This Old House Hour — Season 21
## The Billerica House; The Santa Barbara House: Season Overview Prepare to be captivated by a season steeped in secrets and shadowed by the past as *The Billerica House; The Santa Barbara House* unfolds. This isn't just about two stunning estates—it’s about the lives intricately woven into their walls, and the legacies that haunt them. We delve deep into the intertwined histories of the Billerica House in Massachusetts and the Santa Barbara House in California, uncovering decades of family drama, hidden fortunes, and unexpected connections. Each house holds its own distinct story, but as the season progresses, it becomes clear they are far more linked than anyone initially suspects. Witness the unraveling of long-held mysteries surrounding both properties—from whispers of a lost inheritance to unsettling rumors that cling to the land itself. The current inhabitants find themselves increasingly entangled in these historical threads, forced to confront uncomfortable truths about their families and the foundations upon which their lives are built. Expect shifting alliances, simmering tensions, and a growing sense that some secrets are best left buried. This season promises a compelling exploration of heritage, ambition, and the enduring power of the past.
The season opens with a return to Chub Whitten's colonial home in Ipswich, Massachusetts, a property we explored earlier last year. Once a charred ruin, it stands now, a year later, in flawless restoration. Following Dick Silva’s account of…
At the Billerica Fire Department, we sought to understand the realities of battling the Silva fire, and to explore potential preventative measures or strategies for mitigating its impact. Returning to the house, our host convened with the S…
Tom recalls the day the machinery arrived to dismantle Dick and Sandra’s former home. Now, only an empty space remains where it once stood. Arborist Matt Foti and his team felled two 75-year-old Eastern white pines, damaged by the fire, and…
A full month has passed since our last visit, and the foundation is still in its final stages, delayed by a three-week soil remediation process. With the intricate foundation walls, encompassing thirty corners, now complete, we proceed with…
Homeowner Dick Silva offers a tour of the newly framed first floor, while Tom Silva points out key indicators of sound framing techniques. Down in the basement, our master carpenter details how the floor joists connect with steel beams to o…
Homeowner Dick Silva offers a tour of the framed and sheathed house, reporting that he and Sandra have received a very satisfactory insurance settlement for the structure itself; the settlement for the contents is pending a complete invento…
The new windows have come. Constructed from an extruded composite of PVC and sawdust, they prompted a visit to the factory in Minnesota. The team installed corner trim with two layers of cementitious board, while mason Lenny Belliveau demon…
Dick’s Quonset hut undergoes a transformation as our master carpenter and general contractor establish a woodworking shop, requiring Dick to transport his restored 1931 Ford Roadster pickup to the new garage. He offers a tour, introducing u…
A crew from the local power company is installing a new pole across the street, discreetly placed along the front of the Silva property. This approach, significantly less expensive than excavating under the road, will enable underground rou…
While the master carpenter prepares the table saw to craft a sample raised-panel door for the Silvas’ new kitchen, our host observes Tom’s method for flashing windows: a waterproof membrane overlaid with a custom gap of side-bent, lead-coat…
A flurry of activity fills the house as subcontractors race to finish their work within the walls before the insulation arrives. Tom Silva offers a tour, pointing out the network of wires, pipes, conduits, and ducts. Meanwhile, Paul Somerso…
The house was nearing completion as we arrived; the final delivery of wallboard was being unloaded into the basement. Elsewhere within the structure, the panels were already hung, and plastering had commenced. Homeowner Dick Silva offered a…
Landscape contractor Roger Cook and his crew are installing a stone wall along the driveway, employing split stone sourced from North Carolina, readily available at home centers across the country. Roger demonstrates his technique for build…
We found Rich in the basement, beneath the forced-air unit that supplies heating and cooling to the first floor. However, radiant floor heating, enhanced by aluminum mounting plates and foil insulation within the joist bays to reflect heat …
Master electrician Allen Gallant demonstrates the function of the new emergency power generator: a quiet, natural-gas unit designed to provide electricity to the house's essential systems – the heating plant, refrigerator, well, and select …
Paving contractor Don Sloan demonstrates several methods for paving the driveway: simple black asphalt with crushed stone integrated into a pliable asphalt binder. Turning around back, Roger shows us the drywell and crushed stone his crew i…
Landscape designer Stephanie Hubbard coordinates the planting of new flora and trees with Roger Cook, while inside, our master carpenter consults with mill owner Charlie Wilson regarding the vertical grain loblolly pine and quartersawn whit…
The host found the workshop of Peter Malone, the wooden shutter maker, bustling with activity as he and his team installed shutters on the house's front. They employed traditional pintle hinges and shutter dogs in their work. Inside, master…
In Billerica's concluding days, Dick returns his cherished Model A truck to the new garage, its warmth a welcome comfort thanks to a natural-gas heater. Roger Cook and his team are laying sod in the backyard, and Roger demonstrates the inge…
The master carpenter and host arrived in Santa Barbara by sailboat, marking the start of This Old House's winter project. Homeowner Jan Winford has anticipated this moment for a quarter-century—a chance to expand her modest 1907 California …
Returning to a project from winter 1988, the team revisits the Santa Barbara bungalow of Dave and Susan Dickenson. Arriving at the current This Old House construction site, they find the structure pared down to a skeleton of walls and frami…
We examine the crew’s advancements in adapting the Santa Barbara bungalow for expansion. Next, we inspect the newly constructed garage, built to meet municipal regulations, and the new front walkway crafted from synthetic sandstone. Finally…
We examine the design of a new master suite on the second floor of a Santa Barbara bungalow, appreciating its breathtaking panorama of the Pacific. From there, we journey to a small art-tile kiln in Ojai, where tiles crafted in the Arts and…
We examine the newly installed custom windows, admiring their cherry wood interiors and authentic divided lights. Next, we meet landscape architect Susan Van Atta, who presents her design for the historically sensitive grounds, incorporatin…
The final stages of the Santa Barbara bungalow renovation are now underway. Deliveries arrive of the new kitchen components and the striking oak front door. The fireplace, a central feature of the home, receives a beautiful transformation w…
After a quarter-century of dreaming, homeowner Jan Winford is finally seeing the renovation of her 1907 bungalow come to fruition, a project significantly aided by the guidance of *This Old House*. Returning to Santa Barbara after a couple …
