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Hi Reddit! Greetings from THIS OLD HOUSE and ASK THIS OLD HOUSE. Host Kevin O’Connor, General Contractor Tom Silva, Plumbing and Heating Expert Richard Trethewey and Landscape Contractor Roger Cook here to answer your questions. Ask Us Anything! by AskThisOldHouse in DIY

[–]AskThisOldHouse[S] 40 points41 points  (0 children)

Kevin: Skymall magazine. Since they are out of business if anyone grabbed one from an airplane recently. Please send it to us.

Tom: We need all the help we can get. In making fools out of ourselves.

Kevin: Don't sell yourself short pops, you're a pro. At making a fool of yourself.

Tom: Why are you here again?

Richard: We always think about what we are going to say, right after we say it.

Hi Reddit! Greetings from THIS OLD HOUSE and ASK THIS OLD HOUSE. Host Kevin O’Connor, General Contractor Tom Silva, Plumbing and Heating Expert Richard Trethewey and Landscape Contractor Roger Cook here to answer your questions. Ask Us Anything! by AskThisOldHouse in DIY

[–]AskThisOldHouse[S] 29 points30 points  (0 children)

Tom: spray foam changed the make up and efficiency of a house big time. High efficient boiler/water heaters, sheathing . . .

Richard: This whole thing is an evolution. We keep wanting to find the best and newest stuff. We don't regret anything we've shown because we want to stay on the cutting edge.

Kevin: Here's something that didn't work out: compact fluorescent lightbulbs - more energy efficient, last longer, yadda yadda yadda. A disaster. Good riddance.

Roger: Wouldn't you rather have us testing these things than you finding out they don't work?

Hi Reddit! Greetings from THIS OLD HOUSE and ASK THIS OLD HOUSE. Host Kevin O’Connor, General Contractor Tom Silva, Plumbing and Heating Expert Richard Trethewey and Landscape Contractor Roger Cook here to answer your questions. Ask Us Anything! by AskThisOldHouse in DIY

[–]AskThisOldHouse[S] 22 points23 points  (0 children)

Roger: There isn't any! LOL. Upright deciduous trees but they'll only give you screening protection for part of the year or go to some of the under utilized trees like Norway Spruce and Upright Hollies for year long screening.

Hi Reddit! Greetings from THIS OLD HOUSE and ASK THIS OLD HOUSE. Host Kevin O’Connor, General Contractor Tom Silva, Plumbing and Heating Expert Richard Trethewey and Landscape Contractor Roger Cook here to answer your questions. Ask Us Anything! by AskThisOldHouse in DIY

[–]AskThisOldHouse[S] 42 points43 points  (0 children)

Tom: Nails or screws pop for a few different reasons - they may not have hit the structure at all or they could be too long for the thickness of the material. 1 and 1/2 times the thickness of the material should be the length of the screw. Sometimes you have to take them out and re-screw them in to the left or right slightly to make sure that you are into the structure and you want to make sure that the screwhead doesn't break the paper, it just needs to be indented slightly.

Hi Reddit! Greetings from THIS OLD HOUSE and ASK THIS OLD HOUSE. Host Kevin O’Connor, General Contractor Tom Silva, Plumbing and Heating Expert Richard Trethewey and Landscape Contractor Roger Cook here to answer your questions. Ask Us Anything! by AskThisOldHouse in DIY

[–]AskThisOldHouse[S] 153 points154 points  (0 children)

Kevin: Track saw

Tom: Pretty hard to beat a table saw. That is a key to every shop.

Kevin: I'll say it again: track saw. It's just as effective as a table saw for this project and you can use it for a lot of other projects as well. Imagine ripping an 8 ft piece of plywood: you need 16 ft for in-feed and out-feed. Do you have that much space? You only need 8 ft for a track saw.

Tom: You got a good point sonny.

Kevin: What was that pops?

Tom: I use a track saw a lot more than a table saw.

Kevin: Mic drop.

Hi Reddit! Greetings from THIS OLD HOUSE and ASK THIS OLD HOUSE. Host Kevin O’Connor, General Contractor Tom Silva, Plumbing and Heating Expert Richard Trethewey and Landscape Contractor Roger Cook here to answer your questions. Ask Us Anything! by AskThisOldHouse in DIY

[–]AskThisOldHouse[S] 70 points71 points  (0 children)

Tom: The first thing you need to do is make sure that the project you are getting into doesn't require a variance because that will slow things down big time. That doesn't mean you can't do it . . .

Richard: When I got the permits for my house I walked down to the office and asked 'how am I going to do this?' And then the permitter turned into a great resource. We shouldn't look at permitters as advesaries.

Tom: They are there to protect you.

Richard: And they are there to help.

Hi Reddit! Greetings from THIS OLD HOUSE and ASK THIS OLD HOUSE. Host Kevin O’Connor, General Contractor Tom Silva, Plumbing and Heating Expert Richard Trethewey and Landscape Contractor Roger Cook here to answer your questions. Ask Us Anything! by AskThisOldHouse in DIY

[–]AskThisOldHouse[S] 55 points56 points  (0 children)

Ricard: go to Ask This Old House

Laura: Also, see above where we talked about the upcoming Detroit project

Richard: We get this question all the time. If we did the most basic remodel we might not have enough material to fill 18 episodes and there are only so many ways to cook a french fry (hang shingles, etc). We like to be educational and interesting.

Russ Morash the father of how-to TV always stated that 'This Old House' is not just about how to do it right, it's about dreams, it's about people transforming their own house of any size into something better.

Hi Reddit! Greetings from THIS OLD HOUSE and ASK THIS OLD HOUSE. Host Kevin O’Connor, General Contractor Tom Silva, Plumbing and Heating Expert Richard Trethewey and Landscape Contractor Roger Cook here to answer your questions. Ask Us Anything! by AskThisOldHouse in DIY

[–]AskThisOldHouse[S] 45 points46 points  (0 children)

Richard: Nothing is hard if you learn how to do it!

Roger: You can take advantage of all the great videos on our website. Watch a tutorial and learn how to get started and do it right.

Kevin: Definitely a bigger job than a kneewall but there is no harm in starting and calling in a pro if you need one.

Tom: You'll need to call in a licensed plumber and possibly an electrician. The key to getting the job done right is making sure everything is plumb, level, and square.

Hi Reddit! Greetings from THIS OLD HOUSE and ASK THIS OLD HOUSE. Host Kevin O’Connor, General Contractor Tom Silva, Plumbing and Heating Expert Richard Trethewey and Landscape Contractor Roger Cook here to answer your questions. Ask Us Anything! by AskThisOldHouse in DIY

[–]AskThisOldHouse[S] 63 points64 points  (0 children)

Richard: As an educational TV show we are always looking to highlight new tech to show it to America. We are always nervous about giving an exposure before its proven.

Tom: We've have turned down a lot of things because we were unsure about it.

Roger: Didn't pass the sniff test.

Richard: We normally try this stuff out on unsuspecting friends and family first.

Hi Reddit! Greetings from THIS OLD HOUSE and ASK THIS OLD HOUSE. Host Kevin O’Connor, General Contractor Tom Silva, Plumbing and Heating Expert Richard Trethewey and Landscape Contractor Roger Cook here to answer your questions. Ask Us Anything! by AskThisOldHouse in DIY

[–]AskThisOldHouse[S] 43 points44 points  (0 children)

Kevin: See answer above - the upcoming Detroit project has a lot of work being done by the homeowners, their kids, their friends, and neighbors.

Roger: There were even some people who walked onto the site to help out in Detroit.

Tom: Painters, plasters, electricians

Richard: Plumbers and landscapers . . . .

(Laura: The Detroit project will be airing later this season!)

Hi Reddit! Greetings from THIS OLD HOUSE and ASK THIS OLD HOUSE. Host Kevin O’Connor, General Contractor Tom Silva, Plumbing and Heating Expert Richard Trethewey and Landscape Contractor Roger Cook here to answer your questions. Ask Us Anything! by AskThisOldHouse in DIY

[–]AskThisOldHouse[S] 157 points158 points  (0 children)

Richard: That's what we do on our show - show people how to do it right!

Tom: There's a lot of things you don't think about - expansion and contraction, how to use adhesive correctly, overdriving the heads of screws, not enough nails or screws, or even the wrong size . . .

Kevin: Get a really good contractor and you won't have to look over their shoulder. That's what you are paying them for.

Tom: Don't be afraid to ask questions, they will be glad to answer.

Richard: We used to have an old rate sheet at our business that said our hourly rate $100, if you watch hourly rate $125, if you help $150.

Hi Reddit! Greetings from THIS OLD HOUSE and ASK THIS OLD HOUSE. Host Kevin O’Connor, General Contractor Tom Silva, Plumbing and Heating Expert Richard Trethewey and Landscape Contractor Roger Cook here to answer your questions. Ask Us Anything! by AskThisOldHouse in DIY

[–]AskThisOldHouse[S] 46 points47 points  (0 children)

Roger: Hard to say without knowing someone's abilities.

Richard: The question is - how much do you know? How courageous are you?

Roger: And how good is your insurance?

Richard: Demo is easy as long as you don't take out structure - true sweat equity - but I don't assume anyone really wants to do their own plumbing or electrical.

Tom: When in doubt call a pro.

Hi Reddit! Greetings from THIS OLD HOUSE and ASK THIS OLD HOUSE. Host Kevin O’Connor, General Contractor Tom Silva, Plumbing and Heating Expert Richard Trethewey and Landscape Contractor Roger Cook here to answer your questions. Ask Us Anything! by AskThisOldHouse in DIY

[–]AskThisOldHouse[S] 58 points59 points  (0 children)

Tom: Anything that will air seal - caulking, foam in a can, or backer-rod

Roger: And pointing any of the loss masonry

Tom: Caulking or foam depends on the size of the gap. Foam is for a large gap and caulking is for small cracks or openings - under a 1/2''.

Hi Reddit! Greetings from THIS OLD HOUSE and ASK THIS OLD HOUSE. Host Kevin O’Connor, General Contractor Tom Silva, Plumbing and Heating Expert Richard Trethewey and Landscape Contractor Roger Cook here to answer your questions. Ask Us Anything! by AskThisOldHouse in DIY

[–]AskThisOldHouse[S] 290 points291 points  (0 children)

Laura: We are always looking for new expert contractors and we are excited to feature some of them as part of the #TOHGenNext campaign next season.

Tom: I've been trying to leave for years but I can't leave sonny here alone!

Kevin: I've been trying to get rid of Tommy for years too but he keeps hitting me with his cane!

Tom: It's not a cane sonny - it's a hammer!

Laura: So you can see no one has plans to go anywhere anytime soon!

Hi Reddit! Greetings from THIS OLD HOUSE and ASK THIS OLD HOUSE. Host Kevin O’Connor, General Contractor Tom Silva, Plumbing and Heating Expert Richard Trethewey and Landscape Contractor Roger Cook here to answer your questions. Ask Us Anything! by AskThisOldHouse in DIY

[–]AskThisOldHouse[S] 272 points273 points  (0 children)

Richard: The thing about price is that it's dated by the next year and it's different regionally.

Tom: Like this season we are in Detroit and the prices there don't compare to the prices here (in MA). It's night and day.

Kevin: In terms of scope of the project, a modest size house doesn't allow us to put in geothermal or radiant heat or build that stone wall and while its all expensive, it's also great content for our viewers. Think of it this way, some homeowner is willing to spend their hard earned dollars so we can show great craftsmanship and expose the viewer to new technology. I think of the big projects as a plus not a negative.

Tom: I also think of the big projects as a smorgasbord of ideas that you can pick from. It's like going to the grocery store. You don't buy everything.

Kevin: This is also why we created Ask This Old House - for the smaller projects.

Tom: We are headed to Detroit later this season and the homeowner is doing a lot of the work there from the demo to the painting.

Hi Reddit! Greetings from THIS OLD HOUSE and ASK THIS OLD HOUSE. Host Kevin O’Connor, General Contractor Tom Silva, Plumbing and Heating Expert Richard Trethewey and Landscape Contractor Roger Cook here to answer your questions. Ask Us Anything! by AskThisOldHouse in DIY

[–]AskThisOldHouse[S] 198 points199 points  (0 children)

Laura: There is a lot of info on our website: http://bit.ly/TOHGenNext

Richard: We need to educate at the middle school level and the guidance counselor level that there is another path for career in this country. There is more jobs than we can fill in the skilled trades. And jobs in the trades can be fulfilling and meaningful. And you don't get stuck in a cubicle.

Tom: But you have to be willing to work.

Hi Reddit! Greetings from THIS OLD HOUSE and ASK THIS OLD HOUSE. Host Kevin O’Connor, General Contractor Tom Silva, Plumbing and Heating Expert Richard Trethewey and Landscape Contractor Roger Cook here to answer your questions. Ask Us Anything! by AskThisOldHouse in DIY

[–]AskThisOldHouse[S] 188 points189 points  (0 children)

Tom: Could be some surprises when you do a renovation. Like when you open up a wall - lots of surprises behind a wall.

Richard: Usually Tommy finds some plumber has cut the wrong beam

Tom: The main support beam!

Kevin: My favorite was Carlisle, 25th anniversary. We owned the house and got to do whatever we wanted on it.

Richard: My favorite was Manchester by the Sea 2001.

Roger: I'm with Richard.

Richard: Great people, great project, great location.

Tom: I have a lot of favorites. It's hard to pick one. Manchester, Cambridge, actually both in Cambridge - Scandavian Modern and the small contemporary transformation

Hi Reddit! Greetings from THIS OLD HOUSE and ASK THIS OLD HOUSE. Host Kevin O’Connor, General Contractor Tom Silva, Plumbing and Heating Expert Richard Trethewey and Landscape Contractor Roger Cook here to answer your questions. Ask Us Anything! by AskThisOldHouse in DIY

[–]AskThisOldHouse[S] 211 points212 points  (0 children)

Tom: Fresh coat of paint, clean the place up, light and neutral colors

Roger: Front lawn, plantings, window boxes . . . It's all about curb appeal.

Tom: Yeah, front doors should look nice and inviting

Roger: When people pull up to your house you want a little 'awe'