos enjoyable and fun to watch. Congratulations on everything and cheers to more success and happiness to you and your family
I love the life advice you provide with your wife. The world where one could survive alone is no longer, we can only make it if we help each other. You two are great parents; the proof is in your children.
I’ve binged over 4 hours of your house redo tonight and paused at 18:51 when you asked the love of your life if anything should have been different. The answer is; no matter the circumstances, you’ve raised a beautiful family and everything happens as it should.
The Ol' rental trap lol. I have always been weird about staying home. I even commuted to college instead of living on campus. I'm ready to move out. I feel like I'm super late (I'm 25) but I am okay with it because it's let me get a really good credit score and not have to fall into the paradigm in which I move out before I'm ready only to move back in with debt and a bad credit score to only be able to afford a crappy rental and so on. Don't be ashamed to do it though! There's a difference between deadbeat and living at home and they aren't the same, so at least help out around the house if you're going to stay!
Cheers Zach, sounds like you got your stuff all figured out!
Hi Jeff, Hope you are all well & safe! Although I cannot stop watching your programmes, and huge fan of DIY but as myself disabled (spinal problem & broken neck). I still try to do things at home even my consultant warned me not to lift a feather. So, we recently moved to a two bedroomed bungalow. My wife, her son & myself got so many things that we run out of space very quickly, especially for keeping my electric wheelchair and those tools I need for my rehabilitation/physio. We got a brick shed at the front of the property, which has couple of shelves but not enough for our needs. Anyway, cutting the story (well Novel in this pace I guess) short we decided to put some shelves up so my wife can use that as her pantry to make some room. We end up buying longer than we need for the shelves, and because it will be very hard for me to use Manual Saw, I went ahead and bought a basic *_Circular Saw (Cabled) - Hychika CS-190C_* and looking on UA-cam for learning do's/don't and tips so it will be much easier for me to handle. With all due respect to other on UA-cam, I would like to take the advantage to learn from you. I been watching a lot of the contents from your playlist. While you were using the CS in this video (22:00) the bell rang in my head to ask your opinion and tips to use Circular Saw (CS) safely and efficiently. I guess, I have to buy a Workbench next so I can clamp the materials to safely before try to tackle the CS. But due to my health issue I had to retire when I was only 40 yrs of age from Marine (Merchant Navy), it is hard to just go ahead and buy stuff I need, therefore lot of my projects are on hold including creating contents for my own channel. Financially we are totally rely on my allowances from the Social Fund. Nevertheless, have you any video that talks about tools, especially the CS and how to set up the workbench etc., on your channel? My other project to make box so I can keep the CS safely out of the way getting damaged. Any many other project to build my studio. Any help & advice will much appreciated. Please convey my regards to your better half and your kid Matt as well as Max. Please look after yourself and each other & Stay Safe! Remember, *_Life_* is *_Short_* so *_Live Long_* and *_Prosper_* . All the best! Cheers!!!
Forgetting how long you've been married to each other is such a wholesome thing to forget!!
Tell that to my wife and she might slap u.
Not sure which is more valuable the how to demonstration or the life advice. great video and that house is looking beautiful!
It really is a blessing that Daddy is bigger, stronger and smarter lol....love the doggy watching you guys rip the siding off the house, his doggy eyes are glued to the outside wall, maybe Zeus is waiting for another stick....adorable watching you guys.
Love the construction-dad/pro pep talk about productive time and beating the rush at the store. Reminds me of the old adage "if you have to eat a frog, eat it first, and if you have two frogs to eat, eat the larger one first"
My partner and I just bought our own home ('74 split foyer) around a month ago, and the first job we decided to do is replace the bathroom fan. Well, you would have probably considered it more pathetically brutal than the fan with the unconnected duct due to it being not only not connected to any ducting, but also covered in loose cellulose insulation. Best part is I'm the one on the hook for doing all the attic work because I'm 5'7"/135 lbs, and my partner is 5'10"/270 lbs.
Found you for the paint prep and bathroom fan videos, staying for the laughs, the pep-talks, and the life lessons.
If and when you retire, you should teach if you are so inclined. You are a GREAT teacher.
I’ve just bought my first house at 26, nice two bedroom cottage! Amazingly here in Scotland the government give you £25k towards your mortgage deposit! The cottage is in need of renovation, really enjoy your videos!
You asked what kind of siding your viewers would select and why. I'd select board and batten for multiple reasons. Authenticity - Your home is 140ish years old. Board and Batten was actually stylish 200 years ago. Besides the authenticity of it, it's just really beautiful on a vintage farmhouse like yours. Historically, farmers would use sawmills to cut the long boards, and the battens were out in place to make the structure as airtight as possible. I'd hope this is still true today. In the north (Canada), I'd use whatever I could to keep the cold air out and the warm air in. I just found your channel tonight and I've been binge watching. I'm so excited to see more as we look for our vintage farmhouse and "revision" it. - Edited to add: WOW! I love the colors. Quite the transformation!
This is so cool Jeff! You've inspired a lot of the work I do
Max, great job with the video. Love at the end you set your camera up perfect and the edit of old to new was flawless
Glad you liked it! Cheers to Max!
Love the talk about work ethic! As a nurse of 10 years I learned a LOT working trauma ICU. Being good at anything takes humility, willingness to learn, ask questions, and constant challenges. If you aren't challenged you don't learn as much as quickly.
Loving the series
Thanks we are having a lot of fun making these!
When we had our house built, I put on roof boards from a barn, as a board and batten system for siding after staining the house twice which lasted about 20 years. I removed the wood siding and replaced it with vinyl siding.
I love having your wife in the videos. She brings in a fresh perspective.
Jeff you’ve come along way. I’m a proud fan for sure, I remember when you were just building that deck a few years back. We appreciate you! Love from the Boston, MA!
Thanks for all the great tips. I like wood siding. Aesthetically pleasing, lasting longest, and of course natural higher class material all around.
Watching your videos I feel like I'm watching TV 😆
😁
It's better than TV!
Max is good at his job!
We had our front and sides done in B&B vinyl siding 3 yrs ago, it looks great (In response to @20:00). Lots of compliments from the neighbours and people walking by.
The free advice at the end is on point. I do irrigation and outdoor lighting. My boss takes his son to school so we can't get to work some days until 9, then he picks up his son at 3. It is imperative that we drive separately otherwise I only get 6 hrs a day. Im single so i love to be working making money.. First in and last out.
Felt like my dad was advising me. I'm never gonna learn to build the house but didn't even realise that the video ended....it was wonderful listening and watching you. The most beautiful thing is whatever you said. I've been trying to save money to buy land so I can have a house and become a farmer. Probably I would be buying this year...so excited
Honesty so real so refreshing and still hanging in yeahhh
When you guys talked about putting up the wall in your daughters apartment 😂😂😂😂 also thank you so much! Your videos are a detailed and helpful!
You can also get vinyl siding that is board and batten style and installed vertically instead of horizontally like traditional lap siding. I think that would be an amazing compromise for an older house!! ♥️
I'm not remodeling a house but I really enjoy watching your videos. They're edited so well and you are fun to listen to. Also, it's nice to hear you interact with your wife.
Love all of your educational videos and I appreciate them as well. I'm in the middle of renovating my master bathroom right now. I have used a lot of your tips so far.
Cheers!
So I am giving you a thumbs up, because I knooooow im going to love it
Cheers Ruben!
Really enjoyed watching the progress on the Reno- Love Before and After shots. Happy 50th Birthday
@49:42 --- this is gold.
I've seen some of these snippets before, but it was interesting to have it all together. Also fascinating to hear that you were "trapped" in the rental market for so many years. Solid advice there.
The green siding does look good. I wonder if a vertical board+batten (vinyl even) on the walls with horizontal in the eaves might have made for an interesting look.
So glad your son has taken an interest in your trade- learning from a master. My sons were not interested, my husband is an auto mechanic, sadly for him, they only know how to do minimal maintenance and come to him for the big stuff (and watch!)
Great series, love the content. The mix of reno and behind-the-scenes discussion is awesome!
@18:35 Married with 5 kids, I got my house at 31, which I had planned to stop renting before my 30’s but we kept having babies lol. Anyways, we had to make those sacrifices you talked about. No holidays, old cars, one pair of shoes a year, you name it. We’ve been here a few years now and although it’s non stop work on the old house I think it was worth it. You’re videos have helped me with a number of problems. I watch your channel like it’s a Netflix series. Lol 🙏🏾
Hello, had my cracked cedar siding replaced with Hardy Board. Love it. No painting or staining. Hail will not damage it. House is less drafty.... that could be due to new Tyvek underneath and the new caulking. I want Hardy Board on my next house, too.
Sounds great!
Thank you for showing us you and your wife are still human. With the housing market being the way it is, a 26 yr old as myself with a good job finds in close to impossible to fulfill the homeownership dream. It was nice to hear that you rented for many years before being able to save for a house. Just seems almost anyone who I talk to that's in their 40's/50's thinks of home ownership as a part of life as they don't talk too much about it.... yet its extremely harder today.
I really enjoyed watching you and your wife with all the back story. I’m in the same boat with 4 young kids and trying to get into renovating.
39:06 is literally me working on any project and giving that exact facial expression to my wife as she knows I'm loving it! Lol 😆
I love your channel so much👍😍 ! You have taught me a lot and I am very inspired by all of you ! Thank you for all you do 🙏
Amen Prophetess. I love that this is a ‘real’ couple, I love that they share their journey. This is what I would say more couples experience excepting his skill level. I enjoy this blog channel more than I can express. And I meant to include Tommy Silva with my comment about Norm ☺️😉
"Are you trying to break the glass in the bin?"
Matt- "Yeah".
Lmao made my day, that would be my reaction.
It's beautiful! Love the colors You guys picked too😍
Me to. Just beautiful.
Glad you like it!
Would love to see a hardy board installation episode. Love the channel.
Enjoying watching your journey of renovating your house.
So glad!
I Love the new look for sure but that's a lot of work involved, I love how you are teaching ur son the tips .
Absolutely loving this build series. Very talented and great teacher.
This was a awesome video, your right, it took me several years to get my home . Renting is not a confertable living.
First, I love your videos. Second, it always amazes me how the family members that don't do the work are always the ones to, so easily , be ready to start the next job or move to the next place. My wife from California goes, I think I'd like to live in the middle of the US. He's never been outside of California and I'd be the one using the snow plow. LOL!
Wow. Love this style of video. Learned so much about vinyl siding.
Glad it was helpful!
Lots of fun to watch! Funny fact, I live in the Netherlands and I am renovating a add-on to my shed in my backyard. I think I use the same siding as you do. It's imported from Canada, it's called Kaycan. I have it in Natural Oak-color. It's very easy to use and install. Love it
Grant you this was about 35 years ago, but my step-father had vinyl siding put on the house I helped him build, it was supposed to be flame retardant. We lived there about six years when a fire started on the outside of the house. That siding went up like candle wax. I will never purposefully put vinyl siding on any building. If I could have a house wrapped in granite rock I would feel safer when I closed my see to sleep at night. I was the last one out of the house. No burns, just a little to much smoke. If my only chose is board and batten or vinyl siding I choose the board and batten. I can always rock it up slowly.
Is it possible that young Matt has a phobia for bugs, I can imagine as he is pulling the siding off that the bugs are falling down the back of his hoody lol, and Zeus so darn cute sitting back and watching.
I like your honest talk about renting for years rather than ignoring the fact it is incredibly expensive to buy a house these days and once you have it how much more value you can create in equity and the fact morgages are cheaper than renting... i bought for the fact my morgage was half what I was paying in rent.
This keeps people poor and needs to change in many countries.
I also like your work, you do a good job.
In the Netherlands you can renovate a rented house but return it to standart when you move out. If the new owners like what you have done, you can negotiate costs on what you have spent. Pretty neat 😁😎
Loving these videos. I just saw you had this channel. I love it. Getting to know you personally and working on the jobs. Good stuff.
We've got rats somewhere's I think. We're having to flush the toilet by emptying a bucket right now and I left one full in the bathtub and came back the next day and a rat had drowned in it. We're not moving in until we get the AC running and some hot water. We bought our 1906 balloon framed house for cash and are broke now. We are almost done replacing the octopus flex duct with insulated rectangular duct and hoping the AC works when we turn it on. I bought a bunch of lightweight cordless tools and we both go to town on it. I've got deconstruction down to a fine art. They did a DIY "Open concept" except they didn't put an beams in so the trim was holding the roof up. I've learned a lot on this channel, thanks for sharing your adventures. Our house looks better by comparison!
Hiii, I love watching your show! I like the q&a with your wife. You guys are very honest.
You have to go with vinyl siding. It most closely resembles the original wood siding. Get the premium thickness.
This kind of gives me hope, I married at 21 and we rent. I sometimes despair about buying a house but when we do I’d love to renovate a place
6:20 . Don't get me started on Mortgages. We went to three BANKS, 2 lenders and all turned us down. Even with 51.5% down on a house worth 448,000//00 which we bid on at 270,000.00 . I"m retired and wife works. It was like pure hell. The house we purchased is a 1944 4 split level home, with garage. Its all maintenance updated to do. The roof on the 2:12 slope garage im going with a roll on rubber coating, (after i strip the shingles, air it out one week, reinforce any issues on roof.) then doing a self adhesive GAF roll system. All joints I'm thinking of using fiberglass mesh and rubber sealant.
Love the videos and nice to see you'll both taking it in stride. God Bless yo sir and stay safe.
Oh ya, 4.95 % (5 yrs) mortgage on a $130,000.00 mortgage, 30 years . Wife want to pay it off in six years..
love it guys hearing about your pass woes
My wife and I decided that renting was not an option for us when we got married...so from out of the gate we bought our house when the market was low. Best feeling in the world to own your own place. We bought new to avoid all the reno work, but in 20 years of marriage and living in the same place, there is not much original (on the surface) left in the house. It amazed me that every time we would open something up to start a project, all the hidden mistakes we'd find that the builder left behind.
I vote board and batten, typical of the era. With price of wood rising every day, vinyl is way less expensive. I plan to use board and batten on an addition next fall. It will contrast with existing cedar shingle siding. Another great video! Thank you.
That was a fun our. I have a brick house. so no siding, but i just love to watch. Also a dream crushed, i hate getting up early, so no contracting for me!
Your knowledge is mind blowing, impressive to watch you explain your projects,,A+ my son,,
good chemistry with this family
Glad u shared your story. $50k down payment is sad to hear. Good job on achieving that though! Amazing.
"Should we have masks for this"? "To work outside on your own house"? Love it! Old school.... New school
In answer to your sideing question I'd go with the wood siding on an old home. I think it looks goods and helps maintains some of the old fashioned look if you chose the right type or you could get to play with something like shou sugi ban.
Some tips for the future, tyvek requires a 6" overlap on horizontal, 8" on vertical and 12" each way on corners.
Idk where you're at or your building codes but in Manitoba any flat surface or opening requires a drip cap, for an added bonus some builders here ask for end Dams though they're not required.
Lastly, vinyl J's look better as a mitre on the corners
Seeing how I forgot, I am enjoying the show..glad to see that you're restoring the old house and not demo'ing it for the work is too much or you don't like the layout.
I believe in renovation, saving old homes, but geezer, the dirt, filth, bugs, rot can be so .... overwhelming. Our house was built in 1800, and it still could use renovating after 15 years of doing what we could on our budget. It's like, RIP old house, a modular may take your place, lol. Kidding.
I’m 38 and still live with my parents. At this point, I may just wait until the house is inherited to me (and likely my bro) and keep living here. It’s a small 1800s New England house. Wouldn’t have to worry about rent or mortgage at that point.
As an upcycler I winced when he tossed that beautiful door in the dumpster!😭
What a beauty, you’re a magician 🎩
I have really been enjoying your videos. I was clueless going in but I feel a lot more confident that my hubby and I stand a chance at this someday. It looks like a lot of work but not nearly as challenging as I had first imagined. The biggest thing is tools since we have nothing xD we've never had a home of our own but I cant wait to own one at this rate.
Loving this! I just bought a farmhouse too and am currently renovating it! 😊
30:53 JEFF!! You just parged that area in your last video!
yup. Cheers!
THE COLOR IS BEAUTIFUL! 😍
Don't beat yourself up about when you were able to buy a house. You did the best you could and raised 4 amazing people who are working beside you now
So happy for you and the wife, Jeff!
I'd stick with the siding I have now. Concrete shingles (of course with the age of this house, it probably has asbestos in it too)
The stuff is basically bulletproof. Doesn't rot, doesn't get dinged easily, haven't really noticed anything expansion/contraction wise. And it takes paint beautifully.