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Private Notes
Season 11 opens in Cambridge, Mass., where the conversion of an 1887 Victorian-era two-family house into a single-family home commences. A look at the yard turns up a few surprises; an energy audit reveals the need for efficiency upgrades; and a deconstruction expert is brought in to help with the removal of old and unneeded house parts. Also: how to customize stock shelving; and install a new washing-machine valve.
A chimney is removed brick-by-brick so that the bricks can be used on another job; a sick Norway maple is removed; an eco-resale store in Springfield, Mass., is visited. Also: installing a bluestone patio in a backyard; adding a bike rack to a garage.
A load-bearing partition wall is relocated; a dip is removed from the floor; appropriate colors for outside the house are discussed. In the second half: building a custom fireplace mantel; garden edging; repairing a leaky kitchen faucet.
The crew begins work on the first-floor ceiling; a skylight is added to the master suite. In the second half: laying sod in a yard; measuring without doing math; installing a wireless thermostat to control a heating system.
Kevin O'Connor bikes to work on a vintage bicycle; how the steps to the roof deck were removed. Also: tackling the stump left from the old maple; keeping the ducts out of the roof rafter bays in order to save space for insulation; hiding the air handler in a hall closet. In the second half: planting palm trees; replacing an old heating system-hot water heater with a single, more efficient unit.
Repointing the foundation; repairing the front porch; rebuilding a porch railing; detailing the fire blocking and fire caulking. Also: the Community Rowing organization of Massachusetts, which makes rowing on the Charles River available to everyone. In the second half: a visit to New York highlights a scale model of the city in Queens; and shows how to install task lighting in a dark kitchen and add a cable-railing system to a deck.
The concrete front walk is replaced with a bluestone design; the modifications to the replacement windows are explained; paint prep begins. In the second half: installing a new kitchen sink and faucet; adding insulated sidelights to a front door.
A visit to Japan Town in Cambridge, Mass.; a look at the exterior trim; how the clapboards are being placed in a way that will let them dry out. Also: creating a staggered shingle pattern; adding floor-warming radiant heat to the first floor; installing a condensing boiler. In the second half: installing a vinyl privacy fence; replacing a clogged shower valve.
Tinted primer is applied with airless sprayers; the second-floor windows are trimmed; the custom copper half-round gutters are installed; the zero-clearance fireplace insert is examined. In the second half: adding interior window trim; installing a device that will heat a swimming pool using the excess heat produced by a central air conditioner.
The house is spray-painted yellow; the windows are trimmed with a custom detail; custom copper half-round gutters and a Danish wood-burning fireplace are installed. Also: commercial-grade cooking appliances. In the second half: mulching a garden bed; installing a natural gas line for a barbecue grill.
Granite steps are installed; a window seat is built; MDF doors are disguised as wainscoting; the treads and newel cap on the stairs are worked on; the pine ceiling accents are whitewashed and lacquered. In the second half: using hand planes; repairing a cracked stone walkway.
Plastic dry wells are installed to prevent the yard from flooding during heavy rains; the new cabinets are examined. Also: thermostats that program themselves; deck tiles that go over the previous tiles. In the second half: adding a ceiling fan to a cathedral ceiling; installing a water softener.
Plants are brought inside despite rain; the hearth and wood box are lined with rustic sandstone; wall-mounted lavatory faucets are installed. Also: fabricating the huge butcher block countertop. In the second half: temporarily moving a mature rose bush; replacing old outdoor lighting with new fixtures.
The driveway, walk-in closets, home automation and powder-room wallpaper are highlighted; a workbench is built. Also: local glass artist Carrie Gustafson shows how she's making the foyer light. In the second half: restoring terrazzo floors; repairing a cracked floor joist.
The Cambridge project finale highlights the landscape and a vintage doorbell in the foyer. Also: color additions accent the white Scandinavian modern interior. In the second half: installing a toilet; driving eye screws; patching a lawn with grass seed.
The conversion of a 1935 Essex, Mass., cottage into a residence for aging parents commences. Included: architect Sally DeGan previews the plan. In the second half: hanging a flat panel TV on the wall and concealing all the wiring; controling insect pests without using pesticides.
The Institute for Human Centered Design in Boston and one of architect Sally DeGan's accessibly designed projects are visited. On the project site, a bad shed dormer is removed and work starts on a barrier-free entry. In the second half: maintaining kitchen appliances; installing a rain gutter, downspout and rain barrel.
Keeping water out of the house through flashing and water-table techniques; designing the grade for a barrier-free entry. In the second half: building a storage bench for an entryway; soldering copper pipes; maintaining an overgrown perennial garden.
Reviving a neglected water feature; drilling for a new water well and geothermal wells; bending a PVC conduit to run the new electrical service underground. In the second half: caring for orchids as houseplants; installing a kitchen wall cabinet.
Geothermal bore holes are filled and grouted; shingles are woven around a corner for a cottage look; custom PVC window trim is milled and installed. In the second half: harvesting corn; insulating ductwork; and maintaining clothes washers and dryers.
Granite and bluestone are used to finish the barrier-free walk that leads to the house; the standing-seam metal roof is installed, with creative ducting and plumbing minimizing the number of holes that need to go through it. In the second half: installing a ductless heat pump; discussing LED lighting; selecting houseplants for different situations; driving eye screws.
The Old World look of the walls is completed with rustic plaster and old beams; a self-contained membrane bioreactor septic system is installed in the basement; the driveway is adorned with a granite and cobble border. In the second half: solving a mystery of melted vinyl siding; conducting a whole-house energy audit.
The last shipyard in Essex, Mass., is visited; a home with accessible retrofits is toured. Also: building shiplap barn-board walls and a mantel; examining the finished yard; laying out the reclaimed tile hearth. In the second half: safely using ladders; replacing a three-handle shower valve with a single-handle anti-scald valve.
Exterior details help bring the outside into the sunroom; the look of the original cottage is revived with parged plaster, salvaged hearth tile and stained quarter-sawn oak floors. Also: visiting Daryl Hall at his antique home and studio. In the second half: installing surge protectors; cutting and shaping rocks for hardscaping projects.
The geothermal system's installation is recapped; reclaimed marble tile is used in the foyer; and custom-ordered, hand-painted border tile is used in the kitchen. Also: a tour of the Seattle home of architect Emory Baldwin. In the second half: making and installing custom concrete countertops; making watertight connections without soldering; demonstrated cordless landscape tools.
The Season 11 finale tours the cottage after the installation of interior screens and a Dutch door. In the second half: servicing subway trains; painting kitchen cabinets; estimating landscape material by the cubic yard; installing a smart thermostat.
