i bought an old house without seeing it!! 

I love rewatching this because at 17:01 you opened the mirror and said no secret but you just discovered a secret room behind your mirror. Oh the foreshadowing! 😂😅

I’m 45 yrs old, a widow and live in my mom’s basement. I’ve always rented and never owned my own home. My husband and I were in the process of buying our own home (looking at properties only at that point) when he got sick. So if anyone has hateful things or negative things about this amazing life moment you are having.....tell them to stick it! I’m am so proud of you not only for taking the huge step of buying a house, unseen at that, and fixing it up but sharing it with all of us! Congratulations! Enjoy every second as your dream unfolds around you! God bless!

If an older woman could make a huge suggestion....DONT DO ANY TEARING OUT OR RENOVATING YET!!!!!! You 1st need to get an electrician in and make sure the electricity is SAFE. I probably has not been updated since it was built....especially with a large addition. You can live with the kitchen as it is for the 1st year. I see all the fireplaces are sealed off...that means not usable or reusable. Just forget about them. Get a plumber as soon as the electrician finishes, and get all your water and septic system fixed because that is a health issue. There is probably an old well somewhere on the property. Locate it and have water tested for safety. Locate the septic system to be sure it is in working condition. I really dont mean to sound bossy or preachy, but I am concerned that with you being so young, you could make a mis step and cost you everything. After all that ..and getting a new roof...get a structural engineer out to check the addition. There has to be a reason why they quit and left. It may not be safe at all. or they could have got hurt or too old or too sick or even have died...you just need to know. If there were blueprints ...maybe you could find them. Best of luck and I wish you much happiness. It really is a beautiful and intriguing older home.

Arielle, idk what possessed me but I decided to rewatch this and PLEASE watch at 16:55 where you open the medicine cabinet in your bathroom and say “no secrets” lol it was the biggest secret!!!

I would absolutely NOT complain if you became a house youtuber or made a second channel about working on your house

The unlikes are from the houses she didn’t buy

Sometimes when I have RU-vid on for some background noise, this video starts on autoplay and the "I bought a House! I bought a house I bought a house! I bought a House!" just instantly makes me so happy and excited and I drop whatever I'm doing to rewatch this. And you know, Ariel, it's really weird trying to explain to people why this video - this video about a random Canadian woman, who reads books, purchasing an (at that stage questionable) house - is my favorite video on the internet.

$65,000!!!!! That is absolutely incredible 🤩 With land too!!!! Your house is beautiful. Congratulations 👏

I played this for my dad on our TV and now he’s invested in your home improvement journey! I’m SO excited for this series and so proud of this huge accomplishment 🤍🤍

Dying over the fact the kitchen and bathroom have carpet but the kitchens have like linoleum. Oh man. I love this house, she's got a story.

The comment about how the upstairs bathroom mirror cabinet has no secrets has aged hilariously.

"I knew I needed to compromise so I was like 'sure, I can learn how to drive a boat!'" cracks me up every time

YOU OWN A HOUSE!!! So incredibly proud of you Ariel.

This house is dying for a secret passage bookcase door 🚪📚🤫 *I hope u know what I mean*

I love hearing Canadians say "HOUSE" and "OUT".

She has soul. You can see it in her bones. Congratulations on your beautiful home

"I own about two acres" that must've felt so good to say!! Congrats!!

65k???? omg...what a literal steal. so happy for you, ariel!

"housing right now is crazy and people my age are completely locked out of the market" Seriously I'm at the same point where I don't know how to get creative and I love that you're showing it! Thank you

17:02 when she says “no secrets in here” little does she know here is a FREAKING SECRET ROOM BEHIND THERE!!! I love this so much.

I don't know what I love more, the fact that you moved to my home province, the fact that your family is so tight, or the fact that you are helping to break down the barriers for people in our generation to become home owners - heck, a lot of our grandparents built their own homes, why can't we renovate ours from the ground up?

You can buy a house east of Quebec for a box of TimBits.

You’ve inspired me to buy a house in a place I can afford! Why struggle for years paying rent to live in a crowded city, when I can relocate, be happy, own a house and live my best life? Thank you Ariel!

Personally, with experience in fixing houses and renovations. I would start with any area which has pluming. Figure that out first that can become expensive and cause damage to other areas in the house. Just a tip!!!! And have someone look at all the wiring in the house!!! Also you got such a good deal, from looking at the outside! I’m so jelly! Only spending that much on it is crazy! You could flip it around and sell it later for over $200,000 for the size and land it’s on❤️

I love your book content, but I am even MORE excited for your house project content. I am also grateful to have an example of someone who is intentionally and joyfully living within their budget and turning their dreams into tangible goals and then reality.

as a teenager with HGTV/ home ownership dreams, I am very excited to live vicariously through these videos!

I came here from your most recent video where you found the secret room, and I can't express how funny it was seeing you open the bathroom mirror cabinet saying "unfortunately no secrets here" and knowing what you will find behind that mirror in some years' time... 😂

hello Ariel- there are so many bargains out here in the east coast, my husband and I sold our house in Ontario last September and moved to new Brunswick We had to buy a house sight unseen, but we got a small 2 bedroom house on 16 acres of wonderful forest and meadow for $ 35,000. Yes the house needs some work- but what a deal. Mortgage free for the first time in my life and we are in our fifties. Twenty minutes from the ocean and living rural........with moose in the backyard...........good bye Ontario and good bye high real estate prices. I think we'll get some chickens and a goat.

When you showed the unfinished addition I was chanting “library! library! library!”

you dont have an idea of how much sharing that number means, i know it must be hard to give so many private details into the world but it gives a ton of hope to every single person who think cant afford a place or have fears and struggles. thank you so much Ariel yo are so appreciated and loved im grateful for you

I've just redone our last two houses and I would say the best advice I can give is to get one room totally done that you can live out of while you do the rest. Secondly, tackle the bigger things like plumbing, heating, bathrooms, kitchen next because if there is an issue with say the pipes...it will literally be all connected. If you have to make some changes it is better to tackle that all at the same time and get those things functioning. It's too expensive to redo plumbing twice, fix septic or water issues etc. Those are also your most expensive items so anything after that you can save for. Lastly...get a dumpster delivered for demo. Go ahead and tear out the carpet and anything else all at once. You'll not be cleaning and re-cleaning over and over again. And the dumpsters are usually a fee per week. Hope that is helpful! :) Good luck it is such a cute house!

Did RU-vid just recommend a gold mine of a channel to me?? YES!

I have a friend that went through a very similar process, and her number one takeaway was to find a contractor that you can trust and who will help you order projects like electrical, plumbing, A/C! Doing them in the wrong order can apparently mean you end up paying for things twice because things need to be undone/redone/corrected.

I think the first video should be heat, water, and sanitation and preparation for the first big snowstorm.

20:32 I appreciate you talking about how much it costs. My parents bought a house in Ontario and it was 800k, and it's semi-detached and still doesn't have enough rooms for everyone. It's crazy

So I’ve found this creator’s videos out of order. Seeing them open the medicine cabinet in the non-op bath and say “no secrets” made me giggle.

I thought a carpeted bathroom was odd, I have seen that before, but a carpeted kitchen is a *whole* new strange

you know, props to you for seeing past the scary parts and realizing how beauitful this house can be once it is given a lot of love! It would be so so cool if you did some renovation videos showing like all the ups and downs of learning how to renovate!

You had the similar experience as me. I sold my house faster than expected, had to move before Christmas. The house I was going to buy, turned out to not be suitable, two weeks before Christmas. I found this one online, the real estate person came over and showed me some features (Art Deco) and I bought it without even seeing it. Turned out it was not one house, there was a cottage also, on 1/3 acre. Cost me $98,000 since it was far from the metro area of Minnesota. Also has hidden rooms and nooks. The cottage used to be a speak easy from prohibition era. Love it.

You can still have Wallpaper. Put it on 1 wall, creating a Feature Wall. Then you can paint and decorate the rest of the room, drawing from the colours in the wallpaper.

getting sponsored by a moving company is an absolute mogul move

I was hoping you'd do videos about it! I love those kind of videos and seeing you fix your doors on your story was very satisfying haha

I just found this channel today -- and loved the title "I bought an old house without seeing it!" I've owned several old houses from the turn of the century, the one I'm living in currently was built in 1910, which makes it 110 years old. They will have some of the best 'craftsmanship' and 'workmanship' ever done, because the people who built them were master craftsmen, carpenters, and builders that came from a long line within their families where the craftsmanship was handed down from one generation to another. I would never buy a house that's not at least 75 to 100's years old -- they just don't make them like they used to. In the early 1900's you had people coming over from Europe that wanted to start a new life in America and with those people came some of the best craftsmen that Europe had to offer. These people were master craftsmen -- in woodworking, bricklaying, and building, they had experience that you just can't find today! These people also spread out into Canada and British Columbia. I live in the U.S. and have owned older homes from California to Texas and I've always chosen to buy and live in early 1900's houses because of all the work that went into them. It's true that the kitchens and bathrooms are almost always outdated, but you either grow to love them as they are (vintage) or you eventually spend the money and update them. I've always loved them as they are because they are original to the house. Your house has probably three to four times the amount of building materials that they use today to build new homes that cost hundreds of thousands more than what you've paid. Quality materials, real wood, not what you see today. If you were to take your old house apart, you could take that material and easily build three houses with it! Your house is solid built to stand another 100 years. *It's truly a precious jewel and worth every penny that you've spent! I can't wait to see what you do with it -- it will all be a 'labor of love'!* I wish you many decades of happiness living in it !! 💘

The fact that you open the mirror in your bathroom in this video and you literally say "no secrets" is so hilarious in hindsight!

I know you can work from home, so location wasn't an issue for you, but if I remember correctly, your bf worked in a library. How does your new location affect his job and the jobs of the rest of your family?

Ariel, you should totally make your own “wall paper.” I know you like Anne with an E, so you should do the Ms. Stacy potato wall decorating trick!

"nova scotia is the last cheap place in canada" RIP my poor ass who had to leave nova scotia for new brunswick bc ns was too expensive 😭

I've just watched this after watching your newest video, and you said "there were no secrets unfortunately" when you opened that bathroom cabinet!! Little did you know what was waiting for you behind that cabinet...!! 😆

This house reminds me of Anne With An E on Netflix. You should totally make a huge library!! I love watching videos like this!🏠📚📖

"The fully carpeted kitchen" °●°

Definitely feeling the "B.C. is SO beautiful, but SO expensive vibe." My family is from Nova Scotia, but I was born and raised in B.C., and am currently in the process of moving out on my own! Realizing that I can't afford to stay in this beautiful place is so difficult and land prices back in NS are super tempting. Glad to see you've found a place!

Love to see people getting along with their family so well that they are happy to live together! 🥰

ariel of green gables? :D

Omg Divine Design!! You unlocked a forgotten memory 🤣

I let out a sigh of relief when you said your plan was to restore not renovate. I love when people stay true to the character of these old houses (as much as health codes allow haha). Good luck with this!

As someone who lives in Saskatchewan, you picked right. housing is insane in saskatoon. you literally can't buy a crack den in the city for under 200K. Edit: now that i see that a literal cabin the middle of nowhere with no utilities or access to the mainland is $190K, i"ll sit down.

This is exciting. I’ve just looked online for houses under 100k and there are options. You’re so right about our generation being priced out the market. Thank you for sharing the price of the house as well, it gives perspective.

as soon as i saw the outside of the house i was like "omg is that nova scotia!?" it was just a weird feeling as a life-long nova scotian ! so excited for you ariel, people in nova scotia are super nice it's ridiculous

Buying a house is amazing. I cried for two days when my husband and I bought our first home after having to live in a hotel with our kids .

New to your channel. Greetings from Wisconsin, USA. Congratulations on your new house. Weird decorating decisions happened in the 1960s and 1970s. I had a house with red carpet and rooster decals on all the cabinets...

As spooky as that room is, it looks like it's part of the exposed roof space? Would definitely recommend powering through and having a look to make sure the roof is okay (old properties tend to have little leaks, loose tiles, etc that can build into a bigger problem if not watched). Lovely house! 😊

This house is going to be SO MUCH FUN to renovate/restore!

SO FREAKIN PROUD OF YOU!!! just watched this with my mom and we are beaming :) so special to have your own place and one with so much potential and charm. The molding around the doors is gorgeous and I can't wait to see what you find under the carpeting (fingers crossed hardwood floors!!!) sending all my love xx Dana ps your animation game is so goooood :)

Been a huge fan since day one. I am 42 years old single mother living in CA I am hoping to retire at 50 if things keep going well for me. Bought my first house last month paid in cash and I can't be proud more that I am rn. I'm so happy i made good decisions about my finances that changed me forever::;)❤️🎉

This house has great bones and a lot of character. I’m interested to see the updates.

It's gorgeous. It's got weird hidden rooms to nowhere like an old house from one of those kids detective books in the 1930s. It's the kind of house you could have a murder mystery take place in. Fantastic place.

Congrats! I bought my own house as well and will be moving in 3 months time. I've been living in a really old rented apartment for most of my life because my mum is a single mother and she couldn't afford purchasing her own home. So the last 3 years, me and brother decided to work towards buying our own home so that we, as a family, and especially my mum could live comfortably in a house that we own. It has been our dream for a long time and I'm so glad that we're able to fulfill it. My house isn't as interesting as yours though. haha. I'll look forward to more videos of you exploring your new home. That secret room have me intrigued. haha

I don’t know why people use to think that carpet in the kitchen and bathrooms were a good thing. A massive fire hazard and icky, wet, moldy floors. But congrats on owing a house!!!! Such a huge step in someone’s life.

That house is so huge! And soooo many rooms to play with, plus an extra 2acres. So happy for you Ariel! Can’t wait to follow along with your fixer upper journeyyy 😄😄😄😄

I see the potential, the bathrooms are massive, for the price, you can make a beautiful little cottage. Please make a series of the updates on the house, I love those types of vids.

I had to move when covid hit. Landlord sold the neighborhood! 17 families that had lived 20 or more years had to leave and couldn't afford anything (Seattle - Tacoma suburb in WA). I moved in with my son in Ocean Shores, where it rains almost every day. No carport or garage for my diy projects. The warehouse that replaced my neighborhood was still for lease last time I looked. Wallmart, Safeway and Starbucks are 30 miles away on a curvy dark road. Nearest Veterans Hospital is 95 miles away. I'm over 70.

OMG, I'm a new viewer, this is only the second video I'm watching of yours, and watching this after your most recent video about the bathroom surprise and you coming up the mirror and opening it and the VO saying "there were no secrets" is just SO FUNNY

You moved from BC TO NOVA SCOTIA ?!?! That’s awesome

My brother is currently letting me say in his property indefinitely.. love to see the brotherly love when u talk about him staying with you as long as he likes

Love that the kitchen has carpet but all the bedrooms have linoleum :')

We are 30 with a 2 year old and just bought our first house in a semi-pricey area of the states. This market is No Joke. Watching this made me feel better about all the work we need to do on the home we could afford and gives me hope we can make it feel like home one day but it doesn’t have to happen right away. Seeing others go through the process and the stress and the joy is so nice and helpful! Thank you for sharing!

I googled “British Columbia to Nova Scotia”. THAT’S SO FAR FOR CAR TRIP!!! I can imagine how painful it is to moving house.

How exciting!! I really want to recommend a channel: Wabi- Sab E, a couple in Nova Scotia(i think) who is resotoring an old house, smaller than yours. Thr videos are just so COOL and inspiring so please check then out! Happy new year from Sweden! 😊

The fact that you opened the medicine cabinet and said “no secrets” and there ended up being a room behind it is some really crazy foreshadowing

16:59 it’s so funny rewatching this video when you open the bathroom medicine cabinet and say that there weren’t any secrets, knowing that there literally was a whole secret room right behind it the whole time!

Glad this was recommended to me! Make sure to test for lead paint and asbestos before starting your home renos.

Sees those housing prices and cries in Southern Californian

Hi Ariel, I’ve just found your website & I want to say I’m so proud of you for the love you have for your family and providing house and home for them! It’s rare to see that these days and I’m sure you and your family will build into this home the love and care you have. I’m sure it will be lovely to watch as you progress to make this “old house” your home with your personality and character! There will be many folks rooting for you! May God bless all that you set your hands to, to build your dream home!

Sold our house in Ontario 14 years ago, bought an old victorian in Pictou NS without a mortgage and never looked back! Welcome to Nova Scotia! :)

That excitement for the Facebook marketplace desk find!!!! We love to see it.

Just watching the empty house tour part reminds me of the beginning of My Neighbour Totoro where they are moving in.

I love that your parents are moving near you too and that your family is close and with you. This is a rare thing but so important for those who get that!

Congrats to you! We got married in 1985, with a combined income of about 50-55K. Our rent/utilities totaled less than 500/month. Groceries about 35-50/week. We lived off of his paycheck and saved mine. Bought land for 17K, and proceeded to build our own house from the ground up. My father in law excavated for the foundation. It took 4 years of working full time, and building the house on evenings and weekends. We were young, energetic, and we didn't have Big Brother over -regulation, over-in$pection back then. We even moved in 2 years before we officially finished to save on rent. Forbidden today! We bought materials every week with my paycheck, and some of his. In the end, when we had to take out a loan for 40K to finish up, ( I was pregnant) our home was our collateral. Property taxes were low, Gas was low, our industries were still in North America & doing well. We are still in the house, built better than most today. Paid off our mortgage in 9 years no sweat and I was able to stay home and raise my family, all on one mid level income. How society has changed! But, like you, we used our talents and ingenuity. Many people our age are still paying on a 30-year mortgage. You have to adapt to the world you are saddled with. Hopefully, our kids will follow our example.

Silent night... holy night... all is calm- *lydia bursts into house, rushes downstairs and turns on Ariels first house video*

Congratulations on your home! I myself purchased my first home when I was 20 years old for 45,000. It made complete sense and was cheaper than rent. Enjoy the experience...it’s amazing to be a homeowner🙂

I've watched maybe half of these "fixing my old house" videos and I think it is time to go back and watch everything. Thank you for all the vibes!

It's been 3 years and a half in this journey with you, and you can't imagine how this has changed my life ❤️

This is the most wholesome story about how a stressful nightmare can turn into something great. I really needed that right now so thanks for taking us with you. 💜 And your new home is so wonderful!

I'm gonna start looking to buy a house and your horror stories about the price of homes is my nightmare. Everywhere seems expensive 😭

I loved Divine Design, Decorating Cents, Design on a Dime, Mission Organization! Still my favorites! Congratulations!! 🎈🍾🎊🎉

Animal Farm is one of my top 5 favorite books: "All animals are created equal, but some animals are more equal than others." My dear, make this house a harbor, a haven and a heaven on earth for you and the ones you love. Please keep posting your home adventures.

Yeah, my aunt and uncle and their two daughters got kicked out too because their landlord wants to sell. They haggled for a little more time than the lady was originally giving them. Then by the time the had to leave, still no place to go. They've spent the last month in a furnished airbnb. Their offers for 7 different houses all got turned down. I hope they can quickly move into the one they finally (tentatively) got.

I love your optimism, Ariel! You are so inspiring in your pursuit of seeing the positives of everything around you. Your new house is amazing!! Congratulations on being a homeowner!!!

weird obsession of mine but that extension would be perfect for creating a secret doorway (maybe in a bookshelf?) into the hidden part of the house

And so it begins. Ariel moves in to a haunted house and slowly starts to transform into Stephen King. I LOVE it. 😎