This Old House Hour — Season 23
## The Manchester House: Season Overview Prepare to be drawn into the captivating world of *The Manchester House*, a darkly comedic drama following the fractured lives of the wealthy and eccentric Manchester family as they grapple with secrets, betrayals, and the crumbling façade of their seemingly perfect existence. After the sudden death of patriarch Reginald Manchester, his estranged children – Anna, Franklin, and Sebastian – are forced back into the opulent, yet suffocating, confines of their childhood home. Each sibling arrives burdened by their own personal failures and simmering resentments toward one another and their late father’s legacy. As they navigate the complexities of settling Reginald's estate, long-buried tensions erupt, revealing a web of hidden relationships and uncomfortable truths about the family's past. Anna, fiercely independent and harboring deep wounds, clashes with Franklin’s ambition and Sebastian’s detached cynicism. The season unfolds as these three siblings attempt to untangle their father’s affairs – a process that exposes unsettling financial dealings and hints at a far more complicated man than they ever knew. With the weight of family history pressing down on them, and the possibility of losing everything they thought they were entitled to looming large, *The Manchester House* explores the corrosive power of wealth, the enduring pain of familial dysfunction, and the desperate search for connection amidst a landscape of lies and disillusionment.
Steve and our master carpenter arrived at the waterfront property, finding a suitable dock at its base. There, they encountered Janet McCue, overseeing the family's departure as they prepared for the renovation, and her husband David, who o…
Roger Cook and his crew begin the day with landscaping. They fell trees encroaching on the house, relocate a dozen rhododendrons and azaleas obstructing the new addition's path, and prepare to transplant a 25-foot evergreen and a 20-foot do…
From the seaside rotunda and the adjacent "chowder house," the subject property offers a view as John Huss, president of the Manchester Historical Society, provides a tour. Inside, the renovation has already yielded nearly four dumpsters of…
Now that the concrete walls are in place, the next step is damp-proofing, another task contributing to the nearly $30,000 price tag for the new foundation – a figure reflecting only the cost of bringing the structure up to code. Surveying t…
The foundation is now filled, and carpenters are erecting the framework for the new terrace. Inside, the space encompassing the kitchen and family room has been fully opened up by a substantial steel and laminated timber beam – a 3800-pound…
Steve located our master carpenter in the new jobsite office trailer, a space equipped with secure storage—ideal for safeguarding paperwork from the activity within the house and for tracking delivered materials. Tom then outlined the proje…
Steve tested his skill maneuvering the jobsite forklift, managing to deliver a load of plywood to the third floor with a mixture of success and trepidation. Inside, he and Tom exchanged worries about the planned kitchen, office, and game ro…
A new roof is being installed, and our master carpenter discusses the system with roofing contractor Mark Mulloy. The construction features a decking layer, a bitumen membrane covering every surface from eave to ridge, a three-dimensional n…
Steve observes the advancements on the building's expansion, noting the roof joist system of 1x12 LVL beams, a necessity dictated by the room’s elevated ceiling. Inside, Tom and our master carpenter demonstrate how they are reinforcing the …
The program opens in a municipal parking lot in Ipswich, Massachusetts, the site of a former 250-year-old Georgian residence of notable beauty. Later, the journey shifts to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, where a reco…
From the shore, Steve observes the house's steadily improving appearance. The missing wing and dormers are now restored, and the new front porches are beginning to take shape. Tom and our master carpenter conduct a progress tour, highlighti…
Significant headway is being made on the construction. Steve observes the new bays and porch deck taking shape on the seaward side of the house, while Tommy and our master carpenter commence shingling with red cedar, the shingles pre-soaked…
Roger Cook and his team have begun dismantling the old asphalt driveway, preparing the ground for a new design. Painter John Dee explains to Steve his method for restoring the turn-of-the-century portico: a careful stripping away of existin…
The master carpenter observes the repair of the east chimney, a task undertaken by specialist Mark Schaub and his team. The fireplace in the game room is bricked over, while the guest room above receives a new hearth, firebox, and gas "coal…
The final shipment of ipe decking had arrived. Steve and our master carpenter examined the installation on the front deck: pressure-treated sleepers secured to the concrete slab, with the ipe fastened by marine adhesive and a scattering of …
The final shipment of wallboard arrived, including flexible quarter-inch panels for the music room’s curved ceiling. Lighting designer Susan Arnold guided Steve through the array of recessed downlights, many of which were selected for the k…
Steve drove toward the house, taking in the newly revealed views of the house and yard framed by the bare trees lining the road. Inside, the study and dining room were taking form, with blueboard adorning the walls and the old fireplace res…
The spa arrived on a flatbed truck, set upon a concrete pad, connected to power and filled with water – ready for use. Tom began installing the new wood portico columns, employing a clever jig to shape two into engaged columns that would me…
Roger Cook and his team are enclosing the new spa in veneer stone. Inside, homeowner Janet McCue has enlisted two friends to assist with the demanding task of stripping and reglazing the half-round bump-out windows. The music room receives …
The asphalt grinder efficiently reduced the old driveway to a gravel mix, a suitable foundation for the redesigned approach. Inside, Mark Schaub showed Steve the newly installed gas fireplace in the guest bedroom; a last-minute discovery of…
Roger Cook applies mulch around the newly planted beds surrounding the spa, anticipating that shrubs will offer welcome seclusion. In the dining room, Tommy installs the final sections of an intricate, eleven-piece ceiling molding, meticulo…
In the music room, our master carpenter begins the installation of the first inglenook components, while Steve examines the house's wiring, fuse panels, and emergency backup power unit with electrician Pete Woodbury. Continuing his painting…
An early mud season has settled upon Manchester, and Steve helps our producer navigate the mire to begin the day's work. In the mudroom, Joe Ferrante is laying 6x6 Chinese slate, while our master carpenter inspects the newly delivered kitch…
With the project deadline fast approaching, the house resonates with purposeful energy. Flooring contractor Pat Hunt is currently installing a laser-cut wood floor medallion in the form of a compass rose, while our master carpenter continue…
The latest boat arrival offers Steve and our master carpenter a stark reminder of how far we’ve progressed since discovering the humble shingled structure on the project's first day. Steve states he’ll be content if, as years pass and other…
The final days of the Manchester renovation commence with an examination of the smoke detectors. Specialist Greg Smizer elucidates maintenance considerations regarding obsolescence, noting that the units he's installing also monitor both hi…
