This Old House

A new project begins in Belmont, MA with a focus on salvage and restoration. Homeowners Katherine and Murat Bicer plan to revive their 1895 Victorian by building a front porch, refurbishing the original windows and opening up the kitchen. 1

Roger and Katherine take inventory of the plants, which Roger hopes to save and replant. Tommy explains the structural plan for the kitchen/dining area. Architectural historian Joe Cornish and Norm tour Belmont's Victorian homes. Tommy inspects open walls to determine structural support for the newly opened space. Dave Greenwood repairs the window pulley systems throughout the house. 2

Tommy jacks up the basement ceiling with temporary braces. The homeowners want to save the marble sink and claw foot tub in the second floor bathroom. Tommy gets the final beam specifications from the engineers plans to hold up the back of the house. Richard tours Belmont's 1853 Homer House. Tommy carefully pulls up flooring so he can reuse it to patch other areas of the house. 3

Tommy explains how he assembles a flitch beam, and begins to install the first of two in the kitchen. Kevin travels to West Virginia to see how laminated veneer lumber is made. Richard discovers a rear-mounted toilet on the 3rd floor, and replaces it. Landscape designer Jenn Nawada shows her ideas for the shade-covered space. The braces come down and the open space is revealed. 4

Tommy calls in an excavator to begin work on the footings for the new porch. Norm meets homeowner Katherine and kitchen designer Linda Cloutier in the new open kitchen to discuss the layout. Kevin helps Tommy and his crew frame in the new closet and bathroom for the master suite. Tommy removes all of the old fiberglass insulation with a giant vacuum. Norm and Tommy resize an existing door.

Mason Mark McCullough starts laying blocks for the mudroom foundation. Tommy builds a custom bay window for the new kitchen. Norm visits the shop where the original windows are undergoing restoration. Tommy shows Kevin how he uses a Dutchman's patch. Kevin, designer Amanda Reid and homeowners Katherine and Murat meet at the Boston Design Center to discuss plans for the formal living room. 6

Kevin learns about the plan to keep the existing boiler and add a ducted system with condenser for AC. Tommy's crew replaces the old steel main water line at the front of the house. Mason Mark McCullough lays brick for the new porch piers. Tommy pours a concrete "rat slab,". Homeowner Katherine and designer Amanda Reid are making final selections for the bathrooms.

Kevin finds Tommy out front, beginning the framing of the front porch with the ledger board. HVAC expert Brian Palen solves the puzzle of snaking ductwork through an old house. Kevin heads to Brimfield, the world's largest outdoor antiques show, where homeowner Katherine searches for furnishings. Back at the house, Tommy has finished the deck framing and shows Kevin how he builds the stairs. 8

Tommy frames a new mudroom. Architect Mat Cummings has put together a couple of color-scheme options for the exterior of the house. Richard travels to New Bedford, Mass., to see the claw-foot tub undergoing restoration. Electrician Allen Gallant shows Kevin the remnants of old knob-and-tube wiring and snakes new wires for new fixtures. Tommy shapes new molding to match existing exterior molding. 9

Tommy lays down a mahogany floor on the new front porch. Homeowner Katherine and interior designer Amanda select new modern fixtures. Tommy explains the difference between open- and closed-cell foam insulation and applies both to solve an ice dam issues throughout the house. Two new gas fireplaces are installed on the first floor. Tommy lays out and install the shingles on the front porch roof.10

Tommy converts a glass-paneled storm door into a custom mudroom-porch window. Interior designer Amanda Reid selects Victorian-inspired paint colors for the main living areas. Tommy clads the porch piers in white cedar shingles. Mark Ferrante lays marble tile in the master bath walk-in shower. Tommy lays down classic white oak tongue-and-groove floors in the kitchen and master suite. 11

Tommy creates an arched feature for the new gable above the front porch stairs. Then he adds the finishing touch to the front porch: cedar columns. Kevin travels to Vermont to see an artisan create a custom floorcloth for the kitchen. Tommy builds the porch railings, which require a special detail in order to meet code. Kevin begins a labor of love: a tree house for the kids. 12

Norm builds a ladder on the tree house. Tommy lays decking and Kevin instals balusters. Mauro shows Kevin how he preps the 120-year-old shingles for a fresh coat of paint. Tommy installs a new storm window, and the original refurbished windows are installed. Tommy puts the finishing touches on a custom trellis. Tommy patches the parquet flooring in the entryway using reclaimed wood. 13

Roger replants the trees and shrubs he dug up before construction began. Landscape designer Jennifer Nawada puts the finishing touches on the backyard. Norm visits a craftsman carving two newel posts to match the main staircase. Tommy installs kitchen cabinets. The marble countertop and claw-foot tub find their new home. The tree house is complete and ready for the kids to enjoy. 14

Designer Linda Cloutier oversees kitchen countertop installation and discovers a unique idea for the sink. Norm and Tommy build a columned divider. Richard reviews changes to the mechanical system. Mauro Henrique applies special primer to one wall in the kitchen. Interior designer Amanda Reid uses window treatments to create certain looks and Tommy walks through the house with the homeowners.15

Everyone celebrates the renovated home on the new porch. Roger finishes landscape transformation. Norm notes the porch's beautiful design details. Tommy shows PVC floor registers can look like surrounding wood. Pauline Curtiss paints an intricate damask design on the walls. Kevin recaps the tree house build and the functional mudroom addition. Richard points out the bathroom features. 16

On the North Shore of Massachusetts, homeowners Bill and April Harb begin building a traditional farmhouse with building methods at the forefront of innovation. With the site plan, Kevin and Roger walk around the property, pointing out the first steps in the process. Norm and Tommy tour other factory homes built 5 years ago and 105 years ago, learning about the methods used for assembly.

Tommy and Kevin visit the Vermont factory where the house will be built, as general contractor Erik Kaminski watches the first shipment of framing parts leave. Richard meets Ed Akerley, who drills and blasts through the rock ledge to make room for the foundation. Norm and Erik watch as Scott McKenzy and his team build forms and pour concrete for the foundation. 18

An inspector arrives to approve the new foundation. Kevin sees how Erik Kaminski installs the perimeter drain, which will keep groundwater away from the house. Landscape architect Kim Turner explains her landscape plan, making the property look like it's been there for a very long time. Matt Khoury leads the start of the framing process as Richard checks out the numbering system for the panels. 19

General contractor Erik Kaminski walks Tommy through the first floor. Kevin meets homeowner April and interior designer Kristina Crestin to see the plan for the living/dining room. Erik walks Kevin through the house and shows him how they're raising the roof. With the main house framed, the crew moves on to the garage. Exterior trim arrives, and fascia board gets attached to the rafters. 20

Kevin visits a reproduction first-period colonial home to find out how houses were roofed 400 years ago. Up in Rupert, Vermont, homeowner Bill shows Kevin how the reproduction light fixtures the couple selected are handcrafted. Window installation begins. Norm heads to Maine, where homeowner April and interior designer Kristina Crestin search for salvaged doors for the pantry and dining room. 21

Drilling begins on a geothermal system that will reduce the Harbs' energy bill by almost 50-percent. Norm tours local first-period homes with housewright Matt Diana. Kevin travels to the Vermont factory to see the stairs and wall panels being built. Back on the North Shore, Kevin learns about a new technology to seal ductwork. 22

General contractor Erik Kaminski shows Kevin how he installs clapboard siding. Roger, landscape architect Kim Turner, and homeowner Bill select salvaged granite for the yard. Richard and Erik discuss the insulation plan for the house. Richard sees how the geothermal pipes are connected in the basement. At the factory in Vermont, Kevin sees the kitchen cabinets coming together. 23

Erik takes delivery of the kitchen cabinets, and Kevin assists with installation. In the backyard, landscape architect Kim Turner shows Roger how she's installing reclaimed granite as a rustic patio. The den gets some formal wainscoting. The homeowners meet with designer Kristina Crestin to select interior paint colors. Erik installs the factory-made staircase. 24

Erik Kaminski finishes the staircase. Kevin and landscape architect Kim Turner to connect a reproduction antique light fixture to a granite lamppost. Richard shows the systems for getting water from the well. Scott Caron shows how the backup generator is installed. Electrician Heath Eastman installs the crown jewel of the cupola. Roger and Kim turn the muddy pit into a beautiful front yard. 25