This Old House

A new project begins in Arlington, MA where the homeowners plan to restore and expand on the interior and exterior details of their Arts and Crafts style home.

Kevin, Norm, Roger, Richard and Tommy are back in Arlington. Kevin meets the homeowners Nick and Emily, both originally from Arlington, and gets a look at the first floor to see what has been preserved and what has been altered over the years. Norm goes upstairs to check out the plans for the second and third floors.

The heavy lifting and dirty work is well underway: installing a new steel beam, removing an oil tank, and digging for the new foundation. Meanwhile, Norm visits local examples of English-style Arts & Crafts houses.

A new foundation is built using insulated concrete forms and precast stairs while the old exposed foundation gets reinforced and waterproofed. The homeowner goes shopping for specimen trees.

Tommy and Kevin follow steel beams from fabrication to installation on the addition. Richard works on the HVAC plan for the 2nd and 3rd floors. After the front porch is removed, new footings are placed. Kevin learns how to size a new firebox.

The homeowner is an apprentice as the mason builds the fireplace. Then we visit a 100-year-old factory where they’ve been making bricks used throughout New England. Kevin joins the homeowners at a custom cabinetry shop in Maine as they begin to design their new kitchen. Tommy changes the pitch of the two small dormers in back.

Kevin watches the custom range hood get fabricated by the Tin Man. Then he meets Mark on the roof to rebuild the original chimney from the roof up. The homeowner meets with designer Jill Goldberg to talk about design options for the first floor, including the original living room paneling. Norm and Charlie need to move a newel post on the third floor. In the basement a coat of epoxy is applied.

Norm and Charlie open up a hidden doorway to the kitchen. Richard uses some creativity to drain the new master bath shower. Norm visits a shop to learn how the front porch roof rafters and brackets are cut. Electrician Scott Caron starts his work in the new powder room. Tommy and Charlie replace the living room windows.

Tommy frames up a new Arts and Crafts style front porch using custom cut pieces. Richard visits a marble quarry in Danby, Vermont. Emily considers new color combinations for the exterior of the house while Mark McCullough shows Kevin how he fixes the original stucco panels.

A new shed gets built on site in one day. Kevin and Tommy watch copper being installed on the front porch roof. Then Tommy trims the windows with a PVC product. Richard looks at the new boiler being installed and then heads out to Devens, MA to check out an energy efficient home built as an Idea House by This Old House Magazine.

A long trench is dug so the electrician can start the process of burying the electrical cables. Norm helps Charlie Silva build the porch base columns. Kevin finds Roger out back laying a new brick patio. Inside, Kevin watches the first row of kitchen cabinets get installed. Back outside, Tommy and Kevin work on trimming the front gable.

The house gets new shingles - pre-primed and ready for paint. Inside, homeowner Emily and the interior designer start measuring for various window treatments with a stylist. Radiant tubing is installed in the new bathrooms as well as the entire first floor. The large existing fireplace gets a makeover. Outside, the side deck gets built.

The architect plans call for new exterior decorative features on all sides of the house. Kevin and Tommy install a small roof detail over the bank of living room windows. Kevin learns about Lazure painting in one of the bedrooms. The front door gets restored in a nearby shop. Tommy and Kevin install wood paneling to match the existing walls.

Kevin finds Tommy installing it in Nick’s office. Roger’s crew installs a front walkway to the street. Today they’re working on a set of granite steps, using reclaimed granite. Kevin joins Emily at the shop of Roberto Martinez, where he cuts a marble slab for the kitchen island. Emily reveals her decision on whether to paint the original oak paneling.

Richard and Kevin watch as the kitchen island countertop is installed. Roger and his crew start on a classic fieldstone wall in the front yard. Kevin watches as wallpaper covers up a secret door in the upstairs foyer. Richard looks at the finished heating, cooling, and ventilation systems. Tommy and Kevin install a dog door.

Kevin tours the yard with Roger and the landscape architect to look at the new plantings and hardscape. Tommy and Norm check out the new addition at the back of the house. Everyone meets up for a tour of the kitchen, including Charlie and many other subcontractors. Roger presents the homeowners with a special gift that came from their yard.