House Tour & Stone Outbuilding Renovation Update! 

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS: Like we said in this video, if you have a question you would like us to try and answer in an up coming Q&A video, please ask it below. We will then collate them all and answer the best we can.

You have things neat as possible and you two will make it beautiful in time. What matters the most is you two are together and that makes the place a happy home.

Mom is smart to choose the downstairs…it is closer to the bathroom! 😊

I LOVE that we share the same toxic traits! You guys are honestly doing so much and getting so far in your renovation and garden journeys I’m SO freakin impressed (and jealous I’m not gunna lie you’re place is just gorgeous) ❤

Why not use a portable sifter you can screen out the roots and rocks from the soil? They are easy to make yourself. You just make a square of 2x4's and staple a piece of chicken wire or something with smaller holes to it. Purchased ones are plastic and dont take the wear and tear. Keep up the good work. I have rooting for you since the beginning of your home reno project!

It's amazing how different it looks dry, everything from the buildings to the ground. I do understand though that you depend on the rain for your water, so it's a fine line. Nice to see you both in the sun though.❤

Look at those beautiful joists.👍

Dawn and Ben I keep thinking of all you both have achieved since last June. You both have worked so hard to create a comfortable home.and it looks so cosy and homily.Its amazing and once you're happy with it you have plenty of time to do the house. The outhouse is very important to have waterproofed for Irish weather. I don't envy the roots removal from the wonky wall.I really enjoy your videos. Take care and mind yourselves. God bless you both xx

I can see so much progress since last year. Remember it’s the journey that’s most important. Thank you for mentioning my dad’s saying and the secret wave to “just nana”. Even my grandkids friends call me nana. I hope when “mum” comes you stop the wall clock at night or else she will wake up every hour and half hour. Those roots are monsters! Reminds me of all the vines and brambles we cleared at our place. We cleared 5 acres lol. Love watching you two. You are my favorite you tube couple 🎄🎄🎄🪨🪨🪨❤️

Oh ,just look at peaches and Allan 🤣 bless their furry paws 🐾🐾😍

Cann't you offer the owner of the collapsed building that is next to your outbuilding alongside the path which you want to restore £500,- for the ruïn and the patch and buy it off him. It probably belonged to your farm once. This enables you to clear it all. It would make a great garage and storing spaace

How lovely to see your cozy interior. My God am I jealous that you have a bedroom 🙈 Lovely to see that you have strawberries coming, a lovely sight in the summer. Great to see you were enjoying the summer weather, I also got a bit burnt Dawn! My question for your Q and A is - How would you like to see your house and garden in 5 years time, the dream and the necessity? Keep up the good work guys 💪

Another great vlog Many thanks as always for sharing the journey 🍀

OK, I loved the house tour and I loved what you did with the place. I wished you would have paused by the windows looking out longer, esp upstairs. So that we could see the views, ponder just a bit longer about the people that looked out the same windows generations ago. And yeah, show off your work and your dreams and plans from these same windows. Bravo, loved this episode.

Having the same fair skin, may I recommend, in addition to a good sunscreen, a big brimed hat that has good ventilation & a men's long sleeve button up white cotton shirt. The arms on the shirt are longer than a women's shirt and will give the top of your hands some good protection. Being able to button or unbutton the shirt to give you some air flow helps when it's not. I also have a big umbrella with spike end that I can move around and push into the ground as I work. Sunburn is no fun!

WELL lovley you sat and chatted to us all ,amazing difference in hous e ,omg it was a blooodyyyy mess ,you had to remove all contents ,you 2 dawn n ben are amazing at your progress least you are in your bedroom now ,its great stuff ,cant wait for next videos .love it xxx

Dynamo Dawn she's brilliant 👍🏻

The house looks bloody great. I saw it when you started. Cosy. Well Done.

It's nice to see you enjoying the great weather, but you cannot leave the digging alone,😁 and you always feel better after a good tidy-up, It's nice to hear Ben's mum is coming to see you. xxx❤

Wow, time flies when you're doing renovations. You can be proud of what you've achieved already in such a short time. Amazing.👍

Hi Dawn and Ben, it does not seem a year since you moved over and set up home in your tent, looking back, you have achieved so much in such a short time. It is great to be able to follow your journey and see you both so happy and pulling together - you really are a terrific team and through all the ups and downs it is heartwarming to see you both so much on the same page as you work through each phase of the project. Thank you for sharing so much. Have you considered setting up some (temporary) strong angled braces against the back on the outbuilding, inside and out, this would enable you to clear the roots and work on the wall with a bit of peace of mind. x

Loved the tour! Get used to slow progress.....you will be working with stone and it's blooming painfully slow going. You will no doubt tackle it nonetheless with great guns and get the job done. ❤

Congratulations to you both on your fine job of making a lovely, cozy home out of the place, even while it’s in progress! I think I appreciate it because being a long time in poverty, everything tends to fall apart around you till the whole place is a disaster, because things break down but you can’t fix or replace them. So I know how good it feels for the tiniest of things to improve in your surroundings, if one stays humble instead of taking everything for granted. And the more of a wreck things are, the tinier the things that can give you very real joy. It’s one reason I don’t regret having gone through this painful time… because it gave me that, when before I ignored countless such things out of sheer common snobbery. I didn’t find joy in virtually anything, then. Now I find it anywhere I possibly can, and that’s a true blessing upon countless blessings so long and unfortunately overlooked. I imagine your joy, amid the spotty plaster, is something like that. Something that people who are, today, like I was before, will simply not understand. Shows what kind of people you are, too! I think it’s lovely, and so are you!

I'd whip that small wall, entangled in the roots, out, because you're going to have to rebuild it anyway. It will certainly help in the removal of the roots, with it being out your way. Good luck and keep up the good work.👍👍

Dawn Ben , ive just gone back n binged watches your first videos of goin in the tour of house ,emptying kitchen rooms ,and ur boxes turnin up ,,,yessss omg when u look back quickly and then look at this weeks house tour omg yesssss u have defoooo doen so much you2 ,amazin ,and what alot of energy it took,welldone again ,love watchin yaxx the progress is amazin inside n outside it was like bloomin forest lolxx

Questions: 1.What line of work were you both in before you began this adventure? Did you have construction skills? 2. How many children do you have? Is Lucas the only one still at home, and is he still in school? BTW, he did an AMAZING job on his bedroom!!!!🥳 3. What made you decide to sell up and do this? Did you see the house first, or were you looking for a while? Has this been a long-time dream? 4. What do you miss most about living in the city? Least? 5. Are you close to having enough to buy the new stove? I think you should give us a clue, so if we know you're only 1/2 way there we can start buying more coffees! 6. How did you both develop such a fantastic work ethic? 7.Are you fairly close to a village/town where you can buy food and supplies? Rent equipment? 7. Where do you learn your new construction skills? Are you like Dan Preston (Escape to Rural France) and watching LOTS of RU-vid videos for information? 😆 8. Have you had cats before? Dogs? I know you mentioned you wanted animals on your land. Do you have experience with farm animals? What kind are you thinking of getting? 9. Did the fruit trees in your garden produce much last year? You have so many. Are you going to can or freeze this year? It's definitely not too late to plant salad things and green beans! You can also still plant things like chard, kale, beets, carrots, turnips, rutabagas. Just put the seeds in one of your raised bed mounds and leave them until you want to pick them. Unless you want to pick weeds, ignore them and pick what you need. 😉 10. Where and when did you two meet? You are so fun together!!!❤❤ 11. How did you choose names for your kitties? Have you planted catnip? Will you plan to buy the derelict structure that isn't yours on your land from the farmer, or does he have plans for it? 12. Was there ever a rural water supply on your property? I think you mentioned there wasn't and people walked to the now-contaminated well for extra water. Does your farmer neighbor have a well or rural water supply? 13. I'm intrigued that the bedrock seems to be just below the surface of your land, yet trees grow well and you have beautiful soil. Does it extend across your entire property? 14. Will you put a metal, tile, or asphalt tile on your outbuilding roofs? Will you rebuild the gables higher so you can have more storage? You seem to have quite a bit of building rock lying around you might use. 15. Will you be adding more water collection tanks, perhaps to the outbuildings and the front of the house? Isn't it nice to have a REAL shower???? I posted a long comment further down. I thought I'd put these separate so you can find them later! 😘

Hi guys, I wondered if you were considering the Irish Renovation Grant for dilapidated buildings. I have watched couple of other channels where they are able to claim. We are loving watching everything you do, thank you ❤

Thank you for the video and inside tour. Some serious violence will be required to address that stump and mass of roots at the corner of the outbuilding. The short wall will probably come down but could be rebuilt; maybe there's an opportunity for a gate instead. With respect to Q & A, and if it's not too personal, I would like to ask if you are retired and if so what was your career? Do you currently work at something online from home? I hope your channel grows to the point where you can monetize and receive a reliable source of additional revenue. Best regards.

Considering sleeping in the tent outside when you got the house you have done lot of work , so good luck with the rest😊

Hi, Maybe at the beginning of the vid do a 'this week we will be doing.....' at the end say' next week we will be doing' and do one of these type of videos every few months for a progress report and what is still left to do. If you are watching other channels always try and leave a comment, people that read them will see you channel name and you could ask questions and mention how it ties in with what you are doing - might get more subscribers that way

I'm glad you know what you are doing. Can you let me know what I am doing lol There was nothing wrong with the way you started out with your channel. So pleased you've kept me along for the ride. It's hard to believe there were 4 rooms upstairs before you fixed the floors and ceilings up there and were able to move in to the kitchen from a tent in the soggy garden, The walls are clean and dry which is such a massive improvement to where they were, everything you do now is only an improvement there aren't anymore make it uglies. I'm so excited for you to have Ben's Mum coming for a visit. Enjoy your time with her and don't worry about vlogging, we will still be here. Love those smiles! (I hates sofa beds) 🤣😜 How are you getting on saving up for the new cooker/water heater?

Another great video guys.l love hearing the thunder - IAM weird like that 😂

Loving the all ready,Kitchen looks great I can tell, it's all going to look great ❤❤👍

Wow almost a year and you have done so much. Looking forward to seeing what the next year brings.

Dam lovely looking bedroom and doing it your way. Great to see your growing and expanding the house and garden. Wow how can you have a party on your first anniversary. Great video again guys

I was looking so forward to this! Thank you for posting. You really did make a big dent in the dirt/branch pile beside the building outside. Really excited to see that building project begin so you have covered storage outside. The inside of the house is clean and livable. Dry, someplace to fix food and eat, and get much needed rest. It will do! It looks much different than I remember the last time and of course the kitties make it home. We have cats, as well. Did you have plans for a loo upstairs? May not be enough room? When those ceilings get finished in those bedrooms it will be awesome to see. Anyone who has watched you from the beginning knows the improvements that have already been made. The land alone looks so much different (and beautiful). It just takes time, and you both are doing a splendid job!!! Kudos!

Thank you for sharing guys.❤

You have worked so hard to get where you are with your place. You should be very proud of your accomplishments because you have achieved so very much. It looks great. The walls will happen when they happen. Your yard in the back looks great. Keep up the good work. I love watching you all get it done. Thank you for sharing your life with all of us. I know even that is hard work. 5/26/ 2024 Panama City, Florida

Ben, at the beginning I truly didn't recognize you with the tan.😄The sun on your faces truly suits you both. I think I started watching your channel after the second video. At first, it was kind of like watching a train wreck - the state of the house with all it's "stuff" left behind, the roof, the bedroom with the unstable floor the state of the damp and mold. 🤢Mostly, I was amazed that you could be as cheery as you were while sleeping in the tent in the swampy rain.👼 I've admired you so, every time I watch you accomplish so much!!! The house and the land look amazing. How two people, alone, accomplished so much without major equipment is inspirational. Inside looks incredible! I'm thrilled to see you have a working shower (*indoors* 😉) and can spread out. What's left looks mostly cosmetic. You could slap paint on the walls and call it good if you wanted to - but you don't. I realize, that like me, you're just making it cozy for your cats. 🤣 I thought of you the last few weeks as here we've had several tornados, thunderstorms, a derecho, and one day: 7 inches of rain in a few hours. Dawn, you could have stood outside and washed and rinsed your hair several times in the downpours. I laughed at you two saying how "hot" it was. I'd consider that balmy. We've already had temps over 29 a few days this year. Heat + water = mosquitos and ticks. Which I am definitely *not* looking forward to. I don't remember you battling the insects last year and I hope you don't have them this year!

Would you consider painting all walls white ,, i know its a renovation but it would make everything so much nicer till work is done 😊

I’m dying of anticipation to see you guys start the out building!!! 😩😂 It’ll also be awesome to see you guys finish the inside of the house as well, and it’s always lovely to see you guys! 😊💚

Looking at all you two have accomplished its amazing. Green grass, blossoms 🌸 on the trees, it's all beautiful 😊

Thank you for showing your home. It will be so beautiful when done. You are brave for taking on so much work. I wish you the best of health and a strong body to get everything done. 😊😊

it is not a problem , you have time to renove this house ans it's better to have time to think better

Thank you for sharing your adventure. You guys have certainly accomplished so much in a year, especially when you're also living in the house. Don't worry about how long it's taking, it takes as long as it takes. You've got most (if not all) of the structural issues resolved. Everything else is cosmetic. Well done.

Oh wow, I'm like the cats - if the wheelbarrow is full I just sleep under it! That thunder was scary. Nice that Ben's mom will be there. OOH, strawberry basket! House looks lovely, I can really visualize how it will look when you guys finish the walls etc. - it's destined to be fantastic! Like the little Monarch, Dawn. Well hello to you Peaches, she said hi to us viewers - Alan didn't but I'm not holding it against him because I love him too much. Has it really been a year soon since I started watching - time sure flies but it's been fun, thanks!

Oh my goodness, it looks amazing guys. All starting to take shape. Well done. So proud of how far you have both come!

I have watched you from the start, when you first rocked up, what is your biggest achivement so far? and what is the thing that you are most proud of? Also how much land do you have? xx

You two just make me smile. I truly can’t believe it’s been a year. I think I started following y’all about a month or two after your first post, but it genuinely feels like I have watched y’all for longer than that because you make us feel like we are part of your journey. I can’t think of any good questions, except the personal ones like how did you meet. I met my husband through a prank phone call…well, he was a friend of my high school boyfriend and he pinched my number from his phone book and prank phone called me one night while we were at university. He had seen me previously, I didn’t know who he was…anyway I am always curious how others meet because of our odd meeting…lol

What have you done to improve the inside of your house...that's what drew me to your channel...your hard work on the outside is amazing but what about the inside

WOW! Almost a year you did start the reno! You guys did a lot! Be proud of yourself! Congrats❣

Hi to you both. Question for your Q&A: Do you take time off enough? Seems to me you are working each day..... Thanks for the nice video and pet the cats from me.

At the beginning of the video the stone looked almost Mediterranean in the baking sun, then your thunderstorm hit us just as I was watching your thunderstorm, wouldn't mind if you sent us some baking hot weather as we haven't had any here but don't send any more storms.😊Lovely tour of the house, your staircase makes me want to paint everything conker brown, I love how it looks and I think my question would be will it stay like that? ❤

don't worry too much about unpacking it took me four years to unpack the last box, and it starts to take on aspects of archaeology combined with an almost Christmasy feeling I'm rebuilding a 5 foot X 50 foot dry stone wall in front of my house that was built during the Japanese internment, it's held up well with tree roots doing the damage nothing on your scale though

Great job on the house but I am very surprised your house is just four rooms because looks so much bigger 😮

Can't believe it is nearly a year, wow. Had you been to Ireland before , or did you just decide to relocate and take a chance? Love your channel x

12:04 had me PMSL, oh my gosh 😂

Bon courage pour les cinq prochaines années 😅😅 vu l ampleur des travaux de décoration , on est là pour longtemps 😊😊😊

Not a question, just a comment: Unlike other DIY/renovation channels, you seem smart enough to realize this is not a sprint, but a marathon. I see too many people burn themselves out overdoing it in order to get the project finished in an unrealistic time frame.

Please explain the term "Hessian" and necessity for the out-building repair. Else great renovation keep up the good work!

hi alan

plans? what are they lol just make it up as you go along that is all i have ever done

Thank you for the steady camera work! Much appreciated

I enjoyed that video a lot, you have both done a huge amount of work. Well done. My question is similar to some others... the ruin that is not yours...why? It would be much better if you guys could use it, rather than looking after it, and working on it for someone else! I am sure you could use the space.

Do you have a water hose..you could spray it and wash away the dirt to expose the roots better..I did that with big roots of a tamarack tree..makes them easier to see to cut.

Are you going to grow vegetables- have you plans for a veg garden? As you work more on the house, do you have a style in mind or are you just doing a basic fix until your outbuildings are sorted?

All good things happen in time

Hey, my bedroom looks like yours, as we are building a home while we live in it, LOL! Everything looks great, and your home a warm and cozy, I love it!

Your son's room is very very nice!

WOW! Its been a year. Where did the time go. Love your channel!

Brilliant video for the members club . House is looking loads better but work work work to do . Are Those roots are uncovering another piece of piece of the historic garden jigsaw.lets hope so . Everything done so far is brilliant but the house build is calling

It's not easy living on site when you're renovating, but your house has come a long way already. It's way more comfortable than the tent for starters, and it's a great way of getting to know what you need to change or not. Huge difference guys.❤

A grufán is wanting!

You have done an amazing job well done beautiful house snd grounds mske your mum and children proud bless you both. Was the house and land bought at auction or was it through an estates agent and may i ask cheekly what did you pay for the property?. Every blessing to you both. ❤❤

party time ben and dawn

It’s funny but the only thing that came to mind when you talked about Hessian coming were the Hessian soldiers from the US revolutionary war 😂. In the US we call hessian “burlap”, 2 countries separated by a common language 😂

That looks like an opening/ door instead of a fallen wall or rubble.

You need a chainsaw for thick branches xx. You should not have to apologise for anything it’s your place at your pace. Love to know why you both moved to the property?😊😊😊😊

You have made so much progress, it is just amazing. How did you all see the potential under all those roots and piles of stuff? Hugs

Could you use a large industrial sieve to go through the soil so you end up with nice light soil with no bits in it that you don't need. Nice to see you both again. I've been looking forward to your next instalment. We have had torrential rain and thunderstorms and lightening here in Burnley,Lancs. The latest storm has passed over in the last half hour.

What are your plans ?? Might be good to do a short introduction and brief story at beginning of each video ,so new viewers know whats happening ,it brings people straight in and the they are more likely to subscribe to channel , 😊, iv just subscribed ,, but its my forth time here , had to see a few videos because i was not sure what was going on 😊 if you know what i mean😊 ,, best of luck with the renovations ❤🇮🇪☘️

Ooh a year anniversary HOUSE WARMING PARTY.😁😁😁 .. (Actually Just light a fire less hassle ) Look what you've done in a year . Ive been here in calamity cottage nearly 4 years you've put me to shame.. Living room looks great . Ive no door on mine either I've an old duvet hanging... Keeps the heat in (an the snoring out !) 😁

Are there any plans for the back building? Will the roof be continuous over you workshop and storage building?

Wow cant believe it is almost a year !!!! Congratulations. I have enjoyed every vid.!!!! My question is, what are you going to do with the fire barrel?? Looks like it is in the pile for the dump 😂😂😂😂

l would point up the wall as your going ben around that pile. and use small fires to burn out all those roots rather than pulling and dragging on them and it will take the hard work out off it it. but defo point up as you go .

Hi, watching your vids always make me smile. I loved the walk around your house, the patches on the back wall of your living room look like a woman kneeling down talking to a child and a Chef. Question As your bedrooms are so large could you partition off a small portion of one to use as a ,literal ,box room? XX

How is the borrowed heater in the kitchen working out? Will you choose that size/capacity when you come to replace it? If you hear a crash over night, it will be your aged mum falling down after stuffing a sock into your gorgeous clock

Why are you working so hard on the outbuilding and not the main house 😊,, sorry if you have already answered , , just subbed to channel 😊🇮🇪☘️

Are you stripping the walls of plaster or are you patching them up

hi dawn and ben

Been here from day 1 love the channel I have a question what room will u do first in the house? 😊

Christ the amount of roots in pile that is heart breaking Dawn, would a pick or small mattock not have helped break up the soil between those damned roots?

We spent 10 yrs livin in a remodel lol its all money and time,Its like ya got the money but no time then its like ya got the time but no money .Now its done i'm bored to death it is what it is when your doin it and livin it at the same time.Some people will never understand the struggle untill they live it,,,,

You’ve come so far since you started. Wondering, what led you to move to Ireland?

Hi both used to love watching your channel but don’t so much now, as I can’t understand Ben’s attitude of not wanting to work hard to get your home sorted for the family? Just seems really strange to me that Dawn does more than her fair share and he’s quite happy to let her do so 😏 All the best for your future 👍

? Who lives in the second bedroom ? Love how it is decorated :)

That is looking a lot better! I busted out laughing when Dawn got bleeped for saying a curse word lol my home renovation channel would just be one bleep after the other 😂 did you say that building belonged to a farmer? If you guys want to knock it down, you should be able to it looks very dangerous and he would be liable wouldn't he? Anyway I'm trying to pick a fight between you and your neighbor obviously 😂😂😂 good video guys much love from Oklahoma USA Jackie 🇺🇸💖 I know you name your cats human names but when you said there's Carl I believe? I was waiting to see a person 😂 oh dear, now I've gone blank, as to what to ask you on your live chat 😩 any other time I'm a blabbermouth.

We are all waiting I bet for you to do something with the inside of the house., especially the walls, ceilings and floors.

Great video! Just wondering what video camera you use? 22:00

Would Dawn win in arm wrestling?