New House Old Soul Ep.6 - Plumbing

[@pn4960]

I really love this series

[@BrentHull]

So glad to hear it. Thx

[@peggyhemenger8983]

I so appreciate how you give timelines to your presentations, something I really enjoyed in Building and Brews! I also love the layers of time that you sometimes uncover in researching a house like Thistle Hill. It seems so incongruous how this beautiful old home is surrounded by modern architecture, reminds me of St. Patrick Cathedral in New York City.

[@BrentHull]

Nice! You are so welcome!

[@silvananivis9867]

I love it when you show us these extant artifacts such as the tile sample box!

[@BrentHull]

Good, I'm glad to hear it.

[@4wayStopEnforcement]

Visitors to my apartment are always delighted to see that I have a claw foot tub. I usually say “You’ve clearly never had a claw foot tub 😂”. They are such a pain!

[@BrentHull]

Love that! Thanks.

[@rogerhodges7656]

Another great video about sleuthing out the past from the evidence that remains. Thank you.

[@BrentHull]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@BangerFleet]

The best, absolutely perfect, untouched 1910 bathrooms are at the Barrett House in New Ipswich, NH. It’s a Historic New England (SPNEA) owned home you can visit. The bathrooms were installed, the owners died, and they were never hooked up to the sewers. They’re pretty amazing.

[@BrentHull]

Wow, I can't wait to see them. Thanks.

[@wendy833]

I love the apron sinks, clawfoot tubs and penny tile.

[@BrentHull]

Me too!

[@SpanishEclectic]

Thistle Hill is so wonderful. What you lay out so well in this tutorial is important for people to understand; so many older homes are just ruined inside by flippers using cheap "modern" bath fixtures and trendy tile treatments. As you say, they are often dated before they're even completed. 1931 home here, with two-color fancy tile wainscotting and cut glass medicine cabinet doors in both baths. Due to CA water conservation laws, we had to replace the original 7.5 gal. tank toilet, and the sink had a built-in porcelain low spout similar to the one you showed. We replaced them with a pedestal sink and smaller tank toilet with the same lines and profile as the bathtub. The yellow and heliotrope tile with black vine accent strip stays! It's a show-stopper! :)

[@BrentHull]

Nice. Well done.

[@mab49696]

please do another plumbing video where you show what you did to these houses, a before and after video

[@BrentHull]

Great idea, thanks!

[@gat402-x5l]

I love the detail you provide here!! So interesting and educational

[@BrentHull]

Thanks for watching.

[@Fedgery007]

Yes I love this series!

[@BrentHull]

Thanks!

[@DrMJJr]

Yesssss!!! Great to see another episode!!

[@BrentHull]

Glad you like it.

[@gerhard6105]

10:54, such hanging a toilet reservoir is still in my parents house. It is from 1905 (Dutch). My father rebuild the then already inhouse toilet area in 1967 but reinstalled that reservoir. Still in use up to today by my nephew.

[@BrentHull]

Nice. Agreed.

[@lizzapaolia959]

You're videos area classy and educational. My husband and I enjoy all of your fantastic videos. Have a great evening and weekend. We just want to show our appreciation. God bless 🙏

[@BrentHull]

Thank you! You too!

[@SteveL2012]

So true on the trends like the ‘wood’ tiles. These things are easy to avoid with a moment’s thought. By reference to classic materials, you can always predict what trends are going to date a house in a bad way and lead to another expensive remodel to make it sellable or detract from its value. Metallic and glass tile strips is another example.

[@BrentHull]

True, thx!

[@anonz975]

This is a great video. So informative! Thank you.

[@BrentHull]

Glad it was helpful!

[@ettbortglomtsverige]

Best series on youtube!

[@BrentHull]

Nice! Thanks so much.

[@ComputerGuitarVideos]

The colors were probably around in the early 70's. My relatives had a sort of old color washroom, and they built their housing the realy 70's or late 60's.

[@BrentHull]

Thanks.

[@ccwnyc5671]

Such gorgeous homes

[@BrentHull]

Thanks! I agree.

[@edindoffer687]

This is a year late. In the bathroom (3:49) I think it's flint faience, or close to it. We have that type of tile in our house (built in 1925) and know that it's not common and worth keeping.

[@BrentHull]

Thanks for sharing.

[@MadelinePageCourts]

Excellent presentation Brent! Thank you.

[@BrentHull]

Glad it was helpful!

[@djtheg6819]

I highly recommend anyone that is trying to build a period correct 1920s/1930's/1940's bathroom to check out mission tile west out of southern California. I used them for my new addition master bathroom. They make very period correct tile. The tile is THICK, close to 1/2". I would have LOVED to have had dual pedestal sinks and a clawfoot tub but the wife fought till the end to have a double vanity. Oddly home depot sold/sells a nice vanity "home decorators artisan collection " that has a nice Craftsman style. Used white 1" hexagon tile with a black border for the floor and the wall tile is olive green with a art tile (wedding) border and black bullnosed top cap. Its kind of a mix of craftsman and deco bathroom, which suites the home since the home is a 1920s California craftsman in sonoma county but oddly has a blend of deco influences. Its not a typical craftsman. Its all stucco and has a lot of symmetrical/geometric styling cues like art deco. It is also absent of any typical built in cabinetry other than book shelves on wither side of the fireplace. It feels to me that the house was built when craftsman and art deco was crossing over.

[@BrentHull]

Nice, thanks for sharing.

[@sparksmcgee6641]

I though thw reason for the wood toilet tank was some houses and buildings had roof tanks that created pressure. It was easier and cheaper to make a tank if you didnt have pressure. Most of thw houses with a tank like that got leaks in thw steel pipes at some point and convereted to a standard system once water service was available. I wish i remember the house where that was esplained to me, I saw the old lines in an open wall and didnt understand why i was pointing to the roof on the upper level. Theres a pressure sensitive drain plug that releases when the sink is full. Rarley used because there are ussually reproduction sinks with a drain.

[@BrentHull]

Interesting. I have never seen the roof tanks in action.

[@sparksmcgee6641]

@@BrentHull Yeah neither did I, just saw the remnants of the system. I worked in a lot of 1900-1920 houses in Colorado. Silver boom stuff. Look into it, a great thing to research. I always wonder if it's just a story that sounded good pre internet. A great story would be "Swap Coolers". Kansas rail workers came up with gunny sacks draped over and outdoor frame covering a bed for rail workers on the night shift..wives would come out and pour water over it. Rail yards were called swaps. Growing up in the utah/Colorado deserts I always wonder why it was called a swap cooler. Had a girlfriend from New Hampshire that lived in Florida and Texas that wanted to know if I could install AC. She was very skeptical of me saying I'd hook up a "swamp cooler" and take care of it for her, I wasn't home during the day when it was hot. I put a large swap cooler in a window in the front of the house and let it run all night in August. Once I opened the bedroom door the rest of the house was 52 degrees. I had to put on my flannel carhart jacket and open the doors while I was working on my computer than August morning

[@JamesLandolt-m1e]

Nice to see you mention the cleaning issue with the claw tubs. That was the reason they went out of style - the 1918 pandemic resulted in several changes to home interiors as cleanliness became an issue. Among the changes were the built in tubs as well as built in closets versus having an armoire. Also, a more contemporary issue is with elderly/handicapped access. Not enough direct wall access for grab bars, no transition space/ledge on the tub to sit on and I think they also tend to sit higher than most built in tubs. I am kind of disappointed that this has become the "design du jour" as I am sure that 20 years from now folks will say - "what the hell were they thinking?". I would like to see more aspects of universal design incorporated into all new homes and to restoration projects as much as possible. Its just common sense and most elements of related design would not cost builders any more than the more common designs.

[@BrentHull]

Noted. thx.

[@sparksmcgee6641]

I do tankless for the convience, not for cost. My plumber splurged on a tankless because he had 4 kids and a $150 gas bill. His first bill with the tankless was $450+ because the kids didnt have to get out of the shower in 3-5min with endless hot water. Does anyone plump a tankless so they can be flushed on the annual service with just valves? Last house i wanted to then had plumber issues and just went standard install.

[@BrentHull]

Hmm, we do tankless in all our jobs now.

[@sparksmcgee6641]

@@BrentHull yeah, just a thing normal people have to know about if they're doing it to save money and have kids.

[@BenneWill]

It's interesting how as housing became more basic and dull in design in the 40s and 50s, bathrooms became more extravagant and colorful. Sort of the opposite of everything else that was happening at that time. Sort of contradicts the minimalist mindset.

[@BrentHull]

Good point. I would say that from that time even til today, we have spaces like bathrooms, kitchens and closets that, as functional spaces, are our most expensive and lavish. they have become "the status" spots of our homes. Thx.

[@jennafarrell4755]

Materials ideas for new “old” full bathroom in 1928 Swiss chalet craftsman farmhouse?

[@BrentHull]

Get the tile right. Hex tile or other 1" tile patterns for the floor. next get the fixtures right. Good luck.

[@jennafarrell4755]

Good to know. I take it-choose tile over onyx shower as well?