This Old House

Tom and Kevin cross the bridge from Newport, RI to Jamestown where they tour the next project – a 1920's bungalow which will become a larger net zero house.  They meet the family and builder.

Shingle removal.  A visit to a manufacturer of precast concrete walls.  Kevin gets a tour of historic Jamestown.  Foundation wall panels arrive and are placed.

Framing net zero.  Heat loss and gain to design a balanced HVAC system.  A visit the International Builders Show.  Old wiring and plumbing exposed.

New apprentices join the team in Rhode Island as the roof goes up.  The house gets sheathed.  It's the finish line at Judith's house in Charleston.  Kevin and Tom take the grand tour.

Insulation is crucial to a net zero house.  Jeff and the apprentices start the work.  Dana shops for efficient yet decorative lighting.  Tom and Jeff work with the apprentices to build false rafter tails and then install them.

Roof insulation is next step at the net zero house.  Richard tours the basement of The Breakers in Newport.  Kevin meets Congressman Norcross at the house, who is also an electrician.  Apprentices install and flash windows.

Coming up: Load center installation, correct cedar shingling, basement insulation, plan framing, beam barn raising

Richard watches as the home is sealed against air leaks.  Jeff reviews his pre-drywall checklist.  Jeff fabricates pieces for porch columns and rails.  Tommy puts on shingles as the final layer of the exterior wall system.

Kevin opens the episode in Providence, RI to meet the homeowners at their architecture office.

The latest episode in the 40th-anniversary season of TOH starts airing in some markets tonight.  Have you seen last week's episode?  Catch up, on demand

In just a few short weeks the grass will go in, and luckily Roger has a good solution.  Roger joins Jenn and Kevin at a nearby sod farm where hundreds of acres of environmentally-friendly grass is grown.

Richard demonstrates how an energy recovery ventilator works, using red and blue smoke to illustrate the flow of indoor air and outdoor air through the core of the machine.

Today is the day the net-zero house gets turned over to the Powers family.  Kevin and Tommy pick up builder Jeff at the Idea House and drive to Jamestown for the big reveal

Kevin introduces Brookline, MA, the setting for the newest renovation project.

While old fixtures are salvaged and asbestos is removed at the house, Norm, Richard and Kevin head back to where it all began 40 years ago, in Dorchester, MA.

Outside, the foundation has been poured and framing has begun.  Norm teaches Erick and Carly how to lay the sill.

Like most Mid-Century Moderns, ours has deep soffits.  Tom and Charlie fashion them out of PVC.  Tom explains the need to compensate for expansion and contraction based on the weather.

One of Norm's first projects for This Old House was to install a skylight on our first renovation in Dorchester, MA. Today Norm teaches the next generation of tradespeople how to master that skill.

Paver selection, skylight install, sewer line replacement, and foundation repair

Tips on how to calculate stair riser height, foundation insulation, radiant heat, and back to Santa Fe.

The final roof section of the house is over the new living room addition. It's unique because it cantilevers out over a balcony. But as Kevin finds out from Tommy, that means installing the rafters takes more care.

Our Mid-century Modern house mixes stained and painted siding, typical of this style of architecture.  Kevin finds Tommy using two methods for the corner edge detail.

Coming up on This Old House: making plate glass and windows, cold weather painting, heated driveway, patio install

Giant porcelain tiling. Revisiting the 20th.  Retro fireplace and modern cabinets installed

Doors are hung, floors are going down; it's time for finishing touches.

The lackluster mid-century box is a modern marvel once again.  Kevin and Tommy arrive to assess the transformation of the exterior of the house.