As a member of the first group of This Old House Generation NEXT apprentices (at the Newton project during summer 2017), Nathan Gilbert jumped at the chance to work with Tom Silva and Norm Abram.
Nathan already had skills in the building trades, having worked with his father and as a Navy Seabee, but he was eager to learn more. “What we liked about Nathan right away was his eagerness to learn from us, even if it was something that he clearly already had done,” says Tom.
After Nathan’s work on last season’s Newton house, he returned to his own carpentry projects in the greater Boston area, and Tom Silva has made a point of staying in touch. Tom recently visited a house where Nathan was working on some front porch repairs. “I helped him on a project in Winchester where he was repairing a couple of rotted balusters, and I went over with him how he was going to do it. It’s just great to see good people coming into the profession,” says Tom.
Nathan and Tom will be tackling house problems together even more in coming months: Nathan has joined the cast of Ask This Old House, and will make his first house call in episode seven, which begins airing November 15. Tune in to watch an apprentice on the rise!
