This Old House

Kevin

Today on "This Old House"...

Norm

So, Charlie, you know, when we start these projects, it's always -- It's an old house. What are the bones in this? Do we have any issues?

Charlie

The bones in this house actually are really good shape,

Norm. Kevin

I love this. I mean, this is classic shingle-style -- a front entryway that is a huge room.

Kevin

What happened to all this plumbing here?

Richard

I've never seen anything like this before.

Roger

There's already rot going on in that trunk.

Kevin

So, what have you found up here?

Tom

Well, a bit of a surprise.

Richard

It's really the classic plumber's lament.

Kevin

Nice.

Richard

It's five bathrooms, it's a kitchen, it's a full-new mechanical. It's gonna be a biggie.

Kevin

Sounds like you guys have a plan.

Molly

I think we do.

Chuckles

Tom

The money's in the detail.

Kevin

That is beautiful. One of the things that sets New England apart from other areas on the coast are its fishing villages. They sprang up hundreds of years ago as hardscrabble working towns. This is Cape Ann on Massachusetts' North Shore, and it's home to granite quarries and a fleet that once fed the nation.

And right now we are sailing into Manchester-by-the-Sea, one of the towns on Cape Ann. For hundreds of years, Manchester was a quiet little village, but then, in the mid-19th century, it was discovered by wealthy Bostonians,

and here they helped refine a distinctly American design

the shingle-style.

Richard

And let me guess. That's our next project?

Tom

Richard,

you're a genius. Richard

Thank you.

Tom

Norm, give him some bait, and see if he can put it on a hook.

Kevin

Hey, Gilligan. Who's driving the boat?

Tom

Back in 2001, Manchester-by-the-Sea, one of my favorite projects, and that was a big shingle-style.

Richard

You know, this shingle style was so popular in Newport, Rhode Island, Southampton, New York, and right here, in Manchester-by-the-Sea.

Jenn

Manchester is also known for its ledge. I mean, it is everywhere on this site, so we're going to have to work with it.

Kevin

Well, it's one of the reasons why the homeowners bought the house. They love the site. I mean, they love the outdoors, they love to hike, so being out here amongst the trees and the ledge, it's just what they wanted.

Jenn

Yep.

Norm

Now, this house was built in the 1890s, and after taking a good look at it, it needs some love.

Tom

It sure does, yeah. Want to go meet the homeowners?

Kevin

Yeah, let's do that.

Norm

Alright, we'll catch you guys in a bit.

Jenn

Alright,

see you. Kevin

Okay. Alright, Tommy,

let's see what we got here. Tom

Yeah. It's gonna be a great project.

Hey. John

Hey, guys. Welcome, how are you?

Tom

Good to see you.

John

Kevin, Tom,

good to see. Kevin

Molly, how are you?

Molly

Hi. Good to see you, Kevin.

Tom

Molly,

good to see you. Molly

Good to see you, Tommy.

Kevin

And who is this? We have not met her.

Molly

This is Caroline.

Kevin

Hi,

Caroline. Tom

Hi, Caroline.

Molly

Caroline, can you say hello?

Tom

How are you?

Molly

Maybe not today.

Kevin

She's allowed to be shy. How old is she?

Molly

She will be 3 next week.

Awesome. Tom

Alright.

There she goes. Molly

There she goes, yeah.

Independent. Molly

She feels very at-home.

Tom

Right.

Kevin

So tell us the story, guys, because you bought this place almost a year ago, but you're not officially living here yet.

John

That's right. We had a house down in Cape Cod, and we sold that. That was a long commute, and we're looking up here in Cape Ann and said, "Gee, you know, it's 45 minutes from Boston. The train is right here.

Let's look, you know, in Manchester," and we found this in a beautiful spot and have been basically taking a year camping, you know, weekends...

Molly

I call it camping with walls.

Tom

Camping with walls, right, yeah.

Molly

With my own private bathroom.

Kevin

That's a pretty good idea, though, right, sort of get a feel for the house before you make the big decisions?

Molly

Definitely. So, when we first bought, we thought we kind of had an idea of how we wanted the house laid out. And as we've been there, we've realized that actually we've made some changes to what we originally thought.

John

But it's really been fantastic. And then getting to know the neighbors, that's been great,

too. Kevin

Great area.

John

So, yeah, it's really confirmed our decision to buy here, so we're really fortunate.

Kevin

Well, we'd love to get a feel for it, so you guys up for giving us a tour?

Yeah. Molly

Of course.

John

Sure. Caroline, do you want to show Tom your bedroom upstairs and show him what we want to do to it?

Yeah. John

Let's go see it. Alright. Awesome.

Kevin

And, Molly, will you show me downstairs?

Sure. Caroline

Want to walk.

Kevin

Alright. We'll catch up with you guys.

John

You want to walk? Okay, let's go.

Kevin

So I guess we'll start with this front room here, which was what?

Molly

This is the formal living room.

Kevin

Okay, and it's going to be become?

Molly

And it will still be the living room. We're gonna try not to make it so formal.

Kevin

You're less formal?

Molly

Yes. We definitely want to make it livable. That's our goal.

Tall ceilings. Molly

Yeah.

Kevin

A lot of windows. Three on one wall. One on another. That's not bad.

Molly

Yeah, and this window will actually become

the entrance to the dining room. Kevin

Oh, really?

Molly

So, we're actually gonna have two pocket doors here.

Kevin

So the porch goes away.

Molly

We love the view from the porch.

Kevin

That would be nice. So that'll

open right up into there. Molly

Exactly.

Kevin

So the flow will be from dining room to living room.

Molly

Yes, we like the idea of guests coming in the front door, immediately coming into the living room, having a drink or two, and then going into the dining room.

Kevin

And you guys can retire to the fireplace. Nice to have one of these. You have any idea if it works?

Molly

Yes. We have no idea. It has not been used in 45 years.

Oh. Molly

Yeah.

Kevin

So we're going to figure it out together.

Molly

We will figure it out together.

Kevin

A carved mantle surround. Look at that. What's your thought on this?

Molly

Yeah, so, the previous owners brought in this mantle. We're going to see how, you know, as we start to do the interiors of the home if it goes with the interiors or if we're going to change it out.

Kevin

They brought it in, so not original to the house?

Correct. Kevin

Okay.

That is correct. Kevin

Some built-ins. Modest built-ins left and right of the fireplace. Stay or go with these?

The built-ins will go. Kevin

Okay.

Molly

What's interesting is that behind this built-in right here is a door.

Kevin

Oh, there is?

Molly

Yes.

Kevin

To where?

Molly

Currently it is a door to the dining room.

Kevin

Interesting that they closed it off.

Molly

They closed it off. You'll see it when we enter the dining room, that the door is still there.

Kevin

And what will you do with it?

Molly

So, for us, this will become a door to the butler's pantry, which will lead you to the kitchen.

Kevin

So you're going to reactivate that door?

Molly

Yes,

that's correct. Kevin

Nice. So the built-ins will go away. And how about the beautiful carpet?

Molly

The carpet -- Well, we're very excited that we actually found hardwood floors underneath the carpet.

Kevin

Oh, really?

Molly

So, yeah.

Kevin

Is this this is cut here?

Molly

Yes.

Kevin

Can I pull this back?

Molly

Take a look.

Kevin

Let's see. We got a pad. Oh, yeah,

there they are. Molly

Mm-hmm.

Kevin

Wider than the ones you have out in the hallway, but you're definitely going to be happy when those get cleaned up.

Exactly. Kevin

So take the carpet out. Expose the hardwood.

Molly

Expose the hardwood, get rid of the built-ins, expose the doorway, new doorway into dining room.

Kevin

Keep the pocket doors? Do they work?

Molly

Yes, we love these pocket doors.

Kevin

Ooh, they kind of work.

Hang on. Molly

They...

Kevin

Alright.

Chuckles

Molly

That will be restored.

Kevin

Yeah, well, never throw away a pocket door, right?

Molly

Yeah, they're heavy wood pocket doors. We love it because, in the wintertime, when it's cold, this may be the -- this may become the cozy room that we all hang out in.

Cool. Molly

Yes.

Kevin

And it will close you off from a very public space, although I love this. I mean, this is classic shingle-style -- a front entryway that is a huge room.

Molly

We love this room, and in fact, a lot of people have said, when they first come in this home, they're like, "We see a big Christmas tree right here in your entryway."

Kevin

I mean, it's the size of some people's small houses, which is great. You've got the exposed staircase, a balustrade, which is terrific. Again, says sort of shingle-style, classic old house.

Molly

This is one of the first things that we loved when we walked into this home.

Kevin

What's not to love about this, right?

Molly

It just seemed open and inviting. We find that the staircase itself is really interesting. The handrail is concave, which you don't see anymore.

Kevin

No, you don't. Sort of counterintuitive to the way you use it, which is nice.

Molly

Yeah, so we definitely want to keep that. We'll pretty much keep all elements of the staircase except for the balusters.

Yeah. Molly

So you see.

Kevin

So that needs a little bit of work.

Look at those. Molly

Just a little bit.

Kevin

Three per tread, so you think these have to either be replicated or replaced in their entirety?

Molly

I think they're going to be replaced in their entirety.

That's okay. Molly

Yeah.

Kevin

And the door that was covered up, is that in here?

Molly

Yes, that's in the dining room.

Kevin

Let's have a look at it. Oh, yeah,

there it is. Molly

There it is.

Kevin

Boy, that's going to be cool, when that's reopened, to get in here.

Molly

Exactly, it would be a great entryway.

Kevin

And a cool old dining room, boy, with every character

that you would expect from an old dining room

the high wainscot panels. Yep, a dish rail right there, giant fireplace right in the middle, china cabinet flanking it, with leaded glass doors. You like that?

Molly

Yes, we do. Unfortunately, this room is going to go -- undergo a huge transformation.

Kevin

So, let's talk about what it becomes, because you mentioned dining room is going to be off that living room.

Exactly. Kevin

What goes here?

Molly

So, unfortunately, this is going to become -- or fortunately -- this will become the kitchen.

Kevin

Kitchen.

Molly

So we loved this room when we first moved in, but it is one of the most central rooms to the home. And as you know, the party is always in the kitchen. So one-third will become the butler's pantry, approximately, and then the rest of this will become the kitchen, and we're actually going to bump out this kitchen about 10 to 12 feet.

Kevin

Nice, so expand it, pick up those backyard views.

Molly

Exactly, we're going to have lots of windows looking out over the trees, which my husband and I love. And then to the left will be the family room, and right over here will become the breakfast nook.

Kevin

So, now we are going out to the porch, probably like a three-season porch.

Molly

Yes.

Classic shingle-style porch

beadboard on the ceiling, shingles on the walls.

Chuckles

Kevin

Breakfast nook here, dining room here?

Correct. Kevin

And we'll be able to get through that living room with the new door.

Exactly. Kevin

So, very porch-y now. How do you make it feel like the interior house?

Molly

Very good question. So, we're going to be raising the floors to match the interior floors.

One level. Molly

One level. We're also going to bump up the ceiling as much as we can.

Kevin

What's above?

Molly

The master bathroom.

Okay. Molly

And then we're going to be getting rid of the shingles on the side, so it will really become an interior room.

Kevin

And then sliders become windows?

Molly

Big, huge windows looking out over the trees.

Kevin

Cool,

a lot of space. Molly

Mm-hmm.

Kevin

I've got to see the old kitchen.

Molly

Oh, come on in.

Chuckles

Molly

So, Kevin, quickly, before we walk into the kitchen, I do want to point out that this hallway will soon lead to a new mudroom and garage, which will be an addition on the house.

Kevin

People love their mudrooms.

Yes. Kevin

Alright, let's have a look at this kitchen.

Molly

Yes, so, welcome to the kitchen.

Chuckling

Kevin

What?

Molly

This kitchen has a lot of unique features for a kitchen.

Kevin

Where does this go?

Molly

This is a spiral staircase up to the study.

Kevin

I was not expecting to see that.

Molly

It's one of Caroline's favorite features,

which scares me. Kevin

I bet. Alright. Okay.

Molly

Over here, we have lots of cabinets, so it was probably the pantry at some point.

Kevin

Plywood paneled doors, no frames, got it.

Molly

And then over here is a huge fireplace in the kitchen.

Kevin

Yeah, brick, so clearly not original to the house,

added at some point... Molly

Probably not.

Kevin

...after the fact It's a little dated.

Mm-hmm. Kevin

Mm-hmm.

Molly

Some somewhat new appliances. I believe the kitchen was redone in the '80s.

Kevin

Wall ovens, cooktop. We have some tile on the countertop. Island, which is nice to have.

It's a unique shape. Molly

Yep.

Kevin

Formica on the countertops. And, wow, look at the green floors. They match your carpet out on the porch.

Molly

They do. We have a lot of colors in this house.

Kevin

So we know where the new kitchen is going. What is going to happen to this space?

Molly

So, this will become the family room.

Kevin

Ah, okay.

Molly

And we're really excited because, as we talked about earlier, the kitchen is coming out to pretty much where the end of this deck is.

Kevin

So this will be connected to the new kitchen?

Molly

This will be connected to the new kitchen.

Kevin

You like that sort of open movement of the floor plan.

Molly

Yeah, so I can see what's going on in the family room.

Kevin

Yeah, well, that's how we live today.

Molly

Exactly.

Kevin

Sounds like you guys have a plan.

Molly

I think we do.

Chuckles

Tom

So, I know Molly has a concern about these balusters, and I think there's a way we can stiffen those up so she doesn't have to worry about them.

John

Oh, that'd be great. It's one of the features, you know, 1890 house that we love. So, for the most part, this stays the same. These walls are kept here.

We take the wallpaper down, obviously, repair some cracks.

Tom

Yeah, we can handle that. That's no problem.

John

And here's the master bedroom right here.

It's is a great space. Tom

Wow.

John

So, we're going to take this...

Tom

All of this?

John

...set of closets down. Yeah,

that comes out. Tom

Yeah.

John

So, because of that extra space, you'll notice we're going to have an opportunity to do more over here, so this will be walk-in closet and a master bathroom.

Tom

Right, that -- Yeah. You're definitely going to gain some real estate by removing that closet.

John

Exactly, yeah. Now, right over here, Tom, we're going to punch out a fireplace. There's a fireplace on the other side, but we're going to punch out a gas fireplace here.

Tom

Oh, good, yeah, nice to have a fireplace in the bedroom.

John

Yeah. And so in this room -- this is currently Caroline's bedroom.

Tom

Mm-hmm.

John

This will come out, so the fireplace comes out.

Tom

So this is going to become what? Is this going to become a guest room or a...

John

Exactly, this becomes a small guest room, and then this becomes Caroline's bedroom...

Tom

Oh, okay. Alright.

John

...right here, and we'll move the door down a little bit.

Tom

So this door will get slid over a little bit?

Exactly. Tom

And so this is all bedroom?

John

This is all bedroom, right here, and then it kind of makes a dogleg left into this room, where there's going to be a bathroom for her.

Tom

I see, so she's going to have great space then.

John

Exactly.

Tom

So all of this is going to come right around into here.

Exactly. Tom

And this is a nice space.

John

Yeah, and there's a chimney in her room that we'll take down, and again, as you said, we'll pick up some real estate from that.

Tom

More real estate,

yeah. John

Exactly.

Tom

If you're not using the chimneys, why not get rid of them?

John

Right, right.

Tom

Because they are pulling the air out of the house.

John

Sucking up hot air, exactly, yeah. Okay, so, up here on the third floor, Tom, we're thinking it's going to be a total gut.

Tom

Yeah.

John

One thing I don't want to lose, though, is this ceiling fan -- this whole-house fan.

Tom

So, that's a whole-house fan? Nice thing about those where you are, here in New England, in the summertime, those -- when the temperature drops, you turn those on, open the windows, and it cools the house right down, saves you money on the air-conditioning.

John

Beautiful. This, again, pulling up the rug, gutting that room,

but that will be a guest room. Tom

Oh, yeah.

John

Bathroom essentially stays the same, so we'll do a renovation of the bathroom.

Tom

So, a new bathroom?

John

New bathroom.

And then this was a darkroom. Tom

Oh.

John

The former owners had it as a darkroom, so we're going to blow that out and then take another chimney out of here.

Tom

Oh, take the chimney down, so more real estate here?

John

More real estate here. And then right behind you, we're going to bump it out about 3 feet.

Tom

So it's going to go that way 3 feet.

John

Go that way 3 feet.

Tom

Going to make a big difference,

and this is a great space John

Yeah, it really is, so this will be a great playroom for Caroline.

Tom

Oh, yeah, and what about the rug? Are you going to keep the rug?

John

It's yours if you want it.

Tom

No, I don't want it. Thanks.

Chuckles

Kevin

Oh, yeah,

Richard. Richard

Welcome.

Kevin

Look at the ledge. There it is.

Richard

They saw the ledge and said, "Let's build a house on it."

Kevin

It looks like a lava flow the way it comes into the basement here.

Richard

Step into my office.

Kevin

So, what am I looking at? Have you figured it out?

Richard

Well, it's like an archaeological dig. You're trying to figure out -- this house has been here since about the 1890s -- how have they lived here through that period. I think, when the house was first built, they heated the building, when they needed to, just with the fireplaces that are existing.

Kevin

Which was probably a summer house...

Richard

Absolutely.

Kevin

...so they just wanted to chase the chill in the fall.

Richard

And then people get sick of schlepping the wood into those fireplaces or having people do it, so I think the first iteration was adding this duct system. Now, you can see, the ductwork is insulated, but it's pretty large. And you'll notice, if you look down on the floor, you see this shadow line right here?

Kevin

This one right there? Telling you what?

Richard

Right here, right here and right here.

Kevin

Oh, there it is,

yeah. Richard

It suggests that there was an original coal-fired furnace probably right here, and that would've been gravity,

no blowing. Kevin

Huh.

Richard

So you would've loaded up to heat it, and it just would've worked up through the center core to heat the building.

Kevin

Good enough for the summer, fall. Good enough for the center of the house.

Richard

Then this is a newer unit fired by oil. That has a blower fan.

Right there. Richard

Right? But, over time, this building, they added on a kitchen wing, and that core would've been heated, but it wouldn't have sent the heat to that kitchen wing, so they added this boiler. Now, this was in -- This boiler, I'm familiar with it. It was probably in the '50s, up till about the mid-'60s, is this last time these were installed.

So, now they put another oil-fired burner here, heated up the water. Now you can use that water to go to a couple different zones.

That goes to the kitchen. Kevin

There and there.

Richard

Right? And to the bathrooms. Now, that means the places where people would hunker down in the winter would have its own little sort of cocoon of heat, you know, 'cause that couldn't always do the job.

Kevin

So it's sort of a typical evolution for a place like this?

Richard

That's right, right. And this boiler we could also -- they used it to make hot water for faucets. Originally, making hot water might've been on the kitchen stove, you know?

Kevin

Right.

Richard

Anytime you have a water-based system, you can think about adding a little bit of radiance in the kitchen, the bathrooms, or in a room like this I want to show you here.

Kevin

Watch your head. How about the granite? I see that, I think radon.

Richard

Anytime I see a ledge, I think there's a chance of radon, so we got to test for that, but we can do a mitigation system if we need to.

Kevin

Alright.

Richard

So here is underneath this space,

this sort of porch area that -- Kevin

We know there's a two- or three-season porch above us.

Richard

So, the idea is to actually bring this level up and pour concrete to turn it into exercise room.

Kevin

Oh, so make this conditioned space?

Richard

Absolutely. Could there be a better place for radiant heating than a nice big concrete slab that was perfect. You have the nice windows here. That'll all be new.

Kevin

This is going to be a lot of found space.

Richard

Right, and then over here...

Kevin

So, now we're underneath the back deck?

Richard

Right, so, now this is the new kitchen area right here.

We extend the house. Richard

Right. So, we have to think about protecting the plumbing here. So, we've got kitchen sinks and water and stuff like that. So, we're going to actually have windows in here and makes this more of a conditioned space to protect and make the kitchen a little easier to heat and cool.

Kevin

So conditioned there, but this is still unconditioned in here?

Richard

Right, and then pour a concrete slab here. Now, in here is the existing garage, and this garage is going to be taken down from this point over, and now this will be the new outside wall right here.

Kevin

So, finished space in here?

Richard

This is all part of the workout space here. You can see our grade right here.

Kevin

You're going to pour up to this?

Richard

Yeah, and then this will get opened up right here, so it'll be a really generous and really pleasing space in here.

Kevin

A lot of extra space. And you know what? This sounds like a big one. I mean, the mechanicals -- you have a little bit of everything.

Richard

This is. It's five bathrooms, it's a kitchen, it's a full new mechanical. It's gonna be a biggie.

Charlie

Yeah, we're going to take down the garage next week also.

Thaddeus

Yeah, that makes sense to me.

Norm

Hey,

Charlie. Charlie

Norm.

Norm

Hey,

Thad. Thaddeus

Hi, Norm.

Norm

Now you're the architect on this project.

Thaddeus

That's right.

Norm

And this house is classified as shingle-style. What makes it shingle style?

Thaddeus

Well, the biggest thing, of course, is that it is clad in shingles, both roof and sidewall, but also it has some of the classic features, such as these long, sweeping roof planes. There were very pure geometries used in the shingle-style homes, as well as that classic shingle flair you see at the belt course there, with the sawtooth shingling, is fairly common, as well.

Charlie

The bones in this house are actually a really good shape, Norm, so we have a, you know, good structure, as well as a good foundation to build on.

Norm

Mm-hmm. So, new homeowners. They want to make it better for themselves. What are we gonna be doing?

Thaddeus

Well, quite a lot, actually because it was a summer home, and there was a different kind of lifestyle then, as you might expect, in the summers here, versus what a family would need for a full-time home. The first, most obvious thing would be the addition of two-care garage here, with a connecting mudroom to keep the family out of the weather day to day, as well as extending a porch across the front of the home, which all summer homes have that, but this will be a really great place for the family to enjoy. And also, within the home itself, we would be looking at opening it up, so rather than three compartmentalized rooms, the rooms would open one to the other, so you'd have a more open floor plan.

Norm

Could we see the floor plan? An open plan means engineering, typically.

Charlie

It does, and there are some structural beams that we do have to put in. But one of our probably biggest challenges on this first floor is, this is where the existing deck is, and that becomes part of the new kitchen, so we do have to frame the entire area. We also have to make sure that the plumbing in this is insulated well from down below and heated. And then we have one large beam to open up here from the existing dining room, making it

the entire new kitchen. Norm

Alright. I'd say that looks like a pretty good plan.

Charlie

Yes, it is. It's -- We're well on our way.

A lot of work. Charlie

Yes.

Kevin

Jenn, the homeowners have said they want a mudroom off of this side, attached to a garage. Have you gotten your head around that?

Jenn

I have, kind of. But so they want to come out to a mudroom about 11 feet out, and then a garage is going to travel all the way. This is probably going to end in this corner.

Nice. Jenn

And then, going this way, we're going to have a new access road, their new driveway, so there's a --

Kevin

So we're not entering the house from the front anymore, from over here?

Jenn

Yeah, this is going to be the main access. And so, in order to do that, we have to clear these trees. This slope cuts down pretty fast, so we're going to - at the bottom, we're going to have to put a retaining wall, so we can put the driveway and fill in, and so that'll travel right to --

up to the new garage. Kevin

Right, And so the homeowners are smitten with the lot. What's the final look that they want? You know, is it refined or wild, and what do you think of the lot?

Jenn

It's wild and natural. Just native New England is what they want. And I think they have a lot of potential to just uncover the ledge and just... These beautiful plants.

Like, this is lowbush blueberry right here. There's sweet woodruff. There's ferns all around, so...

Let it go. Jenn

Try to just let it go, but take out all the invasives.

Kevin

Well, there's something you're not going to be able to let go, 'cause even a guy like me can notice it.

Both laugh

Kevin

You say "garage and mudroom," and I say "ledge."

This is not going to work. Jenn

Well, this is going to... The ledge is kind of in the way, but I do lo-- I do love this rock, but...

Kevin

Yeah, but we're talking about coming over here with the garage and breezeway, right?

Jenn

I know. We got to drill down.

Kevin

Drill, not blast?

Jenn

Drill, not blast, because that's what -- that's the first option. If we have to blast, we have to blast, but drilling is the first option. So we're going to drill down and cut it away

and remove it from the site. Kevin

Alright.

Lots of industry. Jenn

Yep.

Kevin

How about out back? Have you thought about that?

Jenn

Yes. I have a few ideas. And so back here, behind the house, all these railroad ties are going to go. They want an open space for their daughter to play, so we're going to remove all these, take out all the weeds and grade it,

and put down grass seed. Kevin

That'll be

a lot more natural. Jenn

Mm-hmm. And here is a beautiful paper birch, and the homeowners really want to save it, and so do I.

Kevin

Well, the good news is, that front half of that garage is actually going away, so about 15 feet or so. It won't be as close to the house when Charlie gets going.

Jenn

So that's no problem then. Just have to protect the roots, and don't let any machines hit the tree.

Kevin

Alright, Charlie, something else for your list -- protect the birch. And it's a long list. That's nothing, huh?

Charlie

That's nothing. That's easy.

Kevin

We've got demolition. We've got some new build with the garage, which means a foundation and maybe retaining walls with this site.

Charlie

Yeah, so we're going to start next week hard. We're going to start all the demo on the interior. And then, right after that, we're going to start the excavation for the garage and the mudroom. And we also have to put up a retaining wall to hold back one side of the driveway.

Kevin

Alright, boys, back in Manchester. You psyched?

Richard

Great to be back. It's a big house -- a lot of shingles, a lot of mechanicals.

Got a lot of work to do. Jenn

It'll be fun.

Norm

You'll be busy,

Charlie. Charlie

Yeah, alright.

Kevin

Well, next time, demolition begins. So, until then, I'm Kevin O'Connor for all of us here at "This Old House."

Alright. Tom

Let's get started.

Norm

Come on. Let's go.

Kevin

Next time on "This Old House"... our project house is in Manchester-by-the-Sea, one of four towns that makes up Cape Ann. So, today, I've come to learn more about the area and about the industries that have made it thrive.

Man

We've had an uninterrupted fishing industry here since 1623.

Woman

This is Rocky Neck Ave, and there's over 20 galleries, and there's potters, painters, jewelry.