This Old House - Season 27

The new season finds the experts at This Old House in historic Cambridge, Mass., working on a mid-century Modern house for biotech bachelor, George Mabry. At the project house near Harvard Square, host Kevin O'Connor and master carpenter Norm Abram discover that George's house is the sleeper on a street of renovated beauties. Problems include water damage, structural issues, failing plumbing, and an outdated floor plan that locates the master bedroom near the front door. The kitchen, renovated 13 years ago, and many aspects of the landscape, will stay. General contractor Tom Silva shows Kevin the failing 50-year-old tar-and-gravel roof, while plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey shows Norm the house's original boiler and early radiant-heat system, both of which are still in use. Despite concerns about working in a congested city neighborhood, the team is up for the challenge, and the change of pace, of working on a Modern home.

Host Kevin O'Connor arrives to find homeowner George Mabry moving out and general contractor Tom Silva moving in. With a building permit in hand, Tom starts with the carport, dismantling it piece by piece on order to gain better access to the house. Kevin meets landscape architect Gregory Lombardi to evaluate the existing landscape, and finds that while much of the back yard is worth saving, the rest of the site will need to be completely reworked. Master carpenter Norm Abram meets project architect Will Ruhl at another modern house he recently designed on the island of Martha's Vineyard. Then, back in Cambridge, Will presents his design for George's house with the help of computer renderings and a 3-D model. The new house will still be Modern, but tempered by a warm palette of natural materials.

A week of rain from a springtime Nor'easter hasn't stopped work on the house, nor on the lot. Landscape contractor Roger Cook shows host Kevin O'Connor the progress—the trees are cleared, the access road is in, excavation for the new foundation is complete, and the form work is underway. General contractor Tom Silva discovers extensive rot and termite damage on the Eastern elevation, and what he thinks is a failed footing in the basement. Master carpenter Norm Abram finds that the problem is not the footing, but rather under-structured framing from two previous renovations. Homeowner George Mabry shows Norm the exterior materials he's thinking of using; stucco and stone with accents of wood siding. In nearby Lincoln, Mass., Kevin meets educational director Peter Gittleman to see the Modern house Walter Gropius designed and built for his family in 1938. Gropius' modest house was revolutionary in its impact at the time, and is today a museum and monument to the Modern movement.

Host Kevin O'Connor and master carpenter Norm Abram visit the independently owned neighborhood shops of nearby Huron Village. Back at the house, Kevin lends Norm and general contractor Tom Silva a hand jacking up the old floor joists of the future library to make it level with the floor of the new addition. Landscape architect Gregory Lombardi presents a plan for the front yard featuring stone walls and courtyards organized around a water feature. Certified arborist Jack Kelly shows landscape contractor Roger Cook a treatment of horticultural oil that will protect the property's hemlocks from a fatal infestation of wooly adelgid. Down the street, Kevin meets curator Nancy Jones for a tour of the legendary Longfellow House. Built in 1759, the Georgian-style home has been lived in continuously for 250 years by luminaries such as General George Washington and poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Master carpenter Norm Abram shows Host Kevin O'Connor the newly discovered problems at the project house, most of them caused by the poor workmanship of a previous contractor. In the living room, one structural fix is already underway as general contractor Tom Silva prepares to install a flush frame beam made from LVLs that will carry the load of the second floor. Pest management expert Dan Fleicher shows Kevin the extent of the termite and carpenter ant damage, and suggests possible treatment options. Landscape contractor Roger Cook reveals the anatomy of new landscape walls; they'll be natural stone veneer over reinforced concrete. Kevin visits Six Moon Hill, a utopian neighborhood of modern houses created by The Architects Collaborative in 1948. Plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey shows Kevin one of the challenges he's facing in this minimalist modern house — no place to hide necessary ductwork.

Master carpenter Norm Abram and host Kevin O'Connor open the show at Cambridge Common — the city's oldest public open space and a center of rebel activity in the early years of the American Revolution. Back at the project house, Kevin lends Norm and general contractor Tom Silva a hand framing in the "not quite flat" roof above the library — it has a slight pitch to shed water. Plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey shows Kevin a new software program that allows him to design the HVAC system on a laptop and run heat loss scenarios for the house while changing variables like windows, insulation, and various kinds of ductwork and heating. Landscape contractor Roger Cook brings homeowner George Mabry to one of the largest stone yards on the East coast to begin selecting hardscape materials for the landscape.

Host Kevin O'Connor finds master carpenter Norm Abram and homeowner George Mabry discussing the recent water damage in the old kitchen, and George's new inclination to renovate the entire space. Master mason Lenny Belliveau gives Kevin a lesson in block work while he builds up the lower landscape wall to the proper height. Kevin travels to Los Angeles to see a restored modern house that once belonged to Hollywood legend Gary Cooper. In the entry to the library, general contractor Tom Silva shows Kevin how he's using fir two-by-fours turned sideways to frame for the future pocket door.

Host Kevin O'Connor opens the show around the corner at Formaggio Kitchen — a world-class gourmet food shop that also has a cheese-ripening cave in the basement — the first ever to be installed in a retail store in the USA. Back at the project house, Kevin finds stone specialist Jason Buechel installing natural quartzite veneer on the landscape walls. At three dollars more per square foot, it's more expensive than fake stone, but worth it to homeowner George Mabry for its authenticity. Designer Todd Tsiang shows Kevin how obscure glass, custom shoji screens, and low-E coatings will work together to provide privacy, UV protection, and lower energy bills. On the roof, general contractor Tom Silva oversees the installation of the low slope EPDM roofing system. Kevin meets up with George and kitchen designer Amy Leonard to review a few possible layouts for the new kitchen and wet bar.

Landscape architect Gregory Lombardi shows host Kevin O'Connor the final design for the entry courtyards and water feature, and landscape contractor Roger Cook explains the formwork, rough plumbing and rough electrical on the structure. General contractor Tom Silva removes the old single-pane steel slider in the living room and replaces it with a more energy efficient, insulating glass unit with a low E coating. Master carpenter Norm Abram travels to Keene, NH to meet artisan tile manufacturers Stephen & Kristin Powers for a tour of their showroom and factory. Custom pool specialist John Fitzgerald shows Roger and Kevin how his eight-member crew forms the trough of the water feature out of gunite.

Host Kevin O'Connor and plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey stop in to a neighborhood institution known as "Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage." Master carpenter Norm Abram explains the decision to use a formerly controversial exterior cladding system know as an "exterior insulated finishing system", or EIFS. Installer Dan Rourke shows Norm how product manufacturers have adapted over the last decade to solve problems of water infiltration. In the library, Kevin finds general contractor Tom Silva chimney specialist Mark Schaub working with the new gas fireplace unit to establish the location of the vent pipe in the new "chimney."

Landscape contractor Roger Cook shows host Kevin O'Connor Mount Auburn Cemetery — America's first landscaped cemetery featuring 5,500 trees and many notable graves. Back at the house, general contractor Tom Silva shows Kevin how he's creating a modern look inside by using minimal wood trim around the windows. While the garage slab is poured in the garage, landscape contractor Roger Cook starts installing 18 tons of bluestone in the front courtyard. In the kitchen, tile contractor Joe Ferrante shows master carpenter Norm Abram how he's reusing old slate (should be bluestone) from the front entry to extend the old kitchen floor using a traditional mud job. Kevin lends Tom a hand building a small deck on the flat roof off the guest suite.

Host Kevin O'Connor arrives to find exterior coatings specialist Dan Rourke and his crew applying the EIFS finish coat. Custom pool specialist Bob Snay installs a black pebble finish on the bed of the new water feature. Inside, general contractor Tom Silva oversees the installation of the steel stairs. Kevin visits the custom metal shop that fabricated the steel as well as the dramatic bronze "wishbone" balustrade that will be installed later on the job. Reclaimed wood specialist Richard McFarland shows Kevin samples of reclaimed wood from all over the world as Tom's crew installs exterior redwood siding harvested from giant olive casks. Plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey gives Kevin an update on the mechanicals — the new boiler has arrived, radiant panels are installed underneath the first floor, and PEX water supply lines have been run.

Landscape contractor Roger Cook shows host Kevin O'Connor how he's installing a pre-fabricated pitched structural foam trench drain at the entrance to the garage. Inside, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey shows Kevin the radiant tubing going down in the master suite, the cast iron waste pipe and PEX water supply lines in the walls of the library, and how the high-velocity mini duct system is saving valuable space on the first floor. Painting contractor Jim Clark shows master carpenter Norm Abram the challenge he's facing in developing a stain formula that will work with all of the various wood species in the house. General contractor Tom Silva shows Kevin the water-blown expanding soft foam insulation going in on the second floor. Kevin visits the Stata Center at MIT to see how modern architecture is serving the needs of one of the country's most advanced universities.

Host Kevin O'Connor visits Harvard University to see their preservation efforts on several historic old buildings, including Memorial Hall, which was ravaged by a fire in the 1950's and was recently restored to its former glory. In the backyard of the project house, landscape contractor Roger Cook installs two concrete storage tanks that are part of the underground water collection system that promises a cure for George's waterlogged yard. In the garage, a crew from a local home center installs a two-part epoxy coating to give the concrete slab a showroom-quality finish. Master carpenter Norm Abram travels to Middletown, Rhode Island to see the custom mill shop that is machining the stair treads and making most of millwork for the project house. In the driveway, Roger shows Kevin how he's installing the new concrete pavers over radiant "snow melting" heat.

Landscape contractor Roger Cook sets the massive bluestone treads on a stringer that appears to "float" over the new water feature. Landscape architect Greg Lombardi shows host Kevin O'Connor the low-maintenance plants he's chosen for screening and seasonal interest in the side yard. Inside, master carpenter Norm Abram meets plastering contractor Alberto Riponi to see the most challenging trim detail in the house—a narrow plaster bead that creates a subtle shadow line around every window and door. Plumbing and heating contractor Richard Trethewey shows Kevin why a chiller makes sense for cooling a house on a tight urban lot. In the front guest room, flooring contractor Pat Hunt shows Kevin the new engineered floors from Europe—a 5/8" pre-finished red oak floor that carries a 30-year warranty over radiant heat, and locks together without glue. Rug specialist Steve Bookokian shows Kevin how he's cleaning, drying, and repairing 26 of George's oriental rugs.

Host Kevin O'Connor arrives to find general contractor Tom Silva meeting with building inspector Michael Grover. At the front door, Tom shows Kevin how he's installing the brushed nickel mortise lockset on the custom oak door. In the basement, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey shows master carpenter Norm Abram the mechanical room —highlights include a gas fired boiler, three different temperatures of radiant heat (for ice melt, under floor, and over floor), an HRV for fresh air, and a fine mist humidifier to add a touch of moisture to the building. In the kitchen, Norm finds carpenter Charlie Silva installing the custom cabinetry and scribing the base trim to the irregular bluestone floor. Out back, irrigation system specialist Ed Marchant shows landscape contractor Roger Cook the features of the new irrigation system. Kevin sees the new modern closet systems from Italy being installed in the master suite.

With only a week left on the project, master carpenter Norm Abram finds general contractor Tom Silva at work on the dramatic 3-story stair. With the teak treads and bronze balustrade finally in, Tom can work on installing the teak handrail. Audio/visual specialist Dan Chadwick shows host Kevin O'Connor how he's concealing a 61" plasma TV in the living room, and adding acoustical panels to enhance the sound in the room. Designer Todd Tsiang shows Kevin the modern fireplace mantle, tile, plumbing fixtures, and the fully decorated master suite. Tom reveals the private roof deck off the master bedroom as a new modular steel railing system is installed. Landscape contractor Roger Cook visits a 500-acre sod farm in Rhode Island to see how sod is grown and harvested. In the wet bar, tile contractor Joe Ferrante shows Norm a "bubbly" glass tile being installed on the backsplash.

In the garage, master carpenter Norm Abram finds specialist Joe Ferraro installing a new custom garage system. Inside, host Kevin O'Connor and homeowner George Mabry meet kitchen designer Amy Leonard for a look at the finished kitchen and state-of-the-art appliances. Plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey shows Norm the central vacuum system and modern plumbing fixtures on the first floor. Upstairs, the stainless steel washer and dryer and the luxurious master bath round out the master suite. Chimney specialist Mark Schaub installs new vented gas logs in the corner fireplace of the library, as general contractor Tom Silva installs custom shoji screens from California. Instead of rice paper, the panels are made of an environmentally friendly textured polyester resin. On the second floor, another kind of window treatment is going up—mail order custom shades. Specialist Cindy O'Reilly shows Kevin how easy they are to install.

Master Carpenter Norm Abram and host Kevin O'Connor travel to Washington, D.C. to help non-profit developer Mi Casa Inc. renovate an abandoned 1879 rowhouse. The group attempts to preserve economic diversity in transitioning neighborhoods by selling renovated houses to low-income families at below market costs. Architect Genell Anderson envisions a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home that features exposed brick, dramatic lighting, new windows, and updated amenities. With only $200,000 to work with, general contractor Mahyar Mahvi is hoping to save as much of the original house structure as possible. Norm and Kevin agree that the fire-damaged shell is going to need a lot of work, and that the budget must be spent carefully.

Host Kevin O'Connor visits the National Mall to see how the National Park Service is finishing up nearly 10 years of renovation at the Lincoln Memorial. Back at the project house, master carpenter Norm Abram finds the house has been almost completely gutted. General contractor Mahyar Mahvi had hoped to save many of the floors, studs, millwork, and plaster—but water damage had ruined them beyond salvage. In the basement, the news is better—a new slab has been poured, electrical service has been updated, and the new water service is underway. Out at the street, master plumber Robert Major replaces the 3/4" lead water-service pipe with 1" copper tubing. Up on Capitol Hill, landscape contractor Roger Cook meets garden designer Kevin Cordt to see how he designs beautiful, low-maintenance urban gardens on small rowhouse lots. Surprised by the radical changes at the jobsite, architect Genell Anderson has no choice but to go back to the drawing board.

Host Kevin O'Connor and master carpenter Norm Abram grab breakfast with the crew at Saints Paradise Cafeteria, a non-profit church kitchen in the neighborhood. Back at the project house, framing is almost complete. Architect Genell Anderson's new design features a more open floor plan and the addition of a small first-floor powder room. Upstairs has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, and a laundry area. Norm meets with preservation planner Steve Callcott to review the procedures for working in the Mt. Vernon historic district. The restoration of the façade will require approved specialists in architectural ironwork, brickwork, and roofing. Restoration contractor Danny Palousek shows Norm how he will begin repairing and rebuilding the brick on the front of the house. Plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey visits the Solar Decathlon on the National Mall where university students compete to design and build houses powered entirely by the sun.

Host Kevin O'Connor and master carpenter Norm Abram open the show at the most visited destination in the Nation's capital—DC's newly restored Union Station. Back at the project house, restoration contractor Danny Palousek has begun work on the exterior brick, while inside, general contractor Mahyar Mahvi shows Kevin the progress—the building has been insulated with expanding foam insulation, wallboard is going up, the stairs are under construction, and the new windows are going in. Norm meets millwork specialist David Baldwin at his shop in Millersville, Maryland to see how they are replicating new wood casings from originals found in the house. In the basement, HVAC contractor Michael Bonsby finishes installing the new high-efficiency, two-stage gas furnace. Although over budget due to items like the curved staircase and the additional powder room, project director Elin Zurbrigg feels she's still on track due to the 10 percent she set aside for overages.

Restoration contractor Danny Palousek shows master carpenter Norm Abram how he's repointing and rebuilding the decorative brickwork on the facade of the house. Host Kevin O'Connor ventures to the industrial waterfront of southwest Washington to see architectural ironwork specialist Fred Mashack's rehabilitation work on front entrance stairs. Inside, the drywall is up, taped and mudded, and cabinet installer Oliver Earl installs the new maple cabinets. Out back, garden designer Kevin Cordt shows Kevin his plan for the backyard—a functional urban landscape that features parking for two cars, natural wood fencing, a small shed, and a low-maintenance garden.

Host Kevin O'Connor meets local Rick Lee for a tour of the most famous block in the neighborhood, the "U Street Corridor," which includes stops at Ben's Chili bowl and the historic Lincoln Theatre. Back at the project house, work begins in the backyard as fencing specialist Phil Brennan and his crew install a neighbor-friendly shadowbox fence and saltbox shed, while landscape contractor Dan Barry preps the planting beds. Inside, master carpenter Norm Abram finds the curved stair coming together and interior trim going up. Countertop fabricator John Huzway makes templates for the new engineered quartz kitchen counters using state of the art computer technology. Norm takes Mi Casa's project director, Elin Zurbrigg, to Washington's premier architectural salvage yard in search of a fireplace mantle to replace the one that was stolen.

Landscape contractor Roger Cook brings host Kevin O'Connor to the United States Botanic Garden — it's at the base of the Capitol and serves as the nation's greenhouse boasting 4,000 living species and 26,000 different plants. Back at the project house, Roger finds garden designer Kevin Cordt and his crew bringing in steel edging, pea stone, and plant material for the new backyard garden. Inside, general contractor Mahyar Mahvi shows master carpenter Norm Abram how he's sealed the exposed brick and started the tile work on the second floor. Custom stair manufacturer Jeff Glass and his crew fabricate a laminated railing for the new curved staircase. Interior designer Kate Dieterich shows Norm a new linoleum flooring for the kitchen that's homeowner friendly — it comes in panels with a cork backing, and clicks together without glue. In nearby Anacostia, Kevin meets park ranger Eola Dance for a look at the ongoing restoration work at the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site.

Day before the wrap party, master carpenter Norm Abram and host Kevin O'Connor visit the Jefferson Memorial. Architect Genell Anderson shows Norm the archival photo that inspired her design for the replacement roof turret, and Norm meets roofing contractor Tony Constantino to see how the structure is coming together. The finish materials are low maintenance — synthetic slate roofing, a high-density urethane cornice, and a shiny copper finial — all approved by the historic board. In the parlor, Norm applies a few coats of wax to enhance and protect the newly-stripped and salvaged mantle. Garden designer Kevin Cordt adds teak furniture and blooming annuals to the backyard, creating a true urban oasis. The next day, Norm arrives to find general contractor Mahyar Mahvi finishing up an elaborate tile medallion at the entry way, while his crew attends to the last details.