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26 Episodes 1999 - 2000
Episode 1
Sat, Sep 25, 1999 30 mins
Host Steve Thomas and builder Tom Silva tour a "fire job." It's the charred ruin of a Billerica, Mass., Cape-style home owned by Silva's brother Dick (who happens to be a carpenter). Thomas also tours a renovated Ipswich house that had been gutted by a fire a year before.
Episode 2
Sat, Oct 2, 1999 30 mins
Included: an investigation of the fire that devastated the Silva home, and a look at how it might have been prevented; dealing with insurance issues; a meeting with an architect to discuss rebuilding.
Episode 3
Sat, Oct 9, 1999 30 mins
The Silvas' fire-ravaged house is torn down and host Steve Thomas meets with architect Chris Dallmus about the new one: a two-story "village Victorian" with four bedrooms and three-and-a-half baths. Also: the cleanup of the surrounding property begins; soil samples are taken to see if oil was spilled during the fire; water-table tests are taken to see if the foundation's proposed elevation meets legal requirements.
Episode 4
Sat, Oct 16, 1999 30 mins
The foundation for the Silvas' house is almost finished, so insulation and a radiant heating system are installed, and the Silvas choose a brick-veneer exterior. Also: host Steve Thomas visits an insurance company's demonstration home in Florida that incorporates a number of fire-safety ideas.
Episode 5
Sat, Oct 23, 1999 30 mins
Host Steve Thomas tours the newly framed first floor of the Silva home; carpenter Norm Abram examines engineered wooden I-joists in the basement; architect Chris Dallmus discusses his plans for reducing the mass of the house's three-car garage; and workmen begin raising the house walls.
Episode 6
Sat, Oct 30, 1999 30 mins
Host Steve Thomas visits the Massachusetts Fire Training Academy to understand the dangers involved in fighting fires such as the one that destroyed the Silva home. Back at the reconstruction sight, the jobs include matching the brick-veneer facing with that of the chimney, and constructing a shed dormer.
Episode 7
Sat, Nov 6, 1999 30 mins
State-of-the-art windows are installed in the Silva house, and host Steve Thomas visits the Minnesota factory where they're produced. Also, carpenter Norm Abram and contractor Tom Silva put corner trim on the exterior; and mason Lenny Belliveau works on the house's hearth.
Episode 8
Sat, Nov 13, 1999 30 mins
Host Steve Thomas interviews James Crowe, the inventor of a synthetic slate-roofing material made from recycled auto tires and industrial plastic trimmings. Also: carpentry projects and waste pipes for the Silva reconstruction.
Episode 9
Sat, Nov 20, 1999 30 mins
Wiring designed to accommodate emerging video, audio and computer technology is installed in the Silva reconstruction. Also examined: the kitchen design and sprinkler systems. Meanwhile, host Steve Thomas visits Underwriters Laboratories to witness the testing of various fire-safety products.
Episode 10
Sat, Nov 27, 1999 30 mins
Work on the Silva reconstruction continues with a door for the kitchen, landscaping ideas, window-flashing and porch-deck construction. Also: cementitious clapboards; and an electrical device called an arc-fault arrestor, which can detect frayed cords and worn wires.
Episode 11
Sat, Dec 4, 1999 30 mins
Prior to placing insulation in the Silvas' reconstructed home, host Steve Thomas checks out wiring, pipes, conduits and ducts. He also examines plans for the home-computer system with Paul Somerson of PC Computing magazine. Also: kitchen cabinets, flooring, countertops and appliance islands; the sprinkler system; the living room's home-entertainment center; and landscaping ideas.
Episode 12
Sat, Dec 11, 1999 30 mins
With the insulation in place, the wallboards arrive at the Silva reconstruction and plastering begins. Also: kitchen and bathroom cabinets and a bathroom vanity; granite walkway steps; garage-wall shingles; and a lead-coated copper roof for the kitchen bay window.
Episode 13
Sat, Dec 18, 1999 30 mins
A landscape contractor installs a stone wall around the Silvas' reconstructed house, and exteriors are painted using airless sprayers. Inside, interior doors are hung. Also: urethane millwork; workshop cabinets; and design ideas for the television set in the living room.
Episode 14
Sat, Dec 25, 1999 30 mins
Host Steve Thomas examines heating and cooling systems for the first floor of the Silva reconstruction, and explores interior-design ideas with Donna Sapolin of This Old House magazine. Also: edging for outside walkways; kitchen carpentry; and cabinet-door lacquering.
Episode 15
Sat, Jan 1, 2000 30 mins
A cabinetmaker builds a tiger-oak home-entertainment center for the Silvas' reconstructed home; host Steve Thomas checks out the Silvas' gas-powered emergency generator and wooden garage doors. Also: "kit of parts" wainscoting.
Episode 16
Sat, Jan 8, 2000 30 mins
Host Steve Thomas visits a linoleum factory in Scotland. In Massachusetts, work continues on the Silva reconstruction as a pullout pastry board is installed in the kitchen. Also examined: the house's air conditioning, a dry well (and an iron-removal unit for well water), paving, and hydroseeding treatment for the lawn.
Episode 17
Sat, Jan 15, 2000 30 mins
As the Silva reconstruction nears completion, attention turns to landscaping and flooring (vertical grain loblolly pine and quartersawn oak). Also: Oriental carpeting, a new front door (mahogany with hand-cast period brass hardware) and a "hidden" door in the dining room. Meanwhile, host Steve Thomas visits This Old House magazine's "dream house" in Connecticut, designed by architect Robert A. M. Stern.
Episode 18
Sat, Jan 22, 2000 30 mins
Finishing touches on the Silva reconstruction in Billerica, Mass.
Episode 19
Sat, Jan 29, 2000 30 mins
The crew celebrates the completion of the Silva reconstruction in Billerica, Mass.
Episode 20
Sat, Feb 5, 2000 30 mins
The expansion and restoration of a 1907 "arts-and-crafts"-style bungalow overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Santa Barbara, Cal., begins. Owner Jan Winford plans to add a second-floor master suite, expand the kitchen and reshape the front facade. Her architect: Jerry Zimmer. Steve Crawford is the general contractor. Steve Thomas hosts.
Episode 21
Sat, Feb 12, 2000 30 mins
The 1907 Santa Barbara, Cal., bungalow is "deconstructed" (and reinforced) before work can begin on the remodeling. Meanwhile, host Steve Thomas tours Santa Barbara with historian Neal Graffy and also visits a bungalow restored on the program in 1988.
Episode 22
Sat, Feb 19, 2000 30 mins
Norm Abrams examines the framing of the expansion of Santa Barbara, Cal., bungalow, as well as the new garage and the new synthetic-sandstone front walkway. Meanwhile, host Steve Thomas tours an oil rig off the coast of Santa Barbara and explores the oil industry's importance to the area's economy and its effect on the environment.
Episode 23
Sat, Feb 26, 2000 30 mins
Host Steve Thomas checks out the framing of the master suite of the Santa Barbara, Cal., bungalow, and visits a ceramics kiln (in Ojai, Cal.) where the house's tiles are being fired. Meanwhile, Norm Abram and general contractor Steve Crawford work on the new exterior so that it resembles the authentic 1907 arts-and-crafts style while meeting modern fire codes.
Episode 24
Sat, Mar 4, 2000 30 mins
While carpenter Norm Abram checks the Santa Barbara bungalow's custom windows, host Steve Thomas meets with the project's landscape architect. Also: a tour of an Arts and Crafts-style house in nearby Ojai, Cal.
Episode 25
Sat, Mar 11, 2000 30 mins
The first of the finishing touches are put in place in the next-to-last program on the renovation of a 1907 arts-and-crafts-style bungalow in Santa Barbara, Cal. Included: kitchen equipment, the oak front entrance and new tiles for the fireplace. Also: host Steve Thomas visits a lighting factory in Portland, Ore., where replicas of vintage fixtures are manufactured.
Episode 26
Sat, Mar 18, 2000 30 mins
The Santa Barbara project concludes as host Steve Thomas inspects the renovated 1907 arts-and-crafts-style bungalow in the California coastal city several weeks after homeowner Jan Winford has moved back in.