This Old House: Trade School

Season 2

Home improvement experts and professionals provide viewers with a master class in building methods and disciplines as they renovate and restore America's homes from top to bottom.

Where to Watch This Old House: Trade School • Season 2

26 Episodes

Scandinavian Modern?
E1
Scandinavian Modern?In Cambridge, Mass., the crew turns the inside of a dark, divided 1887 two-family home into an open, Scandinavian-style one-family.
Deconstruction and Design
E2
Deconstruction and DesignDeconstruction continues on the 1887 two-family home; arborist Jack Kelly removes a sick Norway maple; the architects reveal the plan via a 3D computer model; a visit to a house where homeowner Sally Peterson found design ideas.
Modernizing a Balloon Frame
E3
Modernizing a Balloon FrameThe unique features of a balloon framed house, including studs that run from sill plate to top plate, with floors that hang from that structure; appropriate colors for the outside of a Victorian-era house.
Swedish Style
E4
Swedish StyleVarying ceiling height; designers show how Scandinavian modern style evolved from more rustic Swedish country interiors; framing upgrades; installing a new skylight.
Landscape Plans, Roof Deck
E5
Landscape Plans, Roof DeckCombining traditional and modern elements in a landscape; getting rid of steps to a roof deck by dropping the structure into the second floor ceiling; using a chainsaw and stump grinder on a Norway maple stump.
Exterior Improvements
E6
Exterior ImprovementsThe old brick foundation is re-pointed; rowing on the Charles River.
Old and New in Harmony
E7
Old and New in HarmonyThe existing concrete front walk is replaced; architect Michael Kim discusses planning modern houses inside the shells of old ones; how modern and traditional can live in harmony.
Plaster, Shingles, Radiant Heat
E8
Plaster, Shingles, Radiant HeatA 60-year veteran of the plastering trade; Norm and Tom match an old staggered shingle pattern; a sneak peek at the Scandinavian modern interior design; radiant heat and the boiler go in.
Installing Gutters and a Fireplace
E9
Installing Gutters and a FireplacePainters put up a tinted primer with airless sprayers; trimming out the double-hung widows; custom copper gutters are installed; a fireplace specialist.
Swedish Design Details
E10
Swedish Design DetailsInstallation of Southern yellow pine boards on the ceilings for architectural interest; PVC porch boards and a customized railing system complete the roof deck; pre-finished maple flooring; a custom cap for the roof deck railing.
Window Seat, Stairs and a Painted Ceiling
E11
Window Seat, Stairs and a Painted CeilingA new window seat is made to fit into an old bay window; maple stair treads are installed; a custom newel cap made from southern yellow pine; a whitewash stain with a lacquer finish makes the ceilings look Swedish.
Dry Wells, Kitchen Design, Deck Tiles
E12
Dry Wells, Kitchen Design, Deck Tiles
Hearthstone and Butcher Block Island
E13
Hearthstone and Butcher Block IslandA stone specialist uses Italian sandstone to achieve a rustic finish; a state-of-the-art Pennsylvania shop for woodworking minds; a butcher block top for the kitchen island is made with a joinery technique called a dovetail key.
Secondary Spaces
E14
Secondary SpacesRoger finishes the driveway and planting; a wallpaper installer puts up a hand-drawn wave pattern in the powder room; a simple workshop is made in the basement with materials from the home center.
The Big Finish
E15
The Big FinishReinstallation of an old-school doorbell that the homeowners wanted to keep; functional features in the new kitchen; an energy audit on the building.
A Cottage in the Woods
E16
A Cottage in the WoodsNorm and Kevin begin the second project of the season, upgrading a 1935 English-style cottage into an accessible residence for aging parents.
Human Centered Design, Demolition
E17
Human Centered Design, DemolitionBizarre and unsafe framing from a previous renovation must be fixed; kitchen footings are in progress; an architect explains the key considerations needed to build accessible homes, including one-floor living, good lighting and barrier-free showers.
One-Level Living
E18
One-Level LivingWater infiltration damages the house and must be prevented from happening again; a landscape architect shows the plan for the side patio and details how it allows for ease of entry into the house and provides proper drainage.
Water Feature, Geothermal Heat
E19
Water Feature, Geothermal HeatAn aquatic systems specialist assesses the existing water feature; the anatomy of a water well; a drilling expert helps diagnose water problems; a renewable energy specialist explains how the site is ideal for geothermal heating and cooling.
Cottage Style
E20
Cottage StyleThe new windows are on site and largely installed; exterior trim goes on the building; the PVC stock is glued up; the sill profile is run on a molding machine; geothermal installation.
Standing-Seam Roof, Lightning Rods
E21
Standing-Seam Roof, Lightning RodsExpert clammer Shep Means; the infrastructure work finally settles down outside; a review of the floor plan; an update on rough plumbing and ductwork progress.
Rustic Plaster, Advanced Septic
E22
Rustic Plaster, Advanced SepticInsulation goes up in the Essex cottage; boarding ceilings; a plastering contractor shows how to achieve a rustic look using rounded corners.
Shiplap Walls, Finished Yard
E23
Shiplap Walls, Finished YardPutting up 8-inch pine shiplap barn boards on the walls at the project's entry; the finished patio and plantings.
Tiling and Veneers
E24
Tiling and VeneersA tile installer lays black slate tile on the floor; a mason uses structural stucco to achieve the rustic plaster look of the original chimney; how a preservation carpenter helped music icon Daryl Hall assemble and restore an 18th-century estate.
Design for Everyone
E25
Design for EveryoneA recap of the geothermal heating and cooling system installation process and how the whole system comes together with the heat pumps in the basement.
A Home for Mom and Dad
E26
A Home for Mom and DadInterior screens for the signature casement windows; installing the Dutch door for the passage between the kitchen and sun porch; sconces at the entry; LED fixtures in the trees for general lighting; wall washers at the masonry walls.