Living Room Becomes More Livable (But Not Enough)

On our quest to make the living room a livable space, we are adding something it has never had: insulation. When we bought the house, we were not-so-surprised to find that the lumber section of the house had absolutely no insulation whatsoever. A layer of lime mortar was plastered directly onto the wood, like they were rock walls. This did a great job keeping out the wind, but did not do such a great job at keeping the temperature inside stable. So, we decided to break with our “traditional methods mission,” and bring in a modern form of insulation to this historic house: wool insulation. After months of debate, we decided to use a modified method of insulation, typically seen in American, timber-frame houses. Most timber-frame houses are constructed with simple lumber frames and filled with some type of fluffy insulation. The material varies from era to era and house to house, but they all do the same thing: create a barrier between the outside and the inside. In our house, we chose to use natural, locally sourced sheep’s wool. The price tag on this material would make you cry a bit, and for dramatically poor people like ourselves, it was a bit of a luxury purchase. But in a house prone to water and bug damage, having a material that naturally repels bugs and self-regulates humidity, it seemed like the right choice. Speaking of bug damage, it was a relief to finally clean out the remaining rot damage on the lumber house. With the bathroom done, and the living room complete, almost all of the rotted wood on the entire house has been removed and treated. This feels like a massive relief, considering that the dry rot felt endless, and was nothing short of hideous to look at. We were surprised at how little rot there was. It was very contained to specific areas exposed to decades of water exposure, and was fairly straightforward to remove. It was very patchy at the end, but covering it up with the vaper-permeable fabric really made it feel like a living space. And actually having all of the walls covered with shiplap REALLY made it feel like a living room. There were a few things we just loved about this process. We began this project in deep winter, and have watched the land slowly transition into spring. The longer days have brought more light, and for the first time ever, we spent hours in this room during the day. When we were looking to buy the house 10,000 years ago, the contractor we met told us in no uncertain terms that no young person like us would ever want to live in a house with such tiny windows. He lamented that the windows were too small to bring in any meaningful light, and it would be like living in a dungeon. But sitting there in the morning, seeing the beautiful white light streaming in, and working in the evening, as the golden light made patterns on the floor, we were finally able to see what an absolutely dynamic and cozy space we would soon get to call home. Also, as you can see in the final images of the video, we began working on the electricals. During this process, the sconces we purchased over 2-years ago for the living room came out of storage. The canals we built for the electrical cables were filled. And for the first time ever, we could finally see a future where we just enjoy this house we have staked our livelihoods on. There are a few thank you’s for this project. Ladi, as always, was there to help frame, insulate and board. Cousin Toni, who for no real reason decided to finish the last wall without being asked, without help and without supervision. Not that he needed it. Please enjoy this next step towards move-in day! CHAPTERS: Introduction: 00:00 - 00:55 Window Rot Removal: 00:56 - 06:39 Patching in Holes: 06:40 - 08:05 Vapor-Permeable Fabric: 08:06 - 10:23 Insulation Framing: 10:24 - 11:15 Wool & Shiplap: 11:16 - 14:08 Final Reveal & Credits: 14:09 - 15:29