Restoration Road (2021–…): Season 2, Episode 6 - Idaho Farm Stay - full transcript
Clint turns a 110-year-old Idaho farmstead into a vacation destination.
Up here,
in northern Idaho,
the pace of life
is a little slower,
a little more deliberate,
and you might even say,
a little more thoughtful.
This approach to life
has been going on
for generations,
a legacy handed down
by the first European settlers
who arrived here
over a century ago
to farm, to work,
and to survive.
I'm here with Kevin Durkin
of Restoration Living.
He's found a project that
will not only tell that story,
but will give people a chance
to walk in the footsteps
of those who have come
before them.
Now, that is a view.
You could see forever.
This is nuts.
Question.
Are we here for the view?
For that part of the view
right there.
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.
Welcome to beauty.
This is Restoration Road.
That's what we're looking for,
is that homestead right there.
Uh-huh.
But you can see
it's built up over the years,
the barn, the household,
the outbuildings, everything.
But what we're looking to do
is to restore
the house and barn
and maybe keep
some outbuildings.
For a place for people
to come visit a farm,
like a farmstay.
Come out here
for a week and milk cows?
Yes.
Herd sheep?
Wow.
-Let's go get a closer look.
-Let's do it.
It's kind of a smorgasbord
of buildings out here,
a hodge-podge.
Yeah, it's frozen in time.
But what we're really
looking at is
that house,
the original homestead,
and that barn.
And all these outbuildings,
for their uses,
were all moved or added later.
You can almost see
kids running around and...
-A wife.
-Yeah. A wife, and...
Well, it's gonna get
that back, though.
That's why we're here.
Quite an evolution
when you look at it like...
'Cause I'm sure it probably
started with this guy.
I was going,
"Is that a Dutch barn?"
Okay. That's it.
-Am I right?
-Oh, yeah.
I mean, doesn't it
feel like that?
Those early New York
Dutch barns, wider
than they are deep.
New York Dutch barn,
that's... okay.
That barn became
outmoded back there,
but it's like it resurfaces
out here in the West.
-I love it.
-Why? What happened?
Well, I don't know.
We gotta find out.
One thing that's really
important to point out
about this barn in particular
is how the earth
is reclaiming it.
The plan is to take it down,
take it apart, restore it,
and rebuild it
on a new foundation.
Okay. Just through this hole
I can see the timbers
that make up
this New York Dutch barn
and I am wanting
to come inside.
And... yeah. Oh, my gosh!
It has that feeling,
doesn't it?
That feeling of grandeur,
of space.
Yeah, this is
a European cathedral.
Yeah.
An early 20th century barn,
hand hewn.
This is probably
one of the last barns
hand-hewn in America.
Thousands of years
of hand-hewing
ended in the 1800s, really.
Industrialism took over,
and everything was sawn
on saw mills.
Okay, okay.
And here's a barn
in the 20th century,
and it's hand-hewn.
Wow.
So you have things
that are pegged.
Here's our tenon right here,
which is basically
our flat tongue
coming out the end
of the post or the beam
or whatever
into the square hole
or the mortise.
Right up here, I can see...
from down here,
nails that are
six inches by ten.
They're giving up
the ancient ways.
and they're adopting
modern ways
of doing things.
The wind bracing isn't as good
as the old-fashioned
mortise and tenon.
It's now nailed in place,
and look at them all,
they're all pulling apart,
they're giving way.
Now, this 120 years old.
This is the joining
of the industrial age
and the ancient world
in this building.
- Right there.
- Oh, yeah.
This is wonderful.
This is rare.
This is a wonderful barn.
Obviously, we gotta
get that combine out of here.
Yep.
Can we go look
at that house now?
Let's go.
Whenever
we're out on a farm,
we see how they worked.
But I'm really excited to see
maybe how they lived
in the house.
Whew, it's nice in here!
Eugh.
Well...
It looks like 1965 meets 1910.
You know what this was?
This was a...
This was like
a Bonnie and Clyde
hangout, I think.
Oh, my goodness. Look at that.
Oh, boy. Look at those,
where'd they go?
Right there.
Somebody was...
One, two, three... eight.
Eight bullets.
Wow.
Well, more classic paneling.
Yeah.
Look at that, would ya?
- Oh... my... goodness.
- Wow.
Whoa.
How did that survive
the turquoise paint?
Oh, wow.
Somebody knew,
don't touch the built-in.
-Yeah.
-That...
Look at this original
hardware on it.
Look at that...
You know, these,
they started making these...
These are really rare.
Oh, really?
Like, 1910 or something?
They started making these
in the early 1980s.
Oh, really?
Like, before your time, huh?
-Yeah.
-Yeah.
Look at that.
You know what that
reminds me of?
Reminds me, like,
you know, like a mouse...
It's like a mouse.
Gross. Um...
This foundation,
the whole house,
is just wavy at best.
Oh, I bet he's gonna
take that right out of it.
Oh, look at that. Right there.
Oh! There it is.
That tells it all, doesn't it?
Look at that.
I mean, I know I'm a little bit of a quirky, uneven guy, but...
that.
Can you tell that?
Can you get that feeling
kind of like you're on a ship
that's listing
to starboard here?
Tell you what,
you could make
a really creepy,
scary movie in this house.
Right now the sun is shining,
and it's bright,
it's beautiful outside, but...
there's some parts
about this house,
it is a little creepy,
you know?
-Upstairs?
-Let's go.
Do you wanna go first?
- No, I'm good, thanks.
- You sure?
Yeah, no...
-Nice.
-Go for it.
If this place
is booby-trapped...
And you thought
downstairs was creepy.
Oh, boy...
Look at this.
This round window.
Be nice to let that
open again.
Absolutely.
Bedroom number one.
All right, we're getting
our first glimpse here
of sort of what's underneath
all this paneling.
But look at that, that's good.
We're getting shiplap
right there.
You can't keep your hands off
that stuff.
No, I really can't.
It's like, you feel
like a magnet
when you see
something that's...
-Oh, yeah. Here we go.
-Yeah, yeah, yeah.
All right, well,
I'm going home.
The day is over.
I'm never gonna get
your attention again.
No, come on, come on,
just keep going.
Get it out of your system.
There's wallpaper
and then there's blue stuff,
you got layers,
but boy, it's just been
protecting this wood
all that time.
Well what would you do?
What do you sug...
You saying you're gonna
leave that wood?
I'm gonna leave that wood.
-You're gonna leave that wood?
What would you do with that?
-Yes.
-No, I think...
-Paint it?
No! Paint it?
White?
I mean, you could,
maybe, but...
Pink, like the window
downstairs?
I do know a designer
that likes to paint
things white.
She's very, very successful.
-Next?
-Next.
Yeah, so you got a...
A three bedroom.
A little getaway for people.
This is fun.
You got...
I know I got you.
- I'm ready.
- Worked up. I can feel...
Yes, I'm ready to tear
some stuff apart.
You're on a roll.
I know where we're going.
Well, this house, every time
I tear something down,
reveals how cool
this house actually is.
You know how I get.
in northern Idaho,
the pace of life
is a little slower,
a little more deliberate,
and you might even say,
a little more thoughtful.
This approach to life
has been going on
for generations,
a legacy handed down
by the first European settlers
who arrived here
over a century ago
to farm, to work,
and to survive.
I'm here with Kevin Durkin
of Restoration Living.
He's found a project that
will not only tell that story,
but will give people a chance
to walk in the footsteps
of those who have come
before them.
Now, that is a view.
You could see forever.
This is nuts.
Question.
Are we here for the view?
For that part of the view
right there.
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.
Welcome to beauty.
This is Restoration Road.
That's what we're looking for,
is that homestead right there.
Uh-huh.
But you can see
it's built up over the years,
the barn, the household,
the outbuildings, everything.
But what we're looking to do
is to restore
the house and barn
and maybe keep
some outbuildings.
For a place for people
to come visit a farm,
like a farmstay.
Come out here
for a week and milk cows?
Yes.
Herd sheep?
Wow.
-Let's go get a closer look.
-Let's do it.
It's kind of a smorgasbord
of buildings out here,
a hodge-podge.
Yeah, it's frozen in time.
But what we're really
looking at is
that house,
the original homestead,
and that barn.
And all these outbuildings,
for their uses,
were all moved or added later.
You can almost see
kids running around and...
-A wife.
-Yeah. A wife, and...
Well, it's gonna get
that back, though.
That's why we're here.
Quite an evolution
when you look at it like...
'Cause I'm sure it probably
started with this guy.
I was going,
"Is that a Dutch barn?"
Okay. That's it.
-Am I right?
-Oh, yeah.
I mean, doesn't it
feel like that?
Those early New York
Dutch barns, wider
than they are deep.
New York Dutch barn,
that's... okay.
That barn became
outmoded back there,
but it's like it resurfaces
out here in the West.
-I love it.
-Why? What happened?
Well, I don't know.
We gotta find out.
One thing that's really
important to point out
about this barn in particular
is how the earth
is reclaiming it.
The plan is to take it down,
take it apart, restore it,
and rebuild it
on a new foundation.
Okay. Just through this hole
I can see the timbers
that make up
this New York Dutch barn
and I am wanting
to come inside.
And... yeah. Oh, my gosh!
It has that feeling,
doesn't it?
That feeling of grandeur,
of space.
Yeah, this is
a European cathedral.
Yeah.
An early 20th century barn,
hand hewn.
This is probably
one of the last barns
hand-hewn in America.
Thousands of years
of hand-hewing
ended in the 1800s, really.
Industrialism took over,
and everything was sawn
on saw mills.
Okay, okay.
And here's a barn
in the 20th century,
and it's hand-hewn.
Wow.
So you have things
that are pegged.
Here's our tenon right here,
which is basically
our flat tongue
coming out the end
of the post or the beam
or whatever
into the square hole
or the mortise.
Right up here, I can see...
from down here,
nails that are
six inches by ten.
They're giving up
the ancient ways.
and they're adopting
modern ways
of doing things.
The wind bracing isn't as good
as the old-fashioned
mortise and tenon.
It's now nailed in place,
and look at them all,
they're all pulling apart,
they're giving way.
Now, this 120 years old.
This is the joining
of the industrial age
and the ancient world
in this building.
- Right there.
- Oh, yeah.
This is wonderful.
This is rare.
This is a wonderful barn.
Obviously, we gotta
get that combine out of here.
Yep.
Can we go look
at that house now?
Let's go.
Whenever
we're out on a farm,
we see how they worked.
But I'm really excited to see
maybe how they lived
in the house.
Whew, it's nice in here!
Eugh.
Well...
It looks like 1965 meets 1910.
You know what this was?
This was a...
This was like
a Bonnie and Clyde
hangout, I think.
Oh, my goodness. Look at that.
Oh, boy. Look at those,
where'd they go?
Right there.
Somebody was...
One, two, three... eight.
Eight bullets.
Wow.
Well, more classic paneling.
Yeah.
Look at that, would ya?
- Oh... my... goodness.
- Wow.
Whoa.
How did that survive
the turquoise paint?
Oh, wow.
Somebody knew,
don't touch the built-in.
-Yeah.
-That...
Look at this original
hardware on it.
Look at that...
You know, these,
they started making these...
These are really rare.
Oh, really?
Like, 1910 or something?
They started making these
in the early 1980s.
Oh, really?
Like, before your time, huh?
-Yeah.
-Yeah.
Look at that.
You know what that
reminds me of?
Reminds me, like,
you know, like a mouse...
It's like a mouse.
Gross. Um...
This foundation,
the whole house,
is just wavy at best.
Oh, I bet he's gonna
take that right out of it.
Oh, look at that. Right there.
Oh! There it is.
That tells it all, doesn't it?
Look at that.
I mean, I know I'm a little bit of a quirky, uneven guy, but...
that.
Can you tell that?
Can you get that feeling
kind of like you're on a ship
that's listing
to starboard here?
Tell you what,
you could make
a really creepy,
scary movie in this house.
Right now the sun is shining,
and it's bright,
it's beautiful outside, but...
there's some parts
about this house,
it is a little creepy,
you know?
-Upstairs?
-Let's go.
Do you wanna go first?
- No, I'm good, thanks.
- You sure?
Yeah, no...
-Nice.
-Go for it.
If this place
is booby-trapped...
And you thought
downstairs was creepy.
Oh, boy...
Look at this.
This round window.
Be nice to let that
open again.
Absolutely.
Bedroom number one.
All right, we're getting
our first glimpse here
of sort of what's underneath
all this paneling.
But look at that, that's good.
We're getting shiplap
right there.
You can't keep your hands off
that stuff.
No, I really can't.
It's like, you feel
like a magnet
when you see
something that's...
-Oh, yeah. Here we go.
-Yeah, yeah, yeah.
All right, well,
I'm going home.
The day is over.
I'm never gonna get
your attention again.
No, come on, come on,
just keep going.
Get it out of your system.
There's wallpaper
and then there's blue stuff,
you got layers,
but boy, it's just been
protecting this wood
all that time.
Well what would you do?
What do you sug...
You saying you're gonna
leave that wood?
I'm gonna leave that wood.
-You're gonna leave that wood?
What would you do with that?
-Yes.
-No, I think...
-Paint it?
No! Paint it?
White?
I mean, you could,
maybe, but...
Pink, like the window
downstairs?
I do know a designer
that likes to paint
things white.
She's very, very successful.
-Next?
-Next.
Yeah, so you got a...
A three bedroom.
A little getaway for people.
This is fun.
You got...
I know I got you.
- I'm ready.
- Worked up. I can feel...
Yes, I'm ready to tear
some stuff apart.
You're on a roll.
I know where we're going.
Well, this house, every time
I tear something down,
reveals how cool
this house actually is.
You know how I get.