Home Builders At Work (1928) 

I’m a remodeler of over 35 years. I’ve gone behind these guys and torn out what they built 100 years ago. It’s an arduous task to take apart what they masterfully put together.. That truly is an art that is lost.

My grandfather started working as a carpenter in 1928. He taught me to hand nail and use a handsaw. A sharp 8 point crosscut handsaw would cut a 2x4 in 7 strokes. When it took 10-15, it was time to sharpen the saw! As an apprentice carpenter, he earned extra money ($.25 per saw) sharpening journeymen’s dull hand saws. They worked 6 day weeks then and with the extra money he paid for Sunday fishing trips with my grandmother.

If this house still exists, the current homeowner would be amazed to see this.

Thank you to whoever kept this film preserved for us to enjoy almost 100 years later.

When 2x4’s were really 2”x4”.

This is honestly what RU-vid is all about. Preserving these historic fantastic video clips

Some of those tiled bathrooms from this era really are works of art. Much respect to all of these fine craftsmen from the past.

As a retired union electrician, I recall when I was an apprentice an old timer journeyman telling me about solid wire splicing back about when this house was built. This video only showed wires being stripped and twisted together. To finish, the twisted wires were cut about an inch long and left hanging down. When all splices were made in an area sparky would then go around with a cup of molten solder known as a "dip pot" and submerse all splices in solder. Then when cool they would be taped with a sticky cloth tape known as friction tape. No plastic wirenuts back then. To this day there are still twisted, soldered solid wire splices in older buildings as good as the day they were made. As a side note, the wire had rubber insulation with a cloth cover. Not many would fit in a half inch pipe.

I’m a builder myself...this was the most satisfying vid I’ve ever watched

Interesting to see how they built these old homes I'm now tearing apart. They missed the part where they stuff the walls with old newspaper for insulation.

It's amazing to think that most of those work men were born in the 19th century and are all gone now. They worked really hard.

I find it amazing that while the tools of the trade have changed over time very little has changed about how they actually erect buildings.

My grandpa is 96 now and was the little boy’s age in this film.

I remember my father and a couple of other old timers building a really nice log house for us to live in around 1952. I loved to hang around and watch and listen to them. One guy was talking one day about a power saw and how he would love to have one! The whole house was built with hand tools. They would go out in the swamps around Kissimmee Florida and harvest the cypress logs and bring them back to the home site and cut them to fit. Sad to say it caught on fire and burned a few years later. My father cried.

“ Mr. and Mrs Homeowners move in while the builders are still at work” .....funny how nothing has changed in 100 years!!

I work in historic building preservation as a wood finisher. These old homes were indeed well-made. A lot of the timber was old growth or first growth and hand selected. Dense and sturdy. The craftsmanship was superb in most homes and there was a sense of pride among the tradesmen. I've also been in thousands of new, 'upscale' plan homes for other work. These new homes, most of them, are little more than toothpicks and particle board wrapped up in vinyl and trimmed in PVC. They are being slapped up by the thousands all over the once-pristine countryside with no regard for any kind of quality. It breaks my heart to see thousands of historic structures abandoned and in ruin all over, city and country. Many could be saved and updated for half of what these new designer shacks cost. Shameful where our society at large has gone... Cheap, disposable instant bling. And, these new homeowners actually think they have something special. Sigh.......

In 1985 I rented a house in Denver, Near Stapleton airport. It was built in 1926, It was a Sears Roebuck kit house.

nothing like cooking & working with molten lead on the job site lol No soil testing or even compaction before forming the foundation & yet I'd bet this house outlast current standard built homes today. Thanks for YT to be able to see these films & thanks for uploading it IFA!!

My great great grandfather Herman Zimmerman (literally means “room man”) owned a construction firm in Germany in the early 1900s. After WW1 (which he served in under the Kaiser) ,with the collapsing economy he was forced to move to the States in 1926 where he built his home, summer cabin and his own beer garden all with nothing but hand tools. All three of them are still standing and in immaculate shape after nearly 100 years, even the bar is still open to the public. Meanwhile my own house built 60 years later is riddled with issues yet pales in comparison to the crap they’re slapping together now. Quality home building is truly a lost art. Here’s to you Herman!

As the owner of a 1928 home, I find this video extremely fascinating. There are specific features of this house that I can still find in mine.

Cant have a classic home without the old piano

The lath and plaster walls amaze me; these guys were masters; these walls lasted 100 years and still going !!

Respect for the man's doing the plans by hand for real

My house was built in 1915 and it has had updates like central air and new wiring but the bones of it are still completely straight and level after 105 years.

Great video, thanks for sharing. My house was built in 1900 and I always wonder how they built them back then. One thing for sure is they built this house to last, we have a stone foundation and the house was built with railroad ties. This house has been thru alot of Oswego, NY winters and held up great.

My dad, born in 1914, apprenticed under a house builder. He told me once that if he made the smallest error during the build, not only was he yelled at but had to take whatever it was down and do it the right way. I doubt if that same sort of attention to perfection is done nowadays. My dad could build anything, it was amazing. He died in 1989 but still had and used the hand planer and brace & bit.

Fascinating. Watching skilled craftsmen - what ever their trade - is a joy to see. Thanks for posting this video.

A "modern cement foundation" poured one wheel barrow at a time, uphill. Yeesch! It looks like it was still basically a pier and beam type foundation, but with beams of reinforced concrete supporting the exterior walls instead of individual piers. I do like the diagonally laid subfloor! That would still be a smart idea today. It leaves a lot of scrap leftovers, but the floor would be more stable.

Cedar shingles nailed directly to the Douglas fir roof sheathing,no paper. Look at the horn on that double hung window,replete with rope sash cord,and a little fine tuning with a wood plane.Tile tub surround adhered to a wire and mortar bed.Flooring guy installing hardwood flooring directly over the diagonal 1 X subfloor sans felt paper,with hand applied 6 penny finish nails through the tongue.Love old houses,have been inspecting them/ crawling under and over them for over 40 years.

I've been a professional builder for 175 years and I can attest this is the way we did it in the Olden Days.

I’ve been framing for over 30 years. Things have changed dramatically. Much respect all timers.

I live in a house that was built in 1927, it still has most of its plaster walls. Thanks so much for posting this vid.

What’s cool is that we still use the same tool to cut tile with. It’s interesting to know that they tool hasn’t evolved like the other tools they use back in the day. And they didn’t use spacers for the tiles. They did it with a trowel.

The skill of those plasterers. Not many who could work like that now.

I loved this video on how the carpenters showed true craftsman work and cared about quality of their work.

My dad was a carpenter & did shuttering carpentry .......never wore helmets, masks, goggles, ear protection or special clothing......he was injured bad many times, he worked hard

13:54 - That bathtub is probably in the dump now. Replaced with a plastic shower.

That house was ahead of it’s time. Looks more like a split level ranch from the 50s. Than a home built in 1928.

16:30 I love this guy's shoes and I'll bet he'd love our modern air nailers.

Can't believe it only took 19 minutes to build a house back in 1928

cool vid...back when a 2 x 4 was REALLY a 2 x 4.

The guy with the hardwood flooring was wearing tennis shoes. LOL

Just incredible to watch, a very historical film. I've seen older builder's tool boxes and I've always been amazed at just how few hand tools they had and how they could build an entire house with very little compared to the truck and trailers full of tools that today's builders use. The more I use hand tools, the more I'm convinced that they're a much smarter choice. Not to mention the materials that lasted far longer than modern versions like the plaster, cedar shingles, stucco, tile, cast iron tubs, waste pipes and hardwood floors.

I’m quite handy, built many projects big and small. Room additions, roofing jobs, etc. to my own houses and I thought I was pretty good. Years ago a relative (retired carpenter) who was in town brought some basic hand tools to help me. Seriously, he brought an old hammer he made as a teenager (was given to me in his will, I still use it as my primary) and other basics like a hand saw. I offered all my battery powered gadgets, pneumatic nailer and lasers. He laughed and put me to shame within two minutes and he was 87 years old at the time. I think most modern contractors wouldn’t last a day on the job back in 1928.

Old timers worked harder and built heavy and sturdy. I almost shed a tear watching these artists at work.

Wow, lathe and plaster. I have always wanted to see that done.

What amazes me is how much more simple things have been made since then, while some how at the same time they have become much more complicated. That was very cool to watch!

built a few houses in my lifetime, every time im building one i cant help but admire all these generations of workers who had to cut lumber with an actual hand saw, drive every last nail with hammers, mix every batch of concrete by hand, etc etc. us construction guys still might not have it easy compared to most other professions but man we have it a whole hell of a lot easier than the construction workers of half a century to the construction workers from over a century ago and beyond..

Fun to see the guy wielding the roofing hatchet, those tools are still used to day, but people don't really use the sharp end much.

I am a Chicago plumber to see video of plumbers putting together cast iron pipe in 1929 is just incredible.

Fascinating to see how little has changed over a hundred years.

It would be interesting if one day someone could pinpoint where this film was taken and If the house still exists!!! Eventually, this will happen!

I started in construction in 1964 and what I was taught and introduced with was methods of 40 years earlier. When I retired as a contractor from that field of endeavor in 1989, the basics was still there although modernization was introduced.

My folks bought their house in 1980 It was built in 1898.. No joke..Built like a tank.Frame rough red wood Thick cement like plaster on thin 2 inch boards. Thick ass IRON pipes for the sewer lines. Wooden shingles. The glass for the widows was a bit blurry, I thinks a few of the windows were still original.Like an ice box in the winter and an oven in the summer. And of course on an elevated foundation. Memories..

Big building boom during the 1920s in Detroit. Not just towers, but homes.

It is fascinating they are using rigid conduit for the wiring rather than knob/tube (being phased out in 1928) or the new bx cables. Very important bit of history here.

Love the tub and tile, not like the horrific stuff we have today in new homes, unless you pay extra.

The little boy reading would be 100 today

My father worked on the twin tower subway lines in the 70s only 5 decades off but the old apartments we fix up all where built in the 1900s

Using a steam shovel to excavate back then was truly ground breaking.

some of those houses still stand today. thats amazing

The floor carpenter at 16:13 is wearing early style chuck taylor Converse basketball shoes. That's very avant garde for the era where every function had a specific dress. No doubt, must've seem weird to other laborers. Would be like wearing bowling shoes today as casual wear. I wonder what his reasoning was behind using basketball shoes to do flooring. To not slip? To not cause dents or imperfections in the nee flooring. Pretty cool to see nonetheless.

Fascinating. My house was built in 1929. Makes me appreciate its finer points, especially the double hung windows.

Moving that cast iron tubs would be the dreaded task of every house install.

Fascinating to watch these artisans at work.

Anybody ever contemplate the progress that has taken place in the last 200 years? Neighborhoods, cities, urban sprawl? It goes on for miles in some areas. It's truly amazing how far we've progressed in such a short time. I was walking thru a subdivision of over 500 homes that didn't exist 18 months ago. I looked around and wondered what all this is going to look like in 500 years. Will the same houses still be here? New ones built over top of the old ones? Will it revert back to nature? We've come a long ways in a short time. it's hard to imagine society moving along at the same pace for the distant future.

I've had two houses that were built that way. There weren't so many power tools back then. It had the original plaster, plus the lead-sealed waste plumbing.

Absolutely amazing !!! Thanks!

Those pre-WWII houses were generally built with much care and a heightened attention to detail -- as opposed to the slam-bam tract-house era of post-WWII.

We rented a 1940s era house when i was younger. Had a red carpet through out minus kitchen and bath. The manager was going to replace the carpet amd we pulled it up the night before. And beneath it was a beautiful hard wood floor.

Excellent compilation of the many facets of home building and the dedicated artists of that bygone era.

I knew a fellow who was a retired painter in 1970, he told me that when he when to trade school in L.A. they learned about every trade, he was very knowledgeable and a great guy.

Hell yeah I've been looking for more videos like this. Great. Thanks

This video looks more like 1940’s right before they started using gyp lath. The electrical wiring not being knob and tube dates it past 1928. The window sashes also look more typical for immediately before or during WWII. The electric saw cutting the subfloor dates it past 1928 as well I believe.

Real man that made real build that lasted real long time 💪💪💪💪

I’m a plumber and I’d love to see the plumbers just do there thing back then especially with how fast the can do lead and okum and galvanized pipe

I was surprised to see an electric saw doing the cutting of floor construction.

Great to see how my parents house was built, would have been even better with a soundtrack explaining what is going on in the background. I thought the "Talkies" , had come in by now.

I was surprised to see the finished house ended up looking a 1950s ranch.

I remember seeing a steam shovel like this one working on an empty lot next to me when I was growing up.

I believe this home was being constructed in the L.A. area due to the familiar hills and even a couple of palm trees. Panel framing of the framed walls was and is a southern California concept. The first framing contractor that I worked for--Jack Haglund , a framing contractor-- told me that in the early 60's.

They skipped the lathe crew? Can you imagine being on that crew? MY house was built 1890's still had gas lights. But they used lath for everything. It must have been a wagon 30 feet high of bundled lathe and box upon box of tacks and nails... oh my back just screams thinking about that.

the only thing more remarkable than how much has changed since then is how little has changed since then

This is amazing to watch. 100% respect to these men.

My house was built in the 1940's. Those lead traps are a pain in the ass! I've had 2 of them removed when I got my bathroom remodeled

It's amazing to see how homes were built back then. So much craftsmanship and attention to detail. Sadly, here in Florida, like 80-90% of how that home was built wouldn't be up to code. A prime example is the outer walls of that home. While well made, no way it would stand up to even a sustained Cat-3 hurricane. Same of goes for that wood shingled roof. I cringe so hard at that iron pipe plumbing! Oof! We had to recently replace all the pipes in our home and property because they were that old iron plumbing because ONE pipe on the EXTERIOR had JUST started to crack and collapse. The rest, all tho old and showing wear had quite a few years left in them. Even the plumber said so. The reason for complete replacement being is that it's illegal, at least in Florida, to leave iron pipes in place for insurance purposes.

Beautiful, fascinating footage. Did it make anyone else want to quit their desk job and become a builder?

I remember as kids 3 ropes on a barrow pulling concrete, hand mixed concrete for small bridges over our creeks at homes , still there 50 years later

Amazing work by all😆👍

The flooring guy looks like he's wearing Chuck Tayor hi-top sneakers which came out in 1921, that's pretty cool. I like the big paint brush used for the doors, I use a 3" Corona but I need to look into a bigger brush.

Amazing. They were more modern than I thought in 1928

Great to see all the trades doing their thing back in the day 🔨

You have to pay a pretty penny to get solid construction for homes today. I had the walls of my home plastered, took weeks and tens of thousand of dollars.

amazing many thanks

When I learned my trade, I was taught by guys in their sixties and seventies. Even in apprentice school we learned with all hand tools. As I progressed through my career as a carpenter, then superintendent, I watched as young apprentices and journeyman couldn't think their way out of a task, because they were not taught, first how to think and second because they relied too much on power tools. Another thing that is to blame for them not being able to think their way through a task is that most construction done now is all thought out at some pre-assembly location. All these guys have to do is fit the parts together, like painting by numbers.

I reckon you could build three houses today with all that timber. It sure was a solid old home.

Roof guy is amazing

It would be great to build a house today with a hybrid of old and new construction methods/ materials. I was amazed at some of the clearly better older construction methods, but horrified by others. Here's what I would do the old way/ do the new way: - foundation/ framing: old way, but with modern tools. - wall sheathing/ roof decking: DEFINITELY the new way, but diagonal plank wall sheathing and plywood roof decking, not OSB. Also would use modern methods of weatherproofing, not tar paper (LOL). - wall insulation: new way without question. - plumbing/ electrical: mix of old and new. I would avoid cast iron drain pipe; PVC is faster and easier to work with and won't plug up with rust over time. For supply pipe I'd use copper. For electrical I'd use Romex (if the code allows). - subfloor: old way. - interior wall finish: new way, but drywall thicker than 1/2". - exterior wall finish: old way; hand troweled stucco is better hands down, not that machine blown stuff that crumbles just by running your fingers over it. That being said, however, if it were brick I'd use thinbrick, why use time-consuming veneer brick if it's not structural anyway? - windows: mix of old and new. Definitely new methods of weatherproofing, but I would never use cheap PVC windows.

No expense spared on this house. They use metal conduit for the wiring. cool vid

Love it shows you how much more time it took.and labor have something nice