Ask This Old House

Kevin: Our experts travel across the country to answer questions about your house.

Today... -Ross: We got some smart glass.

Matt: Okay.

Wonderful.

Kevin: Ross presents a smart solution to a homeowner looking for some privacy in his bathroom.

Matt: I'm excited.

This one right here?

Ross: Wall switch right there.

Yep.

– Matt: Alright.

Here we go.

– Ross: Do the honors.

Matt: Look at that.

That's awesome.

– Ross: Isn't that cool?

– Matt: I love it.

Kevin: Then Jenn travels to the Southwest to add some structural plants to a homeowner's landscape.

Jen: Wow, Jenn.

This looks amazing.

Jenn: It looks really spectacular.

[ Mid-tempo music plays ] Kevin: All that's coming up next on "Ask This Old House."

Kevin: Hey there.

I'm Kevin O'Connor, And welcome back to another episode of our 25th season of "Ask This Old House."

The rapid evolution of smart home technology -- well, it's changing the way we live in our homes.

And with new innovations arriving constantly, it seems that every day brings us one step closer to living in the future.

The heck is going on here?

Doorbell?

Gotta be Ross.

Ross: Look who showed up.

You're probably familiar with an aisle of smart home products.

Man: So, we have a smart door lock.

As you walk up to the door, it can actually unlock for you automatically.

Ross: I've seen a lot of solar, but this one's unique.

Man: This system was actually inspired by a sunflower.

Man: A little robot that I invented that prevents weeds from growing in your garden.

– Ross: Really?

– Man: The whole wall is moving.

So I really feel like Superman right now.

Ross: I mean, you're making it look easy.

You're making it look really easy.

That's amazing.

Kevin: Fellas, we've been talking about the smart home and the evolution of all this technology for the past decade or longer.

Ross: Alexa, add milk to my shopping list.

Alexa: Milk added to your shopping list.

– Ross: No more pad and -- -Kevin: Pretty cool.

But if you could get her to go to the store and buy the milk -- -Ross: Yeah.

That's true.

– Kevin: 'Cause I go through a gallon.

Ross: It's coming.

It's coming, it's coming.

Kevin: [ Laughs ] Alright.

I'm wondering, why is this always top of mind for you?

Why are we always discussing smart technology?

Heath: Yeah.

Well, I think -- you guys might hopefully agree -- it's so intertwined in all the trades now.

You really don't have a choice.

You've got to adopt.

Ross: Smart water valves is a plumbing item.

Smart lighting is electrical item.

– Kevin: Sure.

– Ross: So you know, smart, you know, robotic mowers is a landscaping item.

So, like, you know, smart home kind of bridges the gap between all these different trades and technologies.

Man: Maybe your windows will actually be turned into solar cells.

Ross: A window that generates electricity -- that has my attention.

Man: Do you want to see one?

Kevin: Look at that.

Wow.

Ross: I mean, in a matter of seconds, you can actually screen-print a flexible solar cell.

Think about every single smart-home device.

Usually paired up with one app on your phone.

Quickly have 10, 20, 30, 50 apps on your phone.

Kevin: You're projecting that we're moving away from that?

Heath: We are.

It seems like a lot of them are really cooperating with other third-party companies.

Kevin: Alright.

I mean, the question still stands.

I mean, in some fashion, you know, I was asking when Alexa is gonna get my milk delivered.

– Ross: That was a joke what, 10 years ago now?

– Kevin: Yeah.

Ross: And now we're not that far away from that.

– Kevin: No.

– Ross: Smart fridges.

You got grocery-delivery services.

You also have robotic grocery delivery services now right around the corner.

– Kevin: Yeah.

It's really a shame that the doorbell and the refrigerator aren't there.

– Richard: That's right.

– Heath: They should get along.

– Kevin: They should get along.

– Ross: They're around get together.

They are.

[ Mid-tempo music plays ] ♪ Matt: Ross, thanks so much for helping us out with this project.

We've been dealing with this window for a long, long time, trying to figure out the best way to create some privacy without giving up the natural light.

Ross: Sure.

Matt: So we've tried a few different alternatives, some of the simple ones, and we just wanted to ask for some ideas and help.

Ross: Yeah.

I can see the neighbors right there, so you're right about that.

– Matt: Yeah.

I'm not sure if they're looking very often, but we know they're there.

Ross: Well, you got a bunch of options here, right?

You got blinds and drapes and things you've already done.

We could remove the window, obviously, and fill it in with a new-style window of course.

That's gonna be a much larger cost, a much bigger project.

– Matt: Right.

Ross: And you lose daylight, obviously, by losing the glass.

Matt: We've had trouble with the drapes, just trying to figure out where to hang them, finding the right styles, you know?

Moisture issues, things like that.

So -- Ross: Yeah.

The irregular-shaped windows are tough.

Matt: Yeah.

And, then, we do like the window, so we don't necessarily want to tear the whole house apart.

Ross: Yeah.

Well, there's a new technology I'm really excited about.

It's called smart glass.

– Matt: Okay.

Ross: And, so, there's two different styles of that.

But smart glass basically allows you to change from transparent to translucent when you apply an electrical current.

Matt: Okay.

To give you that privacy.

Ross: To give you the privacy.

So it literally could be like frosted glass when you want it.

– Matt: Okay.

– Ross: There are two different flavors.

There would be one to replace the entire window with a new, laminated smart-glass system.

So it's two panes of glass with a smart film in between, so you're getting into a new window at that point.

Matt: Just the glass part, or you take the whole casing and everything?

– Ross: Everything.

– Matt: Yeah.

Ross: So it's a whole new, so it's a much bigger project.

It's about $150 a square foot.

So for this size window, it's gonna be probably around $8,000, so a much bigger cost there.

But if it was new construction, that might be a good option.

– Matt: Right.

Privacy is important, but... Ross: Not that important.

Yeah.

I hear you there.

The next one would be smart glass, but it's a film that allows you to apply that to the inner surface of the glass and still gives you the same benefit, but you can keep the windows.

And what's great about that is a much lower price point.

So we're gonna be about $70 a square foot with that.

So for this size window, it's gonna be about $3,000 install.

Still not insignificant, but something that allows you to use the existing windows, still get operation, and, then, be able to change it from basically transparent to translucent.

Matt: That's awesome.

Yeah.

– Ross: What do you think?

– Matt: That'd be great.

Yeah.

Ross: Alright.

Well, the smart glass film, I actually have a demonstration downstairs.

I can show you how that works if you're interested.

Matt: Yeah.

That'd be great.

Let's go take a look.

Ross: Sounds good.

[ Mid-tempo music plays ] ♪ Matt: So, what's for lunch here?

Ross: We got some smart glass.

Matt: Okay.

Wonderful.

Ross: So let me show you the demonstration here.

So if I turn this on, you can see with power applied, you can see it's transparent.

– Matt: Okay.

Ross: And, then, when I take power away from it, you can see it goes back to -- -Matt: So that's the off state.

Okay.

– Ross: So, off state, its native state is gonna be that frosted -- -Matt: Privacy.

– Ross: For privacy.

Exactly.

Right.

Yep.

So, what's actually happening here is that we have a switch.

So, just like a light switch, right?

So, line voltage is gonna come into the switch.

– Matt: Okay.

– Ross: When you engage it, it's gonna provide power to the glass.

– Matt: Okay.

– Ross: Okay?

And the way it does it is -- So, we take 120 volts, like household power, and we send that through to a transformer.

So the transformer knocks it down to 48 volts, AC power.

– Matt: Okay.

Ross: And, then, we can take that low voltage, and that is what goes to the glass here.

– Matt: Okay.

Ross: The difference here is that with your house, we have the actual film.

So this is actually gonna be peeled back and stuck to the glass.

And you can see the bus bar, with the positive and the negative.

– Matt: Yeah.

– Ross: So that basically -- this is the current that flows through.

And, so, the way this technology works, which is called PDLC -- polymer dispersed liquid crystal.

– Matt: Okay.

– Ross: It's like a shutter.

So, what's happening is if you can imagine that the liquid crystals are oriented like this.

And when I apply an electrical current, they flip, and they go horizontal so you can see through it.

– Matt: Yeah.

Ross: But when I take power away, it goes right back to its native state.

Right?

Matt: So we want to take a shower, we turn it off.

– Ross: Yep.

And you go back and forth.

Exactly.

So just by hitting that switch, you do it, alright?

So, one of the biggest challenges is where do we get the power from?

– Matt: Yeah.

– Ross: Where do we locate the switch, and where do we locate the transformer.

Matt: Correct.

Yeah.

So where are we going to put it?

– Ross: Exactly.

So, typically, we're gonna put this somewhere where we can get power, which might be we have to cut Sheetrock or we have to put it next to an existing switch, right?

And, then, we have a transformer that has to be usually in the vanity or something like that.

Matt: Does that mean a lot of, like, wires showing up everywhere.

Ross: Yeah.

We got to conceal them.

But it's just a lot of steps to get that all to work.

And so what's great about your install is that you have an unfinished attic directly above.

– Matt: Okay.

– Ross: And when I was up there, you could see that there's power available that we could tap into.

So this switch and this transformer could be located up in that attic space.

– Matt: Okay.

– Ross: And then we can run the low-voltage, red and black wires down to the glass at the exterior window there, coming down the wall stud cavity.

Matt: Does that mean I have to go in the attic to turn it on, though?

Ross: Not so fast.

We have a smart switch.

So, the smart switch can be anywhere.

It's battery-operated, and it wirelessly talks to that switch.

– Matt: Okay.

– Ross: So we can put this anywhere you want in the bathroom.

Matt: Does that get cut into the wall or just sticks to the wall?

– Ross: No.

It sticks to the wall.

– Matt: Okay.

Ross: So it literally surface-mounts.

When you're cutting any Sheetrock, it makes the install a lot simpler.

– Matt: Awesome.

– Ross: Alright?

Electrician's upstairs, so we're gonna go meet up with him and make sure that we can get this wiring done.

Matt: Sounds great.

Let's do it.

Ross: Alright.

Cool.

Alright, Andrew.

How are we doing?

Andrew: Doing great.

Almost done.

Ross: Awesome.

That's great.

So, Matt, we are right above your bathroom.

– Matt: Okay.

– Ross: So this supply vent is actually right above that window.

– Matt: Okay.

Ross: So we got lucky up here in the attic with an existing switch that was here with power.

Right?

So it's controlling the lights.

Andrew's taking across with line voltage, this NM cable, going down to a new switch.

So this is the switch that's gonna be controlling your smart glass.

– Matt: Okay.

– Ross: And, then, from there, the 120 volts goes to the transformer.

That knocks it down to 48 volts, just like the tabletop display.

– Matt: Got it.

– Ross: Alright?

It's looking really good.

So, Andrew, what's next?

Andrew: Just need to snake the low-voltage wires.

Ross: Low-voltage cable?

Can I give you a hand with that?

– Andrew: Appreciate it.

Ross: Alright.

I'll go to the bathroom.

– Andrew: Alright.

Great.

– Ross: Awesome.

Andrew: Hey, Ross, you ready to go?

Ross: I'm ready.

I'm feeding to you.

[ Mid-tempo music plays ] ♪ Andrew: I got the end.

♪ ♪ Ross: Okay, Jordan.

We've prepped all the transformer and high-voltage wiring.

We've also snaked the wires down the wall on the low-voltage side.

So I think we're ready for the smart glass install.

And as an installer of this, what do we do next?

Jordan: So, thank you for running that stuff.

First step in the process is gonna be cleaning the windows.

We're gonna have to scrape them with a razor blade and isopropyl alcohol.

– Ross: Okay.

– Jordan: And then get them wiped down with a microfiber towel really good.

Ross: Alright.

Can I give you a hand?

Jordan: Yes, 100%.

Thank you very much.

Ross: Let's go.

Jordan: Just get all the dirt off, all the grime.

Who knows what's on the glass, you know?

Ross: Yeah.

For sure.

You want to get that good adhesion, right?

Jordan: That's right.

Ross: Okay.

I think I got the left one here.

Jordan: They look great.

So we're gonna hold off on cleaning the top one only because it's gonna introduce contaminants to the ones that we just cleaned.

So we're gonna go ahead and move forward and install the film on the two pieces of glass we just cleaned.

Ross: Got it.

So a dry fit first?

– Jordan: Correct.

– Ross: Alright.

– Jordan: Let's do it.

– Ross: Let's do it.

Jordan: Alright.

So this is our smart-glass film.

So basically all we got to do is we need to do a basic dry run and just see how the film fits in the window frame.

– Ross: Got it.

– Jordan: We're gonna line it up and tape it just to hold it in place for us while we get situated here.

Stick a piece of tape right here.

– Ross: Okay.

– Jordan: These red tabs are holding the clear, protective layer on the back, where the adhesive goes.

So I basically just peel, like, the first couple inches down.

Ross: Okay.

Jordan: Try to avoid touching the sticky part if possible.

[ Mid-tempo music plays ] ♪ Peel it down a little.

– Ross: Mm-hmm.

Jordan: Just a few inches at a time.

Ross: Those neighbors are already disappearing.

Jordan: Right?

Right before your eyes.

♪ ♪ We're just making a template for this round piece of glass, because when you order the film, it only comes in squares or rectangles.

Ross: Gotcha.

♪ Nice.

– Jordan: Alright.

♪ Ross: Very nicely done.

– Jordan: Like a glove.

– Ross: Yeah.

♪ Okay, Matt.

What do you think?

Matt: Looks like the window.

Ross: Yeah.

Want to do the honors?

– Matt: Excited.

This one right here?

– Ross: The wall switch right there.

Yep.

– Matt: Right.

Here we go.

– Ross: Do the honors.

Look at that.

– Matt: That's awesome.

– Ross: Isn't that cool?

– Matt: I love it.

Ross: So, manufacturer wants it to be off four hours a day.

– Matt: Okay.

– Ross: Right?

Matt: So when we go to bed, that should cover the four hours.

– Ross: Exactly.

Exactly right.

– Matt: Okay.

Ross: Yep.

A couple other things.

Jordan still has to apply the silicone sealant around the edges.

– Matt: Okay.

Ross: And so that's gonna seal up and make sure that no water or moisture gets in there.

Matt: These will be covered.

Ross: Those will be covered white.

Yep.

All the way around.

Once that's set tomorrow, 24 hours later, you can peel the inner film off.

There's an inner film.

– Matt: Okay.

Ross: That will make it even more clear... -Matt: Oh, wonderful.

Okay.

– Ross: ...when you turn it on.

– Matt: Yeah.

– Ross: And, then, keep in mind, if you do crank the windows open, use the casements, if it does start to rain, it would be great if you close them, 'cause we don't want to have this inner film get too wet.

Matt: Okay.

But we can use them?

They're fully functional?

– Ross: Fully functional.

Crank them open.

– Matt: Not gonna hurt anything.

– Ross: Crank them closed.

Yeah.

– Matt: Okay.

So cool.

Ross: Yeah.

You are in good hands.

Yeah.

– Matt: Awesome.

This is amazing.

– Ross: Awesome.

– Matt: Thanks again.

Appreciate it.

– Ross: Alright.

You're welcome.

– Matt: Thanks for stopping by.

I'm gonna do it one more time.

Huh.

Cool.

[ Mid-tempo music plays ] ♪ ♪ Jen: Hey, Jenn.

Welcome to Santa Fe.

Jenn: Hey.

What's going on?

Thanks for writing in.

I've never been here before, so I'm really excited to see this whole terrain.

Jen: Absolutely.

We have a lot of work to do outside.

We finished the inside, but the outside needs a lot of love, so we're glad you're here.

– Jenn: Awesome.

So, you want to show me around the place?

– Jen: Absolutely.

– Jenn: I like all the rocks that you have and agave, some really cool structural plants.

Jen: Thank you.

This is what we call the margarita hut.

Jenn: Look at this.

Jen: In New Mexico, we love to spend a lot of time outside, whether enjoying the view or with fires.

The weather is just so nice, it's hard to be inside sometimes.

And so a lot of places in Santa Fe have these outdoor areas.

Jenn: I mean, this is stunning.

I love it, I love it.

So what are the issues or what are your thoughts for out here?

Jen: As you can see, this area could use a little more love.

We have some beautiful hardscaping, but the landscaping is really struggling.

And I'd love to have a beautiful path to lead people to our margarita hut.

Jenn: Okay.

So, what I see here is I really like the structural elements of all these pine trees that create a nice canopy and this hardscape, this walkway that takes you here.

But I think to marry those two together, it would be great to have some understory plants.

So I'm talking about something that's like five feet and three feet and then some ground cover along.

What about water problems?

Do you have any issues here?

Jen: Well, you know what happens is my daughter's boyfriend was so sweet and helped us with landscaping and put this border in here.

And we have this monsoon season, so everything rushes down.

And this border really stopped things from moving so we would have basically a mudslide here.

– Jenn: Okay.

– Jen: So I think the first order of business is to maybe remove this and then add some plants.

Jenn: Yeah.

You know, I've been talking to a few nurseries around and other landscapers, and we're gonna come up with a couple ideas.

Jen: Wonderful.

That sounds great.

Jenn: Alright.

So I'm gonna go grab plants.

And, then, why don't you change your shoes?

Because those are not gonna be good for landscaping.

– Jen: Perfect.

[ Laughs ] We'll do that.

Jenn: Alright, Jen.

So let's start with taking our shovels and prying out all the rocks along the side.

And, then, we can make a little pile.

[ Mid-tempo music plays ] And I'm thinking about taking these plants out, too.

♪ -Jen: Whoo!

You got it!

– Jenn: [ Laughs ] Awesome.

♪ Okay.

So, these are the plants we picked out.

Did any of them look familiar?

Jen: No, they don't.

But they look beautiful.

Jenn: Alright.

So I'm gonna run you through what they all are.

I'm gonna talk about got ground cover, so low height, mid height, and then tall.

– Jen: Wonderful.

– Jenn: Alright.

So, these are the ground cover.

And they're gonna get anywhere from six inches to a foot tall.

– Jen: Okay.

– Jenn: This one's called Lamium, or White Nancy.

It's characteristic by this leaf.

It has this shiny, silvery leaf.

– Jen: Love that.

Jenn: And it's a white-blooming flower.

So that will be spreading out and along.

And this one's called Vinca.

– Jen: Okay.

See the creamy margins on the edge?

Jen: And will this one flower?

Jenn: This one does flower, and it's gonna be purple.

Jen: Oh, cute.

Jenn: So those two I think we could use in the areas where there's, like, a little bit of erosion or along the sides of the paths, just to, like, keep it low, but to help retain some of the soil.

Jen: Okay.

Jenn: And then we get to the mid-heights, which are all of these.

This is Aquilegia.

This is called columbine.

Once they bloom and then they die, you cut them back, and they're gonna rebloom again.

– Jen: Okay.

– Jenn: So anytime from spring into summer, so you get a second set of reblooms.

They're just absolutely gorgeous.

This one is called catmint -- Nepeta.

It's a clumping variety.

And it's gonna bloom that gorgeous purple pretty much all season.

Jen: It will be wonderful to add some color and movement back there.

Jenn: Yes.

I'm glad you said movement, 'cause we're going on to the grasses.

We've got three different types.

This one is called the prairie dropseed.

It's not as sharp as a lot of other grasses, but it's a native grass to this area.

It will clump and just grow out like this.

– Jen: Oh, wonderful.

– Jenn: And this one called blue grama.

I actually learned about this a couple of years ago when I was visiting Wyoming.

It's fantastic in the fall.

It has these plumes.

They're actually seed heads, and they look like eyelashes.

There's a little bit curled over.

And, then, for the height, this is the feathery grass called Karl Foerster, Calamagrostis.

And this gets anywhere from five to six feet.

– Jen: Okay.

– Jenn: And the amazing thing about these grasses, mid, late summer into fall, they're all gonna get different kinds of plumes on the top, so it will emerge even taller.

Jen: Well, I'm so excited to have color and movement back there.

– Jenn: Yeah.

– Jen: So, most people don't know that it snows a lot in the winter at this high altitude.

And so tell me what's gonna happen to these plants in the winter.

Jenn: Well, these are all perennials.

They're gonna die to the ground except this periwinkle.

The Vinca's semievergreen.

But they'll go dormant for the winter, and they're gonna be fine.

You just cut them back in the fall.

Some people leave the grasses up for bird habitat.

But I think out here, you might tend to cut them back because of fire, and it will be ignition.

So you cut everything back essentially in the fall and no problem.

– Jen: Okay.

Wonderful.

– Jenn: Mm-hmm.

So, I think the next move is to place them out along the walkway, and then we'll get digging.

[ Mid-tempo music plays ] ♪ So, what you do, you get your shovel right next to the base of the plant, right?

– Jen: Okay.

– Jenn: And then you're gonna want to dig a hole kind of twice as wide.

And, then, you want to dig it to the top of the plant.

So, you don't want the plant to be too low, so you go to where the top of the plant is and just have it a little bit above the soil, 'cause we're gonna add mulch.

That one's great.

– Jen: Okay.

Jenn: So, we don't want to plant it too low.

Too high is better.

So... -Jen: Hard ground here.

Jenn: I know.

I brought some soil amendments to add to the existing soil.

So, once we dig the hole, we'll mix that with the existing soil.

[ Both laugh ] Sometimes -- -Jen: It's called the double-foot jump.

– Jenn: Exactly.

– Jen: Dig.

– Jenn: You take the pot with your hand.

– Jen: Okay.

Jenn: Hold it at the base and kind of squeeze the edges.

Sometimes you tap it.

And, then... Jen: And did you loosen the roots, or is that a -- Jenn: You will when you get them out of the pot.

Then you see what you're working with.

Right.

So, this has all these roots.

Just too much together.

But gently break them up.

Jen: Just with your thumb and your forefinger.

Jen: So, then, the idea is these roots are gonna grow out instead of around.

– Jen: Okay.

Great.

Jenn: Okay?

And once you get going, you're just gonna do it fast, like that.

And to me, that looks a little too low, but that's good anyways, because I am going to amend it with this -- some potting soil.

And what it's gonna help with is aeration.

It's gonna help with moisture retention.

And, then, we're also gonna do a starter fertilizer and then mix that all in.

So I got that.

And, then, you start to backfill it.

Make sure you break up the chunks.

[ Mid-tempo music plays ] Nice.

♪ Again, break it up.

Great.

♪ Okay.

So, at the nursery, we got this pecan mulch.

And to me, it was a no-brainer, because it's organic.

But it's also locally sourced from farmers in New Mexico.

So we're gonna reuse and recycle and use it on your plants.

Jen: That sounds great.

Jenn: Probably go about two inches around everything.

And, then, after that, we'll get watering.

Alright.

So, Jenn, just around the base of each of these plants, you don't want to bury it.

– Jen: Okay.

Jenn: So pull it away from the base and just, you know, leave a few.

Jen: Okay.

And I've noticed they get discolored sometimes with all the hot, New Mexico sun.

Jenn: Yes.

So that will happen.

And, you know, just grab a couple bags from the nursery and you could lightly top-dress it.

Jen: Wow, Jenn.

This looks amazing.

Jenn: It looks really spectacular.

– Jen: Thank you so much.

– Jenn: Oh, you're welcome.

So, I am just going through and hitting all the plants with this vitamin solution.

So, it's a diluted solution that's gonna give it a little bit of a boost.

It's in a new home.

It just needs a little bit of love.

Jen: Wonderful.

We'll keep everything alive.

Jenn: Yes.

So, when I'm gone, I think it would be great to invest in an irrigation system so the water goes directly to the plants and helps water conservation.

– Jen: Wonderful.

– Jenn: And, then, about the plantings.

So, they're gonna take a little bit of time to grow in.

It usually takes three years about.

So, in the first year, they say they sleep.

Second year, they creep.

And, then, the third year, they leap.

And so on in the third year -- second into third -- you're gonna see a completely lush garden, right?

And, then, all of these are gonna really help with the erosion control.

You know, you might have a big rain.

Just pull the mulch back up.

But just be patient.

Jen: Wonderful.

Will do.

I'm ready for the challenge.

– Jenn: Awesome.

– Jen: Well, thank you so much.

With everything you've done for me today, the least I can do is offer you a margarita in the margarita hut.

Jenn: You know, I have to take you up on that.

– Jen: Alright.

Let's do it.

– Jenn: I'm in.

Thank you.

– Jen: Thank you.

Cheers.

– Jenn: Cheers.

So if you've got questions about your house, we'd love to hear from you.

And keep them coming.

But until next time, I'm Jenn Nawada from "Ask This Old House."

Kevin: Next time on "Ask This Old House," Mauro heads to Kansas City to lend a hand to a homeowner whose barbecue smoker is in need of a little TLC.

Mauro: Once you start here, you're gonna go all the way to the end.

Kevin: Then, Jenn takes a field trip to a local nursery to help a homeowner select the right tree for her front yard.

Jenn: So, we have your beautiful Japanese snowbell, which I do think is gonna work perfectly here.

Woman: I love it.

Kevin: All that on "Ask This Old House."