The homeowners’ son, Caffrey, has Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a muscle-wasting disease that is causing him to lose his mobility. For this reason, parents Billy and Michelle decided to renovate their 1960 mid-century modern home to make it accessible and to add features that will improve his quality of life.
Outside, a pool lift was installed to lift Caffrey in and out of the therapy pool, and a patio with zero-threshold access to the interior was built.
Down on the lower level of the house, a good portion of the newly completed mechanical space is dedicated to the geothermal system. Building engineer Ross Trethewey shares the factors that contributed to choosing geothermal, and then he and Richard Trethewey walk through and review the components of the system and their functionality.
Kevin O’Connor meets up with the kitchen appliance installer, John Black, to learn about the accessibility features.
Then, he lends Tom Silva a hand installing a fire-rated door from the garage to the mudroom.
Now that the project is down to the last weeks of construction, HERS rater Kevin Ring is back for a final review and performs a blower door test to determine the home’s new rating.
Original Air Date: Feb 15, 2024, Season 45; Ep. 15 23:42
Products and Services from this Episode
- Landscape contractor: K & R Landscape
- Bathroom lift system supplier: Lift & Care Systems
- Window and door installer: Northeast Trade Services, LLC
- Kitchen countertop supplier: CBS Exotic Stones, Inc.
- Stone countertop assistance: Stone Surfaces, Inc.
- Appliances installer: Black Diamond Service Co.
- Engineering assistance: TE2 Engineering, LLC
- Solar energy contractor: Sunbug Solar
- Geothermal drilling assistance: Skillings and Sons, LLC
- Plumbing contractor: Bilo Plumbing & Heating
- Kitchen design assistance: Bespoke of Winchester
- Kitchen appliance manufacturer: Gaggenau
- Kitchen appliance supplier: Yale Appliance
- Iron rail manufacturer: Cassidy Bros. Forge, Inc.
- Mudroom installers: Conor’s Custom Carpentry, Inc.
- Concrete cutters: Jack Doherty Contracting, Concrete Cutting Specialists
- HVAC contractor: Back Bay Mechanical Heating & Air Conditioning
- HERS rating specialist: Sustainable Energy Analytics