Renovating An Abandoned Home: Demolishing the Building 

welcome to the lake house!! what do y’all think??

You should consider tarping the roof to mitigate any further damage and give the cabin a chance to dry out a little...even with the leaking windows.

I didn't join the pack until your first cabin renovation started but I've been around long enough to know you can do this. You two are amazing.

Something from a New Orleans post flood mold guy; tearing out all of the obvious stuff is the best way- that said, lots of framing members can look good but may be compromised. Painting all of the standing two by s with sealer that has anti mold agents, then a fast coat of any paint will help seal them from further damage and reduce your finding or smelling the stuff again. It's starting on awesome, so we expect a lot from ya'll!

A Lake house has to be all about the view. Floor to ceiling windows/sliding doors all along the front leading out to a beautiful deck to relax on and listen to the birds and crickets etc. in the evenings in Mt opinion. 😊 I know you gals will do amazing.

If you are going to save the cabin, while you have it torn open, consider mold abatement first, followed by painting with a mold suppressant paint to prevent re-occurrence.

I agree with numerous comments of mold prevention and jacking up the house 8 or 16 inches ( one or two layers of concrete blocks) this will better protection from flooding and a nicer view of the lake. Good luck ladies and you can do this

You know the windows leak, and you say it's dark in there, perfect opportunity to replace with humungus windows and let the light in! Roofing is a first must, to protect the bones of this build from further damage. I agree on tacking down tarping to protect ASAP! I'm so happy to see you two using all your new skills, and it's going to be much quicker work second time around! ❤❤❤❤ love yas!

Now I can go to bed. Great way to end my weekend in Western Australia with Jaz, Crystal, Izzy and Bella.

Have you ladies thought about raising the cabin up on piles? I know that they do it a lot here in the flood zones of the Southern parts of the US, on top of a raised cement slab foundation. It then provides a nice extra shady entertaining space underneath (that could be screened off a bit for the black fly season 😉) and great for things like an outdoor shower, wood etc.. as well as protect the home from flooding. Not sure if it's doable? But it just may bring you ladies some peace of mind. 😊

Brings back memories of restoring an 1890’s Victorian house. Completely gutted the entire interior of the house. It’s a mess but once you have everything removed, fixing up the cabin should be a lot more enjoyable. Good use of PPE.

If anyone can remodel that cabin it's you two ladies !!! Your knowledge and experience with tools are Amazing !!! Slow and steady win the race ! Have a wonderful week and stay safe !!!! 🇺🇲 / 🇨🇦

I'll give you an idea on how to make the best of the view over the lake. You have a fairly large wood decking in that direction, and that's where the main entrance is. I think that entrance is a bad idea when it is not summer. Wet shoes and clothes must be dealt with. Instead, open up a new main entrance at the other end of the house and make the lakefront room an extended living and dining room. My suggestion is that you add a glassed room outside of the existing house, where you have the porch now. That should also include 2-3 metres of the open decking outside to get a room of 25 sqm, or so. Tear up the decking, insulate the floor and put in a normal wooden floor when the new room is weather-proofed. Make the walls, windows and roof as R-heavy as you feel you can afford. The roof would be double-glass or multi-layer plastic on the new part of the new room, outside the porch roof. And make a giant hole in the existing outer wall against the lake, to accommodate a big, sliding glass door, almost the width of the house. That way, you get a room that makes you feel almost like being outside. Full view of the lake, and the sky above. And a fantastic place to have a dining table. You will of course keep the rest of the open wooden decking, for those perfect days when the sun and wind are just right. We've had it like this for almost 25 years in our own home, in Scandinavia, which is probably in a climate similar to yours (but not quite as scenic outside the windows). I have rebuilt the walls and roof twice to accommodate better R-value windows and roof materials, and the better the insulation, the better the room has become. This room has some heating of its own, i.e. radiators and a wood stove, and works well down to, like, minus seven or eight degrees. Below that, you need additional heating. Had we had an even better quality glass roof, the room would probably work well year-round. And a last word: Don't give up if one wall is badly rotted. You can support the house with a temporary wall while a new wall is built. Make the new wall different, with bigger windows, and it will be worth it. That lake view is fantastic!

All of the knotty softwood is salvageable if you are willing to put in the time pulling nails. Given the cost of sound 3/4 S4S these days, it might be worthwhile. Even if it has mold on one side - hit the mold with old school household bleach (sodium hypochlorite) diluted one to one with water and set the mold facing the sun. Please throw a piece of plywood over the hole in the floor. One of you gals will accidentally step in - and it won't be pretty. I'd hate to see that happen. Your talk starting at 5:45 was music to my ears. You are spot on Crystal! 7:00 "I love our priorities" put words to what I was feeling. SO smart to build your dock first. I never would have done that and I would be miserable by now. But because your priorities are right - you have the MARVELOUS place to sit and relax in the sun OMG - you are a brilliant couple

Possible safely tip. Nail as piece of board or plywood over the hole in the floor and mark on it "hole!". 😊

Wow, getting the house down to the bare bones and finding out what the previous owners left behind in walls and floors, in other words finding the legacy/history of the cabin. Glad the PPE was used❣️ Be safe and can't wait for the next project/progress of cabin video 🔨⛏️🥾

Ladies you are an incredible inspiration! I'm almost 60 years old and your go get em attitude makes me do more than I thought I could now our tiny house has a full rap around porch with a laundry and storage house.

Ok, you hooked me with the suspense. I’m still watching, but when you first showed us the cabin, I wondered if it was could be saved. Let’s find out…….

My husband and I recently renovated a building with similar but even worse water damage. We replaced and sistered problematic joists, cut out and replaced the subfloor, removed the roof and sheathing on the entire building and replaced it all. Turned out great and is solid as a rock. Basically, the framing is all that stayed. It is totally possible. I suggest keeping the original floorplan with the addition of larger windows and doors to bring the outside in. If privacy is not an issue, an open railing in the loft with views to the front would be a nice addition. I also love the staircase. It gives great cabin vibes. Have fun! ❤

Whow, what a nice surprise for the two of you. I'm not a professional builder, but from what I could see in your video. You just need to spray the moidly spots with a strong bleach solution. a mold killer to spray all the exposed wood. Let it dry for about a week. Get the roof and windows water tight. Then check the rot on the joists. If they are solid, and the chip board has not lost its integrity. You'll have minimum repair to do. That's from what I can see. But until you stop the water from coming inside. You are fighting a losing battle.

I know there are definite big problem areas anf we havent seen the finished demo BUT it looks like more of the house is salvageable than not. Fixing the bad parts (if they can be) sounds cheaper and easier than starting over. If anyone can do this, it's you two! ❤️🐾🐾❤️

when it comes to designated substances, it has been said that 'if its mold, you're gold'. Mold is the easiest of all DS to kill and clean. This is going to be a fun restoration. Don't work so hard you hate the process. looking forward to the future videos...great work so far!

Just a couple pieces of plywood....😅😅famous last words! Lol. Bless you for being so optimistic in the face of such a challenge!

Not me thinking what the heck are you doing? I’ve been building on my own homestead in California as a solo woman for years and I have your vision too! I’m so glad your saving the cabin and refurbishing all that you can. No doubt it’s going to be something special when completed!❤️

It's better than I thought it would be so far. I have faith that no matter what you two will figure it out & fix it properly. I have a friend that fixed up an old house they jacked it up and added to foundation to prevent flooding. It looked like car jacks on steroids to me. I would make sure there is enough room under so air can flow to keep future problems away. Hopefully the roof isn't a complete waste. I have faith in you both. It will be beautiful when you get finished. Canada is absolutely gorgeous. Good luck & positive vibes for the roof. Love to you both ❤

I can't get over how fantastic that dock turned out. Great idea!

Y’all can do it, I have faith. We CANNOT wait!

Yes, tear it down, save all the good lumber, fixtures etc. Check with local authorities about the flood plane for that area, then build it on stilts. Imagine your front porch 8' off the ground gazing across that beautiful lake. Still lovin'it from Texas 💖💖 pretty ladies. Keep in mind the floor under your walls is probably molded or rotted 🤔🤔🤔

ITS GOING TO BE BEAUTIFUL WHEN YOUR FINISHED!

I got tired just watching you guys do all that work. I got that the drywall was wet from the roof leaking but I was surprised that you tore out all that very expensive wood that made it look like a cabin. It's surprising that whoever built it did two by six walls but installed lousy windows. Same for the roof. One question I have is what about all the moldy joists under the cabin? Replacing those will be a challenge and expensive. Can't wait to see the next phase. Love you guys! 🥰

I wanted to applaud your sense of priorities too. You always take time to determine the WHY of it all and renforce it (like here making the deck on the lake) so you know why you are putting hard work and make better decisions. Well done!!

Bringing me back to the old time where I was doing this all the time. I don't know how many houses we did this with magazines from the end of 1800 in the walls as insulation. Nothing is so bad that can not be braught back. You do have a great structure and what I saw a very good base. So much potential and the place is a dream beside the creek and the lake. First and foremost is gutting the house and then fixing the roof and the current water problem. Then... by this time you know... You have already passed thru this and did a excellent job. The now old place is what many dream of having. Keep up the great work. Another thing, don't try to see the place finished. One step at a time. Take care. Loves from our pack to yours. 🥰🥰🥰

Do the roof and windows first. Hire it out. Then take out rotting wood walls boards. Insulate, drywall hire out. Remodel enjoy.

I said from the beginning that the cabin could be saved and I'm so glad you're doing it! In parts of the US that are subject to flooding (during hurricanes), the older homes are often raised and put on pilings. That might be an option if you can get the equipment onto the site, but it could be expensive. Otherwise, you might look into "rainscaping", which you could easily do yourself. My own house floods in front of the front door with every rain and I plan to combine French drains with a dry river that will fill and empty as needed.

Absolutely love that you’re willing to take on the renovation of this lakeside cabin. After what you accomplished with the first cabin I’m excited to see what you come up with.

SUGGESTION..big windows looking out to the lake and dont leave stairs in middle of house. Move them to the side will or back wall. Opens up cabin but can also use for storage or coat hanging under stairs.

Soooooo proud of u guys, been watching since the van days, boy have u guys come a long way and accomplished a lot,,,,,,I can only vision how this cabin is gunna look, it’s going to b awesome,,,,,,,,,can wait to watch each week,,,,,,,,,

You Girls Got this, i've watched you two Rebuild your current home and did a Wonderful Job, i'm excited to see what you can do with this place.. NO Worries.. y'all are better carpenters then most building contractors have employed .

Certainly isn't anybody who can say with a straight face that you two are not up for a challenge. I hope you are able to save this because I kinda wanna watch you two rebuild it. Go for it

Large windows on the walls with the views. An old saying comes to mind……”it’s like shoveling sh!t against the tide” Location view wise is very nice.

GREAT to see you renovating the cabin. When you are fixing the roof don’t forget downspouts and gutters to move the water away from the foundation. Thx for bringing us along! 😊😊😊 John Ken

14:43 Crystal so got you back Jazzy 😂

I literally never built anything in my life I just watch these videos to remind myself I can do anything I put my mind to

no wayyyyy... I loved it when one of my favorite youtubers had merch from one of my favorite youtubers!

I'll definitely be watching this tomorrow as it's getting pretty late over here in Melbourne, Australia. Have a great day girls. Xx

You are a super mom the way you talk about Sundays I enjoy all the times I have seen you on the Sundays commercial's you rock it you pups look great love your videos this is from a 79 yearold that can have pets I miss them so much Thanks for great videos

Yes ladies! The pack is back and ready to attack a new project! This one is serious and has so much potential being on that gorgeous lakefront!

You ladies are doing a terrific job! Clean out all the moldy stuff, rebuild the sub-floor and you’ll have a clean palette to build another dream cabin! YOU CAN DO IT!

Wow! I'm so impressed with how you just dive into these major projects.

Oh it's fantastic and so are you two. You've got this :) With your knowledge now, I have no doubt that this lovely old cabin's spirit will be restored. Have fun!

TIP. When dealing with mold, pre spray with a mold spray. Not bleach an water. Have fun when You are down to the bones. They have a mold spray. Let the cabin breath as much as possible

You guys have taken on another complete renovation. That is not a surprise in itself. I am very confident that you can do this, you now have lots of training and knowledge. Can't wait to follow along and watch you renovate your new cabin.

Demolation the fun part of the project and you get to see the surprises behind the wall

To me it looks like the bones can be salvaged with a lot more hard work. Be careful and can't wait till next week.

I would start with a good roof tarp to prevent more water coming in. Then see if you can do mold remediation in the basement/crawl space. If you can get the beams and subfloor in decent condition, proceed. If not, you are just wasting your time and money with anything built on top of that. Then you should tear it down to the studs inside and kill the mold. Replace any rotted studs and floors. Paint everything with mold-resistant paint. Then reroof. That probably entails tearing down to the rafters, replacing plywood, and putting a new membrane on with some kind of roof surface. Metal seems to go pretty fast, but shingles look better. Don't last as long as metal though. Rewire, replumb, and insulate. Then work on the interior.

Be careful not to take out structural walls. Y'all are killing it. Can't wait to see what you do with the place

No screaming today??? Love it! Great video, and the cabin is looking amazing! Great job, ladies ❤❤❤❤

Wow, another huge project! It's a lot of work BUT ... having gone through what you did with the main cabin and all your knowledge and experiences, YOU GOT THIS!! 😉👍

It looks like you have a bit of a job ahead of you. On the bright side, you have an amazing view from that site, a foundation that appears pretty solid, relatively sound 2x6 framing, and a really cool dock. Once you get all the rotten wood removed/replaced, mold mitigated, roof issues resolved , and dried in, you will have an amazing blank slate to work with. You two have shown some serious skills when you need to. I'm really looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

Moving the stair to the rear makes a lot of sense, allowing you to open the lower floor

With the second story, if the structure can be saved, I would go with (Swifty quote "are you ready for it?"), BIGGER windows. Having a beautiful view but windows mainly on 1 or 2 sides, does not light up the interior. If you went with A-Frame style windows on the front above the porch roof and a larger window in the back, you'll have lots of glorious sunshine. Also, if you have back access to the second floor and maybe less second floor square footage, you can have a Great Room feel to the front of the first floor. Jassy, more eye protection. Girls, you are such an inspiration.

VWs, mega kudos for saving that structure! You two have amazing energy, ambition and patience! All the best and Cheers!

You two age glowing! What a great project! Can't wait to see how it evolves. A total of EIGHT "everyone" shots. Keep it coming!

I was so surprised to see you eating white bread! Doing a stellar job girls.💞

Gday from Australia.

Wow, you ladies pounded that out! Great job as always. Keep up the great job!

Cover the roof before more rain comes in. Also be careful of the black mold. Get it all out! I love the 2 by 6 walls.

Total respect from a person who has been there done that. Nasty work.

I was so happy for you guys completing your home and now I'm selfishly not alone excited to watch this fresh project! You two are badass and I love catching y'all on sundays!! 💪🏻🐾😃

Gday from Australia

Wow, you guys demolish like full-time professionals! I am SOOOO impressed!!!

Great work Lovely Ladies. I'm no expert but a few suggestions: 1. Tarp the roof to stop any more water getting in. 2. If the main structural framing is damp & structurally sound but not rotten a few weeks of he-humidifiers would sort it. 3. If some structural framing is rotten you could replace just the bad bits. 4. If it does flood from the river, flood defences could be an option. 5. If it does flood from the river. and is suitable to be lifted in one piece, raising it up onto concrete pillars could be an option, although this could require a suitably designed steel cradle fitted underneath to make sure it stays in one piece. 6. Once you've fully stripped it out, employ a structural engineer to advise whether it's worth renovating or knocking down and starting from scratch. Good luck! Much ❤ to you both and te girls.

I know any one of us that has been watching your transformation to who you are today, has 0 doubts of your ability to bring your dreams to life. I was one of the first to say you should build a new cabin, WRONG! I should have known better, your resolve is unparalleled. 25 years ago, I bought a 30'x80' chicken barn that had been neglected for the 20 years before. My plan was to have a garage for my hobbies. The original part of the barn had been built in 1939 with lumber from the infamous hurricane of 1938 here in New England. The second section in 1951. All of it with undersized material. The ridge line looked like a camel's back. Over one summer I built 240' of box beams, 10' at a time without taking the roof off to bring it back to much stronger than it ever was. All on my own before there were lasers and power nailers available to me. You amazing young ladies have learned in just a few years more than I learned in many, many years. Soon, you will have a beautiful, lake get-a-way for entertaining your friends and the Pups. Congratulations to both of you. You got this!!

Good morning, y'all, from beautiful Kentucky to beautiful Nova Scotia! Grateful for you 4 in our lives! Off to watch now. 🌞🐶

Holy Cripes! That was a mess to deal with. So glad it wasn't me. You guys are just amazing to watch as you bite into a new project. Totally fearless.

Don't you JUST LOVE surprises? I am not worried about it because both of you are very smart and have overcome problems many times in the past. Keep up the good work. Love you both.

If you decide you want to save the cabin please please please call in a mold abatement specialist to take a look. Having lived in humid wet swampy areas, it's really hard to fully get rid of mold.

We have been feeding our dogs RAW for years and it's a massive difference from Kibble for their health and also poos are so small and no doggy gas on better food. Sundays looks like a wonderful product from an ingredients pov (I have Pet Nutrition certs) and I would not hesitate to try Sundays for maybe when we need a food to take on a vacation instead of lugging all of our RAW. Also, one thing of note about Sundays you did not mention is they really do give back as they sponsor several shelter pets with free food for a year (even to the adopters!) so the dogs in their program can recover to a healthy future. Love the company "Sundays" even though we are not in need of their products with our full RAW diet but highly recommend them based on nutritional info and integrity. Also, awesome seeing you PPE up! We love that you are being safer and kinder to your wonderful selves. oh and maybe look into crawl space/basement encapsulation for your house. It made an enormous difference to ours and we are 3 acres lowland in Essex County Ont (humid af) with field runoff surrounding us so the moisture issues are real sometimes. Be well, girls!

Jasmine I understand the claustrophobic feeling of wearing a respirator but you have a substantial amount of mold in the cabin, not working directly with those areas doesn’t prevent exposure. Mold releases airborne particles which can be dispersed with movement through the area and as Crystal removes those materials, particles are dispersed throughout the air that you subsequently breathe even standing away from the surfaces. Please at a minimum wear an N95 quality mask when in the cabin until you’ve treated the mold areas.

Typo - “we’re” in title. Should be “were”. Signed, the grammar police. 😊

I'm new here, and pretty impressed already! I would personally avoid putting the sink / water pipes on outside walls. You don't want them freezing up.

At 21:43 I got a lil teary eyed watching Crystals face fall.. ooo I just seen the look of disappointment. You got this ladies and you did such a good job. It’s all going to worth it in the end.

Move the stairs to the back wall with the bathroom in front so you can use the under stair space as storage in the bathroom/laundry (like a lot of tiny houses). Then you have an open space unobstructed view at the front

Looking forward to seeing what you create, not only with the house, but building up the lakefront land a little further from house. What a view! Good work! What a great work ethic and creative vision you both have. Not to mention a lifetime skill set and knowledge you are also building.

Ouuu for suggestions! Nothing nicer than a lake front view while washing dishes or laying in a couch on a rainy day! Also, stairs definitely in the back somewhere to help open up the space! Curious what the upstairs looks like 👀

I don't know what's needed to lift the whole cabin, but if you can raise it up and make the crawlspace um, water tolerant, and just use it for storing things like lake toys, it will improve the view and protect the cabin from floods you can't control. And it would make some really cool video to share with us!

You two are amazing. I thought for sure the cabin was not worth saving but, ow I’m not sure. If anyone can do it, you can. I thought Crystal was about to cry at the end.

Love y’all’s work ethic, and how awesome it is to watch people build/demo things when it’s not their expertise (even though you’re seasoned vets now). Have you thought about putting a tarp over the roof so that if does rain while your working on it you are protecting the stuff and letting everything dry out? Cheers fabulous ladies!

I'm so glad I missed a couple of weeks, because now I can catch up on my fav series! Love you gals! So stoked this is happening!!!

Tarp the roof. Keep going. Mitigate the mold by sealing where needed or replacing the framing or joist with issues. Look really worth saving. Put the same metal roofing on eventually. You’re doing good!

it is a huge relief to know the cabin is worth saving! If anybody can pull this off, you can. I think the potential is still there!

keep it! rebuild will give you what you want, no need to demolish.. You can do it!

Despite doing groundwork to put in drainage away from the cabin, I would consider having the cabin raised a little while in the early Reno stage, as added protection

As an old fool with breathing trouble, I love to see that PPE.

With all the skills you have learned you two can kick that cabin's ass. A little grading, drainage and a wee bit of construction will have you two sitting on a new deck with the lake view! Love all your stuff.

I would never be able to help you with those walls, I am so allergic to mold... You two are doing amazingly well. Good video ladies.

I would open up the wall with big windows torwards the stream and put the kitchen with a kitchen island there. lakefront for sure with some couches as a livingroom space. in the back a bigger bathroom with a big tinted window and a bathtub to look out into the woods/ over the stream so i'd put it in the old bedroom and just demolish the old bathroom or use that space as a pantry or storage. Love the new reno

My Suggestion: Place ur bedroom in the attic. Add an balcony to the 2nd story over looking the lake in the from of the house (add a spiral staircase to save space in the house) this adds a more "spacious feel to your cabin" when you have limited space Place all the plumbing near or next to each other for ease of installation and maintenance. Place a backdoor or sidedoor for more ease of entry and again more of a "lush feel" ag. tips. place a potted mint plant on the outside, (if mint can survive where u live) it deters most wildlife.

Hard working ladies, can't wait to see what you do when you get past the roof and window repairs! 🥰🥰😎😎

When thinking about layout , I like to think about how I use space. I like the kitchen to be near the entrance for unloading groceries. The bathroom needs to be easy access for when you just get home and when you wake up. Of course you want most of the windows to be on the lake side. Is it East? Less windows in the North.