Omg love that you watch her channel and actually saw this. Luv ur channel! Such a fan ! Maybe one day I’ll be lucky enough to meet you one day! Keep up the awesome videos. Although hard going and at times gruesome it’s still framed as a beautiful and enlightening look Into our past. 💜 so cool 😁 Living simply is actually a lot more complicated. That’s what channels like yours and others that show true life Situations have made me see and learn from. And that our past needs to be recalled and remembered, so we don’t continue the same mistakes into our futures.
I love how you let people tell their stories punctuated with "still" video with no voice. This is one of the best channels on TH-cam! And kudos to this man's preservation efforts.
I've been watching your channel for a long time now in order to gain inspiration for when I eventually create a house of my own. I've been fascinated by your videos and was excited when I came across this video of a house that is only a few miles away from my hometown in Shropshire, England (the next county along from Herefordshire). What an amazing restoration project, using a mix of incredibly old and locally sourced materials and workers to complete the job! One of the most captivating videos yet, its up there with one of my personal favourites Charles Bello's NorCal redwood paradise. Keep up the great work!
What a fascinating story! Loved the relationship he has with the old structure. “ I don’t know why it’s worth it, but it is.” Thank you Kirsten Dirksen for bringing these amazing videos on your channel.
This is true appreciation of what once was. What was nearly long gone and forgotten has been given a second chance at life by the dedication of human touch; that is what makes this home such a unique and remarkable piece of art.
What a totally strange and wonderful concept! And in England. I have dreamed for years of visiting the UK and Ireland. This is beyond anything I could have imagined. Really special. Thankyou!😍
It must be amazing to lay there and spend the night, knowing that 300 years ago someone else in a completely different time, was laid in that exact same spot, protected from the elements by those exact beams...
billieblue Sheepie I think just like you. When I go to historic places I am always in awe that I am standing where another stood hundreds of years before. When you touch something ancient you can almost feel the energy and passage of time through your fingers.
@@nikiannecoleman Have to agree with you. After standing in ancient buildings of Europe, it's hard to explain to others who have not traveled as I, the massive age of other places, buildings.
Agree, but I don't think he sleeps there. I think this is their office and/or the company's office, and perhaps guest bedrooms. I suspect they actually live in the much larger house 20' away.
Thank you for this video. What a great way to combine usability with conservation. I love this house. "It has to pragmatic as well as poetic" What a great way to look at architecture.
Excellent! I would not want the old mold and dust in my living space - big time allergies and sensitivities. Still pretty awesome. Love the 'over-the-top' preservation!
Seeing that he couldn't destroy the old house the question seems oxymoronic (to me) ... If HE had decided on his own NOT to destroy the old house and keep it ..then yeah I get the question .....
This give me an idea to me to preserved my grandmother old traditional Malay house in Malaysia and maybe other traditional Malay (Melayu) house made of wood to be preserved
I would advice against preserving a home like this. The old homes are very, very sturdy and can be brought to their original state with "ease" depending on the current state of the home. It's quite amazing to have an old house which can still function as a home. Of course insulation would be abysmal. If you decide to build a house over the existing one please treat all the wood in the house against insects and if there are bricks have a professional check for any fungus. Otherwise the new shell over the house would be useless. If you'd restore it find some people with real skills. It's easy to use new materials and build a house but you need people that can think of a solution to all the difficulties in rebuilding a home like that. I'm currently renovating a house build in 1900 and it's a lot of fun honestly.
oekalaboeka55 What remains of the building he enclosed, only a little remains. He said it would have cost him too much to try to preserve it any further. To treat the wood would mean using chemicals & therefore killing your self & others earlier by causing serious health problems over time. It's cool you are preserving a 1900's house, where is it? It would be great to post it on a blog! 🤗
@@goodliving2171 Yeah in his case it would certainly cost a lot more though I find it odd he was allowed to build a house over it. Normally with protected houses this is not allowed, no matter how much is damaged. My house is in Bruges (Belgium) the centre of Bruges is Unesco protected so you have no choice but to restore it. Within the protected zone there are also many homes that have an additional protection which includes the inside of the house. Floors, chimneys, certain wooden beams etc are all protected in those homes. Restoring in old cities like mine is a lot harder since the infrastructure is not adapted for the current big trucks we have. Many parts of the city can't be reached by trucks since the streets are too narrow. You need permits for everything. From changing your door's colour to having a truck deliver goods at your house (also only allowed in the morning). When you don't follow the rules there is no slap on the wrist or fine to pay. The only option for you is to demolish whatever you did wrong or the city will put a lock on your home. Sadly enough there are quite a few homes locked like this because big firms thought they can get away with it and pay some fines. I agree on the chemicals part. I used it in my house since it was infested with woodworms. Part of the building already collapsed because of the damage done. I don't know what else you can do to protect your house from insects though. What would your advice be? Replacing all the wood is an option but putting new wood in will be either new feeding grounds for the woodworms or chemically treated wood which is the same issue. Replacing the wood with steel or concrete is an option but isn't allowed.
thank u for showing ;as usual ,that there's another point of view of the architecture , and being humble and unprejudiced respecting the process of creation
exceptional project due to imposed limitations. I admire the Darby-Connor's for taking up the (ridiculous) conservator's dictates and creatively and politely turning them on their head! Fortunately they had the means; others may have to give up. Conservators have a difficult time recognizing that decay/change are natural. Tx so much for bringing this education to us :)
Preservation by isolating it from the exterior environment is interesting but what's novel to me is making it a space that's livable in. The juxtaposition of new and decay that's been suspended does make for contemplation 😁
That mighty oak, that superb dwelling. Hallelujah! We are deconstructing a 1947 timber one room school, to rebuild in our back yard. And believe me the empty bottles, coiled fencing wire, hay bale twine, old letters and every decrepit but beautiful piece of timber will be retained and celebrated. Thanks David and Kate for the inspiration and encouragement.
"...that's probably holding that up." LoL. Very interesting preservation and the techniques utilized. It still seems to still be evolving. A work of art, actually.
I love it. they're preserving the past and at the same time, living with it in the 21st century. I would certainly love to live there. It would be quite the commute. I work in Los Angeles.
I am impressed at how they "finished" the interior walls of the over-structure, without getting paint, plaster on the old structure! It's done very well.
Your videos are so helpful for school! I'm currently finishing up the semester with our studio being focused on residential; your videos have been so helpful for ideas and inspiration, thanks so much!!!! I love these interior views, capturing all the little details.
this is phenomenal! i am beyond impressed with how they not only preserved and honoured history, but took creativity to the next level. who needs wallpaper when you can have a 300 year old wall full of beauty and unrivaled character! wonder how old those cobwebs and the nest are lol absolutely brilliant solution
Another fascinating finding. It's a mix of architecture and a artI installation . I also liked your comment, Kirsten, about de «Memento Mori» and the ability to be reminded by the walls of the urgency of life. Cheers from Lisbon - Portugal
The Poetry Of Place, I feel blessed for the many places I have lived that exuded such splendors. Sure I went in many times thinking I would make them more "presentable" or "desirable" and due to lack of money or their undeniable to me charms, I somehow left undisturbed, changing only what was necessary for safety, utility, cleanliness and order. Conservancy of sorts, building a language all it's own, indiscernible to many, revealing it's secrets and history...a witness to our knowing... Truth windows to our souls.
Beautiful. The whole is like an artwork and the nooks and crannies are also like pieces of sculpture. He wasn't precious, either, about the ancient and decaying elements. So much respect for David and Kate. Thanks Kirsten.
This is amazing. I've been designing and building handcrafted log homes for over 50 years. I found out about 25 years ago that my Swedish great grandfather and his father were also both carpenters and log builders. That led me to discover that even my father's father who worked in the Alaskan gold fields as a carpenter in the 1930's, 40's, 50's and 60's, had built a log church in Fairbanks in 1948. It turns out that at least 4 of the last 5 generations have had a log builder and carpenter in the family mix. Seeing this video reminds me of a very large log estate built in Seattle in 1906 by 'min farmors far' (Swedish for 'my father's, mother's father). No one in the family at that time knew anything about having more than one log builder in the family history, by the way. I found out about the structure just after it had a major fire in it. At the time of the fire, the building was being used as a restaurant. I was called in by the owner to do an assessment of what it would take to restore the building and make it structurally safe. I felt that it was too far gone to do a credible, respectful repair and restoration. There were many years of neglect and poor remodeling choices involved in addition to the fire. I was not very popular when I suggested that I could recreate the structure newly for less than half the price of trying to do a restoration. I believe that Anton Borgen, my great grandfather would have agreed with me. The owner agreed as well, yet some locals thought differently. They thought I had ulterior motives in that recommendation. I countered with, "Who else on this planet would want to see a log structure that his great grandfather had built over 100 years before, be restored other than me!" I told them that I was the heir to the very pragmatic Swedish nature of saving anything that had any value at all. In the end, I walked away from the project because I could not, in good conscience, do what they were asking me to do. Someone else came in and did a horrible job on the structure and I have never been back. It never occurred to me that this type of a structure could have been an answer that all parties would have found acceptable. I will put this idea on my shelf of useful alternatives. Instead of trying to fight the system in the US in situations like this, I have moved my business from Oregon to a farm about three hours north of Stockholm where I am recreating a business in providing period correct restoration materials for the hundreds of thousands of old log and timber structures that are prized by the people of Sweden. It is kind of a crazy move for someone that is now 73. But good health and strong Nordic genetics should keep me going for quite a few more years.......working on and caring for more historic log and timber frame structures in a country that deeply appreciates their heritage in a very pragmatic way. This is the country that gave me a lifelong career and now I will be able to give back as well. There is much more to this story, but I wanted to take the time to deeply acknowledge the work and the creativity that it took on the parts of all involved in this unique preservation project. It is truly amazing. I also want to than Kirsten and her team for following up on leads like this one and then sharing them so well that moves the craft forward by leaps and bounds. Great job, to all of you that were involved in this.
Truly amazing. I would say though, that at the 6min 45 sec mark, that looks like lath and plaster, not wattle and daub. An amazing project. This is way beyond the"wealth of exposed beams" so beloved of estate agents.
I love this man!! They tell him: “Sorry sir, you see that little squiggly line right there on the beam, well that means you have to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars either repairing and maintaining the structure or you will have to spend about the same preserving it” So he says: “Well hell, if we have to spend ungodly amounts of money to preserve the damn thing, let’s just turn it into a whole crazy thing and preserve everything including the cobwebs, rotten plants and the occasional dead mouse skeleton that surly must in the walls somewhere!” 🤣🤣🤣🤣 They handed him a great big pile of lemons which he turned into lemonade and even shares it with curious passers by!!! Cheers
Thank you for this one! So inspiring for me as my wife and I live in a 200 year old home in CT. It was not on a historic registry when we bought it, so I gutted it and renovated. We did try and replicate as much as we reasonable could with modern amenitiies. So we also have a decaying 200 year old barn which I used to have my office in the 2nd floor. Been keeping tarps on it for the last 17 yrs cause I can't make up my mind to do a complete tear down or preserve. The history when you see a hand hewn beam; and to just sit and think about what the world was like at that time. Also the technology. How things were put together. And why they did thing like they did. It breaks my heart to do a complete tear down. So this idea is fascinating in the way he kept history, and make it functional for their needs. It would be interesting to know how he built the new structure to new codes etc, and hid the mechanicals so well. As always love your video, and the stories behind them adds life to it all! God bless!
Love this one, an amazing way to preserve a building and still use it.
Townsends, nice to see you here
looks like someone searched for "18th century cabin" ;)
I second that. Good to see you! 😃. Love your channel!
Omg love that you watch her channel and actually saw this. Luv ur channel! Such a fan ! Maybe one day I’ll be lucky enough to meet you one day! Keep up the awesome videos. Although hard going and at times gruesome it’s still framed as a beautiful and enlightening look Into our past. 💜 so cool 😁
Living simply is actually a lot more complicated. That’s what channels like yours and others that show true life Situations have made me see and learn from. And that our past needs to be recalled and remembered, so we don’t continue the same mistakes into our futures.
Oh wow, your here? Must be a great video, think ill be heading over to you next ; ).
This guy has so many great quotes. He's almost as interesting as the house.
He’s really just a big kid, playing a lil fort on the ol’ English weekend.
I love how you let people tell their stories punctuated with "still" video with no voice. This is one of the best channels on TH-cam! And kudos to this man's preservation efforts.
So provocative. Utterly beautiful. The way they kept the old one inside is so beautiful.
“Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire.” Mahler. What a Top Boy !
this is an amazing quote!
I've been watching your channel for a long time now in order to gain inspiration for when I eventually create a house of my own. I've been fascinated by your videos and was excited when I came across this video of a house that is only a few miles away from my hometown in Shropshire, England (the next county along from Herefordshire).
What an amazing restoration project, using a mix of incredibly old and locally sourced materials and workers to complete the job! One of the most captivating videos yet, its up there with one of my personal favourites Charles Bello's NorCal redwood paradise. Keep up the great work!
What a fascinating story! Loved the relationship he has with the old structure. “ I don’t know why it’s worth it, but it is.”
Thank you Kirsten Dirksen for bringing these amazing videos on your channel.
"It has to be pragmatic as well as poetic, otherwise it's pretty useless"... I love that!
“I don’t quite know why it’s worth it, but it’s worth it.” That says it all, in a few words.
What an awesome beautiful way to preserve history. This should be done more often.
Thanks for posting. This is something that makes Britain so special!
This has got to be one of the most interesting living situations I've ever seen. Cool!
YASSSSSSSSSS! Agreed.
I agree!!!! Compared to the BS we see on the main steam medias theses days, this is a fresh air subject!!!
You always have the most interesting content. This is no exception.
Such a great channel/series.
This is true appreciation of what once was. What was nearly long gone and forgotten has been given a second chance at life by the dedication of human touch; that is what makes this home such a unique and remarkable piece of art.
The contrast between really old and really new is very beautiful.....its still totally crazy though
I don't like it at all, but I appreciate it. If that makes any sense.
yea and you would have to tip toe through doors etc and try not to snag on walls and it would make your clothes moldy
@@catm2454 Its not always about the comfort of the body , but the comfort of the eyes and mind :D
@@valerioskonosov6609 If building a home it should be pure comfort and utility...anything more is why the world is burning.
I love how you built around. Incorporated it into you daily living spaces. Fascinating. Love it
I thoroughly enjoyed this. I could totally see myself living there & being inspired by this place. Thank you so much for sharing this beauty with us.
What a fantastic outlook and way to live with history. Well done
It was very lucky for this old building that this guy came along
The ivy was pissed as it lay dying, though. ; )
It's quite nice, indeed! Frozen in time, and all that there within and on! Thank you for your time and God bless amen.
What a totally strange and wonderful concept! And in England. I have dreamed for years of visiting the UK and Ireland. This is beyond anything I could have imagined. Really special. Thankyou!😍
It must be amazing to lay there and spend the night, knowing that 300 years ago someone else in a completely different time, was laid in that exact same spot, protected from the elements by those exact beams...
billieblue Sheepie I think just like you. When I go to historic places I am always in awe that I am standing where another stood hundreds of years before. When you touch something ancient you can almost feel the energy and passage of time through your fingers.
@@nikiannecoleman Have to agree with you. After standing in ancient buildings of Europe, it's hard to explain to others who have not traveled as I, the massive age of other places, buildings.
Dave 00000 It’s an incredible feeling to think that someone thousands of years prior was in that exact spot.
You might enjoy reading "The Children of Green Knowe", you should look it up.
Agree, but I don't think he sleeps there. I think this is their office and/or the company's office, and perhaps guest bedrooms. I suspect they actually live in the much larger house 20' away.
What a clever idea....stunning house within a house!
Thank you for this video. What a great way to combine usability with conservation. I love this house. "It has to pragmatic as well as poetic" What a great way to look at architecture.
my lord, what a beautiful piece of land. Stunning.
A faint hearted cannot pull off a masterpiece like this. This guy got some balls. It’s beyond beautiful
Excellent! I would not want the old mold and dust in my living space - big time allergies and sensitivities. Still pretty awesome. Love the 'over-the-top' preservation!
U & this guy need a show where u just stroll around, and talk. He’s a gem, funny as all, I’m dying over here(fordshire!). Cheers to decaying!
I love how he makes it sound like he was coerced into preserving and then goes on to put a ridiculous amount of passion into the concept.
I believe this is the best of all the videos & places they exist. Like he said, it’s truly impossible to recreate 300 years of “interesting.”
this one was really amazing. as a builder who does restoration work this absurd project is absolutely stunning
Wow. Just when you think you’ve seen it all on this channel. So interesting!
I'm glad they like it. I couldn't live there.
Yes, to each his own. I like it but would have built around it with more rustic decor, I still appreciate his enthusiasm...
A great lesson in architectural history. Thank you!
That was wonderful. Makes me think about the value and worth we give or take away again instead of preserving and acknowledging it.
This was fascinating! The question you asked him about living with decay seemed to really hit home.
Seeing that he couldn't destroy the old house the question seems oxymoronic (to me) ... If HE had decided on his own NOT to destroy the old house and keep it ..then yeah I get the question .....
OMG. This gentleman is so lovely and the house so lovingly preserved. New house protecting the 300 year old house - such a great idea.
Fascinating house! What a lovely guy, hope he enjoys great years in there!
This one absolutely made my day.
Loved the video. History is so great. Imagine living, just walking around in a space where people lived 300 years ago.
Beautiful home, love the philosophy of protecting decay
This idea is fantastic! It's like they're living in an installation art!
Wow. Absolutely brilliant blend of conservation and new structure. Nice to have the money to do innovative stuff like this
This give me an idea to me to preserved my grandmother old traditional Malay house in Malaysia and maybe other traditional Malay (Melayu) house made of wood to be preserved
Great idea! Make sure you invite Kirsten to come and film it!
I second Jane's comment!
I would advice against preserving a home like this. The old homes are very, very sturdy and can be brought to their original state with "ease" depending on the current state of the home. It's quite amazing to have an old house which can still function as a home. Of course insulation would be abysmal.
If you decide to build a house over the existing one please treat all the wood in the house against insects and if there are bricks have a professional check for any fungus. Otherwise the new shell over the house would be useless. If you'd restore it find some people with real skills. It's easy to use new materials and build a house but you need people that can think of a solution to all the difficulties in rebuilding a home like that. I'm currently renovating a house build in 1900 and it's a lot of fun honestly.
oekalaboeka55
What remains of the building he enclosed, only a little remains. He said it would have cost him too much to try to preserve it any further. To treat the wood would mean using chemicals & therefore killing your self & others earlier by causing serious health problems over time.
It's cool you are preserving a 1900's house, where is it? It would be great to post it on a blog! 🤗
@@goodliving2171 Yeah in his case it would certainly cost a lot more though I find it odd he was allowed to build a house over it. Normally with protected houses this is not allowed, no matter how much is damaged. My house is in Bruges (Belgium) the centre of Bruges is Unesco protected so you have no choice but to restore it. Within the protected zone there are also many homes that have an additional protection which includes the inside of the house. Floors, chimneys, certain wooden beams etc are all protected in those homes.
Restoring in old cities like mine is a lot harder since the infrastructure is not adapted for the current big trucks we have. Many parts of the city can't be reached by trucks since the streets are too narrow. You need permits for everything. From changing your door's colour to having a truck deliver goods at your house (also only allowed in the morning). When you don't follow the rules there is no slap on the wrist or fine to pay. The only option for you is to demolish whatever you did wrong or the city will put a lock on your home. Sadly enough there are quite a few homes locked like this because big firms thought they can get away with it and pay some fines.
I agree on the chemicals part. I used it in my house since it was infested with woodworms. Part of the building already collapsed because of the damage done. I don't know what else you can do to protect your house from insects though. What would your advice be? Replacing all the wood is an option but putting new wood in will be either new feeding grounds for the woodworms or chemically treated wood which is the same issue. Replacing the wood with steel or concrete is an option but isn't allowed.
thank u for showing ;as usual ,that there's another point of view of the architecture , and being humble and unprejudiced respecting the process of creation
What a totally amazing story. Thank you David & Kate, what a wonderful job you have done. (from Australia)
A unique, rebellious solution. What an individualist!
So profound, so very profound...
I'd still be afraid that it would collapse. I LOVE old architecture, but I wouldn't live here.
This is fascinating and so worth watching. I've never seen anything like it!
Beautifuuuuul place. Awesome🍃☄️🐝🌅🐾🌬️🌄
Very nice, I'd most likely vacuum the cobwebs, yeah I see no value there. Thanks for bringing us along. God Bless.
@Maxx Kroes cobwebs may belong in YOUR home, not mine, God Bless.
What a brilliant design. To protect the very old with ruining it. Simply marvelous!
He build a museum building around the museum :-)
exceptional project due to imposed limitations. I admire the Darby-Connor's for taking up the (ridiculous) conservator's dictates and creatively and politely turning them on their head! Fortunately they had the means; others may have to give up. Conservators have a difficult time recognizing that decay/change are natural. Tx so much for bringing this education to us :)
Fascinating project and such a good interviewer staying in the background and not interrupting.
Extraordinary! A beautiful mind of this man. A great house. Congratulations for this amazing channel. The best in my opinion.
A very large commitment to the preservation of history, well done sir. Well done indeed ! Cheers.
Absolutely gorgeous! Amazing philosophy and great job
We love your videos, Kirsten! Thanks
One of the more interesting episodes. The first time I have seen this kind of preservation of an old building. Thank you for the lesson.
Preservation by isolating it from the exterior environment is interesting but what's novel to me is making it a space that's livable in. The juxtaposition of new and decay that's been suspended does make for contemplation 😁
It's a picture of what it used to be and at the same time it keeps on living... Time is key in this house
Once again. Thank you Kirsten. You find the most interesting homes
"pragmatic as it is poetic" I love that concept. GREAT video!!
That mighty oak, that superb dwelling. Hallelujah! We are deconstructing a 1947 timber one room school, to rebuild in our back yard. And believe me the empty bottles, coiled fencing wire, hay bale twine, old letters and every decrepit but beautiful piece of timber will be retained and celebrated. Thanks David and Kate for the inspiration and encouragement.
"There is this old can...We thought it would be full of gold...but it's all filled with garbage" LOL
"...that's probably holding that up." LoL. Very interesting preservation and the techniques utilized. It still seems to still be evolving. A work of art, actually.
I love it. they're preserving the past and at the same time, living with it in the 21st century. I would certainly love to live there. It would be quite the commute. I work in Los Angeles.
I am impressed at how they "finished" the interior walls of the over-structure, without getting paint, plaster on the old structure! It's done very well.
Such a beautiful life lesson and enriching perspective! Thank you for sharing.
“It’s probably quite stable” lol that exactly the type of confidence you want in your home. They did an amazing job with this!
Videos like this is what makes TH-cam worthwhile. Absolutely amazing.
This is the best, most unique home I've ever seen.
Out of the dozens of videos of yours that I've watched, this is one of my favorites. Thank you!
Wow beautiful house. it is fascinating mixture of new and old with the new protecting the old like a cocoon.
Your videos are so helpful for school! I'm currently finishing up the semester with our studio being focused on residential; your videos have been so helpful for ideas and inspiration, thanks so much!!!! I love these interior views, capturing all the little details.
A really great attitude towards conservation!
Definitely the best restore this pile of rubble into a home video I've ever seen!
I look forward to your videos so much, keep up the great work!
this is phenomenal! i am beyond impressed with how they not only preserved and honoured history, but took creativity to the next level. who needs wallpaper when you can have a 300 year old wall full of beauty and unrivaled character! wonder how old those cobwebs and the nest are lol absolutely brilliant solution
I live how they incorporated the old with the new, preserving the original structure!
what an incredible bulding and realisation! love it! this man is so relax with all this, very nice!
Every day, he can see how the building was built. The building’s bones are fascinating.
Another fascinating finding. It's a mix of architecture and a artI installation . I also liked your comment, Kirsten, about de «Memento Mori» and the ability to be reminded by the walls of the urgency of life. Cheers from Lisbon - Portugal
I'm really touched with respect to the old building.
I love how obvious he made the additions of bolts, posts, etc that are new. The contrast somehow works.
The Poetry Of Place, I feel blessed for the many places I have lived that exuded such splendors. Sure I went in many times thinking I would make them more "presentable" or "desirable" and due to lack of money or their undeniable to me charms, I somehow left undisturbed, changing only what was necessary for safety, utility, cleanliness and order. Conservancy of sorts, building a language all it's own, indiscernible to many, revealing it's secrets and history...a witness to our knowing... Truth windows to our souls.
Interesting that a legal restriction required, and therefore inspired, this work of art.
Beautiful. The whole is like an artwork and the nooks and crannies are also like pieces of sculpture. He wasn't precious, either, about the ancient and decaying elements. So much respect for David and Kate. Thanks Kirsten.
"Me and the farmer did it by jumping up and down" ; )
Wow, how amazing to preserve it , and share the beautiful history .
Very nice. never imagined a concept like this will work. the beauty in decay. how profound.
This is amazing. I've been designing and building handcrafted log homes for over 50 years. I found out about 25 years ago that my Swedish great grandfather and his father were also both carpenters and log builders. That led me to discover that even my father's father who worked in the Alaskan gold fields as a carpenter in the 1930's, 40's, 50's and 60's, had built a log church in Fairbanks in 1948. It turns out that at least 4 of the last 5 generations have had a log builder and carpenter in the family mix.
Seeing this video reminds me of a very large log estate built in Seattle in 1906 by 'min farmors far' (Swedish for 'my father's, mother's father). No one in the family at that time knew anything about having more than one log builder in the family history, by the way. I found out about the structure just after it had a major fire in it. At the time of the fire, the building was being used as a restaurant. I was called in by the owner to do an assessment of what it would take to restore the building and make it structurally safe. I felt that it was too far gone to do a credible, respectful repair and restoration. There were many years of neglect and poor remodeling choices involved in addition to the fire. I was not very popular when I suggested that I could recreate the structure newly for less than half the price of trying to do a restoration. I believe that Anton Borgen, my great grandfather would have agreed with me. The owner agreed as well, yet some locals thought differently. They thought I had ulterior motives in that recommendation. I countered with, "Who else on this planet would want to see a log structure that his great grandfather had built over 100 years before, be restored other than me!" I told them that I was the heir to the very pragmatic Swedish nature of saving anything that had any value at all.
In the end, I walked away from the project because I could not, in good conscience, do what they were asking me to do. Someone else came in and did a horrible job on the structure and I have never been back. It never occurred to me that this type of a structure could have been an answer that all parties would have found acceptable. I will put this idea on my shelf of useful alternatives.
Instead of trying to fight the system in the US in situations like this, I have moved my business from Oregon to a farm about three hours north of Stockholm where I am recreating a business in providing period correct restoration materials for the hundreds of thousands of old log and timber structures that are prized by the people of Sweden. It is kind of a crazy move for someone that is now 73. But good health and strong Nordic genetics should keep me going for quite a few more years.......working on and caring for more historic log and timber frame structures in a country that deeply appreciates their heritage in a very pragmatic way. This is the country that gave me a lifelong career and now I will be able to give back as well.
There is much more to this story, but I wanted to take the time to deeply acknowledge the work and the creativity that it took on the parts of all involved in this unique preservation project. It is truly amazing. I also want to than Kirsten and her team for following up on leads like this one and then sharing them so well that moves the craft forward by leaps and bounds. Great job, to all of you that were involved in this.
Truly amazing. I would say though, that at the 6min 45 sec mark, that looks like lath and plaster, not wattle and daub. An amazing project. This is way beyond the"wealth of exposed beams" so beloved of estate agents.
Wow owner definitely deserves the medal flawless job love 2 spend 1 day in his house
Much like the young man who built a house around a skating ramp, or the "LOL cats" couple, he is an absolute madman -- and I am here for it!
One of the most gorgeous homes you've shared, thank you.
I love this man!! They tell him:
“Sorry sir, you see that little squiggly line right there on the beam, well that means you have to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars either repairing and maintaining the structure or you will have to spend about the same preserving it”
So he says:
“Well hell, if we have to spend ungodly amounts of money to preserve the damn thing, let’s just turn it into a whole crazy thing and preserve everything including the cobwebs, rotten plants and the occasional dead mouse skeleton that surly must in the walls somewhere!” 🤣🤣🤣🤣
They handed him a great big pile of lemons which he turned into lemonade and even shares it with curious passers by!!!
Cheers
BEAUTIFUL, ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL.
Thank you for this one! So inspiring for me as my wife and I live in a 200 year old home in CT. It was not on a historic registry when we bought it, so I gutted it and renovated. We did try and replicate as much as we reasonable could with modern amenitiies. So we also have a decaying 200 year old barn which I used to have my office in the 2nd floor. Been keeping tarps on it for the last 17 yrs cause I can't make up my mind to do a complete tear down or preserve. The history when you see a hand hewn beam; and to just sit and think about what the world was like at that time. Also the technology. How things were put together. And why they did thing like they did. It breaks my heart to do a complete tear down. So this idea is fascinating in the way he kept history, and make it functional for their needs. It would be interesting to know how he built the new structure to new codes etc, and hid the mechanicals so well. As always love your video, and the stories behind them adds life to it all! God bless!