The TOH franchise rolls on. Now there's Inside This Old House as well as the original, the Classics, The New ..., and Ask ... . They've officially bypassed Law and Order in the spinoff category.

The Inside show isn't even on PBS, though, is it? It's confusing.

I miss Steve Thomas. Kevin's okay, but if I'm going to watch some stuffy, stuck-in-the-past TV, I want it to remain stuck.

No, InsideTOH is on A&E, for some reason. I think there's no market for the pre-1990 re-runs anymore, so they had to come up with some new way to package them. Sometimes it's good, most of the time it's boring crap. I hope they do something good with the money they get from selling out.

Does anyone else think that the new host looks like he should be the spokeschild for a brand of cereal? He just screams "corporate logo" to me.

For all these years, I've blamed Steve Thomas for being such a lousy host, with his lame jokes and stunts. It now appears that he was innocent, as the new host is spouting the exact same drivel! He even uses the same vocal inflections. This stuff must be written by someone, or he's told exactly what to say.

That said, I still love this show, but I miss the heavy-duty "how-to" aspects of it from past years. A lot of projects that I do on my own house I learned from TOH as a kid. I zone out when they go on yet another field trip to a window factory or Frank Lloyd Wright house. From what I can tell, Frank Lloyd Wright was a hack. Every house he built turned out to have a leaky roof, unstable foundation, and went hugely over-budget at the time of construction. Who needs that!?!

I prefer the smaller house renovations, made for regualr people with real budgets. That gigantic house on the harbor with the music room was ridiculous. This was the first time I considered not watching TOH anymore. It seems like this year, they're back to smaller projects, though, so I'll continue my regular viewing.

But please, more how-to, less jokes!!!!

You know, I bet the Concord project is right up there in cost, though, even though it's tiny in size. Seems like they're going out of their way to get the most expensive version of every single thing.

I wanna see Norm and the other sidekicks stuff the new guy in a locker and weld it shut. You know they want to.

Does anybody know if there are any "after" pictures of the Concord house floating around? I missed the finale and the the pics aren't up on the TOH site yet. I'm curious how it all turned out.

I second that. I hate Kevin O'Connor. Bring back Steve Thomas!

Go all the way and bring back Bob Vila!

What happened to Steve Thomas? Did he quit or was he fired? Either way he doesn't seem to be cashing in the way Bob Vila did.

I had read that he quit amicably, that he wanted to do some other things like sailing and writing.

I miss the old shows too. It seems like TOH has more money than they know what to do with.
I record TOH on my DVR, if they go on a field trip during the episode I fast forward through it.

Agree with gregg247 and others who miss the "how-to" on This Old House. However, I believe that the "Ask TOH" franchise proved its worth to me today. I think that's the franchise I watched recently (as in, within the past year or so) that showed how to repair a leaky faucet. Grandmother called today (Saturday afternoon - since no household emergency ever happens during regular business hours, of course) to ask whether I could take a look at a kitchen faucet that wouldn't turn off entirely. A quick trip to the hardware store for parts, a smidge of advice from the Helpful Hardware Man, and 20 minutes' worth of labor, et voila!, no more leaky faucet! Three cheers for Mr. Trethewy, plumbing instructor extroidinaire!

[small voice] Is it wrong of me to admit that I've harbored a wee crush on Norm for years and years and years? Granted, he's not terribly handsome, but I'd happily trade quiet competence for good looks any day of the week, and twice on Sunday. If he's a real SOB in real life, or if he has an off-camera "carpenter double," I don't want to know, because I'd hate to have one of my last illusions shattered. [/sv]

Good looks aren't good for much except looking good. Give me a man who knows his way around a chop saw, a receptacle analyzer, and a pipe wrench any day!

*sniff* I miss Vila.

I also liked the Steve/Bob shows the best. They were regular Saturday AM viewing. Have seen very few of the newer shows.



That's Mr. Candynecklace-he's a carpenter. Alas, he does NOT have his own show!

I'm still reeling from the decision to abandon Fats Waller's "Louisiana Fairytale" as the theme music.

I'm sure Kevin O'Connor is a perfectly nice guy, but he makes Steve Thomas look like Lawrence Olivier. However, I do still watch out of my insane loyalty to Norm, Rich, Roger, and Tommy.

Happened to catch the BEST. MOMENT. EVER. on This Old House the other day.

It was the end of the show and Steve finished up his end of show spiel and turned and went and helped Norm and the crew lift up a frame. As the theme music started to play you hear Norm say quite clearly, "Thanks, Steve. Bob never did this."

That's some ugly house they are working on this new season. An ultra-modern (for the time it was built) that has aged poorly. The home owner is kind of strange. Seems to like the camera. He's gone thru four architects over the past few years so I hope TOH can satisfy him.

When I saw the beginning of the first episode with the host out on the Charles, I started to sweat. I thought, "Oh, gosh they're going to do one of those great brownstones on Comm Ave". But that was short lived when I saw them pull up to a tear down in Cambridge. I don't know exactly where they were, but I've never seen that much land for one dwelling in Cambridge whenever I walked around there. It must be nice.

The house, though. Goodness, why not tear it down and start over. I know the homeowner (yes, he is a geeky thing) likes his kitchen and it does hold up well for having been designed 13 yrs ago, but he'll probably want to redo it in 5 yrs anyway. At least I like the look that this 5th(!) architect came up with.

I'm old enough that to me, Bob Vila is This Old House. Along with Norm, of course. It took me forever to adjust to Steve Thomas...and even then, I didn't like him all THAT much. He reminded me too much of a rich prep-school kid. Meh. I've watched very little of Kevin, so I have no opinion to offer on that!

Factoid? I know someone whose home was featured on TOH back in the early 80's, and then re-visited about 10 years ago to see how things had held up over the years! I get a huge kick out of it when I happen to catch one of those episodes. I won't say who/which house it was, for fear of revealing my snarky other-self to friends/family ;)

But how did it hold up?

I lost interest in the last project they did but have been watching this one. I agree, I would have nuked this place rather than renovate.

It's interesting how these mid century modern houses don't seem to hold up in structure or appeal. I live across the street from a similar vintage and style house in much better condition (although older kitchen) that the owners have been unable to sell for 10 months despite dropping the price considerably.

You know, I like Kevin. He's just so clueless and the older guys seem to delight in showing him up. Bob Vila got so full of himself that he was unwatchable to me. I've always like Norm and since I've been watching again I really like Tommy too.

I never liked Villa either. I found him arrogant and really obnoxious about bullying people into projects that they couldn't afford. Only kept watching because I loved old Norm and Tommy. Now there are two guys who believe in doing a job right and insist that others do the same. Really hard to find folks like that anymore. And the landscaper guy is great too (tho his name escapes me at present).

Steve took a while to get used to but he had the experience of building boats so he knew his way around the construction pretty well. And he had great hair. Kevin bores me - good hearted fella but doesn't seem to have any knowledge or experience about the work.

I caught part of an episode of the new season last nite - that is one crappy looking old house IMO. But I admit, I'm biased. I want to see them restoring old places that have stood the test of time and just need some TLC.

I can remember seeing the very first episode as a teenager. Can't confess to seeing all the projects though. While I liked Bob when he was the host, looking back at reruns and that other show he does now, the arrogance gets to me. Steve was the best. Kevin I think is too weak a personality, but I understand they chose him as a person the viewers could identify with without feeling intimidated, which I guess was the case with Steve.

I've watched TOH since I was a kid, and I remember my mother laughing at how Bob Vila would always insist on trying some of the work that the others were doing and how he would always do a sloppy job in comparison to the more skilled laborers.

I liked Steve, and his hair especially, but I wasn't attached to him.

Viewers of Ask This Old House, might remember seeing Kevin as one of the hapless homeowners who called in the TOH people to help him out. I think that when Steve abruptly quit the show, the producers took a second look at Kevin and his Campbell Soup kid face and offered him the job. His lack of experience was supposed to make him and the show more accessible.

I try to watch the show every season, but I usually wound up frustrated. I would tune in week after week and dutifully watch while Norm got all excited at some quartz or linoleum factory, and then when it came to the final week's reveal, some pledge drive would come along and preempt it with a show about how to play piano without learning music and I'd never see the project's completion. Thankfully, Tivo put an end to that torment.

Do a Google search on Bob Vila and Conrad Janis, he bought a house from Vila that he built, and the house was a death trap, everything broken, sewage coming up into the house, it went to court, I remember Bob testifying and admitting "no, I'm not a licensed contractor". Don't remember how it was settled though.

I don't watch This Old House regularly because, like others have already mentioned, the projects aren't "accessible" to the average homeowner. Still, some episodes catch my attention and I sit through them. However, I set the DVR for Ask This Old House and usually find it both entertaining and informative.

Kevin O'Conner is OK, he may not stand out on This Old House but he shines on Ask This Old House. A&E runs some old Steve Thomas episodes and I think Kevin is much more personable than Steve. I never did think much of Steve's delivery on either show, Kevin seems to have it down. The fact that he's a novice helps, the back and forth with the experts is funny at times, everyone seems to have found their rythm much better than when Steve was the host.

I don't guess every example of modern architecture is worth saving, but I love the style and would rather have seen them restore the house rather than rennovate it so extensively. I'm looking forward to this season, though, and am glad the HO is sticking with modern.

I couldn't stand Bob Vila, liked Steve and think Kevin is doing a surprisingly good job, especially considering the way they found him. I mostly watch for Norm, anyway.

nh lass, I remember that and have boycotted Bob Vila and his shows ever since!!!

It held up quite well! Some things are simply 'dated' now, because newer/better alternatives are available that weren't at the time the work was done. But my friends are very happy with their old house, and had an excellent experience (both times) with TOH.

The thing I like about the Kevin episodes is that Tommy and Norm especially seem more prominent. Tommy especially seems to have taken Kevin under his wing. I like how the older guys are tolerantly amused at Kevin's ignorance.

Rogah!

I've been watching TOH since I was a kid. I missed out on Bob hosting, which was fortunate since he had a show on A&E (?) and I loathed him. So smug. I liked Steve OK, but he could be annoying. There was too much focus on Steve and not enough on the actual tradesmen. I like it better now, where Kevin just bumbles along asking obvious questions and Tommy et al. get to show off their extensive knowledge. Also the cast seems much more relaxed than I remember. I like it when they joke around.

I like the landscape architects ideas, although I must say I've only seen designs like that in commercial spaces, not residential ones.

Since when has an entry from the sidewalk been called a "civic gesture"?

I absolutely love Ask TOH when someone brings out a strange tool and they have to guess what it's used for. Makes me laugh hystercally every time. Love Trethewy like a mad lady!! I'm obssesed with plumbers! Mr Mopsy calls Norm, stormin' Norman. He's obsessed with wood!

A tour of a cheese shop? WTF does THAT have to do with home building?

I love Ask, but I just can't watch the half hour that preceeds it. They were building this unbelievably garish palace type place with a zillion rooms for months and months, and I kept thinking: who could heat this place? It just seemed cluttered and ugly most of the time, too. Anyhow, I gave up. What are they going to do with it? House a King? Turn it into a hotel and conference center sans swimming pool and other recreational facilities? Anyhow, it bored and disgusted me.

But Ask This Old House? I get so gleeful watching that stuff, I salivate over the more obscure tools they showcase, and I get so excited about projects and intersting fixes, it's some of my favorite TV around.

I would love to know the budget on this project. Heated driveway so he doesn't have to shovel? We had a client who installed one on a new home, got the first utility bill and freaked!

This is a homeowner who would hire an architectural firm and have them build expensive models only to change his mind and move on to the next architect, and the next, and the next. He's probably heating his driveway just to burn money on it.

True enough. I about died when Norm made a comment about "Yankee thrift" because they were reusing some of the granite for the island. What did he pay for that staircase - $20k?

I don't know, I like that they chose a mid-century modern style for this season's house. It was a nice change from the usual 100 year old fixer-upper we've been seeing. It may not be the kind of house I live in but the process is still interesting. I just fast forward thru whenever they're talking to the owner. One of the most annoying I've ever seen on this show.

That's the best thing about Norm, Tommy, Roger, and Rich - whether it's on the job site or ATOH, they're big on recycling what they can and not wasting anything they don't have to, even if it is the leftovers from some exorbitant expense.


Most of my favorite projects have been the ones that aren't in the Boston area, - in particular, Savannah, Key West, San Francisco, Miami and Santa Barbara; and I'm really looking forward to the Washington DC project (mostly because it's near to where I used to live). Not that I dislike the MA projects homes, but I like the variation we get when the go to other parts of the country.


I'm not a fan of the owner (George?) either. He's just so.... weasely. He seems like a real prima donna - c'mon, putting on that bratty schoolgirl demeanor for the cameras when the kitchen cabinetry got damaged in the rain? Ugh. When they started talking about the radiant heat for the driveway and walk, I had the same thought about him using the heat to create a big money bonfire (after all, what good are $1s and $5s?)

I can't believe I'm defending a HO who gets on my nerves, but I personally would love a heated driveway. Here in the Boston area we get a lot of sleet that freezes as soon as it hits the ground. There is no way to shovel it and salt doesn't always work. Two weeks ago my long driveway was a sheet of ice and my kids fell waiting for the bus. I couldn't even get my garbage cans to the end of the driveway. If I lived in a world where money were no object I would heat my driveway. Then again, if money were no object I wouldn't be spending winters in Boston.

edited because I don't know how to cut and paste properly.

I'm not shocked that Norm or Tommy would want to save it, its just that Norm was talking about the HO as being thrifty.



We're talking a LOT of money. Their bill was almost $2000 for one month - and this was several years ago when utility prices here in rural Wyoming were extremely low compared to the national average.

My hubby just said that they mentioned in the show that the staircase cost 80k! While striking that's not where I would have spent the money if it were my house.

Last weekend we found the house. I figured out where it might be by their trips to the Cheese Shop, Harvard Sq and a few other clues. The house is much smaller and much much closer to the road than it looks on tv. The building permit is still posted in the front window which means work is not complete. Also the ATOH trailer was in the driveway.

I would SO spend the money on a heated driveway if I had a money tree.

It snowed Monday (6 days ago) and we're still trying to chip the ice off our driveway. If you don't get to it the day it falls, fagedabout it, it'll be there til May!

Do we know what George does for a living? Does anyone live in the house with him? Irecall him mentioning a daughter but I got the impression she's grown and gone.

In our area we have access to 3 PBS stations and we found the most reliable station to see TOH and ATOH (and cooking shows) on Channel 11 on Sundays. Channel 2 does so much begging they preempts the shows more so than the other 2 stations. Just a tip for my fellow Bostonians.

I like this new project. The house is a wreck and they have a tight budget. Finally, no over the top AV system and so forth. Tommy and Norm can really show us some Yankee thrift.

gnbhull-- thanks for the tip. I had stopped watching the mansion rehab and didn't realize they'd moved on to soemthing else!

kayobe, can you tell me what the call letters are for your channel 11? I live in Western Mass and for us Channel 2 is GBY (always fundraising in the most boring fund drive I've ever seen), but 11 is NBC here. I am wondering if I might be able to pick it up on another part of the dial.

possibilities You haven't missed anything yet. This week was the first episode for the new project, which is an abandoned row house in DC purchased by a non-profit to rehab and sell to a low to moderate income family. The house had a fire, and there is extensive water damage. The non-profit has a total project budget of $250,000 of which $200,000 is dedicated to construction. Kevin and Norm toured the house with some of the people from the non-profit. Kevin mentioned that TOH will try to bring in some donated materials to ease the budget some, but there won't be anything like the crazy stuff in the house in Cambridge.

I'm fascinated by this DC project, if only because Norm and the boys seem to have some differing ideas from those of the contractor and architect. I'm guessing in the end that the MiCasa folks will win out, but it's kind of funny to watch the reactions of the TOH people when they see how bad of a shape things are in and how cheaply things have to be done for.