Excavator Pushes Over 188 year old House! WE DIG 1833 house demolition

Borden-Macomber House, circa 1833, has been in the same family for generations.Family legend has ownership beginning in the mid 1800's as a wedding gift, to Joseph Macomber and Finis Borden Macomber, on Sept 9, 1847. At one time, it is believed there were an additional 23 rooms surrounding the original structure that exists today
For those wondering. The majority of the house was salvaged. Almost all of the interior woodworkings, fixtures, fireplace surrounds were salvaged prior tot the demo! The exterior had many parts of it salvaged as well prior to the demo for reuse. The fragile structure had a lot of dry rot and was removed. Parts of the home will live on in many ways!
WE DIG® Excavation Corp.
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Copyright 2021

[@MatthewKenney]

Thank you for filming this and making the footage publicly available.

[@MarcusZepeda]

It's sad seeing such a beautiful house being knocked down. But I also understand why because the house was unsafe and it was falling apart and rotting already but I'm glad you got everything that need to be salvaged 👍🏼

[@markwilcox3453]

You guys have very clean machines

[@patriciabockenstette6550]

How sad to see such a magnificent house in its time be brought down. Glad that as much as was able could be salvaged. However, sometimes destroying the old to make room for the new just stinks.

[@WEDIGExcavation]

Sad but true. Thanks for the comment!

[@MrArbutusify]

They didn't even take out the. curved handrail. The four gable four valley cupola could have made an awesome little garden house. They didn't take out the multi lite sash. Wasteful goofs.

[@roberts9785]

I am happy you took the time to salvage all the pieces you could before demo. They don't make'em like they used too.

[@maxideas9393]

They didn't. They left windows and doors, those are worth a lot on their own.

[@PreservationEnthusiast]

@@maxideas9393 I think it makes a more exciting demo when stuff is not salvaged. He was a great operator and I love smashing up stuff like windows and staircases etc.

[@cooldudexvi]

If that was my property I would have kept the house where it was because it's a great piece of history.all historical items have a great story behind them.

[@PreservationEnthusiast]

Everything we do is historical in some way. Everything we build, everything we make. It can't all be saved! If that was my house, I'd have pushed it over with an excavator!

[@kelvinsurname7051]

@@PreservationEnthusiast these buildings are from higher value than some ugly shoe box. These buildings took years to make the passion of their workers the elegance the real craftsmanship is irreplaceable!

[@PreservationEnthusiast]

@@kelvinsurname7051 Again, everything is unique. Everything is irreplaceable. Every ship or building is unique. The way society works is people are intrinsically selfish and want to "put their mark" on things. So, perfectly serviceable stuff is smashed up and replaced with new stuff. Which is good for me because I like smashing stuff up or watching it get smashed up!

[@kelvinsurname7051]

@@PreservationEnthusiast Are you telling you openly vandalize old stuff. You embrace modernism?

[@PreservationEnthusiast]

@@kelvinsurname7051 Absolutely. The present and the future is what matters. The past is unimportant in comparison. It is exhilarating to recycle the old and build the new. It's a cycle of death and rebirth. That's how the whole universe works.

[@santantoro8404]

11:50 flying squirrel jumping from the roof 😄😄

[@chsalmon214]

Awesome Demo. Love the different angles. Sad about the house but it served it's purpose for 188 years.

[@WEDIGExcavation]

Thanks for the comment!

[@garyb5796]

If that house could only talk, it would have some stories to tell. Also with mother nature throwing every kind of weather at it, they sure knew how to build a house back then!! Nice video, well done. Good Show!!!

[@WEDIGExcavation]

Very true!

[@johndemeen5575]

Broke up like an old corn chip, no good. Thanks from St. Paul Minnesota.

[@kindalikechicken2299]

Nothing against the company doing the work-it's their job-but this house was killed by developer greed, not dry rot. It could have been saved and restored, according to locals. It should have been. But money talks. It was torn down to clear land for a bunch of new condos. The argument that these places are too old or need too much repair is mostly self-serving BS. This is happening all over RI. America's past, destroyed. When buildings with deep roots like this one are gone, that's it. Your town now looks like any other cookie-cutter town. No respect. Severed roots.

[@WEDIGExcavation]

Thanks for the comment. If we can chime in I would like to say I don’t believe it’s developer greed as much as it is cyclical. I’m sure many felt the same way you do when the Indian grounds had to be destroyed 200years ago to build the house that was demolished. Right or wrong the world is moving on in cycles.

[@PreservationEnthusiast]

When a place has bad dry rot, all wood needs to be removed and burned. When the structure is wooden and badly affected, that is the end of the building. You will also notice the structure had no insulation and did not meet modern codes in a variety of ways. All the people saying it should be saved, need to study construction before commenting.

[@iannalemme]

Quick and efficient

[@flippinmylid]

I also think this is very sad. Why couldn't this house be salvaged? Was it unsafe for living even if renovated? I also agree that pieces to this beautiful house should have been salvaged. That staircase was gorgeous.

[@WEDIGExcavation]

The house was unsafe for a renovation and it was removed for a redevelopment. The majority of the house was salvaged. All of the interior woodworkings, fixtures, fireplace surrounds were salvaged prior tot the demo! The exterior had many parts of it salvaged as well prior to the demo for reuse. The fragile structure had a lot of dry rot and was removed. Parts of the home will live on in many ways!

[@williammatthews2948]

@@WEDIGExcavation That's cool.

[@Al_Dente-d1p]

Sharon, can we hold hands and weep together please? Moron.

[@PreservationEnthusiast]

Dry rot is a killer in a wooden structure. In a brick or stone structure, the timber can be removed and burned. In a wood structure, you basically have to remove the whole building and dispose of it. Which effectively means demolition. If all the infected timber is not removed the problem can reoccur and damage the new structure. If the rot is extensive, demolition is the only option.

[@z.weertje7209]

Hahaha 188 years old? Check Europe, I grew up in a House that was 700 years old

[@WEDIGExcavation]

Right! 200years isn’t even broken in in Europe!

[@kurtismckemmie4850]

I lived in a 200 year old building when I lived in downtown Easthampton ma. And you can definitely tell that it has survived many earthquakes because the stairs were not straight at all as your going to the top floor. And that was the first residential and commercial building built on that street. There is a church nearby and it was built in the 1700's. There's a lot of history in that city.

[@filipe2297]

in Brazil, a 70-year-old house is already falling apart

[@msdespain]

The doors inside the home still had their brass hardware attached, including hinges and door knobs. I would have salvaged those doors at least. This is really a shame that a few historians could not have done more to salvage those old banister rails.

[@mackhopper]

I noticed this same thing. Why aren’t doors salvaged and repurposed. A company in Chicago does repurpose demos and they are experts on salvaging so much of old structures. They save entire floors and people pay a premium to have these floors installed into new residential builds and commercial renovations.

[@mackhopper]

@@mgenigma5 It is pathetic, wasteful and lazy. People just want to thoughtlessly get everything done and wash their hands of it as quickly as possible. We’ve got to become more and more intolerant of this type of dismissive waste.

[@bobber55]

At 11:49 looks like a squirrel ran flying out of the attic.

[@charlesfisher5259]

Did you see the squirrel jump out of the attic when he pushed it over?

[@willieking4306]

It's a great video. Multi angle views, plus drone on the sky. I feel like in a movie.

[@WEDIGExcavation]

That’s great to hear! Make sure to subscribe because there is more to come.

[@unzipthat]

Anyone other than me, notice the Squirrel Leaping from the front portion of the roof when he tips the remaining home over? It's @ 11:50

[@WEDIGExcavation]

YES, Crazy! Check out our other video to get the full sense of what happened!

[@christofour217]

You have good eyes.

[@orionmalik3120]

a tip: you can watch series at Kaldrostream. Me and my gf have been using it for watching loads of movies during the lockdown.

[@graysonfernando8272]

@Orion Malik definitely, have been watching on flixzone} for since december myself :D

[@atlascayden5863]

@Orion Malik Yup, have been using flixzone} for years myself :)

[@conanderbarbar2594]

At 11:49 ' a squirrel jumps off the roof.

[@WEDIGExcavation]

Good eye! kzbin.info/www/bejne/qpLJmGiNltmlhLM Check out the full scene of the Squirrel via the link.

[@conanderbarbar2594]

@@WEDIGExcavation thank you my friend. We watch your videos very seriously. 🤖😀😍😀😍😀🤖

[@matteogomez3678]

Caught that also, technically that makes him a flying squirrel 🐿🦇

[@joaomateuscamparotti5625]

Its sad that this house was demolished but the city where it is must have others preserved buildings.

[@WEDIGExcavation]

Yes there are many other preserved building’s in the area. Thanks for commenting!

[@duke1281]

@ 11:47 did anyone else catch the squirrel flying out of the roof??? LMAO

[@DLR-gz6tv]

Why am I am I so sad watching this. The craftsmanship that was put in this house was wiped out in 1 day. Back in the day when every wall stud was cut by hand and every piece of molding was forged by hand.. ....gone in 1 day.

[@DLR-gz6tv]

.....but then I read the rest of the dissertation. Thank you for salvaging what you could

[@WEDIGExcavation]

Thanks for the comment. It's sad that all good things come to an end at some point...

[@mackhopper]

@@DLR-gz6tv Which ended up not being much at all, as we could all clearly see.

[@justinmccowan2543]

Sure was a nice house, if only a replica could be built in the same way as the original. Of course using good high quality timber framing which is new would produce a very strong structure since you won't have the dry rot issues you saw in this house. I'm not talking the stick framing used today but have artisans use the methods of the period using heavy timber.

[@WEDIGExcavation]

Good idea. Thanks for the comment!

[@georgefilippello7972]

Please tell me why anybody in their right mind would not want to save a beautiful old house like this . We live in a sad world where nobody wants to take pride in restoring the past .

[@WEDIGExcavation]

Thanks for the comment! Unfortunately not every home can be saved. It's the cycle of development. We were only contracted to demolish the home. We tried to do our part by sharing some of the house history with this video.

[@edema123456]

Come to Detroit. Find these all over. You’re free to save them

[@WEDIGExcavation]

LOL

[@georgefilippello7972]

@@WEDIGExcavation But there was so much more architectural items that you could have saved . :(

[@georgefilippello7972]

@@edema123456 Detroit died a long time ago .

[@duanewhite3184]

Do me a favor and paint your bucket green and put an eye on each side of it it'll look like a dinosaur LOL

[@WEDIGExcavation]

🤣

[@jefferyholland]

I would bet that the trailer tires picked up a few parts on their own. Nice having a jib laying around to use as for demo. Pretty cool how you used it to help push the building over. Anyone who has ever demoed a building knows how many things that can go wrong if you approach it incorrectly. Nice job.

[@WEDIGExcavation]

Thanks Jeff, Its always nice when you can improvise safely. It can be very tricky at times. A seasoned operator and a good ground crew make for a safe outcome.

[@bethanymartin16]

Was the squirrel ok? 😂

[@nordicwarrior2176]

My goodness that house is very old that the wood is dry and rot. The bulldozers barely touches it and gets very powdered. Through the years the rain and insects devoured the wood it's amazing it did not collapsed on it's own.

[@WEDIGExcavation]

Exactly. Some don’t understand. Thanks for watching Nordic Warrior!

[@sidefalling]

I just dismantled a structure built 20 years ago… I sold all the framing and materials used in it’s over all construction as one packaged deal. Simply put I just double my money it the past 2 weeks.

[@rutheliz75]

It appears there were more features that could have been salvaged such as doors and stair components : maybe even some of the window sashes . Thanks for posting .

[@WEDIGExcavation]

Yes correct, Unfortunately we're only hired to demo. We try our best to keep it as green as possible and salvage the most we can.

[@nurfyturf3202]

you can tell this building is really old . The whole house shifting when you tap it before crushing, and a light push just moves it off its a foundation

[@tl4340]

What a pity they couldn't save such a magnificent old house, rather than tearing it down and probably replacing it with something awful and modern.

[@turkeyidk4080]

Yup there is ugly houses now there. I checked google maps

[@harold.degand]

What a shame. A piece of history

[@duanewhite3184]

Buildings made out of the best wood and the best building materials there ever was in here you guys tear it down I think I would have rebuilt it I made it into my house let me know somebody's got to tear it down

[@WEDIGExcavation]

Unfortunately it wasn’t in good condition. Thanks for watching

[@jasonbathurst3199]

Am I the only one who say what looked like a squirrel jump off the roof as the house went over in the end?????

[@WEDIGExcavation]

How crazy was that!? Check it out in better detail here kzbin.info/www/bejne/qpLJmGiNltmlhLM

[@andrewwing9892]

99% of this building could’ve been salvaged. Better yet, 100% if it was restored!

[@WEDIGExcavation]

Yes but 4 others are going in its place

[@bvnseven]

LOL

[@mackhopper]

@@WEDIGExcavation You mean four pieces of throw away crap, and nothing of historical value? Oh, okay

[@johnstup4479]

When you hit the front porch the first time and the whole house shook, WOW!

[@WEDIGExcavation]

Its amazing how weak the structure already was!

[@atad]

Ok, will make the comment. Sad to see a house that old being torn down. Also that a lot of architectural pieces, doors, windows, frames, staircase pieces, etc were not salvaged. Some original to the house, and a lot that wasn't and were not that old of addons later. BUT! With all that being said. It was pretty fun, satisfying seeing you destroy and smash it to pieces. :D :P

[@WEDIGExcavation]

Thanks for commenting, The majority of the house was salvaged. Almost all of the interior woodworkings, fixtures, fireplace surrounds were salvaged prior tot the demo! The exterior had many parts of it salvaged as well prior to the demo for reuse. The fragile structure had a lot of dry rot and was removed. Parts of the home will live on in many ways!

[@Fuzzbrain61]

Shame! lovely old house

[@nancyweliczko9334]

I bet a few ghost lost their home along with the poor squirrel that came flying out of the top front of the house.

[@WEDIGExcavation]

😂

[@accelwell7018]

Lmao@ that Squirrel

[@robertaverill936]

Pathetic that this beautiful old home was demolished..that said..good job..(?)

[@gustman9048]

The wood sounds like me eating Kit Kat’s.

[@WEDIGExcavation]

🤣

[@steveng.r.9863]

this is not something i should watch before bed because all it will do is make me sad. if you look up the house and scroll on images for a bit, you see the light and airy interiors of the borden-macomber house, the twisted staircase winding up the room, the thick empire era doorways that may have been “salvaged” but won’t be the same and the cupola on the roof of the house. this truly is a tragedy because it is a house on a hill, where you can see the sea. no excuses could be made to demolish a house of this gravity. i’m sure there are residents who walked by this house all their lives and now, will never see it again. i try to be understanding when looking at old house demolition videos but i have no words. i have seen people gut a house and leave nothing but the 4 exterior walls and then, they put back all the trim and the doorways, and the banister. this house was a local figurehead that has been crushed from the mighty wheel of developers. hey, at least you told no lies about why it was being pulled down or anything. also, who cares if it’s “profitable” when sometimes, you need to spend money and NOT make it back because i would have airlifted the damn thing into the sky if it meant to save it.

[@pileggiwill7290]

a squirrel jumps off the roof

[@seanc5314]

“4 are going in its place...” The house was sold for 212k. A developer is building four new large structures in its place. What if they had built three condos instead, rehabbed the house, and turned the old lady for a handsome 1-2mil? 100 years old... sad. 125 years old... think twice. 150 years old... tragedy. Nearly 200 years old... what were they thinking?! Obviously you are contractors and this is what you do. Not blaming you. But no one should’ve hired anyone to take that old place down.

[@SharpEdgeStandardOfficial]

So after u clean up and dig out the debris from basement, u have to push out the foundation walls concrete, clean it out, backfill the hole, regrade and done?

[@WEDIGExcavation]

Exactly.

[@OCC_Plumbing_and_Restorations]

So can anyone give me some explanation as to why this was demolished?

[@bettyprice9013]

Crunch!

[@alanatkins4315]

A couple of matches a a fire would have been easier.

[@WEDIGExcavation]

FIRE! Thanks for watching!

[@askinlad]

why din't you save the doors, door frames, sash windows, stairs or the banisters & spindles, handrails, or even the floor boards, edged floorboards with the darker golden colour to them alone are worth a tons in UK.

[@WEDIGExcavation]

Only hired to demo and remove. Thanks for watching

[@mackhopper]

@@WEDIGExcavation in other words, very little was actually salvaged/repurposed.

[@thankswillie]

nice video work,did a few house demo,jobs,,back when?. Remember it being a dirty dusty job...we didnt have the luxury of a clam

[@WEDIGExcavation]

Right on

[@bellthandian]

It’s just shameful to see such vicious acts committed on historic homes like this. Nothing against the company but it’s complete BS that it couldn’t have been saved. I’ve dealt with many older homes I’m far worse shape that have been properly restored and conserved. It all comes down to greed and development. What a complete waste not salvaging all the doors, staircase and other architectural elements. Not only are those valuable they can at least help restore other homes from similar periods. You cannot remake these things once they are gone. I doubt what replaces it will stand even half as long.

[@pookatim]

It destroys the impact of a video when you open with the "money shot".

[@WEDIGExcavation]

It’s a teaser

[@kellymeadows353]

Wow!

[@Pedroforpresident2024]

Is that a squirrel flying off the roof as it's coming down at 11:54?

[@WEDIGExcavation]

Sure is

[@AK-47ISTHEWAY]

HEY!!! Why did you destroy my house? Where am I going to sleep now?

[@WEDIGExcavation]

😬 oops

[@jackmill4235]

Where is the squirrel that jumped out going to sleep?

[@nordicwarrior2176]

@@WEDIGExcavation try Detroit plenty of abandoned houses. Oh by the way hurry up they're starting to demolish em.

[@user-mh8gr7tu4j]

why is there slow motion

[@stephenknob7540]

Tragic. Another piece of American architecture gone forever.

[@Elaine-br4lw]

How long did the demolition take?

[@WEDIGExcavation]

A day to demo and a day+- to load all the remaining debris. Thanks for watching !

[@kurtismckemmie4850]

If this house was in Massachusetts the historical society would throw the book at the developer.

[@stevemacomber470]

I know that house…

[@idiotsavant7276]

“How could you destroy this historical home” People who say that, don’t live in anything build in the 1800 and early 1900s. These homes are fire traps waiting to be blown over in a wind storm the foundations are usually failing. Most are built around an interior chimney as a main support to the construction. After 100 years of heating and cooling, the bricks fail, the house begins to compress in on the chimney and sink at the center. You can spend 150k just fixing the foundational issues to keep it from collapsing in on itself or demo the whole house for $50k. I always suggest demo, becuase your going to spend 500k over 20 years in repairs vs just building a new home.

[@WEDIGExcavation]

VALID POINTS! Thanks for the comment

[@gilliamjf]

As if a McMansion will outlast this 188-year old home? Even if it was supported by a chimney, McMansions are supported by the drywall.

[@matmabira]

I agree with you. Good analysis, this kind of house is not made to last over time

[@sidefalling]

It’s called salvage or reclaiming.., y’all just trashed it all.

[@albertcyphers1532]

I love these demo companies that rip it down not thinking about salvaging beams and such that could have been sold at a greater profit

[@WEDIGExcavation]

We salvage as much as we can prior to a scheduled demolition.

[@maxideas9393]

@WE DIG no you didn't. All those windows and doors and trim are worth a fortune for how old they are. I've salvaged stuff like this and made an easy $15 -$20k on just that.

[@mackhopper]

@@maxideas9393 On point!

[@larrysorenson4789]

The sand glass was probably worthy several thousand dollars alone.

[@WEDIGExcavation]

Interesting..

[@bvnseven]

@@WEDIGExcavation Those that wanted to put a curse on y'all have something in common with that house; an unstable foundation. BTW, who got the contract for the house?

[@thomasschiller5197]

Sad to see it go in a trailer when there was so much to salvage ,I guess u only figure it as a tear down .doors hardware and trim not worth it ?

[@dannabon3279]

I seen through pervious comments you were only hired to do demo work. I'm curious if given the chance to save stuff, would there have been some items you would've saved?

[@WEDIGExcavation]

Not much honestly. Maybe some of the old trims. Most items were updated..We did manage to save almost all the corbels once the house was down. Those are impressive.

[@Colinmetcalfe1984]

That was an amazing house if that was my house I would keep it then remodel it, but it’s demolished.

[@zrtknl]

Where is the debris dumped? What happens to it?

[@WEDIGExcavation]

Sorted, burned and landfill mostly. Thanks for watching!

[@peon9282]

I guess full hydraulic Quick coupler+different attachments aren‘t profitable it the US? A sorting grab would be much better to load, but all these hydraulic attachments only make sense if you have OilQuick/Steelwrist etc.

[@WEDIGExcavation]

True OilQuick is next for us!

[@arkansastrash320]

I think that was the coolest house, really its like a building 3 stories and that little house or sun room on top.I bet when the house was safe it was nice to go up there and look out you are allmost 4 stories high up there so neat.I wonder if there are any 4 story houses?

[@WEDIGExcavation]

IThanks for the comment!

[@bobbrinkerhoff3592]

When that house was built in 1833 lookouts on the roof we're not uncommon. It had only been twenty years before that we had to kick the British out for the second time, the Indian tribes hadn't settled down yet and , this is in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, I don't know which body of water is in the background, but they also were probably checking on the ships in the area.

[@arkansastrash320]

@@bobbrinkerhoff3592 Thanks for the information.Wish historically the house could have been restored.

[@jesusduenez4445]

Nice work! How many truck loads where filled? How much does it cost to demo a home that big? Thanks!

[@WEDIGExcavation]

Thank you. It was around 600CY of disposal. Cost is undisclosed

[@eddybear6402]

Donald Duck’s house demolition

[@mattdaniels1051]

Way to go! Destroy and not teach American history!

[@WEDIGExcavation]

Dry rot to the max. Falling apart. Needed to be removed

[@mackhopper]

@@WEDIGExcavation The balustrade to the stairway looked like it was in immaculate condition, among other demo’s elements.

[@arnaldovinagre4350]

Quite sad... but everything has a beginning and an end! Have you managed to make a film inside the house before demo?? Hopefully a better house will rise! Thanks for sharing.

[@WEDIGExcavation]

We did not film inside but will be sure to do a follow up video of the new buildings taking its place. Thanks for the comment!

[@arnaldovinagre4350]

@@WEDIGExcavation Cheers!!! Keep well and safe!

[@YodaAz58]

was there any ASBESTOES abatement done, prior to teardown????

[@WEDIGExcavation]

Yes

[@marcelhertig3935]

the truck,is standing bad,to the excavator

[@STARDRIVE]

And, did you find that last Easter egg? I'm sure next time they'll hide them in the garden 😉

[@WEDIGExcavation]

LOL

[@Scrapy-ih7ob]

I guess those squirrels cant read.. thought you where kidding, Demo day.. got to go.

[@WEDIGExcavation]

😆

[@vaughn28oz]

Sound track ruined it.

[@WEDIGExcavation]

Noted.

[@ubme21]

2:18 hey you have some house stuck in your teeth

[@WEDIGExcavation]

😂

[@keisha989]

it would have easier to burn it down and not so much to clean up

[@WEDIGExcavation]

Not as much fun though. Thanks for watching!

[@nordicwarrior2176]

Didn't you see the house it was basically collapsing on it's own you would barely touch it and the house would brake or collapsed.

[@keisha989]

It did look like it was on it's last legs, A good storm would have probably have brought it down

[@TheOtherGuys2]

On some level it's sad to see an old thing go, but on another level, at some point you have to just accept that it's not useful or important. Like, it's not a monument or museum piece, it's not preserved, it's not even a look at how people lived in the 1840s because at that time, it wasn't nearly 200 years old and falling apart. There's a difference between a house from 1833 that's been preserved and kept up to show how things were at that time, and a house from 1833 that's just old. On another note, man that looks fun. Tearing a house to bits one 'bite' at a time, being all methodical and systematic and carefully planning each step of the demolition. If I could do this kind of thing in a video game, I would be doing that right now.

[@kdegray]

I spy a DW truck

[@WEDIGExcavation]

Yes sir 👍🏻

[@fbi19751]

a 11 min 50 s ecureuil volant lol

[@KS-wt9gj]

Rocket J. Squirrel

[@deadghost1964]

Location?

[@WEDIGExcavation]

Portsmouth, RI

[@paulgudmestad8955]

Why is this being demolished? I’ve seen houses much older being remodeled? The material in that house is unlike anything today ! Pretty disgusting

[@kelliskinner1929]

It is absolutely disgusting. A curse on the owners of the property and the demolition company. A curse on them.

[@robertstoddard3626]

Leave our history alone

[@allmediaallmedia2065]

barbarians...