This Old House

Kevin

Today on "This Old House"... It's tile day in the kitchen.

Roger

We got to get the water out into the lawn, away from the house, so we're gonna put in a system of pipe that will carry the water to a dry well.

Tom

We're getting close to the end, and we got to get these kitchen cabinets in.

Kevin

This season, we're in Detroit, Michigan, tackling two different projects. Oh, my word.

Tom

If this house is gonna be saved, this is one less that we have to tear down. Frank, you are a brave man to take on this project. You excited?

Frank

Yeah, we're eager to get started.

Kevin

A Detroit family found a home with lots of potential. Now they're planning on doing most of the work themselves, but "This Old House" is here to help out. Now, what have you found up here?

Tom

Well, a bit of a surprise.

Tamiko

I can't wait to see what the finished product is gonna be.

Kevin

Hi, there. I'm Kevin O'Connor, and welcome back to "This Old House" here in Detroit, where we are working on two projects. And this is one of them. We are in the Grandmont Rosedale part of the city, and this house, like so many in the city, was abandoned for many years. But thanks to a joint venture with the city and some private corporations, we are bringing this house back. And we are trying to stop any further decay on this block. Now, for the past several months, we have been working hard to undo the damage that Mother Nature wrought on this house. And on the outside, well, it's looking pretty good. And on the inside, well, we got a lot going on in there, too. Hey,

Terry. Terry

Hey, Kevin.

Kevin

The kitchen is one of the last big projects we have in this house. Hey, Darrick, good to see you again.

Darrick

Hey, what's going on, Kevin? How you doing today?

Kevin

I'm doing all right. So I tell you, this is a huge transformation. This was one of the worst kitchens I had ever seen. And you've brought it a long way.

Darrick

I would second that. That is one of the worst kitchens I have. But the thing is I like taking these kind of challenges on because the fact is, what happens is I like to see something old and turn it so something new.

Kevin

So one of the things you promised is that you would open up these two rooms, kitchen and dining room. And you obviously did that.

Darrick

You know, but what it is, that changes the dating of the house. And now the house is more open, more modern. It got an open-kitchen concept. And you see, we got brand-new kitchen cabinets.

We put crown molding on here. Kevin

Sure.

Darrick

We got the larger 18x18 tiles.

Kevin

You like the big ones?

Darrick

Yeah, it gives us more of a custom look. Instead of doing our standard style, we did the brick paver style, so that way, it's a little staggered look. It gives a better situation. And then, of course, we finish off with a nice piece of granite.

Kevin

So you do a ton of these.

You really know what sells. Darrick

That's correct.

Kevin

Is this the package that people like?

Darrick

This is like

the SE package of a car. Kevin

Is that right?

Darrick

This is the best package you could have.

Kevin

Okay, so the appliances have yet to go in. We've got stainless sink, appliances there. But these guys are getting ready to set the last few pieces. I guess we could watch that go in.

Darrick

Yeah, they're putting the last pieces in right now.

Kevin

And the backsplash, nice. All right. How does this look to you?

Darrick

Man, it looks absolutely gorgeous.

Kevin

Yeah, it does. I tell you, a family is gonna be very happy moving into this space.

Darrick

I can see that.

Kevin

You guys are moving along. So what is left before this house is done?

Darrick

Three simple things. We got polyurethane for the floors. We got to do some exterior landscaping, and some minor touch-ups, and that's it.

Kevin

All right, you guys are moving along. So I've got another project to check out. But, hopefully, next time we see you, you are walking through here with Realtors

and potential buyers. Darrick

That's the goal.

Kevin

All right, thanks, Darrick. One of the signature features of our house here in the Russell Woods neighborhood is this front bay window. Hey, Frank, how are ya?

Frank

Good morning, Kevin.

Kevin

So it used to have five leaded-glass windows in here. But, unfortunately, after years of water damage, they got pretty beat up. So we pulled them out, and we had a local window expert, Ann Baxter, take them to her shop and fix them for us. She cleaned them, she re-soldered them, she even re-glazed them where necessary. And then she had a welder friend fix the frames for us. And that means that today, we can put the windows back in. Hey, Josh, hey,

Tommy. Tom

Hey, Kevin.

Kevin

So I saw the rot on this one window here to the right. I mean, there was a hole in the ceiling, and that one was really in bad shape. How bad was the rot on the rest?

Josh

Well, me and Frank had to rip everything out of this whole bay window.

Kevin

All of it, huh?

Josh

All of it. In fact, we went all the way down to the rim joists in some areas, and all we had was top soil.

Tom

So Josh re-framed everything for the new window openings, repaired everything. And now we're ready to install the new windows. We've got our waterproofing on the outside and we've got a backer rod on the bottom, ready to set the window on.

Kevin

And let's look at the window job that Ann did. I mean, check this out. This is one of the original frames, welded back, nice and sturdy. It's got a beautiful paint job on it.

Tom

Yeah, and look at the leaded glass

window here. Kevin

Wow.

Tom

She's got this all cleaned up, beautiful, both on the inside and the outside. But look at the head glass that goes up here

over the casement window. Kevin

Beautiful.

Tom

She rebuilt and repaired the broken glass. I mean, look at the lead job. It looks like it's brand-new. She repaired a lot of the joints that was needed.

Kevin

She is an artist. And we're not gonna break these putting them back in.

Tom

No, we are definitely not gonna do it.

Kevin

So what is the process for putting them back in, Tommy?

Tom

Well, like I say, we've got our backer rod on the bottom. So now what we're gonna do is we're gonna take our steel frames, drop them in on top of the backer rod, adjust them in the opening, and we're ready to go. So we're on the mark out there?

Josh

Yeah, we are.

Tom

All right, let's get that small level and see how it is across the bottom.

Josh

Looks good.

Tom

And now we're centered there. Why don't we check the side, see how plumb we are. Should be good if we're level. Look at that. Now we're ready to screw the frame into the opening. I'm gonna screw it right here on the side. Now there's a gap between the rough opening and the frame. And I don't want to pull the frame over tight to that gap. So I'm putting a little bit of a filler in there. Now I can screw tight to that.

Josh

Good?

Tom

Yep. All right, this frame's in. Let's get all the frames in before we set the glass. All right, so I'll take it. Push it in the bead. Are you ready?

Josh

Yeah, hold it up here at the top.

Tom

Pull it up just a little. There you go. All right, so hold that in there like that. All right. Now I got to get these little springs on to hold it in place. This leg goes against the lead, and then I got to take this part of it, and push this leg into the hole of the steel frame. There it is, right there. All right, perfect. So now on this side, it goes just the opposite. One goes down, one goes up. You know what the cool thing is, Josh, these little springs, Frank was able to save them. I think they're original to the window.

Josh

Those are original?

Tom

I think so.

Wow. Tom

Pretty clever.

Josh

I can't put a hand on it, so...

Tom

Okay. Nice.

Josh

I got the top.

Tom

Hold it up there. Wow, Josh, these look great.

Josh

Yeah, these look awesome.

Tom

Yeah. All right. So now, once the glazing dries on the outside, we can put a second coat around the windows to hold them in. And we still have top put that PVC trim where the windows meet those concrete mulls.

Josh

Then we'll paint and we'll be done.

Sounds like a plan. Josh

Great job.

Tom

All right.

Kevin

So what have you got going on in the kitchen?

Josh

Well, we have the board up, and we're getting the tile in today.

Kevin

Well, that is a sign of progress, when the board goes up, huh? Hey, Frank.

Frank

Hey, how's it going, guys?

Kevin

All right. So what did you choose for tile?

Frank

We chose this Brazilian ebony. It's like a simulated wood pattern.

Kevin

Yeah.

Frank

But in porcelain for durability and to facilitated a heated floor.

Kevin

Yeah, so that's a nice look. I mean, this is actually becoming pretty popular, tile that looks like wood. And the pattern you guys chose? Excuse me.

Frank

We chose a brick pattern going in the opposite direction of the adjoining rooms to give this room an identity of its own.

Kevin

Beautiful. All right. So we're familiar with this. This looks new, though. What do you got going here for the underlayment?

Josh

Well, this is a different type of underlayment. It's a D-coupling membrane.

Kevin

Whoa. Mouthful there.

Yeah. Kevin

What does that mean?

Josh

Well, it basically separates the subfloor from the tile.

Kevin

'Cause we would never put the tile directly on the OSB subfloor.

Josh

No, that would crack.

It would not be a good product. Kevin

Okay. So allows expansion and contraction. Is it waterproof as well?

Josh

Yeah, if we were to take this and band it on the edges, we'll have a completely waterproof room.

Kevin

Nice. Now, Frank, you said we had heat going in this floor. What are we putting down for heat?

Josh

Well, this wire right here snaps directly into the membrane itself.

Kevin

Oh, look at that.

Josh

With an integrated heat system.

Kevin

That is awesome. So a little electrical wire, just sort of wherever the feet are gonna be in this room,

and we're off to the races. Josh

Yes, sir.

Kevin

What is the process at this stage?

Josh

We have all these indentations in our membrane, and we need to fill all of those with the back of our trowel,

the flat side of our trowel. Kevin

Yeah.

Josh

Once those are filled, we can take our quarter-inch trowel, go over the top of it, just like normal... And then back-butter our tile, set it in.

Kevin

And we're talking just regular thin-set at this stage.

Josh

This is regular thin-set.

Kevin

So, Frank, this is one of the first finishes that's going back down in your house. What do you think?

Frank

I like it. Once we get some cabinets in and some paint, we should have a pretty good contrast going on in here.

Kevin

All right. So, Josh, a couple more tiles to lay, and then what's next?

Josh

Well, we're gonna let it set up, and tomorrow, we'll grout it. Some cabinets in here and we'll have a finished kitchen.

Kevin

All right, I love it. Good progress, guys. As hundreds of buildings in the city of Detroit continue to be demolished, it raises the question, what will happen with all of this open space? One lot, like this one, where a high rise once stood, has been turned into a public park. Across town, an artist has transformed several lots into an art installation using scavenged items. Some people call it art, some people call it trash. And not far from here, an abandoned rail line has been reopened as a public greenway. But one use for all of this open space that's gaining momentum is urban farming. And, today, I meet up with Roger Cook to learn more.

Roger

So you been doing a lot of work here.

Kevin

Roger, good to see you in Detroit!

Roger

Hey, Kev. Kevin, I want you to meet Molly.

Hey. Kevin

Molly.

Nice to meet you. Molly

Good to meet you, too.

Roger

Molly purchased this house and five of the lots around it. And now she's built a garden on it.

Kevin

Wow, five lots, huh?

You got a lot of land downtown. Molly

It's a lot, yeah.

Kevin

So how do you get your hands on five lots?

Molly

Well, we actually acquired our properties from the Detroit Land Bank, through their Adjacent Lot program. Each of our five lots were $100 each.

Kevin

$100 for a lot in a city. That is amazing.

Molly

Exactly.

Roger

Yeah, there's still a lot of work required to get to get it to be a usable vegetable garden. There were houses here. So the first thing I'd like to see is a soil test done.

Molly

Absolutely. So if you're gonna be growing food, got to make sure that you test for contamination

as well as fertility. Kevin

Right. And so you're obviously growing stuff,

so you're not contaminated. Molly

Correct.

Kevin

Do you have good soil, because, as you say, it was a house lot at one point.

Molly

Exactly. So what we had to do in order to be successful was actually add a lot of compost and organic material to our soils.

Roger

Good stuff, yeah.

Kevin

And what are your crops? What do you got going on in here?

Molly

So many things. So we grow all of our favorite stuff. A lot of winter squash, salad greens, kale. But one of our favorite things

is definitely our tomatoes. Kevin

Mm-hmm.

Roger

You are loaded with tomatoes.

Molly

Loaded, yes.

All right. Molly

Yeah.

Kevin

Well, it's a beautiful garden. Congrats. We appreciate you showing us around.

Molly

Well, thank you very much. Thanks for coming down.

Thank you so much. Kevin

Thanks, Molly. Bye.

Roger

Kevin, this is a little different than Molly's. This is a working market farm in the middle of the city. Hi,

Jerry Anne. Jerry Ann

Hi, welcome.

Roger

Thanks for having us out on a beautiful rainy day.

Jerry Ann

Yes, we love the rain.

Kevin

So tell us about your operation here.

This is impressive. Jerry Ann

Thank you. We're very proud of this space. We started running the Oakland Avenue Urban Farm back in 2008 at a time when there were no shopping opportunities for people in community that were healthy. So how do we address that need, and how do we do it in a way the community wants it? So we brought them in, started talking about it. Today, eight years later, we're over 50 lots in ownership, and we're on a 4.8 acre footprint.

Wow. Roger

That's a farm.

Jerry Ann

It is a farm. The city says it is a farm.

Roger

Well, you want to show us the other part of the garden?

Jerry Ann

Come on.

Roger

Wow! You've got a greenhouse right in the middle of the city.

Jerry Ann

Right.

Roger

What are you growing in here now?

Jerry Ann

We have spinach, and we have Swiss chard. This year, we decided to experiment with some other crops, so we have some late tomatoes, some peppers, and we're even trying to learn to grow hibiscus plants.

Kevin

Hmm. And so you're able now to grow throughout most of the year because of the greenhouse?

Jerry Ann

Absolutely. So in Michigan, we get about six good months of growing season. With a hoop house, we can extend it to 10 to maybe 11 months of growing.

Kevin

Nice. So how big is your operation throughout the whole farm, and what's your output?

Jerry Ann

We're growing somewhere between 8,000 and 11,000 pounds

of food a year. Kevin

Wow.

Jerry Ann

Depending on the year. And at farmers' markets, which we have seven of them during the week, we're seeing somewhere between 400 to 600 people a week.

Kevin

A lot of people are using this. Well, to our eyes, it looks like you guys have got it figured out. This place looks great. Congrats.

Jerry Ann

Thank you,

thank you. Kevin

No, thank you. At a repurposed vacant lot in the heart of the city, we spoke with Trish Hubble, director of the Greening of Detroit. At this urban farm, they have an apprentice program that provides over 900 hours of hands-on training in farming and agriculture.

Trish

In fact, one of our apprentices from a couple years ago now runs the site.

Meet Romondo. Kevin

Hey, Romondo.

Roger

Hey,

Romondo. Romondo

Hey, how you doing?

Good. Roger

So tell me, what do you think of this whole apprenticeship program?

Romondo

I enjoy the apprenticeship, the two years that I was here. I enjoy it even more now the fact that, you know, I'm teaching the apprenticeship program and actually one of the managers of it.

Roger

Oh, that's great.

Romondo

Yeah, it feels great to be from the city and able to have that chance and show these follow Detroiters how to live sustainable and grow their own produce.

Roger

Well, it's obvious you have a green thumb.

Romondo

Oh, thank you, man. I like to think of it as a green mind.

Green mind. Romondo

Yes, sir.

Kevin

So what do you think this means to the people of Detroit, to the folks who live here, to have these farms all throughout the city?

Romondo

I think it's great for the city to be able to have access to, you know, fresh produce and be able to take the initiative to be able to grow exactly what they like in their homes.

Kevin

Well, from what we've seen, I mean, there is definitely something going on in Detroit with urban farming. So thanks for what you guys do.

And for showing us around. Romondo

Hey, no problem.

Thanks. Trish

Thank you.

Roger

Cauliflower looking good.

Romondo

Yeah, it will be ready at the end of next month.

Kevin

We laid down the floor tile in the kitchen a few days ago, and that means that it is all set up and we can walk on it. So it is time to install all of our new kitchen cabinets. And, Tommy, I presume you have a plan.

Tom

I do have a plan. First thing I want to do is remove the doors so we can put the cabinets together.

Kevin

Yeah.

Tom

Now, the idea of it is you and I are gonna work on this wall right here. Josh and Frank are getting ready to set up. They're gonna do the cabinets over there.

Kevin

Okay, want to start with the uppers?

Tom

Yeah, we'll start with the uppers. What I want to do is I want to put these three units together,

and we'll put it up as one. Kevin

All right. I'll get this door somewhere safe.

Tom

Okay, good.

Kevin

Last week, we put on some new gutters, and those are gonna go a long way to help us with our water problem and getting the water away from this house. But, Frank, we still have a little bit of a water problem in the basement, and when we got here, you had a big water problem.

Frank

Yeah, it's gotten a lot better. It used to be the old gutter system drained into these old

sewer lines here. Kevin

Right.

Frank

We pulled the old gutters out, capped them off with cement. Noticed the water problem started to subside a bit.

Kevin

Right. But we're still gonna have a lot of water coming off this roof, and we do want to get it away from the house. Right, Roger?

Roger

Right. And one of the issues where you are, Kevin, there's a hump. And you can see there's a low spot trapping water

in against the house. Kevin

Yeah, okay.

Roger

And over here, we have a downspout that's coming out right at the foundation. Now, that water is just gonna wash down and do damage to the brick and the mortar.

Kevin

So got to do some grading, but we also got to do what, with these gutters?

Roger

We got to get the water out into the lawn, away from the house. So we're gonna put in a system of pipe that will carry the water to a dry well.

Kevin

Nice.

Roger

A little digging involved, and we're fortunate we got volunteers here today. Mike and Joe are gonna start digging first.

Kevin

Yeah, well, I love to see the volunteers. And I love to see the heavy equipment. We ready to dig?

Roger

We are, Kevin, because we called ahead and had the gas line marked out. So now we are ready to dig and safe to dig.

Kevin

Nice. All right.

Engine starts

Kevin

So that's our tank there, Roger?

Roger

That's the tank, a 50-gallon tank.

Kevin

So how are you deciding how big of a tank we need for our house?

Roger

Well, there's a formula to figure out how many gallons you're gonna have, and that starts by measuring the roof. We know our roof here is 30x40, so that's 1,200 square feet. But we divide that in half because we've already put a tank out in back. And that leaves us 600 square feet.

Kevin

So how does 600 square feet of roof translate in terms of gallons of water in a rain storm?

Roger

Well, there's a formula. So we're gonna use 600 square feet times.62. And during a one-inch storm, that's how many gallons you get, is over 300 gallons.

Kevin

So it's like 360 gallons, but you got a 50-gallon tank. So in a once-inch storm, we're in trouble, or what?

Roger

One-inch storm is a massive storm, and not the average you're gonna get.

Right. Roger

But we have 50 gallons, plus what we leach in the trench. We'll have to leach out around the tank.

Kevin

Yeah, so this is a perf pipe. So we're gonna lose some water there, we're gonna lose a lot of water in the hole.

Roger

Yep. And then what's gonna happen is we're gonna put a cap on this that when it fills up, the water will come out, and it will go down on the grass, away from the house. The key is we're getting all this water away from the house.

Kevin

So even in a massive storm now, the water is gonna be out here and not in there. So this is gonna be a big improvement.

Roger

Gonna make a big difference for it. Let's put some stone on top of it, guys.

Kevin

Okay, Roger. I have got your pop-top.

Roger

Now, this is gonna sit on top of your tank. If your tank ever fills with water, it will take and open up, and allow that water to escape out onto the lawn. And, then afterwards, it will close and then no leaves or debris will get in there, and it will work fine for you.

Kevin

All right. So a little more stone in here.

Roger

Yep. Flip the fabric over, put some soil on top, and we are done.

Kevin

All right, well, we are gonna keep working in the kitchen. We got some work to do in there. But thanks for this.

Roger

You're welcome.

Kevin

All right. Frank, you're with me.

Tom

All right, all the cabinets are in. The island looks good. Now I know we had to get these in today because tomorrow, the guys are gonna come to template for the countertops. Have you chosen one yet?

Frank

Oh, we chose a quartz countertop. We've got a few color choices and patterns. I'm sure we'll come up with something.

Tom

Well, great, great.

Kevin

So, with these cabinets in, that means we are making some really good progress, getting close to the end. What's left on the list before you guys can move in?

Frank

We've got some bathrooms to finish up. We've got a few outdoor things to take care of before the weather gets too cold. And, you know, a few finishing touches here and there. We've got to do the floors and have them refinished.

Tom

And then we'll be painting.

Yep. Tom

Then we'll be painting.

Kevin

Well, we're gonna keep at it. So until next time, I'm Kevin O'Connor.

Josh

I'm Josh Engle.

I'm Frank Polk. Tom

And Tom Silva.

Kevin

For "This Old House" here in Detroit. Next time on "This Old House"...

Mike

Come springtime, the seams will blend right in, and you're gonna have a great lawn.

Kevin

Looks fantastic. Cannot thank you enough for throwing in, Mike.

Tom

Time to start closing off these rooms upstairs by hanging some new doors.

Frank

Oh, it's perfect.

Kevin

Our master bathroom starts to come together with a new shower, tub, and toilet. And the whole family pitches in to start painting the house.

Norm

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