Prepwork and Inspiration
this old house

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, 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; due to some hidden (and ungrounded) knob-and-tube wiring, nearly 90 percent of the old house will have to be rewired to meet building code. Out back, Tom uses interlocking, insulated concrete forms for the foundation of the new addition, just before the concrete truck arrives for the pour.

Episode Duration: 26 minutes and 16 seconds

Episode Number: 2903

About This Old House:

America's favorite home improvement series, the Emmy Award-winning THIS OLD HOUSE, with host Kevin O'Connor, general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, landscape contractor Roger Cook and master carpenter Norm Abram.


Watch This Old House - Clips, Episodes & Previews


Future Broadcast times for "This Old House": (show all)

Sat, Jul 27 4:00 A.M. North Shore Framezilla     NH Create (11.4)
Sat, Jul 27 8:30 A.M. Lexington Ramping Up     NH Create (11.4)
Sat, Jul 27 3:00 P.M. Lexington Ramping Up     NH Create (11.4)
Mon, Jul 29 8:00 A.M. Lexington Drop in the Gutter     NH Create (11.4)
Mon, Jul 29 2:00 P.M. Lexington Drop in the Gutter     NH Create (11.4)
Tue, Jul 30 4:00 A.M. Lexington Drop in the Gutter     NH Create (11.4)
Tue, Jul 30 8:00 A.M. Up on the Roof     NH Create (11.4)
Tue, Jul 30 2:00 P.M. Up on the Roof     NH Create (11.4)
Tue, Jul 30 5:00 P.M. Lexington Drop in the Gutter     NHPBS (11.1)
Wed, Jul 31 4:00 A.M. Up on the Roof     NH Create (11.4)
Wed, Jul 31 8:00 A.M. 400 Years of Home Technology     NH Create (11.4)
Wed, Jul 31 2:00 P.M. 400 Years of Home Technology     NH Create (11.4)
Wed, Jul 31 5:00 P.M. What's Old Is New Again     NHPBS (11.1)
Thu, Aug 1 4:00 A.M. 400 Years of Home Technology     NH Create (11.4)
Thu, Aug 1 8:00 A.M. Making New Look Old     NH Create (11.4)
Thu, Aug 1 2:00 P.M. Making New Look Old     NH Create (11.4)


NHPBS Over-the-Air Broadcast

WENH-TV Ch. 11 Durham

WLED-TV Ch. 48 Littleton

WEKW-TV Ch. 18 Keene

W50DP-D Ch. 50 Hanover

W34DQ-D Ch. 34 Pittsburg

Cable and Satellite Channels


NHPBS Five Channels

NHPBS - 11.1

NH Explore - 11.2

NH World - 11.3

NH Create - 11.4

NH Kids - 11.5

Learn More


NHPBS NHPBS Passport Passport

Grantchester | Episode 1
Dynamic Planet | Ice
America ReFramed | Como Vivimos (How We Live)
Professor T | Heir to the Throne
D.I. Ray | Rivals
Local, USA | Public Enemies, Private Friends
Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution | Rock the Boat
Pompeii: The New Dig | Episode 3
My Music with Rhiannon Giddens | Episode 6
Antiques Roadshow | I Was There
Great Performances | Purlie Victorious
Nature | Wild Ireland: Kingdom of Stone
After Action | Serving with Pride
Poetry in America | Steps
The Ghost Army | The Ghost Army
Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story | Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story
MaryLand | Episode 3
Guilt | Episode 2
American Experience | The Riot Report
Art Happens Here with John Lithgow | Art Happens Here with John Lithgow
AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange | Freedom Hill
American Masters | The Incomparable Mr. Buckley (ASL)
Changing Planet | Coral Special
Independent Lens | One With the Whale
Through Our Eyes | Uprooted
Next at the Kennedy Center | Joshua Redman where are we
Julius Caesar: The Making of a Dictator | Ides of March
The Real Story of Mr Bates vs The Post Office | The Real Story of Mr Bates vs The Post Office
Mr Bates vs The Post Office | Episode 1
Finding Your Roots | Viewers Like You