This Old House

Shingling the house. Figuring out window treatments. Radiant floor tubing is installed. Mark repairs the grand living-room fireplace. Tommy and Norm frame up the back deck coming out the side door.

Removing a service pole at the front of the property. Building flared porch columns. A new brick patio. Kitchen cabinets are delivered and installed. Flashing decorative pieces on front gables.

An outdoor yoga shed. Installing a standing-seam copper roof. Trim a window using a PVC product. Richard installs a state-of-the-art boiler. Richard shows advanced, eco-friendly building techniques.

Tommy builds the new Arts and Crafts front porch. Richard travels to the world’s largest underground quarry. Design and color selection. Mark McCullough shows Kevin the lost art of stucco.

TOH master carpenter Norm Abram and Mike Rowe of mikeroweWORKS announce their partnership to support closing the skills gap—that is, encouraging young people to master the trades that built this country.

Young people are rejecting vocational jobs that require training and craftsmanship. Who will help build our future?

There’s a crucial need to encourage the next generation of skilled craftspeople, says master carpenter Norm Abram. Here’s what This Old House is doing.

A hidden doorway is revealed. The new master bath presents a classic plumbing problem. Creating elaborate cuts with computerized machines. Scott Caron installs a ceiling fan. Arts and Crafts windows.

A custom range hood. The original chimney is demo’ed and Mark McCullough builds a new one. Family room, tile and wood paneling design choices. A new slab floor is coated with a speckled epoxy.

Starting a new chimney. A 100-year-old brick factory. Designing the kitchen of the homeowner’s dreams. Tommy changes the pitch of the two back dormers to match the pitch of the new gable.

Steel beam fabrication and erection on the house. HVAC plans for the second floor. Front porch demo’ed with heavy machinery and new footings for a new porch. Working on the firebox and chimney.

The new concrete foundation is poured. Finding mature specimen trees for the yard. A precast concrete bulkhead is installed. The old rubble foundation gets waterproofed with synthetic rubber spray.

Tommy and Kevin replace a 100-year-old wooden beam with a new steel one. The tank gets removed by a specialist. The old concrete from the foundation get transported to a recycling center.

The design process kicks off. Old plaster walls are carefully demolished. Landscape plans and Roger begins removing the old Silver Maple. Kevin and Tommy bring down the exterior back wall.

Kevin, Norm, Roger, Richard, and Tommy are back in Arlington—this time at an early English-style Arts and Crafts house built in 1909.

Host Kevin O’Connor, general contractor Tom Silva, master carpenter Norm Abram, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, and landscape contractor Roger Cook start off the 37th Season of This Old House by restoring a home in a dense suburban neighborhood in Arlington, Massachusetts where they will tackle everything, from the fieldstone foundation to the top of the chimney and more. Homeowners Emily and Nick are committed to preserving the property’s 1909 Arts and Crafts detailing, both inside and out, while adding their own style. The Arlington project will feature 16 all-new episodes, as the team brings back the home’s traditional aesthetics while also updating and moving the kitchen and bathrooms, and adding a master suite and home office. Landscaping projects abound. Next, watch a Sneak Peek of Season 15 of Ask This Old House.

Kevin builds a custom closet. Norm and Tommy see Kristina's designs. Richard shows Kevin the geothermal system. Kevin gets a tour of the second floor. The team celebrates another job well done.

The staircase is finished. Richard shows the system for getting well water. A backup generator is installed. Kevin learns to fit a reproduction lantern. Kim turns a mud pit to a beautiful front yard.

Kevin helps fit the cabinets. Work starts on the driveway. Granite is used for a patio. The den gets wainscoting. The homeowners select interior paint colors. Erik installs the factory-made staircase.

Kevin helps install clapboard siding. Roger selects salvaged granite. Richard discusses the insulation plan and sees how the geothermal pipes are connected. Kevin watches the cabinets come together.

Drilling begins on a geothermal system. Norm visits first-period homes. Kevin tours a factory where the stairs and panels are built. On the North Shore, he learns of a new technology to seal ductwork.

Erik lays shingles on the roof. Kevin learns colonial roof making. In Vermont, Kevin sees handcrafted light fixtures. Window installation begins. Norm heads to Maine to search for salvaged doors.

Kevin sees the plan for the living/dining room and the roof. After framing the house, the crew moves to the garage. Exterior trim arrives. Kevin learns how to attach the fascia board to the rafters.

An inspector checks the foundation as a perimeter drain is installed. The framing process begins. An architect explains her landscape plan to make the property look antique.