Homemade Home

I paid $8500 plus closing costs which put this house between $9000 and $9500 total.....$9000 rolls off the tongue easier. I expect to spend around $10k on repairs, having less than $20k invested. The house would then rent for $700- $800....maybe more or could be sold for around $150,000

DEMOLITION!!! One of the most exciting parts of a renovation. I'm starting this project doing some problem solving. Real work begins with tearing out the kitchen and bathroom. My plan has already changed a little since this video, meaning that I'm going further than I planned.......as usual. This is going to be a big project but I'm looking forward to it. I'm going to start this project with footage I filmed a few months ago, soon I'll be caught up to where I am and then the videos will be released in real time........hopefully with an improved style, more information and more frequently. This house is a long list but it's really not that bad. I'll only have to rewire what I undo, all the plumbing is in one wall and under the kitchen. The majority of the work will be redoing the kitchen and upstairs bathroom completely. The roof will need to be replaced, probably paint the outside of the house and clean up things outside. The rest of this project is more cleaning, painting, and normal work you'd do in between tenants.

Construction begins along with a little demolition in this video. I connect the two bedrooms with a new doorway then relocate the bathroom wall out into the bedroom just a bit. This makes for a heck of a bathroom and leaves the back bedroom small, but still "normal" for a house like this. As you can see, this renovation is getting more involved than I mentioned, but that's the beauty of my videos, you get more than I promise.....I always dive in more than I expect but how else would you convince yourself to take on a project like this. I hope you enjoy the video, give it a thumbs up and let me know your advice on what to do next, I've been working on the house since this was filmed but there is still plenty to comment on that I could benefit from

Major progress on the second floor, rocking out in the bathroom fixing the floor and framing up the layout. Ya'll let me know what you think about this format of the video, the back and forth of working and talking.

In this episode, we move from the upstairs full bath downstairs into the kitchen. The renovation continues framing in the bathroom, a new wall for the porch and rebuilding an old door salvaged from another house. Lots of work in this video and some new filming and editing ideas applied. This is also the first video with the new camera lens, allowing me to show more in one shot. Great for indoor filming and not having to move the camera constantly. As you can see, this renovation is becoming more involved than I intended.....but who is surprised by that? My request to you is that you leave a thumbs up on the video and give me your ideas regarding what I should do going forward in this renovation.

In this episode, I open up the doorway a bit between the kitchen and dining room. The working portion of this video is short. Next up I'm starting plumbing and did not want to mix this with that so I took this opportunity to address some thoughts and questions viewers have brought up as well as go over my plans for the renovation. Don't want to hear the talking, no problem, skip out after the door is done. Thank you for your time, looking forward to the next one.

This is a big video as far as marking progress. When I get to plumbing, I always feel like the worst is over. In this video, I tackle the waste lines starting in the kitchen and moving into the basement. In the next video, I'll show you the conclusion of the plumbing and probably start the electric........maybe. The list is still long but with this house, I'm not going for perfect. I mainly want to fix what is in disrepair and make a few upgrades that will keep this place low maintenance. I've also come to the conclusion that I REALLY need some help on these projects.....hopefully I'll be able to stick to that and get some more people involved so these renovations don't take so long.

It's official, you have caught up to me and now on my heals as I renovate and post in real-time. Be patient, it's a hard slow process without filming and editing. Let me know what you think about this new style of going over things more as I go. In the past, many have enjoyed it so I thought it might me a nice change of pace on the channel. In this video I start wiring in lights and a fan as well as doing a little more demolition, tearing out drywall. This is the stage in a renovation project where it feels like things are starting to be put back together. It's not far off from having drywall installed and painting the interior......at that point, this place will go from a half gutted mess to a much cleaner, finished space. The project is far from done but closer every day.

I'm going to say this is my favorite video in a long time, I enjoy making videos but from the start of the day till I finished this video sitting at the computer, I had a great time. Got lots of work done, made big decisions and followed through. In watching this video, consider your own home, imagine something you want to do and just doing it.....that's why I do these videos. You can have an idea in the morning and be well on your way by days end. Don't be scared, anything you do wrong can be fixed. I hope you enjoy the video, let me know your thoughts about the talk at the end of the video. Thanks for watching.

Things have been going great with the project and channel, all a lot of work, but going great. I figured people would like this house, but I didn't expect it to be this popular but here we are with all the videos getting over 100,000 views. As I've already mentioned, I'm doing more talking in these videos than I've done in the past, explaining small things, offering advice and showing how to do some stuff. Let me know if it is going in a good direction or if it' a touch to much talking. I'm not looking to please everyone but want to offer something different than past videos. I figure that this style of video is more helpful to those looking to get into this work and seeking a better understanding of what is involved. A renovation, even after doing several can be so involved and confusing at times. I hope to clear up what is involved, to show you how much work it can be but also that it is all "doable" if you work hard.

we make huge progress.....some is because we are simply getting a lot done, and other aspects are just grueling...so it's nice to have it out of the way. I start the electric, finish the ducting, do a spot of framing and complete the wiring of the "NEW" bedroom and bathroom. While filming videos slows things down, I enjoy the process from start to finish and am pleased with the renovation so far. My wish is that these videos find the right people and help show them that they too can take on projects like this, even if they don't know exactly how to do the work. I started out having never done any of it myself and learn as I go. Don't let what you don't know or think hold you back. Go blank and just do the work. Let me know if you have any questions, I'm glad to help if I can.

This channel and each video I post has surpassed what I thought they ever would. The growing crowd has gotten attention from many companies but I have not wanted to work with companies until now. I have all kinds of reasons but overall it felt like time. With this support, I plan to upgrade some of my equipment to make the video process go faster, hopefully shaving hours off the process of editing

we take care of the rotting, stinking basement floor. A haphazardly built wood floor over concrete and dirt. The basement was so moldy and mildewy that it smelled strong, like ammonia. It had to go and it did. This video shows that process, basically just grunt work, smashing and removing.

I solve a huge problem, the collapsing living room floor due to an improperly framed staircase opening. It was a mess and still is not perfect but more than adequate for the situation and a lot better than the original. I also address some plumbing and electric including installing an expansion tank, pressure test the lines and wire in for lights, switches and outlets in the basement. I'm hoping to wrap this renovation up soon which means nose to the grind stone. Keep an eye out for more!

I take care of the biggest single problem in this house, redoing the roof. Most all of the problems in this house are due to roof leaks over the years. I'm kind of going at all this backward but I sort of had my reasons. In the future, I am going to do all my roof and exterior repairs first, that way at least the house has a nice appearance right from the beginning. In this episode I get started on the back of the house, ripping off layers of paper and shingles. Repairing overhangs, resheathing and tar paper. It doesn't even have shingles and it's probably the best roof this house has seen in years.

I continue roofing as well as do a major clean up and vent the plumbing. I've been away for a while but back at it. Look forward to many new videos coming soon on this $9000 house renovation.

Takes a different approach, I talk my way through a project, it goes how it goes. I start by working out the transition between the dining room and kitchen. The "Problem" is that the kitchen is lower and I widened the doorway. This left a gap (hole) in the floor. The answer was to create short joists that taper down the kitchen floor. I then filled this in with a 3/4 ply to create a subfloor, this will later be covered by the finished floor later on after the kitchen gets its new vinyl planking. This is one of those projects you start not knowing exactly how you are going to complete it. It worked out fine in the end. Next, I tackled cleaning the main part of the basement, cleaning out the mess, saving some things while disposing of the rest. I also introduce a new aspect to the channel, a mini series answering the question of what I do with reclaimed wood removed from the house. I can't save it all, but the best is reserved for making furniture which is sold and funds these renovations. I'll be taking a minute or two in each video to work on a farm style dining table. I'll sell it then buy more stuff for the house....don't worry, I'm going to stay on task just want to share this side project with you. Let me know what other projects you would be interested in seeing worked into these videos in the future.

I reach my end of year whits and it presents itself in the form of shear nonesense in this 2019 Homemade Home Christmas Spectacular.....it's not all jokes, serious work gets done on this renovation, completely reframing the front bedroom floor. I decided to sister on new joists to help with the sag........there's a lot of other stuff, but that is the gist. Thank you all for watching, it has been a lot of work doing the renovation and I'm not always motivated to stay on task, what kept me going when I wanted to run the other way is knowing people are waiting for videos. Thanks for the pressure!

I start tearing a drywall ceiling out of the dining room and before it was over I had ripped out the walls, rewired the room, installed new lights, opened up the doorway and moved into the living room and gutted it as well. On top of that I finish constructing the base of the farm table in the mini series.

I finish up the electric in the living room and start the long process of getting all the window openings ready for new windows. The current windows are old, poorly installed, flashed, etc and overtime they have leaked and rotted out the framing. In this process I am knocking out the rotten wood and framing in the openings. The plan is to have all new vinyl windows installed, which makes a huge difference in the comfort of a house and its appearance. It's been a while since I posted a video, I've been working on the house and doing other projects, working at another property and trying to have a nice time without always having the camera rolling. It was a nice "break" but hopefully I can get back to the videos now. This video was also a little off beat, skipping around what I was doing and also did not work on the farm table mini series...all that will resume in the next video.

I avoid the Corona virus by keeping my nose to the grindstone. To distract myself from the end of the world, I decide to tear up the side porch on the house, replacing the roof and foundation. This renovation has clearly gone far, much further than I wanted but that seems to be the pattern for me.

I repair the front porch roof framing, sheathing and black paper. It involves the never ending process of demolition, risking life and limb and putting things back together. I also spend some time on the side porch repairing and reframing.

I return to Youtube by cutting down some trees and tearing into yet another room. I also introduce a new project a tiny house build from my past that has come back to haunt me.

In Episode 24 I make big progress on the house tearing out more walls. I get the stairwell taken care of and down to the studs. I wired the upstairs bedroom along with installing additional lighting. I'll have two can lights and a fan. This will help with heating and cooling. While I have more experience renovating houses than the average homeowner, I continue to learn so much and look forward to applying these lessons in future projects. One such task is wiring up the stairwell light, I decided to install a 3 way switch so that the light could be turned on and off at both the bottom and top of the staircase. It is the first time doing so but I've already got several more I plan on wiring up in other locations. As mentioned in the video, it's been a while since I've worked on the video. I have been not only been busy but in need of a mental vacation.......which was nice. I'm looking forward to continuing on this house, marching toward the finish. At this point, I don't only want the rent it will produce, but I just want it off my plate so I can move on to more enjoyable and personal projects. We also make a return to the farm table series, completing the top made from reclaimed tongue and groove pine boards from this house

It's been a while my friends, thank you for hanging in there. My return starts with some announcements along with framing for ducts, window rough openings, headers and working on the gable overhang in preparation for the roof job.

This video shows a few shots of the shingles going on as well as rebuilding a floor system. Old houses often have rigged up construction. As a result of many different builders and given enough time you can end up with a house that looks as if it has been built by Dr. Suess' wildest characters. In this video I do some demo then tighten up a floor system with nice new lumber and joist hangers.

In this video we first take a look at the final result of the roofing job and take another trip to my house. The remainder of the video is spent rebuilding the supporting wall to the stair case and rewiring the lights in the dining room after taking them down to reframe the floor system. I hope you all are enjoying the weekly videos, they are keeping me on track and working hard on the house. Back to work.

This video is rather diverse, from finishing up small details to an epic battle with the concrete block. I finish up the last step in the staircase, wrap up some electrical, complete some framing as well as wrapping up the farm table build. This tremendous 1 hour video is my longest yet. I finish off the video with some Q & A from the comments and address common themes as well as ramble away on topics of my choice.

This video starts off with a little work outside finishing off the side porch underpinning. I frame up a door and hinge it off one of the porch supports. This is the type of project that is great practice when learning to work on a house, simple but hands on teaching the basics. If you are looking for a house to fix up for the first time, this is the type of work you are looking for, not an entire gut job. Keep it simple by taking your time and finding the best house you can afford. The remainder of the video is spent failing my way through adding an electrical circuit for some basement lighting. Clearly this house is a handful and I'm feeling it....but I will forge on.

I consider this video my biggest progress so far in buckling down to get it ready for inspection. My master plan is to take it one room at a time, focusing only on that room until it is done. This makes it easier for me to stay focus and not waste time bouncing around. In this video I do a fair amount of demolition, then framing walls and window rough openings as well as general clean up of the floors and walls. I'm already on to the next room, filming as I go and look forward to showing you more next week.

The master plan continues to impress me with its effectiveness. With that said, I yet again underestimate what I need to do which results in a much bigger job than I expected. I do this often but am normally pleased with the results in the end. In this video I wrap up the back bedroom and bathroom. Up next I will be coming downstairs to give it laser beam focus and get it crossed off my list. Trust me when I say that I am trying my best to stay on task despite all the other responsibilities that I have. Stick with me and I WILL finish this house. Thank you all and good night.

In this video I take care of two rooms, the kitchen and dining room. I'm on a roll and closing in. Cleaning, settling small details and some lingering medium tasks in the effort to get this houses rough in inspection taken care of.

That finishes up the main living areas in the house. Up next I'm down into the basement and trying to get the house prepped and painted

In this episode I tackle starting to clean up the basement but most importantly I finally defeat the concrete block. The rest is just window dressing. Stay tuned for more.

My single biggest progress and it was a lot of work, a full wash down then paint job. Using a pressure washer, cleaners and brushes I was able to prep the aluminum siding for paint. I then spray a high quality latex paint using a Graco X5 sprayer using a 50 foot hose and 413 tip. I am wildly pleased with the outcome. the siding, softies and fascia look as if they where just installed..perhaps not perfect, but in striking contrast to what they looked like.

THIS IS MY MOST REQUESTED VIDEO OF ALL TIME! Since I revealed the concrete block it quickly became an attraction. As I neared tearing it down piece by piece I have had so many people say I should make a video of all the footage beating it senseless.....well here it is, enjoy.

This video is simple, I do a clean up and replace the front door. That's an oversimplification, but that's what I do. It was an involved process so I wanted to show it in one video. It really is a striking difference to the appearance of the house and much more pleasant to not have to kick open the door every time I go inside the house.

This step made this house look much less like a construction site and more of a home. Using simple tools and materials, I am able to create a crafted handrail that is much more appealing than ready to buy components.

Well...I'm not sure what will happen next but it has been a heck of a year in so many ways, both good and bad. This marks the final video of the year for me, on this channel at least. I may post a few on the other channels, "The Homestead Craftsman" and "Common Cents". In this video I dress up the porch ceiling and wire in for a fan. In keeping with the rest of what I do, I try to keep in simple materials wise using luan and 1x2 strips. Once Painted and caulked it will have a clean classic look.

Welcome back everyone, I had to take some time off but I am back for another big year of working on junky houses. As this house gets near to the final day of work, think about what you would like to see next. In this video, I tear out the old steps and build new. It felt good to get this task done. I'll be tackling more soon so stay tuned. I'll probably do a video every 2 weeks for now, maybe more and if I get busy, maybe less. But I promise I'm doing as many as I can.

Another eye sore taken care of. This door install was very satisfying. I'm looking forward to getting inside the porch and making improvements. Keep watching for updates.

construction of the side porch starting with the footers. I'll wrap up the project in the next video with building the stairs, decking and rails. A small porch like this is a great project that takes a few days but makes a world of difference.

the completion of the porch leading to the sunroom. A small porch like this is a great project that takes a few days but makes a world of difference. Most questions that are asked are answered in the talking portions of the video.

this video shows painting a porch that was drastically altered. The columns have been replaced, ceiling vaulted and paneled. The rails where made an a new set of stairs built. For paint, I'm using a Valspar solid stain, plain white for the rails and columns and a shade of blue for the ceiling per viewer request

this video shows painting a porch that was drastically altered. Continuing on the front of the house, I install lights, receptacles, a new fan and a storm door. The renovation is taking a while but with each step, I get closer to the goal. Hang in there!

I think it's sneaking up on me, the inspection that is. I'm running out of things to do before the critical eye of the building inspector scans my work. Plumbing, electrical and carpentry, all on the list for this video.