List of This Old House episodes (seasons 31–40)

Everyone is covering their walls with shiplap. Homeowners Emily and Nick love it too and want to finish their third floor with it. Kevin finds Tommy installing shiplap in Nick’s office. Outside, the landscape plan calls for a walkway from the front porch stairs down to the street. It will consist of brick pavers and granite steps. Kevin helps Roger’s crew lay the second set of steps, using reclaimed granite from a New England bridge site. The marble slabs that we saw being quarried in Vermont have made their way down to the shop of Roberto Martinez. Roberto works with Emily to find the best piece of the slab for the kitchen island and then he goes to work cutting it. Back at the house, Emily makes her final decision on the oak paneling in the living room. Originally, she and Nick wanted to refinish the paneling. Then they decided to paint it white. Now Emily and designer Jill Goldberg meet with painter Mauro Henrique to review the paneling once more after the old finish has been stripped off.

The journey of the Vermont marble continues from the cave to the counters. Richard watches as fabricator Roberto Martinez and his crew install the largest piece of marble at the kitchen island. Nothing says New England like a fieldstone wall. Kim, our landscape architect, calls for one that starts in the front yard and bends down along the driveway. Kevin finds Roger and his team laying the first giant stones for the wall. There is much more involved than just stacking rocks. Upstairs, Kevin finds Mark Pehrson hanging textured wallpaper over a wall that contains a secret door. What was once the master bedroom closet has now been switched to an upstairs foyer closet, but the homeowners want to cover it with a door that blends with the wall. In the basement, Richard looks at the finished radiant floor heating as well as a new state of the art air conditioning and supplemental heating system. The mechanical room wall is well organized and all hot water pipes, valves and pumps are labeled for the homeowners’ reference. Fresh air ventilation is needed in the super tight space and Richard explains how the system works.

The Arts and Crafts house in Arlington is at completion and the guys come to take a last look and celebrate with the homeowners. Kevin and Tommy arrive at the new entrance where the old Silver Maple tree and telephone pole once stood. Kevin tours the front yard with Roger and landscape architect Kim Turner. Kim points out the new plantings in the front yard and all the hardscape that Roger and his crew have worked hard to finish. Meanwhile Tommy goes around the back to meet Norm and look at the three-story exterior addition. They reflect on how the addition was designed and built to look like it was always there. Inside, Kevin looks at the refurbished front door with homeowner Emily. The foyer ceiling has been covered with an embossed paper made of linseed to give it a decorative feeling. Emily points out other updates and they check out a new stair runner being installed on the front stairs. In the dining room, paneling has been added to the walls and an Arts and Crafts style wallpaper is above it. But the biggest change is the beautiful new oak pantry cabinets that replace what was once the outdated galley kitchen. The cabinets have a pass-through that connects to the dining room so that glassware and dishes can be accessed from both sides. Richard heads upstairs to the second floor and meets homeowner Nick. With the new addition, the entrance to the master bedroom was changed to allow for a suite with two closets, the bedroom, and a spacious new bathroom. Richard looks at the new technology in the bathroom – the shower, bathtub, and toilet all have control panels for a variety of functions.

Kevin introduces the city of Detroit and describes some of its history. He meets journalist Stephen Henderson in front of his childhood home, and learns about how the city and its neighborhoods came upon hard times. Kevin pulls up to the project house and meets Frank and Tamiko Polk, as well as Frank’s mom Carolyn, in the front yard. He heads inside with Tamiko and Carolyn to tour the first and second floor. Frank finds Tommy in the back yard, and they assess some of the repairs needed, including repointing the brickwork and rebuilding the front stairs. Richard shows Frank some of the plumbing issues in the basement, and then Scott makes suggestions for upgrading the electricity.

Kevin meets Detroit’s Mayor, Mike Duggan, to learn about the city’s efforts to eliminate blight and revitalize the neighborhoods. Kevin meets Land Bank Executive Craig Fahle, who shows him around an abandoned home in the Grandmont Rosedale neighborhood. Through a program called Rehabbed & Ready, the city plans to renovate the property and sell it to a family who plans to stay. After the mounds of trash and abandoned belongings are removed from the house, Kevin meets general contractor Tom Abbott and lead contractor Darrick Scruggs, who will manage the renovation. Back at the Russell Woods project, Scott Caron meets Wes Kasperski, who is installing an alarm system to keep the house protected during renovation.

At the Russell Woods project, Richard snakes a camera down the main plumbing stack to rule out any major blockages to the street. Frank asks Tommy for help with the leaky parapet at the front of the house. They find the parapet is filled with dirt. After removing it all, they use a rubber roofing material to properly seal the roof and prevent further leaks. Kevin heads to nearby Dearborn to tour the sprawling estate of a famous automaker. After decades of wear and tear by various owners, the mansion is finally getting a much deserved makeover, using preservation techniques to preserve the history throughout the home. Back at the house, Kevin and Tommy work with Frank and his friends to demo the kitchen walls and investigate whether a beam is needed to open up the room.

At the Grandmont Rosedale project, Kevin tours the demo on the house, and then meets electrician Lenny Rodriguez to learn about his electrical plan. Back in Russell Woods, Tommy teaches Tamiko, Monet and Christian techniques to remove all the peeling paint in the living room. Richard and Frank begin rough plumbing repairs in the basement using PEX tubing. Tommy shows Kevin the issues with the framing around the leaded stained glass windows in the living room as glass artist Ann Baxter begins the repairs.

At the Russell Woods project, Tommy repairs crumbling decorative molding with a plastic replica created by a 3D printer. Frank and Tamiko head to Kohler, Wisconsin to look at plumbing fixtures, while Richard gets a tour of the nearby factory. Back at the house, Richard and Frank repair some compromised joists in the upstairs bathroom.

At the Grandmont Rosedale project, a new exterior wall goes up, from the inside. In Russell Woods, Scott Caron and local electrician Shane Masters rough-in new kitchen wiring. Richard finds Joe Burke installing a brand new HVAC system. Richard then heads to Flint, MI to learn about the ongoing crisis that has residents without clean tap water.

At the Russell Woods project, Tommy uses a clever fix for some damaged oak flooring in the living room. Frank and Tamiko meet with Jerusha Kaffine, a local kitchen designer, to see her plan. Mark McCullough joins the crew in Detroit to repair the front steps, and then new gutters go up.

Kevin stops by the Grandmont Rosedale project to find the kitchen tile and cabinets installed. He watches as the granite countertops go in. Back in Russell Woods, Tommy works with Josh and Frank to reinstall all of the restored leaded glass bay windows. Now that drywall is up in the kitchen, Frank is ready to install the wood grain tile on the floor. First Josh puts down a decoupling membrane underlayment that supports an electric wire heating system. Kevin and Roger explore urban farming in Detroit. First they visit a resident who has purchased the lots surrounded her property to grow her own food. Next, a neighborhood farm that helps feed the immediate neighborhood residents who live in a food desert. Finally, a farm closer to the city with an apprenticeship program that provides area residents with job and education opportunities.

In Russell Woods, Kevin finds Frank and Tamiko prepping the guest room walls. Their kids join in to begin painting. Kevin finds sod farmer Mike Thompson in the front yard, planting some low maintenance plants under the bay windows and laying sod across the rest of the front yard. Tommy repairs decorative crown molding in the living room by making his own template from a putty knife. Kevin and Contractor Josh Engle work together to install plumbing fixtures in the upstairs bathroom, starting with the toilet. Tommy and Frank work together to install a new interior door in an existing opening. Kevin finds tile installer Roger Dutcher giving the fireplace a much needed facelift, using handcrafted tile from a 100-year-old pottery only a few miles away. At the Rehabbed & Ready project, Darrick gives Kevin a tour of the nearly complete house.

Kevin and Tommy pull up to the completed Russell Woods, recalling their time in the city and the restoration efforts they’ve witnessed. Frank meets Tommy out front to review the exterior changes to the house. Tamiko shows Kevin the new living room, dining room and den, featuring the restored bay windows, refinished floors, new fireplace surround, fresh paint and inviting furniture. Richard gives Kevin an overview of the improvements to the mechanicals in the basement, which had been ravaged by thieves. A new furnace and water heater will keep the house warm and cool, and a whole house water filtration system will keep the drinking water clean. Franks shows Tommy the changes to the upstairs: 2 bedrooms and an office featuring fresh paint and beautiful woods floors; an office with an attached sun porch that will be the perfect place to relax; and a spa-like bathroom with a soaking tub, rain shower and dual vanity. Kevin stops by the Rehabbed & Ready project during its first open house. Land Bank Executive Craig Fahle discusses some of the logistics of selling the property, and Kevin interviews prospective homebuyers to get their feedback.

The lackluster mid-century box is a modern marvel once again. Kevin and Tommy arrive to assess the transformation of the exterior of the house. After using the new front entry and walking through the mudroom, they take in the heart of the home, opened up to allow for a spacious working kitchen and eating area with clear sightlines into the living room. Homeowners Sunil and Neha celebrate the high ceilings, abundance of glass, balconies and hanging gas fireplace. Sunil takes Tommy upstairs to the bedroom level, where they now have a master suite with ample clothes storage and a bathroom with sleek, modern accents. In their daughter Nisa’s room, installer Zak is finishing up his work on the motorized window shades. In the basement, Richard shows Kevin the multiple mechanical and electrical closets, laundry room, gym area and garage. Charlie joins the discussion to discuss the heated driveway to help melt snow and prevent flooding. On the lower living level, Sunil and Tommy tour the guest suite, complete with a kitchenette, bathroom and private entrance.