We're Ready to Talk About It

Overview

• The hosts do a Q&A-style catch-up covering:
  • Their house build (including major foundation problems)
  • What’s next after moving in
  • Plans for a workshop and upgrades to the property
  • Timelines for construction on an island in Canada
  • How their family, health, work, and their channel fit together
• They also share:
  • Family routines and schooling decisions
  • Their personal work/life philosophy
  • A “blitz poll” of humorous answers

Main lifestyle / planning takeaways

• YouTube isn’t their “exit strategy,” and it wasn’t originally planned as a career.

  • They started recording to share with family, and it grew from there.
  • They’ve deliberately avoided depending on YouTube alone by building other businesses/jobs alongside it.

• Next-phase life after moving into the house

  • Workshop building is planned as a priority after the house is ready.
  • A connected “garage-like” workshop/structure is expected on a concrete foundation.
    • Foundation dimensions under consideration: 40x60 vs 60x100.

• Property upgrades they’re planning in parallel

  • Improve the pond
    • The kids love fishing, and they want to revitalize it.
  • Expand solar power
    • They believe the current power unit/system can support expansion.
    • They need more batteries and more panels when possible.

Travel / timeline highlights (Canada / island)

• Their trip to the Canada island (initial plan: last summer) was delayed.

• Reasons given:

  • After returning from Nova Scotia, they had to abruptly close and reopen a café, which consumed fall/winter/early spring.
  • Building on a distant island requires extensive preparation and training, including first aid training, plus logistics like having a boat.

• Updated construction expectation for the island

  • First rough hope: summer 2027
  • More realistic estimate discussed: 2028 (with a specific date mention: 28th)

Home/build insights (foundation & major setbacks)

Foundation failure story (key details)

• A concrete contractor used poor concrete practices:
  • Concrete was reportedly mixed with too much water (“like water from a hose”).
  • Anchor bolts sank completely into the concrete.
  • A compression test failed.
• They hired someone with a jackhammer to demolish the bad work.
• During demolition, they found severe reinforcement issues, including:
  • Only one rebar in a major wall section.

Resolution / what they did with the situation

• They pivoted to another plan they called the “head house” and moved forward rather than sticking with the failed foundation/plot.

Selling a separate plot

• They sold a nearby plot by breaking even, mentioning roughly $700 profit after:
  • Installing a septic tank
  • Paving the road

Health / hygiene routines during early relocation (personal hardship)

• They describe a very difficult period living in a trailer before the house was ready:
  • The trailer wasn’t designed for year-round/cold weather.
  • Ice formed inside windows; they slept in jackets.
  • Water system issues (possibly including no reliable well at the time):
    • They had to go to a stream, break ice, carry water back, and boil it.
    • Winter mishaps included slipping on snow, spilling water, and repeating trips.
• Washing before running water
  • For the first 8–10 weeks, they heated water externally and poured heated water using large jugs.
  • They used a big heated setup (including a burner/Bunsen burner mentioned) to wash dishes and themselves.
• They say the first ~six months felt like living “on adrenaline,” and they wouldn’t want to repeat it again.

Children, education, and family lifestyle

• Kids’ ages: 16-year-old, 15-year-old, and 9-year-old.

Schooling setup

• The boys moved to virtual learning around November after attending local school for about two years.
• They felt school had “nonsense,” and that they could finish quickly and do the work/learning they find useful.
• Ellie (the 9-year-old) is homeschooled.

Activities

• The children keep doing sports under the virtual-learning district setup:
  • Wrestling
  • Track and field
  • Cross country
• Ellie enjoys cheerleading and may continue later as well.

Career interests mentioned

• Hayden: wants to be a nuclear engineer (engineering-focused generally)
• Carter: likely an electrician or other trades (possible welder/carpenter)

YouTube participation rules

• They say there are no arguments over kids being on camera because kids keep and retain control/permission.
• Kids weren’t the “core” of the channel; the parents focus on their own work/life.

Money & independence (Greenlight sponsor)

• They use Greenlight debit cards for both boys.
  • Parents can transfer money, set spending limits, and get instant purchase notifications.
  • Kids get independence while parents retain oversight.
  • Features referenced include pocket money, chores, and savings goals.
• Promo mentioned: new customers can get $47.94 in subscription credit for 3 months using their code/link.

Running businesses / workload philosophy

• Their week is described as “7 days a week” because they juggle:
  • Construction work (with Aaron handling shooting/editing)
  • Brand trips/material runs (e.g., driving for tile supplies)
  • Lore Collective (soap, candles, clothing) and planning to open a store
  • A café and rental properties
  • Construction site management and employees
  • Livestock and child responsibilities (including Ellie homeschooling)
• Work-life balance stance
  • They don’t separate work and life—they treat it as a family system.
  • They say they don’t watch TV and don’t “sit still.”
  • They’d do it all again 100%.

Relationships & teamwork (how they handle conflict)

• They say they don’t argue much:
  • Disagree → discuss → understand → move on.
• Division of roles:
  • Aaron handles/gets credited for numbers/organization and practical disassembly/creative construction problem-solving.
  • Erin handles filming/editing/creative side, while Josh does construction work that can be “creative” through hands-on breakdown and rebuilding.

“What would you change?” (two regrets they mention)

If starting over today:

• Buy equipment instead of renting
  • They explain this wasn’t possible earlier due to budget constraints.
• Choose a full foundation (not pillars)
  • They later had to dig again, and it was extremely time-consuming.

They also reject moving to a tiny house first, because:

• They needed a place to live immediately.
• They say trailer year-round living was miserable but necessary.

Notable end-of-video locations / products / people

• Greenlight debit cards (sponsor)
• “Lore Collective” (soap, candles, clothing)
• Canada island (construction planning; timeline discussed toward 2027/2028)
• Nova Scotia (linked to café reopening delays)
• Northern Virginia / D.C. area (where Josh previously worked; schooling/training references)
• Airbnb-related properties (renting, renovation, and later selling an Airbnb unit)
• Trenton Ally (mentioned as a future visit)
• Kids: Carter, Hayden, Ellie
• Hosts also mention Josh and Aaron