We Bought An ABANDONED HOMESTEAD!
Summary
TLDRIn this engaging episode of Vice Grip Garage, the narrator shares the adventure of acquiring an abandoned homestead with his family, bought for a fraction of its value. The property is rich with potential, boasting old barns, sheds, ponds, a partially constructed house, and even a vintage Ford tractor. As they explore the old barn, they uncover treasures like ancient farm equipment and potential restoration projects, all while contemplating the land's potential for future income and the legacy it could offer their children. Sponsored by Sunday, the episode is a blend of historical exploration, DIY enthusiasm, and a vision for transforming neglected spaces into something valuable for future generations.
Takeaways
- 💻 The family purchased an abandoned homestead, including everything left there except for a few items.
- 🚨 They decided to buy the property for its beauty, scarcity of land, and potential for agricultural production and vehicle storage.
- 👨🏻💻 The purchase was a great deal, motivated by the previous owners' unfinished American Dream due to financial issues.
- 👩🏻💻 The property features include an old barn, sheds, a couple of wells, a septic system, ponds, and an unfinished house.
- 🚴 The old barn is explored first, revealing items like a Ford tractor, plywood, sheetrock, and various building materials.
- 👨🏼💻 They plan to generate income from the property by producing hay and moving vehicles there.
- 🚒 The property's history is uncertain but estimated between the 1920s and 1940s based on available records and the barn's construction.
- 👨🏻💼 Sunday, a lawn care subscription service, sponsors the video, providing customized products for the property's maintenance.
- 🛠 The exploration uncovers more valuable finds like vintage doors, windows, and a considerable amount of tin roofing.
- 👩🏼💻 Future plans include cleaning up, potentially restoring the barn, and using the land for various projects, emphasizing the importance of planning for their children's future.
Q & A
What motivated the family to purchase the abandoned homestead?
-The family was motivated by the beauty of the land, the realization that no more land is being made, and the practical need for space to accommodate vehicles and produce hay, which could generate income. They also wanted to plan for their children's future.
What does the homestead include?
-The homestead includes an old barn, outbuildings, sheds, a couple of wells, a septic system, two ponds, and a house that was under construction and never finished.
Why was the original owner forced to sell the homestead?
-The original owner, a young couple, had to sell the homestead due to financial difficulties that prevented them from finishing the construction of their home. It's suggested that the economic downturn may have contributed to their situation.
What is unique about the Ford tractor found on the property?
-The Ford tractor is a 9N model, identifiable by its exhaust and serial number. It has been converted to 12 volts and comes with a 3-point mower. It also has a rare Sherman high/low range selector, making it an 8-speed tractor, which is advantageous for various farming tasks.
What are the family's plans for the barn on the property?
-The family plans to explore and inventory the barn's contents, considering its potential for storing vehicles and generating income through hay production. They are also contemplating the barn's structural integrity and whether it can be preserved or needs significant repair.
What lawn care service is sponsoring the video, and what are its benefits?
-Sunday is sponsoring the video. It's an annual subscription service that provides customized lawn care products based on region, climate, soil, and yard needs. Benefits include convenience, customization for specific lawn conditions, and ease of use.
What historical timeline is suggested for the establishment of the homestead?
-The homestead's history likely falls between 1888, when the area was unincorporated, and 1975, when records began including septic systems on properties. Based on the architecture and materials, the barn and outbuildings are thought to date back to the 1920s to 1940s.
What is the significance of finding a Sherman high/low range selector on the tractor?
-The Sherman high/low range selector is a significant find because it is extremely rare and provides the tractor with 8-speed functionality. This feature is beneficial for a variety of agricultural tasks by offering a broader range of speed options.
How does the family plan to use the property to generate income?
-The family plans to use the property to generate income by producing hay. They also see potential in using the barn and other structures to store vehicles and possibly engage in other agricultural or restoration projects.
What are some of the challenges and potential projects mentioned for the property?
-Challenges include deciding on the preservation or restoration of the barn, cleaning and inventorying the vast amount of materials and equipment found on the property, and dealing with structural and safety concerns. Potential projects include restoring vehicles, improving the landscape with Sunday's lawn care products, and exploring the historical significance of the property.
Outlines
🏡 Exploring an Abandoned Homestead
The video begins with the family exploring an old abandoned homestead they have recently purchased. The property includes various structures such as a barn, sheds, wells, ponds, and an unfinished house. The family plans to start their exploration by looking into the old barn, which contains a variety of items left behind by the previous owners. They discuss the potential of the land and their intentions to make use of the space, including moving vehicles and producing hay for income.
🚜 Discovering Treasures in the Barn
In this segment, the family delves deeper into the barn, uncovering numerous items such as a Ford tractor, old tires, and various tools. They speculate on the age of the barn and the property, believing it to be from the 1920s to 1940s based on the architecture and remnants found. The family also discusses the history of the property, mentioning that the area was unincorporated in 1888 and that the purchase paperwork showed no septic on site until 1975. They express excitement about the potential of restoring the property and making it functional again.
🛠️ Assessing the Barn's Condition and Potential
The family continues their examination of the barn, noting its need for significant repairs. They discuss the possibility of repurposing the barn as a garage or storage space for their vehicles and equipment. The video also highlights the discovery of various materials such as sheetrock, tin, and old doors, which could be used for future projects. The family expresses their intention to clean up the barn, remove debris, and assess the structural integrity of the building.
🌾 Planning for the Future of the Property
The family talks about their plans for the property, including cleaning up the barn, exploring other buildings, and potentially finding the original home sites. They discuss the history of the property and their efforts to learn more about its past. The family also mentions their collaboration with a local expert to uncover more about the property's history. They express their excitement about the potential of the land and their vision for its future.
🌿 Preparing for Future Projects and Growth
In the final part of the video, the family shares their enthusiasm for the new property and the opportunities it presents. They discuss plans for clearing out the barn, repurposing materials, and converting the land into a productive space, such as growing hay. The family also talks about the importance of the property for their children, providing them with room to grow and learn. They end the video by thanking the viewers for their support and expressing their eagerness to continue updating them on their progress.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Abandoned Homestead
💡Restoration
💡Exploration
💡Ford tractor 9N
💡Rusty Acres
💡Sherman high low
💡Income Production
💡Historic Preservation
💡Sweat Equity
💡Sponsorship
Highlights
The family's purchase of an abandoned homestead, which includes a variety of structures and items left behind.
Exploration of the old barn begins, revealing the vast potential and historical significance of the property.
The reasons behind the purchase: beauty, limited availability of land, and potential for income through hay production.
The backstory of the previous owners' American Dream, unable to finish building their home, offering a bittersweet opportunity for the new owners.
Initial discoveries in the barn, including a Ford tractor (9N model) that's been sitting for years, yet has unique features like a high-low range selector.
Finding a variety of items left on the property, including plywood, sheetrock, and tin, which were likely intended for the unfinished house.
Sunday's sponsorship and their lawn care products tailored for the new property, aiming to improve the yard's condition.
Investigations into the barn's structure and contents, revealing potential from old machinery and building materials.
Consideration of whether to restore the barn or rebuild, based on its condition and the treasures found within.
Discovery of additional valuable items, including a whole pallet of sheetrock and a variety of outdoor equipment.
Exploration of the property's exterior, noting the need for inventory and potential use of various found materials.
The plan to possibly restore and utilize the barn for storage and other functional needs.
Inspection of the property's second level, cautious of its stability, revealing more about the barn's history and structure.
The encounter with an old door with intact glass, illustrating the property's historical value and potential artifacts.
The intent to research and uncover the history of the homestead, recognizing its past significance and planning for its future.
Transcripts
welcome back to vice grip Lodge and
thank you to Sunday for sponsoring
today's video and it's a big one my
family and I have purchased an abandoned
Homestead and as you could see it's got
stuff it includes everything that's left
here with the exception of a couple
small things it's got an old barn out
sheds buildings couple Wells a septic a
pond well two ponds looks like and even
a house that was under construction and
never finished and today we're going to
start by exploring the old barn
[Music]
here so I know what you're
thinking why why why' you do that cuz
clearly you're not busy enough well
a it's
beautiful uh B they don't make any more
of land that's this is this is it you
know and then r or four subsection b um
Rusty Acres got kicked out when we put
the equipment Barn up and uh I've got
Vehicles sitting out in hayfields and
that is not productive and we can get
more hay here as well so this will
actually produce income as far as hey
goes we can move a bunch of vehicles
over here and uh you never know for the
future we're just trying to plan for our
kids and whatever else so that's kind of
the reason why and we got this place I
mean
I feel terrible for the folks that were
in a position to have to sell it but we
got a Pennies on a dollar they had an
American Dream young couple started
building a home and I don't know if it
was the economy crash a while back or
what it was but they were never able to
finish it so we're just grateful to have
the opportunity to pick it up the kids
are just running wild right now but uh
let's go dig through this barn and see
what we got what do you guys think so
far a lot of Co treasure a lot of cool
treasure so we don't know exactly when
this particular Homestead or it was a
farm at one point went in uh we do know
that this area was unincorporated in
1888 and that uh the the purchase paper
work showed no septic on site which
started in 1975 for record so somewhere
between 1888 and
1975 based on the barn and some of the
out buildings we're thinking definitely
like 20s 20s to 40s and there should be
two We Believe two home sites on here
that we're going to eventually try to
find and then the third is a new
building location but obviously we got a
Ford tractor let's start here this
thing's awesome so this was included
it's a 9N you can tell by the
exhaust and also the serial number we
can dig into that later sometime it's
been 12vt converted no idea if this runs
it's been sitting here for years years
and years and years look at the dirt on
the
tire it's got a 3point mower on
it I don't know old battery was
disconnected that would usually means
they probably ran right probably if
they're unhooking the battery but we'll
try to get this going at some point oh
look at the tires yeah they're pretty
rough she's been out in the sun
for long time long long time
but this will be pretty cool to do a
will it run or something and we just put
it straight to work I guess
this for the front of them pushing
equipment so or trailers like if they
had a manure spreader or you know like a
even a hay rake or something like that
you can hook on the front and then more
easily uh drive it around that way got
it but that's pretty cool oh let's see
if it has the Sherman high low
it
does no way so this is extremely rare so
this is a high low range selector so in
addition to your fourspeed
here you actually have a high low so
it's an 8-speed which is great for um
pulling hay equipment or blades or
anything like that you get a lot more
range selection that is really really
cool
pretty excited about
that clutch doesn't feel very clutches
anyway we've lost two children
already everything on this property is
included with the exception of One
lawnmower and some trusses for a
house and there's a lot of stuff let's
start over here what have we got over
here is that all plywood under
there watch the Badger holes yeah is it
really IA believe so that's probably a
grand in
plywood oh it's sheetrock oh it's a
whole pallet of
sheetrock bathroom remodel coming in hot
we got some
tin I
mean I'm assuming this was all stuff he
was hoarding for the house right I would
guess so yeah there's a lot of I mean if
you look around there's doors and all
kinds of things yeah so we can use a lot
I mean this Barn we're standing under
needs uh tremendous amount of work as
well we got to decide if we're going to
try to keep this thing and we can see
out the other side maybe I'll let's
start with an outside walk around so you
can understand even where we're standing
but this view is just incredible really
really nice so let the one side here
this would have been the
peak and then we think the corner of
this whole structure fell
down over
here cuz there would have been
another Peak coming out and this whole
wall Bentley's already looking at
this you thinking for little grip garage
yeah oh it's got a CER those are pretty
good yeah it's probably doable
going to have to hot wire hot wire a lot
of stuff but that' be cool if you got
this running we need motors out here
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today's video let's get back to
exploring lots more tin I think it's all
different
colors we'll have to go through
and inventory a lot of this this
property hasn't had anybody out here in
years we got a blade three-point
blade pH
that's a couple hundred bucks right
there looks completely
usable and then old Foundation look at
these walls and this is why I'm saying
I'm thinking late 1800s early
1900s if you accidentally back like
riding L more into this this is all
coming down oh 100% yeah like if I kick
this this is fall fact be very careful
not to walk there maybe this old style
tin seeing some better days so we got to
decide if we should try to patch this
thing up or push it over or what we're
going to do old
door look at a
lock so
cool I don't know why they put all these
blocks right there probably kept
swinging open oh maybe it did have
electric but look at these old porcelain
insulators that's very very very
old some sort of Loft I'm sure it was a
hay
loft there's the steps Brad I'm going to
say let's not go up those yeah
yeah more
tin I mean if this is handful of
pieces why couldn't a
guy there's two two right
there you know do we T the
side or start repairing the roof try to
put some stuff under here look like this
was the old door Place new one oh yeah
by the hinges homemade
handles oh double door yeah horse door
you flipped the top open for the hores
had a window up
here I don't know if at one point it had
some sort of sighting on it based on all
the
boards but she's old I wish I could put
a specific date on this here's another
insulator USA wired
insulator another one
here I don't know the size of them we
should you know what we should do is get
a tape measure and wheel this off so we
can figure out the size of the barn oh
we have that one as a house yeah I'm
curious other people might be curious so
anyway that's the exterior of the barn
here bunch of Olden
Barnwood we'll keep going through the
inside here's some more vinyl
sighting these are like uh you know what
these are for this is for um decks oh
the rails the the side rails for decks
there's a bunch of them here that looks
like good there's a bundle over there
good trailer missing a tire the tire
I mean we can get one of those a tractor
supply boom we got a
trailer I saw look at that old wheel oh
that's to like it's connected oh we got
a
bathtub bathroom remodel even getting
better oh this one might leak a little
just a tiny bit look at the old pick oh
yeah there's so much stuff battery
that's five bucks you can turn them in
now it's really
cool some
doors it looks like these two match no
they don't are shovels what your shovels
my
shovels I don't think this Barn was ever
scooped I mean that's
probably at least a foot higher than it
should be how do you we're standing on
probably 3 ft of manure and dirt so all
this needs scooped out which we're going
to do I'd like to clean all this up so
we got to start thinking do we put some
of the tractors in here are all the
tractors the small tractors we've got
you know Alice and M's and ends and
stuff like that this would be a good
spot to hide all of our tires as well
which are sitting outside right now but
I think First St we just be getting
everything
out and then scooping it getting the
heights right figuring out where the
actual walls are
and kind of go from there should also
hit it with the loader a couple times
see if it's going to stay up you know
what I
mean boom
$2 so this one does not go with this one
stays with the current or the previous
owner I guess husar I can understand why
that's a nice machine seems like brand
new we got an Ackle weed eater I
guarantee this would fire right up you
think so yeah well that's good we need
it 17 and a half horsepower a bird just
flew out of the hood did you see that
yeah look at EG in there what probably
shouldn't po oh there
is
okay I don't want to oh yeah I don't
want to move the nest look at this
another wheed eater oh it's a
saw oh this is cool look at this
mower Green Craft holy cow see pull her
rope see if it turns over
oh that so stuck oh she's locked
up oh wait oh there she
goes oh it went I don't think there's
any oil or
anything leaf blower another leaf blower
you got some whole bunch of deck stuff
again some sort of fold out ramp these
you probably
use oh I bet these are for all their
mowers oh
that Mak sense yeah whole bunch of
junks going to be a lot of cleaning
boys lot of cleaning that's like a fast
food counter see what I'm saying like
there'd be a till here yeah does it say
anything on the front welcome to berries
Burgers oh it says crispy crispy crispy
light I don't I can't read crispy says
crispy
something great tasting Shing on the
crispy light I have no idea never heard
of
it but see if we take this wall
out cleaned all you could put a car or
two yeah two cars right here oh
spreader see if it
turns yep that's
good got a nice
gate wonder where that
went these are a little little
loose
there's some of the ridge wiring
cloth maybe one of you electricians can
chime in there is so much wood in here
oo might have a ground fault with that
plugin there is no power on this
property oh it's a pluging yeah right
now look at all this wood yeah oh
jeez well it's dirt yeah careful it'll
uh
cave in so this is back when
2x4s were actually
2x4s good old solid Lumber lots and lots
and lots of
lumber if we widen this
up made it a little bit more secure we
can hide the mowers in here maybe you
know what I mean like a little side
garage i p that's cool
yeah Brad you probably want to metal
detect out here huh yeah I should have
brought the metal
detector next time look at this window
this
is pull that piece of tan off so it
doesn't get busted please it's not
cracked at all
careful thank you son this is beautiful
and all the glass is still in it that's
probably worth few hundred bucks
at
wow Jessica and Bailey are down by one
of the ponds right now
what oh yeah didn't even see that
Murray it's Christmas
Story yeah it's not hooked to
anything so this I bet this was the
original oh no it couldn't have been the
outside wall cuz that's the
peak but for whatever reason that's
where they put the put the Box there's
another really cool old door let's go
back around the other side
again every time I look I see new
stuff so this door is really cool too
and all the glass is still in
it Jessica didn't you want a door like
this just to hang for poofy stuff or is
that a
window another
old careful
Brad what is it uh something for school
musket or something a what ground doog
probably well let's let's just put it
put it
down all
right this wall was
definitely built different than let me
get back this
wall I don't know if they just kept
adding oh it does look like this is
another addition see how the rafter is
on this side of the initial
one oh it just broke off in my
hand so this would have been the edge of
the original building so I would assume
that the whole building had that kind of
shiplap sighting and then this was an
addition which probably explains the
concrete this would have
been much later but then this is
weird so I'm just confused I guess
there's really no other evidence that
they had any of this sighting on the
building anywhere else house you guys
seen any of
that I think this was the original
house that probably got torn
down yeah this is that bears board
sighting
stuff or flooring this thing would light
up so
easily we don't have time for it today
but we believe based on a foundation
wall and a well that there's
two previous homes here if that makes
sense and now there's a third but this
might be out of one of those we went
back as far as we could on Google Earth
and historic photos and all that stuff
and we're not
seeing anything that would help us out
unfortunately so we've been talking to a
lot of local people trying to figure out
the history um we do have one connection
that we're going to be working with um
cuz it' be cool to to recognize it talk
about it you know this was someone's
first home second home or maybe it's
been in the family for a Aaj jillion
years it's hard to say so they obviously
had
chickens and uh ran horses here at one
point look how thick these are it's
beefy love this Old
Timber another window on this
side probably a really good
looking Barn back in the day we have
fire ants everywhere boys so be
careful how many pieces are
here just one oh wow there's two I think
yeah
two you know what we're going to have to
do Jess
is inventory all the the tin just kind
of see how much you have of each color
and what footage cuz we can potentially
you know do something at least with the
roof or something some Big Blocks like
Limestone
blocks I don't know if there was ever a
door on this thing oh cut her a little
short yeah see instead of scooping this
out they just kept
adding
barriers what's in there yeah there's so
many pits like that around here more uh
Corner caps green ones there's so much
tin I wonder what brand this thing
is I really don't know it's a big one
though wait it right here oh it just say
wood hey there's a four-way or something
under that
tarp that's 20
bucks
nice some wording on it but it's just
really hard to read it says Woods it's a
Woods that's yeah that's the
brand yeah Woods is a great brand big
old
thing surpris this little Ford
R it's got an aftermarket Fender and one
regular you could tell by the
script and this one
doesn't it's got a Ferguson
3point anyway I don't want to nerd out
on this we'll come back to this guy at
some point oh and it's got the
PTO $3,400 that ain't nothing for
this Brad's out throwing stuff in the
what you found like one of the ponds cow
bones or something cow bones I I think
that's what they are I don't know not to
touch them but oh my gosh that goes yeah
kids will be kids well I've got to get
back to the house Jessica's got me
packed up I'm headed out of state again
for another vice grip
garage Revival I was home for 17 minutes
so here we are but thank you guys for
watching and we're going to keep you
updated I think next time we'll go
through the out buildings or something
we've got a house to explore just more
of the general grounds and tree roads
we've got a septic to find
Wells we're probably going to burn off
all of this and uh convert it to hay and
then we got to move vehicles I mean
there's there is a lot of work to do a
lot of Sweat Equity but we we believe it
was the right decision and um we're
excited we're very excited gives us Room
to Grow gives the kids room to grow too
absolutely they're already asking can I
bring the motorcycle over well we got to
load them up and blah blah but anyway
thanks guys appreciate you very much if
you haven't subscribed yet I don't know
what it's free hit the button thanks
guys
[Music]
bye
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