
This Old House
Our master carpenter boards a fishing boat in search of the mighty striped bass.

Our master carpenter boards a fishing boat in search of the mighty striped bass.

The historic commission has rejected the proposed fence, approving a simple picket.

After a ride out to Coatue Beach, we learn about "Nantucket style" clapboarding.

We review the interior insulation and the ground-source heat pump connection.

Preparations are underway for installing the restored Victorian double doors.

The show begins with a visit to the Wharf Rat Club, and then we check out house progress.

We visit Nantucket's Life-Saving Museum; the job site is a flurry of activity.

We visit the 1827 African Meeting House and then go to Switzerland.

Heat pump wells are drilled, and we tour some of the island's preserved open spaces.

We view the approved window color; the mason parges the concrete block foundation.

The framing crew assembles the gable wall, and the homeowner considers geothermal.

The general contractor checks out the nearly entirely reframed house.

The mason takes down the unneeded chimneys, and we learn how to mix the perfect mortar.

We catch up with the general contractor, who is well into a gut job on the building.

We review the house design, which the island's Historic District Commission must approve.

In the spring and summer of 1996, we turn a Nantucket Victorian into a year-round retreat.

Repairing a stairwell; electrical wire; quirky objects; turning sap into maple syrup.

Air vent replacement; repairing a steam radiator's shut-off valve; preparing garden beds for winter.

Host Bob Vila takes a tour of the finished and decorated Weatherbee Farm.

Specialists demonstrate sponge painting, and wallpaper is hung in the nursery.