When you said, “we waited and waited” to have kids, I knew EXACTLY how that felt. Wife and I just had our first baby girl after 7 years of waiting. God bless you and your family my friend.

It's so nice that your girls pitch in with the chores . So many kid have their eyes glued to a smart phone or computer screen .

Most people that comment on what you should do, don’t have any good sense. You are very handy, smart, logical, etc. That is proven with your channel content. Please don’t waste your time or ours with viewers’ silly comments. We watch this channel for your content, and love it! If there are comments worth speaking to, then do. Otherwise, smile and shake your head and let it be like water off a duck’s back. God bless you and yours!!!

I thoroughly enjoy this channel. It feels like home. Comfortable, informative, wholesome, and entertaining.

I am going to nominate you for entertainer of the year. If you can cut firewood, dig holes, and spread gravel all the while offering up really sound advice and hold my rapt attention you MUST be the entertainer of the year. Stumbled onto your channel yesterday and have binge watched you during a snowstorm. You and your family have restored my hope for humanity. Keep up the good work.

Thanks for the tip for using the pipe to put in the driveway markers!

Impressive. Great tour video. MOST impressive is how your family works together.❤

Hopefully a new generation will learn from your experience and they will benefit from the wisdom.

Another great video. Your practicality, smarts and family values is what makes the videos enjoyable but it’s your humility that keeps me coming back. May God continue to bless you and your family.

My wife and I are regular viewers and wish to thank you for your honest assessment of things and inviting us to share in your family. So, we trust you to sort through people's silliness and woulda, shoulda, and coulda junk.

When you think of how most people just go in the house to stay warm and that's pretty much it. All the work you have to do must seem like a nightmare to them (us). But it's so satisfying watching this. Knowing what you can and have to do and going about getting it done. All the planning and preparation coming to fruition. It's just great. There's four people and a bunch of cats that I'm not worried about freezing.

Always awesome to see you and your family working as a team 😮😊❤

My wife and I enjoy your channel very much. We are both 80 years old, live in Brown County, Indiana, on 80 wooded acres and have heated primarily with wood for the past 55 years. It was interesting to hear your speculation about whether or not you will continue with wood heat into the future. I enjoy the process of harvesting firewood and we both enjoy having a stove in the living room and fiddling with it to keep the temperature in a desirable range. This was easier to do once we both retired and can tend the stoves all day. We have a propane forced air furnace as a backup and use that on those days in the spring and fall when temperatures swing up into the 50's but require a little heat at night. Most of our wood is harvested from fallen storm damaged trees, so we never have to cut down a live tree. I stay 3 years ahead on harvesting so the wood is always well seasoned. This is also a little bit of insurance for when the day comes that I can no longer keep up with it, but I don't "plan" to ever give up harvesting firewood. When that day comes, we will probably purchase firewood even if it doesn't save us any money. (using John Deere Gator, Stihl chainsaws, and a "box store" hydraulic splitter)

Neil, I feel like I’m watching an episode of my upbringing and totally get where you’re coming from. In 1998 my wife and I were engaged, we were only 22, high school sweethearts and started building our house in the woods that my grandfather had on our own with lots of help from family, I know the pinch you talk about, burn wood in an outside boiler, farm, do excavation, and 6 kids later wouldn’t change it for the world! Hard work makes who you are, I feel the cold here to in north central ohio, anyways love watching your channel grow, keep the firewood coming!

Bells on the door and a dog that knows how use them ! That was a great idea.

Wtf… negative 20° is crazy. I'm from Brazil; when it starts to get cold, it's about 20°c or 68°F. Big love from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil!

Neil I never miss your videos, My wife of 51 years and I watch every sunday morning My take on things I would change is very small as I am happy with where we are in our lives and I wonder if any change in the past would have altered where we are now and I wouldn,t change this for the world Keep up the good work and enjoy each step along the way and we will keep watching!!

Planting the windbreak/trees are never too late. I finally planted some trees in my yard a couple years ago & really regret not doing it sooner. I’m in southeastern Indiana, primarily heat with electric heat pump, but have a wood stove in the basement for the colder periods. Love not NEEDING to heat with wood (I did that in the past), but do enjoy being able to keep the furnace from running when the temp is 10* outside.

My wife and I have been "remodeling " our house for 15 years😂😂. I do the man i wish i would've done this or that all the time. Nice video!👍👍

Our home was built in 1951. We drilled the holes between the studs at the top of the exterior walls ouourselves and had the insulation blown in. We installed new windows ourselves and switched from gas heat to a new central heat and air unit. Huge difference and saving thousands every year. You have time to get everything sorted before you retire. A little each year. Love the constant DIY progress!

Neil you hit the nail on the head, "when heating with wood and leaving a door or window open it doesn't hurt you very much". Compared to a heat source you have to buy. Heating with wood is by far the best feeling to experience.

Love the vidéos Neil and Wife and your Girls .

We have all been there and had to start somewhere. Love what you did. That was a lot to take on as a new couple starting out.

I don’t think you should have done anything differently! The decision you shared and the priceless memories that those decisions have provided are to me much more important than a few more conveniences. Shared goals and hard work develop a bond you can’t get in any other way. Y’all have done great and are richer in way most people would envy. Keep following your mutual goals.

beautiful family, home, shop.....thanks for sharing♥

Hot chocolate with the family on a cold day is always fun. Great video.

I agree about cutting firewood being a fun-ish family event! For some reason we always did it in the worst weather. That's also how I learned to drive; in a Ford highboy with one brake. It had narrow snow tires, chained up on all 4 corners, and there was a 3/4 thick 4x8 steel plate on the floor of the box. If the ground was frozen you could literally go anywhere.

So, you did it right from the beginning. You found a great partner and created a beautiful family. On that foundation, you can build and rebuild anything.

I really appreciate how timely your content is. Over the last several days, as the weather has turned horrible across the entire continent, I've actually wondered about how you and your family are doing on the farmstead. Woke up this morning to view your feed and lo and behold. You delivered exactly what I was curious about, right on time. Great job! I'd say stay warm out there, but it looks like you got that handled!! haha.

You did the best with what you had available. Looks like it worked out pretty well.

I enjoy it when you include your family in the videos. stay warm....

I love that your daughters help you with chores.

3 words everybody uses sir, woulda, coulda, shoulda. If we knew everything, world would be a dull place due to us all being the same. Family, health then everything else makes us better people. Thank you for bringing us not your life, truly enjoy it. Retired old fart from Michigan that regrets not doing things right but am happy. ❤

Those Wood Stove top Sterling engine fans that run using the heat of the stove really help circulate the air inside the house

Best part of your channel is your relationship with your family!

You can do anything with a big enough budget. You guys are smart. You don’t need any advice. Keep on truckin! Peace!

Great video Neil. Brings back memories of using a coal furnace to heat the old farm house. The good old days.

You do the best you can with the resources available. I would say you are doing better than most, and you are a good example of how to get things done. 👍👍

Love this. Thanks for sharing

You have a wonderful location and a wonderful family life Neil. Thanks for sharing.

I live in Oceanside CA. My windows are so old they are single pane from 1974, and they rattle when Camp Pendleton does training excercises. I get such a laugh when friends come over and they say "You should replace your windows"! I always reply with "Wow, never thought of that! What a great idea! If you want to help me pay for it, I will do it"! Amazing how fast they shut up when I say that! You guys are doing great! Keep up the awesome work!

Hello Neil, great video as always. Today the unvarnished truth and that it's not always just fun and funny. I have a wood stove in my house, but I don't really use it for heating, it's because it's cozy. I also get the wood for free and cut and chop it myself. This way the wood warms up several times ;) greetings from Germany

Great video! Thanks for sharing!

You made the right choices at the moment. No looking back. Keep up the hard work. You’re a good man. Good family. Blessed.

Another awesome video as always! Love your content.

Neil, im from the Uk. A small village. Your videos and your calm outlook on things are an absolute inspiration to me. Thank you so much sir.

Yet another great video. Thank you.

Great video! Keep burning 🔥

Nice video. Thanks

Loved this video... I think this one was more for us ladies! 😅 Have a great 2024 and keep warm up in the northern hemisphere! 💪💛🇿🇦

Loved this video. Shows daily life in the cold of winter we never experience here in Australia.

I think your house is awesome! Multiple ways to heat is fine i would actually prefer it. If something goes out ul still be warm! You have a beautiful piece of property. Very well taken care of and appreciate the kind of tour of it lol.

Great video Neil !

Love your videos. In Thunder Bay, Ontario we headed our house the same way. Love the memories.

Nicely done, Neil!

Heating the house and shop with firewood and using the old Rubbermaid cart… brings back the memories. I did the same for over 19 years and saved a lot of money in the process and enjoyed great heat during the cold winters. Lol, still have the Rubbermaid cart. Great video!

Fantastic vid Neil! Thanks for taking the time to upload!

You have the equipment to process large amounts of wood, I'ld say you made the right choice everyday. Nothing beats wood heat, especially after being outside in the cold all day once you hit that warmth from a wood stove it almost puts you to sleep. As someone who has a Woodstove I am jealous of your wood furnace setup. Plus the amount of propane it would cost to heat the house, garage, shop and everything would be a second mortgage. Plus can run out of propane in the middle of a holiday weekend or loose power. Woodstove needs to power. Rule of thumb warm basement warm house . The blown in insulation from outside helps but over time it settles and has voids, if you could get into your attic and add insulation that would help a lot. Heat rises. I think the brick house did alot to break the wind as much as bushes . Vinyl siding is easy to remove and save , add a layer of foam board insulation and put the siding back on. You have a beautiful home and property. And an even more beautiful family.

When I found out I was going to be a father I changed gears. I became a cdl dad. I did what I needed to be financially responsible. Seeing your vids I know you’re someone whom I could look up to. I want that work life. It builds character. I applaud you.

We have had a really mild winter in the NE. It went from 30 to 20 and I was reminded how small differences at the extremes make a big difference. I had to find my proper winter coat today.

Excellent video!

👍 Thanks for sharing.

Good job Neil. Love your videos.

I would have done what you did… lived and learned and did the best I could manage at the time with the knowledge I had at that time. It’s easy for others to knit pick but there is nothing wrong with the approach you took. My wife and I made some mistakes as well along the way but the mistakes are part of the journey. Wish you all the best, we are also getting ready for the deep freeze up here in Michigan!

Really nice video…… well, they’ve all been great this year. Grew up on a farm in the UK, and now live in southern France on the edge of a mountain, but winter and cutting wood, and keeping warm, is the same everywhere…..and developing the houses in a parallel timeframe, with technological progress and financial progress being what it is, you’ll get no criticisms from us, just empathy. And hey, seasons are great for making memories aren’t they. P.S. our well has been empty for 2 years, apparently it’s always had water for the previous 60 years, but now can only fill it from the bore hole. For me that’s an indicator that things are changing, so we’re gonna need to adapt.

Great video, open, honest, informational!

I liked one of your final comments “it’s a lot of work but it builds character “. So true.

Thanks Neil Very much enjoyed the tour

Beautiful home! Stay warm.

Thoroughly enjoying your video thank you very much

As an Englishman I love watching your videos. Your home and life style looks very idyllic. I live near farms in England and they have the same approach to heating as you and some of them are a few hundred years old. As for ideas for making improvements to your home efficiency I’d put an extra woolly jumper on!

One of my biggest regrets is that i had a house built that allows my 14 year old son stroll round in shorts indoors in January swiping from gadget to gadget. Will only show enthusiasm when lightning a firepit with his friends in September. We need to teach our kids to respect and contribute to household maintenance from the earliest age. Well done sir👍

Loved it, thanks for informing us. Stay warm!

Excellent video as always. You put out amazing stuff, keep it up!

Great video... Thanks for the tour. Happy New Year to you and your family.

Hindsight is always 20/20. Thanks for sharing, especially love the history of the house! I grew up with wood heat and also had fond memories of getting firewood with my dad and grandpa.

Great Video! Part of the joy of watching your videos is seeing you, your family, and life. My family is just over in Iowa. I grew up “doing chores” in the cold darkness of winter. It is amazing how warm an unheated barn can feel just because you are out of the wind. Keep up the great journey and thank you for sharing.

I loved this video! Thank you Neil! Reminds me of so much of what we do in Alaska to get ready for winter.

As always thanks for the heart that you put into these. God bless you and your whole family

Man I bought my house when I was 23 and broke. The house is not as old as yours but still the building process in 82 leaves me with all the same problems when it comes to heating. I really think it’s more cost effective to just burn extra wood on the couple below freezing weeks a year then it is to rip apart the house to re-insulate. I did recently replace windows, and that was enough to make a big difference. Could’ve should’ve would’ve is the story of my life😂 No regrets only memories.

That’s nice that you have help with the firewood.

Hey Neal, love your videos. Thank you for sharing. I love your house and how you and your family have done so much work to make it what is. Can't wait to see what you have in store for future videos.

You guys are inspiring! Thank you for sharing these portions of your daily lives. I really appreciate you showing us the phases of your home rehab/reconstruction. I love it!! My parents did something very similar to a pre-Civil War house when I was around 8 years old and I cherish those memories forever.

Great video, such a sweet family! Enjoy every minute of it!

Enjoyed another great video! Keeping after all the wood 🪵 keeps you young!!

Thanks for showing the corn cob insulation. I always love seeing simply solutions from different parts of the country to combat the cold. Loved this look inside how you stay warm.

Thank you Neil for taking us through the history of your house. Whenever I drive on country roads, I see these amazing farms and think to myself, what is their story? Every farm has a history and story to go along with it.

Love that burner Neil!

Nice video, keep up the good work

love your videos, hope you and your family stay nice and warm

Man, my hat really goes out to you and your family doing what you do. I admire y’all. I remember those cold winters when I lived in Oklahoma. Being in Southern California, for the past 35 years has thinned my blood. Stay well.

Always heartwarming to check in with you all.

Great remodel! Real nice house and a wonderful home!

Love the videos Neil, this summer I replaced the rock landscaping in my mother’s flowerbeds because she found planting in the rock beds laborious. She went back to mulch, something to think about. Love the work ethic and the mindset that you and your wife share!

Great family! Great video! Great job! I look forward to your next post

We do a lot of things when we are young that we would change when we are older. I have found that most of the time, it was due to being ignorant or broke at the time. That's what life is all about, learning lessons along the way and making improvements as we learn. That's called wisdom. I also feel that it's our duty to pass along to our children what we've learned in order to maybe make their lives a little easier (if they will listen). Thanks for sharing brother.

My parents supplemented heat with a wood stove in the basement (also had oil heat)... One of my fondest memories as a child is sitting on top of the big vent at the bottom of the stairs on the ground floor... I'd wrap up in a big fluffy towel after getting out of the tub and just sit there... 😊😊😊

Watched coulda woulda this a.m. from my warm condo in NS and all I could think is how much you’re living life. And your children are getting a real sense of what it takes to stay warm… What a great experience, as a kid I’d go to my grandfathers and in the winter mornings I’d stand behind the wood stove while the house heated up. I wouldn’t change I thing that would take away those memories… few families plan as you’ve all planned. I’m envious of the experiences you’re delivering to the family. One caveat though, you mentioned as you get older it gets harder that unfortunately makes sense and I’m sure you have a plan for that… keep doing what you’re doing the life lesson built into all your family projects are invaluable 👏👏👏👏👏

You should buy yourself a low cost Flir thermal camera attachment for your phone and do a thermal audit of your house. That would make a good video and give you some good insights where all your heat is going.

Such a wholesome family, enjoy your video's.