Video summary
In this episode of the Steampunk Project series, host Nate the House Whisperer introduces viewers to a historic property in Brooklyn, West Virginia, formerly known as Finlow and located in the heart of coal country. The house, identified as a "Jenny Lynn" due to its thick vertical board sheathing, has a rich history tied to the local coal mining industry, where residents often owed their livelihoods to company stores until they could pay off their debts, symbolized by a red star on the exterior. Nate explains that the primary objective for this renovation is to transform this neglected structure into a high-quality short-term rental with a unique steampunk theme, focusing on three main goals: enhancing guest experiences, reducing long-term maintenance, and expanding living space.
The preparation phase centers heavily on air quality control and structural reinforcement using spray foam insulation. Because the framing must be perfect before application, Nate has undertaken significant structural work to tie the house together, including sistering in extra roof joists, installing new ceiling joists, and adding a floor to the attic to strengthen previously weak areas. Extensive cleanup is also required to remove protruding nails, old insulation, and debris like a hornets' nest, while ensuring there is enough clearance around the chimney for proper foam application. Additionally, moisture control measures are being implemented in the basement by installing vapor barriers over the dirt floor and beneath the new concrete slab to prevent ground moisture from rising into the living areas.
Beyond structural fixes, the renovation addresses critical safety and utility issues that were previously overlooked. The plumbing and electrical systems have been completely redone as they were in poor condition, and a dangerously unsupported back porch has been repaired to ensure it is no longer hanging in the air. These efforts collectively serve the goal of reducing future maintenance needs while creating a safer, more comfortable environment for guests. A major highlight of the expansion project is the creation of a new attic space accessible via a newly framed spiral staircase, which will add several bedrooms and serve as a thematic laboratory area fitting the steampunk aesthetic, offering a fun and functional space for children.
As the preparation work concludes, the project moves closer to its next exciting stage: the actual application of spray foam insulation. Nate expresses enthusiasm for this upcoming step, noting that while the prep work involves substantial labor and cleanup, it is essential for achieving the desired results in a gut retrofit. By securing the structure, managing moisture, upgrading utilities, and expanding the footprint, the team is laying the groundwork to turn an old piece of coal country history into a modern, comfortable, and thematically unique rental property. Viewers are encouraged to follow along as the team prepares to spray the foam, promising that the next episode will showcase this transformative process in action.
Read the full video transcript
[Music]
I'm Nate the House Whisperer. Welcome
back to the steampunk house where we're
going to be talking about preparation
today so that we can take this old kind
of hunk of junk house that hasn't had a
great deal of love in a while and turn
it into a sweet steampunk themed
short-term rental. So, follow along. You
know the drill. Like, subscribe, and hit
the bell button so you can find out more
about these. And let's dive in.
So, this is southern West Virginia. This
is coal country. This is actually in
Brooklyn, which is where the Brooklyn
coal mine was. It used to be called
Finlow, and it got changed to Brooklyn
so that somebody could stand with a sign
outside Ellis Islands where the
immigrants were coming in. And the sign
would say, "Free train ride to
Brooklyn." And then you'd get here and
be like, "Well, this isn't where I want
to go." Uh, well, that's not a problem.
Do you have money for a train ride back?
We can put you on the train, turn you
right around. No, I don't. Well, you
have a place to stay. Well, no, I don't.
Well, none of these are problems cuz you
can work for us. Uh, and then all of a
sudden, you owe your life to the company
store. This house is called a Jenny
Lynn. And that is the name for these
when the sheathing on the outside are
big vertical board. So, they're like an
inch thick, inch and a quarter thick.
They're rough hune. They probably were
from trees that came from within a
couple hundred feet, maybe 1,000 feet of
the property here. While the roof that
we've been playing with was a little bit
out of square, the walls are still dead
square because the wood in this house is
just so stinking massive, which is kind
of cool. And then one other little piece
on the history, if you see a red star on
a house, I don't know if this is the
only meaning, but one meaning here is
that the house has been paid off. So you
are no longer renting from the coal
company. That's actually your house.
Today we're going to talk about the
preparation phase that we are in for
this house right now. The three goals of
this project are to provide really good
experiences, to reduce maintenance, and
to increase living space. So to provide
good experiences, I think a lot as a
house whisperer about comfort and air
quality. So, for starters, we need to
get control over the air going in and
out of the house and the heat and
moisture going in and out of the house.
Uh, so we're going to do that with spray
foam, which is a lot of work to prep
for, but that is a really nice product
to use when you are doing a gut retrofit
like this. We've got a whole bunch of
little things we need to do. Uh, well,
and one big one, which is that the
framing needs to be right because once
you spray the foam in, it's really hard
to change any framing. And this house in
some ways was really overbuilt and in
other ways not so much. The roof is 2x4
24 on center which is really not enough.
So we sistered in extra roof joist. We
sistered in new ceiling joist and then
we also put a floor in the attic. And
that is tying the house together nicely
so that the parts that were now that
were weak are strong. Now there's also a
lot of cleanup involved in the prep.
Anything that's sticking out like nails
and extra insulation and so forth, we
have to get all that cleaned out. Uh, I
just noticed there's a hornets's nest
that we need to get rid of. An old one
that's sitting up there. The old chimney
in this got taken down before the last
roof and we need to make enough space so
that you can actually foam it. And then
in the basement, we have to do some
moisture control work. Put a vapor
barrier down on the dirt. We put a
basement floor in with a vapor barrier
underneath so that we can get control of
the moisture that's coming up from the
ground. The second goal is reducing
maintenance. And that's another place
where having the house gutted is really
nice because the plumbing and the
electrical were both pretty sketch. So,
we get to redo all of that, which is
lovely to be able to do. The the back
porch was so badly supported that it was
basically just hanging in air. So, it's
a wonder that nobody had gone through
it. So, we're getting that addressed.
All of these things end up kind of
coming together in getting the house
ready to not only provide good
experiences, but also uh to reduce the
maintenance on the house. The third goal
is to increase living space. So that is
why we now have an attic. And to get to
the attic, we need to have a spiral
staircase. So we had to frame that out.
Uh and now that we've got an attic up
there, we've got space where we can have
a few more beds. It's going to be a cool
place to be a kid. Um and it'll be part
of the the whole steampunk theme. I want
that to feel like a laboratory up there.
So that's going to be really really fun.
So, that's a quick look at what the
preparation of this house is. Next time,
we're going to be spraying some freaking
foam. I really look forward to that. So,
follow along. I'm Nate the House
Whisperer. You know the deal. Like,
subscribe, click the bell, all that good
stuff. And I'll see you on the next one.
[Music]