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26 Episodes 2002 - 2003
Episode 1
Thu, Oct 10, 2002 30 mins
Host Steve Thomas tours a new project: a 1922 Colonial Revival house in the Boston suburb of Winchester, Mass. Its leafy neighborhood is "right out of 'Leave It to Beaver'," says carpenter Norm Abram, and the house is in basically good shape. But, sighs Abrams, "the kitchen is terrible and the master bedroom is a disaster."
Episode 2
Thu, Oct 17, 2002 30 mins
Architect David Stirling, who'll be working on the Manchester, Mass., renovation, shows off a Manchester house he designed. Stirling also discusses plans for the project house's master bedroom with homeowner Bruce Leasure. Outside, there's lead-based exterior paint to strip; and trees and shrubs to remove (temporarily) during construction. Steve Thomas hosts.
Episode 3
Thu, Oct 24, 2002 30 mins
Architect David Stirling and homeowner Kim Whittemore go over plans for kitchen renovations at the Winchester, Mass., house. Outside, workers dismantle the top of an unused kitchen chimney while landscaping contractor Roger Cook and entomologist look for ways to save hemlock trees from a blight that has been killing trees in the eastern U.S. Steve Thomas hosts.
Episode 4
Thu, Oct 31, 2002 30 mins
The second floor of the Winchester, Mass., house is jacked up (carefully) by carpenter Charlie Silva, while plumbing-heating expert Richard Trethewey drains the house's heating system and disconnects the radiators. And homeowner Kim Whittemore dismantles the inside part of the kitchen chimney. Outside, unwanted trees are removed. Steve Thomas hosts.
Episode 5
Thu, Nov 7, 2002 30 mins
Excavation begins on a new kitchen foundation for the Winchester, Mass., house. Also: the master-bedroom layout is unveiled by architect Donald Stirling; and host Steve Thomas and homeowner Kim Whittemore tour a nearby greenhouse with landscaper Roger Cook.
Episode 6
Thu, Nov 14, 2002 30 mins
At the Winchester, Mass., house: a new doorway is cut into the basement foundation; exterior paint is stripped using non-toxic chemicals; architect Donald Striling and homeowner Kim Whittemore discuss the house's asymmetrical dormers; Whittemore and host Steve Thomas shop for windows for the addition.
Episode 7
Thu, Nov 21, 2002 30 mins
Carpenter Norm Abram shows the new foundation for the kitchen addition to the Manchester, Mass., house, while contractor Tom Silva's crew begins demolition of rotted sections of the sun porch and plumbing-heating guy Richard Trethewey lays out the plan for the pumbing in the master bath. Also: homeowner Kim Whittemore and host Ken Thomas visit a recently renovated house nearby in search of design ideas.
Episode 8
Thu, Nov 28, 2002 30 mins
Chimney specialist Mark Shaub uses his "fluecam" to look for reasons why the chimney at the Winchester, Mass., house is smoking. Also: contractor Tom Silva shows how the kitchen addition was reinforced and works on the deck structure for the new sun porch; and host Steve Thomas examines the cantilever at Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater house in western Pennsylvania.
Episode 9
Thu, Dec 5, 2002 30 mins
Winchester, Mass., homeowner Kim Whittemore explores exterior-paint options with host Steve Thomas and building-conservation specialist Andrea Gilmore. And plumbing-heating expert Richard Trethewey shows his radiant-heating plan for keeping the outdoor steps leading to the basement ice-free in winter. Meanwhile, homeowner Bruce Leasure and carpenter Norm Abram examine roofing choices; and Thomas visits photographer Arthur Griffin, a Winchester resident known for his pictures of baseball Hall-of-Famer Ted Williams.
Episode 10
Thu, Dec 12, 2002 30 mins
The Winchester, Mass., house gets some unexpected exposure: Neighbors have removed hemlocks from their backyard. Inside, chimney specialist Mark Schaub breaks up an old flue using a centrifugal hammer. Meanwhile, carpenter Norm Abram tours a new Colonial Revival house built on the site of a 1950s ranch house. Steve Thomas hosts.
Episode 11
Thu, Dec 19, 2002 30 mins
The kitchen addition to the Winchester, Mass., house is nearly complete as a mineral-wood insulation is sprayed into the walls, so cabinetmaker Jeff Peavy goes to work. Meanwhile, contractor Tom Silva installs double-hung windows in the sun porch; roofer Tom Evarts describes what his crew has been doing; and plumbing-heating expert Richard Trethewey shows host Steve Thomas the water-supply lines and the heating-and-cooling system.
Episode 12
Thu, Dec 26, 2002 30 mins
Landscaper Roger Cook and arborist Matt Foti plant a blue spruce in the backyard of the Winchester, Mass., house; homeowner Bruce Leasure and host Steve Thomas explore media-room options; and plumbing-heating expert Richard Trethewey shows Thomas three polyurethane tanks that will hold rainwater for garden reuse. Meanwhile, carpenter Norm Abram visits Vermont coppersmith Larry Stearns, who is fashioning a "This Old House" weathervane.
Episode 13
Thu, Jan 2, 2003 30 mins
With winter nearing, finishing the exterior painting of the Winchester, Mass., colonial-revival house becomes a priority. Meanwhile, spruce and white-pine trees have been planted in the backyard for shade and privacy. Inside, attention turns to flooring and the living-room design, but contractor Tom Silva is off the job because of a knee injury. Steve Thomas hosts.
Episode 14
Thu, Jan 9, 2003 30 mins
Recovering contractor Tom Silva returns to the Winchester, Mass., colonial-revival house as polystyrene crown moulding is installed. In the kitchen, soapstone counters are being put into place by Glenn Bowman, who also takes host Steve Thomas to the Vermont quarry from which he mines soapstone. And in the garage, craftsman Roger Jurczak installs doors designed to look like the 1920s originals.
Episode 15
Thu, Jan 16, 2003 30 mins
A new front walk is put into place at the Winchester, Mass., colonial-revival while contractor Tom Silva measures storm windows. Inside, cabinetmaker Jeff Peavey shows off his kitchen cabinets, and plumbing-heating expert Richard Trethewey explains heating strategies for each floor of the house, and for the basement. Meanwhile, carpenter Norm Abram visits a Connecticut firm that makes storm windows, and host Steve Thomas tours a suburban-Boston park known as Middlesex Fells Reservation.
Episode 16
Thu, Jan 23, 2003 30 mins
Work continues indoors and outdoors at the Winchester, Mass., rehab. Indoors, tiling contractor Joe Ferrante applies grout around the Chinese-slate tiles in the sun porch; plumbing-heating expert Richard Trethewey tries out the new steam shower in the master bath while flooring contractor Pat Hunt installs an oak floor in the master bedroom. Outside, landscaper Roger Cook shows homeowner Kim Whittemore how he'll hide air-conditioning condensers. Meanwhile, host Steve Thomas examines lampshades at a Boston boutique with interior decorator Carolina Tress-Balsbaugh.
Episode 17
Thu, Jan 30, 2003 30 mins
In the next-to-last episode of the Winchester, Mass., project, homeowner Kim Whittemore tries out the kitchen appliances with host Steve Thomas, who also inspects the closets and a five-arm chandelier. Meanwhile, Norm Abram inspects the outside fencing, which was made to resemble the original 1920s fencing; and contractor Tom Silva and carpenter Jason Wood line the walls with built-in bookshelves, made from MDF and poplar laminate.
Episode 18
Thu, Feb 6, 2003 30 mins
As the Winchester, Mass., project wraps up, host Steve Thomas inspects the garage storage system and the house's media room, and shades and drapes; landscaper Roger Cook lays the groundwork (as it were) for the lawn; interior decorator Carolina Tress-Balsburgh unveils her plans for the living room, dining room and sunroom; and coppersmith Larry Stearns and carpenter Norm Abram install a "This Old House" weathervane atop the garage.
Episode 19
Thu, Feb 13, 2003 30 mins
Host Steve Thomas and carpenter Norm Abram tour the Lake Forest, Ill., home of Heidi and Mike Smith, winners of the show's "Dream Kitchen" contest. It's a lovely 1928 Tudor house, but the narrow kitchen is too small for the Smiths and their 5-year-old triplets. And the ambitious renovation design presented by architect John Krasnodebski is some $20,000 higher than the Smiths' budget---before cost-chopper Abram goes to work. Also: plumbing-heating expert Richard Trethewey sets up a temporary kitchen in the house's sun porch for use during renovations.
Episode 20
Thu, Feb 20, 2003 30 mins
Program 2 of the kitchen renovations at a 1928 Tudor house in Lake Forest, Ill. Included: plumbing and electrical rough-ins; reframing the new adjoining bath (and a look at the challenges involved in shoehorning it into limited space); brickwork associated with new windows; and dealing with asbestos found wrapped around pipes. Also: a visit to Lake Forest's Market Square, an auto-friendly shopping center built in 1916; and a tour of a converted 1920s carriage house belonging to a Lake Forest architect and his designer/builder wife. Steve Thomas hosts.
Episode 21
Thu, Feb 27, 2003 30 mins
Breakfast-room work in the Lake Forest, Ill., kitchen project includes installing drywall and a concrete floor, along with bracketed posts crafted by carpenter Norm Abram. Elsewhere, a dip in the kitchen floor has been addressed with a steel beam in the basement, the floor has been resheathed with plywood and polyurethane foam insulation blown into the walls. Meanwhile, host Steve Thomas and homeowner Heidi Smith visit a kitchen designer in Hinsdale, Ill.
Episode 22
Thu, Mar 6, 2003 30 mins
Carpenters work outdoors in winter to install cedar siding to the kitchen being renovated in Lake Forest, Ill. And inside, plumbing-heating expert Richard Trethewey shows off the radiant-heating system he installed under the floor and in the walls of the greenhouse-turned-eating nook. Meanwhile, there's good news and bad news regarding the steel beam that was placed under the kitchen floor. It did level the bumps but it caused plaster to crack elsewhere in the house. Also: host Steve Thomas and historian Paul Bergmann tour a 1911 Lakefront mansion designed by Chicago architect Raymond Marshall.
Episode 23
Thu, Mar 13, 2003 30 mins
A new prefinished oak floor is installed in the kitchen at the 1928 brick Tudor house in Lake Forest, Ill. Meanwhile, homeowner Heidi Smith and interior designer Suzanne Cederlund show host Steve Thomas the plan for the kitchen design; and Thomas, contractor Tom Silva and architect John Krasnodebski discuss ways to minimize the transitions between drywall and brick in the new eating area. Also: Thomas and carpenter Norm Abram visit Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry to see planes, trains and a captured German submarine from World War II.
Episode 24
Thu, Mar 20, 2003 30 mins
The cabinets for the kitchen renovation at the 1928 brick Tudor house in Lake Forest, Ill., have arrived and, in a flashback, carpenter Norm Abram visits the Pennsylvania Dutch Country facility where they were built. Meanwhile, painting contractor Ben Evangelista begins repairing the plaster cracks in the front hall that were caused by jacking the kitchen floor. (It's a quick fix with tape, mud and texturing.) And host Steve Thomas visits the Charles Glore House in Lake Forest, which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Built in 1951, the Prairie-style house's ongoing renovation is a labor of love for its current owner.
Episode 25
Thu, Mar 27, 2003 30 mins
As the Lake Forest, Ill., kitchen rehab nears completion, the countertops are installed, as is the cast-iron farm sink and a faucet system that features a retractable sprayer head and an undercounter water-filtration unit. Also: host Steve Thomas visits a stone-fabrication shop to see where the countertops (made from an Italian sandstone known as Pietra del Cardoso) are made.
Episode 26
Thu, Apr 3, 2003 30 mins
The Lake Forest, Ill., kitchen project concludes with a "wrap party" prepared, appropriately, in the new kitchen by homeowner Heidi Smith and Chicago chef Rick Bayless. But first, host Steve Thomas inspects the lighting and the paint job on the cabinets. Thomas also inspects the kitchen in Bayless's home on Chicago's north side, and homeowner Mike Smith discusses the project's cost.