This Old House

TOM

Today on "This Old House"... The panels are going up and they're going up fast on our North Shore reproduction farm house.

ERIK

Yeah, we're gonna get to the second floor and get the roof up before you know it.

TOM

That's gonna be great.

KEVIN

And our homeowner picks a color palette for the living room.

TOM

Looks pretty bad right here.

NORM

Are you kidding me? Is this place really worth saving?

RICHARD

We can do better than this.

TOM

Time to get to work.

KEVIN

Nice and easy, nice and easy. Everybody together.

Grunting

KEVIN

Oh, yeah!

ROGER

The right plant in the right place.

KEVIN

Good!

RICHARD

It's state-of-the-art, perfectly square. All in all, a good day's work.

KEVIN

The first wall units from the factory are going up on our panelized farm house up here on the North Shore of Boston. The framing is moving fast, and Tommy has come to the site to see how the house is coming together.

TOM

What do you think?

ERIK

I like it. So far, things are going smoothly. We've already got some panels up and we're gonna work our way right around the house, then bring our stacks inside for the interior petitions.

TOM

So your gonna leave the front wall open to get them in.

ERIK

Yeah, we've got a machine here, so we might as well utilize it.

TOM

You know, it's pretty cool. I went to the factory, and I watched these guys put all these panels together. They cut the studs, everything's marked, the build the headers. They're all worked at a bench.

ERIK

Yep, and they're building them inside a conditioned space.

TOM

That's really cool.

ERIK

I know!

Laughs

ERIK

So the guys are just about to put up another panel here, and we'll watch them stand it up. It's no different than we do in the field after we build a wall down on the ground.

TOM

Yeah, after you build it down on the ground.

ERIK

After we build it down on the ground. But you'll see that these panels, we're butting studs together right here at the end.

TOM

Oh, yes. So you have a double stud so you can put each panel together.

ERIK

Yeah, so the guys are gonna butt those tight, get a nail down here, follow their chalk line.

TOM

Yeah. Yeah.

ERIK

But we really need to make sure that those studs are correct, 'cause what we don't want to have is a big gap and have that wall grow over the length of the wall.

TOM

Yeah, 'cause you don't want to have an overhang.

ERIK

No. And as you can so, all the panels come ply-wooded with solid headers.

TOM

You know, the other thing I notice, that there's no electricity, no saws or around here, so you can work in the rain. You don't have to worry about getting zapped.

ERIK

No, no, you can work through some good inclement weather.

TOM

You can see they're pretty smart there at the factory -- they do what we do. They actually have that piece of plywood hang out past the outside corner.

ERIK

Yeah, that way, we can tie the outside corners in together.

TOM

Exactly. It makes a good, strong connection out there.

ERIK

It certainly does. So now we're gonna see them put this -- they're gonna slide this wall down.

TOM

Yeah.

ERIK

And you're gonna see them tie that right in to the outside corner.

TOM

Well, you know, the panels are a nice size, too. You guys can handle them pretty good.

ERIK

Yeah, two guys can handle these panels pretty well. Some of the bigger ones, you need three.

Yeah. -ERIK

But it's not like doing a 40-foot wall where we need four guys and wall jacks to put it up.

TOM

Yeah, exactly, exactly. Yeah, this is cool.

ERIK

So once this goes in, we're gonna tie that corner in. We'll straighten this wall before we put the top plate in, and anchor everything in.

TOM

Definitely a time-saver.

ERIK

Yes,

it certainly is. -TOM

I'm getting to like this.

ERIK

I know!

Laughs

TOM

Hey, Erik, they left a note. What's going on over here?

ERIK

Yeah, so, Tom, so to get these pieces down here on trucks, some of the pieces, they have to actually just leave and tack in to the existing panels.

TOM

Oh, yeah, so that would oversize the load.

ERIK

Yep. So what they do is they've already pre-cut it to the length that we need it. They've just tacked it on here so it's --

TOM

All you've got to do is take it off, put it on,

you're in business. -ERIK

We're good to go.

TOM

I like their thinking. Wow, this first floor is really coming together quick.

ERIK

Yeah, they're throwing panels up pretty quick here.

TOM

So you'll have the first floor, and they're ready for the second floor?

ERIK

Yeah, we're gonna get to the second floor and get the roof up before you know it.

That's gonna be great. -ERIK

Yep.

TOM

All right, Erik. Thanks a lot.

ERIK

Thanks a lot, Tom.

KEVIN

With the framing going up back at the job site, the layout of this house is literally popping up right in front of us. And that means that the interior design plans are under way. So I've come here to meet April and our new interior designer. Hey, April.

APRIL

Hey, Kevin. How are you?

KEVIN

I'm well, how are you?

Good to see you. -KEVIN

Yeah, same here.

APRIL

This is Kristina Crestin,

our interior designer. -KRISTINA

Welcome.

KEVIN

Kristina, nice to meet you.

KRISTINA

Nice to meet you, too.

Take a seat. -KEVIN

Thank you. So designer and homeowner in the same place.

Yep. -KEVIN

Let's get to work. What rooms are we starting with?

KRISTINA

We're doing the living room and dining room today.

KEVIN

Nice, okay, so two adjacent rooms, two big rooms, key rooms in the house.

APRIL

Yep.

KEVIN

How did you guys get started?

KRISTINA

The rug. We always start with the rug.

KEVIN

Do you? Why do you always start with the rug?

KRISTINA

The rug is the hardest thing to find, and it's always -- you have the least options. So the rug is the first thing you pick, then you pick your paint color and your fabrics from there.

KEVIN

There are a lot of paint colors out there, so I guess those are easier. All right, I see lots of rugs on this table.

KRISTINA

So, we started with a bunch of rug samples that we got in the mail earlier on.

KEVIN

Uh-huh. What do you think?

APRIL

So, these were a little too bright for our taste. We were looking for something a little more neutral, a little more subdued. So this was the winner for us.

KEVIN

So designers always go bold.

APRIL

Right.

KEVIN

Are you bold, are you conservative, are you and Bill right down the middle?

APRIL

Bill and I are fairly conservative.

KEVIN

Fairly conservative, okay. So no bold, more conservative.

KRISTINA

More conservative and more in line with the color palette that they started with. So we're keeping it at a neutral on the first floor and fairly analogous.

KEVIN

So what do you love about this rug as a designer, and how's it work with the room?

KRISTINA

I think it gives us a huge building block. Like, there's a lot of variation of tones in here, but it's not too bold. We can bring other colors in later and forms that can be changed. And I love that it directly relates to the kitchen cabinet color they already chose, so there will be some continuity.

KEVIN

Okay, so this is the living room right here. Obviously, that's the carpet. I see a couple of pieces of furniture. -Is that what we're off to next?

KRISTINA

Yeah. We already picked out our sectional. So we're putting a core sectional in the corner that that's gonna take care of most

of our seating of the space. -KEVIN

Nice.

KRISTINA

But not fill up too much space, so it's fairly shallow, so it's not gonna take over the room, which is key with a sectional.

KEVIN

It is a big piece of furniture right there. That works for you.

APRIL

It's very comfortable, too.

KEVIN

Is it?

APRIL

Oh, yes.

KEVIN

Oh, you've tried it out?

APRIL

I have, yeah.

KEVIN

Oh, nice. Well, that's perfect then.

APRIL

Kristina actually happens to have it in her own home.

KRISTINA

I have it at my house.

KEVIN

That helps!

KRISTINA

So it's been test-driven.

KEVIN

Nice. And then are you trying to pick fabrics -for it as well?

KRISTINA

Yeah, just today, we narrowed it down to three. So these are our three that we're looking at, and some of it's price-point driven. And she's gonna bring them home to Bill tonight.

KEVIN

Yeah.

KRISTINA

And see what his thoughts are.

KEVIN

Perfect. So this sectional obviously goes right here. A piece of furniture, accent -- what's this?

APRIL

So we have actually a leather chair that is this exact color.

KEVIN

Nice.

APRIL

It's a leather chair that we have right now

at our house. -KEVIN

Oh, reuse it.

APRIL

Bring it with us,

yep. -KEVIN

That is terrific. And so this is a close enough color to help with -- and what do you think about leather in a room, okay?

KRISTINA

It will really warm up the palette, 'cause it's beautiful that it's blue, so all these colors work together. They're already decided on some black window sashes, so there's a lot of dimension. But I think we need that warmth.

KEVIN

I think that's terrific. Okay, so we've got rug, we've got wall color, we've got the furniture all figured out. What, on to the next room?

KRISTINA

We can go on to the next room, we have -- our dining room is right next to it.

KEVIN

So the two rooms are adjacent. There's a little bit of a separation, but for the most part, the eye travels right through these spaces.

Yeah. -APRIL

Exactly. Straight from the kitchen, too.

KEVIN

Yeah. Do we keep it all the same? Is it the same rug in the second room, do you mix it up?

KRISTINA

You know, we were just talking about that today, about the idea of trying to kind of break the palette a little bit, maybe bring in a darker wall in there, maybe ground the room with a different rug. So we actually got some rug samples in for the dining room as well.

KEVIN

'Cause you start with the rug.

KRISTINA

Yeah, you start with that rug. -Yeah, yeah!

KEVIN

All right.

KRISTINA

So these guys just came in.

KEVIN

What do you think of those, April?

APRIL

Well, the sample on top, I had actually seen a picture of it, and I loved it. But the sample in person is much different.

That happens a lot. -KRISTINA

Yeah.

APRIL

Yeah, we don't like it so much in person.

KRISTINA

The image didn't have pink in it.

APRIL

Yeah.

KEVIN

What about the guy below it? Is that the backup that becomes the front-runner?

APRIL

Yep, so that's the one we're leaning toward.

KEVIN

Oh,

nice. -APRIL

And as a result, we would probably do more of a gray wall

instead of a blue wall. -KEVIN

Ah.

APRIL

So we'd have some contrast there.

KEVIN

So different carpet, different color on the wall. These are gonna be two distinct spaces.

KRISTINA

Yeah, but I think will have a nice balance, 'cause we're using the same color palette. We're looking at a mid-tone gray.

Yeah. -KRISTINA

So I think it will perfectly balance the living room.

KEVIN

Right, you're not gonna have the opportunity for leather. I don't see anything drawn there. I see a dining room table and chairs.

KRISTINA

So we're gonna have a dining room table that's wood that we're still working on, but we were really trying to bring something kind of artful and interesting. So we were talking about the idea of using some sort of reclaimed wood in the dining room, maybe doing -- maybe doing a focal point of like a cool barn door. When I first met them, they brought up the idea of barn doors, so, you know, maybe we could have a massive barn door anchoring that wall.

KEVIN

And you're cool with that?

APRIL

Yeah, we liked the idea of having one of those sliding barn doors.

KEVIN

Yeah,

sure. -APRIL

And you can close it to cover the door or we can just leave it open.

KEVIN

Okay, I could see that. Now, do our guys up at the shop in Vermont make this, or do we have to find a craftsman, is this a one-off?

KRISTINA

We have to find someone.

KEVIN

But we usually do, don't we? All right, well, it looks like we've got some really good choices, some palettes all figured out here. Two rooms, you guys are making decisions, which is key, 'cause the building is going up fast.

It is. -KEVIN

So please keep at it.

We've gotta get back to work. -KRISTINA

All right.

KEVIN

Kristina, nice to meet you. April, always a pleasure.

Take care. -KEVIN

Take care. We've always known that the framing of this house was gonna happen quickly. So we've used an old photographer's trick where we're gonna capture all of the action, and then show it at one time. We put some high-end cameras, two of them, about 30 feet up in the trees. And they're actually capturing one frame every two minutes. Then we take all of the pictures, and we put them together to make a video, showing the framing go up. Let's take a look. Things got off to a slow start as the crew figured out where to find the right panels. But by the second day, the guys were off to the races. Now the crew has hit its stride. In less than a week, two floors are complete. -Hey, Erik, how you doing?

ERIK

Good. How are you?

KEVIN

All right. Boy, you're really moving along, huh?

ERIK

Yeah, we are. We're just about to get the roof on.

KEVIN

So I get a sense of sort of the house and its massing now that it's sort of framed and sheathed. But what about the floor plan? Can you give me a tour?

ERIK

Yeah, I can certainly give you a tour.

KEVIN

The center staircase, obviously. What have we got going in here?

ERIK

We got a study going over on this hand side.

KEVIN

Nice.

ERIK

Down through this back way, we're gonna have powder room, butler's pantry, and then on to the kitchen.

KEVIN

Very nice. Good size room here. How's this one laid out?

ERIK

So we've got cabinets all around with a center island. We've got the sink facing the back yard.

KEVIN

Okay. And then do you give them a deck or a patio? What are you thinking?

ERIK

Yeah, so we've got a deck down to a patio, access through this door right here.

KEVIN

Wow, this is a big room.

ERIK

Yeah, this is the living room and dining room. As you can see, we've got lots of glass facing out to the back yard here. We've got windows, a French door that goes out to a deck that spans this entire room.

Awesome. -ERIK

Another window, and a two-sided fireplace that's gonna be over here.

KEVIN

That's great. And then beyond this room towards he garage, what do you got?

ERIK

Beyond this room, we've got the mud room, the powder room, and then on to the garage.

KEVIN

Everything a family needs.

Yes. -KEVIN

All right. -What about a second floor?

ERIK

Let's go take a look.

KEVIN

I like the center staircase.

ERIK

Yeah, nice.

KEVIN

All right, second floor. How's this laid out?

ERIK

You got two bedrooms out back here with a common bath here.

KEVIN

Good.

ERIK

Linen closet. Second floor laundry.

That's a good size. -ERIK

And down this way is the master.

KEVIN

All right. So what do we got in the master suite?

ERIK

Got a walk-in closet here on the left and the master bath is here on the right.

KEVIN

And then, obviously, master bedroom, which is a nice, decent size, too.

ERIK

Yeah, we've got a lot of windows. There's not gonna be this much light when the roof goes on.

KEVIN

No, I guess not. But you'll always have these views.

Yep. -KEVIN

And so is roof next?

ERIK

Yeah, it is. Let's go take a look.

KEVIN

Oh, yeah, you got a lot going up on up here, don't you?

ERIK

Yeah, we certainly do.

KEVIN

So what is the process for framing up this whole section up here?

ERIK

So we had the gables come up

in three separate sections. -KEVIN

Right.

ERIK

So once we got them up here on the deck,

we stood them up individually. -KEVIN

Put them together. And so if you were doing a conventional, if you were building this stick-built on site, how's that differ?

ERIK

Well, we'd build this whole gable as one single unit. We'd lay it down, we'd build it on the deck, we'd trim it out, then we'd stand it up.

KEVIN

Okay. So this one went up pretty fast. I saw that end go up, I saw this end go up. And then from this second gable, where do you move to?

ERIK

We're gonna -- the guys are installing the rafters right now.

KEVIN

Yeah, so we got a ridge beam that's already in -- or at least half a ridge?

Yep. -KEVIN

Rafters. You know, I saw these rafters cut up in the factory.

ERIK

Yep.

KEVIN

Big machine, Hundegger, it was driven by a computer. And I think they were cutting, like, three or four of these things at once.

Yeah. -KEVIN

Very precise.

ERIK

Yep.

KEVIN

If you guys were doing it on site, that's the difference?

ERIK

Let me show you, I'll do one right now for you.

KEVIN

All right, let's take a look.

ERIK

So, Kevin, I've got a 2x12 set over here that we're gonna use to cut the rafter out of. So essentially what I want to do first is I want to set my ridge cut. That's the part that's gonna go against the ridge up -- just like the ones that we have here.

Yeah. -ERIK

We know based on the rise and run of this house that we're dealing with an eight-pitch here.

Okay. -ERIK

So I'll use my speed square here. I'll se it up to an eight-pitch. It's a pretty common, standard rafter size here. I'm gonna draw this line right through here. I'm gonna use this, I'm gonna extend that line all the way through this 2x12. That's gonna set our ridge cut.

All right. -ERIK

So down at this end is where we're gonna set up the rafter tail. So the first thing I do is I'm gonna set the birdsmouth, which is gonna sit on our outside wall.

KEVIN

Yep.

ERIK

If I do that, I match that ridge pitch at an eight-pitch. I match that line. I come down here -- just like I did up on the ridge. I'm gonna continue this through. Based on my calculations, I know that I need to be nine and a half down, 'cause the outside of my wall is six inches. So therefore, nine and a half down will create...the birdsmouth that I need to have this sit on the outside. After I make my mark, I take my square... I create a 90-degree angle, thus creating the birdsmouth that I'm gonna cut out.

KEVIN

Right, so this going away, and that's where we get that expression. Looks like a little bird's beak.

Yep. Certainly do. -KEVIN

All right.

ERIK

So, now from this, I'm gonna create my rafter tail. I know that I want to sit down three and a quarter inches

from the top of wall. KEVIN

Mm-hmm.

ERIK

So I'm gonna take my tape, I'm gonna measure down three and a quarter. Once again, use my speed square, square this over... and take this line right on out.

Got ya. -ERIK

On this particular house, we're gonna be using a 1x8 soffit piece. I know that that piece is seven and a quarter inches long. Measure over again, mark it out seven and a quarter inches...

Yep. -ERIK

...and just like I did before, on this plumb cut and the plumb cut off the ridge, I'm gonna make sure that I'm on an eight-pitch on this so that everything is parallel.

Yep. -ERIK

So I use my square again, mark this out, and we're ready to cut.

KEVIN

All right, so by my count, one, two, three, four, five measurements, five lines -- all of which would have been done back in the shop by the machine like that.

Yeah. -KEVIN

All right.

Let's cut it up. -ERIK

Okay.

ERIK

I don't know, Erik. Pretty good. About, I don't know, maybe a minute-30 or so. Of course, you got three more to do to beat the Hundegger. Not bad. But a lot faster by the machine. Well,

let's go set these. -ERIK

All right.

ERIK

We're gonna bring it out to me. Go on up. Let me get this birdsmouth tight to the outside here. I'm gonna put a nail in mine.

KEVIN

Okay.

ERIK

You look good to go.

KEVIN

Okay, next one.

ERIK

Yep.

KEVIN

It's going on this single here?

ERIK

Yep, going on that single right in there.

KEVIN

Okay.

ERIK

Let me set my nail in here. You look good there.

KEVIN

I do.

ERIK

All right, we're gonna get a couple more rafters up, get this ridge completed, and then go on to sheathing.

KEVIN

Sounds good. All right, what are we working on next?

ERIK

We're done with the main house, we're gonna start working on the barn over here, which is gonna actually be the garage.

KEVIN

All right, so you say "barn" because the idea is to make it look like a barn?

ERIK

Yeah, we've got the cupola, we've got the vertical siding, and we've got a two-bay garage.

KEVIN

So a modern garage for us here.

Yep. -KEVIN

Anything up top?

ERIK

Yeah, there's an extra fourth bedroom or a bonus room up top.

KEVIN

Okay, so what, you want clear span down here, and you want finished space up top.

ERIK

Yeah, so the guys are gonna set these transoms now, then we're gonna get ready, and we're gonna set the piece of steel that's gonna run from the front to the back to give us a good, clear span in this garage. Good? Here's that steel I-beam we were talking about. It's 22 feet long by 14 inches in depth.

KEVIN

Mm-hmm.

ERIK

Typically, we'd have to pad this out, which means build this up with framing lumber.

Right. -ERIK

A 2x12. But they have already done that in the factory for us.

KEVIN

So this is where you're gonna hang all your joists off of here.

ERIK

All the joists are gonna butt in, we're gonna hang them all off of this.

KEVIN

So they took care of it, it's ready to go?

ERIK

Everything's ready to go.

KEVIN

Oh, yeah, there it is.

ERIK

Yeah, so we've got this I-beam in, its temporary support in. We're gonna be putting these outside walls in, the second-floor floor joists, and then go on up with the roof above this.

KEVIN

Beautiful.

You guys are moving along. -ERIK

We are.

KEVIN

You got this big wide open span thanks to that beam.

ERIK

Plenty of clearance. The main house is ready for trim, so that's what we're gonna get going on next.

KEVIN

Trim already?

ERIK

Yep.

KEVIN

Great. While this crew spent the past week framing out house, an entirely different crew was up in Vermont getting ready for the next phase of the project -- exterior trim. Corner boards, soffits, fascia, gable, and return crown -- all of them are milled, cut to length, and delivered at one time. And that trim is arriving today. All of this material along the eave line of our roof -- the fascia, the soffit, the frieze -- this is all part of the trim package. And, Erik, recently, we've been using a lot of cellular PVC for trim. You guys love this stuff. We love it as well.

ERIK

Yeah, so, I mean, the advantage of this cellular PVC, it's rot-resistant, you can put it up without having to paint it.

KEVIN

Solid white, so when you put it on this house, I mean, this is really never gonna rot. Despite that, though, all the exterior trim on this house is not PVC, it's mahogany.

ERIK

Yeah, we're going with the Meranti mahogany that we're gonna be putting up on this house. We're doing that because we're doing a reproduction of a house from the 1800s.

KEVIN

So the wood's gonna sort of give it that authentic look, I mean, right down

to the final detail. -ERIK

Yep.

KEVIN

How's this stuff gonna hold up, though?

ERIK

It's rot-resistant, it's stable, it's strong, it's straight, and it's really good to work with. We would have used eastern white pine, but because of over-foresting, all the old-growth trees are gone.

Right. -ERIK

So the new growth eastern white pine isn't quite as stable as it used to be. Therefore, we're gonna go with the mahogany product that's gonna last.

KEVIN

So pre-primed, all painted up, this is gonna last a good long time, too.

ERIK

It's gonna last as long as this house is here.

KEVIN

All right, so what are we working on putting up first?

ERIK

We're gonna put the soffit up and the fascia, but we're gonna start with the soffit.

KEVIN

All right, let's get it in.

ERIK

Get that fed out. I'll give you that end, Kevin.

KEVIN

Okay.

ERIK

Before I put this up, let's just take a look at it, then I'm gonna glue it. And we're gonna go from there. Slide it on down to me.

Looks good. -ERIK

Looks good. Let's glue it up. Slide it on down.

Nail gun firing

Looks good. -ERIK

So I really like the way they cut this fascia. You can see they created the dado in here, just like you do, actually, on an interior stair application.

KEVIN

Take it down to you?

ERIK

Take it down to me. That looks good.

KEVIN

Look good?

ERIK

Yep.

Nail gun firing

ERIK

Nail that at your end.

KEVIN

All right. So how much longer, you think, before all the exterior trim is in?

ERIK

We got about four more days on this.

KEVIN

All right, well, we're moving along. It's been a busy week, right?

ERIK

It has. It certainly has.

KEVIN

All right, well, until next time, I'm Kevin O'Connor.

I'm Erik Kaminski. -KEVIN

For "This Old House." Get the next piece up here.

ERIK

Let's get some more going on.

KEVIN

Next time on "This Old House"... We get a roofing lesson that takes us back all the way to the middle ages. Well, thatch itself will last hundreds of years. There's examples in Europe that's 600, 700 years old, maybe older.

MAN

Wow!

KEVIN

And our homeowners find reproduction lighting for their reproduction home.

BILL

I'll just say it's really impressive to see how much work and craftsmanship goes into each fixture.

NORM

And we'll search for doors at giant box store for antique house parts. That's next time on "This Old House."