I Bought a 120 yr. old House I’ve Never Seen (in a City I’ve Never Been To)... Come See!

Come tour this 120 year old house with me and learn what my plans are for renovating her. What it was like to buy a house sight unseen, why I chose to buy it in Nova Scotia when I've never even been there, and look at all the fun antiques the previous owners left for me!

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[ShannonMakes]

OK, what was YOUR favorite feature of the house‽‽

[JustSaralius]

To make the windows less drafty in winter (and save a lot of money on heating), you can use an old method that is to make additional, removable, inside windows that are just put up in the winter, so you kind of have double glazing but temporarily. I believe you seal them with paper strips that are glued on (like wallpaper glue or just starch basically). Might be something to look in to as an option for winter proofing. 😊

[channonperry]

My name is Channon (pronounced Shannon) and I recently bought a 120 year old house in Cape Town, South Africa, and it’s amazing how many similarities our houses have despite being on opposite sides of the world! 😮 In particular, the stained glass windows with geometric design is identical to my windows. I’m really glad I found your channel! Good luck with your renovations!

[RavenAttwoode]

I think the term they use in classic cars fits really well here. The term is "resto mod." Meaning you're restoring what you can, and sympathetically modifying parts to bring it to the current century.

[MiffoKarin]

Oh my god, it came with furniture? That is so wonderful!
I'm glad you're going with what I would call a "respectful renovation", where the feel of the house stays the same but you're adding modern conveniences.
I admire you wanting to do it all yourself, but please leave any electrical issues to the professionals for your own safety.

[elizabethclaiborne]

Painted floors have a ton of historical presence, they may be really authentic to the house and region.
Seeing Phil toss you up to work on the ceiling, pro acrobat style - that’s priceless! All in for secret circus content.

[hehehe]

Don’t change the floors! The house that I grew up in my parents renovated themselves and was also 125 year old 2 family house. The floors are all that wide floor boarding and painted with a warm brown paint. I believe the wider boards are still rather authentic and kind of more valuable because it’s cheaper to cut smaller pieces of wood. I’m so excited to see what you do with the house. I also think Ariel Basset bought a house sight unseen in Nova Scotia.

[carolyng]

In my area, these are called a "double house." The builder/owner lived in the "fancy" side and rented the other side for income and to offset the cost of construction. I totally love your house, and I love you for not replacing the windows! My house is 1908 total rehab, in much much worse shape than yours when we bought it. Good luck with your project, I look forward to sharing the journey with you!

[katmusswoodwind]

I'm sure I've said this before but... This is literally the perfect house for you ❤

Old stuff to upcycle? ✅

Fixer upper house? ✅

Vintage features? ✅

Genuinely so so excited to see what you get up to here!!

[cherylhuot]

What an adventure for you!! Back in the mid 80s-the early 90s my Ex and I bought, totally gutted, then remodeled 3 homes. All while living in them during the remodel and raising preschoolers- early grade schoolers. As soon as one was finished we sold it and jumped into the next. So many wonderful memories. TONS of work but so much fun. We stopped when we found our dream house and the kids couldn’t be moved from school to school. I’ve lived through 4 total kitchen renovations, 11 bathrooms, plus all the bedrooms and living space in every house. Each room gutted to the studs. I learned SO MUCH! Hung 100s of rolls of wallpaper, and Sheetrock. Umpteen gallons of paint. And “Held the light” a thousand times.
I’m so excited to watch your home adventures. Enjoy every minute of it. The satisfaction lasts a lifetime. I look back at those time with sweet, fond memories and hope the same for you.

[msmayree]

You’re the third Canadian YouTuber I’ve seen buy a house sight unseen in Nova Scotia. And like the other two times…. I am 100% here for it!!! Congratulations on your new home.

[StephBer]

Those curves walls, skirting boards and floors are just to die for! I know you'll do a fabulous job restoring it. And I love the TikTok. It's so true. I absolutely hate it when people make an ultra modern reno of what was a beautiful stylish home. Can't wait to see you do it. 😍😍

[jolandahennig]

It is a sleeping beauty! And you will wake her up. I love it and looking forward on the adventure. ❤

[daxxydog]

My first thought when I saw it was “insulation”. You can buy inner window “storm windows” that connect via magnets to the window frames if you want to keep the originals. This is going to be so fun!

[ceara]

Congratulations!! As someone who has spent the last 4 years fixing up a 1923 Craftsman, I can not wait to see all your work on your new money pit. I love my money pit, but it is, in fact, a money pit. Such a satisfying and frustrating adventure. Yours has really good, beautiful bones.

As a potential tip- when we repaired our ceiling, we found that lightweight joint compound worked MUCH better than actual plaster. It set better, it sanded easier, and it was easier to apply.

I love what you are doing!! Cannot wait to see more.

[itsjean]

Stunning!! My husband and I lovingly renovated our late 1800s home in Ontario 40 years ago. We found that 90% of the work was on the stuff that you DON'T see--roof, plumbing, electrical, plaster, storm windows, etc. We kept all the original features, including the radiators, hardware, stained glass, fireplaces, and wood mouldings and floors; and discovered that radiant heating was really wonderful! We also noticed that the wood flooring was "fancier" in the 'public' areas of the home, such as front rooms, dining room, and central hall, than in the kitchen, bathrooms, and bedrooms. Enjoy the journey!

[cindabearr]

First - you need a whole series: How Acrobats Renovate a Home.

When we knocked down and rebuilt our 1920's house after a fire, we found All Kinds of crazy stuff happening in the walls! Old wood had been recycled to build the walls - one interior wall had a strike plate for a door on it, except there was no framing for the door there, it was just reused! Some of the repurposed wood was coated in matte green paint, so we could easily pick it out through one whole section. Some of it was even used on an exterior wall! There were feed bags used as insulation, and in one small bedroom closet, the shelf above the clothing rod was the side of a crate of some kind. I can't wait to see all the surprises, and treasures your house holds for you, and I am thrilled for this new chapter in your life! Congratulations!

[pambrewer]

You can do this! This house needs your love and attention.
So proud for you.

[theclumsyprepper]

Those cupboards in the dining room will be perfect for storing your dining set, cutlery and so on. I do hope you'll keep them, maybe just whitewash them so they look better.

[across]

Beautiful house. I love that you got up on Phil's shoulders to work on the ceiling. This is definitely going to be a unique and very fun experience with you. Thanks for sharing your journey💕💕👏👏