Touring Our Abandoned 1830s Farmhouse

In April, my partner Peter and I made an offer on a house in New York that we'd only ever seen on Zoom. We were finally able to visit the house in May, right before we signed the letter of commitment with the bank. Consider these your before shots! :D

[@rnproud1802]

This house and property are so great. Having renovated 6 homes with my partner let me please give you some guidance. You must find out what is behind that lath and plaster. It may seem daunting but all of that has to come down so you can really see what is back there, especially in a house that is that old. Before you finish anything on the inside start at the top. A new roof protects everything below it. Without that you will have constant problems and damage to all your hard work. Your contractor should be guiding you towards fixing structure, mechanicals, insulation before the decorative stuff. These are all top priority in a renovation. Hope this helps. Good luck.

[@jillanzia6573]

I hope you will keep us updated.

[@jackieostrander9667]

My Dad always said the same thing. He flipped all the cheap fixer uppers we lived in.

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

We do indeed have a whole list of structural things on our list: new roof, new windows, new electric, new plumbing, new septic, new hot water heater, new boiler, new woodstove, new driveway. That's where our budget ends, so while we know we need to address what's behind the lathe and plaster, we simply don't have the funds at the moment. That will have to be a future project. :)

[@anntrope491]

@@HoneyAppleFarmI removed all the interior lath,& plaster before… it’s what you do if you have to gut a house… you will fill several giant dumpsters. If you have children… my biggest concern would be lead paint… then you have a problem…& should consider building a new house…

[@WheelchairGuyHobbyChannel]

Even in the current condition, that is a beautiful house!

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

I'm so glad you think so! Some folks have pointed out the work it will require first (which is fair), but what's the point of doing the work unless the house has potential? So excited you're along for the journey. :D

[@eljaysmiley]

Reinforce and keep that shed, you'll be thankful in the long run. Love the home, it reminds me of the Waltons home from TV. 💕

[@angelaj8958]

it would be easy to move if it's in the wrong spot

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

We were really hoping we could keep the shed, but once they cleared the brush from the back, we discovered the back side is missing almost all its siding and the boards that connect to the foundation are completely rotten. :(

[@susannokovic7287]

Oh please keep the Shed it's absolutely adorable!! I can't wait to see the lake and stream!

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

I REALLY wanted to keep the shed because it is stinking cute. Unfortunately, the bottom boards on all 4 walls were rotted and the entire back wall was missing its siding, which put it outside our budget to repair. :(

[@LaLadybug2011]

@@HoneyAppleFarmdeconstruct it (instead of demolishing it). Number the boards, etc and store it in a barn until you can afford to rebuild it, adding the missing boards..

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

There wasn't really enough of it to deconstruct. However, the team has salvaged what they can, and it's awaiting the building of a carport. :D

[@gailcurl8663]

Alot of Work Ahead of You!! But, in the End, this Old House will be Beautiful. Please Post Pictures of the Finished Work. We Viewers would love to see this Beauty Alive Again!! Take Care.

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

Thank you so much, Gail. Videos will be coming out as work progresses, though I have to say I'm most looking forward to the finished tour. :D

[@brendamontanye9877]

It was common to have a chimney cupboard supporting a chimney. I couldn't quite see the situation with the downstairs chimney removal so perhaps is wasn't ever there? The chimneys were quite a bit lighter than the ones built today so they could "start" on the main floor and not necessarily be supported all the way to the cellar. You could check the cellar for evidence :) Chimney cupboards are actually valuable so I'm glad you're keeping it. I have some regrets over remodeling decisions made on our 1850's home and removing the chimney cupboard is one of them. We do still have it. That would be my main advice about remodeling. These old homes were built the way they were for reasons that might not be quickly understood. Modern floor plans don't really keep the charm and use. While we all desire indoor plumbing (!) it can be tricky to fit it in in a way that seems natural. Taking down walls, even non-bearing ones, is often a regret. Open floor plans are modern and not always fitting in a nearly 200 year old house. New short wide windows (like the one in the kitchen) maybe be energy efficient but they often through off the symmetry of the original tall skinny windows. I literally cringe when I see replacement windows on our old house treasures. Also, old windows were meant to be fixed and maintained, while new windows are meant to be replaced. It's sort of like vinyl siding. Old windows can be made quite energy efficient when well fitted and with the addition of old fashion styled storm windows. The research on this is quite interesting. Windows are another thing I regret about fixing my old house. I was in college during the late 70's during the "energy crisis". My parents replaced the windows in their CT farmhouse and I had no idea it wasn't necessarily the best thing to do. Live and learn. Another thing to study is the way the rooms were finished out. The details about the depth and width of the window and floor moldings, for example. Modern replacements are narrow and thin. The gravel in the yard is maybe for drainage. Possibly there was a wet cellar? Glad you can possibly keep the little house. It didn't look too bad to me through the screen. It would be difficult and expensive to replace it with anything as charming, and likely wouldn't be a priority. I would kill to have more land around our home on 1/3 acre! We ended up buying a farm down the road to fill our farm and garden needs. This looks like a plain working farmhouse, possibly my very favorite style house. So practical. As the 1800's progressed people could order "fancy" items, like turned posts and corbels and such. Sometimes they looked silly tacked on the house but in moderation they are lovely. I love your porch and entry doors, for example. You can see that the mudroom was enclosed at some point. A mudroom in NY is a near necessity but I don't know if I would re-route the driveway for it. Where was the driveway originally? Was the kitchen always where it is now? The kitchen was clearly remodeled (or remuddeled). When it was new it probably would have been in the "unfitted" style. Look it up; might be a possibility. I have a working kitchen that is not trendy but very practical to use. (right now while watching this video I am actually kind of avoiding making pickles with the abundance of cucumbers we grew...... - the kitchen is great but the will is lacking a bit) I do have a pantry but if it were me I'd avoid blocking any passageways. I love the quirky spaces. There are no bedrooms on the lower floor? can't remember. If not, I'd think about a half bath from the main hall and a pantry from the back hall and keep the hall between the kitchen and dining (or whatever) room. I'd keep the wall and have the dining room be the entry room, not into the living room. That's my take from the watching the video, though in person I might have a whole different idea. My husband "loves" my ideas that are based on pictures and drawings that end up changing completely in person. We've played this game for years (been married 43 years) and currently we're doing the farm fencing edition. It's "fun". Since I'm being opinionated, I'll say that I love the closet upstairs. We had one of those also that didn't survive because we wanted each room to be accessible without going through another room. Charming quirks. I'd try for a bathroom off the upstairs landing area that was full sized (instead of downstairs). We don't have a master bathroom and even when we had kids living here (lots of kids, and lots of teens) I still don't regret not having it. I also wouldn't make closets a priority when they change the whole feel of the room. Another regret. Yeah, I definitely love that closet you have now and love those boards on the wall (pre-Joanna Gaines!). I have a feeling that plumbing it would be awkward also. Okay, a very rambley comment. I live in WNY and I am guessing you are in CNY by the winery mentions?

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

I didn't know the chimneys didn't always come down to the first floor! There isn't a supporting column in the basement that I recall, but we do believe there was a stove on the 1st floor as there's a patched circular hole in the ceiling right under where the chimney is on the 2nd floor. We have to get new windows as several panes are broken and the wood frames are rotting from years of neglect. However, we chose to order windows in the same size instead of going with new windows and changing the framing to match. I agree that the mudroom was definitely enclosed at some point. We found several doors propped against the wall of the mudroom and quite a few in the shed. We aren't sure when the kitchen was added, but we are pretty sure it was remodeled in the 1980s. I wish the former owners had given us SOME information, but they haven't said anything about the house or its history. We are keeping the porch but changing out the entry doors for something with more soundproofing. In general, I agree with you about keeping the old character of a house and not redoing it to modern tastes. I've seen too many historic buildings in my trips to the UK that were "improved" in the '60s and '70s and it's so sad. A bathroom upstairs would be ideal as all the bedrooms are currently up there (we think the formal dining room is the "4th bedroom" referred to in the listing), but unfortunately it's way out of our budget right now to run plumbing up to the 2nd floor. Definitely high on our list, though! This house is on the east shore of Seneca Lake, about 20 minutes north of Watkins Glen. Are we anywhere close to you? It sounds like we might be!

[@brendamontanye9877]

@@HoneyAppleFarm We are about 2 hours from you. I had to look it up. Google maps is our friend :) I've been along Rt. 20 to the north side of the finger lakes and up and down some of the lake sides, like Canandaigua Lake and Hemlock lake. There are so many beautiful houses lake side! Most recently we were in Montour Falls. Those falls are amazing, as are the old homes right around there. We live on the Genesee River, and our town has connections with the Seneca tribe. No, not the casino, haha. Our kitchen, at the back of the house, not only didn't have paint it also didn't have siding. Just tar paper. It had 2" walls (true 2"x4" turned sideways) and had repurposed much older and smaller windows. There were bubbles in the glass. I wonder where those windows went.... It was basically falling down and was only partially supported by a loose rock foundation. We ended up taking it down. My husband said, "you know, there were terrible carpenters 100 years ago. Not everything is restorable; this is a shack, not a kitchen." He won that round :) We got creek stones and made a great foundation with a generous crawlspace and made an addition that most people don't know is new. That's how I ended up doing an "unfitted" style kitchen with a pantry and such. Before that I used old and not nice kitchen cabinets. I figured out the cabinets at Home Depot or Ikea or whatever were not in keeping with my goals so I started collecting hutches and such. One of my favorites is probably 200 years old and we found it at a finger lake house. I just asked my husband which one, haha. He says it was Canandaigua. It is a big 2 door pantry, quite primitive rather than late 1800's. It is full of pantry and canned goods, of course. I have had a hutch on the front porch for a couple of years (shameful) that I have been restoring from someone's chippy paint stage. I am fine with paint when it is the original finish but this isn't. It is going slowly. We've had a pandemic and 4 more grandchildren and you know....distractions. We're only 40-43 years (different ways to count) in to home repairs so no one would ever think we'd be done yet, right?

[@marshastopa]

@@HoneyAppleFarm Brenda has some wise advice here. I took down a wall once between two bedrooms because the only access to the second bedroom was through the first, which is against code, so it was unavoidable. Ended up placing a floor screen where the wall. was to create a private sleeping area. Large, long rooms are notoriously hard to arrange, make functional and make cozy and intimate. I am a decorating/remodeling junkie, and all of the blogs and channels I follow answer more questions about how to make large rooms functional and cohesive than they do about decorating small. rooms. The solution frequently involves adding walls back in. You might want to live with that wall extending into the great room for a while. It wouldn’t be a horrible project to remove it later. Seriously. Otherwise, you know how excited I am about this project! Onward!

[@marshastopa]

Also, someone suggested making the downstairs bathroom a half bath, which is a logical idea. Just for giggles, what if you asked your GC if he could give you a half bath, pantry and hallway downstairs, don’t remove the wall extending into the great room and give you a full bath upstairs, within the same budget? Could be worth asking and discussing just to test the idea. I showered in the upstairs bathroom for a couple of years rather than the master bathroom downstairs simply because it didn’t have much storage in the bathroom, and I hated trekking back-and-forth.

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

Brenda: Ha! Your husband makes a great point: just because it's old, doesn't necessarily mean it's high-quality. :P I really love the idea of collecting hutches instead of cheap cabinets. I want to learn to build cabinets and dream of redoing our kitchen that way, but the hutch idea also has some appeal. ;) How cool that you're about 2 hours away! Once we're fully moved in, do let me know if you ever find yourself up in our direction. There are TONS of great places to get together for food, etc. I feel like we'd have an awful lot to talk about!!

[@universallyinsync]

More fun for me! I can't wait to see your updates. That house will be awesome and you have plenty of room to grow your food! That shed is sweet. And of course, I can't wait to see what the two of you do, but as a reader, that upstairs hall is calling out for a bookcase and some small stuffed chairs, and a rainy afternoon. I also love that rear view and the wrap around porch. I raised my daughters in a rented 125 year old house that had been a part of a barn in the 1600s. I loved the old gray wooden porches! Enjoy.

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

Wait wait wait. You rented a house that was part of a barn? I want to know everything about this house. (For context, I stayed in barn turned house conversion in France some years ago on a house sit and LOVED the house). Also, I LOVE your idea for the upstairs hall. I had something vaguely like that in mind (the chair, anyway; I hadn't gotten to the bookshelves yet). I only have one reading chair right now, and I think I'm going to need like 2 or 3: one for downstairs in front of the fire, one for the upstairs landing, maybe one in the entertainment room? One can never have too many reading chairs, can one?

[@carlashepherd9362]

I see all kind’s of beauty & charm in this house! Congrats on your home purchase! ❤️👍🤘💪

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

Thanks, Carla! I'm told that not everyone has the vision to see past the fixes on a place like this, but to me she could be wonderful. :)

[@dottiebaker6623]

What a lovely house! Glad you're consulting with a general contractor. You may want to rethink blocking off the downstairs room so that you can go "round and round". I've lived in houses where you can go "round and round" and they are VERY convenient - you do a lot less walking in them, and have a lot more light. You could keep that wall open and have a little hallway between the kitchen and the other room. I'm with you about the pink flowered wallpaper upstairs - so pretty! If your house is in the Finger Lakes area, you're going to love it. I used to live near Rochester and my family spent many summer vacations in the area. Good luck with your project!

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

In fact, I did rethink blocking off the downstairs room after we filmed this video. We can always add walls in future, so we agreed to live in the space and see what was needed before building any new walls. I'm so glad you love the wallpaper - my aunt and parents were NOT a fan. :P This is indeed in the Finger Lakes area - east shore of Seneca Lake, to be precise. It's our first time living in upstate NY and we're loving it! Definitely drop any suggestions you have on things to do - our list is ever-growing!

[@dottiebaker6623]

@@HoneyAppleFarm Gosh, I haven't lived there for 25 years, but you can't go wrong getting out on any of the lakes - swimming, canoeing, kayaking, sailing..... Fall is a wonderful season there, and there used to be apple orchards where you can pick your own, and then be served cider and yummy baked goods. Good parks, local and state, are never too far away. And when you get settled in, you can check your local library. Can you tell I have a good case of nostalgia? Lucky you! You're going to have a great time!

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

We're renting a house on the east shore of Cayuga Lake and are loving all the nature/waterfall/lake-related activities. I am REALLY looking forward to apple season! We have already gotten library cards for the library close to our rental and have been several times. I love libraries!

[@dottiebaker6623]

@@HoneyAppleFarmFall is the best season where you, for sure, blue, blue skies and love humidity. Winter, on the other hand, is unendingly cloudy. The trick is to not wait for sunny days, but just get outside and play. Also, you're probably not far from Ithaca, where Cornell University is - tons of cultural activities to dip into there. I love libraries, too, and used to work in several, including the Eastman School of Music Library. I don't know if you're into history, but western NY State has a really fascinating one. Quakers, Shakers, the Oneida Community.... in the early to mid 1800s, it was filled with utopian communities and forward thinkers who were familiar with Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, etc. Have a lovely week!

[@quiltr141]

@@HoneyAppleFarm- I absolutely love that area. I am so excited for you.

[@kathyhirschkorn1848]

I would put the drive way on the other side , where the mud room is, GOOD LUCK, IT'S A WONDERFUL HOUSE

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

We considered that, but the land is quite steep on the mud room side and the driveway would cut by the stream and old, hand-dug well and the new well. Steep slope + stream proximity + well proximity seemed like one too many proximities (and put us outside of our budget, sadly).

[@trinareynolds8948]

Thanks for the tour! Can't believe you bought it without going inside first, so brave!!! If I may say so, I'd fix the hole over the door while you have the crew there doing all the work. It will be a big hassel to do it later, and they won't even notice the work, if they do it now. Just my thought... Have fun sorting out all the to-dos, and thanks for a great before tour!!

[@loritanner4478]

We bought a 1916 old farmhouse with a wraparound porch in 1993. We live way out in the country. With a view of the end of an arm of a lake. Field in front of our house. We have 3.2 acres. We have been working on our house for 31 years now. Still have 2 rooms left to do. And a lot of outside stuff, too. I had to promise my hubby not to push getting things done on this house. So i could talk him into this old house. It needed so much work. And i have stuck to my promise. Hence the 31 years. Lol. Love my home. I'm so glad i am the one who got to save it. Remember to appreciate what you get done. Dont just keep looking at all the work left to do. It's so easy to just see the projects ahead of you. And not enjoy the "done" things. Good luck to you on your old house journey.

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

What a beautiful comment, Lori. I can picture your house with a view and a field - that sounds divine. I love that you're still working on your house. I suspect that will be us with this house, and that suits me just fine. In fact, that's exactly what I was looking for: something that would always have "a next project" if I were so inclined. Your point about enjoying the done things is very well taken! Just wait til you see the driveway video; I never thought I'd enjoy a driveway so much in my life. :P

[@Ba34qt]

Beautiful house (and porch), congrats! I highly recommend planting a hedge along the busy road, maybe red beeches, hornbeams or privet. Cheers from Germany

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

The porch is what grabbed our attention the first time we saw it. I can't wait to sit out there when it's all done up - and to decorate it for Christmas! We are planning a hedge or trees or some sort of living wall between us and the road, so thank you for those suggestions! Will add to our list of possibilities.

[@montanalife406]

The property is very beautiful! I’m excited to see the transformation! It’s always fun to make a place your own!

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

Thank you for watching and for the lovely comment! It's exciting to know that you're watching our progress; it makes the fun things so much more fun. :D

[@ratdogtaylor-qf1lp]

I'm sorry I had to laugh when you said poison ivy because snakes are the most threat to you with all that tall grass and weeds. Congrats it's a beautiful place to make a lovely home.

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

You know, I hadn't considered snakes. Maybe I should have! I did think about ticks later on. :P

[@pamelaramos7777]

I was thinking the same thing!

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

I guess this city girl has a lot to learn about country living! Snakes - not my strong suit.

[@nancygross2196]

I love the big kitchen windows

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

I do too! Those kitchen windows are the only "modern" (at least in terms of size) windows in the house, so someone took great care to renovate that space in the last few decades.

[@elizabethc9832]

I enjoyed the tour, and also hearing how much you liked some of the sweet details, like the rose wallpaper and the border in the kitchen. These are the kinds of little things that will honor your house's history and give it a sense of continuity. Looking forward to watching your vision for this beauty become a reality.

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

Thank you, Elizabeth! I probably wouldn't have picked the rose wallpaper, but it suits the house quite well and in situ I love it. As a kid, I would never have thought the small details in a house would interest me so much.

[@mrsmiggins6435]

What an exciting journey you have begun😃. I'd get rid of the weeds to see what is where. Salt and vinegar is perfect and quick. Looking forward to your next video. Stay safe🇬🇧

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

Thank you! It is very exciting - and quite nerve-wracking, as well. We're getting rid of the weeds - every few days more and more of the property is visible. :D

[@krgrimm]

This is so cool! Super jealous! Amazing! Good luck guys! Best of luck! 🎉

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

Thank you, K! It's wildly exciting and terrifying by turns, though slightly less terrifying now that work has actually started and we can see progress being made.

[@krgrimm]

@@HoneyAppleFarm This is Karen. From Beloit. :)

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

Hi Karen! I thought it was you but since your handle was just K, I wasn't sure if you wanted to be IDed by your first name. I'm so glad to see you here!

[@BroqueCowgirlHomestead]

New Sub here. I absolutely love your new old house. Can't wait to see what you do with it. Back in my 20s I so wanted an old house to fix up. I found one, but hubby said no. And we build a new home instead. I bawled my eyes out lol That was 35 years ago, and I still wish we had of gotten that old house.

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

That's so interesting because my partner and I talked quite a bit about whether we wanted to build a new house perfectly designed for us. In the end, the history and soul of this place won me over. I hope that sharing our experiences with the house make up a little bit for the old house you didn't have!

[@kimhoney9052]

I can’t wait to see what you do with the new place ❤❤❤❤

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

I'm looking forward to sharing the journey with you!

[@MemoryAmethyst]

As someone who has a house built in 1847 and mostly maintained, you have a real money sink there. The shed is non recoverable. What so many of the commenters don’t understand is the decay that happens to wood as it ages. It is not worth trying to fix some historic buildings. I hope you are lucky enough to find a contractor who knows historical buildings and decay.

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

You are so right. Both the shed and barn are now dis-assembled, and between the carpenter ant and termite damage, quite a lot of it wasn't fit for reuse. But then, they were more about function and aesthetics than the age of them, as we think they're from the '50s or '60s. Whereabouts is your 1847 house? I love that you qualified it as "mostly maintained" - I suspect we'll be at a similar level once this initial rehab is complete.

[@MemoryAmethyst]

@@HoneyAppleFarm I bought an old de commissioned Vicarage that i call the Wrecktory. It’s in Nova Scotia, right along the seaboard. Decommissioned in 1962, it was bought by an old lady who wanted to be the top of our small town society. She spent huge amounts of money to have the gardens planted with annuals every year, built a wedding gazebo and a huge porch. In removing the rotting porch, my local builder found the main corner support rotting out along with the wooden lintel. It is now replaced. The original carriage house which held the horse drawn hearse is next to fall down in the next hurricane. In replacing windows with their original wonky glass, entire dormers needed to be rebuilt.The century of wallpaper was literally painted over in white through out the entire house, binding the lathe and plaster to the joists. Hidden behind the lathe was some of the first wiring ever done in our area. Truly frightening! Between the floor joists, I found rolled up news papers. One had stories of murder in Halifax of a father by his son, along with advertisements for an electrical devise to “ restore your manliness “ that would shock the offending member. I also found a list of every vicar over the years. One rotting window had Latin enscribed in to glass and one had “Sarah Breding on her wedding day” and a date. I hope you find amusing treasures in your home. And tho people who don’t understand decay will think that you should save everything, remember these words : just ‘cause it’s old, don’t make it gold. Good luck with your place. On my best days, I love the history in the house. On my worst days, I appreciate not being homeless.

[@mikewatts3615]

That will be nice love the old houses with wrap around pourches

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

We really love the porch. It's what made us take a second look at the listing. As my mom said, "Without the porch, it's just a box." And she's right!

[@beverlyburns4281]

Just happened on your video...thank you for bringing back some memories for me. We got my grandparents house back in 1992 which is similar to this home. We worked very hard for months on every room but kept the old house charm. Loved when you said it has "old house smell". I know that well and even when it was mostly gone years later if i open either of my grandma's china cupboards they have that smell❤️ yet today. And how the inside stairs creak. Thanks for the memories. We sold that home after 28 years too much to keep up with in our 70s. Wishing you a fun journey in this home and many blessings

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

What a wonderful memory, Beverly! I kinda hope the "old house smell" sticks around in a couple places just like you described. It's part of the house's ambiance. I hope the folks who bought your house love it as much as you did.

[@marleneppaul]

First time subscriber. I am ecstatic over how much you’re keeping in that beautiful home. So many say homes like that need to be torn down but they have more character than new homes will ever have. Thank you for restoring that gorgeous place, I can’t wait to see when everything is done.

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

One of my coworkers said almost the same thing, Marlene. She said, "You can't buy soul like that." There are several other houses in similar condition as we drive around and I want to wrap them all in a hug and love them all back to life. They have so much individuality and history that you just can't get with modern builds!

[@emmahardesty4330]

Appreciate you saving an old house. Great insulation, triple pane windows, a wall along the road, and thick bushes will do wonders at cutting noise. Plant baby trees now---they'll help too. Eager to watch your progress.

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

How very kind of you, Emma! We've driven past several abandoned houses since we moved to NY and I just want to love and save them all. They feel so sad to have been loved and let go like that. We've been discussing noise cancellation options since filming this tour. Happily, there are many to choose from, and we'll likely choose several for maximum impact.

[@maegardnermills4292]

I vote no on the house. My husband does too. Lead paint and so much more. My cousin and her husband remodeled his 110 year old Southern Mississippi home from his grandmother. My cousin got very sick and she died from being exposed to the old house. So sad. Be cautious for everyone who is in that house and contents.

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

Oh gosh! that sounds terrible for your cousin. We had the inspector test for a whole set of things that could be harmful, and lead paint didn't appear anywhere. We will certainly be diligent, though!

[@ValerieDee123]

​I can guarantee you have lead paint. I'm so sorry.

[@barbfrank917]

An idea...make the book room down stairs, your bedroom, as we get older, stairs are so hard to handle. You can take your time doing the upstairs. I've subscribed, this will be fun to watch. Love the name ❤

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

The house was listed as a 4-bedroom, so I believe that book room may have been used as a bedroom in the past - or was intended to be a bedroom. We may decide to make that a bedroom in future. OR, we could get a bathroom upstairs!

[@stephaniesutton7681]

I thought the same thing! With all that room where the great room is, you could easily make the dining room a bedroom and put a closet through the wall where the great room is, and just keep the front door for looks, and use the side door as the front door and I would put my driveway where the mud room is at. You could possibly, keep the front door operational by having a little sitting room or foyer, then where you build your closet for the bedroom have a hall going to the great room (then would be living room) also would be able to have a coat closet added that way. Just an idea. I really love the house and property! Can't wait to see what all you do. Congratulations!

[@stephaniesutton7681]

Oh yeah with the Master in the Dining room the bathroom is just across the hall!!!

[@HensOnly]

Beautiful house! I bumped into your channel by accident and I'm the 2Kth subscriber!

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

Oh how wonderful! Thank you for subscribing; that really means a lot.

[@loritanner4478]

I moved from an 1100 square foot bungalow house in town. To the 2700 sf 1916 farmhouse way out in the country. We also said we didnt know how we were going to use all that space. That was 31 years ago. We have used it all. Lol. We thought we had a lot of stuff. Till we moved in. Then we laughed. This house looked empty. But i got the fun of filling it up. And now, at 65 years old. Im trying to reduce stuff. But that's life, ain't it? Dont worry, you'll fill it soon enough. 😊

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

We've been exploring the thrift stores and there are SO MANY cute furniture pieces that I want to take home and love! We're committed to living in the space for a year before buying any "nice to haves" but it's going to be so hard!

[@2manyroberts]

Great journey! Please keep us updated!

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

Thank you so much for watching and commenting! It's so fun to share this journey with you. :D

[@marywest2896]

why not just make your driveway on the side of the mud room, it looks like you have a choice it doesn't appear to have a dedicated driveway now..,,,,

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

That's a really good idea. Unfortunately, the well is on the mud room side of the house, and the steepest slope from road to back yard is also on that side. So while it would make the most sense for the driveway to be there based on where the kitchen is, it just didn't work with the landscape.

[@lauragreen4899]

Wow....this is fantastic. Looking forward to watching you develop this property.

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

Thank you, Laura! I'm excited to share the journey with you. :D

[@lfuentes4098]

What a great place. So many possibilities. That card table with the multi-colored chairs looks kind of cool. Many treasures. I hope you continue to share your journey. The upstairs definitely has a lot of space for a bathroom and closets.

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

We have found several treasures to keep from the house, though the card table and chairs didn't make the list. We really wanted (and still want) to put a bathroom upstairs, but since the walls have to be torn apart to run plumbing up there, it's outside our budget at present.

[@pamelaramos7777]

Beautiful home! Look forward to seeing your progress.

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

Thank you so much! Looking forward to sharing the journey with you.

[@karenhanley3912]

Wonderful farmhouse good luck with all the renovations 😊

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

Thanks, Karen! I sure hope she looks good when we're all done.

[@flowerarden]

Could a pantry be built off of the door to nowhere?

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

That's a really great question. It could in future with enough budget. The door is a whole floor above ground level, so building anything out of it would require supports etc. What we'd really love to do is build a deck out there eventually.

[@Summerrose400]

It’s going to be exciting for you remodelling your house. It amazes me being in the UK why so many properties are made of wood. Most of ours are brick built or thatched with mud/ hay walls called whottle and dorb that are over 500yrs old and still standing and in good condition. I’m going to enjoy watching your progress.🇬🇧 Ps be wary of keeping second hand mirrors….mirrors absorb the energy of a room . Think of it as a window into the past. If angry, violent people have been in the same room as the mirror the energy can be stored in the mirror and then leak out into your rooms. Just a thought 🫣

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

I've spent several summers in GB and was amazed at how little was built of wood. :P Even today, new houses are largely built of wood instead of stone or wattle and daub (and in fact, I don't think wattle and daub is even a thing here, just like limewash isn't a thing). We did keep the mirrors and have them upstairs in our "treasure room." From what we know of the house, it was loved for decades before the last 10 years or so, so I'm thinking there should be some good energy there.

[@connieverbeck1110]

Love this!! My grandparents flipped houses before flipping was cool. Died with money in the bank.

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

Oh wow! Your grandparents were way ahead of trend. Did you help out on any of their houses? I wish we had more time with ours for me to get in there and learn something.

[@kathyk9519]

love that house and you can tell it was very well made. I would love to see the basement. I like all your ideas to fix it up. The border trim is gorgeous. I think I would make the mud room a pantry and put the door to the outside in that hallway. Then it could be used as a small entry way. I think I would put an opening to that big living room from the dining room. You could also put I’m French doors or sliding glass doors to the outside in that dining room. Gosh so many ideas. The driveway could be put on the other side, but not if it cuts your beautiful yard in half. I can hardly wait to see the work you do to it.

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

LOL. I love how easily you're able to see options in the house. I do that too and I've learned it drives some people nuts, but to me it's so much fun! We've actually talked about putting barn doors or French doors in a couple places on the ground floor, but they will all have to wait until after the initial rehab is done. As for the basement tour, be sure to catch Wednesday's video. ;)

[@kimhoney9052]

Very exciting!!

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

It is! And a lot of work too - we've never bought a house or renovated a house or lived in New York. My partner and I are learning all kinds of things about septic systems and electrics and wells!

[@kimberlyberry3492]

I am excited to watch the transformation

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

Thank you! We are too, and sharing it with folks like you makes it way more fun. :D

[@CoffeeWalksandWhatever]

We just found your channel and subscribed. We’re looking forward to following the renos on the house and property. We’re just coming to the end of our own fixer upper project. If we can do it at our age, you can do it! 😄 We need to go back and check out previous videos. Have a great weekend. ☕️🇨🇦☕️🏠

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

Thank you so much for subscribing! I took a quick look at your channel and I LOVE small houses/tiny houses. Can't wait to explore the project you're just finishing. I do want to do more of the work in future, but with our tight timeline, this is mostly a contractor build. However, I have plans to build a cottage somewhere on the back of the property .... :)

[@CoffeeWalksandWhatever]

@@HoneyAppleFarm Hopefully you can still video your progress, even with a contractor doing the renos. We’ve done most of the work ourselves, but we’ve hired our some things, such as the roof, soffit and facia, and having a new electrical service put in, as well as furnace and some plumbing. Fortunately, our two sons have helped with the siding. 😊 The main part of the build is done, but we’ll have projects to keep us busy for the foreseeable future! 😁

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

I love a binge watch to just take in all the changes at once. I am looking forward to doing that with your channel and hopefully picking up some DIY inspiration! I wish we knew how to do more on this house (though I can't ever see myself LOVING laying out a septic field), but I figure there will be lots of projects even after the basics are taken care of.

[@CindyJohnson-n8m]

Can you put up a high privacy fences help block traffic sound? I've liven next to worst roads in my younger days, this seem pretty tame, I suggest you go spend time during the morning & dinner time commutes traffic to see how bad it might be. Even night time as well.

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

That's a really great idea about spending time during commuter hours. We've been there on different weekdays and also weekends and the noise levels definitely change. The commuter traffic doesn't bother us, but the semi-trucks and box trucks are *noisy.* We're planning a living fence of some kind in front - bushes and such. A project for this winter. :)

[@angelaj8958]

when you order windows, make sure they have a thermal break, which also stops the vibrations from noise transmitting through

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

Excellent advice. Thank you, Angela!

[@KoraKoraKora631]

I am so happy for you guys. In the grand scheme of things you will end up with a wonderful home, i know this because I know how to roll up your sd sleeves, and dive in😊

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

That's very kind of you to say. Thank you for taking the time to comment! It's very fun to share the journey with you.

[@northwestkathleen1124]

This will be fun! Good luck!

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

Thank you! Looking forward to sharing the journey with you.

[@sharlettedavidson81]

Looking forward to you and your partners journey……are you ready….? …..on your mark..get set….GO…….!!!…..❤

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

LOL. We are ready! We closed 2 weeks ago and work has already started. It feels so good to be moving forward!

[@harvestmarymoon9453]

Have you been in the attic ? Sometimes lil treasures are there 🙏🏼❤️🙏🏼

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

We haven't simply because there's no floor to the attic, only insulation blown directly in between the struts. And the access is a small crawlspace, so while I'm not ruling out treasures, it doesn't look like the previous owners used it for anything.

[@harvestmarymoon9453]

@@HoneyAppleFarm i gotya 🇺🇸🙏🏼❤️

[@robinstratton2204]

Loved seeing your home and plans. One suggestion Please slow down the camera.

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

Thank you for leaving a comment, Robin! I really appreciate it. I'm working on the slower camera shots!

[@SuperLgreer]

Check local library or court records for history on house

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

Great suggestions both! I'm really looking forward to doing more research once we're moved in.

[@jjteacher7482]

Triple pane windows will help dampen the traffic sounds. Unless you open the windows. Good luck!

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

LOL. That was a matter of some discussion, as I *love* opening the windows when the temp is right. The new windows will be a lot more sound-resistant!

[@robertunderwood3393]

Beautiful place. Love it

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

Thank you! I'm so glad you can see the potential there. I'm told many people can't see past the things that need doing, but to my partner and I, it's so clear what the house could be.

[@ghostpipe888]

Pretty sure that's burdock. 🍃

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

Oh! I hadn't considered that. That would also be cool. :D

[@mcelder3739]

Judging from an old house we used to live in, one door opened into the dining room and one into the living room. Where the bathroom is was actually the pantry as when the house was built you had an outdoor toilet! Just saying…😁

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

I have often wondered how the house was originally laid out. We're pretty sure that the kitchen is a later addition, so that would make the back room the kitchen? With access to the main chimney/stove? And of course the bathroom would have been outside! (Fun fact: I suggested outhouses when I was told how much the bathroom would cost. I was told the city inspector wouldn't approve an outhouse, and Peter wasn't keen on the bugs!)

[@mcelder3739]

@@HoneyAppleFarm or that room could just have been a downstairs bedroom for the elderly. Grandma and Grandpa lived with the family back then. Our kitchen was like a leanto on the back. Water pipes laid right on the floor under the cabinets and froze every winter!😂

[@SuperLgreer]

The place looks great, now to make it yours.

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

Thank you so much for watching and commenting! I really appreciate being able to share this journey with you.

[@carolineorton3469]

Looks fun and seems like a good house! Exciting for you. Where are you going to eat if you use the dining room as a book room? In the great room?

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

That is a great question. To be honest, we haven't talked about where to put the dining room table. It would have to be the great room. To be honest, we eat quite a lot now in the living room, but I would like to get back to using our dining room table for meals as well as crafting/seed storage/garden prep.

[@debimiller7572]

house has a lot of potential. please rethink the sandels and shorts around old rusty nails and other junk on the property inside and out.

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

I'm so glad you can see the potential. It's great fun to share it! And yeah, I've started wearing sneakers and pants on the property, and just this weekend I bought new jeans (the others are still in storage).

[@cindyengland9669]

Oh my what a great house

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

Awww, thank you!

[@loisbruce]

I'm sure it has an interesting history, but what a lot of work you'll have to make it sound! I would just knock it down and build a replica in brick work.

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

My partner and I actually discussed whether to simply purchase the property for the land, but in the end we couldn't tear down the house. It's quite well built and needs love to be restored, and that appealed to us.

[@brendabahorik3414]

That isn't rhubarb, it's burdock. And I would bet that lamp post is next to a sidewalk or path that leads to the road.

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

Oh! I've read about burdock but have never grown it. Thank you for the ID! I wondered about a path or sidewalk to the road, but we haven't uncovered one yet. Maybe it's buried?

[@brendabahorik3414]

@@HoneyAppleFarm I hope you find a path!

[@christinaburney5935]

Ask around to find a farmer with a herd of goats or pigs to come take care of the over growth. They will strip your land to dirt fast. And they get a few free meals out of it. Homesteaders might be willing to do this too. And pigs eat poison ivy too.

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

Great suggestions, and ones we will probably pursue next spring once the initial brush-hogging is done. The soil is quite rocky so I'm thinking pigs might be best as they will dig up the soil ...

[@jparker59able]

It's a beautiful old house. Just needs a little tlc.

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

Thank you! We're aiming to give it as much TLC as our budget allows. :)

[@ellenwymer8686]

Nice drumset

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

LOL, Ellen. We found out that a younger person (20s or 30s?) lived there a while back and loved to jam with his friends. Unclear if he gave up the drums or simply moved on to a non-beginner set! We just donated them to the folks across the street who have a 4-year-old and a 6-month old. :D

[@TheFamilyFarmstead]

I’d mow. You will be able to see where the old drive probably is.

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

LOL. We did mow/brush hog once we closed, and yet we haven't found any infrastructure that points to a driveway. We may yet find it, perhaps buried?

[@MsSSnow]

how beautiful

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

Thank you, both for the comment and for watching. That really means a lot. :)

[@rosykatzCATS]

Floor heaters are dangerous

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

We had an oil heater in our garage in Tulsa and it worked well. It also came with several warnings. :P

[@phyllisarrington7436]

Dang, that road is noisy. 😔 😟

[@susannokovic7287]

If you can't say something nice don't say ANYTHING!! 🤨🤐

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

It really is, Phyllis. My partner and I talked quite a lot about that after filming this video and researched decibel levels of things we're familiar with and sound protection to figure out if we could make it way less noisy - at least inside the house. New windows and doors will be a great help, as will filling the house with furniture and sealing up the basement. Also, we're going to plant some sort of hedge out front to help block the noise.

[@donnasilver940]

Cool house .Show us when its done.

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

Thanks, Donna! I will definitely post an "after" video when it's all fixed up. It'll be a couple of months, though!

[@donnasilver940]

@@HoneyAppleFarm Ok cool

[@marywest2896]

swinging of the camera makes me dizzy....

[@pattiobrien5408]

Agreed.

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

Sorry about that! Thanks for checking out the video despite less than stellar videography.

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

@m.hensley Sorry about that! Thanks for overlooking that and for your good luck wishes. Really appreciate it!

[@debistarnes5151]

I saw what looks like cast iron hanging in the kitchen.... would love to see when it's done. Porch is awesome. Drums?

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

Excellent eye, Debi. That was indeed a cast iron skillet hanging on the wall. It's currently in our treasure room awaiting our attention this winter. Haven't ever refurbished a cast iron anything, so I am looking forward to it. The drums were left by the previous owners; neighbors tell us there used to be jam sessions in the house around a decade ago. Happily the neighbors across the street asked for the drumset.

[@judithsmith9319]

Oh me.. I have the exact same kombucha book!!

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

Oh man, that's too funny, Judith! I've been meaning to get into kombucha one of these days. How did you find the book?

[@judithsmith9319]

@@HoneyAppleFarm I bought it from thriftbooks. I've been making kombucha for 20 plus years so just wanted to kick it up a notch.

[@autumn8034]

Where that fake door is you should build out there something that would make you a pantry put it where the fake door is just add on there like a little cubbyhole type thing outside

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

An interesting suggestion, Autumn! We've had several ideas about the fake door. Unfortunately, to get a certificate of occupancy, we have to turn it into a window because it's so far above ground. However, I would love to build a deck off there someday ...

[@bogmcq5651]

For the yard ... have you considered goats 🐐? Perhaps see if there is an outdoor individual close by who would "rent" out or bring their goats 🐐 over for a free meal ( yard ) ... they are exceptionally good at clearing ivy & small shrubbery & such! Will give you a better idea 💡 of the yard & what it was & what you want it to be ... As for the shed that may have to go ... if it has to go definitely keep some of that wood 🪵 & use it in some other projects ... ( shelves - could be believe shelving in the kitchen/bathroom/etc , veggie bins with screens, etc ) you could wood burn 🔥 words to make signs ( 🪧 gardening 🧑‍🌾 herb 🌿 supplies etc ) ... 🙏❤️‍🩹🙏

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

These are all marvelous ideas. The crew needed to clear workspace in a hurry, but we may yet look up goats for the uncleared portions. I would rather feed animals than use machines!

[@karenahrens1756]

Always have an extra set of clothing in your vehicle. Murphy's law assures us of it. Probably burdock not rhubarb.

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

Several folks have said it's likely burdock, so I will have to learn to identify it going forward! A good suggestion about keeping clothes in the car.

[@betsyoman7173]

At minute 5:03, that is probably not rhubarb.

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

Several folks have said the same, Betsy. Burdock is the most popular guess, followed by elephant ear. Either way, the fact that it's likely not rhubarb makes me less sad about mowing it down!

[@sandystidham2554]

That is NOT Rhubarb don't eat it. That is a weed that looks like Rhubarb.

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

Roger that, Sandy! The general consensus is that it isn't rhubarb. Which makes me feel better, as they mowed it down while clearing the lawn.

[@carolyn6290]

That shed must be saved! Reinforce it.

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

I really wish we had been able to save the shed. Unfortunately, once we closed on the house and were able to start work, most of the wood had termite damage or dry rot. :(

[@ValerieDee123]

When you buy an historic home why not keep it historic. You're only there for a tiny time, in the whole fabric of the of the house.

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

Very well said, Valerie. We're going to keep what we can!

[@paulalim1476]

Uh…not rhubarb, just common elephant ear weed.

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

Ah, ok! That makes me feel less bad about mowing it down. :P

[@nancygross2196]

That kitchen is begging for a large island

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

I suggested that, but my partner thought it might make the are feel too crowded. We're going to live in the space for a while and see how it works.

[@sandraford4235]

I was getting dizzy with your filmwork you should go slower ,lovely house though .

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

Thank you for putting up with the film work. I am still getting the hang of filming landscapes and not gardens, and appreciate the feedback and your patience!

[@anntrope491]

Funny there is a satellite dish… looks abandoned longer than that…

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

I found the satellite dish odd as well. I sure wish we knew when folks were last living there. We've asked the neighbors but no one is certain.

[@jackieostrander9667]

You might have a driveway under that overgrowth.

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

We kept thinking there must be one, but the crew has cleared the front half of the lot since we closed on the house, and we haven't found any signs of a driveway yet.

[@CamoJan]

@5:00 I'm not so sure that's rhubarb. The leaves look a little more like Burdock to me. Rhubarb has a definite smell like no other.

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

I think you're right, CamoJan. Several other folks have said similar things. I've never grown or used burdock, so it's good to know that you can distinguish it from rhubarb by smell.

[@Degenxdta]

No smoke alarms

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

Correct! They'll be going in closer to move-in date. :D

[@marianarmstrong5340]

Very interesting but please don’t move the camera so fast.

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

I am working on the camera speed! Thanks for the feedback, and hopefully the next videos are way less speedy. :)

[@InnocentPotato-pd7wi]

What state is this house located in ? Looks like Ohio or another Mid-Western state! 🤔🤔🤔Tulsa, so Oklahoma????

[@HoneyAppleFarm]

Great question! This is in western New York, about 1.5 hours south of Rochester in the Finger Lakes region. I grew up in the Midwest, though, and so did Peter, so that similarity may be part of what attracted us to the house.

[@InnocentPotato-pd7wi]

@HoneyAppleFarm Thanks for your reply! I live in the beautiful Appalachian mountains of Western Maryland, on the Potomac river ! Cross a bridge and you are in WV. MD born , PGH raised & educated! Back to MD ! 🤗🤗🤗