REVEALING the History of our Portuguese Farm House - Restoring a Stone Building

As renovation works continued, we uncovered more and more issues with our Portuguese stone farm house. As we removed blown plaster and rotten wood, we learned a lot about the construction methods and started to uncover and understand more about the history of the building. But when we received some old photos of the property from one of our neighbours, the TRUE story started to fall into place.
Join us in this video for a walk down memory lane where we'll show you some more of the rip out and demolition of the upstairs of the house and finally reveal a timeline of the history of this old building up to the present day.
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[@TwoGardensHomestead]

Those pictures are beautiful with the family together. That small leap to the history of the building somehow brings so much emotion and atmosphere to the property. Wonderful.

[@MAKEDOGROW]

Also gives us just one more reason to keep the restoration/renovation as sympathetic to its history as we can

[@daveaway]

Whoa, great score on the photos and stories from the neighbors. You have a home with a history, not just a building.

[@tuhesse]

LOVE THE OLD PHOTOS. YOU SHOULD DO A GALLERY WALL OF THEM ONCE YOU ARE MOVED IN. REALLY SPECIAL.

[@TheDullMansClub]

Totally understand why you would rip it all out, no point trying to half fix a job. Finding out the history is epic

[@lillirod]

A plausible explanation for the gap between 1935 and the 1942 registration could be attributed to the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) and the resulting scarcity of materials and manpower. Portugal allowed 18,000 volunteers to join the rebel army. Great that you were able to obtain photos to back or discard theories!

[@bikeridernz6169]

I think the original owners of the building are very lucky to have such a sensitive duo as yourselves. Love the channel.

[@TeresaAllen-z9y]

Our last renovation was on a federation Queenslander which was over a century old. Her name was Whybee. When we brought her the previous owners had very little knowledge on her history. I had to know more about this grand old lady. With help from library and local community, i found out so much. Even that the acre grounds she sat on wasn’t where she started life. The 400+sq metre home was sliced into 3 in the 70’s and moved by truck to its current location. The original owner was a doctor and back in early 20;s he performed the first Caesarian birth in the area, and he did it by book references. I absolutely love the history, you are finding on your beautiful stone house, i am sure lots more will follow. You guys are doing a great job. Once all the taking out is done, then you will start to see a speck of light at the end of the tunnel. I always imagine how much lighter the houses feel, at the end of taking out stage. After 4 Renovation jobs in Australia, i am trying to get my EU passport from descendent. So i can start my last renovation job near Varna in Bulgaria.

[@kebergify]

I love that your neighbors had photos of the original owners! I imagine that everyone is pleased to see that you and Kylie are bringing the house and property back to life. So interesting to know what years certain things were done! Thanks for giving us a little peek into the history.

[@anneyday3493]

Absolutely fascinating. Love that you were able to connect with the former family and to also obtain photos/history.

[@vickiturner9392]

Absolutely fascinating Anney Day !!!

[@mariatajes9054]

Love the old family pictures

[@tigerjongreen]

It was a nice touch to request the photos of the original families, it shows respect for the local culture.

[@KarenB189]

Really enjoyed the history of the building and loved the family photos. thanks for sharing them

[@lindamorrow7573]

The nights have been so cold lately....can't wait till you are both living in the house with a working bathroom....much love and admiration for all your hard work from the North of Portugal. .👍👍👍👍👍

[@linrepboras]

Whatever history the building have, should be respected in any case, you are creating YOUR new home and the time, sweat and effort put into it is admired by me. Make it fit your purpose, ambition and dream.

[@carolynkennedy7772]

Love, love, LOVE this episode! How fantastic to see those old photos and to learn the history of your home. My degree is in history, so this is right up my alley. I love knowing the history, especially of old buildings! One of these days, I hope to discover the history (actual) of our little apartment in Anghiari in Tuscany. 🙏 Super episode...thanks so much for sharing. (and sorry for all the bug damage 😢)

[@veraoliveira5059]

You two are really one of a kind... I follow all the youtubers I know that are renovating farms in our country. They are of course many differents, but your love to learn, your aim to perfection and the discipline to do it are truly unique. Thanks for sharing it.

[@LilybetMells]

I really loved the history of the house thanks for sharing it with us ❤💜💛

[@sueg2658]

It is fascinating about the history of the property and building. Very fortunate to get verbal history from family along with photos.

[@ruthlarson6334]

You are creating and recreating with such respect for those who’ve precede you in loving and living with this home. I am sure that it warms the hearts of the original owners’ kin to see how you are restoring this land and it’s homestead. I love seeing the links to the past. 😊

[@teresaw7452]

Our home was built in 1929, Oklahoma, USA. We puchaced the home and 3 lots for 13,000 in October 2019, did most of the remodeling in 3 months. Moved bathroom and added second bathroom. Re arranged the flow and made kitchen and livingroom open to each other. Redid all water and sewer lines. Also had to patch up electrical. So our home has no mortgage or any other money owned. Just taxes and insurance around $300 a year.

[@millytapa9734]

Woooow 👍☺ The history you guys so awesome 👌 I admire the energy in you both ❤ From New Zealand 🇳🇿

[@salscycleshop3416]

How awesome that you are able to know and "see the history " of this beautiful house 🏠 that you are now restoring!!

[@JVSwailesBoudicca]

The Woodworm beetles would not eat the surface of the wood because it looks as if it had been stained or varnished .We had the Woodworm problem in one old house which we lived in whilst in France - we got away with replacing a few massive Oak timbers and then treating the rest of the house, twice !

[@Ida-fz3ir]

I would suggest: This brick entrance room was kind of veranda, where in Portugal neighbours, family .. took place and talk, drink, fume ...together, with open door and windows in summer, in winter this was the room to change boots and not used. But winter is short time in Portugal...

[@teresaquintinha7361]

I loved the history of the building. From the photo's, the family looks to be somehow a rich or midle class owners. The wood ceilings were beautiful.

[@darylpike8547]

That was a great look back, as to the history of your property 😀 👍 I enjoyed it!

[@ptdive]

I would be happy to see my ancestors being remembered on such a respectful and informative way. Amazing research and video. Thanks for sharing.

[@christinetrewin9717]

Very interesting! We also were very pleased when someone randomly arrived at the house with photos of when his grandmother lived there. Great update 😁😎🇫🇷

[@sherrypeck4062]

Our bathroom in the newly built chalet house in Leon, Spain was all lavender fixtures built in 1953-54. The original home was a half a mile back on a creek that fed the flour mill gears for grinding wheat. They grew grapes, raised pigs, cows, sold milk in the plaza delivering it on the donkey as Mother Robles rode the donkey to town each day…side saddle with her neighbors on their donkeys for selling at the market. What GLORIOUS YEARS! Our neighbors house looked sooo much like yours with the long steps to the second flour…originally the animals were housed below also keeping the second flour warmer.

[@sherrypeck4062]

Actually the animals ( some) were housed at nite under the “apartment” home at the 300 year old Molino house, not the newer early 50’s house with lavender fixtures.

[@sherrypeck4062]

Supposedly 300 yrs old as per family stories.

[@Aotruba]

❣️I am amazed to see all those historical pictures. You can see that Portuguese are very caring community members and engage with their neighbors. Guy, thank you so much for this wonderful video! I love history!❣️💕

[@florentinalily]

Thankyou for the vid. Fascinating.

[@sallyrowland6063]

How wonderful to have contact with the family, see the photos and finally have a more accurate history. I love the windows. Will you reinstate like for like? They have great character. ❤ 👋 🇦🇺

[@ChristelvB59]

It was very interesting of the history of the house

[@filipar949]

Epic music choice 🎶👍🏼 good work

[@arturrosa3166]

That was fascinating! That detail of the date in the small paper clipping is an astonishing coincidence. One of those things if we saw in a movie we'd say "lazy writing - so convenient that, from all the places that tiny piece of paper could have been ripped from, it just happened to be from a place with a date on it". Seriously, all of that was fascinating to watch and I loved that you put the initial theory and the later facts. It helps to prove that we sometimes make what seems like really logical conclusions but that are totally wrong. Very humbling and very interesting.

[@BecomingPortuguese]

Fascinating. And the photos are so evocative, I’m sure it must’ve been so delightful to receive them from the neighbors!

[@Lucia-yn6so]

Kylie and Guy, how thoughtful of you to take the time from your busy schedule to research and share the history of the family and home. This episode pulled at my heartstrings. I'm excited to see how great your home will be when it's all done. I love the view of the home between the trees. Now you get to create your own memories and build your own history. Continue in keeping it real. I appreciate all you do.

[@livingladolcevita7318]

This is the sort of history I like. If you have copies of those photos perhaps you could put them up in the guest room for visitors to look at. Yes finding rot or insect damage in a property left for so long is likely to spread. Retro fitting is a pain as I am finding out to my cost.

[@carolfitton2007]

Aww! The photos of the family that use to live there was quite touching. The video was another good one, in fact all your videos are good and interesting. I love renovation, the before and after photos of your house will be just mind blowing when it’s finished.👍

[@jeffsmith6201]

Really liked the detective work and history! Great Job.

[@michalf6460]

It was so interesting

[@joanbirdsell3678]

Loved the pictures of the original family!

[@JVSwailesBoudicca]

Fascinating....I hope that you will invite the ancestors round to look at your work when it is completed .

[@markduncan6690]

What a Joy it is watching you two powering on!

[@joaomramalho1]

From the outside he architecture is definitely ‘Português Suave’ inspired, a sort of neo-traditional style, in fashion during the Estado Novo regime, around 1930-1950...

[@carolbulmer8253]

Hi, Kylie and Guy. The history of your house is very interesting… great detective work.

[@joannecalcutt6724]

Love the explanations. It’s all very telling of the history of the house and how conditions come to be and the necessity of replacing damaged areas. Brings to mind a cousin years ago that bought a historical home, updated a bathroom with a beautiful claw foot tub to have it fall thru to the basement less than five years later because the didn’t replace the water damaged subfloor. What a mess it was!!

[@romylynmendoza8720]

You've done an excellent job in retracing the history of the property... thank you so much for the story you shared

[@TORTmentor]

What beautiful photos. It is wonderful you could find the history of your home. This was a great episode. Thnx Kylie and Guy, for letting us enjoy your daily life of restoration processes!

[@pamela5568]

As a fan of historic buildings I so enjoyed this video. Photographs like the ones the relatives shared are wonderful, and while sad that many of those people are gone, the photographs celebrate the life they had there. Thank you for putting this video together.

[@ladyofquills]

Wow! So fascinating to not only hear about the history of the house, but to actually have pictures of the people who lived there! That's so great! :) Would be really sweet to have some sort of framed collage, of those pictures and including you two as well, on the property that could just go with the house... Could even be cool to have such a thing cemented in somewhere, so it would take some real doing to remove the history of the house from the house, ya know? :) Wonderful video! Well done!

[@anneyday3493]

How do you deal with wood beetle going forward? Are there extermination preventions like we have for termite prevention?

[@susankay497]

Love, love, love this episode with all the history ❤ Once again, I am SO impressed with your work ethic! Reminds me of my dear departed auntie who would tell me "If you can't do something right, don't do it at all" (thanks for my obsessive perfectionism [sarcasm]).I am very appreciative of all your work with the property, gardens and these videos. Thank you!!

[@joannahampton5979]

I do hope you go for the same more rounded look walls like the ones downstairs, they look so authentic & gorgeous

[@christhankyou6452]

I’ve just started watching your channel. It just happened to come on. You know how KZbinrs. I’ve been enjoying it very much. I’ve watched other shows similar to yours but yours is very very interesting. I’m watching you on my smart TV. So all I can do is like. I’ve had to go to my iPhone to make this comment but be reassured that I’m watching.

[@gecoimbra3612]

I really have a blast when you laugh. Its so good to hear, my dear Kylie. I'm portuguese. Essa casa vai ficar linda. Amei as fotos dos ex proprietários. Parabéns por nos contarem sua história.

[@twx8626]

thanks for sharing 👍. Some interesting points according to the pictures. An ancient barrel they took out of the house. I estimate that they made wine for sale... the barrel itself, if it is in good condition, collectors will buy it. 2 Now that it's summer, it is advisable to also check the tree that holds the shingles according to the number of holes in the trees. It was a very fertile home for this beetle/worm. The moisture of the wall provided water and the tree energy so they multiplied. Moisture from stones and damp walls, it is desirable to burn the wood a bit and apply varnish to seal it. The same beetle/worm can return or come to life because the eggs can be kept for years like in a refrigerator on stones inside the wall. The house itself absorbs a lot of moisture from the rain/snow and brings it inside. Have you considered making coverings Rainproof to keep the rain away from the walls of the house?

[@twx8626]

Have you considered making a rainproof covering to keep the rain away from the walls of the house?... Why did they abandon this construction method? 2 main reasons The walls draw water from below like wood and also from the outer walls

[@nataliaghidirim1655]

thank you. pleasure is mine ;))) very romantic touching story and strong family behind the foundations of your building. great work as always!

[@graceh8866]

Loved the history I would have thought it was a porch too . I’m glad you’ve figured out all the construction mysteries . I love the fact your saving this home. My family is from the Azores so this speaks t me. My grandmother own a home that was similar her stairs were on the side of the house. Yes there as no bathrooms in the house and dirt floors along with shutters as windows no panes. I visited in 1978 and this was their reality. I remember asking how does one wash a dirt floor,yet they did. Even with all that some of the best times in my life.💕💕💕💕💕

[@HeatherNaturaly]

Very cool! Great detective work.

[@Lordosvk]

Always start renovation with one small room for sleeping inside if you have function bathroom. Imo. But you are really good at it. Keep it.up. greets from slovakia.

[@heatherbrownlees3253]

Love the history of your house and the photos are great. I love those two beautiful orange trees in the front.

[@henrysears]

Really interesting film! Someone's probably pointed this out already, but (I think!) longhorn larvae are the culprits for the wood eating, not the adult beetles.

[@mannydossantos9603]

Thank you for sharing the history of the house. The hard work and courage to tackle the various projects in the house is amazing. By the way, don't forget to prune the trees in winter, specially the vines.

[@empramaral]

Amazing what you can find out about a building and families, just by investigating a bit. I started investigating my fathers family and homestead history in Tavira mountains for a while, generation by generation and it took me as far as 1809 on the same area. It was so worth while knowing.

[@rikkibiermann465]

Hi there, Guy & ? Voice of Reason'! I'm new to your channel. I'm impressed by your work ethic, also embracing holistic understanding of recycling & supporting Morher Nature. Well done. Rikki Biermann, Pretoria, South Africa 🇿🇦

[@sue7190]

Really interesting. It made me wonder if you knew what you know now when you were looking to buy would you have still bought it. I think what you are doing is awe inspiring and you will know that you have a quality house that really will be a home for life.

[@sovereigns1grace]

I love that kind of stuff, too!

[@ilenesatchell5445]

Fascinating! Thanks for sharing in such detail.

[@laurenf1966]

Love that you found history from relatives of owners past.

[@michaelmcclafferty3346]

A very uplifting video, thank you. You are both excellent custodians of this property. I’m so impressed by your interest in the family who once lived in this house. I wish you both well.

[@nicarazzi]

Such a special episode. A children’s author could write a book about the beetles living in wooden structures, kind of like books on mice or The Borrowers doing same 😁

[@dianeleirer9878]

Loved this. The end reveal of the family photos was rich with emotion. Thanks for another impressive video.💚

[@Marie-yx5ie]

Awh that's lovely to hear the history of the house Guy and Kyle and it's wonderful to see all the hard work that you both are doing. It's like Demi and Doug I think that was their name's on Grand Designs, bought a house in France, they found out the history of house, I think it was burnt because the Woman of the house hide soldiers there during World War 2. They were like you both unbelievable 👏👏👏👍😉🇮🇪☘️Eire

[@jeniferpollonais6546]

I’m guessing that you will treat all new timber being installed into the house? I do think it will be beautiful when finished! Can’t wIt to see it all completed! You guys are workaholics! I’m enjoying all your videos! Thank you so much.

[@sarahnd]

Fascinating! It adds so much depth to the renovation process to understand more of the history of your property and the building's structure.

[@michaelcripwell1724]

What an interesting history.

[@janalavtizar4426]

Very interesting!

[@sgrvtl7183]

Amaz8ng video! Amazing Demo, but so necessary! I like all your observations and thoughts, so interesting to find out the timeline AND that the house was empty for 20+ years. Now you can carry on~look forward to your videos!

[@carolg.prevette5483]

I so enjoy watching you two work-your dedication and solving problems! Will be a beautiful place.❤❤

[@frankr7902]

Beautiful home, you bought there, huge congrats to you both. Loved the research and history about the house

[@lieuwina]

Wow!! that was very interesting and the photo's of the family just made the whole story of the house come alive. Thank you for sharing the story and the time line which makes one understand how the house was built much better and I am sure you both can understand so much more about the property now which will help you with the renovations, which I am loving and finding it very interesting as you tackle each job. Though I do not think you were far off in your thoughts. Have a lovely day.

[@glenyscallaghan1195]

It is good to get rid of everything and make it your own .❤️❤️😊

[@delwyntatton2742]

I loved this unravelling of the house's timeline. Adding the family dimension reminds us that you are recreating not just a house, but a home.

[@MartinWoodStudios]

Hi! I'm thinking of buying some decayed house in Central Portugal one day and taking inspiration from your journey. Seems like wood beetles are a common problem 😬 "When you do something, you have to do it properly.." 💪 - the only way to do it! Amazing to see the amount of decay in how many years? I saw it probably was restored in 1972. Im reading up on your webpage and sniffing in the process of buying a house, thanks for all information! Best regards Martin

[@AndrewJhikes]

I really enjoyed the updated content concerning the history. Here in Washington State residential is predominantly timber framed due to our significant wood resources and anything stone construction seems significantly older. I always assumed 100 to 150 years old originally when I first started watching not 80 to 85. Glad you could find more accurate information about your home.

[@vickyoakes4584]

When you acquire a very old property, you can not know what issues there are unless you get at the main structure. As the woodwork has shown, you can not trust the outward appearance. Plus, there are utilities and insulation to contend with and better construction products to allow the home to continue its long life. Even much newer homes have construction problems, so it's good to know as much about your property as possible. That's the smart thing to do. I love the history, thank you for sharing!

[@foxglove8836]

I found that very interesting, Thank you for sharing 🤩

[@Maddychrisbee]

Christine here, thanks so very interesting. Enjoying your sympathetic approach to the renovations. Hugs xx

[@johnperks8307]

Brilliant history thanks for sharing.

[@k.j.2481]

Discovery of history is always interesting. Sometimes technology does not always change in one country compared to others. But thankfully electricity and equipment like drills make modern life easier. A little old, a little new.... What makes you happy is always what makes us greatful.😊

[@mikemullen6670]

Great episode. I'm so happy I am not popping pain relievers, as I image you do, for all of the work you two have done in the last few years on the current house.

[@pamiam9017]

I love findingout the history of houses, we bought our house in Dec 2001, it was badly damaged in an earthquake in 2011, demoed and rebuilt in 2016/17 and the first weekend we moved back in, the son of the original owners knocked on our door. He filled in a lot of the history, which was awesome, we have his email address somewhere, I should contact him as I;d love to see some old photos of how it was. Buildings, no matter the age, are fascinating to me

[@chantalcottontnvplastics8452]

Amazing pieces of the house history puzzle👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻

[@katiecasey5709]

That's so awesome that you found pictures and that there are relatives nearby!

[@portugalitis]

very interesting story of your house 👍

[@benitadavis659]

love the story enjoy watching you both.

[@leacruz7311]

Interesting history!

[@paulacunha6792]

Linda história... vocês estão a fazer um excelente trabalho na casa .

[@junco477]

Absolutely fascinating. Thanks