Add
Private Notes
This Old House opens a new season with work on a 300-year-old farmstead that is rich in Colonial history. Homeowners Joe and Becky Titlow plan to preserve the historic part of the house while adding space and modern amenities with two small additions. Architect Dan Quaile presents the plan using a remarkable model generated from a 3-D printer, while general contractor Tom Silva inspects the structure and historic window sash, which will be restored. In the basement, plumbing and heating expert, Richard Trethewey, finds the relic of an antique water pump system, and a newer mechanical system that contains some inefficient and unsafe aspects. Master carpenter Norm Abram is concerned about the high water table, especially when it comes to excavating for the new additions. Landscape contractor Roger Cook considers the half-acre lot and what the homeowners would like to add—a storage shed, raised garden beds, a new driveway, and stone walls. The bulk of the landscape work will be clearing and reclaiming nearly half of the back yard that has been overwhelmed by brambles and invasives.
Landscape contractor Roger Cook starts by transplanting the shrubs and plants from the front of the house to a place where they can be "heeled in" for safe keeping until the job is complete. Homeowner Joe Titlow shows host Kevin O'Connor how his company builds highly detailed architectural models (and a whole host of other useful items) by printing them with a 3-D printer. Then, Roger gets to work clearing the small trees and overgrowth that are in the way of the new family room addition. Near the oldest part of the house, Kevin and master carpenter Norm Abram dig in by removing the front entry porch and the accessibility ramp. Then, in accordance with the new EPA lead paint laws, they set up to begin removing the peeling and rotted clapboards. Out back, general contractor Tom Silva shows Kevin how he's laying out for the new addition, and excavation begins. As expected, water is discovered, and Roger gets to work setting up a drain and sump pump system to deal with it. Mason Mark McCullough arrives to demo the exterior parts of the 1970s-era chimney that are in the way of the new addition.
Master carpenter Norm Abram continues work on removing the old clapboards, while out back at the new addition, general contractor Tom Silva and mason Mark McCullough carefully open up a hole in the old fieldstone foundation that will connect the old basement space to the new. Inside, host Kevin O'Connor finds window restoration specialist Alison Hardy and her crew removing the historic sashes to be taken off site for rehab. Plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey visits the local library to see the oldest existing flag in the country, the Bedford Flag, first hand. Back at the project house, Tom shows Kevin a rotted sill that he found during demo and explains how he plans to patch, rather than replace it. The footprint of the addition starts to take shape as Tom forms the new foundation out of ICFs. At the end of the day, a concrete truck arrives for the pour.
Host Kevin O'Connor arrives to find the floor and walls of the new entry addition framed up, and general contractor Tom Silva getting ready to create the connection to the main house. He lends a hand as they frame up the new roof that will overlay the existing roof. Mason Mark McCullough returns to repair the exterior chimney that was cut away to make way for the new family room addition. Mark shows Kevin how to weave in the bricks so they look like they've always been there. Homeowner Joe Titlow shows Kevin why he wants the hulking fireplace and chimney gone from his kitchen, and they get to work removing it from the top down, brick by brick. Master carpenter Norm Abram revisits the oldest This Old House project to date, the Acton Project, to see how the addition there is holding up after 17 years, and what they'd do differently if they could do it all again. Back at the project house, Kevin and Joe check out some recent discoveries from the jobsite—musket balls, sleigh bells, ox shoes, and silverware from the Colonial days.
Host Kevin O'Connor meets with landscape designer Jenn Nawada Evans to see her plan for the rambling site. The first order of business is reclaiming a good percentage of the backyard from invasive vines and brambles that have been encroaching on the lawn for years. Landscape contractor Roger Cook and his crew make quick work of it using a skid steer loader with a brush hog attachment. General contractor Tom Silva and master carpenter Norm Abram assemble and raise the gable wall for the new family room addition. Then, on the front of the house, Tom and Kevin repair a historic windowsill that has collapsed, while adding new insulation, flashing, and side casings to the opening. At the end of the day, Norm and Kevin demo the old, low ceiling in the ell to see if any head height can be reclaimed for the new kitchen.
Host Kevin O'Connor arrives to find the new family addition framed up and sheathed using something fairly new – a coated OSB product that has the properties of a house wrap built in. Building science expert Joe Lstiburek explains why he thinks the sheathing board, when properly installed with taped seams, beats traditional methods of keeping air and water out of a building. Inside, Kevin finds general contractor Tom Silva and a major discovery—a cast iron pipe that was run several years ago straight through two structural beams in the kitchen. The fix is a new footing and lally column in the basement, and new post supports in the kitchen placed to accommodate the new stove vent hood. Master carpenter Norm Abram meets window restoration specialist Alison Hardy at her shop in Peabody, Massachusetts, to see the historic window sash stripped, repaired, re-glazed and repainted. Later at the house, they will be weather stripped and outfitted with new hardware to increase their insulating and mechanical performance. With the structured now fully repaired, Tom and Kevin take down the old wall of the ell, opening up the kitchen to the new family room for the first time.
General contractor Tom Silva tops off the existing cellulose insulation in the walls of the oldest part of the house. Meanwhile, landscape contractor Roger Cook takes homeowner Becky Titlow to see a display of "garden to table" raised beds at Elm Bank Reservation in Wellesley, MA. Then, back at the house, landscape designer Jenn Nawada lends a hand as Roger builds raised beds out of fieldstone from the old foundation, and Becky plants the first vegetables for her family. On the roof of the new addition, Tom shows host Kevin O'Connor how he's using a self-sealing membrane on the low slope roof, and at the drip edge, to properly waterproof the roof.
General contractor Tom Silva finishes up the last of the structural work by replacing an undersized and partially rotted old post in the kitchen. Meanwhile, window restoration specialist Alison Hardy reinstalls the restored historic window sashes in the dining room, adding spring-action hardware and weatherstripping to make them more efficient. In the garage, host Kevin O'Connor finds electrician Allen Gallant upgrading the electrical service to 100 amps so it can function as a workshop. Allen installs a system of metallic tubing as conduit on the inside of the building, and outside, brings the wires to the garage via a fishing system controlled by foot pedals for safety. Then, Kevin meets interior designers Dee Elms and Andrew Terrat at a house they designed in Cambridge, MA that inspired the look for the Bedford Project kitchen. Back at the house, Tom shows Kevin how he's removing the more modern narrow strip flooring in the study to reveal the more historic wide pine boards underneath. With a light sanding and clear finish, the 200-year-old patina will stay intact
General contractor Tom Silva installs new red cedar clapboards on the oldest part of the house using a story pole to match the coursing of a later addition. Then, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey arrives to help remove some existing plumbing that's in the way of the new kitchen. Meanwhile, landscape contractor Roger Cook installs a new horseshoe-shaped asphalt driveway that will later be topped with a rustic finish to make it look like a stone driveway, without the mess or the maintenance. Then, Richard shows host Kevin O'Connor how he's solving a rough plumbing problem by using a wet vent in the downstairs powder room.
Master carpenter Norm Abram and general contractor Tom Silva rebuild the front door surround to eliminate rot and also to create a more attractive and historically accurate entranceway. Certified arborist Matt Foti inspects the ailing American Beech tree, and finding die back and root compaction, prescribes deep root injections that will both amend and aerate the soil. Host Kevin O'Connor meets nurse-turned-general contractor Monica MacKenzie at an antique home she recently renovated in Hingham, Massachusetts. Back in Bedford, interior designers Dee Elms and Andrew Terrat show Kevin and homeowner Becky Titlow where the design for the new space is headed—a sophisticated blend of modern and rustic elements that will be comfortable and low maintenance for the family.
Landscape contractor Roger Cook installs a 3,000-pound slab of reclaimed granite for the front step. Meanwhile, general contractor Tom Silva installs new wood windows in the addition that come with exterior trim already attached and finished in the factory. In the next town over, in Concord, Massachusetts, master carpenter Norm Abram stops in to see the progress on the period restoration of the Colonel James Barrett house, a little known house that played a big role in the American Revolution. Back in Bedford, host Kevin O'Connor finds plumbing and heating contractor Richard Trethewey and local HVAC contactor Kevin Doran sealing and insulating the old ductwork, and also fabricating new ductwork for the addition. Meanwhile, in the backyard, Roger and his crew have prepped the soil, and are broadcasting a rye grass mix that will blend with the old lawn but will require less maintenance.
General contractor Tom Silva and master carpenter Norm Abram install the massive decorative timbers in the new family room. Meanwhile, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey shows host Kevin O'Connor the location for the new A/C condenser and how to set it on a prefabricated concrete mounting pad. Then, Norm visits the Parson Capen House in Topsfield, MA—a house similar to the Bedford house from 1683 that's been largely unaltered over the years. Back in Bedford, Tom shows Kevin the progress on the new front entry deck and how he's fastening the mahogany deck boards with a new hidden fastening system. It consists of a tool that serves as both a spacer for the boards and a jig for the proprietary screws. In the backyard, homeowner Joe Titlow works with family and friends to install a new garden shed that he ordered online from the home center. At the end of the day, the insulation crew arrives to add closed cell spray foam insulation to the new addition.
Landscape contractor Roger Cook uses old-style bricks made in Massachusetts to create a winding path to the new entry door. He uses half-bricks strategically placed to cheat the joints just enough to make the turns. Meanwhile, inside, wallboard and plaster are up, and the cabinets are going in. Kitchen designer Kathy Marshall shows host Kevin O'Connor the challenges of fitting a modern kitchen into an ell from the 1700s, and the solutions she came up with along with general contractor Tom Silva, to hide some of the imperfections. Then, in the family room, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey unpacks the zero-clearance gas fireplace to show Kevin how it works before it is installed. Next, master carpenter Norm Abram helps Tom make and install wainscoting for the powder room out of old sheathing boards. Then, outside, Tom gives Kevin the news that our red farmhouse will no longer be red—the homeowners liked the gray primer so much that the finish color has been switched to a similar gray-blue. Painting contractor Mauro Henrique uses an airless sprayer to begin the transformation. Meanwhile, in the kitchen, the eleven-inch-wide white oak floor boards go down with staples, glue to prevent cupping, and cut nails for historic effect.
General contractor Tom Silva restores the c. 1720 front door. The 1300-pound marble island top arrives. Plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey shows a new zone damper system. Furniture maker Steve Staples makes our custom table top out of reclaimed joists. Tom uses old doors to make sliding "barn" doors for the pantry. Mason Mark McCullough installs the brick hearth using reclaimed bricks.
Roger Cook lays the driveway finish. Allen Gallant installs LED lights. Tony Bevilacqua shows custom canvas wall coverings. Blacksmith Carl Close shows Colonial-inspired ironwork. Tom Silva shows the new garage door. Realtor Ron Phipps explains challenges of antique home re-sale. Richard Trethewey shows the latest water heaters. Susan Arnold reveals the family room and kitchen lighting plans.
Roger Cook and Jenn Nawada install plant material. Mark Ferrante installs backsplash tile. Mike Bradshaw installs wallpaper. Roger and Tom install reproduction metalwork. Kathy Marshall and Becky Titlow see the finished kitchen. Joe Titlow shows Norm his garage workshop. Dee reveals design choices in the oldest part of the house. Andrew Terrat shows Kevin the new additions. The wrap party begins.
The crew opens the Barrington, Rhode Island, project aboard the Liberty. Homeowners Geoff Allen and Michelle Forcier bought the house for the beautiful water views. The biggest challenge will be building to withstand the marine environment. Master carpenter Norm Abram visits builder Andy Tiplady to see a classic home he recently built. Back at the house, Andy's crew starts gutting the first floor.
Host Kevin O'Connor finds builder Andy Tiplady with the new foundation in place, and framing underway. Andy and his crew are preparing for Hurricane Irene. The house survives the hurricane, but the neighborhood takes a hit. Kevin meets the Executive Director of the Coastal Resources Management Council, Grover Fugate, to see the lengths to which people will go to live by the water in Rhode Island.
Builder Andy Tiplady shows master carpenter Norm Abram how he's installing the windows using a custom copper pan for flashing. Kevin visits the Hurricane Research Lab at the University of Florida to see their current research and to feel what it's like to stand in a Category 3 hurricane. At the end of the day, it is time for the clambake down on the beach.
Andy Tiplady shows Kevin why he's using red cedar shingles and the flair he's creating between the first and second floors. Richard Trethewey shows Kevin how we are heating and cooling the house using a hydronic system that is integrated with a solar hot water system. Solar panels are also being used for electricity. Norm get a behind-the-scenes look at The Elms, one of Newport's famous mansions.
A sustainable coastal landscape is created using native plants along with freshly harvested local sod. Metalsmiths install a custom copper gutter and scupper. Renewable energy expert Ross Trethewey takes host Kevin O'Connor to see a lighthouse that is also an off-the-grid bed and breakfast for sustainability enthusiasts. Richard Trethewey sees the solar hot water system being used for our house.
The Brazilian hardwood garapa is being used for the new deck. Red cedar shingles are cut into a wave pattern. Kevin heads to Providence to meet designer Lisa Newman Paratore at her shop to see what she's pulling together for our project. Norm sees the decorative brackets being used on the exterior and learns why polyurethane is a better choice than PVC stock for this application.
The old driveway is replaced with new concrete pavers. Norm visits a custom cabinetshop to see how they are using high-end cherry veneers to make our kitchen. The installer scribes the refrigerator panel to fit. In the master bath the new soaking tub is set in a bed of fresh plaster. The painting contractor tries out a "full spectrum" paint that relies on other pigments to create richer colors.
A retractable awning gets installed. New soapstone countertops get sealed with wax, not oil, for a more durable finish. Andy dresses up the half-walls with oak caps and a scotia molding. The light fixtures are being made by New England blacksmiths. Floor warming goes in the master bath. Richard tells us why the ERV unit is possibly the most important piece of mechanical equipment in the house.
Light green grout is used with glass tiles to give a depth of color to the backsplash. The garage gets a new insulated steel door and a storage system. A cable railing system gets installed outside. A gas stove goes in the living room; it will become a focal point at night, when water views are no longer visible. The lighting designer shows how layers of light were used to create distinct spaces.
As the project winds down in Barrington, Rhode Island, Norm and Kevin congratulate Andy on a job well done. Richard shares an advanced programmable thermostat with a 7-inch LCD screen. Solar shades are installed on the first floor while upstairs the master closet is divided up to accommodate both his and hers spaces. Interior designer Lisa Newman Paratore shows off the final decor choices.
