Home / Series / This Old House / Aired Order / Season 31 / Episode 3

Newton Centre; Work Begins, Homeowners Decide to Stay

Host Kevin O'Connor and general contractor Tom Silva discuss the homeowners' decision to stay in the house during construction, and they agree it won't be easy. Homeowners Bill and Gillian Pierce are already living out of boxes and coolers, because today their kitchen will be gutted back to the studs. In the basement, the laundry room can stay for the time being, but the entire heating system is also coming out today, as plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey goes straight to work with a reciprocating saw and a sledgehammer. Outside, Tom shows Kevin how he's extending the old windowsills with wood and epoxy to replicate the historic "ears" of the sill that were cut off by the vinyl siding contractor years ago. Gillian sets up a temporary kitchen in the basement, while Kevin gets some bad news from master electrician Allen Gallant. The exterior service components are water-damaged beyond repair, and due to some hidden (and ungrounded) knob-and-tube wiring, nearly ninety percent of the old house will have to be rewired to meet building code. Out back, Tom uses interlocking, insulated concrete forms to form the foundation for the new addition, just before the concrete truck arrives for the pour.

English
  • Originally Aired October 24, 2009
  • Runtime 25 minutes
  • Production Code 2903
  • Network PBS
  • Created September 2, 2014 by
    Administrator admin
  • Modified September 2, 2014 by
    Administrator admin