This Old House

This Old House opens a brand new season by helping the Sharma family renovate their 1940s house on Boston's famous Charles River.

The entry hall's new foundation is prepped; the sun porch is demolished; a 16-foot section of the rear foundation wall is cut and dropped so that work on the new family room can commence. Also: a visit to a gatehouse (now a private home) that belonged to the estate that once occupied the neighborhood.

Tom uses a crane to lift a 17-foot steel beam.  Norm sees the insulated concrete forms used for the foundations and above-grade walls.  Tom and Kevin discuss new lead laws and the kitchen is gutted.

Tom levels the kitchen floor.  Norm frames the first floor.  Richard sees how the Charles River has been formed engineering projects.  Tom and Kevin contends with the termites and carpenter ants.

Norm checks the new front entry.  Tom turns the flat garage roof into a pitched one.  We review the new kitchen layout.  Roger shows native and non-native species.  Norm and Tom set new deck footings.

Tom and Norm frame the sunroom's roof and install deck underlayment.  Richard shows an expensive new change order on the back-to-back basement bathrooms.  Kevin learns about photographer Jules Aarons.

Richard installs floor-warming radiant heat.  A new basement floor and footings are poured.  The team makes aesthetic decisions.  Tom installs vinyl clad windows to reveal the Charles River view.

Norm and Tom patch sidewall shingles.  Richard installs ductwork for a hydronic HVAC system.  Rough electrical finishes with 4-inch, dimmable LED recessed lights.  Norm and Tom install a pocket door.

Tom blends new basement with old using acrylic stucco.  Tom waterproofs the new entry roof.  Four kinds of insulation is installed: eco-friendly batt, cellulose, and open- and closed-cell spray foam.

Jen shows her plan for the front yard.  Kevin blends old plaster work with new.  Roger safely takes down a Norway maple.  Kevin and Norm tour Boston and the Charles River.  Henrique stains cedar shingles.

Roger sets footings for the new pergola and selects a vine for the front yard.  Norm and Tom trim the first-floor windows.  Norm uses pitching sticks to create a mud job at the base of the new shower.

Tom puts down new-generation composite decking.  New paint promises richer colors and low VOCs—Mauro shows Kevin how it performs.  A few simple modifications to the fireplace mantel updates its style.

Roger installs a walkway with fieldstone.  Tom shows Kevin how to recognize a quality cabinet and kitchen island.  A bathroom gets new black and white tile.  Norm boxes in the sunroom ceiling beams.

A new custom pergola is installed.  Tom modifies the staircase to match the house's design.  Roger preps garden beds for planting a tall birch and perennials.  Tom installs a click-together floor.

New wireless security systems, marble kitchen-window stool, granite countertops and "His and hers" closets are installed.  We see the high-efficiency HVAC system.  Tom shows a new "smart lock".

In the last episode of the Auburndale project, we review the entire house and the entire team celebrates seven months of hard work with the traditional wrap party on the banks of Charles River.

This Old House goes Hollywood with the first ever renovation project in the Los Angeles area.  The homeowners plan to renovate their 1933 Spanish Colonial Revival house while keeping its character.

Norm Abram and Kevin O'Connor stop by one of LA's movie studios to find homeowner Kurt Albrecht at work.  In the basement, Richard Trethewey reviews the heating and cooling systems being installed.

Kevin arrives at the L.A. house to find the custom tiles, windows and doors.  In Griffith Park, Richard sees L.A.'s new water supply infrastructure.  Alfonso evaluates the condition of our stucco.

Norm wrestles with creative details.  The stucco system starts on the addition.  Kevin sees California modern architecture.  Norm shows a formaldehyde-free batt insulation.  Kevin meets a tile specialist.

Custom foam forms and the "cat face" plaster technique replicate existing detail in the house.  Norm visits cabinetmaker Larry Bucklan.  The existing roof on the main house will have to be replaced.

Alfonso shows Kevin the last two steps of the stucco system.  We see the house's new period-appropriate ornamental ironwork.  The reproduction tile for our project is hand glazed and goes up inside.

The 1930s floors are matched with red oak and walnut.  The new back terrace, with corbels and tile, is constructed.  We see attractive low water plants.  Kevin gets a close look at the Hollywood sign.

Kitchen cabinets, soapstone countertops, an archway and a coved ceiling are installed.  Richard helps with a pedestal sink.  The Juliette balcony and decorative iron balustrade are installed.

A new custom garage door blends with the period of the house.  The front gates are installed.  Kevin shows the front yard, hardware and light fixtures, then visits a spectacular Spanish style house.

Work on the Los Angeles project wraps up with the finishing touches both outside and in.  We reveal the space and landscaping.  The family congratulates everyone on a job well done.