Replacing OLD ROTTEN lintel / Renovating a 110+ y.o. ABANDONED farm in Belgium 

To those of you living the USA, you might not know that when Illia refers to the first floor, he is speaking about the floor above the ground floor, and this is true throughout Europe. It called the 2nd floor in the US. 🙂 Many of the housing terms are different. ❤

That little spider, in the beginning of your work, wasn't happy with the noise and vibrations you were causing. I'm glad to see you're back to work on the main house. That little excerpt at the very beginning, shows just how much you've done already. You should be very proud of your accomplishments. I wish you a wonderful 2024.

Oh my, it’s been a long journey so far! You have accomplished so much. Wishing you another super productive year on your homestead. Carry on!

Loved seeing Anneke pouch swinging back and forth as she ran into the house! 😂❤She’s excited to be back in “her” house!

Regarding the stove: Your black-and-white unit (the cat) is probably wildly happy at this point. I'm a cat admirer........and they DO love a nice fire! You little house is awesome, by the way. You've done a lot of work and things are coming along swimmingly.

Great to see work starting again on the main house. Lots to do 😊

Illia you have become a Master at everything building. It is amazing how much you achieved in 2 years while working a full time job. Wishing you much success in the New Year 2024. To be dried in and moved into your beautiful new home. Thanks for the video. Love the recap. Have a great week.

So pleased you're starting on the house, again. I actually think you two could do absolutely anything. Excited to see this progress

So excited that you are back on the main house again. Can't wait to see what you accomplish thru the year ahead. Cheers.

Always something to do and Illia does such a good job making sure it's done right. Wishing you the best in 2024

I enjoyed the recap of last year’s accomplishments. It’s unbelievable how much time, work, and money has gone into this restoration. Your Belgium farmhouse and I are looking forward to marvelous new things happening, especially for the master bedroom! 🥰

You have achieved so much since I first started following you. I had a look back 😮❤ you should be so proud that you can do this. Please stay safe

I’m so happy to see you getting back to work on the main house! It is going to be so beautiful. I live in Indiana,USA. My wife and I are just about finished restoring our home that was built in 1847. You both are such an inspiration not only to me but to so many more. Thank you for sharing your story.

Love that you show us the necessary preparation for projects/installations. Your learning curve gets more and more refined, skills sharper, successes:failures:do overs more predictable and doable. Stunning results, guys. Illya you/your work/preparatory planning/ creative and practical approach to job completion are admirable. Did you ever think/predict your personal evolution? Of course, behind/supporting/discussing/assisting/encouraging/suggesting possible alternatives/constructively adjudicating every good man is a good woman, Marina. Also, great catspectors, younger talented helpers, weather coping skills and laughing together complete the scenarios. ❤❤❤❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉😊😊😊😊😊😊

to clean the interior glass of the stove, take a damp cloth/paper towel and dip into old ashes from a previous fire. The ash is the grit that can be used to clean the fire/soot- darkened interior glass on the stove. Free and accessible! Congrads on getting back to the main house project!

Bonjour ! Merci de commencer avec Anneke 🐈‍⬛ Ce poêle est charmant ! Que les travaux de la grande maison avancent comme vous le souhaitez pour 2024 🍀 À bientôt !! 🌸🌸🌸

Looks really nice good job

I’ve missed you guys

You're very hard working! You have my attention and admiration. Have a good and successful year. Thank you.

It must be so nice to have comfortable accommodations right on site now! I enjoyed watching the milk house renovation very much, and I'm excited for 2024 in the main house. And the garden! Happy New Year 😊

Great news! Can’t wait to follow you on the journey back into the big house! I will be watching and praying that everything goes well!

Glad to see you are able to get back to the house. Stay warm and take care.

I'm so happy to see you're finally working on the main house. This is going to be a huge project and I know it's going to be even more beautiful when it's completed. Good luck 👍 ❤❤😊😊

Ilya, Another difficult job completed!!! The list is growing shorter and you are doing excellent repairs.......

Stay warm and stay motivated, one step at a time. Charles

Thank you! I loved the video opening of my favorite fatty kitty❤❤❤

Your English is getting better.

A piece of advice if you will. If you light it, you should light it from above. This way there will be much less smoke and you will get much more heat. Try it once and watch the chimney.

"So lets party begin" is now officially part of my vocabulary for ever! Cool to see we are back in the house

And now back to Main house. Love it.❤

Work is never done is it. You are doing great, awesome work you do. Keep up all your hard work and one day it will be finished.

Thank you for filming 😊

14:39 El famoso escote de gasfiter. Saludos desde Chile.

Schön,das es weitergeht.Toll der Rückblick im Schnelldurchlauf.Klasse.Und Anneken ist auch wieder mal zu sehen.Grüße an euch Alle und bleibt Gesund.

You have done so.much . And there is so much to do . But it is going to be such a wonderful home for you when done !!! 💖

Was joy to see you again healthy.

So happy yr back on yr house xxx

Ну НАКОНЕЦ ТО!🤣🤣🤣Вернулись в дом🙏

Sweet Annika!

Have you lined the chimney first and swept the chimney anew too?

So much accomplished since you began ! Stay safe and warm !

It's wonderful to see you back in the big house. What an journey. I wish you the best of everything.

I waited for the tree light to come on. 😊

Great job. ❤

I really like your low-key commenting. Your work and persistence is admirable, to say the least 😅.

Nice job. Looks cold stay warm.

This is so exciting. You also must be glad to be moving forward once again on the main project.

For Your Information: Safety First! Never burn "pressure treated" wood as it is treated with toxic chemicals such as formaldehyde, dioxins, and heavy metals, that can be inhaled and can cause serious health complications. Inhaling burning pressure treated wood should always be avoided and proper safety measures should be taken when disposing of the wood. Stay safe... love your videos!

Yes he fixing the house

Illia that was so good enjoyed it so much thank you for sharing and your time was really great never miss a video and can't wait for next video Mariana did not see you but that is not saying you were not there next time

What I like is that there’s always something different each week 👍 remarkable indeed

Thank you for the memory refresher. You’ve worked so hard.

I forgot just how much work you had already done. The "construction music" is some of the most fun music I've heard. I hope the wood burning stove helps with Winter chill. 👍👍👍

How good it is to see you again,and to return with you to your hard work on your fabulous home . Happy new year ,best wishes and much affection to you.

Yay! You're working on the big house again! So much to do but you have come so far already. Anneke, the black cat, will be sure that you don't give up.

progress! So beautiful!

You have done a massive amount of work already! You are going to have a fabulous home soon💕 Blessings 💕

Спасибо,заждались уже!

Молодцы хорошо работаете. Приятно наблюдать.

Yay! Back to the old house! Plenty of things to do.

Looking back is always such an eye opener. Seeing how much infrastructure you repaired and upgraded before starting any renovations is amazing. Now that you have water and drainage and your tiny home is ready to live in temporarily, you will hopefully make good progress this year!

Working on an empty old shell is always challenging. There is always something new to discover. You are a very patient man ;-)

You never cease to amaze me with your talent!

FYI: in Belgium people are obliged to contact an architect when working on the stability of a building. Probably you already did. I that case you received an OMV-number. Regards and keep up the good work!

Morning Forget the sycophantic compliments On reflection would you do such a renovation again if you knew the degree of activity (money & time ) that you have invested? All is possible with enough resources ploughed into it. That's why so much of these properties in Belgium are sold for the land. couples go in flatten the old building to the original slab then rebuild to modern code (Far easier with the local planning office & their endless requirements) the finished new home can resemble the old one but meet the latest requirements regarding efficiency, plumbing, wiring, drainage & general energy efficiency. We did a similar renovation on a farmhouse in east Belgium and looking back it would have been easier to go in this direction.

Me encanta tu gatito 🐱 es el mejor😂😂😂😂😊❤

Loved the dubstep music and it fit the activity. Illia knows lentils!😂

Love the cat!

YAAY! So happy to see a return to the main house. What's the over/under on how long it takes to make the main house habitable?

Very nice work

A stove! I am impressed.

Looks like you had the same problem we had, when they replaced the old windows, they also took of the White shutters. So the new window had no need to sit as far back, but by bringing it forward, they left an gap behind. So we had to put in all new window-sill's.

I'm so glad you're going to be able to work inside again, out of the weather! Anneke's looking particularly beautiful. Thanks for the new video.

Great to see Annika back. Now back to the grind on the big house

Your doing a brilliant job getting better every day ❤❤❤❤❤😊😊😊😊😊😊

Happy new year!

How's the humidity now in the house? I'm super excited to see the kitchen come together and know all that very difficult plumbing work you did will work perfectly! How's the basement? Is it dry now?

I never miss an episode. Goos luck this year with all your work. All the best.

You should put a steel thin plate on top on the wood

I like your work from Jordan 🌹

Looking forward to seeing you renovate the big house. Regards Jim UK.

Back in the farmhouse: how exciting! Can't wait to follow along x

Absolutely love the music over this video. So cool Loving seeing the progress

Well done, I’ve been away for6months. Someplace with limited internet, quite a change. Great progress.🇨🇦

watching your video from Pakistan.

Great to see you back in the main house again.👍

So pleased your back working on the main house🇨🇾

Респект! Роботи зробили багато 👍

Buongiorno Ragazzi, come vedete scrivo in italiano perché conosco poco l’inglese, guardò con gioia i vostri video ma non riesco a capire tutto ciò che dite. Vorrei chiederVi se andrete a abitare nella piccola casa nel frattempo che verrà pronta la casa principale. Vi faccio complimenti per la vostra perseveranza.

wishing you all, a happy new year and all the best for 2024. may your amazing adventure continue xxx

Still loving the star 😊🥰

Лайк, не роздумуючи!!! )))

Anneke in da’house!❤ So excited to be inside the main house again!

Thanks for your vid 😇💟💟💟 Love and bless you all guys.

Je hebt de hoeve weeral een stuk steviger gemaakt. Proficiat👍

So when will you put in the electric hoist so there is no more hand hauling mortar up steep stairs?

Jag har väntat på fortsättningen.😊

haha funny choice of music at 11:30

Central heating at last.

Oooh back to working on the main part! I think it'll be a little tricky with the window above the stairs but as long as you can get the lintels swapped out, I'd say just take your time and do it properly.