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                • Home
                • Old House My House

                Old House My House

                Life in front of the camera and behind the scenes at a This Old House renovation.

                • October 21, 2013

                  Dressing Up the Front

                  We had long felt that our house was missing something in the front. It had many lovely details, but the front porch was a bit bare. So we asked our architect, David Whitney, to work up some options for a railing (or balustrade). Here are the four options he came back with.

                  Arlington-railing-this-old-house
                  Flat
                  Geometric
                  Arlington-railing-this-old-house
                  Personally I liked the way the Geometric scheme picked up the angles of the house, but I was overruled. We went with the flat stock profiles, and handed the design over to Tom and Norm to take a crack at making them on site.

                  More

                  Posted by Malcolm Faulds | Categories:Arlington Italianate 2013-2014 | Permalink | Comments (8)
                • October 7, 2013

                  Taking Out the Dip

                  I knew something was on Tom Silva's mind. We were about a month into the project and he was quiet. Perhaps even moody.

                  "What's up Tom?"

                  "That dip in the floor is bugging me."

                  I couldn't get much more out of him that day, but I knew he had an itch to scratch. About a week later I visited the site and saw how Tom scratches this kind of itch.

                  this-old-house-tom-silva-floor-jack-remove-dip

                  More

                  Posted by Malcolm Faulds | Categories:Arlington Italianate 2013-2014 | Permalink | Comments (2)
                • October 7, 2013

                  A Beautiful Discovery

                  One of the goals of the renovation was to create a more open feel to the home while preserving the character and charm of the period. A large part of this vision included removing the drop ceilings that were added to the first floor many years ago. We were really excited (and slightly worried) about what we would find. Tom Silva cut away a piece of the dining room ceiling so that we could get a sneak preview of our 141 year old ceiling. This beautiful discovery exceeded our expectations.  

                  this-old-house-arlington-plaster-repair-drop-ceiling

                  More

                  Posted by Heather Faulds | Categories:Arlington Italianate 2013-2014 | Permalink | Comments (2)
                • September 25, 2013

                  Bringing Up the Rear

                  Once Tom's crew rebuilt the foundation, they were able to build over the office. The goal was to build out a master suite; a walk-in closet and bathroom will go into the new space.

                  They started by reinforcing the existing walls and removing the old roof. Then they installed some wooden I-joists.

                  IMG_0674

                  addition-new-master-suite-this-old-house-arlington-house

                  More

                  Posted by Malcolm Faulds | Categories:Arlington Italianate 2013-2014 | Permalink | Comments (4)
                • September 18, 2013

                  Four Ways to Know You're on a Home Improvement Show

                  In most ways we were a pretty typical family. We had our routine: got up in the morning, got the kids to school, went to work, ate dinner, repeat. Normal stuff.

                  Then our home was selected as a project for This Old House. And just like that - poof - the routine was gone.

                  As a service for you, reader, I've put together this list. If you notice the following things happening to you, you too may be on a home improvement show.

                  #1: There are cameras everywhere

                  One day I came home from work and found this in my living room:

                  This-old-house-Arlington-house-home-improvement-show

                  I knew going into this there were going to be webcams, but I had no idea each one was going to be 6 feet tall, make noise and scare the heck out of me every time I walked into the room. Not shown are the ones in the front and back yards, or the one parked outside our bathroom.

                  #2: Very intense people are telling you what to do. And you do it.

                  The first filming day was an eye opener. I'll start by saying the crew is incredibly nice and professional. The folks behind the camera have the same level of expertise in their fields as Tom, Roger, Kevin and Norm.

                  But once it comes time to shoot an episode, they are all business. Here's what it looks like when Tom Draught, the director, tells you what to do during a shot.

                  This-old-house-Arlington-house-home-improvement-show
                  See the intensity in his eyes? Clearly this is not a man to ignore.

                   #3: Funny things are happening all around you.

                  Here's a picure of TOH series producer Deb Hood showing Tom Silva how to use Twitter. Yes, pigs are now flying. You can follow him here.

                  This-old-house-Arlington-house-home-improvement-show

                   

                  #4: You see this thing parked in front of your house

                  arlington-house-home-improvement-show

                  I'm sure we'll get back to our routine once the project is over. But for now we're enjoying the ride!

                   

                   

                  Posted by Malcolm Faulds | Categories:Arlington Italianate 2013-2014 | Permalink | Comments (4)
                • September 5, 2013

                  The Glimmer Glass Half Full

                  August 2013 - Manasquan, NJ

                  this-old-house-jersey-shore-rebuilds
                  (Picture: Rita Gurry in front of her demolished home.  As of today it is rebuilt thanks to Rita's determination.)

                  You never know how someone is going to react when they lose everything, but an educated guess suggests that most would find the experience traumatic. But people surprise you, like Rita Gurry did. Rita is one of three homeowners we are working with on the Jersey Shore, and I’ve written about her before (see my earlier post below). After Super Storm Sandy hit the Jersey coast her house was a total loss; we took it down with an excavator this past April.

                  More

                  Posted by Kevin O'Connor | Categories:Jersey Shore Rebuilds 2013 | Permalink | Comments (5)
                • September 3, 2013

                  "When They Say Get Out, Get Out" -- Nick Spino

                  This-0ld-house-jersey-shore-rebuilds 

                  (Picture: Nick Spino on the rebuilt steps of his house, which was underwater the night Sandy hit.) 

                  Our director, Thom, stepped out of the car with a sort of stunned look in his eyes. “What’s up?” I asked, expecting to hear about his day scouting and about yet another devastated community on the Jersey Shore. But that wasn’t it.  “I just met this guy Nick,” he said shaking his head in disbelief, and then he told me Nick’s story. Then I heard the story from Nick himself, not once or twice but maybe a dozen times, because now we were recording it on camera and because it’s that kind of story.

                  More

                  Posted by Kevin O'Connor | Categories:Jersey Shore Rebuilds 2013 | Permalink | Comments (0)
                • September 3, 2013

                  "We Will Never Split Up Again"

                  August, 2013 - Point Pleasant, NJ

                  Jersey Shore rebuilds-this old house-point pleasant
                  (Picture: The kayak Carlos hauled up to his second floor and eventually used to paddle away from his flooded house.)

                  When Superstorm Sandy barreled down on the town of Point Pleasant you could say that Carlos and Maria Santos went their separate ways. Maria left, taking the kids to the temporary shelter setup at the nearby school. Carlos stayed, to keep an eye on things and to man the three pumps he set up under the house.

                  More

                  Posted by Kevin O'Connor | Categories:Jersey Shore Rebuilds 2013 | Permalink | Comments (2)
                • August 29, 2013

                  This Was Their Life's Work - Jackie Rebholz

                  June 2013 - Mantoloking,NJ

                  This-old-house-jersey-shore-Jackie-Rebholz
                  (Picture: Jackie Rebolz and her children watch as her parents' home of thirty years is demolished and removed from the bay.)

                  Natural disasters like Sandy cause some strange situations, and I saw plenty of them when I got to the Jersey Shore. There was the broken house sitting on top of a two-ton army truck, and there was the 100-foot-high roller coaster sitting in the ocean so perfectly intact it looked like a dozen screaming teenagers had just given it a ride.

                  More

                  Posted by Kevin O'Connor | Categories:Jersey Shore Rebuilds 2013 | Permalink | Comments (1)
                • July 2, 2013

                  Build a Wall!

                  Jersey-Shore-Rebuilds-revetment

                  May 14, 2013 -- Bay Head, N.J.

                  As long as kids have gone to the beach they’ve built sand castles, and I suspect they always will. And for every sand castle built most eventually end up with a wall of sand in front of them. The tide always rises and every kid, seeing his prized creation threatened by the oncoming waves, thinks the same thing: “Build a wall!”

                  In Bay Head, N.J. that simple childhood instinct is alive and well, post-superstorm Sandy. A group of about 20 beachfront homeowners are, on their own nickel, building a “revetment wall.” It will sit on the beach between the ocean and their homes, a big bit of industry that starts with digging down about 20 feet, then filling the hole with 6,000 pound stones trucked in from nearby quarries. Those massive stones are then covered with more sand. The idea is to break the wave action kicked up by a storm and provide a last line of defense with a barrier that, the homeowners hope, won’t wash away.

                  More

                  Posted by Kevin O'Connor | Categories:Jersey Shore Rebuilds 2013 | Permalink | Comments (0)
                • June 28, 2013

                  Foundation Nation

                  When we first thought about adding a second floor above our office, we figured we'd be in store for some conversations about the foundation. The office was housed in a small addition at the back of the house that - we think - started off as a screened-in porch.

                  Our hunch prooved right. When Tom and the crew started poking around under the office it didn't take long for them to conclude that it was merely a pile of rubble under our house. It wasn't really doing much to hold the structure up. Here's a picture of Tommy drawing a picture of how slanted the back part of our house had become over the years.

                  arlington-house-foundation-work"
                  The photo also shows the LVL they bolted to the structure to make it level.

                  So they quickly decided we needed to add a proper foundation if we wanted to add on a second level. That meant digging down four feet to get below the frost line. Because of the number of boulders on our site and the location where they needed to dig, excavation needed to be done by hand. That's a a lot of work. Two days later this is what it looked like:

                  Up in the air

                  They poured a new concrete footing, then built the walls out of block. Amazingly, most of this happened during one of the rainiest weeks of the year. Our son came by to inspect their work.

                  arlington-house-foundation

                  Inside they put a rat slab.

                  Slab

                  The finished foundation looks good. The back room, which will now be part of the kitchen, is level and solid. And best if all, it's ready for the second story soon to be built above it.

                  Finished foundation

                   

                   

                  Posted by Malcolm Faulds | Categories:Arlington Italianate 2013-2014 | Permalink | Comments (4)
                • June 28, 2013

                  Rebuilding Home

                  May 7, 2013 -- Seaside Heights, NJ

                  jersey-shore-rebuilds-seaside-heights-boardwalk

                  (Picture: The storm devastated Seaside Heights, its boardwalk, which is the lifeblood of the business community, and the amusement park that attracts tens of thousands of tourists every summer.)

                  “We’re going to rebuild our home.” It’s a refrain I hear as I move around the storm-damaged neighborhoods of the Jersey Shore. People are determined to rebuild their homes and it’s an understandable sentiment. Well... I thought I understood it. As it turns out some people are talking about their houses (I know three of them very well) but many others are talking about their home, that is to say their township or their neighborhood. Both “homes” are important. A roof over your head is critical, but so is a school for your kids, a church for your soul and a grocery store for your survival. And on the Jersey shore both “homes” need rebuilding.

                  More

                  Posted by Kevin O'Connor | Categories:Jersey Shore Rebuilds 2013 | Permalink | Comments (4)
                • June 25, 2013

                  Abe Lincoln and the Jet Star

                  May 9, 2013 -- Seaside Heights

                  jersey-shore-rebuilds-lincoln-memoiral-jet-star
                  (Picture: My all-time favorite picture, which I took during an incredible day at the Lincoln Memorial. This is an impossible shot to get unless you are up on scaffolding right next to this amazing memorial.)

                  Normally on This Old House we have great access to experts and unique locations. Telling folks you work with the show is usually a golden ticket that can get you behind the scenes of some spectacular places. I’ll never forget when I was at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, for example, and a Park Service employee invited me up the statue of Abraham Lincoln onto some scaffolding placed there for a once in a lifetime repair. Fewer than 100 people, I was told, had ever seen the sculpture this close, and when I laid eyes on the tiny caliper marks made by Daniel Chester French during the statue’s construction, I was literally awestruck.

                  More

                  Posted by Kevin O'Connor | Categories:Jersey Shore Rebuilds 2013 | Permalink | Comments (3)
                • June 17, 2013

                  Taking Down the Staircase

                  In an earlier post we showed some pictures of the surprise staircase we found behind a wall. Sadly, there wasn't a spot for it in our new plans, so it had to go. Here's a quick video of Tom and Kevin taking it down.

                   

                  Here's the a quick picture of Kevin with the aftermath.

                  arlington-house-stair-demolition

                  Posted by Malcolm Faulds | Categories:Arlington Italianate 2013-2014 | Permalink | Comments (3)
                • June 11, 2013

                  Christmas Trees and Volleyball

                  Bayhead -- April 18, 2013

                  jersey-shore-rebuilds-Dune-Grass-resoration

                  (Picture: An annual dose of old christmas trees kept the dune grass healthy and thick, protecting the beach and house behind it.)

                  On parts of the Jersey Shore, people actually own the beach. Neighborhood associations can sell badges to visitors, limit parking near the beach, and even ask people to get off their sand if the person is above the mean high tide line.

                  More

                  Posted by Kevin O'Connor | Categories:Jersey Shore Rebuilds 2013 | Permalink | Comments (0)
                • Next »
                October 2013

                Jersey Shore Rebuilds

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                Dressing Up the Front Taking Out the Dip A Beautiful Discovery Bringing Up the Rear Four Ways to Know You're on a Home Improvement Show The Glimmer Glass Half Full "When They Say Get Out, Get Out" -- Nick Spino "We Will Never Split Up Again" This Was Their Life's Work - Jackie Rebholz Build a Wall!

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