Restoring A $7,000 Hoarder Mansion: Ruining Floors
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- Опубліковано 26 січ 2024
- Ruining the original 100 year old, solid oak hardwood floors in my mansion.
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Idea: make your office space the "historical room". Floor ,trim, and beams. It can be a reminder of the generations that managed the family farm
I agree with making the office into the (historical room).
That was my thought as well. Also, maybe use some of that wood for picture frames and hang the articles about the house and appropriate pictures.
Excellent ideas!
This is what I was going to say. Then his grandfather would always be with him.
In our area The Historic Society helps with the renovation if you use some of the original materials.
Cole, As a retired flooring contractor, I have a couple of suggestions. 1. before putting down any flooring, go to the lowest level and level the floor from there. 2. reinstall the flooring that you have, without refinishing them and buy unfinished matching planks to replace the broken ones and where the walls were. There is a lot of 2 " X 3/4 " oak planks around. 3. Sand the floors and put whatever finish you want on them. 4. consult with a flooring contractor that works with wood floors.
There were programs like 'HomeTown' on HGTV where a floor re-finisher would do that and they came up great. Sanding down after would be so much easier. Cole should try to find a pro floor sanding/polishing person to do that. May not be easy in his part of Iowa, maybe DesMoines.
This is excellent advice Cole, pay attention.
With as much tile as you’re going to have on the first floor, kitchen and entryway, mudroom etc. it looks like you would have enough wood to do this first floor, at least most of it. You could try to do it or the attic. The whole time you were demoing I was thinking oh please don’t trash that floor! That’s $30,000 worth of hardwood!! 😮
Make a playhouse for your kids and for future generations of children, use the wood floor in there.
Consider the first floor for the original floor and some of the fancier original wood details. You can always use an adjusting layer of subfloor in the kitchen and carpeted rooms. Perhaps an entryway, connecting hallway and a detailed formal dining or side room.
Cole, I have been restoring old buildings 1890's era, for the last few years. I have seen most of what you are talking about many times. I have also read a good number of the comments. Many have said start in the basement and work up. DO THAT. If you jack up the first floor, it will push up the sagging framing and give you a solid base for everything else. You may have to put in an I Beam and probably some supports to keep things in place. Once you have the base, and things are closer to plumb, level, and square, life will get easier on you build. The studs in the walls did not shrink in length over the years. When indoor plumbing came around, plumbers had no qualms about cutting out floor joists to run drains and then places started to sag.
Regarding the flooring, once the floor is pushed up from the basement to as level as it can get, you can deal with the subfloor . You may choose to replace the existing subfloor with tongue and groove plywood for a solid base for the final layer of hardwood. The floor guys will lay down the hardwood and then sand it in place with large belt sanders so the final surface will be even. There will most likely be differences in the color, but with the quantity of flooring you have, you can keep all the old in the same place and hide the transitions to the new stuff.
Another thing to loose sleep over is the thickness of the walls. You have removed plaster and lathe for a total thickness of at least an inch on each wall. Installing 5/8 drywall is going to make the rooms slightly bigger, causing you to have to somehow stretch the base and crown molding. Not a big problem but one that has to be solved farther down the road.
Lastly, flooring and molding is expensive, save as much of the old as possible. Your next purchase is nail pullers or large channel lock pliers to clean 2 x 4's and molding. Clean and stack all you can salvage somewhere out of the way.
Remember, they didn't label a single piece of trim they removed. It all went into a big pile in the middle of the floor.
@@benhur520 Where in the video did he say they weren't labeled?
I thought I heard him say about labeling them near the beginning, but I didn't re-watch to verify or perhaps that was in the last video.
@@benhur520. Cole said in the beginning they would label it all. No, we didn’t see them do so, but I would assume they did so. Just sayin…….😆
Cole, I could fill a lot of space with recommendations, however, will spare the space bc someone else will have more knowledge and ideas than myself.
I want to expound on the sentimental aspects. I’m shocked! Also, ecstatic that you so eloquently and sincerely expressed your feelings about your attachment to all items your deconstructing. I just turned 78 (1/28). I’m dealing with this as well. To listen to a young man consider the nostalgia he associates with his family’s home is heartwarming. My Mom (passed in 2018)was disappointed that her grandchildren didn’t want any of her furniture etc. I’m not interested in “mid century” style furniture, I grew up with it! My sons, in their 50s now, don’t want my stuff either.
I’ve spent way too much time pondering all this and have come to the conclusion---you can’t take it with you!
However, someone else may want/need it. Donate/sell. Whatever. Just try to avoid the landfill.😹😹
My only other recommendation is , the house was built from the ground up! Therefore, it makes sense to start in the basement to stabilize and enforce the foundation from there. May well correct a lot of faults you find above!
Love what you are doing! It endears me even more to your channel and family.
Lived in Council Bluffs for 3 years in the early 80s. Our last winter there was tough, to say the least! Snow on the ground just before Halloween until 2 weeks before a late Easter! The holidays brought 3 weeks of -10 to -20 with -70 to -90 wind chill. Christmas Eve my son and I ran to Omaha for last minute shopping, counted a total of 60+ vehicles/semis stranded on the freeway on the round trip!😻
🇺🇸MesquiteTX
This was great advice. Thanks for sharing
I think you've got to save that flooring. I did the same thing in my 1905 house. I lost about 10-15% of it, and the bought plain oak planks and put a tongue and groove onto them with a table saw. If you need a huge amount of replacement footgae, any good sawmill will make them for you. Warped and damaged peices can also be salvaged by planing or trimming, and then you can use them for edge pieces, or for areas where you won't see their flaws (like the floors inside closets). You won't be able to find new floors that have the same kind of aesthetic feel, look, or durability, despite manufacturer's claims. PLus, it's the environmentally kind thing to do!
what is so great about that old flooring is its 70 or 80 yrs old and no wear points .... no dints from chairs or from dropping heavy points objects . It still looks new !! Thats not how modern oak flooring is .... its soft . New flooring looks old really fast so reuse as much of the old flooring as you can .
Cole, I can't believe that your friend Justin hasn't told you that you can still buy the hardwood flooring exactly like you have been ripping up. You can buy the unfinished oak flooring and stain it any color you want to. I know this sounds crazy but you wouldn't have to sand each board individually when you put the old flooring back down. Put the flooring back down with the stain on it and have someone come in with a floor sander and strip the finish from the whole room/house at once. FYI: Laminate scratches too, and once that scratches there is no way to refinish it. I don't know if you could ever get your floors level enough for vinyl strip flooring. Please don't throw all that old wood floor and trim away if you don't reuse it, there are people that would buy that and reuse it on different things, maybe there is a reclaimed lumber store in your area that would buy it. I would hate to see all that cool old trim get thrown away but it's your trim so you have to make that decision.
Read this one @Cole. This is important! Do not chuck the old floor away. Nails aside the rest can be sorted after reinstallation. Do Not go vinyl floorboards, they’re a cheap look compared to your original.
Yeah, there is no such thing as luxury vinyylinä. It’s just cheap and feels cheap
@@p20071 For a guy who's so obsessed with keeping things clean and neat, have you seen his house before he gutted it? He has a wife who apparently does nothing, including housekeeping.
@@benhur520they have two small children lol she’s busy taking care of the family
@@benhur520Cole’s wife recently gave birth to their second child and is caring for their toddler and packing up what they need for the temporary move to Cole’s parents place. Her health and that of the little ones takes priority over trying to make a house look picture perfect that’s being gutted and renovated.
Cole, your office should have the original wood floors. The big mirror from the parlor, and the fireplace mantle with electrical or propane fireplace. Make your office the historical room in the house. Kind Regards, Todd
I agree the wood floors and wood paneling on the walls and ceiling just looks natural in an office
I agree, Cole's office would be great area for all original home floor, walls, etc. A reminder and memory of his grandfather & father and years of farm in the family
Agree!! Wood floor in office our a wall in his office made with the wood!! Our a wall in the attic!!
Great idea to have the office to have the original items. You’ll be in there a lot to be able to appreciate it and think about your grandfather as you’re doing work for the farm.
This is exactly what I was thinking as Cole was talking about the subject. Cole your office would be the perfect place to have your "memories" displayed, you are going to be spending time in an area which represents your past, present and future.
One bit of advice I would highly recommend is to start your remodel from the bottom up, not the top down. A good house starts with a good foundation. Start at your lowest level, put in entirely new king studs and headers and level everything up from there. Working from the top down is going to lead to a lot of issues.
Totally agree with that. Makes way more sense.
If you go back far enough he did start in the basement
Cole, you can purchase antique 100 year old salvaged floor boards that match the same thickness, tongue-and-groove and wood. Then feather those pieces in with the previous wood. That way you are restoring the floor and you can be proud of your renovation and not have any regrets. Its worth every single minute of sweat and energy to save the floors!!!
Antique weathered wood is INSANELY expensive. And if you really look at the space and his desire to not have threshold bumps for various rooms, which is required if you have a transition to anything carpeted or tile so Cole, your going to have to get that out of your head. The time investment on tongue & groove planks is SO high and they only have 3 people and you could put 1 person on salvaging & cleaning up the wood and they would be busy for at least a month and they will be getting to planting season in 3-4 months.
All depends on when he wants to actually move back into the house too.
He won’t, it will be cheap floor that he buys and puts in himself.
He will not, you can tell he is coming up with any excuse. Because he knows the audience would disagree with his approach. I can already tell I will not sub. Haha
Indeed. And conquer.
If you don't want or can't re-use the wood floor, see if there's a salvage yard that might want to take it off your hands. Lots of people would love to re-use the hardwood flooring. :)
Lordy. I would love to have that flooring. I’ve salvaged a lot of mine, no way I won’t reuse all I can.
LOT'S OF PEOPLE!
I kept what I could with my oak floors too. Then went and bought more 3/4 soild oak flooring. Put it all together, sanded it, stained it, then put on 3 gymnasium finishes. You would never know what was the old floor pieces vs new. And it's BEAUTIFUL! My husband & I did it all by hand, ourselves, over 3000 Sq ft worth.
Hello Cole,
My suggestion is to quickly sort your piles of original flooring into what is obviously garbage and good salvageable pieces. If you only have a small percentage left of original flooring, that is fine. Then buy new solid red oak flooring to make up the difference for the rest of the house. 2 1/4" x 3/4" red oak flooring is still readily available. When you get ready to install the flooring on your new subfloor, take your original flooring and disperse it around the house in each room and hallways. Sporadically work the old flooring into the new flooring. This creates a "Ship of Theseus" situation with your floor. Meaning, you have your old original flooring in there and just replaced what was broken/damaged/too much work to salvage flooring with new wood. I hope this helps.
I would suggest not having hard wood floors in the bedrooms upstairs. I have all hard wood and tile floors in my home and its too cold and echoey. We had to lay down rugs everywhere too. It would have been nicer to just have carpeting in a few rooms at least.
Yes!
Couple of ideas for reusing some of the floors: headboard for your bedroom. Bookcase, dining room table or coffee table. Design for front entry way floor. Accent wall in your office or a room that holds a lot of memories
Cole, use the original hardwood floor in one of three places. 1. Put it in your office, every time you’re in there it will be good memory. 2. Put it in your living/ family room where your whole family can enjoy, or 3. Put it in your main entry to your house, something everyone entering your home can see.
I agree, the great entrance, the office or the kitchen would be a great place to utilize it.
or the Parlor? with the hutch?
Anyone else think he needs to get into the basement and make sure the middle of the house is level before he starts repairing upper floors first and working his way down. Jacking up the middle of the house could go far toward leveling everything above it.
I have a friend who did hardwood floors and she hates them. I would do a high-quality laminate that can stand up to animals and kids or 2 use tile that looks like hardwood.
Agreed
Cole, my vote is to re-mill the floor and use it as the ceiling on the wrap around porch. Every time you look up at the beautiful ceiling you are also looking up to heaven and remembering him and those that have gone before us. What ever you decide it will be a beautiful memory. All the best
Terrific Idea!! Its also architecturally accurate for a porch ceiling of that house style & vintage.
Except they didn't mark any of the ceiling boards when they tore them down. What he has now is a puzzle with broken pieces.
Maybe use the hardwood in the attic or the basement
Excellent idea!!!!
It would still be exposed to the elements and rot in no time.
doing the attic fully with the original flooring would be so amazing. you could probably piece together all the pieces you would get from both the upper and lower floors! it’d be so nice to be on a full floor that could take you back to good memories rather than just one tiny room. it would be a space where the whole family could gather together and spend time with each other just like you did on those floors for years :) rather than it being one room where people just walk in and out. even the idea of a historical room could be put into the whole attic design, with the beams and everything, and make you feel like you’ve been transported back to the original home
Cole. Your work ethic and tenacity is off the charts. For that I commend you. However, there are some things you really need to consider and maybe do a quick pause on demo if you haven't already gone too far.
It's already a little alarming you have started in the attic. It is possible additional work and possibly rework is going to be needed. The main reason for the floor sag is because the joists simply are not big enough to span the sizes of those rooms. In addition to the joists being undersized it also appears there is a lack of vertical load transfer from basement foundation to the roof support so this needs to be addressed either with new load walls or the addition of engineered beams to help carry the load. Also, please do not tear up the diagonal sub floor until you have properly braced the main load bearing walls. The diagonal sub floor boards help with what is called racking forces. When racking occurs not only does it affect the overall structural capacity but it also will make everything out of square.
You really need to start in the basement and work upwards. If your first floor isn't level then none of the floors above it will be level.
1. Gut down to the studs from basement to attic.
2. remove flooring but not sub floor.
3. Determine vertical load from foundation to roof.
4. Add/modify load baring walls where needed to properly transfer roof load all the way to the foundation.
5. Start leveling the 1st level floor and move up floor by floor. Self leveling floor products could just be the way to go here.
6. Frame out the house with new rooms.
7. Address any roof structure issues caused by all the re-leveling.
8. Get all your mechanicals subbed in - electrical, plumbing, networking.
9. address sub floor concerns - squeaking.
10. Insulate and finish walls and ceilings.
11. New floors installed.
12. Finish work and trim.
As far as flooring choices. While refinishing all the old hardwood would be amazing, you will spend a literal house budget more time and money doing it than just getting new. Maybe save the best pieces for one special room or a future project. You are not going to find old growth oak like that any more. You may even be able to sell it all to a hardwood supplier as vintage flooring to recoup some budget. Personally I will never tile a floor ever again. It is truly a pain to maintain and it is cold and slippery when wet.
Good luck! Can't wait to see more progress and the final reveal.
How is "new" flooring cheaper than sanding and refinishing the original floor? He's gutting the house with a figure it out as you go plan. I've already said to get things back to somewhat normal I figured he's already going to be around $400,000 at this point.
Justin, Cole and Roman have obviously never heard of screw jacks for jacking up floors to level them. Also there are people in every major city who do floor sanding to refinish floors for 1/4 of what he's going to spend.
It’s the blind leading the blind here.
Through my lens, if Grandpas' room is not being extended or removed, use the original flooring and trim to renovate. Use this one room as the original room for your house home bud.
I think it would be gorgeous with the fireplace and china cabinet from downstairs, in whatever room you put the hardwood floors in.
Love this idea!!
Pick a special room to use the flooring on the ceiling. Assuming you will use new flooring that will match closely to original trim color. Perhaps ceiling in your bedroom or office or even bathroom could be with old flooring.
I had the exact same idea as you half typed when I saw your comment. I agree with you and would love to see him do that.
love this idea. He could use it as his office too.
Cole, take a wall in either an office or the attic space and make it a "look back" at the family history. Use the mirror from downstairs and use that as the center piece and trim around it with the old trim and flooring. Then put a series of photos of the home and the family. You could also use the old flooring as frames for all the photos. Just a thought. Good luck moving forward.
Start in the basement !!!! Get everything as level as you can, your going to have to learn to split the difference! It's an old house so no way to get it perfect. No way I would pull up the sub floor just get it leveled up from the lower level. Pull downstairs ceiling and new joist from there. Then rescrew sub floor. As far as old hardwood don't forget you have the entire downstairs flooring. So you should be able to get at least one level complete with old flooring. I truly love watching your videos keep up great work!
Cole, if you’re leveling all the floors then you need to start at the lowest level otherwise you might actually push all your higher floors up that you just got finished leveling.
Definitely this! I was worried a couple videos back when they were replacing some joists in the attic. Then he showed the gap in the new wall on floor 2 and mentioned the lower floor is bowed the same. That means they will have cumulative errors building as they go unless they start down and go up.
I so agree
Yeah I can't even watch this stuff. What the heck are they doing?
My suggestion is to use the original wood floors for all the rooms on the 1st floor that aren't tile. Those are the rooms that had the most impressive trim and would benefit the most from keeping it as original as possible. Also having the thicker original hardwood on the 1st floor should make the transitions from tile to hardwood closer to the same level. Then on the 2nd and attic floor you can do something new and the staircases will act as a good transition.
A great idea! It seems incredibly wasteful and disrespectful to simply discard all the hardwood flooring. At least sort the lifted pieces and determine how much square footage is usable.
The main floor could be the historic floor, and the stairs can be transitions to the upper floors where
more modern alternatives can be installed. A multi cutter could cut nails off if they are only through the tongue portions of the boards, and with the thickness of the original boards, it is not necessary to plane each board. There are dustless sanding machines that can level them after reinstallation. I think the hard question is what you want. If your preference is to modernize, save as much of the old wood as you can for projects like decorative walls, toy boxes, etc. or simply put them up for sale so someone else can repurpose them. It is your house now, so make it what your family wants.
Pick out the best of the original boards, refinish them and use them as a 'feature' floor in a special area. The cost in labour hours and $$ is huge. Then just use new engineered wood floors or whatever every where else.
Oh, and the music for the house renovation is insane Cole! Hope you keep it for the farming videos! Lovin' it.
FLOOR AND WOOD IDEA: I would try to keep the original hardwood for the downstairs open, public space that's visually disconnected from the upstairs and attic. You'd probably be able to salvage enough clean, straight boards for that area. You can find a specialist who could cut those boards down to tongue and groove.
Hi glena🌹🌹
How are you doing?
Use the old oak floors! You are only going to appreciate them more for the sentimental value. You can always find 100 year old reclaimed oak to complete the whole house. The wear and nail holes give the house it's character. Cost will be nominal compared to all new flooring. You already have most of the wood! FYI- when you want to level your floors, begin in the basement, work your way up. Foundation is key! Really enjoying your progress! Congrats! :)
Level the floors from the basement up, not the attic down. Level every floor before building any walls or floors.
I agree. It doesn' make any sense to go from he top down.
There is a chateau in france that has been in the same family for 1000 years, they have a room dedicated to the family records / history. It has all the birth records, marriages, family tree, property records, records of the chateau. It was amazing, you could create a library / records / office
"the Bonneval archives" . Just a thought. perfect use of the OG materials
Hi Deanna🌹🌹
How are you doing?
Cole, use the old flooring in the hallways and put new in the bedrooms. You will have area rugs in bedroom around the beds so won’t see the floor. I like the idea of having your office with original wood from the house.
Roman is a funny guy . Glad to see he keeps Cole on the straight and narrow 😂😂
Long term perspective- the time and effort you would take in restoring the original flooring (albeit for a few rooms) is well worth it. You mentioned how much pride your grandfather talked about those floors. This would be the same pride that you would talk about with your kids (grandkids) and a memory they would have of you when you are gone.
Exactly!
Cole, first of all let me say that I really enjoy your channel. I found it about a month ago totally by accident. I love the interactions with your family and the bond that you all seem to share. I love getting to know you and Nave and watching little Edward grow. Daddy Cornstar is an absolute hoot and I have subscribed to his channel as well. I really enjoy learning about farming and what it takes to make a life from it. There is so much I never realized that went into it.
With all that being said, I cannot watch any more videos about the house. First of all, you say you are restoring it. That's not at all what you're doing. A restoration would mean you are restoring it back to it's original condition as it was in it's heyday. What you are doing is a renovation. I truly wish you were doing a restoration. I wanted to cry the whole time I was watching today's video. All that beautiful wood trim that you tore out is now most likely useless, and will probably never find it's way back into the house. When you talk about tearing out the fireplace, I just want to shake you and yell "what are you thinking???" That fireplace and mantle are a huge part of the character of the house!
I know you and Nave want a beautiful home to raise your family, but you need to think about the history of the house. That house is old. It's history spans two world wars, the Korean and Vietnam conflicts, disastrous weather, family struggles and hardships. By tearing out everything and replacing it with new, you're going to lose the history and the character of the house. Your kids are not going to be able to actually see the living history of the house in every corner. Maybe I'm just a sentimental old fool, but when I see old houses defaced in the name of modernization, it just hurts my heart. Ultimately it's your house and you can do what you see fit, but it just breaks my heart to watch it. 😪
maybe up-cycling the wood into furniture, coffee tables, bookcases and bench seats. Small projects. I do like what some people have commented about a panel wall with generations in photos. Your extended family is growing and are providing for even more varied entertainment. Thank you
I love that you have worked so hard on this property that being said my heart sank when you removed all the wood. The flooring and trim and built ins make that house a gem. I hope that you realize how that will completely and forever change what that house was. I understand it’s your house and you have done an amazing job but these details are a treasure and I hope you do not strip the character and charm away. And for all that holy and sacred do not throw away that flooring if you choose to not use it I am confident there’s a salvage value for it.
I understand why you need to make your home safe and work for your family. It just makes me a little sad to see all that history disappear
yeah i said that when he wanted to rip out $60k worth of crown molding for a 5k bathroom upgrade years ago.
He’s making new history ❤️❤️❤️
@@moda78z that wont last 20 years lol how does that make since. taring all the lathe out and everything after that long im sure he's going to find more problems out sooner then later doing stuff like that. glad it's not me or my property. other then that he's doing a great job. just wish it was a newer house lol. but it's his house he owns it so he can do with what he want to with it.
Shiplap wall or build a piece of furniture, use it for picture frames or trim. Make butcher blocks for the family.
As a flooring contractor myself, my advice is this: Use your reclaimed wood as an accent wall in an office or make a piece of furniture out of it. I would not recommend reutilizing the flooring without a huge headache to clean the flooring up enough to reuse it when the cost of the new materials is as low as it currently is. To fully clean all the years of dirt out of the grooves, to sort and pull nails / discard all defective boards or cut out defective sections of boards isn’t very cost effective unless your doing it all with “free” time and ambition to do so.
As someone that has restored my grandparents house and has faced the same problems. I decided to focus on the gathering rooms to restore the original wood work. I used all flooring and trim work in the greeting room and dining room. And also the library/ cigar room that didn't exist. You have a gem of a house, good luck with it.
If the parlor was your favorite part of the house, use the original wood in there, especially since it will set the first impression for everyone when you walk into the house.
I feel your pain, I owned a house built in 1913 with the same oak trim. Sort out the good wood that can be reused. If it will do one level great, if not, pick a room. You will be glad you did. There are woodworkers that could repurpose the rest of the wood for furniture or picture frames that could be used in the house.
Cole, I’ve been watching you since the beginning. Restoring this house is what brought me here, so I was excited when you were starting to work on the inside. But, I have to say that I am extremely disappointed in your decisions. I am a 62 year-old woman who is restoring a home built in 1880’s, my husband and I doing all of the inside work ourselves. You can NEVER replace that beautiful woodwork or those beautiful floors. Your decisions make sense from a business perspective, but I thought the house and farm and family meant more to you than a business. A contractor will ALWAYS advise you to tear everything out and put new stuff because it’s the easiest and cheapest thing to do. If you are going to do that why don’t you leave the house standing and build a new one somewhere else on the property? Maybe you or someone else in your family will have the time to restore it correctly one day. Because what you are doing is not restoring it, you are tearing it down from the inside out. I’m sorry, I hate to leave a negative comment. I have loved watching you all these years and admire your work ethic, and loved watching the progress you have made on the farm. But, when I heard “luxury vinyl floors” I had to quit watching. Call them what they are, “plastic floors”. You are a good man Cole, and I wish you all the best in your endeavors, but I can’t continue to watch the gutting of this beautiful house.
My vote is to use the original oak flooring as the attic floor. With flooring salvaged from the first and second floor I'd think you'd have enough for the attic. I'd use a couple of rental shipping containers to keep all of the original material safe and out of the way while the construction proceeds. Lastly I'm impressed by Roman and your neighbor (Jason?) great guys and very capable as well. I think you'd do well by hiring a Ukrainian flooring craftsman and set them loose in the attic. The cost for a planer and small wood shaper isn't that high and then you have them for future jobs.
Justin
The idea of using that wood in your office has been put out there, and I think it's a GREAT idea. That will give you one room that is historic to the house and will remind you of your family. NOW, I will tell you as someone that has dealt with old wood flooring. It looks twisted and warped, and probably is. However, you need to remember that it will conform to the floor that you put it on. Once you have a new subfloor in place, and you nail down the first piece of wood (groove side toward an outside wall) you nail the board down to the subfloor along the tongue edge of the board. The next boards groove fits along that tongue and it holds the board to the floor as you nail down the next board and so on from where you start to where you finish. They make a tongue nailing tool specifically for that. I wish I could put pictures with this post because a visual is way better than trying to explain it unless you have done it. I would also recommend that you not run the boards through a planer. Get the floor put in place as is, then rent a big industrial floor sander and sand the entire floor smooth. This will do two things. IF you got the floor nailed down correctly, it will help level out any high or low spots and make the floor even. Plaining each board separately won't do this for you even if you do every board at the same time, day, settings, etc. Trust me I've dealt with that and had board still not match up perfectly smooth. Variations in the tongues' and groove's manufacturing will cause this issue. Good luck with the remodel of your home, and I truly hope you take the idea of using the original wood to build your office, it will make a huge difference to you in the long run, both as a historic thing but more importantly as a family history thing.
Cole running a floor sander just may break the internet.
The only room that is just right to restore to its original design can only be the parlor of your house.
It just makes sense restoring that room because modern houses no longer have parlors to put a home’s finest materials and furnishings.
The parlor was the representation of the house with its most expensive materials and furnishings in old homes.
You can make your entire house new to include new flooring throughout and reserve your parlor to show your five generations of heritage passing onto the sixth to your children.
You’ll have the best of both worlds.
I would also decorate the parlor with antique furniture from your great-great grandfather’s time.
That’s my idea for your home, Cole.
I hope you like it:)
if your going to do a formal dinning room with the hutch and all that it would be the room to reuse the hardwood flooring denail and find a small cabinet shop that would have a drum sander to feed it through to remove all the finish relay and re finish it would seal the wood from stains
I've done restore/demo a couple times with hardwood floors.. after loss you're probably going to have enough floor wood left over to do one floor.. either the public level or the bedroom level. rather than just one room, you'll be able to choose whether you want the history in your living and family room (i.e. the public stuff) or your upstairs bedrooms. Don't try to overextend what you have and you'll come out great.
Attic area!!
I’d think your right 3 floors of wood would more then likely leave enough wood for one floor
Loved seeing your progress today! You don't need to plane down each hardwood plank, you lay them, weave in new oak planks as needed, then sand the floor down to bare wood and refinish. FYI, they make a pneumatic tool that ejects the nails from your hardwood boards like a reverse nailer! It is possible to truly restore those floors to beautiful!
This is my thought exactly as well. Use the old flooring adding new planks as needed. Sand it all once it’s installed and stain it the same color.
Yes! A pneumatic nail remover! They were fairly inexpensive the last time I checked.
I wish he would do some homework before he talks so much.
Bump this so he sees it
☺️
Your best option is to save what you can, toss the bad, and choose to do something awesome with what you salvaged. You can feel good about it in the long run and still have the results you're looking for with new flooring. It has to be a touch decision and your emotional attachment is something you should consider, how could you not feel that way. My advice is to get new, save the old for your attic area and place all the beautiful wood work in there if you want. That way you have the heart of the wood in that room and you can reflect on the history and heart of your family. Bless you man for the effort and the heart you share with us.
I see a couple options. 1) You could do the entire third floor / attic with what you salvage from the first and second floors. You'll either have enough or be close enough to have some made to finish it. 2) You could do the entire first floor aside from the kitchen and bathroom(s). The 3/4" thickness will give you lots of space to put down plywood and a mortar bed to get the height even. It will also allow you to display the historic nature of the house to guests. You can then carpet the second floor for comfort and a little sound deadening. 3) You can have someone turn them into treads for your staircase, so you have that continuity from basement to third floor / attic.
Everyone has “feelings” about YOUR house. You have dreamed about this for so long and I’m so happy for you. You do you and thank you for sharing it with us. ❤
they have feelings because its history... its history that very few modern day carpenters seem to understand anymore, nothing made now seems to last like it did 100 years ago..... replacing solid wood floors with vinyl is not an improvement or a restoration. Yes, its his house but you gotta step back and think " at what point am i taking all the character out of this home" while still claiming you are restoring it.
I agree on all accounts. Restoring some things not all things. Makes it a remodel but keeping some charm will be good. Carpentry isn’t what it once was, that is for sure. Materials were cheap back then and solid oak now, just can’t make up for the cost. Unless cost isn’t a factor.
Saving all that woodwork and trim is probably the greatest thing you've ever done, Cole! Justin wins the working hands contest!
Cole, you can quickly say you were raised from an excellent family; you are caring, appreciative of others, kind, considerate, and patient. We are all excited about seeing your beautiful renovated home!
None of them are as stupid as Cole
@@Mygirlfriend3141 If this is a sincere post, you should be ashamed of yourself. I accept the humor if this is a joke and you are friends with Cole.
What I would suggest would be the wall but make it a family picture wall with that wood as your background in what will be your living room. Or maybe your office and you could show off your family story with pictures.
Roman has your same energy level, he is a great addition to your channel, I love his calling you out, he’s super😎
Cole--lifelong older brother--becomes the baby getting hazed by his talented older brother. he seems happily confused by it.
I myself am not a fan of open concept, to me it feels like a big studio apartment with little to no privacy, but it's your house and I have no issues with you making it fit your family. DO NOT throw away any of that material, somebody will buy it to restore their dream. I have an uncle who used hardwood around the edges of the room and just plywood in the center, then had large custom carpet rugs that covered the plywood.
the amount of people that will be in the house (large family, extended family, friends/neighbors, etc.) they would definitely benefit with areas that are not open - the sound would carry all the way upstairs - no private conversations for anyone, no ability to have privacy/quiet to read/have private phone calls or just to watch a show that everyone else doesn't want to see.
People are actually starting to lean into cozier spaces now. I don’t see the point in having every single space open to the next. My husband wanted to open up our kitchen to the living room. Now the noise from him being in one room is constantly bothering me when I am in the next. I love old homes. I agree that some of them are a little too compartmentalized, but this house looked like it was quite spacious. I’m another one who had a really hard time watching him removing all of that trim. He would not be able to afford to have someone do that today. It’s a shame. I’m hoping that all of that is reused in someway.
Every house needs a good foundation. With the sagging walls you pointed out in the attic it follows that the sagging goes all the way down to the first floor. If you want to move forward it would make sense to make sure the bottom floor is straight, level, and reenforced where necessary then start looking at the first floor walls. Once that is done, second floor fixed and second floor walls after. Then the attic.
Your sentimental value to the floors is the reason you are redoing the home. You can make a feature wall, table, shelf etc. using the floorboards. Keep them, then wait for inspiration or an artist to figure out what to do with them. You may regret it later not keeping them. If you make a piece of art from them, you will be able to show that to all family who comes into your home. A great great grandson of yours may one day look at a design made from those boards and really appreciate that you kept them.
Cole, here's a suggestion for the oak flooring. Use them as inlays in your larger rooms. That way, you can preserve the sentimental value. Another thing with inlays is that you can use them on the floor, walls, and even the ceiling. Doing it this way gives you flexibility in recycling this valuable resource. You also might want to check into second-hand lumber shops that buy and sell old-growth lumber, trim, and things like your mirrored hall tree and fireplace surround/mantle. Even the pocket doors are valuable on the second-hand market. You might be able to recoup some of the money you've spent. Hope these suggestions help. Good luck with your restoration! 😉
Cole, this is an awesome project. My thoughts: 1. You can buy 3/4" thick solid hardwood floor today. The important part is the wood species and the size and position of the tongue and grove. Take a few sample pieces to a good floor shop and ask them if they can supply floor boards to fit that existing tongue and grove. If the match is good, mix old and new boards everywhere. Otherwise, put the reclaimed in a family area so you know that your kids will play on the same boards. 2. Don't put the new beams you are calling Headers under the joists for the attic. Use LVLs and put them inside the ceiling (So you cut the existing joists shorter so that the LVL fits between the ends of the joists) and use joist hangers to transfer the weight from the new and existing joists into the LVLs. 3. Make sure you have an engineer review your load calculations. You are putting an enormous amount of weight (including the weight of future snow) onto very few points. 4. Do not run the existing wood through a planar. The sanding that will be done at the end will take care of removing the finish. Even if you plane them you will have to sand them to get rid of ridges between them on the floor so all you are accomplishing is throwing away wear surface. 5. Your subfloors are perfect! Don't remove them to level anything. You are going to make problems for yourself because new subfloors are much thinner then what you have. Your staircase is cut to meet the finished height that you have and you wont' be able to get that height back with a single layer of subfloor in the future. Every attempt I've seen to modify stair cases to change modified floor heights has failed. You end up with one or two steps that are bigger or smaller then the others and thats something that humans are bad at navigating. They trip on that step or steps repeatedly. Instead, seal the gaps between the boards with flexible caulk and use thin styrofoam to make a "wall" around the edges of the level. Basically you are making a "pan" out of each floor. Then use self-leveling concrete to get the top level close to level across the entire level/floor. Then you can glue-down the new floor or reclaimed flooring onto the cement surface.
Cole, you need to use all the floor boards in that house . Get modern floors for the rest of the house where you don't have enough period!!!!!!
I am so happy that u have help doing your restore/ remodel. Justin and Roman are true workers like you. I first started watching you when u were cleaning out your house. So I too am excited about the changes. 😊
This remodel is interesting. When my family members who work in construction have done similar remodeling of their own homes they start at the bottom or basement and work their way up. Start with a solid base and work up or you will always have problems.
Cole the trim at the top is for holding pictures, they hang on the outside board and then wires would hang down holding the pictures. It would allow you to move pictures and mirrors around quickly. Pretty nifty way to make each room look good when you had company. Keep at the great videos, you make me tired just watchin!
Yup. Picture rail.
The fact that he doesn’t know this… sheesh, do at least a tiny bit of research before gutting a 100+ year old home.
Yes, because you cannot nail into plaster without a big disaster, unlike drywall.
This house has been standing since the 1800's those builders did something right. I've seen examples of new construction that probably won't last 20 yrs. I can't wait to see the finished project, looks like it'll be amazing!
Using the oak flooring on the north wall could be a nice option. As always, thanks for taking us along on your journey.
Seeing all that gorgeous period architecture and design get torn out breaks my heart 💔😭
Same for me.. I cringed too..
Me too. It just gutted me.
Cole, you need to stop saying you're restoring your grandpa's house! You're destroying every bit of historical and beautiful craftsmanship element. Sorry, had to say it!
Omg 😂 until we see the end results can we pls lay out the guy. Houses were constructed and used differently then they are used now. He is taking down the walls to create better spaces for his family he has said repeatedly he will keep the history
@@Oilerfan1989 there was no criticism directed towards Cole and all the hard work he’s doing. The home is going to be beautiful I’m sure! Doesn’t change how sad it is when you see finishings like that come out. That woodwork was incredible and you just don’t see that very often. So yes, many broken hearts watching this vid and I’m sure many hopeful hearts waiting to see how he’s able to bring some of it back.
There are a lot of people whom would probably take that old oak wood floor off your hands. Please don’t throw it away. People love to reuse that beautiful flooring!
Don't have to justify anything with me. This is your home. I'm just lucky that you record what you're doing and put it out there so that people like me can have awesome free entertainment and get to live somewhat vicariously. Thank you.
Use the flooring in the nursery and kids rooms. And your bedroom - that way you're always waling in your ancestors footsteps. Also, restore your grandfathers room to original - seems fitting.
Cole, you are in a tough spot. I'm the daughter of a dad who owned his own construction company. He taught me the love of wood. You can't find oak flooring like that. But I also know the time and effort that it will take to refinish all that wood. May God be with you on whatever you decide.❤
yea i think people like that are off. i don't understand why people like removing old stuff like that for the new bullshit now days.
To replace it w lvp is sacrilege.
It makes me sick to my stomach watching all of that wood, everything being removed like that. I could not finish the video. 😳
I wish I lived closer. I'd LOVE to take every splinter of that wood off of Cole's hands! 😊
Apparently destroying a beautiful house
Please do not use Vinyl Plank flooring I know it’s all the rage today but it looks so artificial use the advice of many commenters before me. Reuse as much as you can and intermix with new. Use a professional.
Don't know why, but this house renovation is very addictive! Keep up the great videos!
Looking great. Fence pliers are a great tool for pulling nail as well as carpet pad staples. Also utilizing closet flooring to use for reinstalling more visible room flooring helps keep the floors matched. Then use new flooring in the closets
At the end of the day, it’s what you are most comfortable with. You plan on staying in the home the rest of your life. A lot of people don’t get that luxury of staying in one spot anymore. I think it would be cool to have your office space as the historical room. Have that room specifically for making it a reconditioned original space.
You can save some of the flooring for sentimental reasons that way. And then have the rest of the house with the new flooring for uniformity.
You seem like you know what you’re doing to make it a livable home for your family, and that’s what matters in the long run. And it’s a place you need to feel comfortable in at the end of a long day anyway.
Cole,
I see the heritage and sentiments towards holding on to a big part of the past. Build a Parlor on the first floor. Somewhere the family will gather, the Christmas tree stands proudly, the fire place brings warmth, the important pieces are all in one big room that everyone can enjoy. I’ve been holding on to see this build.
Blessings my friend
I've read all of the comments and I think this is the best way to allow you and all your family,for years to come, to enjoy the memories of your nostalgic home.
I think this is the best idea, Cole.
You can always donate the wood to a restoration/REstore in your area that takes in old flooring even trim if you have more left over after your renovation.
I was thinking he could make gifts like boxes and hope chest for his family so they can have a piece of their family home as well 🎉🎉🎉
Maybe his sister Summer could help with that.@@markitathomas4146
@@markitathomas4146 That is a great idea!
I am not someone that knows anything about construction so I’ll leave that advice to the pros. I just wanted to say I very recently stumbled on your channel and this is very fun to watch and you seem super cool and present your videos so well. Thanks for all the content!
Love your videos. My husband and I really enjoy Roman. Thanks for taking us along on your life adventures. Congratulations on the new baby.
Cole,if you are going to keep the fireplace, you can surely get enough of the original flooring to do your living room. That way when you and your family get together, everyone can remember the family history.
They are tearing out the chimney & removing the fireplace. They can save the mantelpiece & surround.
At the end of the day, it’s your home to do whatever you want to with. I know myself and thousands of other watchers are biting our nails about the floors, but most of us wouldn’t say anything unless you hadn’t asked. Well maybe not most, some 😂. We are ALL just really enjoying this reno and all the hard work you guys are putting into it for your family. We’re all pretty invested in this now!
I’m speaking for myself, I’d love to hear about the new little guy!! ❤ I just love and appreciate your little family and think it’s wonderful to see a young man your age have such an amazing work ethic.
When picking a room to restore, I would suggest that you pick your favorite room before the restoration and also. Incorporate the favorite things from the other rooms, ie colonnades, hutch, and mirror, and pocket door and label it your history room. You will be paying your elders the ultimate compliment. Thanks
Ideas: 1. Use the original floors in the hallway and landing/loft area of the upstairs, you can use thicker plywood in the rooms to level it out so you're not stepping down into a room, 2. Give each bedroom an accent plank wall and option 3 Use it for your office.
Could make ur office the history room, then when your working in there you can sit on the same wood ur family walked on! Use some of the beams and trim in there, I think that would be a awesome office!
Hi Cole, a few suggestions for your consideration… (1) since you have the boiler, install heated floors throughout the house; (2) use the original flooring as wainscoting in one or more rooms; (3) use the original flooring as the treads and/or landings and/or risers on the stairs to connect the original materials to all floors in the house. Thanks for sharing your journey on the house!
Great idea on wainscoting
I second the heated floors . . . we put 'em in when we added on, and it's so nice to have warm feet. We actually don't have to heat the addition, the floors do all the work. We have a solar system, and as long as the sun shines every few days, we have infinite hot (culinary) water too!
A feature wall in the family room or dining room where family will gather on a regular basis would be so beautiful.
I've been watching these videos for quite some time, and I'm blown away by the trim in this house! I like to think my house might have had similar trim at one time; it's been re-muddled several times, and not always properly. I'm glad you are trying to do things right, and I hope you can save or re-create the original parts.
Dedicate one room to Grampa and do the floor and walls with all the antique woodwork and mirrored doors and cases. Maybe a study or library for you!! 😊
I have rooms today with my dad's stuff in them and even some of grandpa's stuff too!! Good memories!! 👌
It truly is worth a time. That house stood through so much. Restoration versus renovation.
They can say what they want, your best option was to refinish it while in place, I think you have come to the best conclusion, replace the flooring, save enough for a room, if you desire, but it’s 100 years later and the flooring options today and you with the youngsters in the house will be so much happier
Good luck and stay safe!
Do the attic with the original flooring. With all the wood you will pull up from all the other floors, you should have more than enough to cover. The attic is the perfect space for you to display the original finishings.
In our house, we opened up walls and we kept the original floors, but had to replace some boards. the guy we hired feathered it in really nicely.
He was also very careful to test the type of wood so that the new pieces matched up beautifully.
Good luck!
Historical room with a wall made of the original floor sound great. I am totally with you that reusing that original flooring, as flooring, would cost more time and money. I come from an architectural millwork/industrial construction background.
historical room is what I was thinking before you mentioned it. Maybe a couple walls (hall way and/or dining room) for use of the old flooring. You can also make a bunch of frames and put pictures of your ancestors? Don’t listen to the negative comments. You are creating a beautiful home for YOUR family. There will be plenty of memories to share and create!
yes, make your office space your historical room, walls, floors and ceiling with the beams but use your Grandfathers old room, that would be very nostalgic
Old woodwork is character you can never replace
ALSO, you can get new oak that is 3/4”. You could also get salvage from an architectural salvage company. You need to consult a floor pro.
IF you don’t use the original floors, please please please, sell them to an architectural salvage company! Someone out there is trying to match some existing. And you do have quite a bit!
Cole, I love your appreciation of this beautiful house. Replace the original floor. I like the idea of making a wall. Ot you could use the wood to make a table, a bench anything that will be saved for memories!
I highly recommend a glue down vinyl plank. Looks better and won’t separate. Plus if pieces get wrecked you just heat up that specific piece with a hair dryer or heat gun to release the glue. Pull that piece up and put down a new one without having to re-glue anything or rip up other piece up for no reason.
That sounds classy. Save a step and just buy those 12x12 peel and stick tiles.
please tell me you are kidding.... vinyl plank looks better?! stop it.
Cole…just put new floors in. Your grandpa lives in your heart and your memories…not in the wooden floor. I’ve renovated many houses and I’ve redone hardwood. Unless you have all the equipment already, and the knowledge to use that equipment to maximize the amount of good flooring you will ultimately end up with at the end, it’s just too much work for you what you gain. The juice just isn’t worth the squeeze in my opinion. It’s your call, but if you decide to use that old flooring, you best get to work now pulling nails, refinishing and planing that flooring. It’s VERY labour intensive work. I was absolutely blown away by how long it took to get good results and how little good flooring I was actually left with when I was all said and done. I worked 20 to 25 hours a week after work and on weekends for 2 years to get about 1000 square foot of decent usable good flooring out of 2900 square foot of original flooring. It’s always more damaged and beat up than we think. I’ve been there, done that…I’ll likely never do it again. 🤷🏻♂️
I now live in my own historic family farm home that my grandfather built in 1916. I struggled with these same decisions when I renovated my own family home years ago as well Remember..it’s ultimately it’s your home now. Make your own memories within those walls. That is the only legacy that matters. It’s still the same house….just made more modern and better. Your grandfather will understand and respect your decision. Just my two cents. ✌️ Good luck with whatever you decide.
Man it's painful to watch that 100 year old trim and ALL the skill that went into it be removed. Understand why it has to happen, but that's irreplaceable.
Agree. And a mansion is usually 5,000 to 8,000 square feet with 6 to 10 bedrooms. Not a mansion, just a very large farmhouse. Also, you are remodeling, not restoring.
It's breaking my heart. To have such an incredible example of that style of building and just take it all apart and making it 'modern'.
Of course you can buy 3/4 inch unfinished (or finished) oak flooring. Use your grandfathers oak for a decorative boarder along the edges of the floors, and use the new flooring for the center areas. My sister in law and her husband did the this and the result was stunning. It doesn’t have to be a fancy border just a simple contrasting border can really make a difference
I walked into a house that had patterns with different types of wood, he had cherry wood, walnut, maple, oak stained planks in very precise patterns on the floor. Keep your floors get creative with possibly intricate pattern. You walked into foyer there was a hardwood 8 foot 5 foot pattern in the center. Walk into Great Room, was a pattern in middle and then design on the outer edge about 3 feet from the walls. Very intricate. Another thing he also had oak hardwood on the ceiling of the Great Room. Very Unique, Keep those old floors perhaps you can use them in a pattern or ceiling. They belong to house. Work of art so to speak.
With the old flooring why not make a kitchen table or a desk for the office?! Or even a bench? Just thoughts that I think would be cool!
3/4 inch boards aren't thick enough for structure for furniture so he'd have to use them as veneer over structure. It wouldn't be easy to make that look good or right. I think he should find a spot to restore it as flooring. A wall wouldn't look right. The boards are too narrow. And each board would have to be finished separately before installation. You can't evenly said a vertical wall and stain it and make it look right.