Renovating an Abandoned Mansion Part 5

Summary

Matt from 'Renovation Ranch' explores his vast, hilly property, which is three times larger than his current land, featuring ravines, cliffs, and hills. He documents the challenging terrain, discovers remnants of a deer blind, and envisions potential for future projects like a barn or a shooting range. Amidst the property's natural beauty, Matt grapples with the decision to renovate and sell or keep the property, reflecting on its transformational potential and the excitement it brings.

Takeaways

• 🏡 Matt is exploring his property for a renovation-themed video, which he has only done once before due to its challenging terrain.
• 🔍 The land is three times larger than Matt's current land and is characterized by hills, ravines, and a flat area where the house is located.
• 🌡️ Matt mentions the difficulty of exploring the land in the summer heat of Texas, which makes the task physically exhausting.
• 🎥 The video is sponsored by Turo, a car-sharing service that Matt discusses in the beginning of the script.
• 🦌 Matt discovers remnants of a deer blind and deer bones, suggesting past hunting activity on the property.
• 🚶‍♂️ He uses his watch to record the distance of his exploration, starting at 0.09 miles.
• 🗺️ Matt discusses the property lines and his attempts to follow them while navigating the challenging terrain.
• 🏞️ The property has a variety of landscapes including cliffs, ravines, and flat areas, which Matt finds appealing.
• 🛠️ Matt considers the potential for future projects on the land, such as building a barn or setting up a demolition range.
• 🌳 He notes the need to clear trees and brush to make the land more accessible and to develop the various areas he envisions for future use.
• 🔄 Matt and his wife, Meredith, are undecided about whether to renovate the property to live in or to flip it for profit.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of Matt's exploration in the video?

Matt's main purpose is to explore the land he owns, which is about three times bigger than his current land, and to see what he can find on it.

Why has Matt only explored the land once before?

Matt has only explored the land once before because it's not easy to navigate due to its hilly and ravine-filled terrain.

What is the condition of the new land compared to Matt's current land?

The new land is described as having a flat spot where the house is, but otherwise, it's all hills and ravines, unlike the mostly flat current land.

What is the role of Toro in the video?

Toro is the channel sponsor, an online peer-to-peer marketplace for car rentals, which Matt mentions in the video.

What is the significance of the deer blind and bones found by Matt?

The deer blind and bones suggest that there was a hunting spot there, and Matt speculates on the possible hunting scenario based on the bones found.

What does Matt plan to do with the land if he decides to move in?

Matt considers building a barn and possibly creating a 'man barn' as a personal space, but he also mentions the potential for making demonstration episodes for his channel.

What is Matt's current dilemma regarding the property?

Matt is unsure whether to flip the property for profit or to fix it up and move in, as he and Meredith have fallen in love with the house and the land.

What challenges does Matt face while exploring the land?

Matt faces challenges such as steep terrain, dense brush, and the need to navigate without getting lost, which makes the exploration physically demanding.

What does Matt find particularly appealing about the land?

Matt finds the land's diverse features, such as hills, ravines, and cliffs, appealing, and he is excited about the potential to develop these areas.

How does Matt's exploration affect his perspective on the property's future?

The exploration gives Matt a better understanding of the land's potential, making him more excited about the possibilities but also increasing the dilemma of whether to flip or move into the property.

What is Matt's final decision on the property?

Matt does not make a final decision in the script; he is still considering the options of flipping the property or moving in.

Outlines

00:00

🏡 Exploring the New Property

Matt introduces the video by revealing his location in the shower, setting the tone for the episode focused on exploring the land around his new property. He mentions that the land is three times larger than his current one and significantly more challenging to navigate due to its hilly and uneven terrain. The episode is sponsored by Turo, an online car rental marketplace, which Matt promotes throughout the script. As he ventures out, he anticipates a physically demanding exploration, hinting at the transformation from 'normal looking Matt' to 'super sweaty Matt'.

05:00

🔎 Discovering Nature's Secrets

Matt continues his exploration, discovering remnants of a deer blind and deer bones, suggesting past hunting activity. He reflects on the difficulty of accessing certain parts of the property due to dense vegetation and steep terrain. Throughout the paragraph, he discusses the property's potential for future development, such as building a barn, while also considering the challenges of clearing the land. Matt also contemplates the possibility of using the land for his 'demo ranch' video series, highlighting the need for clearing a path and setting up a suitable location.

10:02

🌲 Navigating the Property's Terrain

In this section, Matt describes the physical exertion of traversing the property, noting the difficulty of navigating through the dense cedar trees and thorny underbrush. He encounters various natural features such as cliffs, ravines, and a unique water feature where water appears to loop back on itself. Matt also discusses the property boundaries and his interactions with neighboring properties, reflecting on the differences in how land is managed by different owners.

15:03

🏞 Envisioning the Land's Potential

Matt expresses his enthusiasm for the land's potential, envisioning future projects and improvements. He considers the possibility of creating a demonstration area for his videos and the challenges of accessing certain parts of the property. The paragraph includes his experience of walking through a ravine and the idea of clearing the area to make it more accessible. Matt also reflects on the overall journey, noting the distance he has traveled and the physical demands of the exploration.

20:03

🤔 Weighing the Future of the Property

Matt concludes the exploration by reflecting on the property's future. He discusses the initial plan to flip the property for profit and the emotional attachment that has developed since then. He acknowledges the love for the house and the land, creating a dilemma between renovating and selling it or keeping it as a home. The video ends with Matt inviting viewers to guess the distance he traveled during the exploration and expressing his excitement for the potential of the land.

Keywords

💡Renovation

Renovation refers to the process of improving a structure by repairing, updating, or making it more attractive. In the video's theme, it is central as the host, Matt, explores the potential of the land and house for future renovation projects, with the idea of transforming an 'ugly duckling' into something amazing.

💡Land Exploration

Land exploration in this context is the act of walking through and examining the terrain to understand its features and potential. Matt embarks on an exploration of his land to discover its unique characteristics, such as hills, ravines, and flat spots, which are crucial for planning future developments.

💡Ravines

Ravines are deep, narrow valleys with steep sides, often formed by water erosion. In the script, ravines are a prominent feature of the land that Matt explores, indicating the natural landscape's complexity and the potential challenges and opportunities they present for the property's development.

💡Hiking

Hiking is the activity of walking in natural environments, typically over rugged terrain. Matt's exploration of the land is described as a hike, emphasizing the physical effort and the adventurous aspect of traversing the property's diverse terrain.

💡Sponsor

A sponsor in the context of the video is an entity that supports the content, often in exchange for promotion. The script mentions Toro as a channel sponsor, highlighting the relationship between content creators and sponsors, which is a common practice in the digital content space.

💡Property Line

A property line is a legal boundary that marks the limits of an owned piece of land. Matt is concerned with finding and understanding the property lines of his land during his exploration, which is essential for determining the extent of the area he can develop or use.

💡Deer Blind

A deer blind is a concealed shelter used by hunters to observe and get close to deer without being seen. In the script, Matt discovers a deer blind on his property, suggesting previous land use and providing a specific example of the land's past activities.

💡Potential

Potential refers to the possibility or capacity for future development or success. The video's theme revolves around the potential Matt sees in the land and house for renovation and development, despite the current state of the property.

💡Demo Ranch

Demo Ranch seems to be a term used by Matt to refer to a potential project or area on his land where he might conduct demonstrations, possibly related to renovation or outdoor activities. It indicates his forward-thinking and planning for the use of the land.

💡Climbing

Climbing is the activity of ascending a steep or vertical surface, often requiring strength and skill. The script describes Matt's challenges with climbing various natural features on his land, such as hills and cliffs, which adds to the narrative of the exploration's difficulty.

💡Flipping

Flipping, in real estate, is the process of buying a property, making improvements or repairs, and then selling it for a profit. Matt initially considered flipping the property after renovation but is now contemplating living there, reflecting the personal connection he's developed with the land.

Highlights

Matt begins his exploration of the new land, which is three times larger than his current land.

The new land is characterized by hills, ravines, and a challenging terrain for exploration.

Matt's initial exploration of the land was during summer in Texas, making it a physically demanding experience.

Matt uses his watch to record the distance of his walk, starting at 0.09 miles.

The channel is sponsored by Turo, an online marketplace for car rentals, including luxury and economy options.

Matt discovers remnants of a deer blind and deer bones, suggesting past hunting activity on the land.

He speculates about the age of the deer blind based on the growth of surrounding cedar trees.

Matt encounters various terrains, including cliffs and steep inclines, while following the property line.

He finds a fence marking the property line and discusses the challenges of accessing certain areas of the land.

Matt considers the potential of a flat area for future barn construction, despite no current plans.

He navigates through a deer trail and discusses the freedom deer have to move across the property.

Matt scouts for potential locations for his 'demo ranch', considering the need for clearing trees and brush.

He finds a discarded balloon in the woods, reflecting on littering and the importance of proper waste disposal.

Matt describes the unique features of the land, including multiple ravines and a potential waterfall area.

He contemplates the challenges of developing the land for potential flipping or personal use.

Matt's journey ends with a return to the house, reflecting on the potential and excitement of the land's development.

He invites viewers to guess the total distance traveled during his exploration in the comments.

Matt concludes by expressing his love for the house and the land, and the dilemma of whether to renovate or flip the property.

The video ends with Matt teasing an upcoming 'Renovation Ranch' video and thanking viewers for watching.

Transcripts

[Music]

hey my name is Matt I'm in my shower

right now it's a nice one

that's for sure welcome to renovation

ranch it's been a while since we've had

an episode and I just decided since it's

been so long I should just blow you away

with all the changes we're gonna make in

this episode psych we're doing nothing

but what we are doing is something you

guys been asking for and something I've

been wanting to do for a long time I'm

just kind of putting it off we're gonna

go explore the land today and see what

we can find

now this land I've only actually

explored one time I'll tell you why in a

minute it's because it's not very easy

to explore got everything you need

take a good look at me right now because

this is normal looking Matt not too

sweaty Matt don't you see what I'm

walking down right now - look we need to

but and about three minutes time for you

I would imagine you will see super

sweaty Matt this new land is about three

times bigger than our current land and

our current land is actually pretty flat

like there's a couple ravines and little

hills and things but overall it's mostly

flat our new land is well there's a flat

spot on it

wherever that house is otherwise it's

all hills and ravines and it's gonna be

a lot of hiking tracker out how I want

to actually do this I've hiked this land

just one time right before we bought the

house and the property I wanted to see

what it looked like out here and so I

hiked about I don't know probably half

of it and it took me like a couple hours

and I was worn out because it's summer

in Texas and I was hiking up land and so

I just quit I did set my watch so it can

start recording our distance to see how

far our walk so far 0.09 miles so

getting up there before we get started

on this hike though I want to say thanks

to our channel sponsor Toro Toro is an

online peer-to-peer marketplace where

you

and share other people's cars there are

over 850 makes and models and it is in

over 5500 cities in the US the UK and

Germany

I definitely look at fancy sports cars

all the time like that Corvette also

this Viper or a Ferrari or a Camaro or a

Bentley Continental GT there's some cool

cars you can get but you also even rent

normal cars like a Hyundai Sonata for

only 31 dollars a day Alexis for $69 a

day a Tesla you can use Turo to get

fancy cars to impress your friends take

a girl out on a nice date or you can use

it for totally normal cars like you fly

to another city and you just want a

rental car to get around town the prices

on Toro are on average 30% cheaper than

traditional rental cars and Toro offers

delivery to the airport so you have to

wait in those annoying lines at the

airport you can access Toro using the

web or the App Store use the link in the

description below to sign up for Toro

and use my promo code off the wrench for

$15 off your first trip we I said trip

right as I tripped on something we

appreciate Toros sponsorship thanks to

RO what the heck man freakin kids this

is so crazy

what I really want to see is a rain

storm come across this valley here

someday

haven't seen a big rainstorm in so crazy

deer it's a radius not warmth it's been

dead a while scapula humerus this is a

deer blind if my detective capabilities

are on par with what I think they are

there was a deer blind here there's a

scapula and a humerus right there

meaning he took about a 6 yard shot boom

just hit the leg knocked the leg off

there the deer ran that way lost the

rest of its leg where I found that other

bone and probably got away I would make

a great detective what else is crazy

though is that deer blind is up in this

little nook here where there is

literally nowhere to there's no line of

sight anywhere which I assume there used

to be back when it was standing

and they probably could see right down

across this valley that is now covered

by trees so that deer blind I don't know

that's probably a 20 year old cedar tree

there that deer blind has been there for

a long time that thing I would guess I

would guess just by the carbon dating

that I just did is I would guess that

thing was built when I was ten years old

and now I'm gonna have to clean it up

thanks dude dad you should have put your

deer blind right here bro right here

right here this is the spot yeah all

right the problem is I got to go down

there the property lines somewhere I'm

at the top of the hill off we go this is

gonna be bad I also imagine you guys are

looking at this and thinking man look

that steep at all cameras make

everything like half as dramatic as it

is in real life which is terrible for me

because it'd be better if it was double

so you're like holy cow Matt's climbing

a mountain and really I'm just like

walking down the street so it looks like

I'm walking down the street when I'm

worried I'm gonna fall off a cliff this

is why I wore jeans cuz this would not

be fun to walk through oh oh sure this

fence is property line so it goes down

in that ravine I gotta go down there cuz

I want to see it there's my house on the

top of the hill let's figure this out oh

my goodness hope Meredith knows where I

am in case I get stuck down there down

there oh yeah that looks like a bad plan

just go around ya still got it thought

this might be a better way but looks

like I'm like 10 feet above the ground

here too and that's another cliff there

I gotta get down there

but oh not here not here

this looks doable the problem with this

is it's super hard and I'm going down

which means it'll be way harder oh I'm

gonna have to come back up here I don't

know I brought a snacks and water I

could hang for a couple days oh there's

a lot of really cool ravines on this

place because obviously it's very hilly

and so the water when it

testing the somewhere and so it carved

out all these cool ravines whoa

I got a thorn in my hand not cool I see

fence right there which is crazy I

passed a ton of land that I can't even

get to I mean I could if I wanted to

like climb through that I don't know

okay now I've been following the fence

it goes back up this hill here I have to

go through that okay I'm gonna put my

camera up cuz I can't do it one-handed

doing good property line right there oh

shoot I could have waited like two more

months to do this

I know it's cool this actually had been

quite fun but now it's just super fun

really warm hey I like walking this

property line

this is much better so far my watch says

I have walked half a mile in 30 minutes

so pretty good pace I wish I calculated

how high I walked how many steps up I've

taken it's kind of looking for a nice

flat spot where if I ever wanted to

build a barn I could I feel like a dozer

could come in to flatten that fairly

easily no plans to build a barn right

now

just cuz we're still not a hundred

percent sure we're gonna be living here

like we think we are but laird than I

actually still need to really think on

it and luckily we don't have to do

anything right now because for those who

don't know I had initially seen this

property and wanted to buy it to flip it

because it was in disrepair and I

thought I can I can make this work and

use it kind of as a little little

business venture and adventure because I

like doing this kind of stuff and I just

thought it'd be really fun to try to put

my effort into it and sell it for profit

and then showed Meredith and she fell in

love and then I fell in love and so now

we don't really know if we're really

just gonna flip it or if we're gonna fix

it up and move into it

find a web so that's yet to be

determined but if we do move in later on

we'll build a barn for now no barn just

just thinking about it and scratch that

this area is way flatter it's just full

of trees so we just have to cut all

these Cedars down this wouldn't really

need much dozing at all back here yeah

got a barn back here and it's like on

the other part of the property we can't

see it from the house so Meredith would

like that and I would have my own man

room man barn huge huge room I was

trying to figure out that was do your

trailer if there are two of them like a

four-wheeler trail I don't think it

could be four-wheeler ChaCha's where I

just came from ain't no way a

four-wheeler is ever gonna go through

that so I think these are just yeah

that's just one that's a deer trail

obviously these fences you don't you

know they don't do a whole lot so the

deer come and go as they please

which is cool nice fence this post is

the corner of my property goes that way

and that way this neighbor obviously

values having a nice fence maybe he has

cows I won't see any cow poop there's

some deer poop over there but he values

a nice fence this neighbor and me

obviously we haven't cared very much cuz

there's our fence looking good looking

good right one side down yeah let's keep

walking I had to venture in word because

there was too much brush on the fence

further down for me to get through and

now I'm in the middle and I'm kind of

turned around my phone doesn't work down

here maybe getting lost on my own

property I don't know what the direction

I'm going now I think I'm okay this is

cool so I'm also kind of scouting for

new demo ranch locations the problem is

I need to clear a bunch of trees to get

here because it was hard enough to just

get myself here much less carrying all

the supplies and tools needed for the

job down here and targets like those

heavy metal targets oh but if I could

clear a little path I could make this

work I found the fence I was going the

right direction after all what was that

Oh

what is this just a string I kicked it

and I thought it was a snake mm-hmm just

a string we're good so crazy so cool

we got like hilltop we got ravines we

got cliffs

we got force it's gonna be really hard

to flip and sell this place so cool one

thing that I really like about where I

shoot most of my videos is its Shady

this actually could work like trim these

trees up so they're not a bunch of low

branches just the tall ones keep it

shady it's just so hot you'll notice in

the summertime I film all my videos like

in one spot and it's the shady spot

because if it's in the Sun I get zapped

I can't do it it's good work I just need

to find a place with like a good

backstop over here and like trees like

this totally totally work a balloon it's

totally a balloon let's see birthday

what was the occasion

rainbow day I clean you up I wasn't

paying attention when I went to get that

balloon

I think I came from this way I mean

what's the worst case scenario you know

I just get lost in the woods and I have

to spend the night out here I would be

that bad Americain look for me mare mare

property dives down there into a ravine

and then goes all the way up and I'm

trying to find motivation to go up there

the ravines cool I've seen a part of the

ravine it was really neat and I wanted

to like go through the whole thing I

also want to go all the way up there

which I haven't done let's go up first

and see all that and they'll come back

down and then we'll walk the ravine

ravine guys guys ravine mountain here we

go I have been walking for an hour and

eight minutes and I just hit one mile I

am going slower than one mile an hour

awesome and I'm really tired and sweaty

what a house well potentially

I made it to the property line on this

side and I tore my jeans open man these

are my nice church jeans too I think I

earned a break so bright a few guys back

a little bit I'm Paul's my watch

and we're off we're going sideways for a

little bit then we'll have to end up

turning and going back down but I'm

enjoying not going up for a while that

is for sure

and I'm making good time finally I like

this just you know walking not crawling

not climbing it's much better this is a

really cool place because there's like a

ravine that comes down through here and

then there's like a bowl over there that

comes down to a ravine through here and

it looks really cool down in there never

actually been up here and I need to keep

walking but I just think that's so cool

and that's probably I would guess where

I'll find my backstop for demolition

ranch stuff will be down here because

it's just a big bowl and there's just

plenty of walls everywhere so I bet you

I'll find a really good spot down in

there somewhere probably not today cuz

it's gonna take a lot of cutting to get

that spot figured out I was thinking I

would just walk over here wrong that's

another cliff not going that way or that

way but that is a cool whoa there's a

cool like waterfall right there

drops off that ledge and goes way down

there sweet but not going that way

came way up so that I could cross the

ravine so this is it it goes down to

that like cliff down there so now I'm

over the ravine and I'm making my way

over to the bowl so cool I want to see

this during like a lot of water it'd be

awesome to see this thing fold and

flowing down there

decided these either just scoot down on

my butt and try to walk yeah this is the

ravine yeah this is so cool and I think

oh wow that's thorny I think with a

little clearing it's where you could

actually like just walk through here it

would be really a neat little place we

just need to get all the dead Cedars and

whatever this thorny tree is out of here

a neat little area for us to hang out

especially when it's raining the first

time I came down here it had been

raining that week and so those a nice

little stream going through here

all right I've never walked up there

let's go see what looks like this is

cool so water comes through the little

ravine right there it comes here hits

this turn right here you can tell it's

carved out the hillside there hits this

turn comes around in here turns all the

way does a 180 and then hits that turn

and does a 180 again and comes and goes

out there so it literally loops back on

itself and then keeps going

[Music]

so two ravines actually Joyner here one

here and one here in this little like

bath area it's kind of cool it's made

like a hole in the ground and they join

up and go downstream there that one

looks a little hard to get to I'm gonna

keep walking up this one I followed up

and splits again here and here I'm

turning around but I think this way goes

back up toward the house so I think I'm

gonna head that way

one I think goes to the other corner of

the property but it is really hard that

part super steep up that way so I'm

gonna head back to the house this way I

think I hope if not I'll be back looking

for the right direction to go this is so

cool Wow I bailed on the ravine it was

right down there

I came up right over here you can see

like that little hill there there's a

ravine coming there or being going there

or being going over there and they're

just in the bowl it makes it tore all

these little ravines draining into the

one bigger one but they all got too

small and too much brush I couldn't

climb groove anymore I'm heading back up

now someone literally had to chunk this

bottle to get it over here not cool man

he could have just taken home thrown it

away that would have been the nice thing

to do I lost did I go the right

direction

yay I found it I don't have to stay out

here on the cliff yeah okay back at the

house guess in the comments below how

far I traveled okay I'm gonna give you a

few seconds comment below take your

guess I want you to stick by your guess

how far do you think I traveled to make

me this hot and sweaty I traveled a

little over one and a half miles that is

it oh my god we can run five miles any

day I can run five miles but out here

it's like crawling and climbing and

pushing branches out of the way and try

not to fall cliffs went really really

slow what do you think of the land I

think it has everything and that's what

attracted us to this place so much I

mean the house of course was incredible

and I saw the potential in this giant

piece of junk like that's that's how I

would say it it's the most beautiful

piece of junk I've ever seen we love the

house we thought we can do this we can

turn this ugly duckling

into something amazing and then the land

too like so much land and so much

potential there's just so many different

areas on this land that I think are

gonna be so cool once we get out and

start like making them you know

accessible by not just like walking

through cedar trees I can't even make

like a little four-wheeler path or

something well that's assuming move in

we still don't know I'm like getting

ahead of myself like I just when I walk

out here and I just get so excited like

yeah someday I can make demonstration

episodes way down here with all my stuff

and then I'm like or flip it we're happy

where we are we have no reason to move

from our current house we really like it

we love it actually and we've made it

kind of exactly what we need it to be

but it's gonna be hard after putting all

the time and effort into this house to

not fall in love with it as well thank

you for watching renovation ranch we are

gonna have an actual renovation ranch

video coming up very soon be sure to

check back for that I love you

[Music]

oh hey shut up down there

[Music]

[Applause]