This Old House

Once a Barn, Now a Beautiful Home - The Concord Cottage (25x18)

Uitzenddatum: Feb 07, 2004

It's the big day, and host Kevin O'Connor arrives at the completed cottage in style (circa 1894) on a horse named "Daisy." Landscape contractor Roger Cook and master carpenter Norm Abram help him tie up at the new hitching post. Then Kevin catches up with homeowner Janet Bernard for a brief reflection on why the end of the project is bittersweet for her family, and is now more important than ever. Upstairs in the laundry area, home economist Lucinda Ottusch shows Kevin the latest in laundry technology: a washer that can sense how dirty the clothes are while handling 16 pair of jeans at once. Kevin meets lighting designer Susan Arnold to see her interior and exterior lighting choices and to get a demo of a new high-tech radio frequency lighting control system. Plumbing and heating contractor Richard Trethewey shows Norm the finished bathrooms and mechanical room, including a central vacuum system that will help keep the air clean inside the house. Window treatment specialist Kara Roberts shows Kevin the simple white linen panels selected for the cottage windows, and an alternative way to dress them up. Next door in Janet's basement, Kevin meets furniture specialist Debbie McKirihan for a look at the semi-custom furniture her company created for the cottage. Architect Holly Cratsley shows Kevin and homeowner Jackie Buckley the finished kitchen and explains the universal design elements that will make the kitchen easy for people of all ages and abilities to use. Moments before the wrap party begins, interior designer Tricia McDonagh shows Kevin how her design elements work together to evoke the comfortable, classic feeling of an old carriage house. At the wrap party, the crew congratulates general contractor Tom Silva on a job well done - and one that proves that small houses can be big on charm, especially when delivered on time and on budget.