This Old House

The new season kicks off with a ranch house in Westerly, RI. Inside, Tom and Kevin tour the house and admire the knotty pine paneling

At the old Westerly Ranch House, the roof was disassembled to add a new level, but the original chimney is going to be in the way of the open floor plan concept on the first floor.

The open concept living space requires extra planning for support of the second story.

The crew stands up the second floor walls, and three new apprentices arrive as part of the Generation Next program.

Tom Silva teaches the new apprentices to frame a deck.  Jeff Sweenor's crew frames the exterior flair detail.  Jenn Nawada learns about Westerly granite.  Jeff teaches the apprentices to install a window.  Richard Trethewey and Jeff look for a path for the drain stacks.

Kevin O'Connor reviews the progress of the Westerly house.  Tom Silva and Jeff Sweenor work on the main staircase at Jeff's shop and then they bring it to the house to install.  At the Idea House, Kevin looks at new clapboard siding technology.  Richard Trethewey tours a factory to see how a furnace is built and then watches one being installed at the project house.

Tom Silva and Jeff Sweenor begin work on a coffered ceiling in the living room.  Jenn Nawada watches as local Westerly granite is cut to size for backyard steps.  Richard Trethewey reviews the complex septic system as it goes in.  In Ohio, Kevin O'Connor learns how the interior doors are built.  Back in Westerly, Jeff installs one of those doors.

The new propane tank gets buried in the backyard.  Norm advises an apprentice in composite decking.  Jeff and Tom add final touches to the coffered ceiling.  A shelving system goes into the new office, and applies a stone veneer to the new chimney.

Jeff Sweenor shows Kevin O'Connor how he installs floating oak shelves and a mantel.  Norm Abram panels the playroom using the original knotty pine boards.  Kevin visits the apprentices at a timber framing school, then he takes a tour of Westerly.  Jenn Nawada uses Westerly granite for backyard steps.

Norm uses old pine from a local sawmill to make a coffee table.  Mauro teaches apprentice Kathryn to whitewash the knotty pine paneling.  Tommy and Jeff build a pergola for the deck.  Kevin helps with a shutter assembly.  Electrician Ben shows apprentice De'Shaun how to light the pergola.

As the project winds down, the televisions are mounted, and the blinds and curtains get installed.  Richard takes a look at the new water heater.  Jenn watches the final plants go in and works to install outdoor lighting.  The old flagpole comes down for a touch up.

The old ranch is transformed into a Dutch Colonial thanks to Jeff's team.  Kevin and Tom take the tour with the homeowners, and Norm presents the pine coffee table he made with local reclaimed wood.  Outside, Jenn sees the last of the hydroseeding and gives Tom the garden tour.  Everyone meets at the refurbished flagpole to raise the flags.

A year after California's worst wildfire, the people of Paradise are still clearing the devastation where about 90% of homes were lost.  Kevin, Tom, and Richard meet three families determined to rebuild according to the wildland urban interface codes.

Richard learns about automatic sprinkler systems. Kevin sees a simulator that shows how the Camp Fire spread. Tom inspects a vent designed to resist embers. Another project gets the green light.

Luke and Crystal are moving into their home. Kevin visits a fire test lab, and Jose and Anna's house gets roof shingles. Mark installs a stone veneer at Avonlea and Joey's house. Then, Kevin tours farms around Paradise, and Jenn meets an architect who designed a town memorial.

Paradise residents discuss their determination to rebuild. Tom inspects engineered siding and fire-rated sheathing, and Richard looks at a solar backup battery. The former Paradise fire chief discusses advanced preparation with Kevin, and at the Hope Plaza Memorial ground-breaking, the heroes and survivors are honored. Then, Luke and Crystal celebrate moving in.

Homeowners John and Molly plan to put the history back into their 1890s shingle-style home. They'll remove ‘70s carpet, repair cracking balusters and transform the front entry, restoring the home's original beauty and updating it for modern living.

Tom Silva and Kevin O'Connor start laying subfloor in the new dining room. Charlie Silva shows Jenn Nawada how he's drilling granite for the new garage and driveway. Kevin tours Cape Ann, and Tom moves an interior doorway.

Tom and Charlie Silva create a cathedral ceiling while Mark McCullough breaks through the foundation to make space for mechanicals. Kevin O'Connor learns about sun tunnels and Richard creates a plan for cooling.

Mark McCullough finds granite on the property to match a new stone wall to the old. Heath Eastman buries the electrical underground. Kevin O'Connor, homeowner Molly and her kitchen designer Michele look for design inspiration. Then, Tom Silva creates a barrel ceiling.

Tom and Charlie Silva install rounded-top windows in the breakfast room, and an easy-install roof shingle goes down. Roger Cook and Kevin O'Connor go fishing while Tom adds a custom diamond detail with the siding. Radiant heat goes in somewhere unexpected: the ceiling.

Tom repairs 130-year-old pocket doors, and a new type of solar goes in. Jenn works with landscaper Fred to build a boulder wall. Richard gives a lesson on a modern heating system, and father Mark and son Erik Ferrante showcase the art of mosaic tile installation.

The original leaded glass windows are repaired, and Jenn and Fred plant a bed of perennials along the new driveway. Mini splits solve a ductwork problem, and homeowner Molly and her designer Shelby make design decisions. Then, Tom tackles tricky original trim.

Richard learns about the invention of the Stillson wrench, and Mauro repairs old plaster. Norm then repairs broken balusters, and Heath installs a new panel. Venetian plaster goes on the dining room ceiling.

A brass handrail is created. Mauro paints a chalkboard finish, and repaired balusters get reinstalled. Richard gives a lesson in make-up air, and work begins on a custom table. Heath talks smart electricity.

Work is complete on the Cape Ann Shingle Style project. The team tours the finished home, celebrating all of the repaired historic details and the new elements that keep with its original style.