A major headache in old house restorations can be the foundation. Most of us have never crawled under our houses, & seen our foundation. For good reason! It’s cramped, it’s dark & dirty. Plus, it could be home to any number of disgusting things.
My Tampa house was littered with broken glass underneath. It was also home to some of the strangest plumbing & electrical ever seen, in fact, some plumbing parts had been used in the electrical system & some electrical parts were used for the plumbing. Hey, it’s Flor-ee-dah! You just use what you got!
The foundation is the first part of the house that is built & most of the old ones were built pretty sturdily. But, over the decades they have been compromised by earthquakes, soil compaction, water intrusion, termites & by tradespeople crawling underneath with saws & hack away at various support pieces to accommodate their work & then just walk away, as if there are no consequences in removing huge pieces of load bearing materials.
Well, there are! And you will see some of it in these videos. Meanwhile, take a look at my article on protecting your foundation. There are actions that you can take to prolong its health.
This is my longest page of videos because your foundation is so-o-o-o-o important in the preservation of your house.
THE OLD HOUSE FOUNDATION VIDEOS
ASSESSMENT
House Bolting Experts – Los Angeles Foundation Repair (2:52)
Z Ian
Assessing Floor Sag In A 100 Year Old House (14:18)
Michael Zicopoulos
REPAIR
Raising Floor in 155 yr. Old House – Part 1, Split Joists (6:17)
Rama Karl
Raising Floor in 155 yr. Old House – Part 2, Fixed!
Rama Karl
GRADING
How to Determine Land Slope (2:13)
UNL Raingarden
How to Properly Grade Around Your House (1:07)
Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District – MMSD
How to Grade Around a Foundation (3:51)
This Old House
Tip of the week – Grading around your home. (2:14)
Groundup Builders
GUTTERS
Understanding Gutter Downspouts (3:43)
This Old House
How to Drain Downspout Water Flow Away from a House |
This Old House (4:22)
WAIT, THERE’S MORE!
So, maybe after crawling under all these houses you’re ready to take a shower. Now you see why I’m such a fan of PPE!
I have a slew of videos about old houses, some practical like this one, some inspirational & some just downright entertaining. So if you want to pick up a hammer, pick up the phone to get an estimate or just pick up a few hands full of popcorn & crank the old recliner, watch my curated video collection here!
STAY IN THE BUNGALOW KNOW!!!
Sign up for our newsletter & receive our FREE E-book, 7 VITAL Things to Do Before You Hire a Contractor.
I just realized that these 3 videos about old house, exterior wood siding were made by some of my favorite guys in the old home fix-it business. Each one of them is friendly, bright & they are all excellent teachers. An interesting thing about all 3 is that every one is a perfect gentlemen, treating everyone respectfully, listening attentively & graciously. I think they have absorbed the manners of earlier ages from being so well-attuned to old houses.
They approach teaching very differently from one another, though they all know that if a picture is worth 1,000 words, a video has to be worth at least 1,000,000!
You can read about Bob & John here, in my article about schools. Bob Yapp has run a school in Hannibal, Missouri, The Belvedere School for Hands-On Preservation since 2008. His students come from all over the U.S. & even Europe & Asia.
John Leeke is the OG of wood widow repair as well as general restoration & has been teaching & writing books for years. John & Bob both do consulting including remote consulting, advising homeowners on correct sequences, procedures & materials. Chris you will find here being a terrific resource for DIY’ers at every level.
THE OLD HOUSE EXTERIOR WOOD SIDING VIDEOS
Replacement Siding Is Nasty! (24:13)
About your House with Bob Yapp
Exterior Woodwork, Repair Split Clapboard (4:34)
John Leeke
Wood Siding Repair: How to Repair Cracks in Clapboard Siding, Part 1 (1:38)
My Old House Fix
WAIT, THERE’S MORE!
I have a large number of informative old house videos on my YouTube playlists from scary tales of knob & tube to heartwarming stories of bungalow neighborhoods to the history of the Arts & Crafts Movement as it crossed the seas to America from England. So, if you want to know how the pro’s do it, or just pass an enjoyable afternoon eating popcorn in front of the computer, tune in!
And don’t forget the watch SAFETY FIRST!!!! There’s nothing sexier than PPE!
STAY IN THE BUNGALOW KNOW!!!
Sign up for our newsletter & receive our FREE E-book, 7 VITAL Things to Do Before You Hire a Contractor.
In this internet age, there is very little that you can’t find on YouTube so I have put together a list of old house restoration videos, arranged by skill/trade/interest for you to view. Whether you plan to do a project yourself, or hire a professional tradesperson, it is wise to know about bungalow, their history, their features. It’s also a good way to educate the people that you hire who might be looking to improve their knowledge & would be willing to watch these old house restoration videos to expand their skills.
The people who have made these videos are at the tops of their fields. They are experienced & skilled not only in their areas but also are good communicators & have stellar reputations for their abilities to teach others. They are also very nice people so their videos are pleasant & easy to watch. In fact, I watch them when I’ve had a bad day just to chill!
I’m not going to describe the videos individually because most of the titles explain the content. Just click & find out!
ARCHITECTURAL SALVAGE VIDEOS
The terrible tragedy is that old buildings will be demolished, by the short-sighted, by the greedy & the ignorant. We are fortunate that there are people who come in & save the beautiful bits & pieces & offer them to us. Even if you are not involved in a project for which you might need their wares, a visit makes an interesting field, or even a road trip!
Architectural Salvage tour- TREASURE HUNT! Finding clues from the past. (10:20)
Brent Hull
Southern Accents and the Journey of Architectural Salvage (2:48)
This is Alabama
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!
I have curated a wonderful playlist of helpful & entertaining videos for your viewing pleasure. Bring out the popcorn & learn about everything from wood window repair to the history of the bungalow to how to take care of yourself when you dealing with the physical & mental challenges of restoring an old house.
Also you can check out my article on architectural salvage which links to some great resources.
STAY IN THE BUNGALOW KNOW!!!
Sign up for our newsletter & receive our FREE E-book, 7 VITAL Things to Do Before You Hire a Contractor.
“I have a friend who’s an artist & has sometimes taken a view which I don’t agree with very well. He’ll hold up a flower and say ‘look how beautiful it is,’ & I’ll agree. Then he says, ‘I as an artist can see how beautiful this is but you as a scientist take this all apart & it becomes a dull thing,’ & I think that he’s kind of nutty,” states Richard Feynman, scientist, teacher, raconteur of renown & not incidentally, an accomplished conga drummer.
“First of all, the beauty that he sees is available to other people & to me too, I believe. Although I may not be quite as refined aesthetically as he is … I can appreciate the beauty of a flower. At the same time, I see much more about the flower than he sees. I could imagine the cells in there, the complicated actions inside, which also have a beauty. I mean it’s not just beauty at this dimension, at one centimeter; there’s also beauty at smaller dimensions, the inner structure, also the processes.
The fact that the colors in the flower evolved in order to attract insects to pollinate it is interesting; it means that insects can see the color. It adds a question: does this aesthetic sense also exist in the lower forms? Why is it aesthetic? All kinds of interesting questions which the science knowledge only adds to the excitement, the mystery & the awe of a flower. It only adds. I don’t understand how it subtracts.”
Richard P. Feynman, The Pleasure of Finding Things Out: The Best Short Works of Richard P. Feynman
OK, BUT WHAT DOES PHYSICS HAVE TO DO WITH BUNGALOWS?
I never really understood why I take such joy in learning, talking & writing about bungalows. Why am I compelled to know these things about bungalows? What force makes me read Jane Powell’s books, with their truly dreadful puns & teeny-tiny print again & again? Why is every day off spent visiting old house museums & driving around vintage neighborhoods & end with a visit to an antique store?
Thank you, Richard P. Feynman. It’s to experience the other dimensions of bungalows.
When I look at a bungalow, I see its rich philosophical, aesthetic & emotional history- the degradation of the culture caused by the Industrial Revolution. I honor the memory of the wee ones who worked barefoot in the factories to provide a morsel of bread for their families & I honor William Morris’ goal to revitalize this debased society through aesthetics.
I see the long extinct old growth forests & the hard & dangerous lives of the men who cut them down. I see the boys lost in war & the mothers who grieved for them. I see the celebration of new lives being conceived, born & dying on big brass beds.
I see architecture born of the culture & technology of the times. I see Stickley’s perception of the intrinsic beauty of the log cabin. I see the joyous anticipation of a family waiting at the station, for their kit house being delivered by the 5 o’clock train. I see the joy of recapturing the details lost to trends, foolish decisions, economic necessity & outright greed.
I see neighborhoods once united by trolleys tragically bifurcated by highways, but now joyfully united by purpose. In my heart, I see those with whom I have shared this purpose. Some of them are only a phone call away, & some of them, I mourn.
Looking at a bungalow is a rich, comforting, calming but refreshing experience for me. The purpose of my blog is to memorialize those who created & lived in these wonderful houses, those who taught me so much about them & fought with me for their preservation & to share all this with you, so that when you look at a bungalow, you too can see it in all its dimensions.
ANOTHER LAYER
A friend of mine, an author with whom I have collaborated on many projects, had this to offer:
If you haven’t yet figured out who I am & what I consider to be my place in the world, click here to read my story.
STAY IN THE BUNGALOW KNOW!!!
Sign up for our newsletter & receive our FREE E-book, 7 VITAL Things to Do Before You Hire a Contractor.
I put a call out to my Facebook followers for their favorite bungalow architectural salvage resources. I have long been a fan of the idea of salvage, as well the the practicalities of the practice. In my previous article, I write about the cultural, economic & ecological benefits of salvage & in this article, I write about the ones that they recommend & ones at which I have shopped over the years.
I tend to get a bit mesmerized in a salvage shop. While you see a plethora of objects, of all ages & types, the story is incomplete. Riveted by these bits of story. I get unpopular pretty fast because I ask so many questions but I’m a woman who loves a story, mine or someone else’s, & I feel untethered when I don’t know the details.
Occasionally, it is difficult is even understand an object’s purpose! The object to the left, provided by Doc’s Architectural Salvation, is clearly a product of The Aesthetic Movement, an art movement in the late 1800’s which valued the beauty of the the applied & fine arts over any social ramifications. You have heard the expression, “art for art’s sake?” This philosophy was manifested in the work of the Aesthetic Movement.
(I’m rather partial to this design style myself, & my dishware at my home in Eagle Rock, the Hare House, was of an Aesthetic pattern. I displayed it on my plate rail in my dining room & heck if it didn’t look wonderful with my Craftsman built-ins & my Restoration Hardware, Stickley knock-off dining table.) But more importantly, what is this thing?
Now you know how I feel in a salvage store!
BUNGALOW ARCHITECTURAL SALVAGE RESOURCES ALL OVER THE COUNTRY
I’m going to split up the country into sections. As I hear from you (hint, hint-see the comment form below?) I will break it up by state. So let’s get salvage shopping!
Established in 1999, Aurora Mills is a multi-facted store offering antique & vintage architectural items, lighting, reclaimed lumber, iron gates, doors, fireplace mantles- pretty the much the full array. They have an extensive website with a large online inventory as well as a tour of the warehouse which I opened on my big screen. Wow!!!
For the bungalow crowd, they carry Arts & Crafts tiles & other Craftsman pieces.
My Instagram pal, hosshouse1879 tells me, “They do an excellent job of organizing the materials that they have salvaged. If you go in looking for a house part, they know what area to go to & make the search pretty easy.”
Norm, the proprietor has a great affinity for Arts & Crafts & is always on the look-out for items appropriate to the bungalow. He has a good stock of lighting, doors & hardware for us & often has some furniture & even colonade sets that would we would love.
Rebuilders Xchange
“We partner with communities to transform the home building and design industry into a circular economy.”
Cleveland, Ohio
Referrer Amy K. says, ”It’s a fantastic place to just wander & look at all the treasures they’ve saved.”
So, I wandered through their website & found many items in their 50,000 sq. ft. jam-packed warehouse, in various categories that would be appropriate for bungalows, such as doors, windows, flooring, hardware, cabinets & cabinet doors, lighting, mantels, even kitchen sinks with drainboards (they come & go.)
In speaking with them I discovered that all items are on consignment, which encourages homeowners to recycle instead of contributing to the landfill. They even have several elderly pickers who bring things in to them to supplement their incomes.
Construction Junction is a non-profit organization which sells its donations of used & surplus materials in its 30,000 square foot store.
Sue D., a FB follower posted, “Construction Junction is wonderful! We needed a new door for our 1920 bungalow & found a perfect match for $5.00. And they wanted to give us a second one for free!’
They are always accepting donations & look forward to your visit.
Doc & his crew travel all over the U.S. carefully taking apart old structures. As terrible as it is that these buildings are demolished, they are there to make sure that much is saved.
In their 30,00 sq. ft. ware house they have an abundant supply of lighting, bathroom fixtures & hardware, mantels, doors & windows & more.
All the images from this page & the one about the wonders of salvage are from Doc’s.
In my world, there is simply not enough wacky so I’m a big fan of Schiller’s. My wood flooring company purchased reclaimed flooring from them & I was occasionally allowed to accompany my husband when he was there for a pick-up. It’s the sort of place that invites a long, quiet browse & husband wanted to get the flooring & scram.
Click on the PRODUCTS to see their array of items & don’t miss the Oddities page!
First of all, when you are on their site, you have to hit the OUR STORY link. The tale of this family business will both touch & amuse you. Dad started it out of love for salvage & over the decades, the business & the family just grew!
Martha L., my follower on Facebook says, “They have a huge selection & it is very organized. Their inventory is updated continually. Prices are reasonable.”
Speaking of huge selection, when you click the INVENTORY link, a full page menu drops down & each category displays another page plus.
Over 20 years ago, when I was restoring my 1910 Craftsman, the Hare House, I frequently visited Architectural Details in Pasadena, home of the Gamble House, the Blacker House, Bungalow Heaven & an glorious abundance of historic homes & commercial buildings. I was astounded that the huge space could not only be so full of old salvage, but so tidy & organized. The inventory was meticulously kept in an index of 3’X5″ note cards & there was nothing that was untracked or out of place.We drooled over the Batchelder tiles kept behind the counter wishing our fireplace was in need of mending.
A quarter of a century later, after the owner’s retirement, Architectural Details has morphed into Pasadena Architectural Salvage with just as many wonderful, orderly items (tracked electronically, I’m sure!). The folks here are very friendly & I’m sorry I’m so far away! However, looking at their website is quite the treat & even includes a couple Batchelder fireplace surrounds.
MORE! I WANT MORE!
I know that there are other great salvage outlets scattered about the U.S. & I want to know about them & why they are special. So plunk your magic twanger, Froggies & zip on down to the COMMENT section. Become visible. (For those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about, click here to see a link for a very strange children’s show in the 50’s. I shudder to think what the exposure of this to my 5 year old self had on my development.)
STAY IN THE BUNGALOW KNOW!!!
Sign up for our newsletter & receive our FREE E-book, 7 VITAL Things to Do Before You Hire a Contractor.
A major headache in old house restorations can be the foundation. Most of us have never crawled under our houses, & seen our foundation. For good reason! It’s cramped, it’s dark & dirty. Plus, it could be home to any number of disgusting things.
STAY IN THE BUNGALOW KNOW!!!
I just realized that these 3 videos about old house, exterior wood siding were made by some of my favorite guys in the old home fix-it business. Each one of them is friendly, bright & they are all excellent teachers. An interesting thing about all 3 is that every one is a perfect gentlemen, treating everyone respectfully, listening attentively & graciously. I think they have absorbed the manners of earlier ages from being so well-attuned to old houses.
In this internet age, there is very little that you can’t find on YouTube so I have put together a list of old house restoration videos, arranged by skill/trade/interest for you to view. Whether you plan to do a project yourself, or hire a professional tradesperson, it is wise to know about bungalow, their history, their features. It’s also a good way to educate the people that you hire who might be looking to improve their knowledge & would be willing to watch these old house restoration videos to expand their skills.
“I have a friend who’s an artist & has sometimes taken a view which I don’t agree with very well. He’ll hold up a flower and say ‘look how beautiful it is,’ & I’ll agree. Then he says, ‘I as an artist can see how beautiful this is but you as a scientist take this all apart & it becomes a dull thing,’ & I think that he’s kind of nutty,” states Richard Feynman, scientist, teacher, raconteur of renown & not incidentally, an accomplished conga drummer.
I never really understood why I take such joy in learning, talking & writing about bungalows. Why am I compelled to know these things about bungalows? What force makes me read Jane Powell’s books, with their truly dreadful puns & teeny-tiny print again & again? Why is every day off spent visiting old house museums & driving around vintage neighborhoods & end with a visit to an antique store?
I see architecture born of the culture & technology of the times. I see Stickley’s perception of the intrinsic beauty of the log cabin. I see the joyous anticipation of a family waiting at the station, for their kit house being delivered by the 5 o’clock train. I see the joy of recapturing the details lost to trends, foolish decisions, economic necessity & outright greed.
I put a call out to my Facebook followers for their favorite bungalow architectural salvage resources. I have long been a fan of the idea of salvage, as well the the practicalities of the practice. In my 
Rebuilders Xchange
Construction Junction
Southern Accents 
Pasadena Architectural Salvage