Restoration Road (2021–…): Season 2, Episode 5 - Vermont Grist Mill - full transcript
Clint reconstructs a threshing barn into a grist mill for a Vermont bakery.
The Finger Lakes
Region of upstate New York,
an area known not only
for its breathtaking scenery,
but for the fertile farmland
that surrounds
these majestic lakes.
Comfortably situated
among the lakefront farmland,
is the town
of Genoa, New York.
Population - 1,900.
This sleepy little town
was founded
just after
the Revolutionary War,
when veterans of that conflict
put down roots, built barns,
and began farming
this rich soil.
I've come to Genoa
for one of those barns.
A centuries-old structure
that time has forgotten
and is in danger
of being lost forever.
I'm Clint Harp,
and I'm traveling America
to shed a light
on some incredible
restorations
and transformations,
get hands on
with some of the builders
bringing these amazing places
back to life,
and make sure
these new stories
live on for years to come.
Whoa, isn't she a beauty.
This is Restoration Road.
-Clint.
-Luke Larson.
-We meet again.
-Good to see you again.
- This...
- Yes.
This time in New York.
You're in Cayuga County,
in the heart
of the Finger Lakes Region,
and this county
grows more corn
than any other county
in New York State.
This barn has fallen
into disuse.
- Okay.
- In fact, it's been
fairly well-abandoned
I would say for many decades.
This amazing structure
built by people
who witnessed the birth
of these United States
is a national treasure.
But this barn,
similar to countless others,
just like it
all across this country,
isn't being used anymore,
which means it won't last long
without someone like Luke
to come and save it
and give it a brand new life.
I'm so grateful that the owner
-wants to see it saved.
-Yes.
And I can't wait to tell you
how this barn
is going to be used
in its next lifespan.
Well, let's go look at it.
So this eve edition was added
- probably in the 1950s, '60s.
- Okay. Okay.
And then here on the gable,
a whole another bent was added
to the barn
sometime in the 1800s.
- Okay. Got it.
- You can clearly see
-where the addition starts.
-Yup.
Originally, this was a classic
English threshing barn.
- Ooh.
- With the big
center doors, both sides.
- Okay.
- Wide base, small base.
So we've got doors
on the other side...
- Sure do.
- so that the wind can whip
-right through here...
-Exactly.
and you can thresh
the wheat...
-Yeah.
-and all that good stuff.
-Yeah.
-I love it.
Okay. Nice.
I'm actually
learning something, Luke.
-You wanna see the inside?
-I... absolutely.
Watch your step.
I need to start
bringing the machete
on all my adventures with you.
Look at that, they've grown
right into the building.
- Oh.
- Yeah.
From the outside,
this old barn
may not look like much,
but the feeling you get
when you step inside
is nothing short of magical.
There's a sense of wonder
that overtakes you.
And you can feel
your spirit being lifted.
Um, Luke,
that is a 14,
- maybe 15, or 16...
- Yeah.
- by 10?
- Yup.
- What?
- -If you look at the next one over,
17 inches tall, white oak.
Whoa!
That is insane!
It's incredible.
-Huge.
-Incredible.
And we're talking,
you know, what,
- 30 feet, 35, 33?
- 30, 32.
- 32. Okay.
- By 42,
- is the original structure.
- All right. Okay.
Oh, look at the little ladder.
Yeah,
that's a really nice one.
-That is.
-Just one rung to replace,
so that will be one
of the repairs we make.
When I first walked in here,
I looked up
and I saw this brace,
just kind of hanging out,
literally, not in its joinery.
Someone knew or foresaw
that we might care a lot about
that brace in the future.
So someone took a wire
and just kind of
held it up there.
Yeah.
But I'm so grateful
to whoever went up there
- and just...
- Yeah.
kept that brace
in its location.
-That is awesome.
-I just love that detail.
And now this bent down here,
the one that they added on,
do you want to go
all the way to the addition
or are you just gonna stop
at the original?
We're taking everything.
-Okay.
-We will reuse the siding.
-Okay.
-We'll reuse every piece
in one restoration or another.
-But you're...
-But we're putting this
back up just as the
original footprint.
Okay.
You've got an amazing
structure here.
This has got to become
something pretty magnificent,
- and what's gonna happen?
- So we're bringing
- this barn back to Vermont.
- Mmm-hmm.
My friends,
Doug and Julie,
have a wood-fired bakery.
Mmm-hmm.
And they are now
growing wheat
and learning the old ways
- of processing the wheat.
- Yup.
So this barn
is going to house
their milling equipment.
- A gristmill.
- A gristmill.
Oh, I love it.
I love a good gristmill.
I'm telling you
there is nothing like eating
fresh bread
made from the grain
that has literally
been processed
right there in the barn. Oh.
Because especially because
you helped build this barn,
it's just...
It's gonna taste...
-It seems fitting...
-A million times better...
-Yeah.
-that this project
should take place
in a recycled
and in a vintage barn.
Um, I would like to mention
the absolute goldmine
standing right behind you.
- Yeah, the pallets.
- Do you... Do you realize
how nice those are?
-That is... This...
-Uh...
-what I...
-Nice for firewood, Clint.
Are you kidding me?
This is how I started.
Pallets.
These would have been...
I mean,
I've never seen
pallets this big.
I wanna make furniture
out of this right now.
-This... I kid you not.
-Well... You carry them out?
-Can I have them?
-You can have them.
I'm telling you, this is...
this is gold right here.
We're making something
from these things.
All right. That would be cool.
You're gonna go,
"Oh, you know what?
Maybe I should start
collecting all those pallets
in those barns,
not just firewood."
Firewood.
God, you're killing me, Luke.
Tell me about firewood
come January...
- Well...
- in Vermont.
You do need it.
But not that dolt.
-That's amazing.
-Yeah.
So, let me show you
this loft area.
-All right.
-Be careful of my pallets.
Don't, you know...
I just wanna preserve those.
So, Clint, right here
was the middle bay
of the barn...
-Okay.
-prior to the additions,
and it had the loft above it.
In fact, you can see
a few of the floor joists...
- Yes.
- the originals.
This floor was dedicated
-to threshing wheat...
-Mmm-hmm.
the loft probably
just storing...
-Yes.
-grains.
I'm so excited to work
with Doug and Julie
on this project...
- Mmm-hmm.
- because they would like
to see this barn put back
- as original as possible.
- It's great.
In ways that still function
for their milling needs.
-I love...
-It's very exciting.
Doug and Julie already,
and I haven't even met them.
Oh, wait till you try
their pizza,
-cooked in a wood oven.
-Oh, shoot.
You didn't... You didn't say
anything about pizza.
-No, that...
-I love pizza.
It's... That's my thing.
Then you're gonna be in
for a treat.
But first, we better get
this barn taken down.
- We have a tractor trailer coming in three days.
- -Yeah.
- And this barn has to be on it, so.
- -All right.
You got a lot of work
to do here.
So, yeah,
we better get started.
Luke's crew
gets an early start
on day one of demo,
clearing away
the overgrown vegetation,
and removing the metal roofing
to expose the original
cedar shakes beneath.
- Wow.
- Okay.
Looks a little better now,
doesn't it?
Now we can definitely
-take in the beauty.
-Yeah.
-So we've mucked it out.
-Okay.
And, boy, was there a lot
of nasty dirt.
- Yeah. Wow.
- And so we've got
the metal off
one side of the roof.
- Okay.
- We've pulled
some of the old
wooden shingles.
Yup. Yup.
And our next step
is to continue
-pulling the roof boards.
-Great.
Ready to get started?
I am.
Just a few more pieces to go.
Let's do the rest.
Carefully removing
each roof board is tedious.
But hidden in the wood
lies two centuries
worth of clues
about when and how
this barn was built.
So this would be, uh, a...
Yeah, that's another
coffin nail.
-Yup.
-Okay.
Like that's the oldest
nail we can find.
There's a taper...
- Mmm-hmm.
- to the tip.
- Yup.
- so you get this kind of
- coffin shape...
- Oh, sure. Yes.
- Yeah. And that's a good
way to date the building.
- Okay.
So those were about
1810 that they were made.
Ah. Okay.
There's a year
on the coffin nail.
- Mmm-hmm.
-I didn't realize that.
Very cool.
I just got some bad news
that the other side
of the roof
is metal then asphalt,
then cedar,
and then the boards.
So we're extending this little
vacation to another week.
That is not good news.
Yup. This, one, two, three.
Region of upstate New York,
an area known not only
for its breathtaking scenery,
but for the fertile farmland
that surrounds
these majestic lakes.
Comfortably situated
among the lakefront farmland,
is the town
of Genoa, New York.
Population - 1,900.
This sleepy little town
was founded
just after
the Revolutionary War,
when veterans of that conflict
put down roots, built barns,
and began farming
this rich soil.
I've come to Genoa
for one of those barns.
A centuries-old structure
that time has forgotten
and is in danger
of being lost forever.
I'm Clint Harp,
and I'm traveling America
to shed a light
on some incredible
restorations
and transformations,
get hands on
with some of the builders
bringing these amazing places
back to life,
and make sure
these new stories
live on for years to come.
Whoa, isn't she a beauty.
This is Restoration Road.
-Clint.
-Luke Larson.
-We meet again.
-Good to see you again.
- This...
- Yes.
This time in New York.
You're in Cayuga County,
in the heart
of the Finger Lakes Region,
and this county
grows more corn
than any other county
in New York State.
This barn has fallen
into disuse.
- Okay.
- In fact, it's been
fairly well-abandoned
I would say for many decades.
This amazing structure
built by people
who witnessed the birth
of these United States
is a national treasure.
But this barn,
similar to countless others,
just like it
all across this country,
isn't being used anymore,
which means it won't last long
without someone like Luke
to come and save it
and give it a brand new life.
I'm so grateful that the owner
-wants to see it saved.
-Yes.
And I can't wait to tell you
how this barn
is going to be used
in its next lifespan.
Well, let's go look at it.
So this eve edition was added
- probably in the 1950s, '60s.
- Okay. Okay.
And then here on the gable,
a whole another bent was added
to the barn
sometime in the 1800s.
- Okay. Got it.
- You can clearly see
-where the addition starts.
-Yup.
Originally, this was a classic
English threshing barn.
- Ooh.
- With the big
center doors, both sides.
- Okay.
- Wide base, small base.
So we've got doors
on the other side...
- Sure do.
- so that the wind can whip
-right through here...
-Exactly.
and you can thresh
the wheat...
-Yeah.
-and all that good stuff.
-Yeah.
-I love it.
Okay. Nice.
I'm actually
learning something, Luke.
-You wanna see the inside?
-I... absolutely.
Watch your step.
I need to start
bringing the machete
on all my adventures with you.
Look at that, they've grown
right into the building.
- Oh.
- Yeah.
From the outside,
this old barn
may not look like much,
but the feeling you get
when you step inside
is nothing short of magical.
There's a sense of wonder
that overtakes you.
And you can feel
your spirit being lifted.
Um, Luke,
that is a 14,
- maybe 15, or 16...
- Yeah.
- by 10?
- Yup.
- What?
- -If you look at the next one over,
17 inches tall, white oak.
Whoa!
That is insane!
It's incredible.
-Huge.
-Incredible.
And we're talking,
you know, what,
- 30 feet, 35, 33?
- 30, 32.
- 32. Okay.
- By 42,
- is the original structure.
- All right. Okay.
Oh, look at the little ladder.
Yeah,
that's a really nice one.
-That is.
-Just one rung to replace,
so that will be one
of the repairs we make.
When I first walked in here,
I looked up
and I saw this brace,
just kind of hanging out,
literally, not in its joinery.
Someone knew or foresaw
that we might care a lot about
that brace in the future.
So someone took a wire
and just kind of
held it up there.
Yeah.
But I'm so grateful
to whoever went up there
- and just...
- Yeah.
kept that brace
in its location.
-That is awesome.
-I just love that detail.
And now this bent down here,
the one that they added on,
do you want to go
all the way to the addition
or are you just gonna stop
at the original?
We're taking everything.
-Okay.
-We will reuse the siding.
-Okay.
-We'll reuse every piece
in one restoration or another.
-But you're...
-But we're putting this
back up just as the
original footprint.
Okay.
You've got an amazing
structure here.
This has got to become
something pretty magnificent,
- and what's gonna happen?
- So we're bringing
- this barn back to Vermont.
- Mmm-hmm.
My friends,
Doug and Julie,
have a wood-fired bakery.
Mmm-hmm.
And they are now
growing wheat
and learning the old ways
- of processing the wheat.
- Yup.
So this barn
is going to house
their milling equipment.
- A gristmill.
- A gristmill.
Oh, I love it.
I love a good gristmill.
I'm telling you
there is nothing like eating
fresh bread
made from the grain
that has literally
been processed
right there in the barn. Oh.
Because especially because
you helped build this barn,
it's just...
It's gonna taste...
-It seems fitting...
-A million times better...
-Yeah.
-that this project
should take place
in a recycled
and in a vintage barn.
Um, I would like to mention
the absolute goldmine
standing right behind you.
- Yeah, the pallets.
- Do you... Do you realize
how nice those are?
-That is... This...
-Uh...
-what I...
-Nice for firewood, Clint.
Are you kidding me?
This is how I started.
Pallets.
These would have been...
I mean,
I've never seen
pallets this big.
I wanna make furniture
out of this right now.
-This... I kid you not.
-Well... You carry them out?
-Can I have them?
-You can have them.
I'm telling you, this is...
this is gold right here.
We're making something
from these things.
All right. That would be cool.
You're gonna go,
"Oh, you know what?
Maybe I should start
collecting all those pallets
in those barns,
not just firewood."
Firewood.
God, you're killing me, Luke.
Tell me about firewood
come January...
- Well...
- in Vermont.
You do need it.
But not that dolt.
-That's amazing.
-Yeah.
So, let me show you
this loft area.
-All right.
-Be careful of my pallets.
Don't, you know...
I just wanna preserve those.
So, Clint, right here
was the middle bay
of the barn...
-Okay.
-prior to the additions,
and it had the loft above it.
In fact, you can see
a few of the floor joists...
- Yes.
- the originals.
This floor was dedicated
-to threshing wheat...
-Mmm-hmm.
the loft probably
just storing...
-Yes.
-grains.
I'm so excited to work
with Doug and Julie
on this project...
- Mmm-hmm.
- because they would like
to see this barn put back
- as original as possible.
- It's great.
In ways that still function
for their milling needs.
-I love...
-It's very exciting.
Doug and Julie already,
and I haven't even met them.
Oh, wait till you try
their pizza,
-cooked in a wood oven.
-Oh, shoot.
You didn't... You didn't say
anything about pizza.
-No, that...
-I love pizza.
It's... That's my thing.
Then you're gonna be in
for a treat.
But first, we better get
this barn taken down.
- We have a tractor trailer coming in three days.
- -Yeah.
- And this barn has to be on it, so.
- -All right.
You got a lot of work
to do here.
So, yeah,
we better get started.
Luke's crew
gets an early start
on day one of demo,
clearing away
the overgrown vegetation,
and removing the metal roofing
to expose the original
cedar shakes beneath.
- Wow.
- Okay.
Looks a little better now,
doesn't it?
Now we can definitely
-take in the beauty.
-Yeah.
-So we've mucked it out.
-Okay.
And, boy, was there a lot
of nasty dirt.
- Yeah. Wow.
- And so we've got
the metal off
one side of the roof.
- Okay.
- We've pulled
some of the old
wooden shingles.
Yup. Yup.
And our next step
is to continue
-pulling the roof boards.
-Great.
Ready to get started?
I am.
Just a few more pieces to go.
Let's do the rest.
Carefully removing
each roof board is tedious.
But hidden in the wood
lies two centuries
worth of clues
about when and how
this barn was built.
So this would be, uh, a...
Yeah, that's another
coffin nail.
-Yup.
-Okay.
Like that's the oldest
nail we can find.
There's a taper...
- Mmm-hmm.
- to the tip.
- Yup.
- so you get this kind of
- coffin shape...
- Oh, sure. Yes.
- Yeah. And that's a good
way to date the building.
- Okay.
So those were about
1810 that they were made.
Ah. Okay.
There's a year
on the coffin nail.
- Mmm-hmm.
-I didn't realize that.
Very cool.
I just got some bad news
that the other side
of the roof
is metal then asphalt,
then cedar,
and then the boards.
So we're extending this little
vacation to another week.
That is not good news.
Yup. This, one, two, three.