This Old House Hour — Season 26
## The Carlisle House: Season Overview Step inside a world of secrets and simmering tensions within the walls of The Carlisle House, a prestigious London residence where appearances are everything. This season unfolds as a captivating portrait of a family grappling with legacy, ambition, and the insidious weight of the past. We’re introduced to the formidable matriarch, Eleanor Carlisle, who fiercely guards her family's reputation and carefully curated world. But beneath the veneer of elegance lies a complex web of relationships strained by unspoken resentments and long-held desires. Her children – each with their own aspirations and vulnerabilities – navigate the treacherous landscape of high society while battling for their place within the Carlisle dynasty. As new faces emerge, unsettling truths begin to surface, threatening to shatter the fragile peace Eleanor has so meticulously maintained. A series of unexpected events forces the family to confront uncomfortable realities about themselves and the foundations upon which their privilege is built. The season explores themes of power, control, and the devastating consequences of buried secrets, leaving viewers questioning who can truly be trusted within the gilded cage of The Carlisle House.
Marking its 25th year, *This Old House* revisits its origins. The new season begins with Kevin and Norm revisiting the show’s first project: a Dorchester, Massachusetts home that *This Old House* acquired, restored, and sold in 1979. This m…
With a house acquired, the work of renovation begins. Following a successful bid, *This Old House* has gained ownership of a quintessential New England farmstead in Carlisle, Massachusetts. To ensure the home incorporates desirable features…
Kevin observes Roger preparing the land for a parking area essential to the project. Architect Jeremiah Eck guides Norm and Kevin through a three-dimensional rendering of his design. Key features include the striking repurposing of the exis…
Tom arrived with an excavator equipped with a hoe ram, ready to break down the ledge obstructing the foundation of our new basement. Richard, using a three-dimensional model, detailed the workings of a septic system and outlined the necessa…
Kevin explored Great Brook Farm State Park, a sprawling 1,000-acre expanse and the sole remaining working dairy farm in Carlisle, Massachusetts. Tom demonstrated the construction of a custom crushed stone foundation, employing a "stone slin…
Tom constructs the forty-foot beams for the barn's first-floor deck from laminated veneer lumber. Meanwhile, Kevin joins panelized construction specialist Jim LeRoy to observe the installation of I-joist floor panels for the new wing, lifte…
While working the site, detectorist Bob Phillips unearthed a cannonball that may well be a relic of the War of 1812. Norm gave Kevin an update on the framing of the old Greek Revival house and the new connecting addition. Tom introduced Kev…
Kevin and Roger consulted with landscape architect Stephanie Hubbard on her latest design for the property, a plan emphasizing the rural simplicity of open spaces, punctuated by low stone walls, hedges, and a scattering of new elm trees. Me…
Kevin arrived to find the landscaping finally taking shape, and the house brimming with a hundred newly installed windows. Stone wall expert Nick O'Hara explained why an entire truckload of fieldstone needed to be returned; it lacked the ch…
Roger demonstrates to Kevin his plan to repurpose salvaged foundation capstones as connecting steps between the driveways. Mason Mike Lapitsky elucidates the process of selecting, chiseling, and dry-fitting old New England fieldstone to con…
Kevin examines exterior window castings, their wood-like appearance belied by a durable cellular PVC construction resistant to rot. Richard installs PEX water supply lines throughout the house. At the barn, chimney specialist Mark Schaub pr…
As the farmstead neared its market debut, real estate agent Laura Baliestiero walked Kevin through her strategy for showcasing the renovated property. Meanwhile, roofing contractor Mark McNicholas demonstrated to Norm how his team was insta…
In Concord, Massachusetts, Kevin begins the program amidst the ghosts of a grand avenue once shaded by elm trees – a sight lost when Dutch Elm disease ravaged the population. At the project house, elm specialist Roger Holloway plants two yo…
After two days of drilling, Tom announced that the well contractors had finally located water, at a depth of seven hundred feet. Norm gave Kevin a tour of the future garage, explaining the heating system that would utilize up to five zones …
For our 25th season, Kevin revisits the Concord Barn, the very first timber frame project for the show, to assess its condition after fifteen years. He speaks with homeowners Lynn and Barbara Wickwire about the realities of barn living. Chi…
Richard explained to Kevin the utility company’s process for installing a new gas connection to the house. Roger brought in paving contractor Don Sloan to lay the basecoat for the lower driveway. Norm showed Kevin how carpenter Charlie Silv…
Nurseryman Peter Mezzit arrived with a truckload of plants, a timely arrival given the frost clinging to the ground. Roger began unloading as landscape architect Stephanie Hubbard surveyed the planned locations for the new birch trees. Insi…
Even with the biting cold, Roger is laying sod in the front yard. Within the Carlisle farm, plasterer Stephen Norton imparts a lesson in his craft to Kevin. Down the lower driveway, Norm encounters Keith Tate, a garage door specialist, and …
Kevin located Roger and his team completing the bluestone terrace and retaining wall, sheltered beneath a heated tent. Generator specialist John Barros demonstrated the new standby generator, capable of restoring power to the house in under…
Norm observes the meticulous construction and installation of the barn's seamless gutter system, designed to prevent clogs. Flooring contractor Patrick Hunt guides Kevin through the installation of pre-finished engineered cherry flooring th…
Inside the barn, Norm consults with chimney specialist Mark Schaub to assess the safety of the oak lintel above the fireplace and its compliance with current building codes. Meanwhile, Kevin previews the dining room's furniture and fabrics …
On the back porch, installer Steve Primack demonstrates the new motorized screen system to Norm. Closet designer Marcy Weisburgh guides Kevin through the mudroom and master closet, offering advice on efficient closet planning. Tom installs …
Norm visits lighting designer Susan Arnold to examine the kitchen’s modern yet functional cable lighting system. In the master bathroom, a limestone tub deck is being installed, while Richard installs an undermount sink into a freestanding …
The designer show house opens with interior designer Mally Skok greeting Norm in the hall's striking entryway. In the barn, senior design consultant Alexa Hampton explores the decorated loft and guest suite. Tom demonstrates to Kevin his co…
Kevin and senior design consultant Alexa Hampton continued their exploration of the designer show house, examining the work of Gracyn Whitman, Lisa Newman Paratore, and a company specializing in furnishings for teenagers. Tom explained to K…
