This Old House
PBS
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Season 28
- Ep 9East Boston - 911/30/06
The second story deck is found to be covered with ants and rot. Master carpenter Norm Abram removes a broken stained glass window and takes it to be repaired. The trees are trimmed on the outside of the house. - Ep 8East Boston - 811/23/06
Holes are dug for the new deck and the ivy is removed from the outside of the house. Kevin buys new smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and they are installed. The stucco is patched the best that it could be. - Ep 7East Boston - 711/16/06
The front porch is in bad shape because the wood is rotten and the stucco exterior is in worse shape then once thought. All of the ivy that is damaging the house, is removed. The carpet is torn up on the first floor to find one room in need of new floors, and two rooms are found to have long leaf pine floors in great condition. The old cast iron boiler is removed from the basement.moreless - Ep 6East Boston - 611/9/06
The chimney is removed brick by brick. The antique plumbing fixtures are removed. A new bathroom is being build in the attic, but the old one is not removed until the new one is usable because the homeowners are still living in the house. - Ep 5East Boston - 511/2/06
Master plumber Bill Kane shows plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey a new pipe relining system that will line the old cast iron sewer pipe lateral with a new, continuous pipe made out of resin to protect against future tree root infiltration. - Ep 4East Boston - 410/26/06
The city contractors remove the sewer main and estimate the damage that has been done by the tree. Wood moulding are removed with ease so they can be reused later. A wall is knocked down that seperates two bedrooms. The area will be made into a big kitchen. The asbestos is removed.moreless - Ep 3East Boston - 310/19/06
Local Architect Craig Buttner tries to come up with new design concepts for the kitchen area, one of them potentially breaking the budget. Plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey begins removing the radiators and saving them to be fixed up and reinstalled. Environmental consultant Sam Covino finds asbestos in the kitchen and tells the homeowners that it has to be professional removed.moreless - Ep 2East Boston - 210/12/06
Local Architect Craig Buttner tries to give a few tips on how to save money and salvage some of the stuff already in the home. There is a problem with a tree in the front yard which is causing damage to the sewer pipes making the basement flood. The pipe either has to be moved or the tree needs to be removed. Masonry specialist John Lambert starts work on the stucco exterior.moreless - Ep 1East Boston - 110/5/06
This season a 1916 two-family house is which is owned by two single women, is renovated on a modest budget. Liz Bagley lives in the first floor apartment and her aunt, Chris Flynne, lives in the upstairs apartment. This proposal was chosen via the internet. The house needs everything from new wiring, plumbing, and insulation, to a new stylished kitchen and bathroom. Kevin O'Connor and master carpenter Norm Abram discover that the house also needs a new roof and furnance.moreless
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Season 27
- Ep 8The Washington, DC House - 83/30/06
The house is completed. A new roof is installed and the backyard is finished. A few last minute touches are completed. Washington, DC, Mayor Anthony Williams cuts the ribbon outside to officially open the house. - Ep 7The Washington, DC House - 73/23/06
The floors are installed upstairs and downstairs. The brick is sealed from the outside. A crew is brought in to start landscaping the garden for the backyard. A laminated railing for the new curved staircase is fabricated. - Ep 6The Washington, DC House - 63/16/06
More work is being done to the backyard, including the addition of a shed. The curvy staircase is almost complete and the kitchen countertops are being designed and installed. Master Carpenter Norm Abram sets off in search of a new fireplace mantle. - Ep 5The Washington, DC House - 53/9/06
Kevin Cordt and Kevin O'Connor discuss the idea for the backyard layout and landscaping. The kitchen cabinets are installed and the drywall is ready for paint. - Ep 4The Washington, DC House - 43/2/06
The house is already over budget with the addition of the bathroom and the stair case. The house is insulated, the new windows are in, and the wallboards are being put up. The furnance is also installed. - Ep 3The Washington, DC House - 32/23/06
The framing of the house is almost complete. Extra rooms are added. Restoration contractor Danny Palousek begins work on the brick work on the building. - Ep 2The Washington, DC House - 22/16/06
Master Carpenter Norm Abram finds out that most of the floors, millwork, plaster, and studs are extensively damaged by water and can't be saved. The house is gutted. - Ep 1The Washington, DC House - 12/9/06
Host Kevin O'Connor and Master Carpenter Norm Abram try to help Mi Casa, Inc. which is a non-profit developer. They are attempting to renovate an abandon 1879 rowhouse without spending more than $200,000.
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Season 26
- Ep 26The Carlisle House - 264/2/05
- Ep 25The Carlisle House - 253/26/05
Kevin and senior design consultant Alexa Hampton continue to explore the designer show house through the work of designers Gracyn Whitman, Lisa Newman Paratore, and a company that produces furnishings especially for teenagers. Tom shows Kevin how he's going to extend the sliding barn door to make up the difference lost in the barn jacking. Richard shows Alexa the new 6-foot whirlpool tub and walk-in shower room in the master bath. Designer Frank Roop gives Norm a look at his Mediterranean-inspired master bedroom. Painting contractor Jim Clark finishes up the last of the trim, and Alexa gets to show off her own space - a formal dining room room featuring damask upholstered walls and clean, classic furnishings.moreless - Ep 24The Carlisle House - 243/19/05
The designer show house begins as interior designer Mally Skok welcomes Norm to the dramatic entry hall. In the barn, senior design consultant Alexa Hampton discovers the decorated loft space and guest suite. Tom shows Kevin how he's creating saddle thresholds out of oak. Kevin meets kitchen designer Kathy Marshall for a look at the completed kitchen. Kevin pays a visit to the New Yankee Workshop to see Norm's progress on the TV hutch for the living hall. Designers Charles Spada and Hilary Bovey reveal their designs for the classical library and the whimsical breakfast room.moreless - Ep 23The Carlisle House - 233/12/05
Norm meets lighting designer Susan Arnold for a look at the modern (but practical) cable lighting system in the kitchen. The limestone tub deck is installed in the master bath, while Richard installs an undermount sink in a freestanding vanity in the kids' bath. Norm finds garage system specialist Christopher Hubbuch installing a workshop storage system in the basement of the barn. Designer Beth Ferencik shows Roger Cook the handcrafted teak furniture and accessories she's selected for the terrace. Richard shows Norm the last pieces of the HVAC story - the condensers (that uses a refrigerant that won't delete the ozone layer) and the heat-recovery ventilators (that will bring fresh air into the sealed-tight house.) Alarm specialist Don Martini shows Norm the latest innovations in his field - an access keypad that unlocks the front door with a swipe of a key tag, while keeping a log of comings and goings on the household computer. Finishing specialist John Dee shows Norm how he's going to stain the pine stair treads to match the engineered hickory flooring.moreless - Ep 22The Carlisle House - 223/5/05
On the back porch, installer Steve Primack shows Norm the new motorized screen system. Closet designer Marcy Weisburgh shows Kevin the mudroom and master closet, and shares strategies for smart closet planning. Tom installs the custom-made interior double doors and oil-rubbed bronze hardware. Furniture maker Robert Hanlon shows Norm how he made the hand-planed African mahogany wood countertops for the kitchen island and home office. In the guest bath shower, Kevin finds Tom installing solid-surface shower walls instead of tile. Richard travels to New Bern, North Carolina to see how our dishwashers are made by one of the leading appliance manufacturers in the world. The completed wine cellar is presented, and wallpaper blocks are applied in the master bedroom.moreless - Ep 21The Carlisle House - 212/26/05
In the barn, Norm meets up with chimney specialist Mark Schaub to determine if his oak lintel above the fireplace is truly safe, and if it will meet code. Kevin meets interior designer Alexa Hampton for a sneak peak at the furniture and fabrics for the dining room. Kevin meets millwork specialist Mark White at his showroom that specializes in high-density polyurethane trim, and back in Carlisle, Tom shows Kevin what it's like to work with. Richard walks Kevin through the anatomy of the mechanical room. Back in the barn, there is a surprising twist - just a few hours into it, the fireplace has already failed the safety test and Norm breaks it to Mark that he must swap out the wood for a masonry lintel. Cabinet specialist Maureen MacDonald shows Norm the newly installed cabinets in the office, kitchen and pantry. The day ends with the much-anticipated arrival of the built-ins for the library.moreless - Ep 20The Carlisle House - 202/19/05
Norm learns how the seamless, clog-less gutter system for the barn is fabricated and installed. Flooring contractor Patrick Hunt shows Kevin how to install a pre-finished engineered cherry floor throughout the first floor of the house. Tom builds the railing system for the barn stairway, while Richard visits a new product design and testing facility for the plumbing industry. Wine cellar contractor Michael Galvin shows Kevin a 3-D fly-through animation of the future wine cellar. At the end of the day, cabinets for the kitchen, pantry, wet bar, and laundry room arrive on a truck from Pennsylvania.moreless - Ep 19The Carlisle House - 192/12/05
Kevin finds Roger and his crew finishing up the bluestone terrace and retaining wall under the protection of a heated tent. Generator specialist John Barros shows Kevin the new standby generator that will restore power to the house in less than 30 seconds in the event of a power failure. In the barn, Tom shows Norm the new parging on the chimney, and how he's recreating the look of the old barn loft on the new barn ceilings. Kevin visits one of the largest antique lighting restoration houses in New England to see if they can save our old barn fixture. In the master bath, Norm finds tile contractor Joe Ferrante laying out the recently arrived handmade tile. On the third floor of the barn, Kevin finds Richard installing the air handler that will provide cool air for the living hall, as well as a hydro-air until that will provide both heating and cooling to the guest suite.moreless - Ep 18The Carlisle House - 182/5/05
Despite freezing temperatures, Roger lays down sod in the front yard. Inside the Carlisle farmstead, plastering contractor Stephen Norton gives Kevin a lesson in the fine art of plastering. In the lower driveway, Norm finds garage door specialist Keith Tate and installer Dave Ferguson finishing up the installation of the custom garage doors. Then, Norm travels to upstate New York to meet architect Gil Schafer for a look at a new house that was designed to feel like a period Greek Revival. Back in Carlisle, Richard shows Kevin the new radiant floor heating system going down the barn.moreless - Ep 17The Carlisle House - 171/29/05
Nurseryman Peter Mezzit arrives on site with a truckload of plant material, and (with frost on the ground) it's not a moment too soon. Roger unloads the plants while landscape architect Stephanie Hubbard reviews the placement of the new birch trees. Inside the barn, Norm finds Tom overseeing the insulation of the barn with a water-blown expanding soft foam insulation. To learn the language of Greek temple architecture and how it influenced the American Greek Revival period, architect Thomas Gordon Smith shows Kevin a full-scale model of the Parthenon in Nashville, Tennessee and an ornate house called "Rattle and Snap." Back in Carlisle, in the master bedroom, Norm finds plasterer Stephen Norton hanging wallboard - made out of a new product that's non-combustible, moisture resistant, and mold resistant - an important innovation as mold problems continue to plague the building industry.moreless - Ep 16The Carlisle House - 161/22/05
Richard shows Kevin how the utility company will make a new gas connection to the house. Roger brings in paving contractor Don Sloan to lay the basecoat of the lower driveway. Norm shows Kevin how carpenter Charlie Silva is installing pre-painted fiber cement siding to the exterior of the house. Kevin meets in-home media specialist Todd Riley at a showroom in Braintree, Massachusetts to see what's available today in home automation and media systems technology. Tom reveals the engineering behind the stringer-less staircase that will extend from the garage to the third floor of the barn.moreless - Ep 15The Carlisle House - 151/15/05
As part of our 25th anniversary season, Kevin returns to the show's first timber frame barn project, the Concord Barn, to see how the building has held up over the last 15 years, and learn from homeowners Lynn and Barbara Wickwire what it's really like to live in a barn. Chimney specialist Mark Schaub oversees the prep and pour of a new flue for the living hall fireplace. Back in Carlisle, Richard shows Kevin the anatomy of the new submersible pump that will be 400 feet underground inside our new well. Norm and Tom shows Kevin how to work with the latest generation of pressure treated lumber while building the front entry porch.moreless - Ep 14The Carlisle House - 141/8/05
Tom reports that after two days of drilling, the well contractors finally found water - 700 feet down. Norm shows Kevin the progress in the future garage and how the space can be heated with up to five zones of radiant heat in the slab. In the barn, Norm finds mason Tony Martin creating a veneer for the fireplace surround out of fieldstone and mortar. At a stone supply yard in Woburn, Massachusetts, Kevin learns how to select granite countertops from granite specialist Susan Tuller and interior designer Alexa Hampton. Paint color specialist Bonnie Krims shows Kevin historical paint color schemes for the project house. For the benefit of the paint job (and his crew) painting contractor Jim Clark sets up shop in the heated basement to paint the fiber cement siding before it goes up.moreless - Ep 13The Carlisle House - 131/1/05
Kevin opens the show in Concord, Massachusetts, where dozens of stately elm trees once lined Main Street - until Dutch Elm disease nearly destroyed them all. At the project house, elm tree specialist Roger Holloway plants two three-inch caliper Princeton Elms - a disease-resistant cultivar that is helping return the elm to the American landscape. Well contractor David Haynes begins prospecting for water in the side yard, while master electrician Allen Gallant shows Norm the challenge he's facing with wiring both the SIPs and the timberframe barn. Lighting designer Susan Arnold shows Kevin some creative lighting solutions at another renovated barn in Reading, Massachusetts. Tom installs pre-finished cedar single panels that go up six times faster than individual shingles and carry a 35-year warranty. As darkness falls, the new well is already 200 feet deep, and counting.moreless - Ep 12The Carlisle House - 1212/25/04
With the house just about to go on the market, real estate agent Laura Baliestiero shows Kevin how she plans to present the renovated farmstead to potential buyers. Roofing contractor Mark McNicholas shows Norm how his crew is putting down a traditional 30-year, black 3-tab shingle to achieve a crisp black roofline. In the barn, chimney specialist Mark Schaub works with Tom and Roger to design and install the new fieldstone hearthstone. Outside, Roger cuts down the 500-pound stone, while inside Tom scribes the wood sub-floor to accept the new hearth. Carpentry apprentices Joe Langlais and Laura Cyr begin installing pre-finished cedar shingle panels on the barn, while Kevin visits Minuteman Regional High School to see what the apprentices do when they are not on the jobsite. At the end of the day, Kevin helps the crew roll the finished hearthstone into the barn on a system of PVC rollers. Thanks to Tom's accurate templates and Roger's precision cutting - it's a perfect fit.moreless - Ep 11The Carlisle House - 1112/18/04
Kevin finds Tom milling up exterior window castings that look like wood, but are actually made out of cellular PVC material that is resistant rot. Richard installs PEX water supply lines throughout the house. In the barn, chimney specialist Mark Schaub shows Norm the final design of the Rumford fireplace and chosen materials - granite hearth, fieldstone surround, soapstone firebox, and recycled oak lintel. Kevin welcomes senior design consultant Alexa Hampton to the show by visiting a ten-thousand square-foot French Neoclassical home that she's working on in New Orleans. Kitchen designer Kathy Marshall presents her plans for the kitchen using cardboard mock-ups of the proposed cabinetry.moreless - Ep 10The Carlisle House - 1012/11/04
Roger shows Kevin how he's refusing the old foundation capstones as granite steps to connect the two driveways. Mason Mike Lapitsky explains to Kevin how he selects, chisels, and dry fits old New England fieldstone to create a farmer's walls. Inside the barn, Norm shows Kevin how the "living hall" is taking shape - all of the windows are in, all three of the floor decks are in place, and the rough plumbing is complete. Entomologist Ron Schwalb treats the old timers for insects and mold using a borate-based solution. For inspiration, architect Jeremiah Eck takes Kevin to see a dramatic great room and Rumford fireplace at a home he's recently designed in Lincoln, Massachusetts. Kevin lends Norm and Tom a hand as they raise the ceilings in the future kids' room three inches to achieve much-needed headroom. Richard brings in well contractor Dave Hayes to test the flow and capacity of the existing well - with surprising results.moreless - Ep 9The Carlisle House - 912/4/04
Kevin drives up to find landscaping finally underway and the house is full of 100 newly arrived windows. Stone wall expert Nick O'Hara shows Kevin why he has to send back an entire truckload of fieldstone - it's lacking the character necessary to build a traditional New England farmer's wall. Tom gives Kevin a lesson in how to properly flash a window. In the future kitchen, Kevin and Norm wonder if the kitchen is too big and enlist the help of certified kitchen designer, Kathy Marshall, to help define the space. Kathy shows Kevin a dream kitchen that she recently created for a family of four, as well as a cabinet showroom where the design process begins for the Carlisle kitchen.moreless - Ep 8The Carlisle House - 811/27/04
Kevin and Roger meet landscape architect Stephanie Hubbard to review her latest plan for the property, which features the rural simplicity of open spaces, low stone walls, hedges, and a few new elm trees. Richard installs a new 2,000-gallon dual-compartment septic tank and formulates a plan for the rough plumbing. Norm meets architect Jeremiah Eck to learn how his modern window selections will update the New England farmstead vernacular. In Park City, Utah, Kevin visits a house that's all about windows, and a whole lot more. Tom brings in specialist Kevin Kirkland to treat the new construction with a non-toxic borate solution to protect against future insect infestations.moreless - Ep 7The Carlisle House - 711/20/04
Detectorist Bob Phillips discovers a cannonball at the job site that may be a souvenir from the war of 1812. Norm shows Kevin the progress on the framing of the old Greek Revival house and the new connecting ell. Tom introduces Kevin to two carpentry students that are part of the This Old House 25th Anniversary apprenticeship program. Then Tom explains how he's built up all ten posts on the short side of the barn by using scarf joints to make the connections. Kevin travels to New Haven, Connecticut, to visit the Yale Building Project, a graduate class that requires Ivy League architecture students to learn by doing as they design and build a stylish urban home in a low-income neighborhood. Back at our project, Norm meets structural insulated panel expert Frank Baker to see another application for the SIPS technology - it's a fast way to install an insulated structural floor.moreless - Ep 6The Carlisle House - 611/13/04
Tom uses laminated veneer lumber to make up 40-foot beams that will support the first floor deck of the barn. Kevin meets panelized construction specialist Jim LeRoy to watch the I-joist floor panels for the new ell swinging into place with a crane. Norm meets structural insulated panel expert Frank Baker to see the SIPs wall system go up. After discovering that several of our old trees are sick with the fatal diseases Dutch Elm and Ash Yellows, certified arborist Matt Foti brings in two crews with bucket trucks to safely remove them. At the end of the day, Tom and Norm are surprised to learn that the barn was built with one side shorter than the other - a quirt that will cost them time and money.moreless - Ep 5The Carlisle House - 511/6/04
Kevin visits Great Brook Farm State Park, a 1,000-acre park and the last working dairy farm in Carlisle, Massachusetts. Tom shows Kevin how he created a custom crushed stone flooring for the foundation using a "stone slinger" - a high-speed conveyor that projects stone as far as 75 feet. Norm oversees the installation of a new insulated foundation system that's pre-cast in a factory and then trucked to the job site. Certified arborist Matt Foti shows Kevin and Roger how to relocate the septic tank without harming an old catalpa tree that might be worth saving.moreless - Ep 4The Carlisle House - 410/30/04
Tom brings in an excavator fitted with a hoe ram to jackhammer away the ledge standing in the way of our new basement. Using a 3D model, Richard explains the anatomy of a septic system, and what we'll have to do to bring our system up to code. Under the jacked-up barn, Norm shows the state of the existing rubble stone foundation. For inspiration, Kevin travels to Vermont to meet Ken Epworth of "The Barn People," a group that rescues, restores, and relocates old timber frame barns. Ken shows Kevin how the old barns came down in the field, and how they go back up as restored barns and dramatic living spaces.moreless - Ep 3The Carlisle House - 310/23/04
Kevin finds Roger clearing land for a much-needed job site parking lot. Architect Jeremiah Eck walks Norm and Kevin through a 3-D model of his proposed design. Highlights include dramatic reuse of the existing timberframe barn as a "living hall," an updated floor plan incorporating the kitchen and dining room in the new connecting ell, and an addition containing a generous master suite. Tom brings in a barn jacking crew to lift the 65-ton barn two feet off the ground so his crew can repair the foundation and replace the first floor deck. Demolition contractors arrive to knock down the failing ell, which will be rebuilt using structural insulated panels.moreless - Ep 2The Carlisle House - 210/16/04
Have house, will renovate! Thanks to an accepted bid, This Old House is now the proud owner of a classic New England farmstead in Carlisle, Massachusetts. To be sure that the house will have all the right amenities, Kevin and Norm meet with a local real estate agent Laura Baliestiero to see what buyers are looking for in Carlisle. Then Kevin asks architect Jeremiah Eck to do the design work, and also checks in with the town's Board of Appeals to understand the bylaws affecting our project. Former resident Eleanor Duren shares photos and memories of her years growing up on the farm.moreless - Ep 1The Carlisle House - 110/9/04
This Old House celebrates 25 years of home renovation by going back to its roots. The season opens with Kevin and Norm taking a look at the first This Old House project in Dorchester, Massachusetts - a house the show brought, renovated, and sold in 1979. This season we'll be homeowners again, with some of the proceeds from the sale of the 25th anniversary centerpiece project endowing a new scholarship for the building arts. To find just the right house, Norm takes Kevin to Carlisle, Massachusetts, a beautiful New England town 20 miles outside Boston. After looking at several properties, This Old House decides to take on an 1849 Greek Revival-style farmstead that's big on charm, but needs a lot of work to be comfortable for a modern family.moreless
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Season 25
- Ep 26The Bermuda House - 84/1/04
- Ep 25The Bermuda House - 73/25/04
- Ep 24The Bermuda House - 63/18/04
- Ep 23The Bermuda House - 53/11/04
- Ep 22The Bermuda House - 43/4/04
- Ep 21The Bermuda House - 32/26/04
- Ep 20The Bermuda House - 22/19/04
- Ep 19The Bermuda House - 12/12/04
- Ep 18The Concord Cottage - 182/7/04
It's the big day, and Kevin arrives at the completed cottage in style (circa 1894) on a horse named "Daisy." Roger and Norm help him tie up at the new hitching post. Then Kevin catches up with Janet for a brief reflection on why the end of the project is bittersweet for her family, and is now more important than ever. Upstairs in the laundry area, home economist Lucinda Ottusch shows Kevin the latest in laundry technology: a washer that can sense how dirty the clothes are while handling 16-pair of jeans at once. Kevin meets lighting designer Susan Arnold to see her interior and exterior lighting choices and to get a demo of a new high-tech radio frequency lighting control system. Richard shows Norm the finished bathrooms and mechanical room, including a central vacuum system that will help the air clean inside the house. Window treatment specialist Kara Roberts shows Kevin the simple whit linen panels selected for the cottage windows, and an alternative way to dress them up. Next door in Janet's basement, Kevin meets furniture specialist Debbie McKirihan for a look at the semi-custom furniture her company created for the cottage. Holly shows Kevin and homeowner Jackie Buckley the finished kitchen and explains the universal design elements that will make the kitchen easy for people for all ages and abilities to use. Moments before the wrap party begins, Tricia shows Kevin how her design elements work together to evoke the comfortable, classic feeling of an old carriage house. At the wrap party, the crew congratulates Tom on a job well done - and one that proves that small houses can be big on charm, especially when delivered on time and on budget.moreless - Ep 17The Concord Cottage - 171/31/04
Kevin meets Holly for a look at the exterior details of the cottage, including a pressure-treated southern yellow pine roof shingle that carries a 30-year warranty. In the kitchen, Kevin meets countertop installer Dimitri Kampouris to see the new honed 'Black Zimbabwe' granite countertops going in. Upstairs, Kevin finds a crew from a local home center installing a stain-resistant carpet that is both durable and soft - a combination that's tough to create. Downstairs in the living room, lead carpenter Jason Wood shows Kevin a few tricks to installing hardware on a rail-and-stile closet door. Then Kevin meets stained glass artist Jim Anderson to see the custom windows he's created for the cottage, including one small design that bears an important date - that of the original barn - 1894. Upstairs, Kevin meets John Jawarski, owner of an online custom closet company that lets homeowners design and install their own closet systems. As the day winds down, Tom clears the decks and puts Kevin to work sealing the stair treads with polyurethane, while Norm meets finishing expert Bruce Johnson at a plant in Flora, Illinois, to see how polyurethane and stain are manufactured.moreless - Ep 16The Concord Cottage - 161/24/04
Despite a cold winter chill, today's the day for sod - 12,000 square feet of it, to be exact. Roger shows Kevin the unloading and installation of the 48 62-foot-long rolls of sod. Then Kevin meets Stephanie and Janet to learn how the new plants will grow in over the years to create a lush cottage garden. Inside, Kevin finds tile contractor Joe Ferrante laying out and laying down 16x24-inch distressed Irish limestone tiles, and finds that Tom is relying on a team from a local home center to install the engineered maple floor. Meanwhile, Norm meets plant manager John Tappan at a factory in Danville, Virginia, to see how engineered flooring is manufactured. Upstairs in the master suite, screen fabricator and installer Steve Primack shows Kevin how he can create a custom retractable screen for the balcony door on site in about one hour. In the living room, Kevin gets an "Interior Painting 101" lesson from painting contractor Jim Clark.moreless - Ep 15The Concord Cottage - 151/17/04
It is wall-to-wall subs today! Everyone from the tile guy to the fireplace guy to the painter to the granite-pillar guy - that would be Roger - are at the Concord Cottage. Kevin checks out Roger's latest project: installing granite bollards in front of the barn door to prevent vehicles from accidentally backing into the barn, while also adding lots of old-time character. In the front hall, tile contractor Joe Ferrante is prepping the radiant deck for tile, first with thinset, then with cement board. In the living room, chimney specialist Mark Schaub shows Kevin the new remote-controlled gas fireplace that can be vented up or straight out, via an exterior wall, and installs in about a hour. At Boston's Design Center, Kevin meets interior designers Tricia McDonagh and Charles Spada to see the antiques they've selected, and are still considering, for the cottage. Back at the site, Kevin lends Norm a hand installing the sliding windows over the kitchen sink.moreless - Ep 14The Concord Cottage - 141/10/04
Kevin arrives just in time to see the installation of the new fence, trellis, and gate. Then, Stephanie gives Kevin an update on the site plan, explaining how new plantings will help conceal the utility shed in the back corner of the Cottage. Kevin surveys the progress on the first floor and finds a new custom front door in place, as well as a built-in hutch in the dining room made off-site by local cabinetmaker Jon Sammis. Tom shows Kevin coping techniques - traditional and new-fangled - as he works to build and fit a cap for the crown molding in the dining room. Kevin stops off at the historic Noah Brooks Tavern in Lincoln, Massachusetts, to see the Junior League of Boston's Show House - an annual event that brings more than 30,000 visitors to see the work of some of the best interior designers in Boston. Then, Kevin makes a trip to The New Yankee Workshop to see Norm's progress on the frame for the interior sliding window unit.moreless - Ep 13The Concord Cottage - 131/3/04
Norm at the Concord Cottage during the first snow of the season and finds the bad weather slowing down both the landscaping and the exterior painting. In the future dining room, Norm and Tom show Kevin how they're creating decorative wall panels by applying chair rail, baseboard, and surface applied moldings directly to the plaster. In Walpole, Massachusetts, fencing specialist Mark Bushway helps Janet pick the right size shed in a style that will complement the cottage; back in Concord, Kevin helps Mark put the shed together on site. With the base cabinets complete in the kitchen, Norm and Tom show Kevin a simple way to fabricate the face frames using a pocket hole cutter. In the parking court, Roger shows Kevin how to lay out and set regulation size cobblestones in a setting bed of stone dust and cement to achieve a flush finish and minimize cuts.moreless - Ep 12The Concord Cottage - 1212/27/03
Kevin and Norm arrive at the jobsite to find the base coat of the driveway down, and the new fancy cut shingles finally up on the gable end of the cottage. Roger shows Kevin how he's laid out the new brick walkway and raised the grade by the front door to allow for a comfortable 6-inch stair rise. The homeowners have already secured permission to add a ramp for added accessibility should it become necessary in the future. In the kitchen, Kevin's surprised to find there's no outside cabinet company on this job - the kitchen's so small that Tom's crew is building everything on site. Tom and Norm build the base cabinet for the pantry out of veneer plywood, while Roger takes Kevin to see a recently renovated garden center that's currently growing plants on more than 650 acres. They meet owner Wayne Mezitt to select, tag, and dig some of the plants for the Concord project, including Japanese tree lilacs, stewardia, and several spectacular pink diamond hydrangea. In the first floor bathroom, tile contractor Joe Ferrante shows Norm and Kevin the challenge he's facing in pitching the whole bathroom floor to a corner drain, while incorporating radiant tubing into the mud job. With just over eight weeks ago on the project, Kevin and Norm check in with Janet and her mom on the status of the job.moreless - Ep 11The Concord Cottage - 1112/20/03
Kevin finds Roger inspecting a new shipment of select bluestone from Pennsylvania and cobblestones imported from India. Out back, Roger shows Kevin the right way to lay a bluestone patio using stone dust and cement over three feet of pack for drainage. Inside the cottage, Tom shows Kevin how wallboard contractor Paul Landry is hanging wallboard - it's a new product that's non-combustible, moisture resistant, and mold resistant - an important innovation as mold problems continue to plague the building industry. Richard shows Kevin the air-to-air heat exchanger (which will bring fresh air into the building) and a new radiant heat system that's installed in the outside walls going up the stairs. Kevin meets up with Janet and interior designer Tricia McDonagh for a preview of her design choices for the cottage. Holly takes Kevin to Acton, Massachusetts to see the in-law suite that she created for homeowner Sylvia Arrom's 90-year old parents. In the kitchen of the main house, family friends Joanne and Jordan Lovejoy show Kevin and Janet how turn her ripe Concord grapes into jelly.moreless - Ep 10The Concord Cottage - 1012/13/03
On one of the first cool days of autumn, Kevin arrives to find Roger excavating the jobsite in preparation for the hardscape install. Roofing contractor Alex Alpert shows Kevin how his crew is installing a standing seam copper roof on the new addition. Tom gives Kevin a progress tour of the interior spaces, showing how the first floor can be transformed to accommodate one-floor living should it become necessary for the homeowners Jackie and Len Buckley. On the second floor, Richard shows Kevin the new 5-foot cast iron whirlpool tub, a European towel warmer that will also serve as the room's main source of heat, and a split-type air conditioner that will keep the entire second floor cool during the summer. With the new window already set in the center of the old hayloft door, Norm shows Kevin how he's making a false exterior door out of medium density overlay. On the island of Martha's Vineyard, Kevin visits another small cottage, designed by architect Jeremiah Eck, for an active couple in their 70s.moreless - Ep 9The Concord Cottage - 912/6/03
Tom shows Kevin how the red cedar sidewall shingles are installed in decorative courses, designed by Holly in a classic turn-of-the-century pattern. Tom shows Kevin the most complicated part of the job - braiding the shingles to cover both the outside and inside corners. Norm uses a template and router to cut holes in the old barn door for the new windows. Kevin lends him a hand reinforcing the back of the door and then setting the first window, which gets inserted from the back in order to maintain a low front profile. Richard shows Kevin the compact wall-mounted condensing boiler that will save space and energy and virtually eliminates boiler noise - it's quieter than most refrigerators. In Spring Green, Wisconsin, insulating glass expert Tom Kaiser shows Kevin how residential window glass is coated with silver for energy efficiency, then sandwiched together and injected with argon to form insulating glass panels. Back in Concord, Jeff meets with Roger and landscape architect Stephanie Hubbard to see the first pass at the landscape plan, and to discuss practical aspects of executing it.moreless - Ep 8The Concord Cottage - 811/29/03
Norm finds Tom installing exterior trim that looks like wood but is actually cellular PVC and therefore resistant to rot. Inside, Kevin finds Jeff finalizing the lighting plan with master electrician Allen Gallant. In the future sunroom, Kevin lends Norm and Tom a hand installing the new clad windows that look just like Janet's traditional wood windows on the main house. At a Menomonie, Wisconsin, facility that produces more than 550 tons of glass per day, float glass expert Al Slavich shows Kevin how residential window glass is manufactured using state-of-the-art technology. With the rough plumbing complete and inspected, it's time to infill the slab. To cut costs, Tom shows Kevin how to make concrete from scratch - 3 parts gravel, 2 parts sand, 1 part cement - mixing it on site with a portable concrete mixer.moreless - Ep 7The Concord Cottage - 711/22/03
Kevin visits the Concord Museum, which houses one of the oldest collections of Americana in the country, including one of the lanterns that hung in the church on the night of Paul Revere's ride and several items relating to the life of local Concord resident Sam Staples, the man who built our project house. Tom and master plumber Ron Coldwell show Kevin the progress on the rough plumbing and how adding a shower at the last minute affected the layout of the first floor powder room. In search of other elegant small pieces, Kevin travels to Nantucket, Massachusetts, to meet homeowner Harvey Jones for a look at his charming North Wharf boathouse as well as two recently renovated guest cottages near the center of town. Back at the cottage, Norm discovers that the stairs to the second floor are too steep for older residents to navigate and that headroom is tight on the landing. Tom suggests eliminating a step to reduce the rise, allowing him to both shorten and lower the landing platform to free up the necessary headroom. Then Kevin lends Norm and Tom a hand building the new staircase.moreless - Ep 6The Concord Cottage - 611/15/03
Kevin arrives at the project house fresh from a jog around the track at Emerson Field - several acres of playgrounds, tennis courts, and ball fields - right in the Bernards' backyard. Janet ask Tom to relocate the porch stairs on the main house, which now seem too close to the future parking court, and too imposing. Tom suggests some options, but advises Janet to consult Holly, before they proceed. Roger shows Kevin a 100-year-old Concord grape vine that's growing right in the middle of the work zone. Chances of the vine surviving a transplant are slim, so Roger opts to leave the vine as is, protect it, and propagate it in place. Out back by the future sunroom, Norm shows Kevin how to set two-by-six pressure-treated sills squarely on the new foundation using sill seal foam insulation and fasteners. In nearby Lincoln, Massachusetts, Kevin meets park ranger Lou Sideris for a look at Minuteman National Historical Park and the Hartwell Tavern, a 1733 building that was the typical country inn of the Revolutionary War period. With an approved plan from the architect and an excavator on site, Tom digs the footings for the new porch stairs.moreless - Ep 5The Concord Cottage - 511/8/03
Master electrician Allen Gallant installs PVC conduit two feet below the surface of the driveway to allow the 200-amp service to reach the cottage. Using a "mouse," a string, a pull rope, and a vacuum (known to the trade as a "fishing system") his crew hauls the heavy electrical lines underground from the street to the cottage, a span of more than 200 feet. Architect Sarah Susanka shows Kevin a 3,000-foot-square house that illustrates the fundamental design principles outlined in "The Not So Big House," her best-selling book. On the second floor of the cottage, carpenter Jason Wood sisters new 2x8s to the existing 2x4 rafters and cuts a hole in the roof to accommodate the new dormer. Norm and Tom push the old roof section out and let the light in upstairs for the first time in almost 100 years.moreless - Ep 4The Concord Cottage - 411/1/03
Tom shows Kevin the progress of the new utility trench - a time-consuming and expensive undertaking that (with several thousand dollars in permit fees) has already eaten up $30,000 of the budget. Concrete cutting contractor Peter Dami is on site to make way for the final connections, using a diamond-plated coring drill to bore holes through the 10-inch foundation wall. Kevin finally meets the most important person on the job: Janet's mom Jaqueline Buckley, who will actually live in the cottage with her husband, Len. Richard takes Kevin to visit Norm at the New Yankee Workshop to see how the shop is heated and cooled - he's thinking of using some of the same solutions (radiant heat, baseboard, split system A/C) at the Concord cottage. Looking for an interior designer who knows how to work with small spaces, Kevin meets Tricia McDonagh in Boston's South End to see how her design firm made a 600-square-foot apartment feel more spacious and inviting. Inside the cottage, all four walls have been reinforced, old sheathing has come down, new plywood has gone up and the new windows have been framed in.moreless - Ep 3The Concord Cottage - 310/25/03
Kevin arrives to find the newly issued building permit affixed to the building and work finally getting underway. Holly is officially on board, and Kevin pays a visit to her office to see the first pass at floor plans, elevations, and a scale model of the cottage. Zoning laws only allow for a modest increase in overall volume, so the new one-bedroom cottage will be less than 1,000 square feet when it's done. Norm and Tom prepare to brace a bowed wall, but find a badly rotted sill that needs replacing before they can proceed. Putting Kevin to work, they build two temporary walls; once they're in place, they takt the weight off the compromised outside wall. The rotted sill comes out and a new, pressure-treated sill goes in. Then Kevin visits a converted carriage house in Winchester, Massachusetts, that's full of great ideas for the project. Unexpected rain postpones the excavation for the foundation of the new addition.moreless - Ep 2The Concord Cottage - 210/18/03
Work can't begin at the jobsite until permits are issued, so Kevin takes Janet to meet the Concord building commissioner, John Minty, to see what potential roadblocks she's facing in trying to turn an accessory building into a full-time residence. Then Kevin meets local architect Holly Cratsley to see a new home she designed to look like an old home, and an accompanying timber frame barn. Meanwhile, with flashlights, ladders, and archival photographs, Norm and preservation architect Leonard Baum reconstruct the architectural history of the project house, learning that the building started out as a one-story chicken coop with a hip roof, and that it is needed older than the zoning law itself - a finding that's essentual to moving forward with the town.moreless - Ep 1The Concord Cottage - 110/11/03
Norm welcomes new host Kevin O'Connor abord with a visit to one of the most ambitious TOH jobs to date, the Manchester-by-the-Sea project. Wanting to tackle a big job like this one his first time out, Kevin instead ends up in historic Concord, Massachusetts, with a small (but sweet) 20- by 26-foot garden shed that homeowners Jeff and Janet Bernard want to convert into an in-law cottage for Janet's retired parents. Protected by local zoning laws, the shed can't be torn down and rebuilt, so Tom will reframe the c. 1894 building from the inside out, and Richard will face the challenges of bringing water, sewer, and gas lines into the building for the first time ever. The cottage is the smallest project in This Old House history, but everyone agrees that, although there's not a lot to work with, there's still a lot to do. Janet takes Kevin to see the inspiration for her project, a small garage apartment that's part of an estate currently on the market in Concord for $7.2 million.moreless
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Season 24
- Ep 26The Lake Forest Dream Kitchen - 84/3/03
After only 12 short weeks, the Dream Kitchen is complete, and Heidi Smith and the triplets are already moved in and cooking up treats for the wrap party. Steve sees how a decorative painter treated the inside of the new kitchen cabinets and learns how a new control device will coordinate over 40 individual lights to create different lighting "scenes" for the kitchen. Acclaimed Chicago chef Rick Bayless arrives to take the new kitchen for a test drive and to answer the question "How does a pro cook at home?", shows Steve the inviting, functional kitchen he created in his house on Chicago's North Side. Homeowner Mike Smith reveals that the job cost around $85,000 - which doesn't include all the donated products. In the real world, such a transformation would have been $200,000 and taken much longer. As the wrap party begins, Steve and Norm commend all involved on a job well done and heartily agree that from location to contractors to homeowners this was a "dream" project indeed.moreless - Ep 25The Lake Forest Dream Kitchen - 73/27/03
On the way to the Lake Forest job site, Steve visits a stone fabrication shop to see where our Dream Kitchen countertops (an Italian sandstone known as Pietra del Cardoso) came from. Jim Kapcheck, a fourth-generation countertop fabricator, shows Steve what's hot in countertops and how his shop combines automation with hand-craftsmanship. At the job site, with only six working days left to go, project manager Jim Eimerman gives Steve a rundown of his punchlist. The countertops go in, Steve lends a hand setting the cast iron farm sink, and Richard installs an elaborate faucet system containing a retractable sprayer head and an undercover water filtration unit.moreless - Ep 24The Lake Forest Dream Kitchen - 63/20/03
Steve visits the Charles Glore House in Lake Forest to see what it's like to live in a house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Built in 1951, the Prairie style house's ongoing renovation is a labor of love for its current owner. Back at the project house, the cabinets have arrived in record time, and Norm recalls a recent visit to the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country to see them being constructed and finished. In the front hall, painting conrtactor Ben Evangelista begins repairing the cracks in the plaster caused by jacking the kitchen floor. As promised, it is a quick fix with tape, mud and texturing. With only two weeks to go, project manager Jim Eimerman says he's already working weekends, but predicts he'll finish the job on time.moreless - Ep 23The Lake Forest Dream Kitchen - 53/13/03
With temperatures hovering near zero, Steve brings Tom Silva to Lake Forest for the first time. Before heading to the project house, they decide to check up on project manager Jim Eimerman at one of the other jobs that he is running. Architect John Krasnodebski shows Steve and Tom a few ways to minimize the transition from drywall to brick in the new eating area. Steve tells Tom about a visit he and Norm made to Chicago's Museum of Science & Industry to see planes, trains, and a captured German submarine from World War II. In the Dream Kitchen, the new prefinished oak floor is installed as homeowner Heidi Smith and interior designer Suzanne Cederlund reveal the emerging plan for the kitchen design.moreless - Ep 22The Lake Forest Dream Kitchen - 43/6/03
Steve and Norm arrive in Lake Forest to find local carpenters braving the cold, crafting custom cedar siding for the exterior of the kitchen addition. In the former greenhouse, Richard shows Steve how he saved the homeowners valuable real estate by putting radiant heat under the floors, and in the walls of the new eating area. Local historian Paul Bergmann shows Steve a shoreline mansion built in 1911 by one of Chicago's top architects, Benjamin Marshall. A reminder of a bygone era, it's for sale for $25 million. Project manager Jim Eimerman shows Norm the new steel beam in the basement, added to level out and support the kitchen floor above, and how the solution to this problem was the cause of another: the floor jacking caused substantial cracks in the plaster in other parts of the house.moreless - Ep 21The Lake Forest Dream Kitchen - 32/27/03
The Lake Forest project is well under way as Norm works in his temporary garage workshop making the bracketed posts to be used on the breakfast room's exterior. Steve meets up with project manager Jim Eimerman for an update: a dip in the floor has been addressed with a steel beam in the basement and the floor resheathed with plywood; new windows have arrived; a new concrete floor has been poured in the breakfast room; and the drywall is up. In a flashback, Norm sees polyurethane foam insulation blown into the walls. Steve and Heidi visit kitchen designer Eileen Thurnauer at a showroom in Hinsdale, Illinois, not far from the airport. Back on East Atteridge, Heidi puts some countertop materials through a stress test and Norm, Jim, and Steve work to install the posts and beam on the front section of the breakfast room.moreless - Ep 20The Lake Forest Dream Kitchen - 22/20/03
The day begins in Lake Forest's historic Market Square. Built in 1916 by Chicago architect Howard Van Doren Shaw, the square is America's first drive-up shopping center. Back at the project house, demolition is already a distant memory as project manager Jim Eimerman shows Norm and Steve the plumbing and electrical rough-in, the new bath stripped and reframed, and the brickwork associated with moving windows underway. Steve and homeowner Heidi Smith visit a converted 1920's carriage house belonging to design/builder Kris Boyaris and her husband, architect John Krasnodebski. Steve and John discuss the challenges of squeezing a powder room into a former dead space along the hallway. Demolition has revealed several pipes wrapped in asbestos, so Norm catches up with an asbestos abatement team to see an alternative to removal: stabilization and containment.moreless - Ep 19The Lake Forest Dream Kitchen - 12/13/03
For the first time ever, This Old House let viewers choose the project. A nationwide Dream Kitchen search culminated in an online vote, with the Smith family of Lake Forest, Illinois, garnering the most votes. The challenge: Find more space in an old, cramped kitchen so homeowners Mike and Heidi Smith and their 5-year-old triplets can cook and eat in comfort. Plans for the 1928 Tudor include installing new custom cabinets and appliances, relocating an ill-placed powder room, and turning an old greenhouse into a new eating area at the front of the house. To allow the family to live in the house during the renovation, Richard Trethewey helps sets up a temporary kitchen on the sun porch, while Norm and Steve discuss design options with project architect John Krasnodebski. To contain dust and debris during demolition, the kitchen is sealed off from the rest of the house.moreless - Ep 18The Winchester House - 182/6/03
In the final show, Steve checks out the new garage storage system, including diamond-plated cabinets, toolboxes, and adaptable "gear walls." Window treatment specialist Kevin Murphy shows Steve the custom shades and drapes ordered by mail, and A/V expert Mike Smith shows him an "out of the box" media room solution that won't break the bank. Roger literally lays the groundwork for a lush new lawn next spring with a three-layer customizable grass seed mat. Norm and coppersmith Larry Stearns install a TOH weathervane atop the finished garage, while Steve test-drives some high-tech toys for the new home office. Moments before the wrap party begins, interior designer Carolina Tress-Balsbaugh reveals her multi-textured interior design for the sunroom, living room and dining room.moreless - Ep 17The Winchester House - 171/30/03
In the second-to-last show, Steve and homeowner Kim Whittemore test-drive the new stainless steel appliances. Norm meets fencing contractor Mark Bushway to admire the entire custom package: a driveway gate (make to look like the 1920s original) perimeter fence, arbor and pergola, and a new plastic fence post system designed to prevent insect damage and rot. Steve visits a nearby upholstery shop to see several of Kim's chairs, just shipped in from Alabama, being stripped, repaired, and reupholstered. Closet system designer Marcy Weisburgh shows Steve how she designed the master closet to accommodate both a window and a steam generator for the adjacent bathroom. Electrician Allen Gallant installs a five-arm Colonial Revival chandelier made by a mail order company that builds to order and delivers directly to the job site. Tom and carpenter Jason Wood line the walls with cost-effective built-in bookshelves, made from MDF and popular laminate.moreless - Ep 16The Winchester House - 161/23/03
With Steve away on assignment, Norm arrives to find Roger unloading and inspecting the last delivery from the garden center. On the sun porch floor, tiling contractor Joe Ferrante shows Norm how to apply grout around the new 12-inch by 12-inch Chinese slate tiles. Meanwhile, Steve and interior designer Carolina Tress-Balsbaugh visit a boutique in Boston that has been manufacturing custom lampshades for 150 years. Things heat up in the master bath as Richard tries out the new steam shower, then shows Norm how it works. Painting contractor Jim Clark demonstrates tips and techniques for prepping and painting the interior of the house, and flooring contractor Pat Hunt installs a new floating oak floor in the master suite. In the backyard, Roger shows Kim how creative landscaping can conceal the external air conditioning condensers.moreless - Ep 15The Winchester House - 151/16/03
Steve visits Middlesex Fells Reservation - a 3-mile by 3-mile park shared by five suburban towns North of Boston - and climbs Wright's Tower to take in the cityscape and some vibrant autumnal views. Back in Winchester, Steve helps Roger Cook and concrete contractor Syd March pour and trowel the new front walk. Custom cabinetmaker Jeff Peavey shows Steve the unique features of the newly installed kitchen cabinets. Outside, Tom shows Steve how to properly measure for storm windows. In a side story, Norm finds a custom storm window company in Connecticut that will plant aluminum storms to match any color trim. Under pressure to get the heat on down in the basement, Richard shows Steve what's new with radiant heat, and how he plans to heat three different types of floors with three distinct radiant zones. Tom and Norm carry out the architect's plan for elaborate pyramidal mahogany stairs off the sun porch.moreless - Ep 14The Winchester House - 141/9/03
Steve arrives to find Roger out front hauling away the last of the dismantled driveway. Inside, Steve finds a recovering Tom Silva, fresh from surgery and walking with a cane, but back on the job. Tom shows Steve an extruded polystyrene crown molding that is affixed only with joint compound, not nails. In the kitchen, soapstone installer Glenn Bowman shows Norm how his crew customizes soapstone counters on site. In a side trip to the Vermont woods, Glenn shows Steve how he is prospecting for deposits of soapstone in a long-abandoned quarry. In the garage, Stev finds Dave Hahn installing sectional overhead garage doors designed to look like original 1920's swingout doors.moreless - Ep 13The Winchester House - 131/2/03
With the weather turning cooler, Steve finds painting contractor Jim Clark under pressure to finish the exterior painting. On the third floor, Norm learns that Tom is off the job having emergency knee surgery due to a recent injury. With Tom out of commission, foreman John Sheridan gives Norm an update on what's left to do. Steve joins interior designer Manuel de Santaren to see how his firm designed the living room of a similar Colonial Revival. Manuel's partner, Carolina Tress-Balsbaugh, meets Steve and homeowner Kim Whittemore at the project house to present their design ideas for our living room. Flooring contractor Patrick Hunt discovers three different species of wood flooring used throughout the hosue - heart pine, beech, and oak - and shows Norm how to use a router to nearly patch holes left by the old radiators. In the backyard, Steve finds that Roger has planted a small forest of spruce and white pine to provide shade and privacy.moreless - Ep 12The Winchester House - 1212/26/02
Using a 70" tree spade mounted on a front-end loader, landscape contractor Roger Cook and arborist Matt Foti remove a healthy (but poorly located) blue spruce from a front yard in a nearby town and replant it in Winchester to begin the process of screening the backyard. To help with decision-making in the media room, host Steve Thomas and homeowner Burce Leasure visit a house that has both a high-end theater in the basement and a more modest media room on the first floor. Back at the project house, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey shows Steve three polyethylene tanks that will sotre 1,125 gallons of harvested rainwater for reuse in the garden. Master carpenter Norm Abram takes a trip to Vermont to visit coppersmith Larry Stearns who is busy building a "This Old House" weathervane.moreless - Ep 11The Winchester House - 1112/19/02
The Winchester kitchen addition is nearly complete, and general contractor Tom Silva installs the last of the new historically accurate double-hung windows on the sun porch. In the kitchen, mineral wool - an old-style insulation known for its fire resistance and sound deadening capabilities, now revamped for the residential market - is sprayed into the walls. Custom cabinetmaker Jeff Peavy lays out the design and material choices for the kitchen, and roofing contractor Tom Evarts shows master carpenter Norm Abram his crew's project: architectural asphalt for the main roof, and flat-seam lead-coated copper for the addition. Plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey shows host Steve Thomas the new plastic water supply lines, and the heating and cooling system, supplied by flexible 4" ducts.moreless - Ep 10The Winchester House - 1012/12/02
Host Steve Thomas arrives at the Winchester house to find a surpirse in the backyard: the house to the rear is fully exposed now that the neighbors have cut down additional hemlocks. A few miles away, master carpenter Norm Abram takes a look at a real estate development success story - a 1950's ranch has been torn down and replaced by a brand new Colonial Revival handcrafted to feel like an old home. In the Winchester basement, general contractor Tom Silva shows Norm and Steve the adjustments made to help reroute traffic around the future media room instead of through it, and chimney specialist Mark Sucaub uses a centrifugal hammer to break up the ailing chimney's old flue.moreless - Ep 9The Winchester House - 912/5/02
Host Steve Thomas finds homeowner Kim Whittemore experimenting with Colonial Revival paint colors on the front of the Winchester house. For further ideas, they travel with building conservation specialist Andrea Gilmore to see a classic Colonial Revival that is a high expression of the style. Plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey plans a radiant heat solution for keeping the exterior concrete basement stairs ice-free. In a side story, Steve visits a local museum dedicated to Winchester resident and photographer Arthur Griffin, noted for his legendary work with baseball's Ted Williams, and master carpenter Norm Abram takes homeowner Bruce Leasure through a variety of roofing options to replace the house's tired asphalt shingles.moreless - Ep 8The Winchester House - 811/28/02
Chimney specialist Mark Schaub meets up with host Steve Thomas in the Winchester living room and shows him why the chimney is smoking, with the help of a diagnostic "fluecam." In the kitchen, general contractor Tom Silva shows master carpenter Norm Abram and Steve how he reinforced the framing of the kitchen addition with engineered lumber and steel. Recalling the issue of the cantilevered second floor, Steve takes a look at a major renovation of perhaps the most famous cantilever in the country, that of Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater. Back at the project house, Steve lends Tom and Norm a hand on the deck structure for the new sun porch.moreless - Ep 7The Winchester House - 711/21/02
Master carpenter Norm Abram shows host Steve Thomas the new foundation for the kitchen addition and explains how to properly anchor it to the old foundation. General contractor Tom Silva and his crew begin demolition on the rotted sections of the sun porch, and Norm explains why they should salvage the roof to save both time and money. Down the street, Steve and homeowner Kim Whittemore visit a recently renovated sun porch, kitchen and media room for design ideas. In the master suite, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey lays out a plan for the rough plumbing.moreless - Ep 6The Winchester House - 611/14/02
Contractor Mark Dimeo uses a 30" diamond blade to cut a new doorway into the existing basement foundation. Host Steve Thomas checks in with painting contractor Jim Clark to see how a new non-toxic chemical paint stripper is working on the multiple layers of exterior paint. Architect David Stirling and homeowner Kime Whittemore discuss strategies to deal with the house's asymmetric roof dormers. Then, Steve and Kim go shopping for the new addition's windows.moreless - Ep 5The Winchester House - 511/7/02
It's time to begin excavation on the new Kitchen foundation! Excavater Jeff Dervin brings in a backhoe to knock down the back entry porch. In the basement, master carpenter Norm Abram and general contractor Tom Silva jackhammer through the floor to install footings for a new steel support column. Architect David Stirling presents homeowners Bruce Leasure and Kim Whittemore with a new layout for the master suite, and landscape contractor Roger Cook invites host Steve Thomas and Kim to see a nearby vintage greenhoue for inspiration.moreless - Ep 4The Winchester House - 410/31/02
Host Steve Thomas lends carpenter Charlie Silva a hand in slowly jacking up the second floor, then general contractor Tom Silva glues and bolts reinforcing LVLs to the damaged floor joists. Plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey arrives to drain the heating system and disconnect the old radiators. In the kitchen, homeowner Kim Whittemore and a friend take down the chimney brick by brick. The next day, some unwanted trees are cut "up" rather than cut down, as they are chain-sawed apart and lifted piece by piece out of the backyard with the help of a large crane.moreless - Ep 3The Winchester House - 310/24/02
Master carpenter Norm Abram arrives on site to find the demo crew suspended over the roof dismantling the top of the unused kitchen chimney. Architect David Stirling and homeowner Kim Whittemore look at the latest plans for expanding the kitchen and improving flow on the first floor. Meanwhile, landscape contractor Roger Cook meets with entomologist Bob Childs to explore ways to save the property's signature hemlocks from a potentially fatal infestation of woolly adelgids, which have been attacking forests up and down the East Coast.moreless - Ep 2The Winchester House - 210/17/02
Host Steve Thomas checks in with general contractor Tom Silva and painting contractor Jim Clark, who are busy testing means by which to strip nearly 30 layers of lead-based paint from the exterior of the house. In the backyard, landscape contractor Roger Cook shows homeowner Kim Whittemore how to properly ball and burlap several trees and shrubs, moving them to safety before construction begins. Looking to enlist the help of a good architect, Steve meets project architect David Stirling, whose firm has worked on some 120 houses in Winchester; they tour a beautiful home he designed from the ground up. Later, back at the project house, they meet up with homeowner Bruce Leasure to sketch out some solutions for the master suite.moreless - Ep 1The Winchester House - 110/10/02
Host Steve Thomas recreates a homeward commute from the 1920s, returning by train to Winchester, Massachusetts, a town that retains much of its original early 1900s character. Waiting for him at the station is master carpenter Norm Abram in a classic Ford Model A "Woody." A short drive through town brings them to a 1922 Colonial Revival home in a charming neighborhood known as the "Flats." Steve steps out back door to find new homeowner (and master gardener) Kim Whittemore pruning perennials. Their tour of the first floor reveals a tired but well-maintained house in need of updating. Meanwhile, general contractor Tom Silva, Norm and plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey search for trouble spots. Convinced that the home has "good bones" and needs primarily only surface work, Steve and Norm seal the deal with new homeowners Kim Whittemore and Bruce Leasure welcoming them to the This Old House Family.moreless
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Season 23
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Season 22
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Season 21
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Season 20
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Season 19
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Season 18
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Season 17
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Season 16
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Season 15
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Season 14
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Season 13
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Season 12
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Season 11
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Season 10
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Season 9
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Season 8
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Season 7
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Season 6
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Season 5
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Season 4
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Season 3
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Season 2
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Segments
