As an architecture snob, this brings a tear of joy to my eye. Would that every old house was treasured this much.

"My great great granparents built this house" - it is SOOOO awesome that you live there!

A quality guy who does things the right way. This generation couldn't start a lawn mower.

There’s no greater satisfaction than that of a labor of love!❤️

You were the right ancestor to inherit the house! What a labour of love that will hopefully be handed to the next generation at some point.

I absolutely love it when people do this. Cherishing the labor of previous generations and reinvigorating structures is just an incredibly wonderful thing to do. Thank you so much for sharing the story of your work with us- it is inspiring and impressive that you accomplished all of this.

Self-taught labor of love for family legacy preservation. Awesome!

I absolutely love that you kept part of your history! It’s generally a sad sight to see old homes deteriorated and left to rot.

I'm glad you're sharing this. You and your wife are everything that represents America and I know you all are proud to have ressurected your families home and history. Looking forward to the rest of the story as Paul Harvey used to say!

Pete, you're going to get a standing ovation from your ancestors when your time comes! Bravo!

I love seeing old structures restored to be useful again instead of torn down. Building your character and the houses.

Your Grandparents are looking down and they are so proud of you, Great job!

Pete I remember watching you slowly week by week chipping away at that monumental task. The neighborhood was very proud of you for saving the the house and the finished job you two did.

As an owner of a 175 year old farm house in Freeville, NY, I understand what you have had to go through to renovate your house. I applaud all you've done to this beautiful old house.

Kudos to you all for having the courage and determination to save such a valuable part of your family history. I too saved my great great grandparents house, (built circa 1853) but since our family no longer owned the land ( it had been sold out of the family abt 75 yrs) I had to purchase it, number and dismantle it and store it. How I look forward to the day I can reassemble it. Thanks for the inspiration !!

Here I am, 2 years late, thinking this is the best episode I’ve seen despite seeing dozens and dozens of great episodes…

I"m speechless! " A labour of love " does not come close to describing your courage, faith, effort and final accomplishment here. Well done Pete!

Think I was watching "This Old House" Bob Vila would be proud.

This is wonderful! My husband and I are renovating my parents 1880's farmhouse all by ourselves. We are also working one side at a time on the exterior and so far have built a new front porch, replaced the front door and 14 windows, and at my mother's suggestion before she passed away, we've switched the kitchen to the living room and vise versa. We've MUCH more to do, but it is truly a labor of love. Can't wait to watch your next video!

The fact that you did it, you and your wife that says something cares what other people think the only thing that matters is you and your wife took around his job and he created something wonderful

WOW, you did an EXCELLENT JOB!!!! Your Great-Great Grandfather would be PROUD!!!!

My wife and I recently acquired her family home! We purchased it at a sheriffs sale. Previous owners trashed the place and abandoned it after they let the whole south basement wall cave-in. We are in the process of shoring up the remaining walls and prepping the house for a new basement! We felt that this was a place of memory and family history we could not let die! We understand!

You did a great job. Family members meant a lot to you. BLESS YOUR HEART.

It’s amazing this house didn’t collapse . The foundation sounded like a nightmare!

Such a beautiful family history story. Blessed!

Wow! Your story is truly inspiring. I watched your ancestry video a while back, and it was very interesting, but my guess is that in 100 years time when your great grandchildren recount their family history, you and Hilary will stand out as two of the most remarkable figures of all. Very best wishes!

I just lost my Grandfather and we we were extremely close he was my best friend, I wish he had recorded himself telling these kind of stories, your kids and grandkids will cherish this channel great job keep up the absolute fantastic work you are inspiring

Wow, what a story! You are beyond talented to have done so much of that work yourself. It's a beautiful house - so glad you saved it!

Bogles my mind all the work you did to 'rebuild' the old house by tearing and replacing it piece by piece. You're simply amazing.

Pete, I dearly admire your ability to teach your self anything. Was great to hear the history of the house and that you know the history of your family.

What a blessing to have inherited such a treasure

What a beautiful old house. Thank you so much for saving it. Everyone is so quick to say, "tear it down! It costs too much to renovate!" It does cost a lot, but it can be done, bit by bit!

I used to do remodeling in older homes - lots of plaster and lath - and those houses are problematic, to say the least. You handled this project like a pro. Actually, probably better than most pros because you care about the finished product a lot more. Looking forward to the next installment. 👍

Very nice! I love people who preserve, and rehabilitate these old structures. I’m sure your past family would be elated to see what you’ve done through the years!💯😍

Awwww!!!! I love your story. It was a REAL labor of love. Now you get to enjoy the fruits of your labor and your family will make another beautiful story for years to come. I hope you took pictures and framed them for your grandchildren to enjoy them when the grow up and they will tell their children and their children's children. Thank you for sharing. I got exhausted just to see all the changes being made. Your marriage was put to the test. After all is said and done, now both of you can enjoy everything.

I love how you wanted to keep all the nostalgia & memories of your past family members. Heritage homes are so deserving to be renovated. I love the home.

Pete, I'll swear, you're a spot of sunshine in a rather gloomy world...Thank you for takin' all of us along on your house re-birth. An' yes, she's still the same ship...names, after all, are only names.....

My parents restored an old Victorian house when I was little. I remember what a job it was. Thank you for sharing this story and saving the legacy.

Your ancestors must be SO proud of you. Fascinating story, would love to hear more about your great great grandfather’s diary

What a labor of love! I remember my Mom and Dad buying and remodeling and old old house when my brother and I were young. The dust from knocking out lath and plaster was awful but it was sure fun to us kids to whack away at it. Kudos to you and wife for saving your beautiful family heirloom.👏👏👏🙏🙏🙏👍👍👍

Something to be said for manual labor people have gotten lazy myself included I worked hard for years and this inspires me to work hard again!! Thanks pete

The quality and detail are impressive, new builds nowadays don’t have half the detail as your house.Congradulations,looking forward for part 2

What a labor of love and tribute to your ancestors. I'm sure they're right there cheering you on ♥️

What a story!! The respect for your family and the willingness to get out of your comfort zone and learn new skills really sets your story apart.

I can still hear my moms stories about how my grandpa(her dad) and his dad my great grandpa would haul stones for the barn walls My Uncle who is a retired dairy farmer now) has lived on the homestead his entire life and everything has been taken care of, he still lives on the homestead and will never sell it or the land. The Homestead goes all the way back to my Great Great Grandfather when he first purchased the land when he came over from Germany. The Barn is still in great condition it was built in about 1900 along with the house my uncle lives in..always been taken care of

I did a lot of interior renovations on my first house but nothing to the extent you have. I also had to learn to do it myself, learned framing, drywall, taping and finish carpentry as I went along. My hats off to you, I know how much work this was!

I see houses like this every day and wonder. My granddaughter and her boyfriend became like me in that I do rehabbing. I just bought them one like this. It was only abandoned 5 years or so. It is an 1880. They are finding their way thru and doing fine. I am doing a 1967 cabin...my last hooray. Summers here in the woods. Snowbird in my RV winters. Life is sweet.

It's so Great to see Tradition still matters , and is alive . What a great video. Thank you P.S. Your grandfather is looking down real proud.

as a retired building contractor I know how jobs like this can be overwhelming you did a great job love this video thanks so much for sharing this with all of us.

I'm considering doing this with my grandpa's old barn. Of course this means it will need disassembled, trailered, and then relocated and then reassembled where we plan to buy a farm. Both gas are about the same era, give or take, but I spent a lot of time in that barn when I was young. My grandpa worked on his old tractors in there, plus built or modified things he picked along the way. He built his own sawmill, and it had a 36" carbide blade that he would mill trees with. We used to go down to the mill for sawdust for around our house. We had chickens back then and one ol' miserable goat my dad named Abernathy. We didn't dare to turn our eyes away from her as she loved to butt people. My uncle, who lived between my grandparents house and our house also had a sawmill, bit his was a bandsaw. He also had a swing saw for cutting firewood, and he built his own farm equipment. He built a FEL from an old pinto car, built a garden mower from a Subaru car engine (1.8 liter), and built a yard mower from a hydrostatic mower and had a single wheel that steered with crossover cables. He prefer to build over buying as he was a problem solver. My dad built a small garden tractor from import car parts, and used it for some 30 years. He had a plow, a disc harrow and a spring harrow.

I can only dream! Love seeing the old houses built with TLC . It was a beautiful home ,glad you took time to rebuild. WORTH EVERY CENT, BLISTER&BACKACHE----- A LABOR OF LOVE!

Outstanding story. You did your ancestors proud, and you set an example for future generations. That's a life well-lived.

This project reminds me of the fellow who owned George Washington's axe. A visitor said it sure was in great shape for being so old. The owner said "Well, the handle has been changed 4 times, and the head twice." Seriously, It's refreshing to see a project not focused on the money, but on the memories.

Wow Pete, that’s amazing! I live about 10 miles from the Marvin Windows plant in Warroad,MN. Happy to see that the work the folks do up here help people like you put together your dream! Like you, most of the folks here are rural, farm raised, hard working people who take a lot of pride in their work so it’s nice to hear and see the end results from time to time. Thanks for sharing and God bless you and your family! Jim

I can't believe you saved that house! You've got my respect! I told my neighbor who was born in my house in 1896 that I was going to save it. I got divorced and didn't ever have enough money to fix it up. That was 1990. I'm still here an have done very little to it. It was built in 1890. I wish I could save it but I'm an old woman now and just hope it lasts as long as me. Thank you

Your descendants have such gentle expressions, like yourself. Good genes.

Well my friend, you are indeed an amazing person. You kept your family history in front of you as you made your way through the rebuild knowing that your ancestors were watching you with pride. You and your family have an amazing history to preserve and carry forward. I pray that your children will continue the work and life on this beautiful farm. It looks amazing! Love from Tempe, Arizona

Watching this was allmost exactly what my wife and I did to our 1880 farmhoust that was scheduled to be torn down. the house even looked the same. It was a lot of work as you know but sooooooooooo worth it. I really enjoy watching you keep up the great work . I ordered your book cant wait the read it

Just trawling through all your old videos. Every ones a joy. Thank you.

My mom has restored homes so been there done that. It's wonderful how you saved and restored your family home. It's great how some people are able to keep such historic treasures in the family

Love this! It's amazing we did the same thing around the same time. We only gave $1,200 for out trailer and it had to be fixed up, but it took us 13 years doing it ourselves to restore the little farm house. Blessings

Congratulations Pete your house looks really good, your hard work really paid off.

Having no building skills, you did a great job! So happy that you were able to save the family home. My ancestral farm house in Indiana unfortunately didn't survive, it collapsed about 20 years ago. I could probably reconstruct it as there are photos of the house and my mother still remembers what the inside looked like, but it's too remote and I don't think anyone in my family would want to move there. May you have many happy years in your 'new' old home!

This is an incredible story, and what a beautiful inheritance of Heritage May God bless your house and home for many more generations to come. It is great great great.

funny how things come around, just yesterday I was having doubt about a extensive project i’ve been working on . you are an inspiration. thanks

WOW!!! I have watched a few of your videos and have enjoyed every one of them. But listening to you telling how you rebuilt this house is most intriguing. I live in a house that was built in 1940. Four years ago it was pretty much destroyed by hurricane Harvey. Water was up to the roof. By the time we could get anything done to fix it, termites had moved in and the foundation up to the rafters made the house almost ready to fall down. The rafters and the roof was still salvageable so I built stands and beams and used hydraulic jacks under the ceiling and lifted up the roof about 6 inches. I then tore out everything from the ground up and built a new house. Like you did yours, I did one piece at a time till I got it to where I could set the roof back down. I smiled a lot watching how you did yours because it reminded me of doing some of the same things. Thanks for sharing!!! On to part 2...

I love that you are able to fix up a family home! I was blessed with a child hood home as well. I bought my Aunt and Uncle’s house that they had bought in 1971 as a child I would have family gatherings and just a lot of memories. My uncle passed away in 2014 and my aunt had to go into a home. So there house stood empty until I bought it in 2016! I’m in the process of fixing it up and I’m passing it down to my son.

Good work on saving a family heirloom. Thanks.

So glad you salvaged, rebuilt and improved this family homestead. It took a lot of effort, but look at what your efforts have to show now. Kudos and much respect!

This is my first vid of yours. I can't wait to show my husband. He always wanted to do this kind of extensive work but we couldn't afford it. We bought a 45 year old house that needed all the things he knew how to do (electrical, drywall, plumbing, hvac, finishing carpentry) and he did it as himself. He wasn't confident about roofing, foundations or structural stuff. He will love this!

Your great great grandfather left written memory of building it and now you have done the same with video memory. Wonderful!

Congratulations on a terrific looking house. Thanks for not tearing it down and honoring your Ancestors.

Congratulations Pete, you did an extraordinary job, especially being self taught on a lot of it. The best part is you save some of your heritage, and past to pass on down to your kids. looking forward to part 2 thanks for sharing.

This story was awesome. I love hearing your stories about your farm and all about the stuff y’all do. Keep up the good work and keep the great videos coming.

I can sit down and watch this 24/7 it never gets old thanks for sharing this

Kudos to your wife for supporting this effort. Well done to both of you.

Fascinating story. Wow, did you have a steep learning curve for this undertaking. I particularly love that you used radiant heat in the floors and milled your own oak and maple for the floors. You have so much to be proud of.

Wish I could like and subscribe to this channel twice. Pete you're an impressive man!

I can't begin to explain how happy I am to have found this video - what a JOY! Thank you.

It is really satisfying to fix up your own house. When my dad passed away I renovated his house to move in. I discovered white oak floors under the old carpet which I refinished. I found a wall papered accent wall in the living room underneath the old peeling paint. The paper was last manufactured in the early 40s. I was able to remove all the old paint due to the coating on top of the wallpaper breaking down. I then sealed the wallpaper with a clearcoat. I REALLY enjoyed working on that place. I really wish my dad could have seen it all new again

Pete the dedication and commitment you put into anything you do is truly astounding,and shows me you have tremendous self belief in yourself. I admire you and Hillary so much,love your videos.God Bless you and your lovely family. Following you from Australia.

Wouldn't the restoration of this old home made a heck of a KZfaq series!!

My favorite part is that you saved your family's home. You did an awesome job. Thanks for Sharing.

You sir are a great storyteller. As a retired industrial designer I really can appreciate with your focus on materials and design. I also am an amateur woodworker and love working on my homes as well. Great work!

Compelling family history, really appreciate all the detailing. Looking forward to part 2! (Hilary was such a dazzling bride. _)

What a wonderful thing to save history. Especially your family's.

Hilary is the best wife ever!! What a project🤩

Absolutely incredible that you live in your Gt. Gt. Grandfathers house....

Truly a beautiful story. I love the feeling of satisfaction after all of the hard work and money you put into a project and it all works out

Used to call the house in this shape "a push in special." If the foundation was good you start form there, keeping all notables like brick, hardwood, some classic fixtures to remind oneself of the heritage.

Your ancestors are proud of your awesome work. You can best believe they were right there by your side. Those feelings of achievement you felt? Was their approval. 😊

Wow, congratulations on your beautiful home, can’t wait to see part two. Yay

I know what it's like to have feelings for an old family home, my family's old farm house was built towards the end of the civil war. It really hurt when it burned down in 2019, days after tropical storm barry came rolling through.

Wow, that's real dedication to the job and to the history of the family house. You deserve to be proud of it.

I'm sure the spirits of all your ancestors were behind you and with you all the way. Good man!

It’s so wonderful in today’s disposable society, to see someone who sees the value in saving a home from the past.

Absolutely beautiful. Your great grandpa, grandpa, and dad would all be so proud of you I believe.

That is a great story and I’m really glad you found value in your own history. Your grandparents would be very proud

My great grandfather’s house ,in a very nice community, in St Louis, County, Mo. was recently torn down. It had been lived in and loved since the early 1900’s. Now it is a new subdivision on the old country road. Most of which is now subdivision. My mother also lived there for a few years, as her father passed when she was six years old. Your home is beautiful . I love using your old trees for your flooring. Doing so much work yourself is a tribute to the rich family history.

Those who think the old, beautiful vintage homes need to be torn down just because it will require some work, have no vision or appreciation for the amazing history and beauty these homes hold! Our 1961 ranch style home, which had zero character and boring, straight lines, now has added vintage character! 60’s and 70’s homes were just plain ugly and old. Thankfully, our house does have history! The transformation is so much fun. I kept the photos for a before and after scrapbook when we sell in a few years. I love your story of your house! 😍