Roxbury Project, Part 1 of 10
this old house

For the second project of This Old House's 30th Anniversary Season, the crew takes on an issue that's top of mind in the country: foreclosures. Partnering with the City of Boston and local non-profit Nuestra Comunidad, they will take a foreclosed and abandoned two-family house from the 1870s, and turn it into two units of affordable housing in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Local general contractor David Lopes shows host Kevin O'Connor just how extensive the damage to the old house is, and they quickly get to work demolishing the parts that can't be saved, including a three-story rear extension, which has rotted through from roof to floor. Joining the project will be apprentices from YouthBuild Boston looking to earn jobs in the building trades. In order to recruit two young carpenters from the program to work with the crew, master carpenter Norm Abram visits YouthBuild's annual carpentry challenge. Back at the house, after more necessary demolition, certified arborist Jack Kelly and his crew arrive to remove a giant dead tree that had fallen from the project house yard onto the neighbor's garage. Renovating the house will be a great challenge, but the City feels it will make a statement of hope and respect in a neighborhood that has been plagued by foreclosures.

Duration: 25 minutes and 52 seconds

Episode Number: 2917

About This Old House:

This Old House, with pros Tom Silva, Richard Trethewey, Jenn Nawada, and host Kevin O'Connor, is TV's original home-improvement show.


Watch This Old House - Clips, Episodes & Previews


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

Fri, Feb 27 5:00 P.M. Ipswich A Period Restoration     NHPBS (11.1)
Sat, Feb 28 4:00 A.M. Brookline Mid-century Modern House: Stone Cold Pavers     NH Create (11.4)
Sat, Feb 28 8:30 A.M. Suburban Victorian Trim and Proper     NH Create (11.4)
Sat, Feb 28 3:00 P.M. Suburban Victorian Trim and Proper     NH Create (11.4)
Mon, Mar 2 8:00 A.M. Suburban Victorian Pouring It On     NH Create (11.4)
Mon, Mar 2 2:00 P.M. Suburban Victorian Pouring It On     NH Create (11.4)
Tue, Mar 3 4:00 A.M. Suburban Victorian Pouring It On     NH Create (11.4)
Tue, Mar 3 8:00 A.M. Brookline Mid-century Modern House: Eight is Enough Stairways     NH Create (11.4)
Tue, Mar 3 2:00 P.M. Brookline Mid-century Modern House: Eight is Enough Stairways     NH Create (11.4)
Wed, Mar 4 4:00 A.M. Brookline Mid-century Modern House: Eight is Enough Stairways     NH Create (11.4)
Wed, Mar 4 8:00 A.M. Brookline Mid-century Modern House: Can We Cantilever     NH Create (11.4)
Wed, Mar 4 2:00 P.M. Brookline Mid-century Modern House: Can We Cantilever     NH Create (11.4)
Thu, Mar 5 4:00 A.M. Brookline Mid-century Modern House: Can We Cantilever     NH Create (11.4)
Thu, Mar 5 8:00 A.M. Brookline Mid-century Modern House What's the Miter with the Corner     NH Create (11.4)
Thu, Mar 5 2:00 P.M. Brookline Mid-century Modern House What's the Miter with the Corner     NH Create (11.4)
Fri, Mar 6 4:00 A.M. Brookline Mid-century Modern House What's the Miter with the Corner     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

Explore - 11.2

World - 11.3

Create - 11.4

Kids - 11.5

All of our channels and NHK World Japan are streaming LIVE ONLINE and on the PBS App, available on most devices.

Learn More


 

Community Impact

NHPBS NHPBS Passport Passport

American Masters | Sun Ra: Do The Impossible [ASL]
Ask This Old House | E15 | Toys and Colors, Air Switch | Ask This Old House
This Old House | E15 | Suburban Victorian | Getting Our Ducts in a Row
Secrets of the Dead | Queens of Combat
NOVA | Angkor: Hidden Jungle Empire
Austin City Limits | Marcus King Band / Wyatt Flores
Finding Your Roots | The Road We Took
Antiques Roadshow | Georgia State Railroad Museum, Hour 1
History with David Rubenstein | Rick Atkinson
Nature | Tusker: Brotherhood of Elephants
All Creatures Great and Small | Episode 1: Gathering the Flock
American Experience | Bombshell
Bookish | Slightly Foxed, Part 1
Happiness | Episode 1
Great Performances | Nutcracker from English National Ballet
Miss Scarlet | Episode 3: The Delivery
Christmas With The Tabernacle Choir | Hope of the Season: Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir
London Parade - A Tribute to 40 Years | London Parade - A Tribute to 40 Years
The St. Olaf Christmas Festival: Our Hope for Years to Come | The St. Olaf Christmas Festival: Our Hope for Years to Come
Prue Leith's Cotswold Kitchen | Charlotte Church
The Nutcracker at the Jacobs School of Music | The Nutcracker at the Jacobs School of Music
The Caverns Sessions | Flatland Cavalry
The Great Escaper | The Great Escaper
The American Revolution | In Order to Be Free (May 1754 - May 1775)
Rick Steves' Europe | London: A Royal Tour
RFDS: Royal Flying Doctor Service | Sieve & Sort
Lidia Celebrates America | Lidia Celebrates America: A Nation of Neighbors
Story Pole | Story Pole
American Heart in WWI: A Carnegie Hall Tribute | American Heart in WWI: A Carnegie Hall Tribute
After Action | We Were There
Salute to Service: A Veterans Day Celebration | Salute to Service 2025: A Veterans Day Celebration
The Last 600 Meters: The Battles of Najaf and Fallujah | The Last 600 Meters
Independent Lens | Life After
The World of Olive Oil | The World of Olive Oil
Kanenon:we - Original Seeds | Kanenon:we - Original Seeds