Roof progress + discoveries: stump in foundation and kitchen mystery | 1803s farmhouse renovations

Hurray! The south part of the main roof is complete, and gosh, does it look great. :) Also, now that the area under the porch has been cleaned out, we can see the foundations clearly for the first time. But we didn't expect to find part of the foundation missing! Finally, we have an update on the current state of wiring in the house, and a theory on why the kitchen is the only room with current(ish) grounded outlines and the only modern window in the whole house.

[@marypinkston8530]

Omg save those old bird cages!

[@brendabahorik3414]

I'd like to recommend a great book that is invaluable for any old house owner, "Renovating Old Houses," by George Nash. It contains a wealth of information, and as the resident of a house that was built in 1913, I refer to it often.

[@dottiebaker6623]

It's so good to see porch railings done and the new roof going on, just in time for wet weather! And, although it's another hit to have to replace electric wiring in the whole house, it will be one major thing you will never have to worry about again. Peace of mind is worth a lot! Did I see sawn timber in the attic? I couldn't see the rafters, but if they're sawn, your area was more advanced in terms of having mills, etc. than I thought, in the 1830s. Farther west, south of Rochester, I think there were houses built at the same time as yours, that had hand hewn or pit sawn timber for the framing of the house, both of which leave a different surface on the wood than later methods of cutting. It's so much fun to try to piece together the history of a house as old as yours - like detective work.

[@VilSumWolf]

Very wonderful update. Its really comming along super well

[@gadgethompson3896]

Coming right along! and those bird cages, wow.......thank you for sharing your home with us!

[@MelanieFayJohnson]

Oh....dearie me....what progress is being made...porch, roof, wiring...and what fun attic finds...Easter baskets and great bird cages...about the fox den...would you consider using "fox" in the naming of your property....Thank you for the update...All the best...Melanie Fay

[@lindastrickland5771]

Always enjoy your updates. When finished, you’ll have a beautiful house & grounds ❣️

[@suevoss8698]

Great video thanks. So exciting to see all your progress.Love the green roof and the fabulous porch which will be so nice to sit out on, on a summers day.Big piles of old insulation to clear out but all part of the journey and don't know about other viewers but I like seeing all aspects of the renovation, the good the bad and the ugly.😊Thanks for sharing your journey with us.

[@MsSparkysparks]

The roof looks so pretty! I love the green.

[@emilasmith4279]

Oh good on checking those porch supports. I was going to say in the last video that the corner one really looked out of plumb to me. Love the green roof! ❤

[@johnamstutz]

We had a gas wall heater between the dining room and the library,it did a surprisingly good job of heating the downstairs,if we closed the doors to the foyer. We had central also,we used when it was super cold.

[@apiecemaker1163]

Yes! We love our wall heater. They put out so much heat. It’s so nice to back up to when it’s cold. Our fake fireplace. 💚👍

[@deniseferguson8998]

Thanks for the update! Everything is looking great and you guys have accomplished a lot. You're living a dream I've always had so I really enjoy your videos! Thank you for sharing!

[@pamelaramos7777]

Love the roof! The railing looks so great. You are making incredible progress! ❤

[@J_G51422]

Congratulations! I love the new roof. I know each step is exciting. I’m excited for you. I love that you’re capturing the progress even if it’s open ceiling with rooms of insulation. 😊 I love to see before and after.

[@wendyk5783]

The porch and roof look fantastic! Are you keeping any of the tin roofing to upcycle for future projects? I really enjoy your videos, keep those updates coming!

[@justBecky49]

Aunt B wants those bird cages! The roof is looking great. I can think of lots of ways to use the old bricks. Too bad more cannot be taken from the attic. How soon until you and Peter can start painting the outside trim? Green right? Then you could really see the entire color scheme!

[@Summerrose400]

Love the roof ! One day you will be able to show us all your soft furnishings and colour choices. Hang on in there it will be finished.

[@brendabahorik3414]

It could be that what is now a kitchen in your home was originally a porch, and the wall where that heater is was once the exterior wall of the home. It was either a porch originally, or a summer kitchen.

[@emilasmith4279]

My thoughts as well. I have two such “old porches or sunrooms” which were later closed in to make a kitchen and dining room. I’ve had nothing but foundation issues (or lack of foundation) and basically pulling away from the original house. The kitchen floor has quite a slant on it. Lovely!

[@brendabahorik3414]

@@emilasmith4279 boy do I know! The house where I grew up had no foundation under the original kitchen, the floor sat on beams that were basically just sitting on soil. My dad later built a kitchen on the cement slab where our back porch was.

[@CharleneCulpepper]

Truly can’t believe you didn’t put new tin roof. Farmhouses use tin as that is what they used then.

[@Summerrose400]

Very noisy i image when it rains ?

[@Phil197]

@@Summerrose400 Not so bad with insulation in fact quite relaxing.

[@dottiebaker6623]

It depends on which "then" you're talking about - this house has almost 300 years of "then" to consider. I used to work at a restoration museum, which was a collection of houses from the 1800s restored to their original architectural style. Many were from the same era as this house. None of them had corrugated tin roofs - most had split shake roofs. Although there were tin roofs farther east at this time, in the areas that had been settled by Europeans for longer, I've never seen a fully and accurately restored house in this area of NY state, built in the 1830s, that had a corrugated tin roof. My impression is that corrugated tin roofs started to appear in about the 1920s, which would probably make it the second roof the house had, not the original. I haven't found confirmation of this on the net so far. Anybody out there know for sure when corrugated tin began to be used in the Finger Lakes region of NY?

[@CharleneCulpepper]

@@Summerrose400 Very relaxing actually.

[@CharleneCulpepper]

@@dottiebaker6623 Tin would have been so charming to a house of this style.

[@samanthadavie9797]

Love seeing the progress. Thanks for sharing. Have you considered setting up something like 'buy me a coffee'? To help support you with your restoration?

[@lesleyharris525]

Nice treasures from the attic, the roof is looking very nice. Good luck with the rest of the roof and hopefully you can get it finished before you get any rain. ❤

[@Sharona-oy9ki]

I love the joy in your voice as you describe the newest progress on the house! Thank you so much for sharing this project with all of us. It's always been my dream to live in a refurbished farmhouse like this one, but I live in the desert. So, again, thank you for sharing Honey Apple Farm with all of us. You asked in another video about a new name for the house, but I think Honey Apple Farm is perfect. Best wishes!

[@CoffeeWalksandWhatever]

Great update! I agree with you about reusing parts of the old house. We’re doing the same on ours. I’m hoping to also make a collage of some bits and pieces of wall paper, flooring etc, using an old window as the frame. In most old houses, the kitchen has been added at some point after the original house. ~ Deb ☕️🇨🇦☕️

[@momtrips6783]

Looks like you're making steady progress!

[@shelbiemarsh6430]

Love it! So exciting. I really look forward to your videos. ❤

[@apiecemaker1163]

Oh yeah, seeing the little treasures that came out of the attic would have me itching to explore. Those birdcages are great in your garden. They also make beautiful porch decor with plants in them. Wil be beautiful with cardinal and greenery at Christmas. This is just so much fun.

[@krgrimm]

This is so exciting! I can’t wait to see the roof and porch all fixed. I do worry that those foot supports will not stay in place. Be nice if they were cemented in the ground. It looks a little suspect to me. Or I watched too much Holmes on Homes. Keep those bird cages!!

[@lavondadye8091]

So enjoying your channel and look forward to each new project you accomplish! Can't wait to see what you have in store for inside!

[@MegaCricket7]

We had that same roof on our old farm house in upper Michigan. We had white siding and windows. Then my husband made shutters with a cutout Christmas tree design.

[@AnthonyMerucci]

Looking really good 😊..cant wait to see more.

[@HildaNethercuttMclawhorn]

All the work so far is looking awesome ☝️

[@deehalpern8988]

I love the bird cages.

[@allenrichard8795]

Roof looks great.

[@bradhazen3897]

it will be a nice home

[@deannaoverstreet4146]

Looks good!

[@bettyharper2214]

👍❤️

[@jerryfields6654]

That saw in 'command central' is a power miter saw, a very useful tool. Now a standard piece of equipment for a contractor. Cloth wrapped wiring is older than the '60s. You might remember that the house in Mt. Horeb (Wisconsin) had some of it still in place when we moved in. Also had the matching ceramic insulators in the basement. Good news is that the electrician may be able to tie the new wire to the old stuff and pull the new in as the old comes out. Already mentioned, put in a few outlets with USB charging ports on them as it seems they will be useful going forward. Good to see the roof and porch work going forward!