This Old House

Kevin: Today on "This Old House," Walpole, Massachusetts, a suburb south of Boston, that a former active-duty military family now calls home.

And after four years in their '70s ranch, they'll expand in more ways than one, embracing a building trend that aims to make housing more affordable and more available.

[ Blues music plays ] Man: Got it?

Man: Ahh.

That's it.

[ Pipe squeaking ] [ Power tools whirring ] [ Mid-tempo music plays ] Kevin: Welcome to Walpole, Massachusetts, home to the final project of Season 47 of "This Old House."

It's a suburb 18 miles south of Boston and 30 miles north of Providence, Rhode Island, this 300-year-old town is home to 26,000 residents who love their quintessential New England community, residents like our homeowners, who want to renovate their ranch house but also want to find a solution to accommodate some family members who are getting older.

Well, the rest of the gang is already poking about, so it's time I join them and also get a chance to meet our family.

-[ Chuckling ] Hey.

– Dan: Hey.

– Jill: How are you?

– Dan: Kevin, how's it going?

Kevin: Hey, nice to meet you.

It's going well.

– Dan: Yeah.

– Kevin: I'm excited to be here.

Dan: Yeah.

Welcome to the house.

Kevin: Thank you very much.

I'm dying to see the house and to learn more about it.

But, first, I want to learn about you guys.

How did we end up in Walpole?

Dan: For about 10 years, we were in the military -- active duty.

– Kevin: What branch?

– Dan: Air Force.

Kevin: Alright.

Dan: So I flew active duty for the Air Force.

And then it was time to find a hometown and basically settle down.

And so I got out, and I'm flying now for the Air National Guard.

Kevin: Oh, so you're still flying, right?

– Dan: Mm-hmm.

– Kevin: And why here?

This was a good spot for National Guard or...?

Jill: Yeah, so, my parents are about 25 minutes away, which is great because we've got two little kids, so it's really nice to be close to family.

Kevin: Yeah, nice, and can always be a big help.

– Jill: Mm-hmm.

– Dan: Very much so.

Kevin: Alright.

So kids love the house.

You guys love the house and the town.

– Dan: And the town.

– Jill: We do.

We do.

We've been here for about four years, and we really love it here.

So we thought it was time to do a little bit of a renovation and just update a little bit.

Kevin: Yeah.

Okay.

And when was the house built?

– Dan: In 1971.

Kevin: A classic year for ranches.

Dan: Great year.

Great year for ranches.

Kevin: No, it's true.

That's awesome.

Alright.

Well, I guess let's meet the star of the show.

-Can you guys give me a tour?

– Dan: Absolutely, I can.

– Jill: Alright.

Come on in.

– Dan: Let's go in it.

Kevin: I mean, you guys are the stars, but just so you know... [ Laughter ] -Dan: Yeah, it feels like it.

– Kevin: I'm a house guy.

Dan: Yeah.

Alright.

Welcome.

Kevin: Thank you very much.

Dan: Here it is.

This is the entryway and living-room area.

Kevin: Alright, so how do you -- Oh.

Who's this?

Dan: Oh, this is Scout.

Kevin: [ Chuckles ] Don't get up, Scout.

Dan: [ Chuckles ] Yeah, she's not going to.

Kevin: Living room -- how do you guys use this room?

Dan: So, this is just where we get to hang out.

We get to read.

Primarily, it's the dog's sleeping room, but when we get to use it, we watch TV or read books, and my son and daughter play piano here.

Kevin: So it is not the formal living room that is off limits.

You guys use it a lot.

Jill: No, not at all.

We spend a lot of time here.

We've got LEGOs under the couch.

We're here all the time.

Kevin: Have you done anything to it since you've moved in, or has it been pretty much like this?

Dan: Oh, we've painted it and then had the floors refinished, but other than that, not a lot.

But we are doing some changes.

Kevin: So what are those?

Dan: We're going to add a front porch onto the front, so it sort of creates a barrier between us and the main road out there and provides a nice balance to the front of the house.

– Kevin: Smart.

Yeah.

– Dan: And then in here, we're actually going to take a wall down and join it with the kitchen and dining room -- so that wall right there, and we're going to take that wall down and move the stairs so you have a nice common living space and then vault the ceiling up to about nine feet.

Kevin: Oh, very nice.

Yeah.

Because that's not that tall.

Dan: [ Laughs ] No, I'm not that tall, and I almost hit this.

Kevin: Yeah.

Okay.

So that goes up.

– Kevin: Alright.

– Jill: Yep.

Kevin: Popcorn ceiling, reminiscent of the '70s.

– Dan: Oh, yeah.

– Kevin: Got a ranch feel to it.

– Dan: Very classy.

– Kevin: And through here?

Jill: Yep.

This is our dining room.

This is really our only eating space.

So we're in here all the time, all our meals, coloring puzzles -- everything like that.

So we use the space a lot.

Kevin: It's in great shape.

I mean, the walls are crisp, the floors look nice, as you say.

-Love the view to the backyard.

– Dan: Yeah.

– Kevin: Looks like a good lot.

– Dan: Absolutely.

Actually, a big change here is gonna -- this will become a three-panel sliding glass door.

So this is going to be a large patio outside that joins up with the additions that we're putting on.

And then these walls are going to come down.

It'll just be an open space to go outdoor entertain.

Kevin: Access to the backyard is terrific.

Open floor plan -- very popular.

Jill: Mm-hmm.

Kevin: And opening it up to -- looks like the kitchen.

Dan: Yeah, the kitchen.

Come on in and check it out.

– Jill: So, here's our kitchen.

– Kevin: Mm-hmm.

Jill: Pretty much just like how we found it.

We just added some paint to the walls.

Kevin: Okay, so again, it's got that '70s look.

Jill: It does.

Dan: Very much so.

Jill: It does.

It's pretty small, a little tight.

It's kind of closed off from the rest of the house, but we've got some plans.

Kevin: I'd love to hear the plans.

-What are you thinking?

– Dan: Right.

Yeah.

We're going to have a kitchen island right here.

So these walls are going to come down, like we talked about, to connect the -- Kevin: Living room?

Dan: That's going to be the living room on the other side of the stairwell.

And then this wall here is going to come down to connect to the dining room.

And we'll have an island here to sort of visually separate those two spaces.

Kevin: Update counters, cabinets, and stuff.

– Jill: Update everything, yep.

– Kevin: Right.

Yeah.

Jill: And we're excited for that.

But can I show you the part that drives me the most crazy about this?

Kevin: Dying to see the part that drives you the most crazy.

What do you got?

Jill: So we park in the garage, and when we come in with groceries, we have to go through a series of doors and steps.

-So it's a big pain point.

– Kevin: Ah.

Yeah.

So one door into the other choke point, and plus you got stairs going to...?

Jill: The basement.

Kevin: Okay, so you're going to fix this?

Jill: We are.

We've got plans to fix this.

Dan: Yeah.

The plans to fix this are going to be all here in the laundry room.

Kevin: Alright.

After you.

Let's have a look at the existing laundry room.

Dan: So, we have a step-down there.

So we're going to get rid of that.

Everything's going to be on level.

– Kevin: Yeah.

– Dan: And the plan here is basically to have this wall that's behind me go back about eight feet.

And along with the garage wall, allows for a two-car garage, a bigger mudroom and laundry room, And then, right back out here where you see that three-season porch, we're going to have a bump-out for about eight feet.

So that's going to allow us for room for this washer-dryer, a half bath, and access to the backyard so people can get in and out and use the bathroom and then stairwell down to the basement using the existing bulkhead door.

Kevin: So reconfiguring the traffic for most of the house, and is the idea that you now enter through the garage into the mudroom -- primary entry into the house?

– Dan: Exactly.

– Kevin: Makes sense, right?

I mean, that's how you guys live your lives.

– Jill: Mm-hmm.

– Kevin: Alright.

And the sleeping quarters -- on a ranch, I presume this floor?

Dan: Yeah.

They're on the other side of the house.

– Kevin: After you.

– Jill: Let's go ahead.

Dan: Alright, so these are the -- the kids' bedrooms.

These are going to remain largely unchanged.

So we have one and two.

Kevin: Roger that.

Dan: But the big change is going to happen here in the kids' bathroom.

Kevin: Okay.

Dan: So, right now, this is the only full bathroom on this floor.

Kevin: So it's not just the kids' bathroom now -- it's everyone's.

Dan: Everyone's bathroom right now.

And so we're hoping to change that.

And so, for them, we're going to give them a bigger bathroom.

So we're going to take this wall and push it back.

So that's going to be even with the shower stall there.

Kevin: So you're going to take this space here.

Dan: Exactly.

And then we'll have a toilet room here, basically a water closet.

So you'll be able to use the bathroom here in that room, and then have the double vanity still usable there.

Kevin: So make it so they can both use it at the same time.

And are you going to upgrade fixtures and stuff, maybe finish jobs, as well?

Dan: [ Chuckling ] Right.

Yeah.

So, that was some home repair started, and then the tiles started falling off the wall.

So we're going to fix that whole thing.

Kevin: That's alright.

Shows that you're intrepid.

Okay.

So if you're no longer going to share this bathroom, I presume you're going to pick up a bathroom for yourself somewhere.

Dan: Absolutely.

So, some of that space is going to come from our primary bathroom here.

Kevin: Okay.

Oh, yeah.

Alright.

Jill: Yeah.

So here's our primary bedroom.

As you can see, it's a pretty good space, but there are just a couple things that we would like to fix.

Right now, we're sharing one closet.

– Kevin: [ Gasps ] -Dan: Mm.

– Kevin: [ Whispering ] Fights!

– Jill: I know.

[ Laughter ] So over where Dan's standing, we're going to put in a big walk-in closet.

The other thing is, right here, we have a very, very small half bath.

Kevin: Oh.

Jill: And it bumps into that full.

Kevin: So that was the space I saw next to the shower that you're going to take back.

– Jill: Exactly.

– Dan: Exactly.

So we're getting rid of that entirely.

And to fix that, we're going to have a primary bathroom right behind where Jill is there, the doorway that's going to have its own water closet, its own double vanity, and then its own shower with a double showerhead.

Kevin: So you are pushing out into the backyard a little bit?

Jill: Yes.

Kevin: So what is the square footage now?

Dan: The square footage now is 1,300 square feet.

Kevin: And you're going to... Dan: We're going to add about 300 square feet to that with the closet, the bathroom, and the bump-out from the laundry room.

Kevin: So not a lot of additional space, but if done well and some traffic reconfiguration could have a huge impact on how you live in the house.

– Dan: Absolutely.

– Jill: Yeah.

It's going to solve a lot of our problems.

Kevin: Awesome.

Alright.

Well, one problem that I think Richard's going to want to talk to you about is your "HVAC."

– Jill: [ Laughs ] -Dan: [ Laughs ] Yeah, exactly.

Kevin: So you can meet with him.

And one good problem is that big backyard, which I know Jenn wants to talk to you about.

So, who's going to -- you and Jenn?

Jill: I'm gonna go see Jenn.

Mm-hmm.

– Dan: I'll go see Richard.

– Jill: Alright, let's go.

-Jenn: Hey, Jill.

– Jill: Hey, Jenn.

How are you?

Jenn: Good.

Nice to see you again.

Jill: Good to see you, too.

Jenn: So, you want to tell me a little bit about what's going on here?

-Good morning, guys.

– Jill: Sure.

– Alice: Morning.

– Jill: These are my kids.

-This is Alice... -Jenn: Hi, Alice.

– Alice: Hi.

– Jill: ...and Oliver.

Jenn: Nice to meet you guys.

How's it going?

– Oliver: Good.

– Alice: Good.

Jenn: You want to tell me about your incredible yard?

It's so big.

Jill: We love this space.

It's just over half an acre, and it was a huge selling point for us when we bought the house.

You can see our kids have a trampoline.

They've got a ninja slackline in the back, a "Ninja Warrior" course over here to play on, -and we really love this space.

– Jenn: Yeah.

Jill: We love having people over and entertaining back here.

Jenn: Well, there's lots of opportunity to do that.

And, Oliver, what do you want in your new backyard?

Oliver: I'd like a place by myself where I can garden.

Jenn: Okay.

What kind of gardening?

What do you want to do?

Oliver: Maybe like a raised flower bed where I can plant wildflowers and cucumbers.

Jenn: Oh, that sounds so fun.

I mean, so, you have all this open space.

-There's full sun.

– Oliver: Yes.

Jenn: We could do a raised bed, and we can incorporate whatever veggies, herbs, cut flowers that you can bring to your mom.

And then maybe we'll put up a little protection for the wildlife and your sister.

-[ Chuckles ] -Oliver: Yeah.

Jenn: So I love that idea.

Alice, what about you?

Alice: I want a space where I can play with my friends and family because my grandparents are moving in!

Jenn: Your grandparents are moving in?!

Jill, your parents?

Jill: My parents are moving in.

They live about 25 minutes from here.

And as they're getting older, they're looking to downsize.

So we're going to add on an ADU for them.

Jenn: An accessory dwelling unit.

Jill: An accessory dwelling unit, yeah.

The state just passed legislation, so it'll be about 900 square feet.

We plan on bumping out the primary.

Jenn: Okay.

Jill: And this will be a shared wall right here.

All this will be ADU.

– Jenn: Okay.

– Jill: The shed will come down.

They will have two bathrooms and a bedroom.

They'll have an exterior entrance so they can come and go as they please.

and it'll actually be the first ADU in Walpole.

– Jenn: Oh, that's exciting.

– Jill: [ Chuckles ] Jenn: So then we discuss how to incorporate the landscape to bring those two spaces together, right?

Jill: Exactly.

Jenn: Anything else on the wish list?

Alice: Well, I want to have fire pits with the patio.

Jenn: Okay, we can incorporate that in.

And then it could be a perfect shared space with your entrance from over here and then from your grandparents'.

You could come together.

Jill: We would love that.

We love being out here.

We love inviting people to our outdoor space.

-So we're excited.

– Jenn: Right.

And to have an area where all your friends could run around and all the parents can get together -- there's nothing better than that.

– Jill: Sounds great.

– Jenn: So, alright.

So let's get our thinking hats on, and we could all come up with a plan together.

-Sound good?

– Oliver: Yep.

– Jenn: Awesome.

– Alice: Mm-hmm.

Dan: Well, Richard, welcome to the 1970s basement.

– Richard: Wow.

I love it.

– Dan: Traveling back in time.

– Richard: I love it.

– Dan: Yeah.

– Richard: It's basementy.

– Dan: It is very basementy.

It's very basementy.

We like the wood paneling.

We kind of like the old look.

Richard: What do we got here?

Are you military?

Dan: Yeah.

So, I flew airplanes for active duty for 12 years, and now I fly for the Guard.

Richard: What did you fly?

Dan: I flew B-52s for the Air Force.

– Richard: The big boy.

– Dan: And now I fly C-130s.

Richard: Wow.

I'd love to fly in one of those someday.

– Dan: Yeah, yeah.

– Richard: I'm not gonna try that on.

I know how my head is too big.

– Dan: Yeah.

I understand.

Richard: This is all your places you've been?

Dan: Yeah.

These are the patches of the places I've been, units I've worked with, things like that.

So it kind of shows where I've been around the world.

Richard: Dan, you've been around.

Looks like you've been to Germany, too.

Dan: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I have, I have.

So welcome to the German part of our basement.

So, the previous -- or the only single owner before us -- his wife was from Germany.

– Richard: Yeah?

Dan: So he built stuff into the house to make her feel at home.

And so he did stained glass and cabinetry to make it feel like that.

– Richard: Perfect.

The bierstube.

– Dan: The bierstube.

Yeah.

Grab your mass glass.

– Richard: Super.

Well, it feels comfortable down here.

It's sort of a rumpus room.

It's got that nice finish to it.

Dan: Yeah.

The kids use it.

And primarily it's for the kids to play in the wintertime, and they use it as their playroom.

– Richard: Fireplace?

– Dan: Fireplace.

It does work, but right now it's just for the exhaust, for the boiler.

– Richard: Okay.

What's that?

– Dan: That's supplementary heating.

Richard: So no heat down here?

Dan: No heat.

No baseboard heating.

So we use that to kind of supplement the winner.

Richard: Okay.

I see a portable AC here.

Dan: Yeah.

Same thing.

So if it gets too hot in the summer, we use that.

Richard: So what's the plan down here?

Any changes?

Dan: No major changes to this room.

So it's gonna be mostly for the kids to play.

There's not really anything in the budget right now to overhaul the whole basement.

The only major change is gonna be the movement of that stairwell we came down over to where the bulkhead is.

– Richard: Let's peek at that.

– Dan: Sure.

So, Richard, this is the bulkhead now.

But this is where the new stairwell is gonna come down.

So you can see here where we go out to the backyard.

Instead, we're gonna have a stairwell come down from the laundry room down to here for your landing, and then down into the basement.

Richard: You notice this big oil tank behind you?

Dan: Yeah.

I saw that.

Richard: Well, you're out here in suburbia.

So you got any gas on the street?

Dan: No gas on the street.

It's all oil.

It's way up the street, so we're not gonna pull it down here.

Richard: So we got to decide, 'cause we got to think about the mechanicals for both this building, but, also, the ADU.

– Dan: Right.

– Richard: And we think about fuel.

So whether or not we relocate this somewhere else or switch fuels, we've got to decide that.

Electrical.

You got a panel here.

Looks pretty modern and current.

Dan: Yeah.

So, it's a 200-amp service.

My father-in-law and a friend of his put that in.

It was 100 when we moved in.

– Richard: Right.

Dan: But we will need something additional for the ADU.

Richard: So we're covered for here with the ADU.

We need to think about.

– Dan: Mm-hmm.

Richard: I see the heating lines are here, so the boiler room must be in the back.

Dan: Sure is.

Richard: So, heating line comes back here.

Oh, there's the boiler.

Alright.

You got baseboard upstairs?

– Dan: Yeah.

Baseboard upstairs.

We're actually looking to get rid of that.

– Richard: Yeah, it's pretty dated.

– Dan: Hopefully add some air.

– Richard: It gives good heat, but it's pretty dated.

– Dan: Yeah.

– Richard: And no AC?

– Dan: No AC.

No.

Just a supplementary unit that's in the wall there.

Richard: Okay.

So this is a pretty standard package around these parts.

This is an oil-fired boiler, single zone -- one pump, one thermostat, one temperature, hot water going around, you know?

You know when it's on, I bet.

– Dan: Mm-hmm.

Actually do, yeah.

My bedroom is right above this, so we hear it kick on and off overnight.

Richard: Coming off, it's got a tank, just to make hot water for the faucets.

So we got to decide what to do with this, you know?

Dan: Yeah.

Actually -- And one more thing about this room -- this is gonna be the connecting point between our basement and the in-laws' basement.

So that's gonna be -- -Richard: So this is gonna be cut right here.

Dan: It will be open, about six-foot opening there, yeah.

Richard: So really, all of your mechanical stuff is in the exactly wrong place.

– Dan: Yeah.

Richard: So this gives us all kinds of opportunity to think about this.

You got this building.

You got the ADU.

Now we need heat, cool, and we need hot water.

So do we have one system that does both buildings, or do we have a separate heating, cooling, and hot water over there?

Dan: Right.

And I'd really love to get your opinion on that.

Richard: Well, it's a blank slate.

We've got a lot of choices.

Let's get cracking.

Dan: Alright.

[ Mid-tempo music plays ] Kevin: It's been several weeks since work began at Dan and Jill's house, and their hometown builders have been busy getting to work on this project.

The first order of business -- prepping for the addition and the new 900-square-foot accessory dwelling unit that will go in the backyard, which started with excavation... then a new foundation... and finally, the floor deck.

But, like most projects, there have been some curveballs.

Tommy's on-site to meet the GCs and see firsthand the reason for a change in scope.

Tommy: Hey, Kevin and Jared.

How are you guys doing?

-Kevin S.: Good.

How are you, Tom?

– Jared: Good to see you.

– Tom: Local builders, hometown boys, huh?

Jared: Yeah, we're right here in Walpole, right down the street.

Tom: Do a lot in this town?

– Jared: We do, we do.

– Tom: Great.

Jared: We do everything from new homes to additions to remodels.

Full service.

Tom: So, is this your first ADU?

Jared: Our first ADU and the first one in Walpole.

Tom: Guys, you're making a lot of progress here.

Tell me a little bit what's going on.

Kevin S.: So, we started the excavation of the ADU, and, then, we made our way over here to a garage.

And what had happened was when we dug down, there was only 38 inches of foundation in the ground.

– Tom: Not quite enough.

-Kevin S.: No.

Tom: 38" isn't deep enough in our part of the woods here.

We got to be minimum of 48" or that frost will get under it and lift the place right up.

It's amazing.

-Kevin S.: Yeah.

So we had a conversation about underpinning with the architect and the homeowner.

To do it would be costly.

Tom: Yeah, definitely.

Kevin S.: And the best way to approach it was to remove the garage... And add a whole new foundation.

– Tom: I think that's a lot more cost-effective that way.

-Kevin S.: Yes.

Tom: So, other than that, have you had any other surprises?

Kevin S.: No.

Everything other than that been going well.

Yeah.

So what do you got going on in the back there?

Kevin S.: We have a 42-meter concrete pump that is going to reach out back and, also, able to pour the two-car garage.

And, then, off the back of the ADU, we're doing a walkout bulkhead and shed.

Tom: Alright.

Looks like they're getting ready to pour.

[ Mid-tempo music plays ] So, these guys really work well together.

Kevin S.: Yeah.

We have one guy on the chute pouring the concrete, and then we have the team behind them leveling everything out, vibrating the concrete to make sure that there's no voids in the concrete... setting all of our bolts and making sure they're straight.

Tom: Checks his form.

Looks like it's two inches is the magic number there.

Kevin S.: Yep.

So he's got all his straights, he's got two inches off.

So, it's the little things that make the big difference here.

Tom: By doing it right now, it makes it better, and for the framing and the framers.

Kevin S.: By the time you get to the finish, you're all -- -Tom: It all comes back to the finish.

Kevin S.: That's right.

Jared: So, we got the third truck cleaning out here.

We finished pouring this front portion by the garage.

Fourth truck's gonna roll in, feed the pump.

We're gonna go out back and pour on the back of the ADU.

Tom: Yeah.

He's just finishing up here, like you said.

He double-checked everything to make sure it's straight.

So let's go take a look.

I love the fact that you guys built this whole thing here.

And I understand why -- to keep the foundation walls straight.

But I got to say, this looks like a lot more than 900 square feet for an ADU.

Jared: So, this whole space, Tom, is not all for the ADU.

We're currently in the area where Dan and Jill are going to expand the existing house.

Tom: Oh, so they're gonna bring the living part of the house out to somewhere in here.

– Jared: Correct.

We're gonna have a bathroom, a closet, and then we're in a bonus room.

It's gonna take us to about here.

And at this spot, we're gonna have a firewall.

It's gonna separate our ADU from the main house.

Tom: So there has to be a definite separation for fire.

Well, that makes sense.

Like an individual dwelling.

Alright.

So tell me a little bit about the layout.

What's going on here?

Jared: So, we have a living room here with access outside, bedroom back in the corner, two bathrooms on this side, and a kitchen here with another access out the back.

So these are our two accesses.

And we're just about 900 square feet, slightly below.

Tom: So, that brings up a question.

So, you have two bathrooms.

Now you got to worry about water and sewerage.

How do you tie that in?

Kevin S.: So, we have our bathroom here, so we'll run all our drainage pipes from here to the middle of the house here, and, also, where we just poured earlier today.

The backside of that bathroom will come on the outside, into the stack here.

Tom: So they allow all of this to go right into the sewer lines.

Obviously, if this was a septic, it would be a different ballgame.

Kevin S.: Yeah.

We'd have to upsize the septic system.

But with it being town sewer, we can tie everything into the main stack.

Tom: Okay.

So the sewerage is going into the house.

What about the water now?

Is this a separate meter?

-Kevin S.: Nope.

Same meter.

– Tom: Oh.

So their water and this water is all on the same meter.

So they have to figure out whose is what and what is where.

Kevin S.: They're nice people.

They get along.

So hopefully there's no disagreement on water bills.

Tom: Electric, same thing?

Kevin S.: Electric's the same thing.

We have a pole at the corner of the house here that we're gonna pull 400 amps underground.

And our meter will be on the backside of the structure here.

Tom: Alright.

So, I get a question.

So why did you pour this today and not earlier, when you poured the other foundation?

Kevin S.: Yeah.

So we had a little bit of change in plans here.

– Tom: Okay.

-Kevin S.: We talked with the homeowner.

The owner wants to do his millwork and his woodworking in the basement and wants enough room to get access for his equipment and lumber, all of that stuff, into the basement.

– Tom: That makes sense.

Kevin S.: So we have a door that will be on this side, and then he'll walk down to a platform, giving them more space to get everything down.

And, then, also, he wanted a shed to house all his lawn mowers and weed whackers.

– Tom: So there's a change order.

-Kevin S.: Yeah.

We don't like to use the word "change order."

Tom: [ Laughs ] Well, an add-on.

Kevin S.: An add-on.

Tom: So, this is great.

So, what's up next?

Jared: So, next, we're gonna strip these forms.

We're gonna waterproof the foundation.

Town's gonna come inspect everything.

Once we're good, our site team will come in.

We'll backfill the whole property.

Our framers will roll right in.

We'll be building in no time.

Tom: Well, it's gonna be great.

I'm looking forward to working with you guys.

– Jared: Likewise.

Thanks, Tom.

– Tom: Thank you.

-Kevin S.: Thanks, Tom.

– Tom: My pleasure.

[ Mid-tempo music plays ] Kevin: Well, our Walpole ranch and ADU are under way, and we're looking forward to tracking their progress.

We're also looking forward to learning more about ADUs.

With the cost of housing skyrocketing, there is a shortage of affordable homes across the country, and ADUs are one solution that many cities and states are hoping might help.

So throughout the series, we're gonna show you a variety of different ADUs so we can see what's possible.

Kevin: Until next time, I'm Kevin O'Connor for "This Old House" in Walpole, Mass.

Kevin S.: Next time on "This Old House"... Tom: We're here in Walpole.

And the ADU is all framed, and now we're working on the new addition on the back of the new garage.

Richard: Then, will the ADU share its utilities with the main house?

The answer is on the way.

Kevin: And I'll head down to Atlanta to see how this Southern city has been embracing ADUs since 2017.

Woman: This is actually my favorite layout.

Kevin: That's next time.