# This Old House. Anyone else watch?



## mwhip (Jul 22, 2002)

My dad was a big an of TOH and I liked it until Norm left. Then when Bob Villa left I watched again. I think Kevin O'Conner is a great host and I really like the "ask this old house" segments. I have learned so much about construction and how important it is to find someone who knows what they are doing rather than someone who just wants the money. 

What are your favorite houses? The one they did recently in Rhode Island on the beach was great. I would love to see it after Sandy walloped it see if all that weather proofing really helped.


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## Jon J (Aug 23, 2000)

mwhip said:


> My dad was a big an of TOH and I liked it until Norm left.


Norm was in the episode that ran last week.


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## wouldworker (Sep 7, 2004)

I still watch it but most of it doesn't interest me anymore. They spend about 7 minutes on actual construction and the rest of the time they're showing other houses and talking to designers. 

Ask This Old House has also lost my interest. It's interesting when the person has a unique problem, but that isn't the norm. "I've got an old sink and I want a new one." "I want a nice lawn." Call someone and pay for it yourself like the rest of us. We don't need to see Roger and Richard doing simple jobs for free.


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## pmyers (Jan 4, 2001)

Norm never left the show. When Bob left the other guy took over hosting (can't think of his name) and when that guy left Kevin took over. Norm's been there the entire time.

*edit* it was Steve Thomas


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## mwhip (Jul 22, 2002)

pmyers said:


> Norm never left the show. When Bob left the other guy took over hosting (can't think of his name) and when that guy left Kevin took over. Norm's been there the entire time.
> 
> *edit* it was Steve Thomas


I guess I assumed Norm left during the Villa years because we know they did not get along.


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## pmyers (Jan 4, 2001)

mwhip said:


> I guess I assumed Norm left during the Villa years because we know they did not get along.


No..he was there and they are very funny to watch. You can see the disdain for each other, especially toward the end of Bob's run.


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## mwhip (Jul 22, 2002)

pmyers said:


> No..he was there and they are very funny to watch. You can see the disdain for each other, especially toward the end of Bob's run.


Which is funny because it seemed Norm did not like Bob because he thought Bob was "hollywood" and not a construction guy. Which is odd because Kevin was not a construction guy either but they get along great.


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## pmyers (Jan 4, 2001)

mwhip said:


> Which is funny because it seemed Norm did not like Bob because he thought Bob was "hollywood" and not a construction guy. Which is odd because Kevin was not a construction guy either but they get along great.


Do you know the background on Kevin? They actually came to his house on an Ask this Old House segment and somehow ended up hosting.

I'll try and find the history


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## pmyers (Jan 4, 2001)

A little info here: http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/biography/0,,441624,00.html


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## ThAbtO (Apr 6, 2000)

I have been recording and collecting this series for the last few years, from the local PBS (season 32) and the local CBS (currently airing season 27).


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## MikeAndrews (Jan 17, 2002)

mwhip said:


> Which is funny because it seemed Norm did not like Bob because he thought Bob was "hollywood" and not a construction guy. Which is odd because Kevin was not a construction guy either but they get along great.


Yeah. This is true. Exactly what skill or trade did Bob Villa have?

We wasn't a builder, a contractor, an architect, or a carpenter.

At least Kevin really owns an old house.

The funny was in the very first episodes of TOH where Norm couldn't / wouldn't talk. He was really uncomfortable on camera and they had to prod him to say what he was doing.


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## Kablemodem (May 26, 2001)

I've watched since the beginning. I used to look forward to new episodes on Saturday afternoons. A few years ago we didn't have any local stations that still carried TOH. I could occasionally get it OTA, but sometimes it would record and sometimes it wouldn't, so I stopped watching. I'm pretty sure one of the local PBS stations now carries it and I have about 100 episodes saved up.

I was at dinner the other night and a guy at the table next to mine looked really familiar but I couldn't remember who it was. It finally dawned on me that he looked like Richard Trethewey from 15 years ago.


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## snowjay (Mar 27, 2007)

I've watched it since the beginning. I just wish they showed more of Tommy and Norm building. Oh how I'd love to shadow Tommy for a few days.

As was mentioned Norm never left, the only thing he stopped doing was the New Yankee Workshop.


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## mwhip (Jul 22, 2002)

Watching Tommy and Richard really makes you take notice why a lot of these professions are having a hard time finding people to fill the jobs. Just basic things like the use of math and attention to detail is just very lacking in the youth today. I read an article recently that electricians and plumbers can make $60k a year but no one wants to enter that trade and most who might lack the education.


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## Tivogre (Jul 12, 2002)

I've watched it religiously since I was a kid!!!

I LOVED the San Francisco church conversion. 

This season's house is going to be incredible as well.

I've learned s TON over the years for TOH and NYW; I'm sure they are largely responsible for my handiness around the house and enjoyment of doing things around the house myself. 

I can't believe they don't offer all seasons on DVD / Blueray. I have over 300 shows on one TiVo, but can't find a good way to organize and label them for consumption.


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## murgatroyd (Jan 6, 2002)

I used to watch all the time, but sort of fell away because of the name of the show changing (that is, the combo of TOH and Ask TOH), so the old SP wouldn't pick it up.

I like Tommy, Norm, Rich Trethewey, and a lot of the other contractors (the painter -- Jim Clark? -- is awesome). But I'm not so keen on the architects they've used, and I got really tired of the house butchery. So I quit watching.


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## ThAbtO (Apr 6, 2000)

On a sad note, one of the contractors, the tile guy, (can't place the name) died in mid-season last year.


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## pmyers (Jan 4, 2001)

Tivogre said:


> ...I've learned s TON over the years for TOH and NYW; I'm sure they are largely responsible for my handiness around the house and enjoyment of doing things around the house myself...


I agree. I watch the show Saturday morning to motivate myself to do something around the house!


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## zalusky (Apr 5, 2002)

I love the show but at least in the bay area they seem to have a very spotty schedule. Its on for a few weeks and then off for a month adn repeat. Thank heaven for Tivo because if I had to look for current episodes it would take a lot of work.

My related question is whats up with Hometime and going HD. They seem to be years behind.


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## mrdbdigital (Feb 3, 2004)

netringer said:


> Exactly what skill or trade did Bob Villa have?
> 
> We wasn't a builder, a contractor, an architect, or a carpenter.


On screen BullS**t artist. 

I always thought Bob was full of himself. He always seemed so insincere when talking to other people. I was happy when he left the show. There's a lot of his type in front of cameras in the television business, as I have un-happily personally witnessed.

Dave


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## CraigK (Jun 9, 2006)

Watched it since the beginning. Love watching Norm, Tommy and Richard.

We have two PBS stations on Comcast. The Seattle station always pre-empts This Old House in December to show cooking shows and such on Saturday afternoons. Drives me crazy since the show has a certain continuity as the project progresses. The start up where they left off again in January.

I usually switch over to the Tacoma PBS station in December to finish the current project they are showing, but that station isn't HD on Comcast here so is not as enjoyable.


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## Mikeyis4dcats (Oct 2, 2003)

netringer said:


> Yeah. This is true. Exactly what skill or trade did Bob Villa have?
> 
> We wasn't a builder, a contractor, an architect, or a carpenter.
> 
> At least Kevin really owns an old house.


actually, he was a national award winning remodelling contractor.


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## snowjay (Mar 27, 2007)

ThAbtO said:


> On a sad note, one of the contractors, the tile guy, (can't place the name) died in mid-season last year.


Joe Ferrante

He passed several years ago.


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## murgatroyd (Jan 6, 2002)

snowjay said:


> Joe Ferrante
> 
> He passed several years ago.


Joe did beautiful work. It was a real pleasure to watch him.


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## scooterboy (Mar 27, 2001)

I've met Rich Trethewey and Norm (different times and places), and they both couldn't have been nicer.


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## ThAbtO (Apr 6, 2000)

I met Steve Thomas at an Event show once.


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## Frylock (Feb 13, 2002)

I've watched since the beginning. I've also met Norm and Tommy when they were working on a Nantucket house (the last one they did). Both were really nice. I actually watched them for the majority of the time they were doing the work. Tommy was pretty much always there, but Norm came and went. Steve was there as well, but he also came and went. 

I HATED Bob. Those are the worst episodes. Steve was ok, but Kevin is much better. Kevin personifies everyone who loves the show I think. Some guy who is handy, and has a dream job now. He's no pompous (like Bob) and seem to enjoy the construction aspect (unlike Steve).


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## markymark_ctown (Oct 11, 2004)

have watched for maybe 8-10 years sincei had the tivo season pass. before that, i'd watch by chance.

on our pbs station, TOH and Ask TOH are a back to back 60 minutes. similar to other locations?


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## mwhip (Jul 22, 2002)

markymark_ctown said:


> have watched for maybe 8-10 years sincei had the tivo season pass. before that, i'd watch by chance.
> 
> on our pbs station, TOH and Ask TOH are a back to back 60 minutes. similar to other locations?


That is how mine is.

The Barrington house is the one I was talking about, would love to know how that fared in Hurricane Sandy.


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## wkearney99 (Dec 5, 2003)

I had the occasion to meet Bob Vila while at Logan Airport. Man, that dude is SHORT. And hairy, I kept thinking "Hobbit".

Got a picture with some of the TOH crew at the National Building Museum a while back:









Got a quick LOL from one of them when I asked if they thought Vila was as much of a pain in the ass as he came across on-screen. It was one of those 'oops, shouldn't have laughed THAT loud' sort of things. Perfect.


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## murgatroyd (Jan 6, 2002)

markymark_ctown said:


> on our pbs station, TOH and Ask TOH are a back to back 60 minutes. similar to other locations?


Yes, that's part of the reason I kept losing track of TOH. The 60 minute combined show was getting a new name in the guide data, so the old SP wouldn't work.

Maybe I should set up new SPs and try again.


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## astrohip (Jan 7, 2003)

I don't watch TOH, but I do watch Ask This Old House religiously. I can't do anything remotely close to their skill levels, but I can watch & dream.


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## Big Deficit (Jul 8, 2003)

Been watching all the way through and will probably continue to watch as long as they make them out of habit. I miss when they would actually buy the house and fix it for profit, but the market won't allow it anymore. It was also fun when they had the homeowners actually do some of the work. I almost stopped watching when they did the "This Old Rich Persons House" at Manchester about a decade ago. I guess if you want to showcase new tech you have to go a little upscale, but a house with a music conservatory? I wasn't alone being upset when it came out the the owner of a $9 mil house also received by far and away the most donated materials and labor in the history of the show.

When Bob Villa left, he started a competing show (Home Again?) that lasted in one form or another for quite a while. He tried to make his own "Norm" with Riley the carpenter. He'd disappear from the show for a while and when he came back, another part of his hand was either bandaged or gone. A couple of fingers at least, a bit at a time. AFAIK, Norm still has all his fingers. Riley eventually left and didn't return.


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## SullyND (Dec 30, 2004)

I've watched TOH since the early 80s (I was probably 5-6 at the time). It probably played a role in me becoming an Architect.

I like Kevin the best of the hosts. Bob still has his own show that I catch sometimes, but it seems more advertising driven. I have seen one with Steve sometimes too.

I like the fact that Rich's Dad was originally the plumber. They showed Rich's first scene on ATOH once, he was doing the heavy lifting bringing equipment in for his Dad. Now Rich's son(s) show up from time to time and have the exact same mannerisms as their old man.

The larger cast (Tommy, Rich, and Roger) works much better than just Host + Norm.

I do wish they'd do every other season as a normal home rather than the onslaught of mansions they've been doing.


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## murgatroyd (Jan 6, 2002)

SullyND said:


> I do wish they'd do every other season as a normal home rather than the onslaught of mansions they've been doing.


This is one of the reasons I've quit watching. I wish they would go back to working on ordinary houses.


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## MikeAndrews (Jan 17, 2002)

Big Deficit said:


> ...
> When Bob Villa left, he started a competing show (Home Again?) that lasted in one form or another for quite a while. He tried to make his own "Norm" with Riley the carpenter. He'd disappear from the show for a while and when he came back, another part of his hand was either bandaged or gone. A couple of fingers at least, a bit at a time. AFAIK, Norm still has all his fingers. Riley eventually left and didn't return.


That's funny. A real pro. Like Justin Wilson said, "Leroy! How'd you lose dem fingers?" - Like this!"

If you watch closely, you can see that Roger Cook has a couple of finger ends missing on his left hand.


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## snowjay (Mar 27, 2007)

murgatroyd said:


> This is one of the reasons I've quit watching. I wish they would go back to working on ordinary houses.


They are doing a pretty ordinary house this season. And both last season weren't extravagant IMHO.


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## doom1701 (May 15, 2001)

I didn't know it was still on. So Norm still shows up on it? I may have to setup a recording, since I haven't been able to get my Norm fix for years.


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## murgatroyd (Jan 6, 2002)

snowjay said:


> They are doing a pretty ordinary house this season. And both last season weren't extravagant IMHO.


Thanks, I'll check it out.


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## SullyND (Dec 30, 2004)

murgatroyd said:


> Thanks, I'll check it out.


Snowjay and I evidentially have a different definition of ordinary.


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## wkearney99 (Dec 5, 2003)

snowjay said:


> They are doing a pretty ordinary house this season. And both last season weren't extravagant IMHO.


Given the incredible amount of work they're doing on the place I'd hardly call it a normal job. That and it's a pretty big house. Not like some of the post-and-beam monstrosities of recent years, but still FAR from a normal kind of home.

It seemed like the older shows managed to 'get more in' rather than stretching it out across multiple episodes. Now, jobs do require a lot of time and it's better not to fake it into the '3 day' schedules some shows seem to hype. But given there's only about 20 minutes of actual show in the average episode these days it's pretty annoying to come away feeling like very little was covered. At least with ATOH you're getting some pretty thorough coverage of multiple projects in the same timeframe.

That and it really did seem hard to get a decent season pass configured for the show. Between randomly bad PBS guide data (wrong shows entirely) or repeats being record even with 'First Run', I stopped trying to record it. But lately it seems to be handling first run recordings properly.

Even in the face of competition from DIY and HGTV, TOH still comes across as a show worth watching.


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## Gary McCoy (Jun 4, 2003)

I am another viewer who has watched every TOH episode since the show was new. I also lived on Nantucket when Norm Abrams was a struggling General Contractor there. (Norm was always a great craftsman, never a great businessman.)

The popular versions of why Bob Vila left TOH, including those in this thread, are all wrong. In fact, after 10 years as the TOH host, he had a disagreement with series producer Russel Morash over who had creative control and how many commercial endorsements of new products should be included in the series.

Eventually Vila left voluntarily and suddenly (between seasons) to go do his own show, _Home Again With Bob Vila_, which he was certain would be bigger and better than TOH. Morash of course had the last laugh, Vila's show lasted one season, and Vila became the king of the travelling homeshow circuit. He made a bit of a comeback with another series (_Restore America_) a documentary series where he toured historic homes and was narrator. But this also lasted one season.

Vila's best work IMHO was on _Tool Time_, where he was arch-rival to Tim Allen on the show-within-a-show in the actual series _Home Improvement_.


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## Squeak (May 12, 2000)

SullyND said:


> Snowjay and I evidentially have a different definition of ordinary.


What am I missing?:

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/tv/houseproject/floorplans/0,,20587086,00.html

This is one of their smaller projects in recent years. I would say it is in the 1800-2400 sqft range.

Now, the cost is a different story -- but that is to be expected when you buy a house in downtown Cambridge.

The interesting sub-projects that they show on TV cost money -- otherwise who wants to watch them once again put up a partition wall?


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## nataylor (Apr 26, 2000)

Gary McCoy said:


> Eventually Vila left voluntarily and suddenly (between seasons) to go do his own show, _Home Again With Bob Vila_, which he was certain would be bigger and better than TOH. Morash of course had the last laugh, Vila's show lasted one season, and Vila became the king of the travelling homeshow circuit.


Home Again with Bob Vila (renamed just Bob Vila for its last two seasons) ran for over 430 episodes over 15 seasons.


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

You have inspired me to try and find it and set up a new SP. When I was remodeling this house, it was a staple. I learned a lot of cool things from shows like this. I watched two or three different ones at one point in my life.


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## snowjay (Mar 27, 2007)

Squeak said:


> What am I missing?:
> 
> http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/tv/houseproject/floorplans/0,,20587086,00.html
> 
> ...


I'm with you. The show is remodeling/renovating old homes to someones dream. If you want modest home improvements you are watching the wrong show.


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## vertigo235 (Oct 27, 2000)

It's called This Old House!


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## zalusky (Apr 5, 2002)

vertigo235 said:


> It's called This Old House!


Yep old houses take a lot of money. Our 1960s house is on its 6th remodel.

Living room
Kitchen
Bedroom/bathrooms
Kitchen again
Bedroom/bathrooms again 
Family room/fireplace

Plus all sorts of outside stuff


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## jsmeeker (Apr 2, 2001)

1960s? That's not old!!


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## MikeAndrews (Jan 17, 2002)

zalusky said:


> Yep old houses take a lot of money. Our 1960s house is on its 6th remodel.





jsmeeker said:


> 1960s? That's not old!!


My 1960 house has never been remodeled. It was never really finished either.


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## SNJpage1 (May 25, 2006)

I have been watching this show for what seems like forever. I did like when they went in and did repairs to an older home. However to see the new things available they have to do the hugh rebuilds. I think thats why I like the ASK programs better. They show more of the things a regular home owner can do for themselves. I just finished replacing the stairs in the outside opening to my basement. I used the info they showed on how to replace a short stair to a deck.


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

netringer said:


> Yeah. This is true. Exactly what skill or trade did Bob Villa have?
> 
> We wasn't a builder, a contractor, an architect, or a carpenter.


But he did remodel an old house. That house's transformation from tear-down to restored masterpiece was filmed and broadcast by WGBH. The series was popular enough that they continued on.

As far as his lack of creds, that's not unusual for PBS. _MotorWeek's_ John Davis had no prior automotive journalism experience (and it still shows 30 years later) and in their 25th anniversary episode admitted that his original staffers were often chosen by either the car they drove everyday and/or their car-related conversations around the water cooler.


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

SullyND said:


> I do wish they'd do every other season as a normal home rather than the onslaught of mansions they've been doing.


That's what I used to love about another PBS show, _Hometime._ Dean Johnson and various female co-hosts have projects that were a lot more reasonable. They have done some really big homes, but a lot of those are just minor remodels and especially repairs.

My favorite project of theirs of course is the log cabin they built probably 20 years ago, and I'm glad they've gone back a few times for maintenance and have even changed out a few things.


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## MoBoost (Jan 6, 2007)

Thread revival!
We really like the show; been watching for years. The show is listed as HD and I know that 480i qualifies, but why isn't it 1080? Is it Comcast, the show or my channel selection?
Thanks,
Jon


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## vertigo235 (Oct 27, 2000)

The show is indeed in HD, and 480i actually doesn't qualify. So it's channel selection or comcast. 

I think it's in 1080i.


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## ThAbtO (Apr 6, 2000)

Its 1080i on OTA.


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## MoBoost (Jan 6, 2007)

Strange, in my season pass manager it shows the HD symbol, but the recordings are always 480i. It's probably Comcast.

Same issue with Downton Abbey, 480i.


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## DeDondeEs (Feb 20, 2004)

I'd like to know what some of these people who own the homes do for a living. Like with that new Essex House, "Hey, i'm going to buy this run down cottage in the woods for my parents, and renovate it so that everything is more accessible". Ever heard of a retirement home??


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

DeDondeEs said:


> I'd like to know what some of these people who own the homes do for a living. Like with that new Essex House, "Hey, i'm going to buy this run down cottage in the woods for my parents, and renovate it so that everything is more accessible". Ever heard of a retirement home??


Have you priced a retirement home? My mother spent her last month on earth in one, and it was costing my father something like $3500/month, and that's a room with 2 roommates. If she wanted her own room, it's more like $6k. A few years in such a facility and you've spent enough money to buy a pretty nice house.

The home where my mother was is considered one of the better ones in LA. Many that I have had to visit due to my job were little more than death factories. Absolutely depressing.


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## Carfan (Aug 9, 2003)

scooterboy said:


> I've met Rich Trethewey and Norm (different times and places), and they both couldn't have been nicer.


I also had the pleasure of flying back to Boston from Denver with the crew (it was long enough ago that Bob was also there). Interesting dynamics beween the crew, Norm and Rich are great!


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## scooterboy (Mar 27, 2001)

scooterboy said:


> I've met Rich Trethewey and Norm (different times and places), and they both couldn't have been nicer.





Carfan said:


> I also had the pleasure of flying back to Boston from Denver with the crew (it was long enough ago that Bob was also there). Interesting dynamics beween the crew, Norm and Rich are great!


I met Rich at a Home Show and only talked to him for a few minutes, but it was obvious he liked to meet viewers.

When I met Norm it was on the street outside the house they did on Nantucket, and he stood there and talked to me for a good 20 minutes. My boss had bought one of the previous projects on TOH (Weatherbee Farm in Westwood MA), and he was regaling me with stories about how awful the owners had been during the project.


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