This Old House

Forty years is a long time for anything to last—a marriage, a restaurant, a business. It is almost unheard-of for a television show. And there’s a good chance that no one expected that to happen for a little show called This Old House that sprang to

This Old House’s first on-air host actually started out as its first homeowner. In the never-aired pilot for what eventually became This Old House, Bob and his wife showed a Boston Globe reporter around the circa-1840 Newton, MA, house the couple had

Spinning her wheels Filming ground to a halt as then production coordinator Sara Ferguson’s car was blocking the sand-and-gravel driveway at Billerica. Try as she might, she couldn’t budge it, so host Steve Thomas offered to help. Sara hopped out, he

1> Though they replicate the real windows they replaced, these LED-backlit panes only date to 2016. Not having to rely on the sun is a big help when projects take longer than expected. 2> It appears to be a standard workbench, but this surface is env

If plumbing is a mystery to you, you’re not alone. “Many people have no idea how water gets to their building, how wastewater leaves, or how their house is heated or cooled,” says This Old House plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey. “So my r

IF THE KITCHEN were a menu item, we’d call it comfort food, as familiar as mac ’n’ cheese. Might have something to do with memories of hanging out after school as Mom made dinner, and trying to score some milk and cookies. Today, even as kitchens get

Q I have a number of saw blades that are covered with pitch. How do I remove this sticky buildup?—DAVID PRESCOTT, KREBS, OK A Pitch is actually tree sap that gums up saw blades as they cut through resinous woods, like pine and fir. In the old days be

Q We have a gas furnace and want to run another gas line up to our laundry room so we can use a gas dryer. Is this something we can do ourselves?—ALISON SCHMALZIGAN, ARVADA, CO RICHARD TRETHEWEY REPLIES: In a word, no. Most municipalities require thi

→ CONNECTING WITH THE PAST takes on a whole new meaning when it involves marrying brittle 179-year-old beams with the code-compliant framing of a new structure. Just ask Gordon Jacobsen, the project manager overseeing the construction of This Old Hou

This Old House’s first broadcast, of the crew’s renovations on the Dorchester House, aired locally in February 1979—the same year, fittingly, that the band Men at Work formed. That band is no more, but the guys play on. We sat down with TOH master ca

Your Top 10 This Old House Projects Using your feedback, we created a poll on thisoldhouse.com to find out which house you liked best—and once the votes were tallied, one that wasn’t on the original list earned its place as a write-in candidate! (Sor

For many fans, This Old House feels like home. We’re honored that our family is part of yours. “I grew up watching This Old House and have passed the love on to my husband and our sons. They were very excited to dress as some of the guys last Hallowe

“This Old House gave me the vision to see that I could do home improvements myself, and started me on my DIY journey. I’ve been able to do a number of major remodels myself thanks to TOH. Bob, Norm, Rich, and the rest of the cast showed me everything

1979 BIRTH OF A NOTION After surviving more than one reno himself, TV producer Russ Morash persuades Boston’s WGBH to underwrite a show demystifying the process. Meet carpenter Norm Abram, host Bob Vila, and plumber Ron Trethewey! “I thought I’d be i

Like many a new father, our TOH host greeted the birth of his first child by rushing out to buy a camera: “You have a new baby, and it’s like, ‘Oh my gosh, I gotta take pictures of this kid!’” That was 14 years ago—and only Kevin’s second year on Thi

“They don’t build them like they used to.” At This Old House, the reply to that curmudgeonly complaint is “That’s right. We build them better!” And that’s due in no small part to the inquisitive, adaptable contractors at the heart of this venerable T