Season 21 - The Billerica House
Close to home, This Old House tackled a project close to its heart: rebuilding Dick and Sandra Silvas' house from foundation to finishes after a devastating fire.
Insuring Against Fire
How to help make sure your claims are successful
A Family Copes with a Fire
A tragic fire set the stage for this This Old House renovation project in Billerica
The Silent Treatment
Taking the squeak out of wood floors
The Media Room
State-of-the-art sights and sounds are right at home in Milton.
The Billerica House
Close to home, This Old House tackled a project close to its heart: rebuilding Dick and Sandra Silvas' house from foundation to finishes after a devastating fire.
Floored
Custom-milled quartersawn oak and southern yellow pine give the Billerica floors a classic Victorian look.
Yard Work
Landscape designer Stephanie Hubbard picks the proper plants for Billerica's tough New England climate.
An Inside Job
Interior design experts help the Silvas tackle the daunting "blank sheet" challenge of replacing all they lost in the fire
Lots of Groundwork Goes into the Best Rock Walls
Landscape contractor Roger Cook explains how to build a wall that will stand up to almost anything thrown at it.
Building a Better Window
Learn more about window technology that claims to combine the best of both wood and vinyl.
Home Show
In Billerica, media systems expert Mitch Klein explores electronics package possibilities.
Parking Space
Designing a detached garage can be a challenge.
Great Slate
One of the Billerica project's winners is a synthetic slate roof shingle. It looks real but is lighter, easier to install and less expensive.
Choosing Sides
A new generation of fiber-cement shingles and siding is changing our idea of home.
Spoiled Soil
Dr. Geoffrey Brown determines the extent of the soil contamination around the Billerica house and gives tips on how leaks can be prevented.
S21 E19: The Billerica House
Final day on the job. The special linoleum is installed and rugs are laid out. Paul Somerson sets up the computer system. Security system and entertainment system are explained while the kitchen is reviewed by Sandra. Interior designer Donna Sapolin walks Steve through the home.
S21 E18: The Billerica House
Finishing touches are being made on the subject house. The gutters are installed as are the lighting fixtures and cabinets. Tom Silva is finishing the casing for the stairway and has made a mantle for the fireplace that conceals the TV. Rich Trethewey shows Steve the bathtub and fixtures.
S21 E17: The Billerica House
The wood flooring is being laid down. Steve visits the oriental rug store to see what rugs the HO chose and how the rugs are woven. Tom installs the front door and Steve tours the TOH magazine project house.
S21 E16: The Billerica House
Roger Cook and Don Sloan show Steve the different types of paving they can put down. In the Kitchen Tom Silva shows Steve the island that they built. Steve goes to Scotland to see how linoleum is made. Rich Trethewey has installed the HVAC.
S21 E15: The Billerica House
The custom made garage doors are installed as is an emergency backup generator. Tom and Dick Silva are arranging the cabinets in the kitchen while Norm visits a cabinet maker. Wall paneling is going to be installed.
S21 E14: The Billerica House
Roger Cook is laying out a stone walkway in the yard while Norm continues making cabinets for the kitchen. Richard Trethewey reviews the HVAC system with Steve.
S21 E13: The Billerica House
Roger Cook begins the landscaping with some impromptu masonry. The exterior painting of the house begins and Tom shows Steve the new high condensed foam doors.
S21 E12: The Billerica House
Insulation of the house begins. Norm and Tom are building cabinets while Roger Cook and Roger Hopkins put in the granite steps. The garage is almost done and metl roofing is installed above the bay windows.
S21 E11: The Billerica House
Tom explains to Steve what needs to be done inside the walls before they are insulated and sealed up. Paul Somerson is wiring the house for a networking system and Jack Viola is installing a sprinkler system.
S21 E10: The Billerica House
Tom shows Steve how he flashes a window, panels the house, and builds a deck with less nails. Norm visits a router bit factory and shows Steve the progress of the cabinets.
S21 E9: The Billerica House
HO Sandra Silva begins planning the layout and design of the kitchen. Steve tours a test facility where they test the durability and flammability of just about everything. Norm is making cabinets for the kitchen.
S21 E8: The Billerica House
A work area is being assembled for cabinet making in the backyard. James Crowe shows Steve the faux slate roofing. Richard Trethewey begins the plumbing in the basement.
S21 E7: The Billerica House
Norm reviews some of the materials and tools being used on the exterior of the house. He and Tom seal a corner of the framing. Steve tours the factory where they make composite material window frames.
S21 E6: The Billerica House
Dick Silva gives Steve a tour of the second floor. Steve goes to a training camp for firefighters. The roofing is started and a mason is laying brick over the foundation.
S21 E5: The Billerica House
The framing of the house has started. The steel structuring in the basement is welded into place. Norm tours an I-beam factory and plans for the garage are being drawn up.
S21 E4: The Billerica House
Foundation work is beginning using all the new methods and technology. Steve tours a home in Florida that showcases safety devices for the home. Dick and Sandra Silva begin the process of choosing building materials.
S21 E3: The Billerica House
The burned down home has been removed and Dick Silva is preparing the ground for the foundation of the new home. Fire damaged trees in the yard are taken away and milled into lumber for the project.