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21 Articles

Helping a house be what it’s meant to be

For people passionate about home renovation—and chances are you’re one of them—the undertaking is more than a job to be done. It’s a consuming interest, a creative act, an avocation. And when the goal is to strike a balance between helping the house reach its full potential and remaking it to meet the demands of your lifestyle and tastes, the process is just as satisfying as the result. In these pages we often talk about giving an old house what it deserves, whether that’s a spiffy new kitchen, an updated primary bath, or a top-to-toe overhaul; it’s understood that we’re not talking about completely eradicating the look and feel of the original structure. For those drawn to the solidly built walls, warm wood surfaces, and distinctive details of vintage houses, homeownership…

Helping a house be what it’s meant to be

Around The House

NEW FACE Meet Lee Gilliam AMONG THE MOST FREQUENT house-call requests for the Ask This Old House team are those involving yard work, with homeowners submitting questions about everything from leaf removal to lawn care to landscape tools like mowers, blowers, and string trimmers. In order to respond to all those queries, TOH landscape contractor Jenn Nawada felt the time had come to bring on some help. So she tapped her network to find an experienced pro who specializes in landscape maintenance. One name quickly rose to the top: Lee Gilliam, who officially joins the show this fall as AskTOH landscaper. “Lee has been working in the field and running his own business for more than thirty years,” says Jenn. “He knows his stuff.” For his part, Lee, who has watched This Old…

Around The House

Storybook shed TOH Reader: Paul Verselli, Meriden, CT My girlfriend, Mary Jean, has several beautiful gardens, and she wanted a dedicated place for all her equipment. So I had a thought: Let’s make a shed that can be a garden feature at the same time. The plan was pretty simple. I wanted to build something that might be seen in a combination English garden/Dr. Seuss book. Ha! No prints or plans were ever put down on paper; I had the scale and dimensions all worked out in my head, based on what would look appropriate in the space. This is what I came up with. We’re both very happy with it. Toy box that rocks TOH Reader: Daniel Stone, Falmouth, ME I recently got into woodworking thanks to Build It videos on the TOH website,…

From the TOH Job Site Building on the past

Where others might have seen only rotted sills, sagging floorboards, and windows so drafty the kitchen cabinets blew open in a gale, Bill von Oehsen and Helen Moore von Oehsen saw beauty, history, and potential. They fell in love with the 1720 house sited along the Ipswich River and committed to its renewal, enlisting TOH home builder Charlie Silva for the 16-month renovation, which This Old House documented as part of its 44th television season. “Our main goals when we started this project were to bring this house back to its original beauty and to create a functional living space for today,” says Bill. That meant making room to host four adult children, extended family, and friends, as well as home offices for Bill, an attorney, and Helen, a biologist,…

From the TOH Job Site Building on the past

Before & After: Kitchen Moving a wall makes it work

Having family mealtime is a must, but sometimes parents need their own space, too. That’s one reason Wyncote, PA, homeowners Molly Eigen and Sarah Elder—parents of three, all under age 11—wanted to preserve the formal dining room in their 1950s center-hall Colonial. But their cramped, dark kitchen was crying out for more storage, better traffic flow, and updated finishes. “It wasn’t in sync with our simpler, more modern style,” Molly says. Interior designer Libby Rawes was able to deliver on all fronts by making one crucial move: bumping into the adjacent dining room by 37 inches. Those few extra feet allowed her to add a floor-to-ceiling pantry cabinet next to the opening to the dining room and a square island that doubled the storage and prep area of its undersized predecessor.…

Before & After: Kitchen Moving a wall makes it work

Before & After: Bath Fit for a Queen Anne

While open-plan layouts often work well, having a primary bath share space with the bedroom’s closets isn’t necessarily a home run. But that was the setup in Stamford, CT, homeowners Claudia and Chuck Jepsen’s 1887 Queen Anne. “We never showered in that bath—the steam would have saturated our clothes,” says Claudia, pointing out that the bath had no vent fans. The pink fixtures, green tile, and linoleum flooring also postdated the period of their house by decades. “We wanted to maintain the aesthetic integrity of our house while creating a bath that felt fresh and timeless,” she says. To get there, the couple put up a wall to section off the existing closets, placing the sink and a new shower along its length. They kept stacked cabinets that sat near the…

Before & After: Bath Fit for a Queen Anne

House Tour A little house that lives large

I’m not sure what this house was used for, but it wasn’t for anything legitimate,” Scott Evans confided to his wife, Donna, the first time the couple toured their new Atlanta home. With enough locks on the front door to secure Fort Knox and a second locked room inside, the 700-squarefoot shotgun-style house certainly raised some suspicions. Boarded-up windows, grimy walls, and a rank smell didn’t help. Still, the price was irresistible, and so was the location: a sliver of land in Grant Park, one of the most well-known historic districts in the city, just a mile from the Atlanta BeltLine, a rejuvenated railroad corridor, now a popular pedestrian and bike path that has given new life to every neighborhood it passes through. Having already renovated a house in a neighboring…

House Tour A little house that lives large

Paint It Fool-the-eye wainscot

Painting a chair rail and the wall below it to suggest wainscoting is nothing new, but this stripe treatment is next-level smart and stylish. It was devised by Leslie and Woody Pirtle for a room in their 1779 home in New York’s Hudson Valley. “This bedroom is very long and not very wide,” says Leslie. “The chair rail cut the walls in half. We thought painting on wainscoting would help.” Five-inch-tall bands in two earthy hues echo the shiplap walls and painted trim in the rest of the house. The stripes stretch out the short walls—the long ones hold big furniture—and, says Leslie, help balance the visual weight of the wall art in a “subtle but fun” way. TOH PRO TIP MAURO HENRIQUE Painter “Apply the lighter color first, then use a level straightedge…

Paint It Fool-the-eye wainscot

House Tour Making a house her own

Good things are worth waiting for, and for Kerri Hoyt-Pack of Portland, Oregon, her home is a very good thing indeed. She has spent nearly two decades renovating the 1909 Craftsman, working in stages as funds (and fortitude) allowed. And with each improvement she has brought it closer to the vision she had when she first toured the place in 2004. Back then, the options seemed endless and the project daunting. But, she discovered, if you’re patient and pay attention, a house will tell you what it wants to be. Fortunately, Kerri is a good listener. The house she saw on that initial visit was crying out for help. Although the structure itself was sound, with four square rooms below, two tiny rooms above, and a good-size porch in front, its charms were…

House Tour Making a house her own

From the TOH Job Site Modernizing a mid-century house

For most families, finding a new place to live is a whirlwind of decisions in which size, location, cost, and gut feelings guide the choice. But for Michelle Werner, Billy Lester, and their three children—Wix, Caffrey, and Marlowe—there was an additional factor to consider. Thirteen-year-old Caffrey has Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a progressive disease affecting his mobility; it’s a given that he will be using a wheelchair at some point in the future. So when the family moved to the Boston area last year for Michelle’s job, their house hunting involved considerations such as first-floor bedrooms, large open-plan gathering areas, and space for an elevator. “We needed a house that would help set our family up for success,” says Billy. Their search led to a mid-century modern house in Lexington, Massachusetts, that…

From the TOH Job Site Modernizing a mid-century house

RENO PLANNER A better asphalt driveway

A“blacktop” driveway can last for decades, driven over tens of thousands of times, with car wheels following the same paths without issue. It can endure weather extremes that raise the temperature of its pitchblack surface as high as 150 degrees F on a sunny summer day, and it can withstand assaults by snowplows, ice choppers, and road salts in winter. If fissures form, they can be filled to keep water from undermining the gravel base below. And when the asphalt layer begins to degrade—before it becomes completely rutted and crumbling—it can be replaced to upgrade a home’s curb appeal, make comings and goings easier and safer, and provide a smooth surface for everything from basketball to hopscotch—without the need for a full-scale driveway overhaul. This type of paving is a combination…

RENO PLANNER A better asphalt driveway

Landscaping Graceful grasses

Fall is the time when most ornamental grasses shine, blooming on upright or arching stems that catch the breeze and bringing a new textural element to the whole landscape. While they can be used as accents to punctuate mixed perennial plantings, they’re showy enough to be the star of the show, too, especially when planted in masses. “With their varied forms and textures, ornamental grasses can be a great addition to many landscapes,” says TOH landscape contractor Jenn Nawada. “They generally require very little maintenance and are naturally deer resistant. And while most thrive in full sun, there are some that can brighten a shade garden, too.” Most shade-loving grasses are known as cool-season types; in northern climates, these emerge in early spring and continue through the summer. More heat-tolerant warm-season grasses…

Landscaping Graceful grasses

Home Finances Navigating the rise in mortgage rates

While there are signs that the Federal Reserve’s rate-hike streak may be coming to an end, it will likely take some time for mortgage rates to settle back down from recent highs. Rates for 30-year fixed mortgages in early July were above 6.8 percent, more than double their 2021 lows. “Increased mortgage rates mean fewer home buyers are shopping relative to a year ago,” says Orphe Divounguy, a senior economist at Zillow, the online real estate marketplace. “This increase also means more homeowners are staying put, which is leading to extremely low inventory and driving up prices.” Still, if you need a mortgage now, there are ways to pay less in interest. IF YOU’RE SELLING YOUR HOME TO PURCHASE A NEW ONE You can expect sticker shock. If you bought your home or refinanced…

Home Finances Navigating the rise in mortgage rates

all about Portable power stations

For years, losing power because of a storm or stressed infrastructure has usually meant keeping a gas generator on standby to get essentials up and running. While those gas-guzzling power plants deliver reliable energy, they come with several trade-offs: emissions, noise, maintenance, and a fussy starting procedure that worsens after long stints in the garage. But now there’s an option that behaves a lot like an electric vehicle (EV) or a battery-powered lawn mower. These “portable power stations” have a battery core that can run a range of household appliances and devices. On the less demanding side, they’re powerful enough to keep electronics—laptops, tablets, phones, and TVs—going for hours during an outage or a seasonal brownout. Paired with supplemental batteries and plug-in solar panels, they can become a capable, reliable…

all about Portable power stations

[Build It] Bathtub tray

Who knew that trays for holding bath-time accessories were so popular? Certainly not Tom or Kevin, at least not until Tom’s daughter and daughter-in-law suggested that he come up with a better alternative to the ones they used at home. In addition to greater water resistance, the women’s extensive field tests determined that the ideal tray needed to be less narrow, so that items wouldn’t topple into the tub. As a bonus, Tom routed a recess for a wineglass to prevent it from taking a dive. Besides offering the freedom to size the tray to a specific tub, this project presents an opportunity to experiment with an exotic water-resistant hardwood. Attracted to the striped pattern for which it’s named, Tom chose African zebrawood. He discovered that the interlocking grain was prone…

[Build It] Bathtub tray

[Tool Lab] Oscillating multitools

After starting out as a tool for sawing off plaster casts without cutting skin, the oscillating multitool has become the Swiss Army knife of power tools. The key is its cutting action. Unlike a typical saw blade, the cutter on an oscillating multitool wiggles from side to side—by just a few degrees—at speeds up to 20,000 oscillations per minute. Many pros use these tools exclusively for plunge and flush cuts: when trimming door jambs to fit new flooring or cutting receptacle recesses in drywall, for example. But DIYers have also discovered that oscillating multitools can be just as indispensable as detail sanders, metal cutters, caulk removers, grout grinders, and more. Here’s how to choose and use this toolbox essential to maximize its versatility. WHAT TO LOOK FOR Common features 1. Mounting plate The spot…

[Tool Lab] Oscillating multitools

1. Long-reach house cleaner Ryobi 18V ONE+ Soap Dispensing Telescoping Scrubber Gentler than a pressure-washer and way easier than pure elbow grease, this cordless scrubber spins at 210 rpm—ideal for scouring siding and decking. The adjustable arm reaches up to 51 inches. Done with the suds? Switch to rinse mode. Different cleaning heads, sold separately, suit various tasks. $199; ryobitools.com 2. Close the door on winter weather Masonite Performance Door System This fiberglass door collection is said to be 64 percent better at blocking the cold than the competition. The difference is in the details: tight-sealing square corners; a sill gasket that pushes against the underside of the door; beefy weather-stripping that presses the door against the doorstop; and corner pads that keep water out. From $1,300; masonite.com 3. A driver with plenty of extras Milwaukee Tool…

[Easy DIY] Mobile kitchen island

We could use just a bit more counter space,” I said to my husband, as I stood and looked around our kitchen. He laughed. After all, I had just spent months completely remodeling the space—building new upper cabinets, demoing a pantry wall, replacing the backsplash, installing flooring and lighting, and then having it painted when the work was done. But while I was a bit tired from the nonstop projects, I knew the space was calling for a kitchen cart. So I headed back into my workshop. The result? A 25-by-50-inch butcher-block work surface atop a sturdy open-frame cart with tapered legs, a slatted shelf, hooks and a towel bar for hanging storage, and heavy-duty locking casters so it’s easy to glide out of the way should a smidge more space…

[Easy DIY] Mobile kitchen island

SET THE STAGE FOR A GREENER SPRING With cooler temperatures but ample amounts of sunlight, autumn is when your lawn can recuperate from the dog days of summer. Here are some ways you can help: Keep watering. In fall, turf grass grows down more than up. To foster root growth, aim to give it 1 inch of water per week until the ground freezes or the lawn goes dormant. Aerate. This creates holes that allow air, water, and nutrients to reach the soil. Forgo spiked shoes: Your best bet is to hire a lawn service or rent an aerator. Reseed and fertilize. If you live in a northern climate with cool-season grass, Labor Day’s the time to overseed and feed. Use a slow-release fertilizer that’s high in nitrogen for optimal results. For southern climates…

ask This old House

Fireplace upgrade When I light a wood fire, it seems to make the house feel colder. What can I do to keep the heat? —MATT SHAFTEL, ATHENS, OH TOH plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey: You’ve discovered the downside to traditional wood-burning fireplaces: Most create a net loss of heat. Traditional fireplaces work by creating a draft that directs smoke, combustion gases, and particulates up the chimney. The negative side effect of this setup is that about 85 percent of the heat in an open firebox goes up the chimney. To make things worse, this airflow also steals warm air from the rest of the house and draws in outside cold air wherever there are air leaks. Ironically, using a fireplace can often lead to higher energy bills. The trick to holding on to the…

ask This old House

Preserve a treasured piece of local history

THE HISTORY Built around 1810 on the cusp of the town’s economic boom, this wood-frame house, known as Reynolds Tavern, is believed to have been rented to locally renowned cabinetmaker Thomas Reynolds. The house stood among other in-town dwellings occupied by skilled tradesmen who flocked to the bustling county seat, where work was plentiful. In the early to mid-1900s, it is thought to have doubled as one of several local taverns. Surviving for over two centuries, it sat vacant in recent decades, suffering neglect. In 2019, under threat of demolition, a preservation society acquired it. Now Preservation North Carolina is looking for a restoration-minded buyer. WHY SAVE IT? The house still has early-19thcentury features, including three fireplaces, wide-plank floors, and a winder staircase. The outside, wrapped in heart-pine boards, retains double-hung…

Preserve a treasured piece of local history

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