This Old Dean House - One Year Renovation Anniversary

As I finished up the steps in the foyer, I realized that it had been exactly one year since we closed on the house. I had ripped the carpet off those steps the very first day. Exactly one year later, I was reinstalling the last spindle on the completed steps. The past year has been busy, and we've made great progress on restoring the 135-year-old lady to get her ready for another 100+ years. What a fun project and what great people we've met along the way!

https://youtu.be/SnSDEnDBwGk

Refinishing The Staircase - This Old Dean House

The first thing we did when we bought the house was rip the carpet off the steps to see what we had. We had something, but it was under layers of paint. So, hard to know what. Refinishing the hardwood floors in the entire house took a lot out of us, and we abandoned refinishing the steps. After a long break, we got going again and finished them up. So, the first project we started turned into the last major project we completed.

https://youtu.be/ERQIqjpOLcI

Updated Channel Banner For DeanoRolls YouTube Channel

We've been "Collecting Experiences" on my YouTube channel for the past 6 years! We've done a lot of RV travel, along with some antique vehicle restorations and old house renovations mixed in. For the 2026 "season," the plan is to stop working on This Old Dean House, retire Emily, and get back to travelling. It is time to knock out all the National Parks. So, follow along to see where DeanoRolls!

https://youtube.com/shorts/QLvWJTV9v04

Guest Bath Renovation - This Old Dean House

To repipe the house, I had to rip out the guest bathroom floor (which was going to come out anyway). Then the ceiling had to be removed (because the roof was leaking). After all the demolition and repairs happened, it could all be put back together again. Once that started, I was given a deadline by the kids (the guest in the guest bathroom) to get it done by Christmas. Mission Accomplished. We don't even know what to do without a tub, sink, and toilet sitting in our hallway anymore!

https://youtu.be/JOiiukHyaJE

Walnut Farming On Walnut Street (DeanoFarms)

Sometimes, rather than doing anything on my long to-do list, I'll make up a new project and spend an entire day messing around. Tennessee presented me with a gorgeous fall afternoon, and I spent it outside with my brain turned off, harvesting my walnuts...and coming up with all kinds of crude 'nuts' jokes. Perfect!

https://youtu.be/fXqKL0gEct4

Fitness Nerd Out - Using My Whoop Band, Renpho Scale, and ChatGPT To Lose Some Body Fat

I used:
• Whoop Band (Wearable) for 2 years…it tracks all kind of things but calories burned
• Renpho Scale (Smart Scale)…it tracks weight and bodyfat (not correctly but at least the trend)
• ChatGPT (Artificial Intelligence)…to tell me the calories and macros of what I’m eating
• Spreadsheet (MS Excel)…my favorite…to log it all.

I started in August with the goal to lose some pounds and body fat (mainly body fat).

The first week of tracking what I ate highlighted just how much I was overeating. I ate about 2,300 calories a day, and you’d have thought I’d been sent to a concentration camp. To say I’d been overeating is putting it mildly. I joked with my family that I had no clue how I didn’t weigh 600 pounds. At the end of the week (after feeling like I was starving to death), I’d managed a 24-calorie deficit…FOR THE WEEK! Not 3,500 like I’d planned. 2.4. LOL

I kept at it for 17 more weeks, and right before the holidays, I was down 13 pounds and 2.5% body fat. I survived the holidays without thinking about it all too much (just enjoyed the holidays, friends, and family).For the new year, I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing.

My goal is to sit at 17% body fat. I’m not in a hurry to get there. My plan is to run a small calorie deficit by keeping track of what I’m eating. It is easier now that I’ve learned to right size what I’m taking in. AI and abundant technology FTW!

https://youtu.be/-2C4pGEel_A

Office Renovation - This Old Dean House

The office renovation was supposed to be easy. Pull the old laundry room sink and paint. We ended up having to remove the ceiling, reframe the roof, and install a new roof (with insulation this time). What was supposed to be an easy room turned out to be a bear! Along the way, we found some old newspapers (used for insulation) from WW2. There is still a piece of it on the hardwood floor. The newspaper clip has my name on it, Joseph. I guess, this house/office was destined to be mine!

https://youtu.be/9nH3Ghuw4PY

Master Bath Renovation - Part 4 - Finishing Electrical, Plumbing, Drywall, Tile

Moving water pipes, never-ending demo, moving walls, and now we are finally finishing up. We made our final decisions on where everything would go. Emily went into war room mode, figuring out the "design". Once that was finalized, we completed the electrical, plumbing, drywall, painting, and tiling. For me, this was more fun because I brought in others who are more highly skilled than I. I did the final punch list, however (scrubbing tile, painting clawfoot tubs, sourcing all the final items, steam cleaning). The last step was to call the plumbers back for the fixture installation! DONE!

https://youtu.be/iGxgd0HEgsg

Redoing The Front Beds - This Old Dean House

Giant yew bushes OUT... azaleas and hostas IN! Emily didn't like the giant shrubs on the front of our house (neither did I). So we ripped them out. Then we went to the nursery and figured out what we wanted back in.

https://youtu.be/4cLMKUjgnq8

Laundry Room Renovations - This Old Dean House

The dirtiest part (so far) of our entire renovation (and that is saying something) was our laundry room renovation. I had to pull the ceiling in this room, and half of the back yard came out of it. I guess a family of squirrels had lived in there at some point over the past 135 years. We turned what would have been Preston's bedroom into the laundry room. We had to get the washer and dryer out of the kitchen (?!?). So now we have a laundry room (and Preston has a private floor for his tent when he comes over). The oldest child always gets the shaft! LOL

https://youtu.be/yur9GjRHP5E

Master Bath Renovation - Part 3 - Framing The Wall (This Old Dean House)

Build That Wall(s)! I've framed an entire basement remodel in the past. This was much less than that...but...it was not easy at all. In order to minimize demo (and not tear into the entire house), I had to tie my new framing into the existing framing. The existing framing was "wonky" to say the least! Then I had to shore up the load-bearing wall that had been 'remodeled' into swiss cheese over 135 years of prior "renovations". Hopefully, what I did will help it stand for another 135 or so!

https://youtu.be/hiyp-wxKnZE

This Old Dean House - Sideyard (Phase 1) - HVAC Area

The side yard of our house was a disaster from earlier projects. We'd replaced both HVAC units and the water/sewer lines from the street. I needed to level it out and get the area around the HVAC units put back together. I brought in my heavier equipment for some 'light' landscaping work. This made the project way more fun! Phase 1 of the sideyard is now complete. BONUS: I also cover the origins/meaning of my CB handle (Little Dipper) in this installment.

https://youtu.be/ntVumK97EBE