The crew arrives at the new project in Westerly, Rhode Island – a sturdy 1940’s ranch that was built and occupied by the same family since the new homeowners, Scott and Shayla, acquired it. They give Kevin and Tommy a tour of the knotty pine paneled interior. Builder Jeff Sweenor and his architectural design team have been working with Scott and Shayla on a transformation to take advantage of the distant view of the water and they show it to Kevin on the computer. Norm travels to California to see where the quintessential ranch house evolved. Jeff takes a tour with Richard to see the existing garage and basement. A renovation as big as this will call for a new and efficient heating and air system as well as an updated septic system. Outside Jenn and Roger walk the property and discuss what can be done with the varying landscape. Jeff invites a local Habitat for Humanity crew to come and salvage a host of building materials, including the knotty pine paneling, before the demo begins. Nathan travels to Birmingham, Alabama to install a sliding barn door in an open-concept loft apartment; Tom compares the qualities of different types of roofing materials; Ross explains the culprit behind damaged solar panels and how to prevent future damage; Mark installs a dry well for a homeowner with drainage issues in his backyard.

At the old Westerly Ranch House, the roof was disassembled to add a new level, but the original chimney is going to be in the way of the open floor plan concept on the first floor. Jeff works with mason Mark McCullough to take down the center chimney brick by brick. A major addition also means new windows and that’s a big investment. Scott and Shayla meet with architectural designer Lori Foley for a window-shopping spree at a local showroom where they consider price, material, color, grill pattern, and door hardware. Back at the house, the original exterior walls were made of 2x4 framing material and were only 8 feet high. Instead, Jeff wants to use 2x6 manufactured framing lumber for strength and added insulation and raise the new ceiling to 9 feet. The old walls get sliced into sections and pushed out. As demolition continues at the house, Jeff is thinking about purchasing building materials. Richard joins him at a convention in Las Vegas to check out the latest plumbing fixtures. Meanwhile, at the house, the foundation is squared off and ready for framing. Kevin finds Jeff’s crew as they start to frame the main part of the house. Jeff uses manufactured framing stock, but the original rafters were in such good shape they decided to rip them to a desired dimension to repurpose for interior wall framing. Mauro paints a baby’s nursery using zero VOC paint; Richard tests out a new dryer that uses a heat pump to dry the clothes; Tom and Kevin build a record player stand out of oak plywood.

The old ranch house will soon gain a second level. The open concept living space requires extra planning for support of the second story. Now that the first floor walls are framed, Jeff is ready to place the main support beam. Kevin finds the crew maneuvering the 1200 pound PSL beam. The new deck off the back of the house will block the existing basement windows. The homeowners want some light in the basement incase they decide to later improve the space. Kevin watches as a hole is cut in the old foundation for a basement window. Jeff and his team are big fans of the laminated strand lumber used for framing on this project. Kevin travels to Kenora, Canada to find out how and where it comes from. Plant manager Bill Candline gives him a tour. Back at the project, framing continues on the new upper level of the house. Tommy, Jeff and Jeff’s crew are ready to raise the new gable ends. Jenn teaches Kevin how to plant a small herb garden with a cocktail theme; a homeowner’s radiator sprung away from the pipe when he tried to replace the valve, so Richard heads to his house to help him reconnect it; Mark replaces a homeowner’s sloppy fireplace surround with a clean, thin brick veneer.

With the gables installed on both sides of the addition, Kevin O'Connor finds Tom Silva and Jeff Sweenor building and raising the narrow gambrel roof profiles on either end. The next step is to stand the two second floor dormer walls on the long sides of the house. With the windows framed out, Tom and Kevin throw in with Jeff and his crew to finish sheathing before they raise the walls. As part of the Generation Next initiative, each season apprentices are invited to join the building team so they can learn on the job. Kevin introduces the three newest apprentices, Kathryn Fulton, Ryan Dolan, and De’Shaun Burnett. Each come to the jobsite with a different background story and are ready to dive in with the crew. The original house had the most basic of waste water systems, a cesspool. The new construction means the homeowners must upgrade their system. Richard Trethewey meets with engineer Jeff Balch to find out the modern plan for waste water—including a biological system that significantly reduces the amount of nitrogen that’s released to a leaching field. Meanwhile, heavy lifting continues as Jeff’s team wraps up framing the second story and attic of the house. Kevin assists Jeff with installing the LVL ridge. Tom shows the three new apprentices how to measure and cut the roof rafters while the rest of the crew starts to install them. Tom explains the uses and purposes of different types of screws; Richard travels to Park City, Utah to install a whole house ductless humidifier; Ross and Richard discuss changes to electric bill payment structures; Jenn installs a front entry planter for a homeowner that will last through the winter.

Kevin arrives to the house to find Tommy outside teaching the apprentices how to set posts and beams to frame for a new deck. On the exterior, where the first floor meets the second floor, is a flared edge detail that runs all the way around the house. Jeff shows Kevin how his crew will use 150 precut rafter tails made of laminated finger-jointed lumber to frame the flare or “sweep”. The homeowners meet with Jenn to talk about hardscape around the property. Steps and walkways will be needed to access the home. Jenn discovers that Westerly was at one point an important supplier of granite to the entire country. These days Westerly granite is harder to come by, as few quarries and stone cutters remain. There is a day in every This Old House apprentices’ life when they learn to install a window. Kevin finds Jeff at the head of the class with Kathryn, De’Shaun, and Ryan soaking up the knowledge. Once the window is in, Jeff shows them how to make sure it’s square. With stud walls in, rough plumbing has begun. Richard works with plumber Josh as well as Jeff to find a solution for a drain from an upstairs toilet that’s located right above a structural double joist. Tom repairs an old dining room built-in with hand tools and a bar of soap; the team shares more home inspection nightmares; electrician Heath Eastman makes his first house call to install a chandelier in a homeowner’s dining room.

Kevin O'Connor arrives to find the house is just about weather tight on the exterior. Inside, the main living space has been opened up, and upstairs are three newly framed bedrooms. Now it’s time to replace the temporary stairs with a new staircase that has been prefabricated in Jeff Sweenor’s millshop. There, Kevin finds Tom Silva and Jeff adding the final oak treads on the stringerless stairway. They take it to the project house to be installed. Always on the lookout for new technology, Kevin travels to the Greek Revival This Old House Idea House in Connecticut where the builder is using a new clapboard siding made with an engineered wood strand technology. There he meets project foreman Gordon Jacobsen, who is installing the siding on the front porch. Back at the project house, the plan is to replace the old furnace with two new efficient furnaces—one in the basement and one in the attic. Richard Trethewey travels to the factory in Indianapolis to see the latest manufacturing techniques. The new furnaces arrive back at the project house in Westerly where Richard meets HVAC installer Michael Gamache who unboxes the units and starts to set one up in the attic. One year ago, the California town of Paradise experienced the worst wildfire in the US in a century. Almost 25,000 people were left homeless and 85 did not survive. Despite the devastation, the people of Paradise are determined to rebuild. On the one-year anniversary of the disaster, This Old House pays tribute to the courageous people who survived and those who have chosen to rebuild. Tom checks out a women’s only DIY class on building a footstool and discusses some of the unique challenges faced by women learning DIY skills; Jenn helps a homeowner select, place, and install plants for her terraced garden; the team discusses the ways homeowners and contractors should communicate to set appropriate expectations for home improvement projects.

Kevin O'Connor begins by looking at the new exterior details of the house—which has turned from a one story ranch into a two story Dutch Colonial. He points out the white cedar shingled bell curved shape between the two stories. Inside, the first floor ceilings are pushed up a foot taller and the living space is opened up by an 18-inch beam that supports the second floor. Because the massive beam hangs down 4 inches below the new ceiling height, Tom Silva and Jeff Sweenor are turning the beam into a coffer and working to lay out other coffers to disguise the beam and define the space. They use premade coffer profiles to lay out on the floor in order to divide the space equally for the three divided coffers. Then they start cutting and transferring the boards up to the ceiling. Shayla and Scott want to incorporate Westerly granite into their landscape. Jenn visits a 4th generation granite cutting shop in Westerly. Rick Comolli shows her how he cuts the granite slabs that will be used for outdoor steps and then he teaches her to do a live edge detail on the front side. It’s time for the sophisticated septic system to be installed. With the 1500 gallon primary and secondary tank buried in the ground, installer Rick Pezza shows Richard the biologic cycle where oxygenated water returns to the main tank, nitrogen gas gets released into the atmosphere, and the remaining treated fluid goes through a sand filter. Kevin goes to Canfield, Ohio to see how the wooden four-paneled interior doors are made. He first meets Terry Baird, whose family has owned the business for over fifty years making custom and standard hardwood accent products. Manager Steve Stack shows Kevin the process—from grading the lumber and drying it—to the manufacturing and assembly stages. Back at the house Jeff shows his techniques for hanging the doors to make sure they swing effortlessly. Heath replaces a standard toggle switch with a reproduction antique push button switch to match the re

Kevin O'Connor opens the show in the new basement, formally the garage, where the homeowners want to make a modest home gym and use the rest for utilities and storage. A new furnace is already in place. Upstairs the finish woodworking has started, and in the living area there are two new sets of slider doors that lead out to what will soon be a deck. In the backyard, a trench has been dug for a new pipeline. Richard Trethewey is with propane supplier Peter Sherman who has brought a 1,000-gallon steel propane tank that will be buried. The tank is filled 85% with liquid and the rest is vapor. It has to stay under constant pressure to maintain a steady flow of vapor into the house. Even though it’s not required for this particular project, Richard demonstrates how in-ground tanks in high water table locations need to be anchored down. Norm Abram shows apprentice Kathryn the durable composite decking that will be used for the new deck. They begin with setting the perimeter boards, and then they start to work on the field pieces using the special slots to space each board and screw it down to the joists. Inside, Kevin finds Tom Silva and Jeff Sweenor working on the coffered ceiling. Mineral wool was put above for sound dampening, then 1x6 inch v-groove poplar was nailed into the field. Now they’re building the crown molding in a picture frame on the table and lifting it up to be installed in one unit to create a coffered ceiling in a grid pattern. Down the hall the old bedrooms have been converted to a laundry room, playroom and home office. Courtney Cavanagh is a local designer who worked with Scott and Shayla on creating cabinets and book storage in the office. Courtney shows Kevin the design on the computer and they look at the system of partitions and shelves being installed. Outside Mark McCullough is at the new chimney with Buck Sharpe. The gas fireplace vent has been boxed in with plywood and covered with a weather barrier and cement board. Now B

Installing a floating oak mantel; paneling the playroom using knotty pine boards; timber framing school; using Westerly granite for the steps. Tom travels to Utah to help a homeowner replace his traditional stair railing with more modern cable railing; Richard explains why standard PVC should not be used to vent gas appliances and what should be used instead; Nathan upgrades a standard, flat panel hollow core door to look more modern; Mauro helps a homeowner properly clean and paint her vinyl shutters.

Kevin is on the Westerly jobsite and takes a look at the final touches happening on the first floor. It’s about time to think about furniture. Homeowners Scott and Shayla asked Jeff’s team to design a special two-tiered oval coffee table using some old boards they pulled from a nearby family sawmill. Jeff invites Norm to his workshop where they plane the boards and join them with mortises and tenons. They cut out an oval with a jigsaw and route the edges. After Jeff makes the legs and stretchers, Scott joins in to help with the final assembly. At the house, Jeff finds Mauro and Kathryn in the playroom where they’re getting ready to whitewash the original knotty pine with an oil-based stain. This treatment will brighten up the entire room and give the old pine a new look. Outside, Jeff joins Tommy and Garrett at the new pergola. The posts have already been fastened down to the deck structure. They put in tapered columns over the post and set the PVC beams on top and finally the PVC lattice. The new pergola will provide shade in the summertime. Over at the 1840s Idea House, Kevin learns about historically accurate and operable shutters that are also made of PVC material. Project foreman Gordan Jacobsen shows him how they’re assembled, louver by louver, and then they are painted and installed. Back at the house, electrician Ben Giles is putting linear LED strips into the newly built pergola. Apprentice De’Shaun is there to observe and help. Mark explains the history and function of colonial-era beehive ovens and then restores one in a house built in 1750; Richard explains the failure points in toilet tanks and how to repair them; maker Jimmy DiResta invites Tom to his shop for a welding lesson and to build a metal coat rack.

The Westerly project is almost wrapped. Chris Stump is installing the televisions. In the playroom, he mounts a 55” tv on standard wall brackets. He and Kevin install the network connection and hang the tv on the bracket. In the basement, the new electric hybrid water heater has arrived. Richard checks it out with Jeff who likes it because it dehumidifies the basement. This type of water heater is more efficient than the standard ones. Outside, while the sod is being rolled out, Jenn shows Kevin the new perennials and understory trees that stabilize the hillside. She puts in low voltage LED landscape lighting that highlights selected trees in the front of the yard. Other path lights will cast light down on the new walkway and steps. Upstairs, Scott is installing blackout shades in his daughter’s bedroom because the room will get a lot of early morning light. Downstairs in the dining room, Scott introduces Kevin to Sue, where her team is hanging cotton drape panels that flank the new slider doorways to the deck. Out back, the exposed wooden flagpole could use a little love. The heavy pole is in a bolted structure so Jeff’s team can slowly pivot it down using a lift. They begin to scrape and sand it to get ready for a fresh coat of paint. Next week it goes back up and the project will be complete. Kevin O’Connor builds a hexagon planter with maker Jenn Largesse, who demonstrates how to take advantage of the bevel cut feature on a miter saw; Jenn Nawada travels to Brooklyn to revive a stoop that has been taken over by weeds; the team shares more Home Inspection Nightmares; Mark explains what to understand when buying a home with a wood burning fireplace; Heath installs an electric fireplace insert into an unconventional opening with zero clearance.

The Westerly one-story ranch house has been converted to a two-story Dutch Colonial thanks to the Sweenor team. Today the crew does a final walkthrough and says goodbye to the homeowners and the apprentices. Starting outdoors, Kevin shows off the new sweeping gambrel roofline before heading inside to meet Jeff. They begin the tour in the original long hallway to see the updated bathroom, an old bedroom which is now an office complete with barn doors and a wall of shelving, and another old bedroom that has turned into a spacious laundry room. The original room with the green carpeting has been converted into a playroom where Jeff’s team, along with Norm and Mauro, repurposed the old knotty pine paneling to create a whitewashed wainscoting around the room. Upstairs, Jeff meets Tommy who is helping to hang the shower door in the girls’ bathroom. In the girls’ bedrooms, they point out the reclaimed flooring that was sanded, finished and brought back to life. Jeff and his crew did the millwork in the both the upstairs and downstairs hallways including a custom built-in, the staircase and railings. The master bedroom suite shows off the gambrel accent roofline detail and has lots of windows to capture the view. Back downstairs, Kevin walks through the widened front entry area to meet homeowners Scott and Shayla in the kitchen. The ceiling has been raised a foot with a new custom coffered detail throughout the entire living area. The original dark cabinets have been replaced with white on the exterior walls and blue lower cabinets on the island. They admire a new double slider door that opens from the dining room to a large deck. The fireplace was moved to another side of the family room, and Jeff’s crew used shiplap for the surround and white oak floating shelves to flank it. Norm and Jeff come in with the custom ellipse coffee table that they built in Jeff’s shop using salvaged wood from Scott’s great-uncle’s barn. Outside, Tommy finds Jenn and Jon Zeyl’s cre

A year after California’s worst wildfire, the people of Paradise are still clearing the devastation where about 90% of homes were lost. Kevin, Tom, and Richard meet three families determined to rebuild according to the wildland urban interface codes. Nathan travels to a Sears kit house in Richmond, Virginia to tighten an old, loose stair railing; Mauro demonstrates how to strip paint off of old door hardware; Heath explains the uses and purposes of different types of electrical boxes; Richard replaces an old thermostat with a smart thermostat without replacing the original two wires in the wall.

In this episode, Joe, the homeowner, fabricates a stone hearth, and Richard learns about automatic sprinkler systems. Then, Kevin sees a simulator that shows how the Camp Fire spread. Tom inspects a vent that’s designed to resist embers, and another project gets the green light. Richard travels to Salt Lake City to replace a shower valve he has never seen before in his career with a conventional pressure balanced one; Nathan demonstrates how to refinish stair treads; Tom helps a homeowner remove moss from his roof and prevent it from growing back.

In this episode of This Old House, Luke and Crystal are moving into their home. Then, Kevin visits a fire test lab while Jose and Anna’s house gets roof shingles. Mark installs a stone veneer at Avonlea and Joey’s house, Kevin tours farms around Paradise, and Jenn meets an architect who designed a town memorial. Jenn plants an indoor garden, Richard demonstrates how and why frozen pipes burst, Tom discusses hole saws, and Mark replaces a hearth.

Paradise residents discuss their determination to rebuild. Tom inspects engineered siding and fire-rated sheathing, and Richard looks at a solar backup battery. The former Paradise fire chief discusses advanced preparation with Kevin, and at the Hope Plaza Memorial ground-breaking, the heroes and survivors are honored. Then, Luke and Crystal celebrate moving in. Watch as Tom Silva teaches a young woodworker how to use power tools. Richard Trethewey installs a gas lantern.

Homeowners John and Molly plan to put the history back into their 1890s shingle-style home. They’ll remove ‘70s carpet, repair cracking balusters and transform the front entry, restoring the home’s original beauty and updating it for modern living. Jenn travels to Washington D.C. to see the Cherry Blossom Festival and then helps a homeowner select and plant a cherry tree for his own house; Mark learns about how Mount Rushmore was built and demonstrates various techniques for cutting stone; Nathan visits Abraham Lincoln’s house in Springfield, IL. Then, he helps a homeowner to replace his traditional mortise hardware with hardware that locks.

Tom Silva and Kevin O’Connor start laying subfloor in the new dining room. Charlie Silva shows Jenn Nawada how he’s drilling granite for the new garage and driveway. Kevin tours Cape Ann, and Tom moves an interior doorway. Ross tests out some new smart lighting configurations, and Tom helps a homeowner build a custom screen door. Richard gives general advice on maintaining a washing machine, and Mauro teaches a homeowner techniques to paint old 1960s wood trim with a varnish on it.

Tom and Charlie Silva create a cathedral ceiling while Mark McCullough breaks through the foundation to make space for mechanicals. Kevin O’Connor learns about sun tunnels and Richard creates a plan for cooling. Kevin works with Jenn Largesse to demonstrate a technique on a trim router. Heath grounds an outlet, while Mauro explains paint rollers and demonstrates rolling techniques. Mark then replaces fireplace doors.

In this episode, Mark McCullough finds granite on the property to match a new stone wall to the old. Heath Eastman buries the electrical underground. Kevin O’Connor, homeowner Molly and her kitchen designer Michele look for design inspiration. Then, Tom Silva creates a barrel ceiling. In this episode, Richard helps a homeowner replace components of his pedestal sink, and Heath discusses bathroom vent fans. The team shares home inspection nightmares, and Tom explains how to clean dirty tile grout.

In this episode, Tom and Charlie Silva install rounded-top windows in the breakfast room, and an easy-install roof shingle goes down. Roger Cook and Kevin O’Connor go fishing while Tom adds a custom diamond detail with the siding. Radiant heat goes in somewhere unexpected: the ceiling. In this episode, Mark helps a couple install a concrete paver patio, and Jenn discusses the common elements she includes in outdoor kitchen designs. Then, Tom and Kevin build a combination bench/shoe rack out of fir decking.

In this episode, Tom repairs 130-year-old pocket doors, and a new type of solar goes in. Jenn works with landscaper Fred to build a boulder wall. Richard gives a lesson on the modern furnace, and father Mark and son Erik Ferrante showcase the art of mosaic tile installation. In this episode, Tom explains the architecture, installation, and maintenance of white cedar shingles. Richard repairs a hose spigot, and Jenn builds and plants a self-watering vegetable garden.

In this episode, the original leaded glass windows are repaired, and Jenn and Fred plant a bed of perennials along the new driveway. Mini splits solve a ductwork problem, and homeowner Molly and her designer Shelby make design decisions. Then, Tom tackles tricky original trim. In this episode, Richard tests a faucet, and Mark installs a mantel. Ross and Mauro discuss why and how to remove cigarette smell from a home. Then, Heath connects 4 separate switches that control 6 lights in the same room.

Richard learns about the invention of the Stillson wrench, and Mauro repairs old plaster. Norm then repairs broken balusters, and Heath installs a new panel. Venetian plaster goes on the dining room ceiling. Nathan installs bypass doors for a pantry; Richard tests different smart automatic water shutoff valves; Ross explores asphalt roof shingles that can reflect some of the sun’s heat.

A brass handrail is created. Mauro paints a chalkboard finish, and repaired balusters get reinstalled. Richard gives a lesson in make-up air, and work begins on a custom table. Heath talks smart electricity. Kevin learns how quartz countertops are manufactured and installed. Nathan explains how to hang and display a U.S. flag, and Tom and Jenn split firewood. Then, Mark installs a fire pit that comes in a kit.

Work is complete on the Cape Ann Shingle Style project. The team tours the finished home, celebrating all of the repaired historic details and the new elements that keep with its original style. Nathan shows Kevin some old drywall paneling he found, and Richard teaches a homeowner how to clean her shower cartridge. Tom teaches Kevin the basics of using a lathe, and then they turn a bowl together.