Historic Houses: 3 Things to Remember when buying or restoring these homes.

[@dustyandsneezing]

As a craftsmen, I've heard no one speak the way Brent Hull does and he knows exactly what he's talking about. I take pleasure in learning from him

[@BrentHull]

Thanks so much.

[@davidpitt4320]

I live in a 1909 house in Scotland. We get lots of rain. It is so true that the house must be able to breathe. Handyman tried to insulate a floor and we got really expensive rot problems. Ripped it out the house is as dry as it always been. Moral of the story I live in Scotland put on a jumper rather mess about with insulation and let the house breathe. Love the show.

[@BrentHull]

Thanks for watching!

[@lisalaufenberg6002]

Great video! I lived in Dallas in the late 80’s-early 90’s. I remember those neighborhoods in the north Dallas area, all the houses were similar and I would call it, “a sea of roofs,” I also remember driving through Highland Park and I loved those old homes, it makes me sad that they have torn some of them down.

[@BrentHull]

Thanks!

[@RenovationFarmhouse]

Perfect episode for my ongoing renovation…1896

[@BrentHull]

Great to hear!!

[@chrismatteson2337]

I love you for your historic knowledge, philosophies, and craftsmanship! It's not just character they are replacing. The materials are irreplaceable! I can't express enough how your channel is so important!

[@BrentHull]

Thanks so much!!

[@timgarner1957]

Preach brother, these new house we call em 10 year houses cause in 10 years your gonna have to replace it all! Worked for a big contractor qoute " quantity over quality! Meaning build to sell not to last. Love ol houses ..built to last. . Thanks for saving old houses!

[@BrentHull]

Thanks for watching!!

[@jacobbwalters8133]

Great tips- I’m currently remodeling my great grandmother’s old turn of the century farmhouse that was renovated in the late sixties. She passed earlier this year and I’ve been trying to honor both eras (restoring the original old growth heart pine floors, keeping the original moldings, windows, and pocket doors, and keeping the late sixties style kitchen and sunroom). It’s been a lot of effort to pick colors and source a combination of furniture from both eras to make it seem cohesive in a way that tells a story and honors the legacy my great grandparents left for me. The hardest part has actually been working around some of the “upgrades” that were done in the late 2010’s. My budget right now is limited, so I don’t think I’ll be able to restore the original two story front porch for a few years, or remove the ugly metal siding, but watching your videos has been super helpful for the whole process. My grandmother owns a similarly old turn of the century farmhouse. She cares about maintaining its character and charm and I have suggested that she contact your firm to help plan the addition she wants to create to give her a main floor master suite that will allow her to continue to enjoy the home as she ages.

[@BrentHull]

Awesome. Keep up the great work.

[@haleyhamer7128]

I’d love to see a video like this with tips for building new to look historic if you don’t already have one!

[@BrentHull]

New House Old soul!! Check it out

[@broederbond60]

Good point , Mr. Hull. I restored all the double hung windows in our vintage home. I've also experienced the canned sales pitch too many times on replacement vinal windows. NEVER!

[@BrentHull]

Thank you!

[@SpanishEclectic]

I loved hearing the history of your area. I've been to Dallas, and learned a bit about the cattle and oil industries. I wish you were on such a council here in San Diego. The Save Our Heritage Organization does what they can, but flippers are out of control in CA, especially Los Angeles. Unfortunately, many of the bungalows here (we have streets that look just like that) are not in cohesive neighborhoods, but were squeezed in when old Victorians were torn down. In the 1920s, and 30s we had a burgeoning aircraft industry (the original Spirit of St. Louis was built here), and many single men came to CA to work in the factories. In the "Uptown" neighborhood where we used to live there were a number of tiny vintage duplex cottages (one bedrooms with built-ins, and impossibly small closets). What's scary is that they now go for well over $1 million!

[@BrentHull]

Thanks so sharing. Very interesting.

[@ComputerGuitarVideos]

New isn't always better. I know from IT that it is so true. I know from looking at architecture that it is true.

[@BrentHull]

Word!! Thanks.

[@beverlyboys73]

Keep up the great work. I hope you inspire many designers, builders and everyone in between.

[@BrentHull]

Thanks so much!

[@KenYamaguchi-sg5zr]

Good information, Brent. Thank you. I didn't know that most heat loss is through the walls/roof vs. the windows, but it makes sense as it's the majority of the structure. Windows are the eyes of the house. Don't change them, repair them. Preserve the details that add history and charm. Also you stress the importance of using batts that breathe vs. spray foam that doesn't. All good advice. Thank you.

[@BrentHull]

Thx for watching.

[@kevinbezat6417]

Great tips!

[@BrentHull]

Thanks!!

[@JeremeyHowlett]

Well said! These modern homes are getting out of control. You know it’s getting bad when artificial turf is becoming the norm.

[@BrentHull]

100%

[@АндрюхаК-о9в]

Thanks for saving the story!

[@BrentHull]

Any time!

[@thenexthobby]

History and values are taught or lost. Change either comes from wanting something better, or boredom masquerading as improvement. And yeah, sometimes we don't know what we've lost until it's gone.

[@BrentHull]

Thx

[@felixb4787]

Hi Brent, keep up the videos, it's great! So I was looking at my columns on my porch and I was trying to figure out the proportion and mouldings that I could add to make it look much better. Don't know where to start... and that gave me the idea that you should make an app with your son where you input the height of your column and then you get a bunch of info on how to get the details right. That would be so sweet! I find the eaves of houses to be the biggest problem! So ugly...any resources, books or videos that I missed to give ideas and ways to get the details right? I like open eaves but can you get some water collection system (gutters) without it looking out of place? Lastly I'm in Canada and I love the single pane windows for the shadow line, the reveals you get. Would you say double pane+ isn't worth it for cold climates as well? Maybe going single pane, with a storm window would be the way to go? Thanks for the input, I'll take any reference you can give me (books etc.). You can't find that info anywhere sadly 😮‍💨

[@BrentHull]

Hi I'm working on that very thing. Coming soon. If i had single pane glass in Canada, I'd either use the vacuum insulated glass or use storm windows. I would keep the single panes. Thx.

[@RonRobertson-lafrance]

In one of your videos you were talking about a different kind of replacement glass that doesn't have the problem of double-panes (did you say it was fused glass?). But, I can't find where that was. That would be something so much better over here for saving old windows here in France. So many amazing windows are being replaced with double-pane windows and it's all wrong. Can you remind me of what that is, and is it something that can be gotten over here? Just love watching these videos, and I so agree with what you're doing.

[@BrentHull]

Thanks, Pilkington Spacia glass. Check it out.

[@cborecky]

1) Why can't I find anyone selling old-school storm windows? Did this market dry up? Seems like these can cheaply protect the old windows while delivering the efficiency gains at a much lower price. 2) Solar panels are cheap enough to compete with energy saving projects like wall insulation or new windows. What are your thoughts? Do they ruin the aesthetic, contribute to the sustainability narrative in an easily reversible way, or should they always be relegated to back yards, patio covers, or outbuildings?

[@BrentHull]

Call a custom millshop. They will build them for you. Or look up the window preservation alliance. WPA, they'll have people. Good luck.

[@who2u333]

I dig the 'Don't change your windows' thing, but what is my response when someone says; "I can feel the cold when sitting next to an old window and that does not happen with a double glaze"? I can't imagine that even a brand new single pane window would be able to stop people feeling cold next to them.

[@fox123456789ish]

That means your window is leaking. A good window tune-up solves that. Weather stripping (whether bronze or modern) and a storm dramatically helps.

[@BrentHull]

Well, i would say, your window is 100 years old, and if you would do some minor maintenance it would perform well and still last 100 years. Not true with new windows.

[@st6457]

I look on the real estate websites to see the historic houses in our area that are for sale. They have almost all been "updated". It is so disappointing.

[@BrentHull]

Yep, too bad.

[@michaelbissen1946]

Important to know your history.

[@BrentHull]

Agreed. Thx

[@flowersfrom7311]

I love historical houses, and your advice on how to preserve their character is golden. However, it is wrong to tell people what to do with their properties, with their money, even it is not to our taste. People might have money constraints, need to accommodate children or invalids, we can't tell them that our taste tramp their needs.

[@BrentHull]

ok.

[@ComputerGuitarVideos]

Can't people get new custom windows that look the same if the seel is gone on the windows?

[@christopherzehnder]

The “seal” on old windows is serviceable. Service the window.

[@ComputerGuitarVideos]

@christopherzehnder Most people usually replace the windows instead of serving them, lol.

[@christopherzehnder]

@@ComputerGuitarVideos”most people” are also: in debt, overweight and addicted to their phones. Being in the majority doesn’t automatically make a choice the best one. This is a channel about historic homes and Brent is a bona-fide expert. His assertions are backed by building science and architectural historians.

[@EHQUNDEH]

It's also the wood difference, the old windows has better quality wood then new ones.

[@BrentHull]

There are no "seals" on historic windows. new windows have seals that fail. . .