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Arts & Culture

This Old House: Bedford Project, Part 1 Of 16

In the small New England town of Bedford, Mass., stands this picturesque Colonial post-and-beam house that dates back to the early 1700s. The charming late-First Period/Early Georgian, known to many as the Nathaniel Page Homestead, is the next project for the Emmy®-winning PBS home improvement series "This Old House." Their team of experts will renovate the 18th-century house by constructing two modest additions, appropriate to the style and period-feel of the home, while making necessary updates and repairs that will add functionality and improve the structure and safety of the home for the owners to live in for years to come.
Courtesy of Joe Keller
In the small New England town of Bedford, Mass., stands this picturesque Colonial post-and-beam house that dates back to the early 1700s. The charming late-First Period/Early Georgian, known to many as the Nathaniel Page Homestead, is the next project for the Emmy®-winning PBS home improvement series "This Old House." Their team of experts will renovate the 18th-century house by constructing two modest additions, appropriate to the style and period-feel of the home, while making necessary updates and repairs that will add functionality and improve the structure and safety of the home for the owners to live in for years to come.

Airs Saturday, October 8, 2011 at 1 p.m. on KPBS TV

America’s favorite home improvement series, the Emmy Award-winning "This Old House," continues with host Kevin O’Connor, general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, landscape contractor Roger Cook and master carpenter Norm Abram.

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"This Old House" opens a new season with work on a 300-year-old farmstead that is rich in Colonial history. Homeowners Joe and Becky Titlow plan to preserve the historic part of the house while adding space and modern amenities with two small additions. Architect Dan Quaile presents the plan using a remarkable model generated from a 3-D printer, while general contractor Tom Silva inspects the structure and historic window sash, which will be restored.

In the basement, plumbing and heating expert, Richard Trethewey, finds the relic of an antique water pump system, and a newer mechanical system that contains some inefficient and unsafe aspects. Master carpenter Norm Abram is concerned about the high water table, especially when it comes to excavating for the new additions.

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Landscape contractor Roger Cook considers the half-acre lot and what the homeowners would like to add – a storage shed, raised garden beds, a new driveway and stone walls. The bulk of the landscape work will be clearing and reclaiming nearly half of the back yard that has been overwhelmed by brambles and invasives.

Visit the "This Old House" website to browse photo galleries, get money saving ideas and watch how-to videos.