I’ve worked with some really talented guys, some of whose families have been doing this for generations. It served me well on “This Old House.” I learned to shut up and understand that I need to let the pros do the work. I worked construction to pay for college. I grew up working with my hands and doing the same things kids do, building skateboards and treehouses, but instead of using scraps, we used plywood from Dad’s job sites.
#Ask this old house a question full
I grew up in a house full of nine people with chipped linoleum and wacky vinyl, but we had the best times of our lives in that kitchen.Ħ. How do you think your dad’s career as a civil engineer influenced you? It’s a kitchen, it’s supposed to be worked in and used. Some homeowners say, “I don’t want to do marble countertops, they’ll get banged up.” But I love marble. Are there any design rules you can break? I’ve got a lot of rules about lighting.ĥ. We’ve talked about two-directional ambient sources, as well as a work light. I like soft light that casts across a room, as opposed to pointing down. I’ll go back and forth on an estimate, make sure he gives me a good deal (chuckles). I will hire a pro-it might be Tommy (Tom Silva, longtime “This Old House” contractor). I have three young children and every minute spent swinging a hammer or moving drywall around is one that I’m not playing with my kids. Reluctantly I said OK, because it was the right choice for them.Ĥ. You’re renovating your own kitchen-are you doing the work yourself, and what are your priorities? But even though I hate it, I appreciate it, since it’s wallpaper that got me my dream job! I’ve seen it used judiciously and very well by homeowners and designers alike. I’m scarred by the amount of work it took on the part of my wife and I to remove the wallpaper from my first house. Have your feelings toward wallpaper changed? The Carlisle barn features wallpaper -“This Old House” recruited you after meeting you on your own wallpaper removal segment. But my favorite house? That’s the Carlisle barn that “This Old House” bought and renovated for our 25th season (photo below).ģ. They’re amazing pieces of lumber with a very cool story, made even cooler by the fact that it’s appreciated by the builder, the architect, and most importantly, the homeowner. Our timber framer, Tedd Benson, snapped them up in a heartbeat and now they’re the focal point of the living room (photo above). But 100 years later, the Big Dig happened and they found these. Instead of putting the crucks on shelves, they put them into the brackish water of Charlestown Harbor and pulled them up when they needed them. The Weston house features live oak harvested from Southern forests 150 years ago, trees brought up to Charlestown, which at the time had one of the largest shipbuilding operations in the country. That passion is one of my favorite things about the show.Ģ. We get that all the time because we’re dealing with home enthusiasts-they’re passionate about the places they live and the culmination of a life’s dream. They wanted to build around a reconditioned neon lamp from A&P (their initials). Pete and Amy Favat from the Weston house wanted their kitchen stools to be made from old tractor seats, I said, “Yes! Yes you can, it’s your house.” They wanted corrugated tin roofs inside the house.