Swedish Forest House Tour | I Bought a House in the Middle of Sweden’s Wilderness

Hey guys! I figured I would bring you on a tour through my 189sq/m home in the middle of the Swedish wilderness. This video is all about showing what an affordable house is in Sweden, talking you through some of the renovations I hope to make in the near future, and giving practical tips and knowledge that would be helpful for those of you hoping to maybe make the move. I hope you like it!
Link to the fire safety control page: www.msb.se/sv/amnesomraden/sk...
Here is the Oodie: theoodie.com/
00:00 Intro
01:24 Entrance
02:26 Front Room
04:22 House Cost Reasons
07:17 Living Room
08:25 Advice About Chimneys
11:01 Petal Paradise
11:49 Kitchen
15:29 Upstairs
15:53 Guest Room #1
16:22 Bedroom
18:59 Bathroom
20:54 Advice About Swedish Bathrooms
22:31 Guest Room #2
23:05 Office Gym
23:44 WTF
24:07 Outro

[@captaincarl1603]

Hello Phillip! As a native Swede owning, and having restored, many similar houses in the countryside I think you made a good deal, depending on location of course. The upstairs bathroom represents a total lack of knowledge and responsibility on behalf of the previous owner, which unfortunately is quite common. And yes, Your feeling that the electrical installment in the bathroom is illegal is very much correct - Illegal and dangerous! However, it's actually not a very big deal for an electrician to move the entire circuit-box to a different room. It's not cheap, but I'm sure you can get a quote that is not as expensive as you may fear. These old houses were not designed to have bathrooms at all since they had outhouses. You can absolutely put a real bathroom in but it has to be done right. Local plumbers and carpenters in the countryside are normally used to working with these challenges and can build a new bathroom that will work well in your old house. Remember that you may get a better deal if you do the work off-season. A roof-layer for example will be most busy in the fall when people need the roof waterproof for the upcoming winter. So possibly it's easier negotiate the price for a new roof in the spring. As you mentioned, plumbing, electricity and chimney need to be handled by a licensed professional with the right paperwork. If not your insurance may not cover any damages that may occur. In worst case scenario, the house flooding or burning down. Also, make sure to upgrade your insurance to cover house-fungi (Äkta hussvamp). It's a relatively inexpensive option that will save you if your house becomes infested with this type of fungi that occurs in Sweden. If it happens there is basically nothing to do but demolishing the house and building a new one. It's not clear from your video, but if your house only has one air-heater (Luftvärmepump) I'm afraid that is not enough. That big of a house needs at least two of them. And don't get ripped off by the big sales organizations like Polarpumpen, Sverigepumpen or Zave that demand pre-payment. Get one from a local firm where the person you talk to on the phone is the same person that actually comes out and installs the heater for you, and then sends you the invoice. Another tip is to take out and clean the filter in your Air-heater (indoor unit). This will improve the efficiency of the heater. Judging by the state of the electrocution-bathroom, the previous owner more than likely has not done this. Another thing is that in the old days people had plenty of carpets in every room. Not only to keep their feet warm but to insulate the entire house from the cold ground. The thing with these old houses is that you can't just get advice and products from any modern home improvement store. If you insulate and seal your house with modern products and techniques you may end up with irreversible mold and fungi. If you paint with modern latex based paints over old linseed oil paint, the new paint may chip off after only a few months. The list goes on - and on. But remember, everything is possible and well worth the extra effort. You just have to teach yourself about old houses. Don't take advice from someone living in a modern house. Talk to owners of similar houses. Google everything about culture building renovations, and old craftsman methods. Ask the staff in the shops that specializes in renovation of old buildings. These shops products are usually quite expensive but you don't have to buy everything there. In many cases the knowledge itself is key. (links below) If you need all new bathroom furniture and fixtures there are some firms in Germany with really good prices including delivery to your doorstep. A good relation with neighboring farmers and foresters are key to success with your new property. They usually have left-overs from both suitable lumber and paint that they may sell for cheap, or sometimes even give away if they like you. Of course appreciating a bottle of Scotch in return :) Also, your underground pipes may break, your trees may fall, your road may collapse, or you may get snowed in. Then you are depending on help from the farmers trucks, tractors and excavators. To renovate our old houses takes a little longer, and a little more effort, than fixing up a modern house. But in the end it will guaranteed be worth it. To sum it up, congratulations to a beautiful house that, if cared for correctly, will bring you decades of joy and pride, as well as a long term good investment. ALL WELL! /Carl kulturhantverkarna.se/en/ www.sekelskifte.com/en www.nackabyggnadsvard.se www.gysinge.com www.overjarvabyggnadsvard.se/c/begagnat/beg-dorrar-overjarvabyggandsvard/ fonsterantiken.se/begagnat/dorrar

[@theNamesPhillip]

Wow, thank you so much Carl, what an amazing comment! So much useful information there so I can’t thank you enough! I think I’m leaning towards changing out the bathroom because there’s a lot of things I don’t like about it but it’s great to know that an electrician would be able to move the entire box if necessary! Thanks for the information on the potential fungus issue, I will definitely make sure to look for my insurance policy and see if I can add that, especially with the chimneys, not being used in a couple of years! Yes, I am very lucky in that regard! My neighbour who is a couple of hundred metres away is actually a seasoned carpenter, and he lives in basically the exact same house that we do. he has been a very helpful to us so far so I’m very thankful! I didn’t actually show it on the video, but there are two heating pumps, one upstairs and one downstairs. They are both made by Daikin. Right now, I need to take off some ice from the defrosting pipe, but I think that the main reason they’re not working very well is because the roof is insulated with just sawdust and all the heat is escaping out of the roof. And I definitely agree with you in relation to the community aspect. I’ve been living in Sweden for four years and the intention is to integrate as much as I can until I am seen as Swedish. That means speaking the language and being involved in the community 😁 I’ve met a lot of people in my local area and they are all amazing people, and I’ve already needed the help as my car got stuck in deep snow recently. Scotch is definitely a good gift, I will make sure to have a good stockpile of it 😅 Thanks for all these resources, Carl it’s amazing! And thank you so much for your support and positivity! Hälsningar, Phillip

[@carolineleonard8214]

Wow, Carl has covered everything that I was going to say. My only difference would be to leave the electrical box where it is and put a new bathroom elsewhere. Then use this room for another purpose, as dressing/storage/office/spare bedroom as you already have the box for the extra sockets. BTW, get any electrical work that you want done, like sockets/lights/supplementary heating points before you refurbish rooms. It's expensive to do afterwards. On ceiling heights/insulation, you may be able to drop the ceilings and insulate the space in between. Those chimney holes make the chimney look structurally unsound, you may need to prioritise this to ensure you don't have a chimney collapse!! I have come across this before and also seen, and rebuilt a partial collapse, whilst no one was hurt the soot went into every area of the house. Great posts thus far, please keep them coming. All the best from Wales.

[@carolineleonard8214]

On the landing area. How about a linen/towel cupboard at the top of the stairs on the right. By the windows/radiators, how about 2 x easy chairs, side table or similar for reading. Yep I paused on the bathroom/electrics cupboard. Illegal as fleck. Don't use and move the bathroom, use the room as a dressing room. You could always have a bath tub in your bedroom! Using the hot and cold supply from the current en suite. Just thoughts and you may guess that I love stuff like this, having done a few houses in My day. BTW hypothermia starts setting in at 10°C😮

[@AntonyoKnight]

Carl, thanks for the well extended and supportive comments. Do you use IR (Infrared panels) for heating in Sweden?

[@captaincarl1603]

@@AntonyoKnight Yes but mainly outdoors. On patios, pool-decks and so on.

[@jencarter6785]

Please get those chimneys fixed, those temperatures in your house are insane!! 😂 That said, congratulations on getting your dream house, it looks fabulous. can’t wait to follow your journey

[@theNamesPhillip]

Thanks Jen I will get them fixed asap! Apparently the work that needed to be done couldn’t be carried out in winter so we had to wait but it is priority number 1 😁 Thank you so much!!

[@wanhaliitto]

1. Make sure your pipes don't freeze. You will get water damage when they melt. 2. First things to check after that is that your underground drains are working and that the roofs don't leak. 3. Insulating doesn't do as much as you would think. It is expensive and largely not very effective. Also, you will introduce mould into an old house if you insulate it too much because old houses like that breathe through the walls by design. That is how they were intended to work. If you go against the original design expect all sorts of trouble. Therefore, instead, overdo the heating system. If electricity is cheap, that's good, you can use underfloor electric heating. If not, you need heat pumps. But on top of that you need to burn a ton of wood every year. The best system would be to have water pipes under floors and have a multi heater for the water which can warm the water with wood, electricity, even oil. But if that is not practical just add heat pumps and fire places and burn a ton of wood. Yes, I think that is what was most important to say. I've lived in an old house for a decade in Finland if you wonder whence cometh these opinions.

[@theNamesPhillip]

This is great advice thank you very much! When it comes to the pipes, they run underground, and we are lucky to have heating cables running through the pipes so it will be quite difficult for them to get frozen (at least I hope)! That’s interesting about the insulation, after checking the floor of the attic, I found that it was just a light layer of sawdust and was told that was probably because at the time of insulating, it was probably the only option. my plan was to just insulate the floor of the attic with rockwool instead. I hope that won’t be a problem, but I will make sure to ask somebody who is familiar with these types of houses first. This month for electric, we will be paying around €900 (9000sek) so it is a little expensive at least for the first year. We have radiators on and two heat pumps that are running at full blast as it currently stands 😅 Thank you so much for all that information that was amazing! Kiitos!

[@perlarsson9350]

If you go down the route of rockwool you will need to ensure that you have no air leaks coming from the living space below. Rather go with Ecofiber insulation, a cellulose based insulation. It will be better adapted for an older house since it can handle moisture better. Also it will only take one day to have the whole attic done by professionals. But fix the chimneys first!@@theNamesPhillip

[@chrishh6077]

@@theNamesPhillip insulating a loft can be tricky business because you make the loft colder, which means moist air from the house can condense more easily on colder surfaces in the loft, and make things wet - which leads to rot. I don't think Rockwool is generally recommended in older houses, but something more breathable. You can google 'isolering i gamla hus' for more info. As someone that lived most of their life in the UK but bought a ~1900 cottage in Sweden a few years ago I am still figuring this out myself. Your cat is absolutely adorable and you definitely need to pay more cat tax in future videos :)

[@rickardwestling8131]

No you do NOT introduce mold cuz of house "breathing". Houses doesnt "breathe" inwards. For every mm off isolation, the temperature decreases linear in the wall and its steeper per mm the better insulation you haver. Since air can hold more moist the warmer it is this can lead to kondensation in the wall if the temperature drops to much before it leaks out. Either you insulate what you can before kondensation occurs or you need to do as in modern houses if you want a lot of isulation(and thats a lot to do). Also It´s common that the old fireplace heating is replaced with electric och a heatingpump. This stops the natural airflow in the house often changeing the air prewssure från negative to positive which increases the movement of moist air out through walls, roof etc. When you insulate the attic you reduce the heat transfer to the attic but not the amount of moist. The attic becomes colder and the increase risk of kondesation is increased. You should ventilate out as much moist as you can in kitchen and bathrom and not carbonfilter fan but a real ventchannel for kitchen fan. This reduces moinst going out in the wall and helps keeping negativ preassure. This done means that you can insulate a little more. In the attic you need to ventilate but not ventilate too much. Moist should be able to vent out but it´s also bad to vent in too much cold air fron the outside. Isolation like new houses isnt possible bevuas that requires that you put a vapor barrier on the insade and have a rela ventilations system kontrolling the preassure in the house. The moist air is suppost to flow to bathroom and kitchen and be ventilatied out there so it dosent go out through the walls and roofs. You dont do that in old houses so you need to CALCULATE how much isolation you can put in the wall and attic without the risk of kondensation. For heating you cant use floorheating in such a old house usually. You could but it will gett expensive because the floors isnt enough isolated so you will heat under the house. I would: 1. Isolat what I can without the risk of kondensation(reduce heatloss). 2. Install a geothermal heat pump and radiators in the house with pipes. (By far the best heatingsystem. 2/3 parts of your need is form the ground and you buy only 1/3. Also on the summer for waterheater some solarpannels can supplie this) 3. Put in a real ventilationsystem(if possible) with heat recycling. Outlets in batrooms and kitchen and inlets in bedrooms an livingsroom. (controlled airflow with mor out than in for negative preassure. Also heat recycling and you can filter out allergens/dusts etc).

[@GunnarCreutz]

@@theNamesPhillip My house is built in 1907, but much smaller. The floor of the attic had sawdust insulation, but my late father insulated it with rockwool 50 years ago. I haven't had any problems with it. My outer walls are timber so there is no added insultation. This morning I had +13°C in the kitchen and -16°C outside, but I usually keep the temperature in the kitchen around +17°C. BTW, my chimney has been broken for over 50 years, so I can't use my two masonry heaters (kakelugnar).

[@MalmoG]

The windows are most likely from the late 50s or early to mid 60s, judging by the fittings. Definitely not as old as the house :) Still very nice windows though, made from core wood. Just change the inner glass to a 3 or 4 mm energy efficient glass, makes a huge difference, and you can still keep the old "lively" glass on the outside. Good luck from Sweden!

[@olsa76]

The totally unnecessary sun protection will make a huge difference when it gets above +27c. The best way to keep the house cool is to make sure that the sun does not reach the window. Tiles are the best looking option in a bathroom, but...tiles are cold to walk on in the winter even with working heating, so the only way tiles will be nice in a cold climate is to also install underfloor heating, which is also a big expense . Therefore, people also more often accept the uglier option.

[@theNamesPhillip]

Yes I can't wait to get to that temperature in the house (at least at this point with the cold)! But you're right it will probably come in handy, especially with the direction the house is pointed 🙂 I think tiles are a really lovely option and I am still leaning towards them on the walls at the very least! The floors are something I would also like tiles for but I also quite like some of the lino ones I've seen funnily enough 😅

[@kasperkjrsgaard1447]

Electric underfloor heating in the bathroom isn’t that expensive. If there’s prepared with radiators and central heating, you could use an air to water converter and or a heat string underground, but I would presume that air to air converters would be the cheapest and easiest way to get heat into the house.

[@angelavazquez5085]

The upstairs landing would make a beautiful library. Your home is so beautiful and offers so much potential!

[@theNamesPhillip]

Thank you so much for your support, and I really love that idea, wouldn’t that be so cosy to have a library and a little reading corner! I love it!

[@bringerod5141]

Welcome to Sweden! We are having one of the coldest winters in 25 years I think so I hope you stay warm! And hopefully there are no Russian attacks in the close future. Enjoy! Sweden is a lovely country

[@AnniCarlsson]

28 of januari 1999 is hard to forget due to forced to do go to work. -42 it said when looked on termometer

[@bisratezra8247]

I'm in bed in my well heated flat in Uppsala, yet I shiver while watching this video. Can't believe the temperatures you have to endure! But the house is so beautiful and will be great once fully restored. Welcome to Sweden!

[@MewDenise]

Man.. that is my dream home. The traditional swedish house, 2 floors, symmetric.

[@Practice_Kindness-1st]

Your windows are mouth blown. It's a nice thing to have, and very expensive to buy new (mouth blown)...During the 19th century, craftsmen created windows and other glass products by manually spinning molten glass on a blow pipe, which produced glass with a wavy quality. What a beautiful cat, and your house is beautiful and full of potential. Enjoy the ride!

[@theNamesPhillip]

Thank you! 😊 yes, we want to do everything we can to keep the windows in their original form and just restore them without ruining them, they really are amazing. we have to be a bit careful because I’ve heard that they are somewhat notorious for starting house fires (but really the house is being here for over 100 years and no house fire has happened). Yes her name is keeden and she is a very spoiled cat 😄 thank you again 😁

[@EtherealSunset]

Your home is going to be beautiful. Fingers crossed you get the chimneys sorted soon so you can have more heat. Candles can raise a room's temperature by a degree or two, so if you'll be in one room for a while, it might be worth lighting some. It's the flames that help, so multiple smaller candles is better than one big one. It won't make you toasty, but when it's really cold, a degree or two is noticeable warmer. If you still need to use your hands, but want s bit of extra warmth, fingerless gloves actually do make a difference. If you can get some reusable hand warmers, you can pop them in boots a bit before you plan on leaving the house as they'll warm the inside of the boot for you as boots stored in a cold room get very cold and are not pleasant to put on. Hopefully you'll have proper warmth soon though. Our boiler broke the other winter and the kitchen was 5°C for a few months. That was in the UK. It was pretty miserable, so I can imagine with how cold some of your house is, it must be pretty tough. The days are gradually getting longer though, so hopefully it will start to be a little less cold for you soon.

[@Divig]

Those long narrow rooms on the upper floor (walk in wardrobes, bathroom and weird guestroom) looks very similar to storage rooms we had in our house from the same period. They are colder than normal rooms so mice and bugs don't like them and thus fitting for storage of things and clothes/textiles. (Since you have no attic or basement meant for storage in these houses). They also act as extra insulation between the outdoors and the rooms you live in and want to warm up.

[@foxnoxness4989]

Big kattvindar

[@MinnewegianForever]

I think you got it for an excellent price. If this house was in northern Minnesota in the Grand Marais area, it would easily sell "as is" for $300,000. Grand Marais is commonly known as the "Norwegian Rivera" here in Minnesota. It has a similar climate too. I think it's very charming, and I would stick to fixing the major structural problems. As far as the upstairs bathroom, I would remove the bath tub and put just a toilet and a sink away from the electrical. Maybe some type of composting toilet and remove all plumbing from the upstairs. Since this is an old farmstead and doesn't have the insulation that most people are used to these days, I would make a smaller cozy living space on the bottom, and you could make some small co-working or summer sleeping areas on top. An outdoor sauna with an outdoor bathroom with a shower and cooking space would make it an excellent hostel place in the summer, and also pay for the extra heating and renovations to live there year round. Just my thoughts.

[@loristromski1334]

I am from Wisconsin and am planning a trip to Grand Marais in February.

[@ncopeman]

I’m another muppet from England who bought a house in Sweden. I use it over Christmas and summer. We’ve had it in the family since 2007 and I bought out the family in 2019. It’s near Kramfors up north and next to a train line 🤣. Keeping it warm in the winter is an absolute pain. I’ve decided to rip out the old boiler and go for ground source heat pump. It’ll be expensive but worth it in the end.

[@user-rf9bh4iw9u]

The type of cast iron stove can be a really good and cheap heat source. Back in the days people picked dried pine cones from the forest floor during summer and stored in jute sacks. Once really dry the cones were used as fuel. High heat and slow burning (but a bit loud since they were crackling alot).

[@theNamesPhillip]

Wow that is super interesting, I might just have to try that when the chimney is up and running! I love the sound of a crackling fire so as long as it doesn't get too loud, it should be lovely. Thanks for the tip!

[@leifharmsen]

Cast iron stoves are unsafe and inefficient. When it is you having to cut haul store dry and stoke the firewood, you'll be happy for the 80+% efficiency of airtight steel over -10 to 20% efficiency of leaky brittle cast iron. Over-fire cast iron and it cracks and dumps burning coal over your floor and burns your house down. A steel stove is made of jet engine steel or something like it - you can simply shut the door and walk away from it. Plus a modern stove you can look in through the glass and see the fire burning, so pretty! I would very much doubt that you can get a cast iron stove certified. You need double insulated steel stove pipes, and they can run through existing chimneys safely without relying on the chimney being in good condition. Good modern air-tight stoves are romantic and practical, old stoves are dangerous stressful make-work projects.

[@98Zai]

@@leifharmsen They have thermal mass though, that's the reason they're so chunky. The modern stoves are just a tiny pipe in the wall and it's basically only the fire itself that creates heat, while these big stoves will heat up the wall through the whole house. You need to know how they work, have a carbon monoxide alarm, be very diligent about the chimney etc.

[@target844]

The walk-in closet was likely never built to be warm. It is not uncommon in old Swedish houses to have cold spaces like that. If the roof ends below the ceiling height of the upper floor there will be some part of the room that do not have ceiling height. It was not uncommon to have a wall where it is possible to have full height, which results in some space like where your walk closet is. That storage was often not heated and therefore not insulated from the outside, insulation would have been put in the floor and the doors made to handle the temperature diffrence. If the storage is not something you need every day the low temperature is not a problem. If the house is heated it will likely never be below freeing. In the house where one pair of my grandparents lived there is three storage accessible from the inside, the house if from the 1920s. Where my other grandparents lived full length of the house on the second level at the backside is a long uninsulated space, there is a couple of cm gap between the wall and the roof. It is on the north side of the house and keeps quite cool in the summer, my mother used to sleep there in the summer. It was also used for drying washing if it could not be done outside. It was alos used for storage. One of these spaces like that on the front side is completely inaccessible, you would need to climb over the insulation in the attic to get there, It has a window for the look with a curtain that has been there for decades. The house is from 1930 but was rebuilt in 1950. The awning outside the bedroom is not useless, it is a very efficient way to keep the bedroom cooler by blocking direct sunlight but still letting light into the room. They are more efficient in keeping heat out compared to blinds or curtains because the fabric that is heated is away from the house, not in or behind the windows like the alternatives. It is not uncommon that power warrants like that have sun, wind, and rain sensors to automatically deeply and retract it. You can cool the house with the air heat pump but it is likely quite a new addition the the house. I use awnings like that every summer and I live 700km north of you. They are called "markiser" in Swedish and I would consider getting more of them for the larger windows on the ground floor depending on the orientation of the house and how warm it gets inside. They are not very good-looking when deployed but are quite invisible when not in use The small side extension i what sometimes is called a svale or förstuga (lobby in English). An uninsulated space with doors to the inside and the outside. The advantage is to reduce airflow tot he the outside when you enter and exit the house. It is also a place to take off and leave your dirty shoes and other clothes to keep water, mud, and snow away from the inside of the house. In North America, it is called a mudroom. Consider keeping it for that purpose, do not try to make it a warm room or tear it down unless you you tried to use it for at least a year and do not like it. Fix the internal with some benches to sit to put on boots on and appropriate storage for clothes and shoes. The room before it where the cushion blocks the cat flap could be a place to keep jackets etc in the winter, there is not a lot of storage space in the main entrance. I think it is a more useful entrance than the main entrance for a large part of the year and makes it easier to keep the living space clean.

[@theNamesPhillip]

Wow, what an amazing amount of information. Thank you so much for taking that time! That is really interesting about those two little rooms, I did wonder why one of them looked so finished but so supposedly an insulated. This is, in fact the second comment to say the same thing I had no idea it was by design. And the same thing with the markiser! I thought it would come in handy, but I thought also that it was funny that it was powered by electric, it just seems so strange in a very old home 😅 But so many people have told me how useful they are that I can’t wait to see in the summer! In England, I never saw them so it’s completely new to me! I will give the side room a try, they definitely would be some value in using it as a mudroom for sure. Part of me was hoping to be able to take it down and replace it with a shelter for the car doing the snow season (way down in the priority list though) Again, thank you so much for the amazing amount of information, both of us are very new to owning a house and really want to learn!

[@calmik]

you’ll be VERY very happy to have that shade in summer… I’m in Stavanger in Norway, and shades would be a must on this house

[@simonthorball]

Welcome to Värmland Phillip. I live just a bit further north in Hagfors kommun. When you showed ice inside your bathroom, with surrounding plumbing, I was worried . The next couple of days will see temps. of minus 25, or even below. If you haven't already done so since posting this video, I'd implore you to place a portable electric heater in this room.

[@theNamesPhillip]

Thank you very much and thank you for the suggestion, we have done that and are hoping that it’s going to work wonders. Thankfully we do have a cable that runs through the cold water pipe that supposedly keeps it from freezing (at least in theory).

[@Caprifool]

Lots of people over insulate their old houses in Sweden. Blocking the original air intakes and chimneys, that were the original ventilation. Resulting in overheating and mould. Maybe hold that thought until you have the chimney cleared and all the fireplaces lit all day. As well as 20-30 m³ DRY firewood, times two for next season. I've lived in a similar house for 15 years. And got the same advice myself. Which saved a LOT of money!

[@henriklarsson5221]

Just a note for people who are looking, you can find houses in the south of Sweden for decent prices, especially in old summer-house areas. My house(fully renovated) cost 950 k swedish kr, 60 m2 and 2000 m2 garden, more then enough for two people, i added some work for 100 k to make it my own. 20 minutes from Lund and 30 from Malmö. No road-sounds nor trainsounds, fiber water waste included. Sure if you are looking for a bigger house then it will be harder, but in the north of Scania and Småland there are a lot of cheap places that are bigger , but for me : larger house = more work. cheers

[@y.john.]

How and where should I look to find the houses you are referring to? Do you have a website or a real estate agent to give me ?

[@henriklarsson5221]

@@y.john. "Hemnet".se is the page for you, i think your webbrowser can translate to english. Then do a search for Example "Skåne", if that is your area of interest, select only "villa" and "Fritidsboende"(summer house) and set your maximum price. I did a fast search and found many around 1-1,5 million SKR(~100-150k dollars) in areas that are "close" to towns but still in the country-side, or in small villages. The closer you get to the west-coast, the more expensive in general. Same goes of course for other larger city-areas. Småland is know for having many cheap houses for sale, but then it would be longer to "big civ". cheers

[@henriklarsson5221]

@@y.john. Swedish English Till salu - For Sale Kommande - Upcoming Slutpriser - Final prices Sök Mäklare - Find Broker Hitta bostäder till salu -Find properties for sale

[@henriklarsson5221]

@@y.john. Swedish English Villor - Villa Radhus - Terraced house Lägenheter - Apartments Fritidsboenden - Summer House Tomter - Plot Gårdar/Skogar - Farm land/ Forest Övrigt - Others

[@LILY-os1vo]

Well as a person who just finished changing the whole electricity system of my new house, I guarantee with you that it is totally worth it (find joy through challenges i suppose) Your electricity box looks exactly like mine, with old button and to be honest at first I did not want to do it at all. But once we renovate, we want to do it good, also electricity box inside a bathroom is not really a safe idea. When I change my electricity system, I also change the location of my electricity box as well. It is a hassle yes, but good for your safety and the quality of your home Take your sweet time, feel your house and you will know what need to be done ❤

[@LILY-os1vo]

In your bathroom with electricity box i would like to propose 2 recommendations: 1. If You choose to keep all the electricity the way it is, then I recommend to build an isolated wall and then after that will be the bathroom => but it also means you need to change and adjust the water / waste pipes of wc => take a look closer to see what is better 2. You can change the whole new electricity system of the house , which also means you are able to move your electricity box in any places of your choice (I choose to do this option in my home). Then you have new electricity system, same bathroom system no need to move / adjust water / waste pipe + safe home

[@lynnbfoster]

Just stumbled on your channel. I’m watching from North Carolina USA and love watching European home renovations. Can’t wait to get caught up.

[@kirstenaas4450]

Windows from before ww2 (at least) were only 1layer glass. Then they often had another frame with glass to put up in the winter, you might find some in the basement or attic. You need to make a small "artic entrance" on the outside, this will help you to not to drain a lot of heat from the rest of the house. Looks like they have removed a lot of doors from earlier days. My grandma always used to heat a brick of soapstone, out it in a multi layerd textile (cotton) bag and put in the bed (with down and wool - syntetic will not do. I still feel good with a cold temp in my bedroom. Do not try to make yiur beutiful house a picture of modern floorplans and colors. See what you can find from its original designs. Happy work and results from Norway

[@theNamesPhillip]

Thanks a lot for that. Super interesting information! I definitely don’t plan on modernising the house, we both really like the older styles and it really would be a shame if we decided to ruin the structure after 100 years of good foundations! The wool idea is a good one, I wonder if Merja would be angry if I used her knitting stash alpaca wool 😂 Thanks so much for your support and great tips !

[@kirstenaas4450]

Alpaca is the super wool. And it do not ich. A pair of socks from this will help you keep warm. I am looking forward to see more from your projects. Best of luck for you both.

[@greham]

If you can't insulate, just start putting wall hangings and carpets everywhere. That'll help a lot. Also, get a air dryer to remove extra humidity and feel warmer.

[@joannamallory2823]

I grew up in Alaska. We were remote as well. We had freezers in our downstairs area for meat and cheese since we bought in bulk and my dad hunted moose and deer, and was a fisherman. They are beneficial.

[@theNamesPhillip]

Definitely, good point! I could see them being super useful when I start getting to know some of the hunters in the area!

[@leifharmsen]

Using the chimneys for heat means you need air-tight modern wood burning appliances, so that requires modern double-insulated smoke pipes and caps - these can be run inside your existing chimneys. Fireplaces are relatively useless for heating - they suck more heat out than they provide. You will also need one or two good battery powered saws (mine are Stihl) and a 20 ton splitter. In Canada we have very good and inexpensive wood stove companies, and I suspect that Sweden/Europe does too.

[@zingzing6550]

Ehhh...what? If you pipe the chimneys they will be useless for heating the house. The whole idea is to heat up the whole chimney (quite a large mass) and that will keep the house warm overnight. It has worked fine since 1904 and will work just fine another century or two. This was the conventional way to heat houses in Sweden up to the introduction of cheap electricity.

[@ShazWag]

Love how much potential it has, and with a fridge the size of a room! *"COLD"* was the most frequently used word throughout the video 🥶❄🤣

[@theNamesPhillip]

I love the positive vibes thanks so much! Haha yes cold was all I could feel that day! 😅 thankfully it is only -3° today but next week it goes back to -24°c ⛄️

[@ShazWag]

Just be glad you're not a brass monkey 😄@@theNamesPhillip

[@theNamesPhillip]

😂

[@berndhoffmann7703]

I love cold rooms as well, but one should have 15 degrees Celsius minimum inside in order to avoid damage to the structure. You need up to your heat some more degrees :)

[@karinholm5403]

There is a danish invention that can help against moisture damage. It is called solarvent and heats and dries the air when the sun is shining. Not expensive and only use solar energy when active.@@berndhoffmann7703

[@mikaelmartin9288]

Your house tour reminded me what Swedes us to say about British plumning, like its better to mount water pipes on the outside of the house in order to easier repair them when they freeze 😊😂. You should defenately spend some more money on electricity and heat up your house more until the chimney is repaired. Espessially important of course in bathrooms and kitchen where you have water. I also suggest as soon as you get warmer in the house to crawl under the house and look for water leaks. And if so, turn of the water until you have repaired potential leaks. Regarding bathrooms in Sweden, i dont agree they are built or renovated cheap. Most go for floor heating, tiles on floors and walls and nice glas showwer walls and fancy bath tubs. The small corner rooms in houses like your were often calles kattwind, a place for storage and funcioned as a climate buffer between outside and living spaces. For a coming renovation you need to insulate walls and ceilingns as well as replacing the windows to 3-glase windows. The price you have paid for such a house is a barging. Same house around Gothenburg would probably be 3-4 times higher, and around Stockholm even much more. But with a million SEK spend you will still have very much house for the money 😊 Put up the heat and good luck. 👍

[@hzpc]

I came across this video via Facebook, and I'm glad it was shown to me! It's such a nice video highlighting the pros and cons. Your honesty and realism when you're showing around the house are very helpful for someone thinking of making a similar move. And ofcourse, props to the camera and edit work, looks really clean! Best of luck on your adventure, I'm sure it will turn out to be a beautiful, cosy and warm home. ❤

[@theNamesPhillip]

Thank you so much! I’m glad I was able to be of value and I hope to continue with that! Thanks for your support! 😁

[@susanne4028]

Thank you for showing us around. That was really interesting. I wish you good luck with all the renovations.

[@theNamesPhillip]

Thank you Susanne 🙏I will make sure to keep posting updates so pop by again if you’re feeling curious 😁

[@agoogleuser1261]

interesting the things you find hideous in your home, people pay good money to install (real hardwood flooring, wood plank (shiplap) ceiling, fitted kitchen, and a stand alone freezer). From my perspective, I love your new home!! Please prioritize the heating, as freezing temperatures can damage the interior fixtures.

[@justatitle]

Beautiful House, but really, I think ? it should be taken down to the studs. Insulated, re wired, re plumbed, and tear down some walls, to open up rooms that have no purpose, then update your fireplace, and chimney, then add efficient wood stoves. Start at one end of the house, so you can still live there if possible. Have an overall plan! And stick to it. I would look under the ceiling panels in your primary room, ie master bedroom just to see what’s up there underneath. I wonder if you have insulation? I’m not sure what you can afford, but your house would warrant putting big money into it. Are you handy?

[@v.h.7180]

Just found your channel. Love the cat, the house and your genuine personality. Anything what you and Maria want to post will be interesting. Owning a large house is like a never ending journey.

[@theNamesPhillip]

Thanks so much! If you ever want to see something specific just reach out! Until then I will try to bring the best quality I can to you!

[@WozUK1]

The Landing at the top of the stairs needs a scalextric race track! 😂😂

[@theNamesPhillip]

Why didn’t I think of that!? Oh man I completely forgot about a big part of my childhood 😂

[@lewiskinser8320]

It is going to be a beautiful home bro. Ur on ur way up. Love the fact u call ur woodworking projects thing 1 thru 6. Funny as hell man. I hope to meet ur neighbors and town folk close by in future episodes. Thanks for content

[@tigreygt6614]

Hello Philip and your partner. Congratulations on your purchase of a home. Am an African from Uganda, living in the United States of America. I love your humor 😂 as you show us around your home, namely the murder door. That got me scared for you, especially at night. Imagine if you are home alone at night 😢. The second hilarious thing you said was that room where all plants go to die😂! Your partner is going to twist your arms on that. Otherwise, I think your purchase is great, but for me I would work hard to create a modern look in the house. I don't like the cabinets, the pantry and of course those red stairs. And as an African, of course I hate the cold weather. I like the secluded environment though. Once again, congratulations 👏

[@lydon1200]

I'm so glad I found your channel !!! What a beautiful house . I'm excited to see the changes you make. I can't wait to see the chimney situation repaired - I'm cold for you 🙂

[@theNamesPhillip]

Thank you so much I’m glad you liked the video! Believe me, I can’t wait either and I’m hoping that being so cold this year will make me even more thankful for the warmth next, use it as a way to build thicker skin!

[@NordVast]

As someone commented. Insulate it to much is not a good idea. But for energy savings, replace the windows with modern three glass windows will save a lot of energy. You can get those in a style that will fit the house. Another thing people do that living in big old houses is that they in the winter don't heat all the rooms they don't need as much. Just enough to keep the house in a good shape. The most important thing also with an old house is to have a good roof, you don't want any leaks.

[@llaeeZ]

It's often possible to install a third pane in existing windows. So that should be the first option.

[@weezyduffy]

Just found your channel and loving the house content! We moved from the UK two years ago to northern Sweden (near Skellefteå). We bought a house last summer in the forest and are also discovering all the things that need repaired etc! First things on our list were having a new fire installed, the chimney inspected and then new heating! It’s been an expensive year, haha! Looking forward to more content! :)

[@theNamesPhillip]

Haha it will be so worth it to have a working fire to cozy up by though, especially in Skellefteå where you have a whole new definition of cold! Thanks so much for your support and I super glad that you have managed to get out there and start living your dreams!

[@Mustangmom2k]

I'm American with Swedish ancestry and I visited Sweden recently to meet some relatives. It's a beautiful country and your property is stunning! I would fix the chimneys and insulate the house first. For the windows, you could easily build cheap wood frames to fit up against the windows, staple clear plastic film to the frames, then set them into the openings for temporary extra window insulation. Then take them down in summer. Not ideal, but helps to insulate the glass a bit more and stop drafts until you can replace the windows. For the bathroom with the electrics, it's easier to move a bath tub than a fuse panel. See if you can relocate the tub. As for the AC units high up on the walls (here, we call them mini-split units), do yours not also have heat? Ours usually have both AC and heat. Maybe you could replace your wall units with dual function units. Not cheap, I suspect, but you would have more even/consistent heat. I'm looking forward to seeing your progress!

[@theNamesPhillip]

Oh that's awesome and thank you so much! Where in the US are you from? I've heard a lot of people with Swedish ancestry are based in Minnesota. That's actually a really out of the box answer and is super interesting, thank you! There is a service here that actually coats glass windows in a layer of plastic film and apparently it is amazing for keeping in heat. Yeah the tub definitely needs to be the one to move, I can't even imagine the stress with the electrics! and our units are actually heaters and AC but I think our insulation is so bad in the attic that all the heat is escaping! Thanks so much for the support and the feedback, I will do my best to share good content!

[@Mustangmom2k]

@theNamesPhillip I'm originally from California, but have lived in Virginia for 32 years. My great-grandparents immigrated in 1910 and went to Nebraaska, then to Illinois, and eventually, California. Yes, there's a very large Swedish population in Minnesota, but my family never settled there. My Swedish relatives are currently scattered throughout Värmland and Hälsingland areas. As for your attic, I guess you should add that to the list!

[@theNamesPhillip]

Oh that’s super interesting I love how much investment you have and finding out where your ancestors are from! Yes Värmland is the area that I live, a beautiful part of Sweden 😁 Oh absolutely, the floor of the attic is actually only insulated with a thin layer of sawdust so that is probably one of the first things that needs to be changed, all of my heat is escaping from the attic!

[@margoz7251]

Welp, you won't be bored!! One of those odd downstairs rooms would benefit from a greenhouse bumpout and a passive solar heat system. And a floor drain. If you're going to grow some of your food supply it will be an important way to extend your grow season.

[@theNamesPhillip]

Haha yes you can say that again 😅 Merja hasn’t read this comment, but I’m certain that she agrees there! Our closest Neighbour just got solar panels so it will definitely be cool to see how well they work for him

[@Booliciously]

You’re both basically living my dream. Am looking forward to your journey. I can see so much potential in those rooms and the house. My brain automatically just goes into interior decorating mode when I see a canvas with so much character and potential. Hope you guys can fix the chimneys first.

[@doctorpragmatic1740]

The "warped" window glass is common in old houses and most likely it is a result of hand made glass

[@mignoncat1]

potential is a beautiful thing. your home is lovely & you get to make it yours ! which is wonderful! i already imagine the 2 of you growing older gracefully here.

[@fergalwalsh3890]

For the floors, I would use Osmo poly wax oil, clear coat. Two coats, dries and cures in about 24 hrs depending on temperature inside. It is more expensive than linseed oil but very hard wearing.

[@EthanFromLondon]

I also bought a house in Sweden in the middle of nowhere (probably somewhere close to you) and going through similar experiences as yours. The electrics in the bathroom can stay there as long as you can seal the door to ensure no moisture goes into the cabinet. There should be no risk as long as your water pipes are not coming through there as well. The first floor landing could be a nice reading room. To heat the house buy oil / gel filled radiators from Jula up to 800W each and attach them around the rooms where you need heating. Don't use panel radiators they are cheaper, but useless (I bought 4 and regretted it) and consume more electricity. I changed my bathroom completely, but had it done by professionals due to the reasons you explained and it was very expensive SEK 150K . But don't use tiles since the houses expand and contract and it's better to have the rubber matts / carpets. The chimneys can be fixed by putting flexible metal pipes with insulation around them and then connecting them to each fireplace. Once you have been there for 6 months or more it will become and home and you will love it as I love my place now.

[@elladyer3445]

Really enjoyed your house tour and look forward to following your renovations!

[@theNamesPhillip]

Thank you so much!

[@trudiegordon6327]

Fireplaces add character and I would get on with getting them working and any source of heat put on. Piles of wood by the fires look cosy and bigger warm rugs and throws make a difference as would curtains to keep in warmth or shutters. Candles and sconces on the wall give warmth. The kitchen cabinets could be painted and some people cut hearts out to make it look more rustic. A big kitchen table and chairs is needed and some copper pans.

[@tormodnordskog7702]

Hello ! Cozy house. I see that you have single-layer windows, before it was very common to insert a layer of windows on the inside of these you have here. See if you can find any extra windows you can put in, you will notice a lot about the warmth and coziness in the home. Good luck with the house.

[@theNamesPhillip]

Thank you so much! I just checked back in the video and although it looks like they’re single pane windows, there are actually two layers on all the windows in the house. What I notice is that there is a draft coming from the edges of the glass, so I definitely need to fix that!

[@KimmoJaskari]

@@theNamesPhillip Other options that can help - insulated curtains, and 3M makes an insulating window film you attach to the inside window frame. The objective being trapping air between the inside and outside.

[@igeekling]

​@@theNamesPhillipthat kind of windows you traditionally put something called 'fönstervadd' between the panes as part of winterizing. Partly for decorations. But mainly as an old way to keep the cold draft from the window down during the cold months. How effective it is compared to modern methods is debatable. But it might help a little and it is the traditional look. If you're going for that feel of the rooms. Especially if you stick some 'eterneller' (dried flowers) into the fönstervadd

[@janeskeet3506]

My daughter and I are currently saving up to move from the UK to Sweden so your video's are really useful for us. Thank you

[@nielzene9656]

Keep in mind that without a proper visa, you can't move to Sweden though.

[@theNamesPhillip]

That’s great to hear and I’m glad I could be of use! If you have any questions, I can hopefully answer them in a video!

[@janeskeet3506]

@@nielzene9656 yes, we know about visas etc thank you though

[@DebbHarper]

Absolutely brilliant and so informative and I cant wait to visit and help with painting and diy 😍

[@theNamesPhillip]

Thanks! You might need to bring a jacket 😅

[@megreads9]

Congrats for having a beautiful home 🏡 bless you. Don't rush furnishing it enjoy every moment of it and in the end of the year you will find it so beautiful and cosy.

[@theNamesPhillip]

Thank you for the kind words. We are here for the long run so taking it slow is definitely good advice!

[@suzannebramble6564]

Loved this video! That landing area would make a great library.

[@brioshoveit]

A bit of feedback. You both have some work to do, but I bet it will be great in end. Attic, 500- 600 mm loose woodinsulation (total, can still use the old). Vents to move condensation. Cost repaid in 5-10 years. Bugnets to avoid getting hornets on addict. Pax eos 100h in downstairs bathroom, it is a ftx vent that uses bad air to preheat fresh incoming air. Cost 11 k sek + installation of duct to areas that need the heat. Redraw entire electrical system, looked like a rats nest. Air to air or air to water heater, but as it is lacking the pipes, I would go for air to air. Remodel upper bathroom to a toilet to lessen cost. Bedroom, looked like egg tempera paint, so check that up, as it can flake if use other paint.

[@millwoodthomas5220]

I can't fathom the temperatures. I live in Australia and we are in the middle of a heatwave (40 plus degrees), which is basically like living on the sun. I can't wait to follow your progress. Your house is amazing. You might want to check out a KZbinr: 'roaming wild Rosie', she's doing similar to you and she knew nothing in the beginning also. good luck!

[@zoom5024]

For us it's the other way around. When the heatwaves comes in Sweden during the summers and it's around 30 degrees Celsius in the shade i wanna cry. We dont have houses and apartments ment for the heat. I live in the top floor of an apartment which have sun from morning to night, i had to sit in just underwear and couldnt have the PC on during the day, had to jump in the shower like 5 times a day just to cool off 😂

[@katealison6087]

The house is gorgeous - so much potential and in such a great location. A suggestion for the front space (the one where you mentioned about the old glass in the windows) is that you make it a library/reading nook? You could pop bookshelves a couple of comfy armchairs in there. I was also thinking the same for the large landing space upstairs. A couple of chairs, some bookshelves and some low tables with lamps on would look great. The lamp idea would also work really well in your living room to bring the space together and cosy it up. Lamps create that lovely cosy feeling - with softer light and they are also lovely design features if you choose them carefully. Personally I prefer lamplight over central ceiling lights any day. The house is so exciting and looking forward to see how you develop it. Can relate to the old house problems - water, heating etc. I've got an 18th century cottage in Cornwall and boy has it been a labour of love - lots of tears along the way too! But living somewhere with character and history is so interesting.

[@theNamesPhillip]

Thank you so much! That’s interesting, they in the landing space. I would like a room like that, too relax with (I just need to get books and replace my Kindle) 😅. It would also be nice to have an old vinyl player in there! Oh wow, that’s amazing! I love Cornwall, I’m originally from Bristol so it’s not all that far away! Yeah, the sentimental value is worth it, I think! Thanks so much for your advice and positivity , I’ll try my hardest to give the best updates 😁

[@henriknielsen2517]

Välkommen hit! Looking forward to seeing what you will do with the house :)

[@theNamesPhillip]

Tack så jättemycket!

[@carolineok11]

Absolutely love your house and location and I’m sure it will be beautiful when it’s done although it looks good now ,will look forward to updates .😊

[@theNamesPhillip]

Thank you so much! 😁

[@elsestelema6273]

It will be a beautiful home.Love your cat❤️. First job definitely is to get the chimney or chimneys repaired, it will make all the difference. After that it will feel like a home instead of a house. Is so spacious but strange how both bathrooms seem long and narrow. Can’t wait to see your next video, thanks for sharing!

[@seanbyrne8766]

I recently travelled to Sweden and definitely would consider it to make my own self sufficient home, so I am interested to see how this develops to a self sufficient home! Definitely need to insulate the house..

[@theNamesPhillip]

Oh that’s awesome where did you travel in Sweden? Thanks for the feedback and yeah absolutely! I don’t think I can go another year with this cold!!! 😂

[@themarco-fr]

Beautiful; gosh what an awesome project ♥️

[@benjaming9912]

seeing that spinning bike in the living room unlocked some childhood memories lol. my parents bought a cabin in sweden when I was 8 or 9. no running water, no electricity. we spent the entire first summer renovating the cabin and my dad installed some solar panels. but in the winter we barely got any sun so by 2pm we had to generate electricity in a different way: my dad and I had built a spinning bike that generated electricity. so every day we had to take turns on the bike so that we’d still have electricity for lights etc in the afternoons and evenings. i hated it at times but at least it kept us warm haha. sadly the cabin burnt down 4 years later :( we suspect it was set on fire because it was also regularly broken into and vandalized whenever we weren’t there.

[@JMNYC5]

...Superfint hus och bra placering mellan städerna...Lycka Till med renovering, och ladda upp med mycket plåster och tålamod!🧡

[@theNamesPhillip]

Tack så jätte mycket! Det kommer jag definitivt att göra! 😂

[@WoodwindSpirit]

Wow, this was super interesting! Thanks for sharing and all the best for you both. ♥ :)

[@gunlindblad5202]

Beutiful old house. You have 2 chimneys, make shore to get someone in to fix them right away, also as quick as possible get a heatingsystem for the house. Since you have chimneys you should hsve a heating system that includs fire, look at pelletheating. The house is built so that when the chimneys get to warm the ventilation works great. And also skip that summerhouse heating. I wood not start to put extra insulation in until I lived there with proper heating 1 or 2 winters. To put extra insulation in meas that you also loose a lot of the original charm and beuty. There is arkitechts that can help you to solv some problems and it is not to expensive. The small bedrooms is whats called kattvindar and basicly wardrobes or storage in the old days, probably not insulated since they are not meant to be lived in. Keep in mind it has been a summerhouse! I just had my bathroom done and depending on size about 350-400000kr each and heatingsystem (pellets) about 300.000kr. The rest of the house you could probably fix yourself. About swedish bathrooms, they are the best! Specially when it comes to cleaning, just use the shower and clean the whole room, simple. And keep in mind in sweden we do hate to much stuff so forget about to much decoration, don’t make it unsellible. About the elctricety, I wood advise you to change that in the whole house, some computers must have earthcable and what I could see it is old. But you need to have a certified electrician to do it, check out thevrules before you start a projekt so you don’t end up having to do it again.

[@Brett1279]

The house is amazing and in a beautiful setting. I moved from England last month and now live in Motala, just bought a house and trying my hand at DIY also. Good luck

[@theNamesPhillip]

Oh awesome, exciting times! Good luck to you as well with your build!

[@Brett1279]

@@theNamesPhillip thanks mate - I’ve dropped you a message in IG also. Looking forward to seeing your progress and your carpentry skills 👍🏻

[@anneofgreengables1619]

You are exactly right about the snoody robes. I have one and I live in Finland. Warmest thing ever! Lifesaver ATM!

[@theNamesPhillip]

Oh I bet, I lived in Oulu for a while and an Oodie would have been amazing there!

[@user-bs5xz2gs6l]

Congratulations on your property purchase. It reminds me of the house our eldest daughter and son-in-law bought. There was so much wrong with it that my SIL, who is very handy with repairs, spent much time and money fixing. After substantial updates had begun, our daughter realized the original layout didn't work for them. They restarted with a clean-sheet CAD as-built of the house and developed three new workable layouts for the space. Their place originally was like yours, with the "what good is this room?" comments, but after redesign they loved it. Making sense of the layout probably doubled the property value as well making them happy. Whatever you do, good luck.

[@TheresaLawrence-wx4mq]

Such a great place !! Lucky you guys ❤

[@bjornjensen3382]

Hi there. Just found your page. My family and I live in the south of Sweden and we used to live in Härjedalen. It looks like you guys doesn’t know that much about houses and Swedish houses 😅 That old house are warmed up by wood fireplaces and typical for that age. During a period when electricity cheap many old houses put electric heaters in to, but it’s very good for the house to have the chimney stock warm during the winter as much as possible. Then the last 20 years many with electric heaters changed to pumps air to air or put water heating system in and now warms it with “bergvärme pump, jordvärme pump or luft/vatten pump. What’s your plan to heat the house? Some good luftvärmepumps can easy work there or pelletsbrännare/kamin/panna. We had that in the North. Very effective heaters! But!! Don’t let the house stand so cold for longer times. The condensation and moist will eat it up from inside out! I have a friend with an old house and he used ceramic heatfans in the rooms during renovation. Very effective 👍🏻

[@theNamesPhillip]

Haha yes, you are very right! I’ve only lived in English houses and although Merja is Swedish and has lived in Haparanda, she has really lived in apartments. 😅 Oh that’s really interesting information to know thanks! We aren’t entirely sure yet to be honest, we’d love to get the chimneys working so that we could have heat from the fireplace and have the warm air circulate under the house as well. I do think the house is able to have bergvärme installed and depending on how expensive that would turn out to be, it could be a great option! I feel that the air heating pumps would work really well if the floor of the attic was insulated properly. at the moment, it’s only insulated with a thin layer of sawdust so all the heat is escaping through the roof. Yeah, that’s definitely, not what I want, I will need to go out and get more heaters 😂 thanks so much for your help, that’s a lot of good advice!

[@bjornjensen3382]

@@theNamesPhillip as mentioned here to ventilation is very very important. My house is from 1917 and we put in waterbased heating system. We also have installed modern ventilation valves in every room and extra insulation on walls. Old houses have ”självdrag” and bread true the walls and ventilation. I guess to ask professionals will gain you. Ventilation is as important to. Feel free to ask. I work in the construction industry. I can guide you a little. I guess there are many pages and KZbin pages for DIY old houses.

[@karilang9377]

​@theNamesPhillip never heard Merja as a Swede but normally a Finn

[@beatrizperezmaraver95]

It can be very exciting to start building/renovating your dream home but also very stressful 😅 I am looking forward to following your footsteps, as I am planning to move to Sweden in the next year or so and maybe build my second house or buy a fixer upper. It will be very interesting to see all the process of how you manage to fix things, permits etc. Best luck 🤞

[@theNamesPhillip]

Oh wow exciting, I will share whatever I can! Yes it definitely will, I'm hoping I will be able to do enough with a full-time job but I guess it is just something to get used to 😁 Thanks for the feedback and support!!

[@Sorrely1]

A stunning house in a stunning location. Once you have the insulation, chimneys and floors sealed, it will be beautiful. I’m in the UK and for £99 you’d maybe get a wreck at auction in a pretty grim area.

[@mykolharper]

The bedframe looks amazing. Someone stole half your mattress tho 😂. First step imo should be to fix the stairs. I’d say strip the paint but surely the wood must’ve been ugly enough to think covering it with paint that bright was an improvement. Gorgeous house, engaging video, very funny. 👍

[@theNamesPhillip]

Thank you and defo glad that you agree about the stairs!! I love my thin mattress, way better on back health in my experience. Now my back hurts but it is more to do with an issue from running. Thanks for the feedback!!

[@rosaekbom7234]

I love it so much potential, I can’t wait to see everything you are planning to do with it 😉

[@theNamesPhillip]

Thank you so much I love the positivity! 😄

[@Kay-xi9kv]

Looking forward to following your adventures! Damn that’s 🥶

[@theNamesPhillip]

Thanks, I look forward to sharing them! Yeah it’s really cold, but now I get to look forward to how warm the house will be next year… hopefully 😂

[@janewallace7317]

This s my dream too! My Swedish friend (also a KZbinr) has just bought a summerhouse near Sala and it needs a lot of work. I’m going to visit in the summer and I can’t wait! . Currently it’s as cold as yours though. Good luck with your project, I look forward to following your progress.

[@theNamesPhillip]

Oh that’s amazing that sounds super exciting! Summers in Sweden are unbelievable so you won’t be disappointed! And that’s an area that doesn’t get too extreme, you get perfect four seasons

[@andreacleghorn479]

I just happened upon this, and I think the house is great! Can just imagine it in the summer, so airy and light. I guess a mason to reconstruct the chimneys is the first thing that needs to happen. Will be checking in later. Need to thaw out a little after watching!

[@theNamesPhillip]

Thank you so much! Yes, that will definitely be the first thing on the list, because with the way these houses were built, they need the chimney to be working! Haha yes you unfreeze yourself a little, I’ll try to make more content that will have you stuck to your seat 😁

[@tatli3630]

A beautiful house and I can't wait to see what you do with it! Also, I feel much better about our UK weather after seeing your indoor temperatures, I'll stop complaining now lol (probably not tbh).

[@theNamesPhillip]

Haha hopefully it won't be this temperature for us indoors next year but funnily enough, it can feel way colder in the UK because there is so much more moisture in the air. I was surprised at how much more manageable the cold has been compared to colder temperatures in England and Ireland. Funnily enough, after uploading this video, we had 3ºC in the kitchen and the fridge was warmer than the room when we opened the door 😂

[@annfrank411]

Such a beautiful house congratulations. First you have to make sure that chimneys are sorted, once that’s in place on professional person is working on it start working on insulating the entire house any gaps, nooks, corners pipes have good insulation make sure windows are a good quality ( double glazing (unfortunately plastic are best for winters of such magnitude)) so no cold seep true them. Once this things are done and entire house is sealed you can change inside don’t rush you don’t want to skip something and have to re do again waste of money and time. Try to make a kitchen, one bathroom living room and bedroom to be comfortable for next winter coming then slowly make a room at the time, but make sure you do the first steps properly as they are the most expensive and important. Good luck I bet you will make a beautiful improvements in that house.

[@theNamesPhillip]

Thanks so much! And yes great advice and good prioritisation. I want to do as much as I can to keep the original windows if possible so hopefully I can restore them and treat them but if not, plastic might be the way to go! Thanks for the tips!

[@Waltazhaar]

About the junction box behind the wall/door in the bathroom. If you don't intend to have an RCD installed (which may or may not require a lot of work depending on the current installation) , then to be safe, move the bathtub and shower head to another place in the room. Or simply remove the shower head and make it so you can't spray water anywhere. Meaning make it an "bathe only" bathtub. However in my honest opinion, I seriously recommend having every bathroom protected by a RCD. As the electrical installation probably is older than when the rules for when and where to have a RCD, were implemented, it might be that you're not forced to change current installation by law, but it wouldn't hurt. 👍🏻

[@user-dw4or1cc1m]

Roaring fire sounds very good

[@juliecarrolltontx2948]

Looks small from the outside but it’s huge on the inside. No of that stuff would ever pass code in the US. I can’t wait to see it when it’s done

[@theNamesPhillip]

I think it’s to do with the high ceilings on the inside. it’s funny because the house looks huge in real life, not so much on camera 😅 believe me, I’m surprised because Sweden is known for strict regulation! Thanks so much!

[@joannewall5499]

I think your house is beautiful and once you get the insulation and fires sorted will be so much better, they I would think are the priority as you don’t want mould growing, looking forward to coming along on this journey with you xxx

[@Hansen710]

you need to open walls lofts and floors to insulate, thats not a 5 min job. no matter how beautyful it is, you need to build a new inside this house have been standing for over hundred years and it is not full of mold mold should not come in a old house, unless you make changes to it... insulating wrong for example is one of the biggest reasons why old houses have mold

[@dhonlutje]

Watching from Belgium, such a big house, like to see diy renovations, here they do under floor heating specially in bathrooms, i think you maybe try to cover those windows with curtains where possible so the cold from outside can less come inside, greetings and love to see more👍

[@theNamesPhillip]

Hey! Thanks for the recommendations you're definitely right! We didn't have any curtains until 2 weeks ago actually, we now need to look for more (but they get so expensive so we are going to go searching in some thrift stores). Thanks for the support I'm glad you liked the video and I will do my best to bring you some great content!

[@kasperkjrsgaard1447]

Extra glass in the windows is propably the cheapest way to insulate the windows. It gives you the benefit of keeping the old windows which most likely was made from quality wood.

[@elizabethwilliams3267]

Triple glazing is normal and necessary in scandinavian houses. This should be high on your todo list. 👍

[@timmymendenhall1275]

Loved your video. Love the house. Praying you get the chimneys working really soon. Glad you guys love the house. Make sure all the plumbing is protected from the cold of course. I am in Texas, USA so your land and snow are absolutely beautiful to me !! Also the price of that house is extremely cheap. Keep us posted.....

[@TorbenS]

I stumbled over your video in my feed, I couldn't resist to look in. I'm a Danish guy and I live in the southern region of Denmark like 15 min. drive north of the German border. Your new home reminds me on "Emil fra Lønneberg". I'm sure you will get a nice and cozy home, once you get those chimneys fixed and can hold a normal indoor temperature. As others mentions the pipes with running water should be protected to not get freeze, so remove water where you can, to limit the risks for or broken pipe. I agree that having the fuses in the bathroom is quite weird, so maybe you could make like a walk-in cabinet in front, for towels and stuff and simply make the room shorter. This might however become difficult due to the way pipes are running, so maybe move the entire bathroom to another place in the first floor, because you wouldn't like to not have a toilet on that floor.

[@carineplasschaert]

Floor-insulation can may be also interesting in such a cold area. A lot of work… but it doesn’t have to be done all at once. I ‘m supporting you all the way. 😃🍀 Keep yourself warm 🔥🧤🧦🧣

[@theNamesPhillip]

Haha thank you so much I appreciate it! 😂 Underfloor heating would be very interesting, that is a route to explore for sure. Apparently when the chimneys are fixed, the heat is meant to circulate under the floor where the foundations are so I wonder if that would work in the same way!

[@adamuppsala1931]

What a beautiful home!!!

[@Theleisureexpert]

Really nice house. Bit of advice start working from” outside” in. We use to say ( property developer) get the envelope of the house right. Insulate, get walls sorted, get roof and foundation sorted. It cost money and you do not see much of it but once done properly it will be right for a very long time. Than concentrate on electric and plumbing. Get your floorplan right and plan essentials like bathroom and kitchen. Make a plan, very detailed and stick to it. All the best and enjoy the journey of renovating. I will be watching and hopefully can give some advice.

[@theNamesPhillip]

That is definitely the most logical way to do things, thank you so much! Due to the cold, we are definitely okay, not being able to see the renovations that we make so long as they are functional 😂 thanks so much for your feedback and support!

[@wonder_creative]

Nice place. Location looks great. Heating that place is a full time job and will cost a fortune, I’m heading to Sweden in may to look for a house with lots of land and a tiny house footprint. I’ll be leaving a big house behind and will never have a large house again.

[@jauhis96]

Greetings from Finland! 🇫🇮As you will be fixing up the chimneys and roof, I highly recommend building a wood heated sauna indoors as a addition to bathroom if possible. It takes up a bit of space, but it also heats the house when used. I wish you a happy year 2024!

[@theNamesPhillip]

Hello! Thanks for the suggestion! Merja is Finnish so I don’t think we can go too long without a sauna 😂 Sauna is actually quite a big part of our lives, so we will be getting one at some point, the question would be whether it should be inside or outside is one we need to think of, especially when the chimneys get fixed the whole house should be really easy to keep warm! Thank you so much I wish you a happy 2024 as well! 😁

[@ciaranflynn6291]

Very jealous dude! Can't wait to see what you guys end up doing to it!

[@eternity7477]

Such a lovely house. The landing will be perfect for a reading nook/library or just a place to sit and relax. It looks like your staircase is made of wood? It will look stunning if you strip the colour and give it a bleached look. It will go with the general feel of the house. I can't even imagine a house that cold. I live in a place where we have maybe two or three subzero days throughout the whole winter. I love following channels in cold countries and imagine living in such cold.

[@dennismoore8351]

It's a beautiful place. The house is a fairly large one. Here in America, bathrooms are done as wet rooms by code. It looks like you are going to have a wonderful experience. I can't wait to see how it goes.

[@theNamesPhillip]

Thank you, it definitely is and I feel very lucky right now! It’s a great way to do bathrooms in houses, but where I grew up in England and Ireland, it was not very common at all! In fact, very little water protection was carried out in bathrooms and they would often get mouldy. Thanks for your support!

[@hunkenpunken]

Same in Sweden, but this house is old. Built a long time ago. The buildingcodes in Sweden is in many ways harder for newbuilt homes than in the states. Fx its not allowed to put electric cables in walls without a outer casing.

[@kennethpedersen335]

This is becomming a new trend. Buying a house in the swedish wilderness, and posting it on youtube

[@theNamesPhillip]

It does seem to be getting more popular, you’re correct

[@grotehenk203]

Hi Phillip, what a picturesque house. Very romantic downstairs with the wallpaper ! I like it ! With regard to the bathtub and electricity - room : do you have water pressure there ? I can imagine that the previous owners drained all the water from the pipes in the house when they left after the summer, to prevent bursting pipes from frozen water. Now you are there in the winter and the rooms are below or around freezing temp. A bathtub and electrics combo would not be my prio 1 ! But ....bursted water pipes with electricity.... def. prio one! No water pressure there ?, no worries 🙂. Next video, maybe show all ins and outs from the chimney and ask for suggestions from your viewers ? I think you will get a lot of response !

[@theNamesPhillip]

Thank you very much, it is a very beautiful house! Yes, we do have water pressure, the pipes run from underground and the cold water pipes have a heating cable inside to stop the water from freezing. I don’t think it 100% guarantees that the water won’t freeze, but at least it helps a bit. 🙂 yeah that’s what I’m scared of is burst of water pipes with electrics, not a great mixture to say the least! 😅 That would definitely be a good video to make, I’m currently working on showing the outside of the property and the land it comes with although it’s very difficult to record today because it’s -27°C 😂 the chimneys will not be able to be fixed until April but after reading about this style of house, it will thrive when the chimneys are fixed Thank you so much !

[@kenhart8771]

Thank you for sharing. Cheers from Denmark

[@thegirlwithbrighteyes2453]

We've got an old house, too, although smaller than yours, so I just thought I'd add my two cents. You've had some really good comments with advice already! In our house we've got something that I can't recommend enough - it's a cast iron stove in the kitchen (kökspanna) that is connected to a system with cast iron radiators. It's extremely effective in warming the house and it doesn't take a lot of wood either, the exposed pipes go around the house to almost every room. I love them, they belong in an old house. I'm sure you could install something similar once you've got your cast iron stove working - or even better if you've got the possibility to add a Swedish tiled oven (kakelugn) that would be an amazing heat source that could heat the whole house if connected to a radiator system. We do have one heatpump in our house - just the one since our house is just 80kvm - but it's an IVT Aero and it's been working so well for us. It's not very expensive to run and it helps maintain the heat for a longer time every time we heat the house with wood. Note that we don't have any doors - they were removed by a previous owner and since the house is so small it makes perfect sense so we haven't put them back. About insulation. I know some people here are telling you not to insulate an old house - but you definitely can if you do it right. What you need is an insulation that doesn't retain moisture, because glass wool needs a lot of plastic around it, otherwise it sucks it up like a sponge. You don't want that kind of plastic or mould sponge in your house. Instead, go for three things: 1. Paper the walls. It might sound crazy but it acts like a windbreaker and wind is what will really chill your old house down. Just regular målarpapp works well, some types of wallpaper as well - just make sure it's not plasticky. 2. Use insulation like woodchip (like Hunton träfiberisolering, probably the most cost effective one) or linen wool. These insulations don't retain moisture and lets the house breathe. 3. Don't use a vapor barrier (ångspärr) - what you need is instead a vapor breaker (ångbroms). They are very expensive, I know, but unfortunately using a modern ångspärr in an old house is not a good idea since you will never get it completely airtight (and you probably don't want to, either, because the house was never meant to have that). Other than this, paper tape (målartejp) is your friend. You can use it wherever you find a draft and it will make a surprising difference, really. Just keep an eye on whether the upstairs retains heat much better than the downstairs, because that means you probably overdid it upstairs. ;) Good luck! (Oh and I just thought of one more thing - we've had problems with humidity in our house, it gets incredibly dry in the winter so I'd recommend getting some kind of humidity sensors to keep an eye on that.)

[@greenphoenix687]

I love the house and what an absolutely stunning and beautiful situation it is in. I suppose for me, the first thing I would spend my money on, is getting the fires and chimneys fixed. I would then decide on what layout in the house would work best for you. It may involve moving some walls or purposes of rooms so you would want to get that sorted first before concentrating on insulating the house the best you can... obviously the rooms you use the most first. Then the rest is dressing and that can come step by step later. Cant wait to see what you do and I am so envious of the adventure ahead of you. What a dream :) And what a gorgeous cat :)

[@AntonyoKnight]

Spot on 😅

[@avlasting3507]

Congratulations on the house. It's gorgeous...! 🏠