Ask This Old House

Kevin

Today on "Ask This Old House"...

Tom

We'll head to Montana, to build a special space for one of America's bravest.

Bo

Well, I don't use my prosthetics when I usually work out, so I think, if I get down on my knees,

It'll give us the best height. Tom

There?

Bo

I think that's a good height, right there.

Tom

Let's take some measurements from that.

Mauro

"This color's going to do this, this, and that for this room. Is that what you're looking for?" Nobody wants to size down the room, and color does that a lot. If they say, "Yeah, that's what I'm looking for," then, if you're happy, I'm happy.

Laughs

Mark

And...I'll show you how to update the look of a wood-burning fireplace.

Shelby

It just looks unreal. I'm so excited. Thank you so much.

Mark

Alright, well, you're welcome.

Kevin

Montana is called Big Sky Country for a reason. The vast landscape and panoramic views extend for hundreds of miles. We're here today to meet Bo Reichenbach. Bo grew up in this area and he chose to serve his country as a Navy SEAL in Afghanistan.

Bo

We'd been in this village a couple of times and, the previous time we went in there, there was huge firefights, you know? It was just -- it was chaos in this village. And two of the guys stepped on the pressure plate in front of me and I stepped on it and then boom. I woke up, looked up, and saw my left leg was gone. And then, my right arm, I took a lot of shrapnel on the inside of my arm. One of my dreams, my whole life, was to build a home for myself and for my family. Knew that'd be a good, good part in my rehab.

Kevin

Bo and his father, a general contractor, built this house from the ground up. They had some help from Building for America's Bravest.

Cheering and applause

Kevin

A program of the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, this nonprofit organization builds mortgage-free homes for injured veterans.

Bo

Our goal, from the beginning, was us building the home.

Kevin

I mean, you literally out here, throwing in.

Bo

I was involved with the framing, trim. I pretty much did all the base work in the house. Not wear my legs for a day and scoot around on my butt.

Kevin

Each home includes adaptive and smart home technology.

Bo

Makes it nice and easy for me to kind of get on with the day. The cabinets lower out the bottom.

Chuckling

Kevin

Oh, wow! Look at that.

That is cool. Bo

And I'm able to get stuff off the top shelf. The stove, it actually lowers down...

No way. Bo

...so, when I'm cooking in my wheelchair, I'm able to be above the food and so that none of the food ever splatters on my face or anything. I can do everything in this house and there's nothing in this house I can't do. That gives you the opportunity to explore different things in life. I grew up playing hockey from the time I was four years old... ...and I didn't find out 'til five months into my rehab that there was a sport called sled hockey. Three years later, now, I'm on Team USA, which, I can't be any happier than, you know, to represent your country in another way, again, for me.

Kevin

But, training to be an Olympic athlete in rural Montana comes with its challenges.

Bo

At one point I was a part of a gym here in town, but that ends up being a 40-minute drive both ways, just to go to the gym and get back. And living out here in the country, that's kind of made it difficult, so, you know, one of the things we don't have here, that I like and need, is a home gym.

Kevin

Well, it's nice that you've got this detached space, Bo.

Bo

Yeah, I plan on using most of it as a workshop and then, this corner, I want to do a gym.

Kevin

Alright. Tom, you've been doing some measuring. What do you think?

Tom

Yeah, I think this is a good corner to put the gym in and we've got 16 feet here, all the way to the corner.

Yeah. Tom

And then, if I measure from the corner out to the garage door, we got a little over 11 feet. Bo wants to keep it back a little bit, so that will make this area for the gym

about 10 feet by 16 feet. Kevin

That work for you?

Bo

Yeah,

I think it's going to be great. Kevin

Alright. So, what about the floor, Tommy? This is a pretty good-looking garage floor.

Tom

It's a beautiful garage floor, but, unfortunately, when you're working out with weights, you know, you may drop the weights, you don't want to damage the floor.

Yeah. Tom

It's also good to have

a nice pad to work on. Kevin

Okay.

Bo

Which works out great for me. You know, normally, I don't wear my prosthetics when I work out. It'd be nice and soft

Yeah. Bo

to scoot around on.

Tom

Alright. So, then, we'll put a nice rubber pad on this whole area.

Nice. Tom

Now this is a good wall right here. We can mount a couple of good pieces of equipment

right to the wall. Kevin

Mm-hmm.

Tom

Now, I'm thinking, on this wall right here, we'll put a mirror, probably 120 inches by 72 inches, with a nice big piece of equipment right in the middle of the floor.

Kevin

So pad on the concrete, equipment hung off of that wall, mirror hung off of this one, and then equipment spread throughout. Sound like a reasonable plan to you?

Sounds good to me. Kevin

Alright.

Tom

Alright. Let's get some stuff and get started. Alright, Kevin, here's the pattern I'm thinking about using on the floor. It's actually a rubber pad. You get it at the home center. Has these interlocking pieces. Also, it has this nice strip right here that you can remove when you're locking the pieces together in the field, but it makes a nice, smooth edge around the perimeter.

Okay. Tom

All we have to do is start in the corner and work our way out. There you go. Now that the floor's in, we're ready to hang the mirror. And, to do that, we're actually going to use these two pieces of metal strip. And it's actually a J-channel, but two different-sized J's. The smaller one will go on the bottom. The taller one will go on the top. So, when we take the mirror and slide it up into the taller one and drop it back down, there'll still be enough mirror to hang in there, so it doesn't fall forward.

Kevin

Just going to screw these to the wall?

Tom

Screw them to the wall. There.

Man

Back in. Drag it. I'm going to take it back your way.

Bo

Yeah.

Man

Back in.

Tom

Wait a minute. You good?

Kevin

Okay, Bo, the mats are down and the mirror is up. What do you think, so far?

I think it looks awesome. Kevin

Alright, so we're going to start installing the equipment and the first place is this chin-up bar, which we're going to screw right to the studs behind that drywall. We just got to figure out how high it goes. How are you going to use it?

Bo

Well, I don't use my prosthetics when I usually work out, so, I think, if I get down on my knees, it'll give us the best height.

Tom

Alright, then, we'll hold it against the wall and mark it.

Kevin

Right now -- It's an adjustable height, so, right now, it's at the highest position possible.

You tell us. Tom

Right about there?

Bo

I think that's a good height, right there.

Tom

Let's take some measurements from that. Oh, yeah. That'll hold anybody.

Laughter

Kevin

Okay, Tommy. Here's the next piece.

Tom

Alright, just line it up with those screws and that's where the studs will be.

Bo

I think right there is perfect.

Kevin

Okay, Bo. We got the equipment in. We got several things for strength training, but you mentioned that cardio is, obviously, a challenge for you, so we've got this machine, right here. To be honest with you, I'm not quite sure how you're going to use it.

Laughs

Bo

Well, this machine, a lot of the guys on our our team have it. It's a good tool for sled hockey players in training. It's usually meant for cross-country skiers, but, it's just a good way to get cardio and get a good workout here.

Kevin

Yeah, it's like the ski pole action,

right there. Tom

Yeah, exactly.

Kevin

Alright. That is in, chin-up bar, to the height you requested. A couple pins right here you can adjust all the way down to this level, whatever works.

That's great. Kevin

And then, you got the combo here. You got free weights. Weights are already on, right there. You got another chin-up bar. You could do some pull-downs. And you could do some curls from this one right here. That should pretty much keep you in business.

Bo

Yeah, this is awesome. I can't thank you guys enough for coming out here to Montana and doing all this for me.

Kevin

You know what? It was absolutely our pleasure.

Tom

It's the least you could do, for all you've done for us.

Thank you very much. Kevin

Enjoy.

Tom

Thank you.

Mauro

Well, my name is Mauro Henrique. I'm the painter for the "This Old House" TV show and "Ask This Old House," but I also have my business going out there. I was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, but, now, I live in Boston and I love it. When I start, I start as the carpenter apprentice or helper. I used to help this carpenter. But, then, one day, the painter didn't show up and my boss said, "We need to get this house done." Guy said, "Can you paint?" I said, "I can try." And then, I did good. And, that night, I went home and I said to my wife, "I think I like painting." It's fun and, you know, I can get a lot of work done and I'm happy, I'm just happy to see the room done in one day or two days. And that's when I start painting. There's a lot of things involved when you paint a room. When you paint for someone else, you know, everybody likes different colors and everybody likes to get the room done, or whatever, the painting project done, as fast as you can. But a lot of people don't realize that, for them to be happy with what I'm doing, it takes a little time. It takes a few steps to get into it and to get what they expect. The colors are the funny thing. If they ask me, I say, you know, "This color's going to do this, this, and that for this room. Is that what you're looking for?" People said, "Oh, I love this color." A darker color into a room that you don't have enough lighting, enough light breaking through the windows or you have a skylight, most of the times, you're going to size down that room by using a darker color. Nobody wants to size down the room, and color does that a lot. So, people, they love the color, but sometimes they could use that color somewhere else. If you are not happy right away, trust me, believe me, you're not going to be happy later. Like you said, "Oh, I'll get used to it. Oh, I'll get through that, but I think I'm not sure about," but that "not sure about" means, "I don't like it," and that means you're not going to like it later. So that's how color works. It's a very particular kind of thing. It's a personal thing. I love greens and I love blues. Those are the nice colors. That's all colors that you see out there on nature. See a lot of blues and you see a lot of greens. That's what I like.

Shelby

Hi, Mark!

Mark

Hi, Shelby!

Thanks for coming. Mark

Alright. Thanks for having me. Fireplace?

Shelby

Yep,

this is it. Mark

Alright. This is it.

Shelby

So, my husband and I bought this house a few years ago and we've just been updating the fireplace a little at a time.

Sure. Shelby

We put in our new mantles, some drywall, and I painted the cement brick that was on it.

Mark

Right. Okay. Which I don't mind, by the way, because I know, when you move into a new house, everybody's got a punch list. So you take care of the important things first and, in the fireplace, the mantle. Some of the stuff that has to wait, maybe get painted, just like this. So I'm fine with that. I do see the yellow firebrick. All that means to me is your fireplace is working very well. Is that correct?

It's working great. Mark

Yeah, okay. We love it and it keeps the room nice and warm.

Mark

Alright. So, the fireplace works great. That's a plus. You have an awesome mantle, so that's another plus. If we either apply something to this or strip it down, but what were you thinking, in terms of a finish for this?

Shelby

I was hoping to cover it with some kind of stone, to make it look a little more updated, than just the paint that I had used.

Mark

Sure. Alright. Well, today might be your lucky day because I think I have something outside that might be just perfect for this.

Awesome. Mark

Alright. I'm going to go get it.

Shelby

Okay,

sounds good. Mark

Thanks. Alright. So, just to give you a little vocabulary, this is our mantle. Everything that you're looking at is the brick surround. On the floor is the hearth

and inside is the firebox. Shelby

Okay.

Mark

This is the material that we're going to use on the hearth. I happen to love it. It's bluestone. It goes great outside. It goes great inside. Very authentic look. The material that we're going to use for the surround is right here. This is a stacked stone veneer. It's a manufactured stone, so it's manmade. It's not a natural stone. But, once it's up, you're going to see

how great it really looks. Shelby

Awesome.

Mark

The best part about that stacked stone, as you see this corner piece, that's what we're going to use to wrap right around our fireplace. So, when you look this way or you look that way, it's going to look like a full piece.

We'll give it that authentic look. Shelby

Awesome.

Mark

Alright. So, why don't we get going?

Sounds good. Mark

Alright, so the first thing we're going to do is we're going to put in the wire over the surround. So, if you want to just grab that, bring it up tight. Actually, just line up the bottom, because we've already measured this. We should be good there. So why don't you pick up this drill? I'll hold the wire in place. And hit that joint. I'm going to take that. As we tap this anchor, it expands inside and that's

what's going to grab the wire. Shelby

Great.

Mark

And, again, we want to keep the wire tight,

but not bouncy. Shelby

Okay.

Mark

Alright, well, now it's time for our stucco coat, which is actually called a scratch coat. So, this is a notch trowel. Just to apply the stucco, we're going to want to push it into this wire lathe and we're going to do it with this side. But, to develop a scratch coat, once we have the stucco coat on the entire fireplace, we're going to drag our notches across and that's what makes it a scratch coat.

Okay. Mark

Alright? So, right now, stucco. And I'm just going to take it. Throw it like that. I'm going down to the bottom. See how I have the trowel at an angle?

Mm-hmm. Mark

That's going to allow me to push the material into the wire.

Okay. Mark

So, as you get it, you want to drive it in and then pull it out.

Alright. Mark

Take your trowel. Want to reapply.

And take a shot. Shelby

Okay.

Mark

Alright. And you use that trowel any way that you feel comfortable, but you have to watch the slide, right?

Laughs

Shelby

Sorry.

Mark

Yeah. Give it to you again, Shelby, but work your way towards me. Yeah. Excellent. Great. And we're going to let it set up for a second and then, we'll come back with the trowel and, that way, we'll get it smooth. So, right now, all you're worried about is application.

Okay. Mark

And get it right through that wire. And this is type S. If we're doing brickwork, we use a type N.

Okay. Mark

Exactly. Go all the way up there. Great. Don't be afraid to turn your trowel and come -- Yes! Go right under the mantle.

Laughs

Mark

Alright, we're going to let this dry for a minute, so let's focus on the hearth. We both like the bluestone, so that's why we know we're going that way. But the first thing we have to do is strip off the old hearth. So, what I'm going to do is I'm going to start on this head joint right here.

Okay. Mark

You can start on that one. All we're going to do is try to pound it out and then just weaken this brick and then, we're going to pop them, one right after the other.

Alright. Mark

Alright. Let's go. Alright, now, let's get under that brick.

Shelby

Okay.

Mark

Alright, you're in. I'm in. First piece is out.

Grunts

Mark

Yeah, you got it. Great!

Shelby

Oh, jeez.

Mark

The paint is actually holding the brick together

Laughs

Mark

Alright, so, now, we're ready for the first piece of bluestone. What we have to do is spread the mortar. So, if you take that. Spread it into these deep pockets, first. I'll move it around. Yep, that's great. And, as you can see, I want to drive it into all the nooks and crannies, so we make sure we have a very tight bond. So you can see me bounce this little margin trowel around. That's going to fluff that mortar up, so, when the weight of the stone hits the top part of that mortar, we're going to be able to wiggle it right into the height that we want.

Shelby

Awesome. Maybe on the corner over here?

Mark

Yeah. Here's another little bit of info. The reason you see me butter up against that firebreak is because, every time I see a fireplace settle, it's always between the hearth and the firebox. It opens up that joint and that is a nasty place for an ember or an ash to get. That could possibly start a fire.

Okay. Mark

So, anytime I'm putting down a hearth, I always make sure that this joint is tight, tight, tight.

Shelby

Okay.

Mark

And that's what I'm doing when I'm pressing in with the small, margin trowel. Alright. Alright.

Shelby

Now, how are we going to put this down so I don't crush my fingers?

Mark

Yeah, well, that's why we loaded up the mortar bed, because you're just going to gently lower it, bring it in to your mark.

I'm good on mine. Shelby

Yeah.

Mark

Right? But, now, I want you to wiggle back and forth, just a little bit. What we're doing right now is we're making sure we have a great bond. We don't want a good bond.

We want a great bond. Shelby

Mm-hmm. We want to maintain a quarter inch between the firebox and our stone. Are you on your line?

Yeah. Mark

Alright. What do we have right there? And there we go. As long as you're

on your mark over there -- Shelby

I am.

Mark

Alright, well, we got this guy set.

Awesome. Mark

Let's get to that piece over there. Yep, great. So I'm going to do the same thing that I did with the firebrick. I'm going to drag this mortar up tight against the bluestone. While I'm doing that, I'm also tucking it under, just in case I missed something when we laid that. But, again, that's going to ensure that we get the full masonry joint in between the two pieces of stone.

Okay. Mark

So there's your end. And, again, just walk it in. We know we have it tight. We want our edge, make sure. See that corner?

Shelby

Mm-hmm.

Mark

That's the most important corner of that stone. And, now, boom, boom, boom. Alright. Let's just get the back of these stones wet. Because it's a manufactured stone, it's going to suck all the water out of the mortar. So, to alleviate that problem, what we do is we just wet the back of the stone. That water will be absorbed by the material and that's when we tack it onto the wall. Start our veneer. Always hit in the middle because, if you hit high, you're going to roll it. So just in the middle is great. The one thing that we always want to avoid is joint over joint, so, we want to make sure that the course on top of that does not hit either one of those joints.

Shelby

Okay. So it'll look more natural.

Mark

More random and more natural,

yeah. Shelby

Awesome.

Mark

Just to do due diligence, what we're going to do is cut up some 2x4s and put it under that stone. We'll leave it there for an hour.

Shelby

Yeah, once we place these in here, you can't even tell that we cut them thinner

than the other ones. Mark

Right. That's the beauty of this product. Alright, Shelby, what do you think?

Shelby

Unbelievable. It ties in the mantle that we did with the fireplace. It just looks unreal. I'm so excited. Thank you so much.

Mark

Alright. Well, you're welcome. Thanks for having me out.

Kevin

Next time on "Ask This Old House"... Now, you're probably doing more projects yourself from your own house this year. Well, so are we. And we thought it would be fun to show you the projects that our experts are working on from their own homes.

Nathan

We did a built-in desk area, custom tops and floating shelves. It came out really nice. And, when we were decorating it, finishing it up, you know, I wanted to display my grandfather's flag that I received a few years back. I've always wanted to make a display case for it.