Plaid shirt optional, but recommended
May 21, 2019 10:29 AM Subscribe
This Old House (previously) is now in its 40th season, and served as vanguard to numerous other home renovation shows. What continues to set it apart though is its goal "to put skilled tradespeople and the work they do in front of the camera."
Oh man do I love this show, and for the exact reasons articulated in the article. It's so fascinating to watch people who are good at their work, and there's obviously something particularly emotionally resonant about the idea of a team of people coming together to build a home. I also love how when they do signoffs at the end of the show sometimes in addition to one or more of the regular cast, there'll just be some random roofer or something signing off as well. It's so charming.
It's been really sad to watch Roger Cook's decline (and now absence from the show entirely), he was often my favorite part, especially his accent, which as a Southerner feels downright exotic. And also super tragic to find out that one of the Generation Next kids died unexpectedly not long after the conclusion of his season.
Ugh sorry to be a downer. This show rules, and has ruled for a long time. Carry on.
posted by saladin at 10:53 AM on May 21, 2019 [7 favorites]
It's been really sad to watch Roger Cook's decline (and now absence from the show entirely), he was often my favorite part, especially his accent, which as a Southerner feels downright exotic. And also super tragic to find out that one of the Generation Next kids died unexpectedly not long after the conclusion of his season.
Ugh sorry to be a downer. This show rules, and has ruled for a long time. Carry on.
posted by saladin at 10:53 AM on May 21, 2019 [7 favorites]
I love This Old House and Ask This Old House, and basically find all the other renovation shows totally unwatchable. The educational mission of these two shows stands head and shoulders above all the rest. Ask This Old House is even better because it's a tutorial that involves a skilled person working with an unskilled person and explaining the process in detail for the task at hand.
There was one episode where their carpenter guy (Tommy, not Norm) spent an extended amount of time working with a woman on some project, I don't remember what, but she was obviously a total n00b at the beginning of the segment. By the end of it, under his gentle tutelage and his concise and clear explanation of not only what to do, but why, she was stepping forward to try out doing various parts of the project. It felt like, within a 10-15 minute segment, the entire process of having an expert who can communicate at the level that relates to their audience is magic.
This is something I've seen more times on these two shows than on any other. Although I'll say, This Old House is mostly experts doing things, not teaching things.
posted by hippybear at 10:54 AM on May 21, 2019 [8 favorites]
There was one episode where their carpenter guy (Tommy, not Norm) spent an extended amount of time working with a woman on some project, I don't remember what, but she was obviously a total n00b at the beginning of the segment. By the end of it, under his gentle tutelage and his concise and clear explanation of not only what to do, but why, she was stepping forward to try out doing various parts of the project. It felt like, within a 10-15 minute segment, the entire process of having an expert who can communicate at the level that relates to their audience is magic.
This is something I've seen more times on these two shows than on any other. Although I'll say, This Old House is mostly experts doing things, not teaching things.
posted by hippybear at 10:54 AM on May 21, 2019 [8 favorites]
This Old House and A Craftsman's Legacy are the only TV shows I make a point to watch regularly (over-the-air PBS with a DVR is awesome). I've grown to prefer the latter show and I recommend it for people into this sort of thing.
This Old House seldom mentions costs but a couple of recent seasons involved renovations with budgets clearly over a million dollars each which made them a little tough to relate to. I wish they would focus more on the DIY aspect for those of more limited means, like stuff they did in Detroit a couple of years ago. As hippybear says, this is something they do well in Ask This Old House where they go to locations to work on small projects.
posted by exogenous at 11:21 AM on May 21, 2019 [1 favorite]
This Old House seldom mentions costs but a couple of recent seasons involved renovations with budgets clearly over a million dollars each which made them a little tough to relate to. I wish they would focus more on the DIY aspect for those of more limited means, like stuff they did in Detroit a couple of years ago. As hippybear says, this is something they do well in Ask This Old House where they go to locations to work on small projects.
posted by exogenous at 11:21 AM on May 21, 2019 [1 favorite]
It's coffee and This Old House every Sunday morning in my old house. I love watching Tommy Silva notch notches with his notch notching notcher.
posted by HumanComplex at 11:26 AM on May 21, 2019 [23 favorites]
posted by HumanComplex at 11:26 AM on May 21, 2019 [23 favorites]
My dad used to watch this constantly. Really the only show other than Star Trek that we ever watched together consistently when I was a little girl. I remember it being very soothing, especially the close-ups of fine work being done.
posted by potrzebie at 11:32 AM on May 21, 2019 [4 favorites]
posted by potrzebie at 11:32 AM on May 21, 2019 [4 favorites]
Every so often I go on a This Old House youtube binge, and it makes me a better person. I don't ever get like this for other renovation shows , although I'm also kind of longing for a return to renovations done on the cheap, and it would be nice to have more variety in homeowners...but still, I love it.
Try to hunt down some of the very old shows, by the way. Everyone is completely devoid of any safety measures whatsoever, it's amazing and horrifying.
(New England isn't for me anymore, but I love being able to visit it, and visit the architecture, and hear the accents, through the show. I get the longing to live there and the satisfaction of subsuming myself in the place all at once.)
posted by kalimac at 12:02 PM on May 21, 2019
Try to hunt down some of the very old shows, by the way. Everyone is completely devoid of any safety measures whatsoever, it's amazing and horrifying.
(New England isn't for me anymore, but I love being able to visit it, and visit the architecture, and hear the accents, through the show. I get the longing to live there and the satisfaction of subsuming myself in the place all at once.)
posted by kalimac at 12:02 PM on May 21, 2019
I think the show used to emphasize DIY/"sweat equity" stuff a lot more, which is a shame.
posted by Chrysostom at 12:13 PM on May 21, 2019 [5 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 12:13 PM on May 21, 2019 [5 favorites]
This Old House and New Yankee Workshop were two shows I would reliably watch before I cut the cord. They're both really calm shows and like the article notes whenever there's an issue the shows don't treat them as plot points but instead the tradesperson will just explain and show their solution with a minimum of fuss.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 12:18 PM on May 21, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 12:18 PM on May 21, 2019 [3 favorites]
I am so of two minds about TOH. I love watching it, especially to see new technologies and materials being used. On the other hand, it often seems like they can’t do anything without gutting the house down to the studs, and sometimes beyond that. I think part of that is because the projects they take-on are now these high-dollar homes, with seemingly bottomless pockets. Just once, I’d love to see them take-on some 1,400 sq.ft early-60s tract home that is in a solidly blue-collar neighborhood, and with a very rigid budget.
posted by Thorzdad at 12:27 PM on May 21, 2019 [4 favorites]
posted by Thorzdad at 12:27 PM on May 21, 2019 [4 favorites]
and portmanteau in a storm: If you've cut the cord but still have a television, you can likely purchase a modern over-the-air antenna and still be able to watch those shows for free.
posted by hippybear at 12:28 PM on May 21, 2019
posted by hippybear at 12:28 PM on May 21, 2019
I grew up watching this show, back when Bob Vila helped dorks from Cambridge, MA, rehab their terrible old houses.
My dad can do anything, and as a youngest child I often watched him work....and later, as an adult a thousand miles away, his confidence and the stuff I half-remembered from old TOH episodes gave my confidence to try to half-ass my way through projects on our first place. (Yes, OK, often my FiL had to come bail us out, or my wife's brother would come do genuinely skilled work that we couldn't, but I was willing to give it a shot.)
In the 90s I got a little down on the show's drift toward showpiece houses, and away from places that looked like somewhere I might live. I am glad to see them bringing in a younger generation of contractors. Who knows, maybe someday they'll work on a house that I recognize as achievable!
posted by wenestvedt at 12:32 PM on May 21, 2019 [3 favorites]
My dad can do anything, and as a youngest child I often watched him work....and later, as an adult a thousand miles away, his confidence and the stuff I half-remembered from old TOH episodes gave my confidence to try to half-ass my way through projects on our first place. (Yes, OK, often my FiL had to come bail us out, or my wife's brother would come do genuinely skilled work that we couldn't, but I was willing to give it a shot.)
In the 90s I got a little down on the show's drift toward showpiece houses, and away from places that looked like somewhere I might live. I am glad to see them bringing in a younger generation of contractors. Who knows, maybe someday they'll work on a house that I recognize as achievable!
posted by wenestvedt at 12:32 PM on May 21, 2019 [3 favorites]
This Old House, The New Yankee Worksop and Hometime played no small part in my choice to become a builder.
IIRC, the vision of the early shows was much more modest than today but the demands of TV production and corporate sponsors quickly overwhelmed the means of the typical middle-class homeowner. The Detroit project from a couple seasons back is probably the closest to that original vision.
Back in the days of Steve as host, I would derisively call it “This Expensive House” but that was due probably more to the fact that I hated his demeanor as the houses are just as high-end nowadays.
It’s weird they are celebrating 40 years without so much as a mention of Bob Vila. I realize he was/is something of an asshole, but still...
posted by Big Al 8000 at 12:36 PM on May 21, 2019 [9 favorites]
IIRC, the vision of the early shows was much more modest than today but the demands of TV production and corporate sponsors quickly overwhelmed the means of the typical middle-class homeowner. The Detroit project from a couple seasons back is probably the closest to that original vision.
Back in the days of Steve as host, I would derisively call it “This Expensive House” but that was due probably more to the fact that I hated his demeanor as the houses are just as high-end nowadays.
It’s weird they are celebrating 40 years without so much as a mention of Bob Vila. I realize he was/is something of an asshole, but still...
posted by Big Al 8000 at 12:36 PM on May 21, 2019 [9 favorites]
I like the show, but how can you do an article on its 40 year legacy without mentioning Bob Vila? Did he do something I don’t know about to deserve the Garrison Keillor treatment?
Does anyone else remember the syndicated show Men In Toolbelts? Another good home improvement show, but with more of a DIY focus and Car Talk approach. Too bad it seems to have mostly disappeared except for a few grainy YouTube clips.
posted by TedW at 12:36 PM on May 21, 2019 [1 favorite]
Does anyone else remember the syndicated show Men In Toolbelts? Another good home improvement show, but with more of a DIY focus and Car Talk approach. Too bad it seems to have mostly disappeared except for a few grainy YouTube clips.
posted by TedW at 12:36 PM on May 21, 2019 [1 favorite]
On the other hand, it often seems like they can’t do anything without gutting the house down to the studs, and sometimes beyond that.
Retrofitting an older home to modern building standards is no easy task. The advances in building science even over the last 20 years is hard to overstate.
They don’t build em like they used to — and that’s a good thing!
posted by Big Al 8000 at 12:39 PM on May 21, 2019 [3 favorites]
Retrofitting an older home to modern building standards is no easy task. The advances in building science even over the last 20 years is hard to overstate.
They don’t build em like they used to — and that’s a good thing!
posted by Big Al 8000 at 12:39 PM on May 21, 2019 [3 favorites]
Does anyone else remember the syndicated show Men In Toolbelts? Another good home improvement show, but with more of a DIY focus and Car Talk approach. Too bad it seems to have mostly disappeared except for a few grainy YouTube clips.
I don't, but it made me think of The Furniture Guys which I miss desperately and may or may not have ever actually been shown outside of the Philadelphia area? (Ed Feldman lived in my neighborhood growing up!) It was two guys who refinished/refurbished furniture, taking the viewer step by step through the whole process, plus a lot of historical/furnituremaking context. I watched it obsessively as a small child, and really wish it was still around as an adult who is interested in such things.
It is also the source of my best dad jokes.
the horse haaaar
posted by kalimac at 12:50 PM on May 21, 2019 [8 favorites]
TOH is one of the only shows my family can agree on.
Pre-children, my spouse and I had a Saturday morning ritual of doughnuts and DIY TV (Yankee Workshop, TOH, Hometime).
Unfortunately, these days on my local station it's aired at weird time. Who is going to sit down and watch TOH at 3:30 on a Saturday afternoon?
It's changed a lot over the years, become a lot more commercial, product placement especially has become a bit in your face, but I suppose that's the demands of the new TV landscape.
They got themselves a drone a season or so back, which someone on the production team had a lot of fun with.
I do miss the old days, where you'd see the homeowner out there pounding nails and hauling rocks.
The "teaching" aspect is definitely minimized, it can feel a lot like the crew is just hired contractors now.
As well, the scope of the projects have changed. It seems to be a lot less renovation and a lot more rebuild with the current houses.
Still, it is miles better than the "Flip This House/Condo/Arcology" shows you find on cable.
I do like the inclusion of the young adults/teens in their "Generation Next" program. I'd like to see more of those segments.
posted by madajb at 12:55 PM on May 21, 2019 [3 favorites]
Pre-children, my spouse and I had a Saturday morning ritual of doughnuts and DIY TV (Yankee Workshop, TOH, Hometime).
Unfortunately, these days on my local station it's aired at weird time. Who is going to sit down and watch TOH at 3:30 on a Saturday afternoon?
It's changed a lot over the years, become a lot more commercial, product placement especially has become a bit in your face, but I suppose that's the demands of the new TV landscape.
They got themselves a drone a season or so back, which someone on the production team had a lot of fun with.
I do miss the old days, where you'd see the homeowner out there pounding nails and hauling rocks.
The "teaching" aspect is definitely minimized, it can feel a lot like the crew is just hired contractors now.
As well, the scope of the projects have changed. It seems to be a lot less renovation and a lot more rebuild with the current houses.
Still, it is miles better than the "Flip This House/Condo/Arcology" shows you find on cable.
I do like the inclusion of the young adults/teens in their "Generation Next" program. I'd like to see more of those segments.
posted by madajb at 12:55 PM on May 21, 2019 [3 favorites]
Up here in New England, I watched The Furniture Guys in like the early- or mid-90s? They were awesome.
posted by wenestvedt at 12:58 PM on May 21, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by wenestvedt at 12:58 PM on May 21, 2019 [2 favorites]
I don't, but it made me think of The Furniture Guys
I think it aired on basic cable for a while, maybe TLC? (Back when TLC had like surgery shows and stuff, because, you know, "The Learning Channel".)
Wonderful memories of watching that show with my dad. To this day I get weird looks saying "horse haaarr" and "under the neath".
posted by cyclopticgaze at 1:02 PM on May 21, 2019 [4 favorites]
I think it aired on basic cable for a while, maybe TLC? (Back when TLC had like surgery shows and stuff, because, you know, "The Learning Channel".)
Wonderful memories of watching that show with my dad. To this day I get weird looks saying "horse haaarr" and "under the neath".
posted by cyclopticgaze at 1:02 PM on May 21, 2019 [4 favorites]
Aka Joe L’Erario and Ed Feldman. They're still around, still worth watching.
posted by BWA at 1:02 PM on May 21, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by BWA at 1:02 PM on May 21, 2019 [3 favorites]
Big Al 8000: "It’s weird they are celebrating 40 years without so much as a mention of Bob Vila. I realize he was/is something of an asshole, but still..."
I enjoyed Norm's thinly veiled contempt of Bob.
posted by Chrysostom at 1:09 PM on May 21, 2019 [6 favorites]
I enjoyed Norm's thinly veiled contempt of Bob.
posted by Chrysostom at 1:09 PM on May 21, 2019 [6 favorites]
For a while in the 90s I had some bumper stickers printed up which said "His name is Norm Abrams", which I would put on cars in the mall parking lot which had "My boss is a Jewish carpenter" stickers on them.
posted by hippybear at 1:14 PM on May 21, 2019 [32 favorites]
posted by hippybear at 1:14 PM on May 21, 2019 [32 favorites]
From Bob's wikipedia:
"In 1989 he left the show following a disagreement arising from his involvement with outside commercial endorsements for New Jersey-based Rickel,[7] and the subsequent retaliatory pulling of underwriting by Rickel's competitor Home Depot and lumber supplier Weyerhaeuser.[8] He was replaced by Steve Thomas."
posted by Melismata at 1:17 PM on May 21, 2019 [1 favorite]
"In 1989 he left the show following a disagreement arising from his involvement with outside commercial endorsements for New Jersey-based Rickel,[7] and the subsequent retaliatory pulling of underwriting by Rickel's competitor Home Depot and lumber supplier Weyerhaeuser.[8] He was replaced by Steve Thomas."
posted by Melismata at 1:17 PM on May 21, 2019 [1 favorite]
I remember The Furniture Guys, too; was on cable here in Augusta GA (TLC, perhaps?) so definitely made it outside of Philadelphia.
posted by TedW at 1:21 PM on May 21, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by TedW at 1:21 PM on May 21, 2019 [2 favorites]
This is an interesting article about why Bob left. What is unsaid is that Bob reportedly treated everyone else on the show as less than secondary to his star power. reportedly, he was very jealous of Norm’s popularity, as well. This made the ethical issues surrounding Bob’s outside income easy to solve for the show’s producers.
posted by Big Al 8000 at 1:26 PM on May 21, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Big Al 8000 at 1:26 PM on May 21, 2019 [1 favorite]
I once watched Norm rebuild an old door for some reason, one of those which has thick wood outlines and moldings surrounding interior panels... As he was working at reassembling it from all its parts (with repairs, of course), he explained that these doors were constructed so those inner panels aren't actually attached to anything, but instead are free-floating and held in place just by the moldings. And that this is so the wood in the door has a place to expand to as the humidity changes.
All my life before that I thought that design was merely decorative. But then I learned it was functional and practical.
posted by hippybear at 1:36 PM on May 21, 2019 [9 favorites]
All my life before that I thought that design was merely decorative. But then I learned it was functional and practical.
posted by hippybear at 1:36 PM on May 21, 2019 [9 favorites]
Aka Joe L’Erario and Ed Feldman. They're still around, still worth watching.
WAIT WHAT OH MY GOD AAAAAAAAHHHHH
why did it never occur to me to google them whyyyy
Holy shit. This makes me so, so happy, thank you!!
posted by kalimac at 1:41 PM on May 21, 2019 [2 favorites]
WAIT WHAT OH MY GOD AAAAAAAAHHHHH
why did it never occur to me to google them whyyyy
Holy shit. This makes me so, so happy, thank you!!
posted by kalimac at 1:41 PM on May 21, 2019 [2 favorites]
I think the show used to emphasize DIY/"sweat equity" stuff a lot more, which is a shame.
Yeah, for a long time it's been very Johnson Rod, verging on sponsored content. Too much unexplained lingo, too many single- or few-use tools.
posted by rhizome at 1:44 PM on May 21, 2019 [1 favorite]
Yeah, for a long time it's been very Johnson Rod, verging on sponsored content. Too much unexplained lingo, too many single- or few-use tools.
posted by rhizome at 1:44 PM on May 21, 2019 [1 favorite]
One of the most appealing things about TOH is it’s clear it’s a team. In most of the new renovation shows, the host always says, “I went ahead and demo’d the kitchen yesterday” or “Last night I drywalled the basement” or “I retiled the upstairs bathroom with an antique reproduction pattern” and it looks like they are masters in a broad array of skills, and it’s like, no, a skilled and nameless craftsman is actually doing that work, and should be recognized for it.
I, indeed.
posted by mochapickle at 1:45 PM on May 21, 2019 [5 favorites]
I, indeed.
posted by mochapickle at 1:45 PM on May 21, 2019 [5 favorites]
My dad hung drywall for a living, and he watched this show regularly and I often watched it with him. I remember one episode where Bob Villa was really enthusiastic about renovating a grand home and brought this grizzled old man who was an expert (and not nearly as optomistic as Bob). In several parts of the episode, they would enter a room with Bob expounding on what they could do with it and the old man replying a variation of, "It's shot! Tear it out!" I rarely heard my Dad laugh as hard as he did at that episode.
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 1:48 PM on May 21, 2019 [8 favorites]
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 1:48 PM on May 21, 2019 [8 favorites]
I haven't watched TOH in a long time, but I'm still fond of it as an idea. I think part of the reason I stopped watching is it stopped coming on in the late morning on Saturdays and so stopped fitting into my viewing habits. Then after DVRs happened, I just never picked it back up at least in part because I didn't recognize the hosts.
posted by ob1quixote at 2:38 PM on May 21, 2019 [3 favorites]
kalimac: “the horse haaaar”
cyclopticgaze: “I get weird looks saying "horse haaarr"”As a TLC-watching kid from the suburbs who now lives on a ranch, I can report that, if you're like me, and I know you are, you can't see a pile of horse hair left by brushing out one of the horses without thinking, if not actually saying, "Horse haaaaarrr," and wondering if you should save and launder it for use in a upholstery project.
posted by ob1quixote at 2:38 PM on May 21, 2019 [3 favorites]
Just to make sure everybody knows:
The most recent episodes (4? 8? I'm seeing 8 right now but I think it's been as low as 4 in the past) are available at the PBS website:
This Old House
Ask This Old House
(I can't tell whether they're available outside the US; apologies if they're not.)
posted by kristi at 2:54 PM on May 21, 2019 [1 favorite]
The most recent episodes (4? 8? I'm seeing 8 right now but I think it's been as low as 4 in the past) are available at the PBS website:
This Old House
Ask This Old House
(I can't tell whether they're available outside the US; apologies if they're not.)
posted by kristi at 2:54 PM on May 21, 2019 [1 favorite]
What fond memories. This too was a staple of family viewing on Sunday mornings after church and before football. Between this show and my father's general handiness, I've learned lots about the process of home repair/renovation/construction.
Now if I only had the time to do any of it.
posted by mmascolino at 3:01 PM on May 21, 2019 [1 favorite]
Now if I only had the time to do any of it.
posted by mmascolino at 3:01 PM on May 21, 2019 [1 favorite]
I think the idea is terrific. But, man is PBS hooked on their rich-people-content. Why not a few seasons where they fix up some prole's dumpy place? Signed - Some Prole
posted by j_curiouser at 4:05 PM on May 21, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by j_curiouser at 4:05 PM on May 21, 2019 [3 favorites]
Here's the first season, when they gutted an old Victorian and everything went wrong.
Note: my ad blocker went freakin' nuts at all the trackers on this site, and I had to disable it entirely to get anything to play.
posted by ivan ivanych samovar at 5:45 PM on May 21, 2019
Note: my ad blocker went freakin' nuts at all the trackers on this site, and I had to disable it entirely to get anything to play.
posted by ivan ivanych samovar at 5:45 PM on May 21, 2019
TOH, New Yankee workshop, and the bruins on UPN38 were *always* on in the background when I was a kid (not in New England). Somehow this transmongrified into me going to college in Worcester, MA, and eventually settling down out here....im still not quite sure that's a good thing. TOH is not real life.....
posted by Tandem Affinity at 6:59 PM on May 21, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Tandem Affinity at 6:59 PM on May 21, 2019 [1 favorite]
Dear fans of This Old House: You might like the book House, by Tracy Kidder.
posted by pjenks at 7:36 PM on May 21, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by pjenks at 7:36 PM on May 21, 2019 [1 favorite]
You might also like the movie House, with William Katt.
posted by hippybear at 7:51 PM on May 21, 2019 [4 favorites]
posted by hippybear at 7:51 PM on May 21, 2019 [4 favorites]
And George Wendt! And Richard Moll!
posted by Chrysostom at 7:55 PM on May 21, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Chrysostom at 7:55 PM on May 21, 2019 [1 favorite]
I think Peak New Yankee Workshop was when Norm builds a coffee table out of scrap pallets
"And remember this, there is no more important safety rule than to wear safety glasses"
I also grooved to Roy Underhill's "The Woodwright's Shop". He spent a lot of time making tools so he could use the tools to make other things.
posted by mikelieman at 8:07 PM on May 21, 2019 [4 favorites]
"And remember this, there is no more important safety rule than to wear safety glasses"
I also grooved to Roy Underhill's "The Woodwright's Shop". He spent a lot of time making tools so he could use the tools to make other things.
posted by mikelieman at 8:07 PM on May 21, 2019 [4 favorites]
Who is going to sit down and watch TOH at 3:30 on a Saturday afternoon?
My dad, of course.
posted by Red Desk at 8:27 PM on May 21, 2019 [1 favorite]
My dad, of course.
posted by Red Desk at 8:27 PM on May 21, 2019 [1 favorite]
Just want to emphasize that many of your (valid) complaints about the show-home aspect can be solved by watching Ask This Old House.
posted by timdiggerm at 2:36 AM on May 22, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by timdiggerm at 2:36 AM on May 22, 2019 [2 favorites]
I see I am not the only one who listens for the wicked Massachusetts accents.
Reminds me of an old crush who grew up in western Mass and reminisced about "going down to the packy" for a "beeah."
And yes, they are much better than most of the other reno shows. Even on the high-end houses, each little sub-project is a lesson about load-bearing walls, wiring and plumbing, so I don't really mind. I will never do ALL of those things at once, but I might do one of them.
posted by emjaybee at 7:26 AM on May 22, 2019 [2 favorites]
Reminds me of an old crush who grew up in western Mass and reminisced about "going down to the packy" for a "beeah."
And yes, they are much better than most of the other reno shows. Even on the high-end houses, each little sub-project is a lesson about load-bearing walls, wiring and plumbing, so I don't really mind. I will never do ALL of those things at once, but I might do one of them.
posted by emjaybee at 7:26 AM on May 22, 2019 [2 favorites]
I love all these shows, always have, and I watch them whenever I can.
This Old House also has a good website that shows you how to fix all kinds of things, including that big hole you put in the wall when you were moving that couch down to the first floor and you let it slide down the stairs just a little too fast.
posted by freakazoid at 7:33 AM on May 22, 2019 [1 favorite]
This Old House also has a good website that shows you how to fix all kinds of things, including that big hole you put in the wall when you were moving that couch down to the first floor and you let it slide down the stairs just a little too fast.
posted by freakazoid at 7:33 AM on May 22, 2019 [1 favorite]
I blame TOH for a lot of the scars on my body and the deficit in my bank account. If they hadn't jump-started my obsession with old houses at a young age, I might have been happy living in a nice modern condo that needs no work and has fancy stuff like heating and working bathrooms.
posted by octothorpe at 7:40 AM on May 22, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by octothorpe at 7:40 AM on May 22, 2019 [2 favorites]
This Old House drinking game challenge: 1 shot every time the host asks a question and a contractor says "That is correct, [Host]" instead of "Yes".
posted by cardboard at 7:48 AM on May 22, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by cardboard at 7:48 AM on May 22, 2019 [2 favorites]
I see I am not the only one who listens for the wicked Massachusetts accents.
I do love to recite "DAW-CHESTA" whenever I see the name.
posted by rhizome at 8:59 AM on May 22, 2019 [1 favorite]
I do love to recite "DAW-CHESTA" whenever I see the name.
posted by rhizome at 8:59 AM on May 22, 2019 [1 favorite]
I'm surprised that no one has mentioned that there is a second This Old House spinoff on the CW: This Old House: Trade School. It's really not that much different that This Old House, only it has commercials. It's funny when watching it alongside the original, because on each they reuse a lot of content from the other show in the interstitial segments.
posted by Quonab at 10:56 AM on May 22, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Quonab at 10:56 AM on May 22, 2019 [1 favorite]
> This Old House drinking game challenge
I used to work at the TOH magazine, and we had a copy of the drinking posted by the fax machine.
posted by The corpse in the library at 4:30 PM on May 22, 2019 [3 favorites]
I used to work at the TOH magazine, and we had a copy of the drinking posted by the fax machine.
posted by The corpse in the library at 4:30 PM on May 22, 2019 [3 favorites]
I’ve lived in NY Metro for over 10 years, and the fist ‘celebrity’ I ever spotted was Bob Villa walking on 53rd near MoMA.
posted by xtian at 3:43 AM on May 23, 2019
posted by xtian at 3:43 AM on May 23, 2019
I'm lobbying for this post to have a FeelGoodFilter tag!
posted by hippybear at 10:47 PM on May 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by hippybear at 10:47 PM on May 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
For whatever reason a reddit site, r/woodworking, shows up in my news feed. Every post I get is someone showing a picture of the project they've just completed and everyone complimenting them and asking them questions about specific steps they took. It kind of has a This Old House/New Yankee Workshop feel in that it is really just people sharing their craft and learning from each other.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 3:06 PM on May 28, 2019
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 3:06 PM on May 28, 2019
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And now I see there's a This Old House channel for Roku. So I guess it's going back into rotation.
posted by zinon at 10:48 AM on May 21, 2019 [6 favorites]