Historic Home TESTED Before Major Renovation: Spooky HVAC, Vented Crawlspace and Attic, & Fireplaces 

This is a great example of why my wife and i decided to build new. Lots of beautiful homes out there with massive problems. Good luck! Can't wait to see what you do with this place.

I'm also remodeling my old house and this video reminded me of two things: remodeling a house can introduce failure points (like sealing air leaks might trap water, or insulating may allow inter-cavity condensation). And second: the most eco-friendly house is one that's already there. I'm very excited to see what the goals/scope of this remodel will be!

More of content like this please, these are really great content and interesting!!!

I’ve been renovating homes that age since I was a kid. Wow do I ever know what you’re up against. Good luck! You seem like a smart person, you got this.

That house reminds me of my parents house. Even the brick is the same style and color. It’s a smaller bungalow built in the 1920’s in Indianapolis. It has most of the same issues that you identified. The knob & tube wiring. The basement and crawl space issues. The fireplace with no damper. The list goes on. I have a degree in Architecture. I was a homebuilder for over 10 years. I’ve been weatherizing homes in Texas for the last 15 years. I’m BPI QCI. I’ve offered to pay for all of the retrofits from re-wiring the house so I can insulate the attic and walls to addressing the basement and crawl issues. That damp dirt smell drives me nuts. I could almost smell it in your video.😂 They always decline the offer because in my mother’s words. “It’s more trouble than it’s worth” They’ve been in that house for over 46 years. Ignorance is bliss I guess. To no avail I’ve tried to convince them that a well insulated, air sealed and properly ventilated house will improve their comfort level especially in the winter, indoor air quality and energy efficiency.

Watching this video made me feel so much better about my house.

Beautiful, old home.

Hi Corbett! Right now on the Green Building Advisor website there is an article by Jon Harrod about the Ephoca Cold Climate Heat Pump which doesn't need an outdoor unit. It can mount on the wall or ceiling and you can also get it with an ERV included. There is also video from Taitum Engineering about the unit on this site. Have you heard of them before?

I knew you'd never hit -50 when I saw that chaseway around the furnace into the attic. I audited homes around Baltimore / Washington DC that were built around this same "era". They were always big projects to fix.

Loved this video. Been binge watching you Chem series and the indoor air quality videos. Have worked in houses for 30 years remodeling and rehabbing. Recently diagnosed with something called Sarcoidosis. Enlarged lymph nodes in my chest. They don't know the specific cause, but it's an autoimmune response to something. A bunch of people came down with this who worked at ground zero after 911 and recent research is pointing to particulate matter , especially nano particles and silica. I use to not care about breathing that stuff either, now i do.

Really cool to see the uranium glass door knobs (harmless, btw). I look forward to seeing what you can do with the house!

The commenters saying just tear it down miss the point about a historic home. They are beautiful and are nearly lost examples of practical craftsmanship and engineering for homes built before modern everything. Better light, better cross ventilation, more baseline energy efficiency because of these considerations, well thought out layouts, and better yet, no cookie cutter styles. I just bought a 1930s craftsman home that needs some work and compared to all the ones I saw while shopping that have been ruined by flippers and HGTV addicts it is still more beautiful than any of them, even before beginning the restoration.

“…my big fat face.” 😂 Could really hear the mixed emotions you were feeling. Thank you so much for sharing this case study. If I am looking to buy a house, would looking for one built post-1970 building codes solve most of these issues or have you seen lots of air chem problems with those houses too?

The stack on the Water Heater should have 12" minimum rise before the elbow .

That house has so many problems it seems like it would be cheaper to tear it down and build a new one. I would love to see a cost comparison.

You’re a better man than I. I would have tapped out after a visit to that basement. Ignorance is the rational choice sometimes. Thanks though; it makes my prospective renovation project appear far less daunting.

17:15 No offense, but have those lead tests been independently verified? I can't help wonder if they reveal things other than lead, given how much of it he finds. Keep up the great work!

Thank you. It is nice to see the issues and a test of a home that looks a lot more like the ones that I've owned than new construction does. How do you account for the leakage present in the doorway where you have set up the blower? With your blower set up there is no leakage, but without the blower installed there is going to be leakage. When you are able, do you run the test from two doorways so that you can get data on the doorway(s) used for the blower?

You're a pleasure to listen to. 😊

When was that house built? I'm surprised that it has windows in the attic, and it hasn't been converted into a room.

Yikes! It’s a shame because the house looks so nice from the outside. I hate to say it but if you are going so far with the Reno I probably would gut it and do a complete renovation. That’s what we decided on the “1890’s Renovation House” we are doing. But I know not everybody could do that. Some of my customers go for it and others just want me to do the best I can with what they got. You could tell that at the end of the video you were depressed about all you found. Keep the faith bro.

Is this going to be the next season of the TV show?

Do you live with eyes shut, peak or open widley depends on personal priorities one bite at a time. Thanks for sharing problem issues with us, looking froward to watch improvements happening.

Has Grace had a blood test for lead?

It’s sad to say but before they start dumping all this money into this house it needs to be brought up that it really should be demolished. The amount of money they are getting ready to invest in adding on and remolding, it will never be right. They would be money ahead tearing it down. Inform them on just how bad it is. Once they have all the information then they can make an educated decision on how to proceed. They will respect your professional opinion. Grace and Peace Slick