This Old House Season 34, Episode 15: Cambridge 2012: The Big Finish

Cambridge 2012: Scandinavian Modern?

Homeowners hope to turn a two-family Victorian-era house into a one-family home.

Cambridge 2012: Deconstruction and Design

Removing a central chimney brick by brick; eco-resale store; removing a sick Norway maple.

Cambridge 2012: Modernizing a Balloon Frame

Relocating a load-bearing partition wall; color choices for the home's exterior; interior styles.

Cambridge 2012: Swedish Style

Ceiling work on the first floor; Swedish style; Skylight for the master suite.

Cambridge 2012: Landscape Plans, Roof Deck

Getting Around Cambridge. Removing steps to roof deck; keeping ducts out of roof rafter bays; hiding the air handler.

Cambridge 2012: Exterior Improvements

Exterior Improvements. Repointing the old brick foundation; repairing the front porch; rebuilding the rotted historic porch railing; spray foam insulation.

26 min

Cambridge 2012: Old and New in Harmony

Old and New in Harmony. Replacing the concrete front walk with a new bluestone design; modifications for replacement windows; shower waterproofing system; paint prep.

Cambridge 2012: Plaster, Shingles, Radiant Heat

After a taste of the local Japan Town, host Kevin O'Connor meets Vito Bucco, a 60-year veteran of the plastering trade. Master carpenter Norm Abram and general contractor Tom Silva match the old staggered shingle pattern. In Boston's South End, Kevin visits interior designers Andrew Terrat and Dee Elms for a sneak peek at the Scandinavian Modern vision. Radiant heat and the boiler are going in.

Cambridge 2012: Gutters, Range, Fireplace

Norm and Kevin arrive to find the painters putting up a tinted primer with airless sprayers, turning the house from a bland grey to a sunny (and Swedish) yellow. Inside, Tom and Norm get to work trimming out the double hung widows on the second floor with an elegant, modern detail specified by the architect. Back outside, Norm finds custom gutter fabricator Augustin Crookston on site again to form and install the custom copper half round gutters for our project. Kevin meets homeowner Sally Peterson and appliance expert Sandy Lashway to explore the benefits of upgrading to professional grade ranges and ovens at a hands-on showroom. Back at the house, Richard meets fireplace specialist John Sullivan to see the Danish-designed zero-clearance wood burning fireplace insert he's providing for the living room. With the fireplace installed, homeowner John Stone shows Kevin the design and storage options they considered for fireplace wall, including the final design.

Cambridge 2012: Swedish Design Details

Norm drives up to find the paint job and the gutters complete, and the effect of the yellow, white and black with the copper is fresh, and decidedly Swedish. Inside, our Scandinavian-style house will be white on white, except for some key accents of wood. Tom shows Kevin how he's installing Southern yellow pine boards on the ceilings at the bay windows for architectural interest. On the third floor, the designers have chosen to add some color in the form of bright blue mosaic floor tile. Tile contractor Mark Ferrante shows Kevin how he's using the same mosaic to create a feature strip on the vanity wall to break up an entire wall of oversized white subway tile. Out on the roof deck, Tom uses cellular PVC porch boards and a customized railing system to complete the space. In the kitchen, Norm shows Kevin the prefinished maple flooring they are using and how he's working from the middle of the floor out, to compensate in case the exterior walls are out of square.

Cambridge 2012: Window Seat, Stairs, Knee Walls

In the side yard, Roger installs two new sets of granite steps to access the old deck. Tom shows Kevin how he's making a new window seat fit into an old bay window. Norm installs the last of the maple stair treads, and creates a custom newel cap out of southern yellow pine. In the master bedroom, Tom shows Kevin how he concealed access doors within the wainscoting for the knee walls. Painting contractor Mauro Henrique use a whitewash stain with a lacquer finish to make our southern yellow pine ceilings look Swedish.

Cambridge 2012: Drywells, Kitchen Design, Deck Tiles

Kevin meets proprietor Jack Woker at his record store in Porter Square to see why people still love and appreciate vintage vinyl. Back at the house, Roger shows Kevin how he's using two lightweight plastic drywells to deal with the water that will come off the roof. Inside, kitchen designer Kathy Marshall shows Kevin how she used cabinetry details and custom wood finishes to create a Scandinavian-inspired kitchen. Norm meets HVAC consultant Evan Trethewey to see a new thermostat that claims to be able to learn your habits and preferences. Tom shows Kevin how he's refurbishing the old pressure treated deck by covering it over with click-together Ipe deck tiles.

Cambridge 2012: Hearthstone, Butcher Block Island

Kevin arrives to find Roger putting in the plants before the weather turns. He's using a mixture of traditional plants and modern grasses to achieve the same mix of old and new as the rest of the project. Inside, the fireplace is ready for its hearth. Stone specialist Danny Puccio shows Kevin how they are using pietra cardosa (Italian sandstone) turned upside down to achieve a rustic finish that goes with the Swedish theme. The sides of the woodbox are getting the same stone, right side out with a honed finish. Norm visits Paul Grothouse in his state-of-the-art Pennsylvania shop for a meeting of the woodworking minds. The butcher block top for the kitchen island has a "waterfall edge" made with an eye-catching joinery technique called a dovetail key. Paul trucks the island top to Cambridge, where the whole crew lends a hand getting it in the house, and in place.

Cambridge 2012: Secondary Spaces

Finishing the driveway, walk-in closets, home automation, and wallpaper; building a workbench.

26 min

Essex 2012/13 Part 1: A Cottage in the Woods

The second project of the season finds Norm and Kevin back on Cape Ann, this time in the scenic riverside town of Essex, Massachusetts. Not far from the antique shops and clam shacks downtown is a 1935 English-style cottage in the woods that homeowners John and Julie Corcoran hope to turn into an accessible in-law residence for Julie's aging parents. Norm finds lots of deferred maintenance, rot, a failing roof and windows, and some strange architectural choices, like the giant shed dormer that is out of sync with the rest of the cottage. Inside, Julie shows Kevin what she loves about the house and how she plans to make it comfortable and accessible for her parents, with all the necessary amenities on the first floor. Outside, Richard shows Norm the oil tank that's in the way of the new kitchen and why he might like to abandon oil altogether to pursue geothermal heating and cooling instead.

Essex 2012/13 Part 2: Human Centered Design, Demolition

Kevin heads downtown to Boston to the Institute for Human Centered Design to see how good design can make living easier for people of all ages and abilities, not just those who are disabled. Back in Essex, Tom and Roger are underway with site work so that our doorways can eventually be level with the ground, requiring no steps. Inside, demolition is underway, and on the second floor, it has revealed bizarre and unsafe framing from a previous renovation that will need to be fixed. At the small kitchen bump out, excavation is complete, and the footings are in progress. Architect Sally DeGan shows Kevin that in her practice, accessible homes don't have to be institutional, they just need a short list of key considerations—one-floor living, room to get around, good lighting, no thresholds, and barrier free showers. Back in Essex, a few weeks later, the foundation for the addition is complete, as well as the first floor platform and gable end of the kitchen.

26 min

Essex 2012/13 Part 3: One-Level Living

With the main framing complete, Tom shows Kevin where water infiltration has damaged the house, what he's doing to repair it, and how he'll prevent it from happening again. Landscape architect Jade Cummings shows Kevin the plan for the side patio and how it's designed for ease of entry into the house, but also for dramatic effect and proper drainage. Then, Roger shows Kevin how he's adding a fieldstone veneer to the concrete retaining walls to give them the rustic look of a dry laid wall. In Bucksport, Maine, Norm meets architect John Gordon to see the house he designed for his physically challenged daughter, Jessica. Back in Essex, Norm and Tom replace a rotted sill, while Roger adds granite veneer to carry the look of the old foundation around the rest of the house.

26 min

Essex 2012/13 Part 4: Water Feature and Geothermal, Demolition

Roger meets aquatic systems specialist Yorgos Gregory to learn about our existing and neglected water feature and to see what it takes to restore it to good condition and function. Kevin meets Richard to learn the anatomy of a water well and how we can revive ours. Drilling expert Roger Skillings arrives with a drilling rig to diagnose and treat the problem. In the backyard, Kevin finds master electrician Allen Gallant working on a 100-yard trench from the house to the street down below. Excavation revealed that the service was once buried, but then put above ground again in the 1960s. Today he's reburying it 18 inches down with PVC conduit that follows the contour of the land thanks to a PVC heater. At the end of the day, Kevin finds the drilling rig still on site as renewable energy specialist Ross Trethewey explains why this is an ideal site for geothermal heating and cooling and how it will work.

26 min

Essex 2012/13 Part 5: Cottage Style

Norm arrives to find the new windows on site and largely installed. Tom shows him how they matched the original casement details and the operation features. Exterior trim is also going on the building, and Tom walked Kevin through the options the other day. Tom shows Kevin the stock exterior window trim choices available at the local home center, and then an option of making your own (that will last longer) out of cellular PVC if you want a slightly more custom look. They gather supplies to bring back to the Essex house. Norm has the PVC stock glued up, and Tom runs the sill profile on his moulding machine. Richard brings Kevin up to speed on the geothermal installation. The work begins with the drilling of two 350-foot deep wells or "bore holes" using the same rig that drilled our water well last time. The next step is to insert the loops into the closed loop system and grout them in place.

26 min

Essex 2012/13 Part 6: Standing-Seam Roof, Lighting Rods

Kevin and Roger dig the Essex clamming scene out on the flats, then are regaled with some world-famous fried clams where they were invented a century ago: Woodman's of Essex. Norm drives up to the project house to find the infrastructure work (finally) settling down outside, and reminds us that we're designing for one-level living. Inside, on the day before spray foam insulation, he reviews the floor plan while Richard provides an update on rough plumbing and ductwork progress. Challenges include running vents to the backside of the house and getting ducts up into the steeply pitched roof spaces. Radiant floor panels are going down on second floor. Back outside, Norm finds roofer Dennis Gannet and his daughter Sarah Gannet installing the standing seam metal roof. Back on the front side of the house, Kevin finds Roger halfway through the front walk.

Essex 2012/13 Part 7: Rustic Plaster, Advanced Septic

Inside our Essex cottage, insulation is in and drywall is going up. Tom shows Kevin the progress and they meet drywall installer Brian Jones to see his method for boarding ceilings using a panel lift and scaffolding for the high cathedral ceiling in the kitchen. Upstairs, the plastering is well underway. Tom shows Kevin the rustic/Old World effect the homeowners want and how plastering contractor Bob Bucco achieves it using rounded corners and the rough/base coat plaster as the finish coat. At a third-party testing facility in Falmouth, MA, Richard meets George Heufelder for a brief history of septic innovation and a look at new technology that is on the horizon, and already here. One of them uses "membrane bioreactor" technology, and we're going to try it out in Essex. George's group approved the system, and it is a true leap forward in wastewater treatment. Back at our house, manufacturer Ingo Schaefer helps show Kevin how it works.

Essex 2012/13 Part 8: Shiplap Walls, Finished Yard

Norm visits the last shipyard still located in Essex, Mass. A home that was restored with accessible retrofits is toured. At the cottage shiplap barn-board walls are installed; the mantel is built; Roger finishes the yard; and Kevin checks on the reclaimed tile hearth.

26 min

Essex 2012/13 Part 9: Tiling, Floor Stains

Exterior details are added to the sunroom; the historic look of the original cottage is revived with parged plaster, salvaged tile and oak floors. Norm visits rock hero Daryl Hall at his antique home and studio.

26 min

Essex 2012/13 Part 10: Design for Everyone

Completing the geothermal system; installing reclaimed marble tile and hand-painted border tile. Exploring a two-story accessible design in the Seattle home of architect Emory Baldwin.

26 min

Essex 2012/13 Part 11: A Home for Mom and Dad

The season's final episode tours the cottage after the installation of interior screens and a Dutch door.

26 min