This Old House Hour — Season 5
## The Brookline House: Season Overview Step inside a world of old money, simmering secrets, and unexpected alliances in *The Brookline House*. This season plunges viewers into the lives of the enigmatic Thorne family, guardians of a sprawling Boston estate steeped in generations of privilege and shadowed by unspoken truths. As patriarch Alistair Thorne navigates a complex business deal that threatens to unravel his carefully constructed empire, tensions rise within his fractured family. His children – ambitious Eleanor, charming but troubled Julian, and fiercely independent Iris – each grapple with their own desires and resentments, vying for position and struggling under the weight of familial expectations. New faces emerge, adding layers of intrigue as long-held loyalties are tested and hidden agendas come to light. A series of unsettling events begins to plague the Thorne household, forcing them to confront a past they’ve desperately tried to bury. With alliances shifting like sand and suspicions running high, *The Brookline House* explores the corrosive power of wealth, the complexities of family bonds, and the dark secrets that can haunt even the most gilded lives. Prepare for a season of captivating drama where nothing is as it seems, and everyone has something to hide.
The season begins with a look back at the first four years of *This Old House*. The host weaves together archival footage with new scenes, revisiting the restoration of a dilapidated Victorian, the transformation of a grand mansion into con…
This season’s *This Old House* unveils its featured project: a new, energy-efficient solar home taking shape in Brookline, Massachusetts. The host introduces the building site, and then speaks with Steven Strong of Solar Design Associates r…
Architect Steven Strong and our host offer a detailed examination of the new house's design, tracing its evolution from initial concept to finalized blueprints. A surveying engineer then explains the intricacies of the surveying process, de…
The groundwork for the new house commences. Progress is halted when the crew encounters a rocky outcrop, necessitating drilling and blasting to establish the foundation's base.
The host converses with the crew chief regarding the foundation's construction for a solar-powered home in Brookline. Subsequently, the host visits a couple in Sherborn, Massachusetts, who have undertaken the considerable effort of dismantl…
Landscape architect Tom Wirth outlines his designs for a pool at the property. Meanwhile, our host examines the finished footings of the new house foundation.
The master carpenter oversaw the concrete pour and waterproofing of the new house's foundation. Afterward, the host made a visit to a solar-powered home in Lexington, Massachusetts.
On the Brookline property, our host explores the technique of sealing the foundation sill, guided by our master carpenter. Afterward, the host visits the Peabody House in Hollis, New Hampshire, a historic residence distinguished by a modern…
The host toured a solar-powered residence in Wilton, Connecticut, notable for its innovative window shutter system. This system effectively seals off a glass-enclosed atrium each night.
The latest installment of *This Old House* examines the renovations and new construction breathing life back into Seattle, Washington. The team journeys to the houseboat community of Roanoke Reef, observes the restoration of Seattle’s histo…
The host journeys to an apartment nestled on Boston's famed Symphony Row, followed by a visit to a solar-powered home in Concord, New Hampshire. Meanwhile, construction progresses on the new house at the Brookline location.
In Stamford, Connecticut, our host visits United House Wrecking, the East Coast’s foremost salvage yard. There, amidst a vast collection of reclaimed materials, they search for architectural details to weave into the design of their new hom…
Our host and their crew journey to New York City to explore the adaptive reuse of its commercial buildings. With the guidance of an architect specializing in conversions, they discover the essence of loft living.
At the construction site of their new home, our host offered an update, followed by a tour of The Trump Tower, a residence of unparalleled prestige on Fifth Avenue in New York City.
Construction progresses on the new solar home. Our host journeys to Green Mountain Cabins in Chester, Vermont, to observe the process of log cabin manufacture.
Following a conversation about the recent installation of windows at their new home, our host made a brief journey to Medford, Wisconsin. The purpose of the visit was a tour of the Hurd Millworks window manufacturing plant.
Work has commenced on the installation of photovoltaic roof panels at the new *This Old House* site in Brookline. The show's host details the process by which the solar cells within the array transform sunlight directly into usable electric…
In Columbia, Maryland, we visit Ryland Homes, a manufacturer of pre-fabricated houses. Our guide leads us through the factory, where a significant portion of the construction process unfolds.
The host journeys to the Oak Park, Illinois home of Frank Lloyd Wright, the celebrated American architect. Research Director Don Kalec details the painstaking process of restoring the structure to its original 19th-century condition, while …
Our trip to Dallas was prompted by an interest in a novel residential design – a home engineered with computer modeling to maximize cooling efficiency during the summer months.
The homeowner and their master carpenter offer an update on the progress of the new house in Brookline.
In Riverside, California, we explore an unconventional approach to housing: a park of manufactured homes meticulously planned using computer design.
My companions and I have journeyed to Hawaii to investigate an unusual island home.
The recipient of the Metropolitan Home interior design award is showcased here.
In Brookline, the crew meticulously completes the solar home.
In the season's concluding episode, our host offers viewers a comprehensive tour of the finished solar-powered dwelling.
