Check Out These Carpenters Building A Home In 1940 - Construction Slideshow

www.homebuildingandrepairs.com... Click on this link for more videos about how old houses were built as well as great ideas for new home construction. This video will provide you with a slideshow of pictures taken in the 1940's to provide you with a few ideas how some prefabricated homes were assembled.

[@djtheg6819]

I have a house built in 1915. The craftsmanship was outstanding. The home was made with only 4x4's ( posts on the piers), 2x4s ( all studs, and roof rafters), 2x8s ( floor joists) and 1x6s for the floor sheeting and wall sheeting. ALL the cuts are tight and square. It's amazing when you think it was all done with a hand saw, especially the cross bracing. The 16 penny nails they used make modern nails look like a toy. The interior trim is amazing. All stained trim, no caulking to his joints and everything is perfect, which is even more amazing since it was all hand cut and hand nailed.

[@gravelcreekfarms3850]

Cool stuff. My grandfather was a carpenter in that era I inherited the tools he used it amazing how much they got done with a handful of tools

[@gregvancom]

It is amazing, then it's also amazing at how much faster they can put these homes together today with a variety of different tools and new technology.

[@samv2783]

When I first got into construction we nailed everything with hammers. Nailers were around but not very common yet...but at least we had electric saws. Now we do everything with cordless tools and sometimes I wonder how we ever got along without them. Great pics, thanks!

[@Jay-tk7ib]

Because back then you didn't have to get things done yesterday.

[@gregvancom]

Yes, when I first started in construction in 1978, the only pneumatic nail guns were used by the people nailing the floors and roofs and occasional shear panel.

[@bigredc222]

I started in 1980 as an electrician, it didn't long and I had carpel tunnel bad, it kept me up at night, cordless drills eliminated it.

[@gofgwoodworking]

When I started there were two major draw backs to pneumatic nailers, the first was the cost of the equipment, and nails. The second was the nails we're clipped heads, and building codes at the time required full heads. At least this is what the old guy I worked for told me 🙂

[@danielbuckner2167]

I still use "cordless" tools on remote sites! A good sharp hand saw is faster than you think. Most people have only used old dull ones from the back of grandpa's garage but a sharp saw will rip right through! They are still commonly used in the UK in conjunction with electric tools.

[@dominioncrowntv5197]

My house is from 1948 and it makes sense now the stuff I see. It was probably built on a matter of a couple of months. No sill plate, no anchor bolts, and no gutters. Essentially just a house sitting on a foundation..... Crazy to think about the building codes we enforce today haha

[@gregvancom]

I agree and I don't think all of this additional building hardware is necessary either.

[@thestruggleisreal581]

Trashy home today

[@davishlamburnt3734]

Thanks for the video. Such a simple way of life. It couldn't have taken long for them to get a house that size built with that number of men.

[@johnschlich5505]

good old Sears kit house

[@dumbass3770]

The lack of plumbing and insulation and electrical I think made life a little interesting, we are jaded now with all the luxuries.

[@sammierunner1328]

What you called a hatchet is actually a broadaxe, the handles were usually short. I worked it the woods in the sixties and the smokers used pipes on the job as they were considered safer for fires.Some of the smokers would have begun their work life in the era shown. I am in the process of repairing a cabin from the thirties and appreciate the photo's.

[@gregvancom]

If there's one thing I learned in construction, it's all the different names used and always appreciate the corrections.

[@jcosson10]

Great video! I’m a plumbing apprentice, and I’m always intrigued, and interested in how plumbing work and overall construction work was done when I’m in old homes or buildings.

[@gregvancom]

Glad it was helpful!

[@waterheaterservices]

As a certified master toilet mechanic (plumber), I approve of this message.

[@jamese9283]

You wondered why they were under-nailing @ 4:42. If you look @ 4:53 you can see two 4-foot plates added to the top of the bottom plate on the gable truss (again visible @ 5:07 from the outside). They are under-nailing where those plates are because their nails wouldn't be long enough from the top. I believe those plates are to bring the height of the gable bottom plate up and equal to the vertically oriented ceiling joists on the middle trusses so a strongback can tie everything together (maybe?). Plates could also be links for a 3-piece bottom plate. You have a good closeup @ 5:26. Interesting note, it looks like the bottom plate of the gable truss is either roughcut or oversized. Regarding all the hats, in that era a hat was always part of your attire when you went outside, no matter what the weather was. It was standard just like a shirt and pants. If you look at the oldest movies of people walking in cities, you will notice that EVERYONE, including children, have hats on. That damned painter must have been a real rebel. :-)

[@teh60]

Very cool, great video.

[@charleschidester6767]

My first home was a kit built in the 40s. Wasn't very efficient. But we only paid 35k for it in 1980.

[@gregvancom]

I guess it kind of goes back to you get what you pay for and hopefully you enjoyed living in it with low mortgage payments.

[@mohamedebraheem7352]

Wow, this is great video

[@davemiller7633]

Utterly amazing to watch. Thank you!!

[@waterheaterservices]

Those boys needed a Hilti or Milwaukee cordless tool set for Christmas.

[@gregvancom]

Exactly and maybe a forklift.

[@sfb4577]

The wood looks beautiful!

[@jeffharden6313]

Must have been some were in the south. You would not see a floor system like that in the north.

[@jumpinjojo]

jeff harden *where

[@motonorge1172]

It looks like they dont expect rain

[@ardithysa9969]

Looks like shed building. Prefab sheds are very similarly built like this.

[@Lyle_918]

After WW2 parents bought a home a 2,1,1 700+ sf on 1/3 acre for $5000 walking distance from dad's new employer. Built in 1943 by 4F (men disqualified from military service) it & my parent's 1956 home were by far better quality build than my 2004 house.

[@gregvancom]

Interesting and thanks for sharing. I've heard people suggest that older homes might be better than newer ones, but I think what it comes down to is the quality of building products and knowledgeable workers.

[@carlthornton3076]

Very Good!

[@danielbuckner2167]

A-frame scaffolding os still used today. It was very popular with masons and is seen commonly today in use in marinas. The man planing appears to be putting the bevel on a window sill.

[@gregvancom]

I haven't seen it in years, but when something works great, keep using it.

[@ryanern18]

Wonder if that was late enough in the 40's GI bill kit house? My grandfather lived in one he built himself and my part of the country has huge swaths of them (most holding up just fine).

[@gregvancom]

I'm guessing that there were thousands of these built in the 1940's. I would love to season pictures of them if anyone has them.

[@essentialjudge2279]

The guy with the rigaxe was probably cutting in the threshold for the front door in the older homes they cut down into the rim joist. One guy has a what looks like a framing square. The paper is a wind break and not needed in attic. The bridging I still nail on the same way except on a 2nd floor. I nail the top and then the bottom from the first floor.

[@gregvancom]

When I started working in 1978 they were still using rigging axes, but they look so dangerous there was no way I was going to use one.

[@tandemcompound2]

gin poles were common for raising stuff.

[@truthhurts2149]

Compare that old growth lumber with the garbage you get today. Night and day

[@Jay-tk7ib]

Guys sitting on top of the gables. They really trusted their braces. Except for the prefabbed part, this is the way my dad built. Including the pipe. lol

[@gregvancom]

I never knew anyone who smoked a pipe while they were working, even though I knew a few who smoked a pipe during break.

[@Jay-tk7ib]

@@gregvancom I don't know if my dad smoked a pipe in his younger days, but he did in his later years. I wasn't around when he was doing carpentry. I think it was cigarettes when he was younger.

[@highster]

in one photo the concrete piers have termite shields on top. You don't see that these days.

[@gregvancom]

Not real common.

[@peterfay4959]

Gable ends are sheeted usually, and set by crane, lift, or by hand.

[@kentyson4570]

Be curious if the blocks are just set on the ground or down to the frost line or what.

[@gregvancom]

I also wonder when home builders became aware of frost lines.

[@loushackelford728]

In the 1940 the Government built house in very rural areas to encourage growth of small towns. My Grandparents lived in one for years. No bathroom power or water, had a hand pump and a out house.

[@gregvancom]

I'm pretty sure this was something along those lines also.

[@motonorge1172]

Many people at work

[@robertmeadows1657]

Is that a slide rule in your pocket or are you just ...?

[@jchrg2336]

Grandparents house, even mine had something similar alike this

[@gregvancom]

That means they're still standing.

[@kmnmalaska]

That is a 6' folding rule, and that isn't a combination square he's carrying, it's a try square.

[@timothytoolman927]

No battery-operated screw guns??

[@gregvancom]

Or electric power poles and what about nail bags.

[@audiotechlabs4650]

Is this California? Looks like the San Joaquin Vally. Thanxz

[@gregvancom]

I think it somewhere like Missouri or Tennessee, but I'm sure these homes were built all over the United States around and after World War II.

[@ericalbright8797]

Pipe and hammer damn near fit in the same pocket

[@highster]

the building paper is only at the condition building envelope. just the shiplap siding is weather proof enough to keep the rain out.

[@gregvancom]

I look at the building paper as another additional insurance policy that will prevent water that gets past the siding from entering into the house.

[@danielbuckner2167]

@@gregvancom It blocks draughts.

[@Hats4everyone]

5:01 paper only for the living area?

[@gregvancom]

I know and I've seen this plenty of times in older designs, but never came across it in person. The original wallpaper I guess.

[@highster]

the bridging is not nailed until the very end to allow the joists to shrink.

[@gregvancom]

I've seen it done both ways, but I've also seen lumber shrink up to a year after final inspection

[@dnsmithnc]

I wonder where this house was built? Looks like the great plains somewhere. Also, I notice 24" on center studding.

[@VicNorth2023]

Around 8.05 - Not a block plane its a jack plane by the looks of it

[@cabbyhubby]

I still keep a hatchet on my truck, i use it a few times a year

[@gregvancom]

So did my dad, but I never saw him use it at work.

[@25is27]

And a gust of wind blows it all away

[@gregvancom]

Definitely keep them away from the hurricanes.

[@danielbuckner2167]

@@gregvancom I have one in FL without any strapping, or foundation anchors, or any framing metal attachment brackets. I cant remember how many hurricanes its been through sitting right where it is 500' from the water since just after 1945!

[@gpdewitt]

All the attics I inspect on homes here in Los Angeles, built 1930 or so and earlier, lack paper at the gable ends. Not sure why, big surprise when I first saw it. Metal fasteners have been eschewed by whole cultures of builders, the Japanese, Quakers, boat builders. Japanese temples are particularly interesting, as they're top heavy with the tile roof and in a very active seismic zone. Question for you: why has the claw of a hammer flattened out over the years? Earlier ones like these seem to pull nails more effectively.

[@bmay8818]

Technically, the flatter clawed ones are not claw hammers, they're another kind. I can't remember their name, I just remember seeing something that described the difference. I believe it said that claw hammers are good for pulling nails but the flatter ones are better for prying and moving materials.

[@deerhunter7482]

They are framing hammers and you use scrap wood to fulcrum out the nails .

[@gregvancom]

I don't know if I can answer your question about the claw of the hammer, but think that it might have something to do with leverage. In my opinion, it requires a little more strength to use the hammers like the ones shown in the video, which could lead to breaking the handles of the hammer easier. I also think that most carpenters carry nail pullers in their pouches that often make it easier to pull nails then using the claw of a hammer. How's that for another educated guess from someone who's never going to claim to be an expert, but always willing to offer another opinion.

[@gregvancom]

Definitely better for prying in between materials and who can resist sinking the claws of their hammer into a nice beam and sliding it towards them, without any conscious thought of the hammer head getting pulled off of their hammer handle. Sorry, I had that happen to me as I landed on my behind.

[@crossman20]

Gary DeWitt: They only used building paper/house wrap on the living envelope of the house. Papering the gables would serve no real purpose and add to the cost, also paperless gables help with attic ventilation. Flat claw hammers were initially developed as ripping hammers used mostly for stripping shuttering and concrete formwork and over time became popular with framers etc.

[@mikejustice1196]

Looks like a joe Walters kit

[@westcoastbaptistchurch186]

those are military hats.

[@TooCool4You69]

Lol my house is from exact 1940s and I hate how it’s sloppy they did to my house, lol on drywall it’s messed up my paint leaving a water slain looking all because they used oil paint in back of old times 😅🤷🏻‍♂️ no bathroom air vent 😵‍💫🥴 mold issue 😰 too many weird power plug no longer work today (replace new system) which it’s leaving 100 different useless wires left to rot.. it’s mess! Nasty! But damn I had to clean all that up and replaced a drywall so I can have good paint, pee carpet does to dumpster, adding a vent for bathroom so the mold can get out from wet showering. Phew! Now I fixed all the mistake. 👌🏻

[@TropicalThunder21]

I just wonder if this is house is still around, maybe sitting abandoned in a field somewhere, looks to be in the Midwest or central US, maybe the south… just wonder cause s lot of these homes in the middle of nowhere in these places are hit by tornados eventually

[@nonickname9930]

Enjoyed the pics. They wore hats to shade their heads and faces, unless ye had a purty head of hair that ly liked to show off and not get messed up. Hats stay on yer head better than ball caps, when ye bend over. That was a pith helmet, not hard hat, cooler sometimes. Ain’t a 6 inch slide rule, but a 6 foot folding carpenter rule, probably lurking brand. Tar paper on house walls for insulation and wind barrier, none on gable ends to help loft ventilation. This is a house kit, on site build would have been of balloon framing, every vertical stick in structure reaching from foundation to roof, with ceiling joists, second story floor joists and rafters notched in. Much sturdier than today’s stack framing. Pipes were popular with craftsmen because ye could hold em between yer teeth. Crooked stems hung from yer lips and laid against yer chin. Both hands left free to work with. These things I learned from my dad who was a 40’s carpenter. And these carpenters were proud of their work as craftsmen. That’s why them old houses are straighter’n these “17 year” houses throwed up today.

[@gregvancom]

Glad you enjoyed the pictures and thanks for providing us with another opinion about hats, folding rulers and smoking.

[@brendasanderson7538]

Just bought a 1940 house

[@jtblatt1988]

The yellow dot gets in the way of what you’re showing

[@gregvancom]

Yes, but before I used it, I had 50 times more complaint that viewers couldn't see the cursor.

[@jmanranger7271]

They got in done in one day wow no blue 💙 prints no fussing or cussing 🤬 good old country people 😢

[@daleleibfried8648]

1:55 notice the car in the background.

[@daleleibfried8648]

I became a carpenter in 98 so its really neat to view this older stuff. Especially because I modify many old homes. Most from turn of the century, but working on a mid 50s home at the moment

[@Lyle_918]

1938 Chevrolet

[@womblemk]

If you nailed the sheathing on the deck before you nailed the bridging, you would not be able to nail the tops of the bridging. there would be no way to reach your hammer in there

[@jmanranger7271]

74k for a single wide trailer

[@danielbowman4819]

Those hats were called pith helmets.

[@gregvancom]

Thanks for letting us know.

[@frez777]

so much for insulation, eh?

[@paulmurphy612]

I’d fit right in. I use hand tools all the time. Often they are faster. To do one cut, to do one particular thing; there’s no fuss with cords or hoses. It’s easier to do than it is to convince a modern Workman that it’s easy. I’ve had guys snarling at me...arguing for longer than it would take to do the deed.

[@gregvancom]

You must be retired by now. I've actually watched an old video footage of carpenters sawing one by six diagonal sheathing in what looked like less than five seconds.

[@paulmurphy612]

gregvancom no, not retired yet. I choose hand tools when they make sense. We all hear a lot of sentimental claptrap regarding the “honesty” of hand tools, or the “authenticity”, but I don’t make my decisions like that. I’m strictly mercenary. I choose the best tool for the job (at least as well as I can), and sometimes it’s a hand tool. Case in point: we had to make one cut; a tail cut on a varge rafter. My coworker wanted me to make a forty five minute trip to get a generator! He (we?) had forgotten to bring it. (It was his job.) Shoot, I can make one tail cut in a minute right here, right now! WTH should I go get a generator?

[@jmanranger7271]

Just become a squatters 😅pick ⛏️ a house and live in it if your neighbor is grilling sneak over sneak a burger 😁🍔

[@erichall9304]

1:59 Guy in the middle, no hat?

[@erichall9304]

I was wrong he has a hat.

[@simpleton8148]

Thank God for modern building code.

[@UN4RACING12]

No gutters.

[@gregvancom]

No plumbing, air conditioning or insulation either.

[@UN4RACING12]

@@gregvancom Ha I didn't even catch that. Well I guess at least no dirt floor.

[@danielbuckner2167]

Lots of houses dont have gutters, thats a new england thing that every house has to have gutters.

[@qmax-en5ry]

Some of the 40 buildings had 1x6 tongue and groove siding standing up as a wall with only a horizontal 2x2 on the bottom one on the middle and top.. and that was your final finish inside and outside

[@gregvancom]

Very interesting and I've seen them with wood siding on the inside as well as the outside, but don't think I've ever seen any 2 x 2 framing plates.

[@qmax-en5ry]

@@gregvancom according with the daughter of this particular building her Dad built several cottages and he did it this way because He couldn't find enough materials in the 40' s

[@binthrdonthat]

Those walls look like 24 oc

[@gregvancom]

You're probably right, because they look like they might have been 4 foot prefabricated wall panels and someone else suggested that they were.

[@007more7]

Any body seen pipes I can smell him put him on top of the wall

[@Oldhogleg]

That's called a gin pole, very common in construction in those days.

[@gregvancom]

I wonder where the name came from and hopefully it wasn't an alcoholic.

[@Oldhogleg]

@@gregvancom my father was an Iron worker in the 40's and 50's, so I was already familiar with old school rigging and the different types of derricks.

[@paulradice3534]

They don’t build them Like they use too & It’s a good thing

[@scottkasper6378]

Just build it over the weeds guys it’s fine

[@gregvancom]

I still see people doing it today:)

[@gsm19911]

This house is very primitive even for the 1940s. Must be in the south. Here in my part of New York homes of the era are typically masonry with basements.

[@gofgwoodworking]

The guy with the hatchet is the reason carpenters we're sometimes refered to as "wood butchers"

[@Mike-en4ye]

I always write the date on all my projects in 4 or 5 places. Right now it’s. (TRUMP 2020 ). I wonder what people will say one day when they see that.

[@gregvancom]

Yes, I used to put dollars in the walls.

[@Morphedintoiat43]

Currently Considering buying a home built in 1940. I Wonder how sturdy it truly is.

[@RohirSS]

I'm still learning about home construction, so take this with a pinch of salt, but I used to be a heavy equipment operator and I've demolished a few of those old cracker houses like the one in this video. Both times, I was amazed at how tough they were. Maybe it was the seasoned wood and not the construction method; not sure. But you can take a full-size backhoe bucket, slam it into the roof, and the damn thing just wedges there like an axe in a log. You have to punch it in several places and shake it like a dog with a toy to get it to move. Even then, you're likely to just rip chunks of the roof planks off. More modern structures will collapse with a stern look from one of those machines. My armchair bro science take is that the sturdier sheet sheathing in newer buildings makes the whole roof into a single solid structure, so when it gets pushed over, the whole thing goes. In comparison, the old-fashioned plank decking distributes the force better. ...Or something. Might not have any bearing on the overall quality, but I'll always remember how surprised I was at that.