Brent I live in a Montclair NJ a town rich with late 19th early 20th century houses that are absolute gems. You have an incredible eye. It’s so rare today. Thanks for keeping traditional design, proper proportion and materials alive. It’s public art in my view. These videos are awesome. Thanks for sharing.
We love the old quality of times gone by, and have an1880s 2nd empire victorian in Delaware. The home is in mostly original condition, remaining in the original family up to the 1980s. We are carefully upgrading the infrastructure- so far, new roof, sewer pipes, upgraded electricity throughout, plumbing, etc. The windows are all original and we've watched your tutorial for restoring those; that 's our next project! We're researching the wallpaper whether it's original or not. It is in very good condition. The hardwood floors are also in amazing condition. Thanks for all the information and inspiration!
I bought a vernacular home from 1912 and I am currently fixing a lot of things but it’s satisfying. I needed help with thresholds because they were all rotten. I got told hey go to Home Depot and buy some. Oh boy I went down a rabbit hole to only be told just reframe your door because nobody makes custom homes anymore. Hell no i didn’t stop and finally found a guy and we worked together and made my thresholds haha
The amout of information you are putting out is incredible I moved into a 1925 house a year ago and am a carpenter thank you for not letting me go down the wrong path in terms of improvements. Definitely conssidering the paid membership. If the free information is this good. The other stuff will be top notch. Such an encouragement. Thank you.
What a great talk! Thanks so much for posting things like this. We live in a 1909 house in a historic neighborhood (down the street from Wright's SC Johnson office and research building) and I have a REALLY hard time explaining why I love it so much. Brent seems to be the only person who can articulate how I feel.
You mentioned old Roman concrete structures. Now that we have finally discovered the secret to Roman concrete- "lime crete", have you considered using that science in your new builds?
Not sure if y’all have one, but any chance we could get an in depth video of how the painters paint and stain all the trim work throughout the homes? You guys rock!🤘🏼
Brent Hull: What period is this house? Me: (raises hand) Reign of Terror? I wish that I had attended the North Bennett Street School. That's right up my alley. (My father was a carpenter and he would have killed me) 😂
Brent, this whole talk has been what I’ve been thinking about for the last twenty years. I really can’t stand newly constructed houses. I took part in Fox Maple Timberframe and traditional building workshop back in 03’ and 04’ and I’ve had a few small timberframe projects since but really hope to do more. One other thing I’ve come to realize is when houses get too big they lose their homeyness, but I think younger generations are going back to smaller houses. You’re right on the money about this subject but there is also a theology concerning buildings that I’m sure you’ve probably considered and that too has been lost. Psalms 126 126:1 Unless the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it…
As always, interesting and informative. With respect to Levitt as the first mass producer, how do you position the Sears, etc. kit homes? Seems like they had much more craft and style.
Brent, you are a contrarian. You don't love Hardie board,you don't say new windows slash energy bills. You prefer old houses. I have no doubt you've done your homework.
One of my biggest pet peeves is how so many newer houses have rooflines that slope right to the front door. They were definitely designed from the inside out.
Hey Brent love your talk as usual. You mention how to date a house or an addition / remodel, which I find fascinating. Perhaps you could some day write us a book on how to date a house, by the style and designs elements, the evolution of various materials and ever changing construction practices. Also comparing these aspects geographically across the country. That would be great! I would buy it in a heart beat. I don't know of any one source that focuses on all that. If you do please let us know.
@@BrentHull Not sure if you're serious or not. Sounds like a lot of research collecting the data, illustrations, organizing and verifying. You could include timelines, charts & glossaries. Maybe you could have other tradesmen/craftsmen each write a chapter on their expertise in their field. Architects, Plumbers, electricians, HVAC, insulation, plaster/drywallers, framers, paint & wall covering, flooring, etc. And you do the ones that you're mostly familiar with and overseer/edit the whole project with each chapter being laid out the same way. Maybe recruit some from the 'build show', 'This Old House' or ones you have had on 'Passion for Craft'. And get Richard involved in helping you. It would be good for him. Just an thought. Reply
Hi Brent , Love your passion for heritage buildings but please call beam ceilings what they are . The last video you described the ceiling as “beamed “when it was a coffered ceiling . Maybe a mistake ? You’re doing a great service for the industry.
It is on my website, or Instagram. If you sign up for my newsletter you'll get notices. I'm speaking tonight at our office on Lipscomb. Building and Brews. You can also see my talks in the live video section.
I'd rather see historic houses that are not perfectly kept up than a new house any day. It's horrible what they are "building". I'm in Utica, NY and the homes there are unreal, from ancient farmhouses to classic Victorians. I love just taking a drive to look at the houses. Even if they are rundown, they are still attractive.
What do I do if I have put foam in my attic against my roof. I was ignorant to the downside of foam until watching your videos. I realize now rockwool would have been a lot better option.
Well don't feel too bad. I did the same thing. Open cell foam will hold onto water like a sponge. You just need to do an inspection every so often to make sure you have no leaks. It's frustrating.
Did you use closed cell or open cell foam? Closed cell is not that bad (but it was best never used). There are products that can remove PU-foam... In which climate area are you based?
@@jimbaxter5409 North of Georgia is still "Hot and humid" with short winters. This means that most of the time of the year you will be cooling (AC) your house so vapor (moisture, damp) will try to enter your house. It's possible that this vapor will condensate inside the foam, but a) this will be minimal if the foam is about 4 inch thick and b) because you used open cell foam, this condensate will evaporated off again when you switch off the cooling (in the autumn). You can check once and a while for moisture droplets or discoloration of the foam. In the winter, the inverse will happen and some condensation may form against the wood of your roof structure, but as your winters will be short, this is only very minimal and the wood has plenty of time to dry in the summertime.
While I thoroughly enjoy the site and all the instructional videos I apparently do not have the background to fully grasp the how and why of building. More specifically, I lack the vocabulary. I am newly retired and would love to spend the rest of my days working on a 1906 farmhouse but I need a better grasp of the building and crafting process. Can anyone recommend a book/primer for old farmhouse preservation/reconstruction?
There are books on historic preservation. I would probably spend my time researching that specific house, its history and hopefully pictures and plans from the past. Also, check out the Preservation Briefs from the Parks Service. Good luck.
*About insulation and air tightness (**24:40**)...* ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Both go hand in hand... your thermal insulation is useless if your house is not air tight, you want to keep the warm air (winter) or cold air (summer) inside. The problem is - as you indicated - vapor permeability of the wall... you need an air tight but vapor open wall. But what's often neglected, are the capillary properties of all the wall materials. A capillary material can become wet at one side and dry out at the other side because the water (droplets) gets transported inside the material in it's liquid fase. There is no need to wait for higher temperatures to get rid of the water by evaporation. Wood is a capillary (active) material, just like wood fibre insulating panels, hardboard, fibre cement, hempcrete, lime stone, bricks,... OSB and plywood are also capillary materials but a bit lesser. Blown in cellulose insulation is *NOT* a capillary material... Glass fibre and Rockwool are NOT capillary materials, just like any plastic material (PU foams, XPS, EPS, Polyiso, foils, visqueen,..). Gypsum and all cement based products are a bit different... these materials are capillary but only in one direction, they will absorb all the moisture they can get, but they will also hold on to it as long as possible. That's the reason why you will see mold and mildew on gypsum plaster but almost never on lime plaster... and why you will see the growth of certain mushroom species on cement mortar and not on lime mortar... (and why these products are to be avoided in historic houses). So, historic houses (or new built wooden houses) should be made air tight with materials that are: - Air tight (obvious). - Vapor open (or mild vapor retarding). - Capillary active. Best material to do this, is an insulating wood fibre panel (exterior grade) but these are not easy to come by in the USA. The first US-based factory has just started production, see TimberHP from Madison, Maine. Biggest advantage of these wood fibre insulating panels is their bonus as thermal insulator which helps in avoiding condensation against it's surface. A typical vapor open or vapor retarding foil that's often used as air tightness layer, can not avoid condensation droplets against it's surface because is lacks capillary properties. It's best to make your walls vapor open to the inside and to the outside so it can dry out to either side in case of problems, see also Joe Lstiburek's opinion. Air tightness is also important for avoiding "air spooling" of the insulation layer, that is direct air flow into the insulation layer/material due to convection. Flowing air can transport far more (100...1000 times more) moisture than by simple diffusion. Especially wool-like materials like glass fibre, Rockwool, loose wood fibres,...need an air tight layer on the warm (humid) side. In the case of Texas you need such a (vapor open) air tight layer on each side of the insulation layer (winter time vs summer time)... PS: Love your channel! :-)
![GUILTY GEAR -STRIVE- Season Pass 4 Playable Character #1 [Queen Dizzy] Trailer](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/nXDsAgYXXv4/mqdefault.jpg)
Brent I live in a Montclair NJ a town rich with late 19th early 20th century houses that are absolute gems. You have an incredible eye. It’s so rare today. Thanks for keeping traditional design, proper proportion and materials alive. It’s public art in my view. These videos are awesome. Thanks for sharing.
Wow, thanks for watching.
We love the old quality of times gone by, and have an1880s 2nd empire victorian in Delaware. The home is in mostly original condition, remaining in the original family up to the 1980s. We are carefully upgrading the infrastructure- so far, new roof, sewer pipes, upgraded electricity throughout, plumbing, etc. The windows are all original and we've watched your tutorial for restoring those; that 's our next project! We're researching the wallpaper whether it's original or not. It is in very good condition. The hardwood floors are also in amazing condition. Thanks for all the information and inspiration!
Awesome. I'm jealous. Good luck.
Im
Thanks for educating me. I found the energy efficiency section of particular interest. I’m planning to build a new “old” house and it really helped.
Nice. Thanks for the feedback.
I bought a vernacular home from 1912 and I am currently fixing a lot of things but it’s satisfying. I needed help with thresholds because they were all rotten. I got told hey go to Home Depot and buy some. Oh boy I went down a rabbit hole to only be told just reframe your door because nobody makes custom homes anymore. Hell no i didn’t stop and finally found a guy and we worked together and made my thresholds haha
Nice. Well done.
Disposable houses. I've been using that term for 25trs. Love it.
Nice!!
The amout of information you are putting out is incredible I moved into a 1925 house a year ago and am a carpenter thank you for not letting me go down the wrong path in terms of improvements. Definitely conssidering the paid membership. If the free information is this good. The other stuff will be top notch. Such an encouragement. Thank you.
Cool. Thanks so much.
What a great talk! Thanks so much for posting things like this. We live in a 1909 house in a historic neighborhood (down the street from Wright's SC Johnson office and research building) and I have a REALLY hard time explaining why I love it so much. Brent seems to be the only person who can articulate how I feel.
Thanks for sharing! Glad to hear it.
Fantastic presentation!!
Thank you.
You mentioned old Roman concrete structures. Now that we have finally discovered the secret to Roman concrete- "lime crete", have you considered using that science in your new builds?
No.
I love old homes but I wonder sometimes if we perceive homes being built better in the past is because the only ones left standing are the good ones
Hmm, not in my experience. We have an historic bungalow district in FTW, 100's of homes still standing.
Not sure if y’all have one, but any chance we could get an in depth video of how the painters paint and stain all the trim work throughout the homes? You guys rock!🤘🏼
I'll work on it. Thanks.
Brent please please please talk about lead and lead safe practices. Its so important and so often overlooked. Thanks
Will do.
Love it. So informative.
Thank you!
Thanks for posting! As usual a wealth of information and better posts below that I can currently provide.
Thanks.
Brent Hull: What period is this house?
Me: (raises hand) Reign of Terror?
I wish that I had attended the North Bennett Street School. That's right up my alley. (My father was a carpenter and he would have killed me) 😂
Haha. THanks.
Brent, this whole talk has been what I’ve been thinking about for the last twenty years. I really can’t stand newly constructed houses. I took part in Fox Maple Timberframe and traditional building workshop back in 03’ and 04’ and I’ve had a few small timberframe projects since but really hope to do more. One other thing I’ve come to realize is when houses get too big they lose their homeyness, but I think younger generations are going back to smaller houses. You’re right on the money about this subject but there is also a theology concerning buildings that I’m sure you’ve probably considered and that too has been lost.
Psalms 126
126:1 Unless the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it…
Thanks for sharing. I agree.
As always, interesting and informative. With respect to Levitt as the first mass producer, how do you position the Sears, etc. kit homes? Seems like they had much more craft and style.
Absolutely. Sears sold the most homes before the Great depression. Most production building starts in the late 1940's and early 1950's.
Brent, you are a contrarian. You don't love Hardie board,you don't say new windows slash energy bills. You prefer old houses. I have no doubt you've done your homework.
I try.
One of my biggest pet peeves is how so many newer houses have rooflines that slope right to the front door. They were definitely designed from the inside out.
It happens.
Not me working for a production builder dreaming about working with historic homes 😩❤️
I understand!!
Hey Brent love your talk as usual. You mention how to date a house or an addition / remodel, which I find fascinating. Perhaps you could some day write us a book on how to date a house, by the style and designs elements, the evolution of various materials and ever changing construction practices. Also comparing these aspects geographically across the country. That would be great! I would buy it in a heart beat. I don't know of any one source that focuses on all that. If you do please let us know.
Ok, challenge accepted.
@@BrentHull Not sure if you're serious or not. Sounds like a lot of research collecting the data, illustrations, organizing and verifying. You could include timelines, charts & glossaries.
Maybe you could have other tradesmen/craftsmen each write a chapter on their expertise in their field. Architects, Plumbers, electricians, HVAC, insulation, plaster/drywallers, framers, paint & wall covering, flooring, etc. And you do the ones that you're mostly familiar with and overseer/edit the whole project with each chapter being laid out the same way.
Maybe recruit some from the 'build show', 'This Old House' or ones you have had on 'Passion for Craft'. And get Richard involved in helping you. It would be good for him. Just an thought.
Reply
Hi Brent ,
Love your passion for heritage buildings but please call beam ceilings what they are . The last video you described the ceiling as “beamed “when it was a
coffered ceiling .
Maybe a mistake ?
You’re doing a great service for the industry.
Noted. Thanks.
How do I find more information about attending your classes?
It is on my website, or Instagram. If you sign up for my newsletter you'll get notices. I'm speaking tonight at our office on Lipscomb. Building and Brews. You can also see my talks in the live video section.
@@BrentHull Thank you! I'll make sure to keep that in mind! And I'll sign up for the newsletter right away!
My website or email info@brenthull.com
I'd rather see historic houses that are not perfectly kept up than a new house any day. It's horrible what they are "building". I'm in Utica, NY and the homes there are unreal, from ancient farmhouses to classic Victorians. I love just taking a drive to look at the houses. Even if they are rundown, they are still attractive.
I agree! 100%
neat 👍
Thanks.
What do I do if I have put foam in my attic against my roof. I was ignorant to the downside of foam until watching your videos. I realize now rockwool would have been a lot better option.
Well don't feel too bad. I did the same thing. Open cell foam will hold onto water like a sponge. You just need to do an inspection every so often to make sure you have no leaks. It's frustrating.
Did you use closed cell or open cell foam? Closed cell is not that bad (but it was best never used).
There are products that can remove PU-foam...
In which climate area are you based?
I live in North Georgia
Open
@@jimbaxter5409 North of Georgia is still "Hot and humid" with short winters.
This means that most of the time of the year you will be cooling (AC) your house so vapor (moisture, damp) will try to enter your house. It's possible that this vapor will condensate inside the foam, but a) this will be minimal if the foam is about 4 inch thick and b) because you used open cell foam, this condensate will evaporated off again when you switch off the cooling (in the autumn).
You can check once and a while for moisture droplets or discoloration of the foam.
In the winter, the inverse will happen and some condensation may form against the wood of your roof structure, but as your winters will be short, this is only very minimal and the wood has plenty of time to dry in the summertime.
How do I find your conferences/classes?
Our website. brenthull.com
Thx
While I thoroughly enjoy the site and all the instructional videos I apparently do not have the background to fully grasp the how and why of building. More specifically, I lack the vocabulary. I am newly retired and would love to spend the rest of my days working on a 1906 farmhouse but I need a better grasp of the building and crafting process. Can anyone recommend a book/primer for old farmhouse preservation/reconstruction?
There are books on historic preservation. I would probably spend my time researching that specific house, its history and hopefully pictures and plans from the past. Also, check out the Preservation Briefs from the Parks Service. Good luck.
🛎️🙏
Thx!
*About insulation and air tightness (**24:40**)...*
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Both go hand in hand... your thermal insulation is useless if your house is not air tight, you want to keep the warm air (winter) or cold air (summer) inside.
The problem is - as you indicated - vapor permeability of the wall... you need an air tight but vapor open wall.
But what's often neglected, are the capillary properties of all the wall materials.
A capillary material can become wet at one side and dry out at the other side because the water (droplets) gets transported inside the material in it's liquid fase. There is no need to wait for higher temperatures to get rid of the water by evaporation.
Wood is a capillary (active) material, just like wood fibre insulating panels, hardboard, fibre cement, hempcrete, lime stone, bricks,... OSB and plywood are also capillary materials but a bit lesser.
Blown in cellulose insulation is *NOT* a capillary material... Glass fibre and Rockwool are NOT capillary materials, just like any plastic material (PU foams, XPS, EPS, Polyiso, foils, visqueen,..).
Gypsum and all cement based products are a bit different... these materials are capillary but only in one direction, they will absorb all the moisture they can get, but they will also hold on to it as long as possible. That's the reason why you will see mold and mildew on gypsum plaster but almost never on lime plaster... and why you will see the growth of certain mushroom species on cement mortar and not on lime mortar... (and why these products are to be avoided in historic houses).
So, historic houses (or new built wooden houses) should be made air tight with materials that are:
- Air tight (obvious).
- Vapor open (or mild vapor retarding).
- Capillary active.
Best material to do this, is an insulating wood fibre panel (exterior grade) but these are not easy to come by in the USA. The first US-based factory has just started production, see TimberHP from Madison, Maine.
Biggest advantage of these wood fibre insulating panels is their bonus as thermal insulator which helps in avoiding condensation against it's surface.
A typical vapor open or vapor retarding foil that's often used as air tightness layer, can not avoid condensation droplets against it's surface because is lacks capillary properties.
It's best to make your walls vapor open to the inside and to the outside so it can dry out to either side in case of problems, see also Joe Lstiburek's opinion.
Air tightness is also important for avoiding "air spooling" of the insulation layer, that is direct air flow into the insulation layer/material due to convection. Flowing air can transport far more (100...1000 times more) moisture than by simple diffusion.
Especially wool-like materials like glass fibre, Rockwool, loose wood fibres,...need an air tight layer on the warm (humid) side.
In the case of Texas you need such a (vapor open) air tight layer on each side of the insulation layer (winter time vs summer time)...
PS: Love your channel! :-)
This is great stuff. Thanks for sharing your expertise!!!
Psalms 126 DRB
126:1 Unless the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it…
WORD!