This Old House

Kevin

Today we meet new apprentices and they help us raise our roof. And it's DIY time as our homeowners design their kitchen. It's been just over a year since we started two projects here in Charleston, South Carolina. Today we're gonna see how they've done. What happened to all this plumbing here?

Norm

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!

Don

See this main roof form? We're just gonna pull that forward so it's even where this existing deck is.

Kevin

Definitely says mid-century modern.

Tom

The money's in the detail.

Kevin

That is beautiful. Hi, there. I'm Kevin O'Connor, and welcome back to "This Old House" here in cold and snowy Jamestown, Rhode Island, where we are nearly doubling the size of our 1920s bungalow, and we are trying to make it a net-zero home. Now, last time we were here, the crew framed up the first floor of our addition, and since then, started framing the second floor, as well. And here in the main house there's been some framing going on, as well. You can see that we've got a triple LVL for the opening between kitchen and dining room. You can see that we framed up for two new windows that are gonna be over a kitchen sink. So, a little bit of work here in the main house, and a lot of work over there in the addition. And speaking of additions, we've got a few more coming our way. We are continuing our Generation NEXT initiative this season, where we encourage young people to come into the trades. So we're gonna have four new apprentices join us, and two of them get started working today. Mary Smith comes to us from a small town in Mississippi. Through DIY projects and coursework, she's been learning the building trades and wants to be a contractor. Kevin Barker is from Rhode Island. He's worked in the construction industry for a few years. He's learned general framing and carpentry work, and he hopes to focus on finish carpentry. Kevin is local to Jamestown, Mary flew in just last night from Mississippi. Hey, welcome guys!

Mary

Hi!

Kevin

So, it's Mary McGuire, the first name, right?

Mary

Yes,

sir. -Kevin

Welcome aboard. Kevin.

Barker

How's it going? Nice to meet you.

Kevin

So, are you guys excited to be here, to get started?

We are. We're thrilled. -Barker

Yeah. It's a little bit of a change of pace, but it's good.

Kevin

Although, not a complete change of pace for you, right?

Barker

Correct.

Kevin

I mean, you're not new to construction.

Barker

I've been doing it for about six years in Southern Rhode Island, so... It's a different experience with "This Old House," though.

Kevin

And, Mary, relatively new for you, correct?

Mary

Yes. All of my previous experience has been DIY and new to this professionally.

Kevin

Terrific. Hey,

Jeff. -Jeff

Kevin.

Kevin

What do you think of your new crew?

I love it. -Kevin

All right.

Jeff

We're ready to go.

Kevin

So, what are we doing today?

Jeff

Well, we're in the existing house right now, and the owners really wanted to raise the ceiling. The second-floor ceiling was only about seven-and-a-half feet. So we left the original ridge in place and installed a triple LVL beam underneath that ridge. That enabled us to cut the collar ties out and raise the ceiling up a foot and a half. So, we've carried that same structural ridge into the new section, and we're gonna install rafters on top of that. Mary and I are gonna cut and cut all the rafters, and Ryan and Kevin are gonna install rafters.

Kevin

All right, you guys ready to get going?

We are. -Barker

Absolutely!

Kevin

All right,

let's do it. -Jeff

Let's do it. All right, Mary, you ready?

Mary

Ready!

Jeff

All right, we'll set that on there. You got your mark?

Kevin

All right, Mary, I don't want to slow you down, so keep going, but I do want to hear your story. Where in Mississippi are your from?

Mary

Originally Tupelo -- I currently live in Pontotoc.

Kevin

Which is nearby Tupelo?

Yes. -Kevin

Awesome. And what were you doing before you decided to get into this?

Mary

Previously I was actually a cake decorator.

Kevin

Really?!

Mary

Yes.

Kevin

When you say "cake decorator," did you work for somebody, or was that your own business?

Mary

I actually owned a bakery.

Kevin

Oh,

nice. -Mary

Yeah.

Kevin

So, how do you go from a baker to a contractor?

Mary

I guess really, originally, I got into it for design. I wanted my house to look a certain way, and I couldn't afford to have someone else do it, so that's how I, you know, started doing things originally. And once I got into it, I really figured out how much I enjoyed it and how rewarding it was to put everything together, so...

Kevin

So,

now you're with us. -Mary

Yeah.

Kevin

What are you hoping to get out of it, and where do you hope to end up?

Mary

Well, so when I made the leap to construction this year, I was quickly getting a lot of jobs that were kind of over my head, so I'm hoping to come home and be able to take on some more work.

Kevin

You are committed to doing this full-time and making a career of it?

Mary

I am.

Kevin

That is awesome. All right, well, I'll let you get back to it before you get yelled at. All right, Kevin, I don't want to slow you down, either, so don't let me get in your way, but I'm interested to hear your story, as well. You've been at it for how long?

Roughly six years. -Kevin

Yeah? And so how did you come to construction? What's your story from, say, high school forward?

Barker

I went to high school up in War wick at Hendricken. I went to URI following. I left URI, and I joined the Marine Corps and I was in the Marine Corps for six years. I got out of the Marine Corps, and I started building houses down in South County.

Kevin

And so in the Corps, six years means you deployed somewhere.

Barker

Yes, I deployed in Jordan 2010-2011.

Kevin

Yeah. And then when you came back, why houses?

Barker

I didn't want to be stuck in an office all day. School just wasn't for me. I was great at it growing up, but I wanted to do something outside and hands-on.

Kevin

And your hope for this apprenticeship with us and on this job site, what are they?

Barker

Soak up as much as I can, and build a house together, right?

Kevin

All right, I'll get out of your way. We are at the point in our project where it is time to start thinking about the kitchen design, and coming to a great showroom like this is a perfect place to start. Hey, Don. Hey,

Dana. -Dana

Hey, Kevin.

Kevin

So, normally, we're the one's introducing the homeowners to a kitchen designer, but in this case, you guys are introducing us to yours, and that's because this is not your first kitchen design.

Donald

No. Our architectural firm has done literally hundreds of kitchens, from very modest to ultra high-end.

Dana

And this is the fourth one that we've done for ourselves, so we have a really good sense of what works and what would be better.

Kevin

Well, that experience is only gonna help the process. So, what's the big idea?

Donald

The big idea was to take a bungalow, a traditional bungalow, and retain all of the elements in a traditional bungalow but make it more modern

and contemporary. -Kevin

Okay. Well, let's see what you guys have been up to.

Dana

Great. Kevin, this is Rob, who's helping us

with the design of the kitchen. -Kevin

Rob, nice to meet you.

Rob

Hey, Kevin. Nice to meet you. Hey, guys.

Kevin

So, you've done a rendering for us.

I love it. -Rob

Yeah. So, basically, we took Donald's architecturals and created a rendering so we could get a better sense of this space in 3-D with some textures applied.

Okay. -Donald

That's great.

Dana

It does look great.

Donald

It's just as we talked about and as we drew. So, you've got the white uppers and the stove hood. You got the oak base cabinets going around with the sink in the distance, the fridge over here surrounded by cabinets and the oak.

Kevin

And he even gave you a view of the water, too.

Dana

That's an upgrade.

Kevin

If it were only that easy, right?

Donald

Increased our property value.

Kevin

All right. Is this one of the uppers?

Rob

That is. So there's the painted finish

for the upper cabinet. -Kevin

Okay.

Donald

You've got the stiles and the rails and the panels just like a traditional cabinet, but in this case, we're bringing it together in a much more flush, crisp, modern way.

Kevin

With very crisp lines here.

Donald

Yeah, sharp shadow lines.

Kevin

Okay. What have we got for the bottom?

Rob

This is the sample for the base cabinets.

Kevin

You guys called it oak?

Dana

It's the rift cut white oak.

Kevin

Mm-hmm.

Dana

And it's given a cerused finish.

Kevin

Whoa. What is that?

Dana

That is a glazing. So it gives it a subtle whitewashed feel. You can see the remnants of the white.

Kevin

Especially in the corners -- a little bit

of that glazing left over. -Dana

Right.

Kevin

So, a traditional process where they put it on, and then they wipe some of it off?

Rob

Exactly. So, it's a two-step finish, so it really gives it depth in character to the cabinetry, so it kind of upgrades that more furniture look and feel.

Kevin

So, that goes on the lowers, which means around the perimeter, and you've got a nice big island in the m-- Oh, wait, hang on a second. We got little shoes on your island legs there? What are those?

Rob

Yeah, so that's a stainless steel bun foot. So, essentially taking Donald's inspiration of this farm sink where we have the stainless steel apron. To tie in that detail, I was proposing to do a stainless steel accent there.

Donald

Yeah, I just like the idea of bringing some of that stainless into the rest of the room. I feel like it makes the whole thing just feel a little more contemporary.

Dana

And I felt like it looked a little more rustic without them, so I'm not sure yet.

Rob

Yep, and the good news is we can do that with the screen here. So, basically, here is the look with our stainless steel boot, and then if we just click that --

Kevin

Boots on, boots off.

Exactly. -Kevin

All right. Well, I mean, you have an arbitrator here to decide between you two if you need one. Sometimes the most important thing you do, Rob, right?

Rob

That's right.

Kevin

Let's talk about countertop material -- same around the perimeter as on the island, as well? Is that what I'm seeing?

Dana

Yes. We're gonna keep it all consistent, and we have a sample here. It's a quartz product, and it's got a matte finish in this dove gray, but what we also really liked about it

was the white veining... -Kevin

Right.

Dana

...that runs through that and makes it look more like a real stone product.

Right. -Donald

Yeah, I like the fact that it's, again, like everything else, a sort of contemporary version of a traditional stone countertop.

Kevin

Right. So, quartz is natural, but the countertop is man-made. It does sort of pick up the color from both cabinets, right? A little bit of that glaze look through there as well as the white coming through the marbling,

too. -Dana

Right. We thought it really brought it together.

Kevin

And super-durable, too. And where are we in terms of layout? Have you got that nailed yet?

Donald

I think we've got it figured out, but probably the best way to see that is to go to the space and stand there.

Kevin

I'd love to. All right. Let's do that. Rob,

thank you very much. -Rob

Great. You're welcome. Good to see you guys.

Kevin

So, originally, the kitchen was sort of against this wall -- a little entryway -- and the kitchen sink was kind of right

where that window is now. -Donald

Yeah.

Kevin

What are we gonna be looking at now?

Dana

When you walk in, you're gonna come by the coat closet, which you can see framed out. There are some cubbies on the opposite part of the mud room.

Mm-hmm. -Dana

There are some built-in drawers underneath that window, food pantry, and then the powder room is accessed through that doorway right there, tucked under the stairs.

Kevin

A lot of activity over there.

Mm-hmm. -Kevin

And then main feature

right here. -Donald

So, the kitchen, starting where Dana's standing, we've got the refrigerator tucked in, and then the counter turns the corner over here.

Yep. -Donald

And then, as you move along, you've got the counter with that stainless-steel sink that we saw before. The counter turns again. You've got uppers along that wall, and you're standing right where the stove and the hood will be.

Kevin

Okay.

Donald

Right here is the center island.

Kevin

Look at that.

Dana

Yes, and at the far end of the center island, you'll have your seating grouping so that you can talk to people in the living room and have --

Kevin

Basically, this entire space right here is that island.

The whole space. -Dana

Exactly. Yes.

Kevin

And you'll just sort of be looking right that way.

Right. -Kevin

I love it.

Donald

And the island faces the dining room in that area, and it's gonna -- this whole room is gonna be great.

Kevin

I love it. All right. The original sheathing on this building is just a hodgepodge of materials. Check this out. This is probably a 1x12 with a square edge. Down here, it looks like maybe a 1x6. That's tongue-and-groove. And then here, this is beadboard. And I don't know what the strap hinge -- that could have been a cabinet door. I mean, they just used whatever they had. And so, for Jeff, you're gonna have to contend with the sheathing on the old building, but first, it looks like you're gonna have to contend with some rot. Wow!

Jeff

Yeah. So, if you remember, there was a concrete stoop right here that would service this back door. And over the years, the water just came in to the inside of that stoop and, you know, rotted this sill beam right out.

Kevin

Boy, it sure did. So, this -- you've got it cut. This is coming out?

Jeff

Yep, we're gonna cut. We're gonna take this section right out.

Kevin

Just give that a little start right there. Oh, yeah. She's loose. Okay.

Jeff

And we're gonna replace this with a pressure-treated beam, which Kevin and Mary are gonna come in here with.

Kevin

I got this one. I got it. All right. So, PT for the new one. Just slide it right in?

Jeff

Well, we're gonna put a bead of expandable foam in.

Kevin

Oh, nice. So, you're making a little air seal between foundation and sill?

Jeff

Yeah, because there'll be, you know, imperfections in this concrete here, we would normally use sill seal here, but we're not gonna be able to wedge that sill seal in.

Kevin

Okay.

Jeff

Okay. Now we're gonna put this. Let me go in first, Mary.

Kevin

Got a sledge here. This helps.

Jeff

Okay. Go ahead.

Kevin

Pretty nice fit right there. So, you've got a lap joint right here. Another one's gonna continue when you take out this part of it.

Jeff

Yeah, we got to keep going, so we'll, uh -- You know, we can only lift so much of the house up at a time. And then we'll fit that next piece in.

Kevin

Beautiful. Okay.

Jeff

So, then, we're just gonna lag it in. Just gonna drive a lag right down in there. And that's gonna hold that in place.

Nice. -Kevin

Nice. So, Jeff, what is your, um, plan for the sheathing right here? I mean, sometimes in the past, we've stripped it off. Sometimes, we've just left it and put the siding right to it. What's your plan?

Jeff

So, we got two issues going on. We've got all these voids in, you know, miscellaneous sections, and we do our spray-foam insulation, we need a backer on the outside to capture that. The other thing is that we really don't have much rack strength with the way the boards are applied now. So, we're gonna fill in -- We replaced some other rotted wood here. We're gonna fill in with 1x stock to make up,

to catch up to the existing 1x. -Kevin

Yeah.

Jeff

And then we're gonna over-sheath the entire thing with 7/16 OSB. That's gonna give us that -- that boundary for the spray foam, and it's also gonna give us that rack strength

that we're looking for. -Kevin

Perfect. All right, well, it looks like your crew is standing by, ready to go. Let's get to it.

Jeff

All right. Our next cut is gonna be a rip. We want the factory side up.

Kevin

It's been just over a year since we started two projects here in Charleston, South Carolina.

Tom

We finished the single house first, and that really came out great. We hired an army of craftspeople to get this one done on time.

Kevin

The second house was in much worse shape. The owner, Judith, used to visit the home when her grandparents lived there. But for 11 years, the house was abandoned. Well, Judith and her partner decided to restore the family home. And today, we're gonna see how they've done. And look at it now, Tommy. That is an unbelievable transformation.

Tom

Sure is.

Kevin

So, the porches had to come off, but they've been rebuilt beautifully with the columns and the railings, and all the siding has been replaced or fixed.

Tom

Yeah, and new windows and new paint.

Kevin

Let's have a look inside.

All right. -Kevin

Hey!

Judith

Hey! Welcome!

Tom

Hey! How are you?

Thank you. -Tom

So nice to see you.

Good to see you. -Kevin

Good to see you, too.

Judith

Akwaaba, as we say in Ghana. Welcome.

Kevin

The house looks terrific.

Tom

Beautiful on the outside.

I'm dying to see the inside. -Judith

Yeah, you got to.

It's wonderful. -Kevin

Me, too. And I want to see the whole thing. What do you say we split up, Tommy?

All right. -Kevin

I'll take the upstairs.

Judith

Julia's upstairs. She can show you around.

Tom

All right. Show me around the first floor.

Thank you. -Tom

What a difference, huh?

Julia

Kevin!

Kevin

Hey, Julia.

Good to see you. -Kevin

Same here. You must be very excited after a long year and a lot of work.

Julia

This has been an incredible amount of work, but the transformation is amazing.

It certainly is. -Julia

Please, come on through.

Kevin

Let's see. The upstairs bedroom, right, with a little bit of history, didn't it?

Julia

Judith actually slept here with her brother and her two sisters, and I'm sure you remember the holes in the rooftop, the holes in the floor.

Kevin

You could see the sky, and the vines were growing through the roof, into the room. It was a disaster.

Julia

Absolutely, but this is a transformation.

Kevin

How will you use the space?

Julia

We're gonna use this as our -- our sanctuary, essentially. Ordinarily, you would have a master suite. This is a mistress suite. So, please, come and take a look.

Kevin

Okay.

Julia

You can see Judith here in this photograph as a baby.

Kevin

That's terrific.

Julia

We've got exposed brick here for the fireplace.

Kevin

Disabled it for wood, but you guys have added back gas,

which is nice. -Julia

Yeah. Also, take a look at the pieces of African art that Judith has bought from Charleston. We've got a beautiful chair here. We've got stools scattered around. Artwork, as well.

Kevin

Makes it feel a lot more like home, doesn't it?

Julia

Very much so. Please also take a look at our writing room. This is where we'll spend some time working here.

Awesome. -Julia

All right.

This is our bed. -Kevin

Yep.

Julia

This reminds me of Bermuda.

Kevin

It's got that sort of island feel, doesn't it?

Julia

Yes, it does. Also, the ceiling fans.

Kevin

That is great. So, another reason to make it feel like home for you.

Yes. And... -Kevin

And then, master bath.

Julia

This is my happy place.

Kevin

Is that right?

Julia

Yes. Definitely. Please look at the arches there. They're absolutely wonderful.

Kevin

High ceilings, glass door, and lots of light coming through a high window and a window on the far wall.

Julia

That's right. Look at this tub, Kevin. Isn't that amazing?

Kevin

See yourself soaking in that on a weekend.

Julia

Very much so. Sipping a mimosa, hopefully.

Okay. -Julia

Please, come through, and take a look at the best feature -- the porch.

Kevin

Okay. Whoo! Listen to the sound of the cicadas up in the trees.

Sounds of Charleston. -Kevin

Yep. Look at this.

Julia

Now, we can see ourselves spending Sunday mornings here, drinking our coffee.

Kevin

This is probably the biggest transformation. The back of the house was a disaster. A full third of it had to come off and be rebuilt, but you guys added porches that were never here -- two stories.

Julia

Exactly. It's wonderful.

Kevin

This ought to be your happy place.

Tom

Wow, Judith. What a difference, huh?

Judith

Thank you very much. It's nice and open and bright. We got brand-new windows. We lightened up the floor. And, of course, we widened this doorway.

Tom

Well, by widening this doorway, I mean, it gives a sense of a whole new size for this space.

There was a little doorway here. -Judith

That's right.

Tom

Removing this -- big difference. And you're also celebrating the hallway, too.

Judith

It's beautiful -- the wood. And, in fact, you know, we love old things, including that fireplace. We stripped it, though, repointed the bricks, got rid of the mantle, made it more modern.

Tom

I like that touch. It looks nice.

Judith

Thank you. And look at the pocket doors. We kept those.

Tom

I like the height of the pocket doors. They're great.

Judith

Same thing with this fireplace. And then we just opened up the entire dining room, which wasn't a dining room before,

you may remember. -Tom

Yeah.

It was a bathroom here. -Tom

Right.

Judith

And this used to be the kitchen.

Tom

Yeah? Oh, yeah! The kitchen was right over here.

Judith

Absolutely. Now it's a mother-in-law suite. We're hoping my mother comes often. And we made this, really, for her --

light and bright and airy. -Tom

It's a great suite. You have a big bathroom right there, too, for her.

Judith

And especially for her, the piazza and the garden. We made a magical space for her.

Tom

Yeah, this is a big piazza.

Judith

My mother loves gardens. We go all over the world in search of beautiful things and gardens, and this one's for her. You'll see her wrought-iron table and chairs. We have all kinds of color, including the red -- bit of surprise.

Tom

Yeah, and it's a beautiful wall. And I love the hole in the wall. Nice touch.

Judith

And this is our kitchen, the soul of our house.

Tom

And it's beautiful. What was your inspiration for the kitchen?

Judith

We wanted a really big island.

Tom

Well, you have that.

Judith

Industrial sink and faucet.

Tom

You got that,

too. -Judith

Quartz countertops.

Tom

Quartz countertops, and you have a waterfall edge on each side that runs all the way down to the floor. And I noticed you picked a different color for the island.

Judith

Bermuda blue.

Tom

Lot of storage in this kitchen.

Judith

We do, because Julia loves everything hidden away --

clean and simple. -Tom

All right. Nice. And what's the idea of this right here?

Judith

Double spice racks, baby.

Tom

Whoa! Spicy food.

Kevin

Julia heard her name, and she came running.

Didn't want to miss a party. -Judith

She heard the food.

Kevin

So, we're here a year later, maybe a bit longer than everyone expected, but we're here and finished. And you're back in the family homestead. How does it feel?

Julia

It feels amazing. It is a beautiful home.

Judith

I'm proud and honored to bring you here,

share it with you. -Julia

Thank you.

Judith

And grateful for all the people who helped us.

Kevin

You had quite a bunch of people helping you, and we've got to thank them, as well. Lindsay, we've got Bridges and Jeff, our general contractors. We thank you very much.

Judith

We have Brian and Andrew, as well.

Kevin

All the local help that helped us navigate Charleston, get us through this, and you guys stuck with it to the bitter end, so we appreciate that. Thank you very much. And you all ready for a party?

Judith

Yeah.

Kevin

All right, well, we are gonna go to a party. But next week, we're gonna be back in Jamestown, Rhode Island, so for all of us here, signing off for the last time in Charleston, South Carolina, I'm Kevin O'Connor for "This Old House," and it's time for a wrap party. Congratulations, everybody. Well done. Next time, on "This Old House"... So, uh, this is the design team, huh? Mother and daughter. How does that work?

Dana

My mom's an interior designer, and she's got great taste. And she's always my sounding board, so she's here helping to make these really important decisions.

Woman

And to me, it's like jewelry for the home.

Dana

Absolutely.

Tom

And we're gonna show you an energy-efficient way to expose these rafter tails.

Jeff

Okay. Now come to me.

Norm

That's next time on "This Old House."