THIS OLD HOUSE® returns for an all-new season as America’s most trusted home improvement team takes on two diamonds in the rough – an Arts & Crafts style gem in an historic Boston, Massachusetts suburb and an abandoned brick beauty in the “Motor City” of Detroit. The 18-time Emmy award winning home improvement series features the two storied houses rich with history, design and construction challenges in 26 new episodes premiering September 29, 2016 on PBS (check local listings). #TOHArlington2016 #TOHDetroit
Host Kevin O’Connor, general contractor Tom Silva, master carpenter Norm Abram, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, and landscape contractor Roger Cook kick off Season 37 with the renovation of a century-old Arts & Crafts house in Arlington, Massachusetts. Built in 1909, the home represents an architectural movement toward simplicity and traditional craftsmanship – the very elements and character homeowners Nick and Emily aim to preserve both inside and out, while adding their own style.
The Arlington project’s 16 all-new episodes show viewers innovative building techniques such as the use of insulated concrete forms for the addition’s foundation and a state of the art heating system that will save thousands on energy costs, while the homeowners pitch in on masonry projects and an interior design plan. Nick and Emily also want a wider, open living space to accommodate their family, and THIS OLD HOUSE delivers despite the home’s steeply pitched roof, and thanks to a network of hidden beams. The front porch calls for demolition and the new design helps correct a hodgepodge exterior, which had lost much of its cohesive appeal over the years. Meanwhile, overgrown landscaping calls for a complete redesign to transform the storybook home.
In the second half of the season, THIS OLD HOUSE heads to Detroit, Michigan to work with retired firefighter Frank, his wife Tamiko and their extended family to renovate a brick home which had been unoccupied for the past four years. The 1939 two-story property is one of thousands of abandoned structures that was owned by the Detroit Land Bank and sold at auction with the promise that the family would make improvements and move in.
Slated projects include a new roof, kitchen and baths, plus new mechanicals to replace vandalized equipment. The team will also restore rich historical details such as leaded stain glass windows and archways. The Detroit series will span 10 all-new episodes. A second Detroit-based project will be announced this fall.
PBS | David
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