The BEST episodes of Ask This Old House season 1
Every episode of Ask This Old House season 1, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Ask This Old House season 1!
The crew at This Old House take on some pretty big projects, which means they can only work on one or two houses a year. But homeowners have a virtual truckload of questions on smaller projects, and the TOH crew is ready to answer. Ask This Old House solves the steady stream of home improvement problems faced by viewers - and the crew even makes house calls!
#1 - Garden Pruners; Shutters; What Is It? A Tankless Job
Season 1 - Episode 11 - Aired 12/19/2002
In the Ask This Old House loft, Roger and garden tool expert Paul Schneider discuss different types of hand pruners. Tom helps two homeowners repair and reinstall their broken shutters. Back in the loft, Steve, Tom, Roger and Richard examine two unfamiliar objects and try to guess how they're used. Richard shows Steve several models of instantaneous water heaters, then visit a local homeowner to examine his tankless hot water system.
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
#2 - Clearing a Toilet; What Is It? Attic Access; Tomatoes
Season 1 - Episode 26 - Aired 4/3/2003
In the loft, Richard shows Steve several different ways to clear a toilet stoppage. Then Richard, Steve, Tom and Roger examine an unfamiliar object and try to guess how it's used. Tom and homeowner Tom Flannery install a new set of folding attic stairs and Roger shows Steve how to start tomato plants from seeds.
Watch Now:Amazon
#3 - Washer-Dryer Shutoff; What Is It? Drywall; Plumbing Torches
Season 1 - Episode 17 - Aired 1/30/2003
Richard visits a homeowner and installs an automatic water shutoff valve on her combination washer/dryer. Then Richard, Tom, Roger and Steve examine two unfamiliar objects and try to guess how they're used. Tom then shows Steve the proper technique for preparing drywall joints and Richard discusses different types of plumbing torches.
Watch Now:Amazon
#4 - Kitchen Disposer; What Is It? Hearing Protection
Season 1 - Episode 24 - Aired 3/20/2003
Richard is off to Chicago to help homeowner Dave Skena install a new garbage disposer. Back in the loft, Ricard, Tom, Roger and Steve examine two unfamiliar objects and try to guess how they're used. Outside the barn, Roger and hearing protection expert Dr. Mark Stephenson test the decibel level of several power tools. Inside, they show Tom several new types of hearing protection.
Watch Now:Amazon
#5 - Stubborn Ivy; What Is It? Replacing a Bathroom Window
Season 1 - Episode 15 - Aired 1/16/2003
Roger helps homeowner Mark Wegener remove the ivy covering his home in Madison, Wisconsin. Back in the loft, Roger, Steve, Tom and Richard examine two unfamiliar objects and try to guess how they're used. Tom then helps homeowner Christian Hansen replace the window in his third-floor condominium bathroom. Afterward, Tom explains the proper way to measure for a replacement window.
Watch Now:Amazon
#6 - New Sill; What Is It? Rolling Paint; Sharpening Knives
Season 1 - Episode 20 - Aired 2/20/2003
Tom helps homeowners Annette Ritchie and Charlie Bubar remove the aluminum siding around their window and repair the damaged sill. Back in the loft, Tom, Richard, Roger and Steve examine two unfamiliar objects and try to guess how they're used. Then Jim shows Steve how to use different types of paint rollers while Roger and knife sharpening expert Stan Watson sharpen kitchen knives.
Watch Now:Amazon
#7 - Ceiling Repair; Grinding the Stump; Shop Specs
Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/14/2002
Tom visits a young couple and teaches them how to repair a cracked plaster ceiling in their condominium. In the workshop loft, Richard and Steve rebuild a toilet to prevent it from continuously filling. Roger uses a stump grinder to remove an old tree stump from a homeowner's front yard. Back in the loft, Tom replaces a broken pane of glass and reglazes a window sash.
Watch Now:Apple TV
#8 - Snow Removal; What Is It? Fixing a Sash
Season 1 - Episode 21 - Aired 2/27/2003
Steve and Roger head outside to demonstrate different types of snow shovels and snow throwers. Back in the loft, Steve, Roger, Richard and Tom examine two unfamiliar objects and try to guess how they're used. Tom then visits homeowner Bernice Robinson and helps her repair the broken sash cords on an old window.
#9 - The Dutchman; What Is It? Flood Prevention
Season 1 - Episode 25 - Aired 3/27/2003
Tom helps Chicago-area homeowners Daryl and Catherine Katauskas repair their exterior door jamb by installing a dutchman. Back in the loft, Tom, Richard, Roger and Steve examine two unfamiliar objects and try to guess how they're used. Then Richard prevents a basement from flooding by installing a leak sensor and automatic water shutoff valve on a water heater.
#10 - Washer Repair; Pressure-Washed Brick; Drip-Free Faucet
Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/12/2002
In the Ask This Old House loft, Richard and Steve take apart an old washing machine to determine why it's making a loud rumbling sound. Roger pays a visit to a homeowner and uses a pressure washer to clean off his slippery brick walkway. Back in the loft, Steve, Tom, Roger and Richard examine two unfamiliar objects and try to guess how they've used. Tom demonstrates different types of spirit levels, and Richard sets out to help a homeowner with a leaky kitchen faucet.
Watch Now:Apple TV#11 - Sanding Options; Digging Post Holes; Better Boiling
Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/7/2002
Tom and Steve demonstrate two types of floor sanders: a traditional drum sander. Roger and Steve use manual and power tools to dig post holes for a new fence. Richard travels to a historic district in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to replace a corroded pipe on a viewer's boiler. Back in the loft, Tom gives Steve a lesson in proper caulking technique.
Watch Now:Apple TV#12 - Concrete Stoop Covering; Battling the Skeeters
Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/24/2002
Tom visits homeowners in search of a modest way to hide an ugly back stoop. Back in the barn loft he shows the different adhesives and fasteners used, as well as more traditional types of decking. Steve and Roger demonstrate a new product that promises to rid backyards of mosquitoes. Richard shows the proper technique for installing a thermostat on an old radiator.
Watch Now:Apple TV
#13 - Insulating Windows; What Is It? Sewage Injection Pump
Season 1 - Episode 19 - Aired 2/13/2003
Tom helps homeowner John Hill prevent drafts near his windows by installing insulation around the weight pockets. Then Tom, Richard, Roger and Steve examine two unfamiliar objects and try to guess how they're used. Richard makes a House Call to help homeowner John Johnstone install a sewage ejection pump for a new basement toilet.
#14 - Sawhorses; Frost-Free Faucet; What Is It? Composting Leaves
Season 1 - Episode 12 - Aired 12/26/2002
In the loft, Tom shows different types of store-bought sawhorses and teaches Steve how to build a pair from scratch. Richard hits the road and installs a new frost-proof outdoor faucet for a homeowner. Back in the loft, Tom, Richard, Roger and Steve examine two unfamiliar objects and try to guess how they're used. Roger then shows Steve how to collect and compost leaves.
Watch Now:Apple TV
#15 - Jacking It Up; Chainsaw Smarts
Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/21/2002
Tom works with a homeowner to repair a sagging floor in a three-family house. Together, they jack up the failing beam, pour new concrete footings, and install several new lally columns. Back at the barn, Roger works with chainsaw expert Tim Ard to sharpen and maintain his saws.
Watch Now:Apple TV
#16 - Basement Window; Painting Panels; Weed Trimmers
Season 1 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/5/2002
Tom hits the road on a House Call to replace a rotting basement window and install a new dryer vent for a homeowner. Back in the Ask This Old House loft, Jim shows the proper technique for painting a pre-hung six-panel door. Electrician Allen Gallant visits homeowners and installs a new power outlet in their dining room, and Roger shows Steve how to replace the string on a weed trimmer.
Watch Now:Apple TV
#17 - Spray-Painting; Chimney Dampers; What Is It? Splitting Logs
Season 1 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/2/2003
In the loft, Jim shows the several different types of paint sprayers and demonstrates the proper technique for using a spray painter to paint a shutter. Steve enlists the help of chimney expert Mark Schaub to replace a broken fireplace damper for a homeowner. Back in the loft, Steve, Tom, Roger and Richard examine two unfamiliar objects and try to guess how they're used. Steve and Roger head outside to demonstrate different ways to split logs for firewood.
Watch Now:Apple TV
#18 - Aerating the Lawn; What Is It? Hanging Pictures
Season 1 - Episode 16 - Aired 1/23/2003
In the barn loft, Jim shows Steve the proper way to paint the exterior of a double-hung window. Roger helps homeowners Paul and Claire Blumenfeld aerate and fertilize their lawn. Then Roger, Steve, Tom and Richard examine two unfamiliar objects and try to guess how they're used. Tom then shows Steve different ways to hang a picture on a hollow wall.
#19 - Plumbing Toolkit; Park the Car Quietly; Safe Swinging
Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/17/2002
At the Ask This Old House barn loft, Roger demonstrates different ways to mend a damaged garden hose. Richard shows the basic plumbing tools he recommends for homeowners. Tom explains how to use a square as a guide for cross-cutting with a circular saw. Tom then makes a House Call to homeowners struggling with a muddy lawn under the swings.
Watch Now:Apple TV#20 - Air Eliminator; Saving the Trim; Filling the Gaps
Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/31/2002
Richard visits a homeowner and installs an air eliminator valve on her hydronic heating system, reducing the need for annual maintenance. At the Ask This Old House barn loft, Tom shows how to remove nails without damaging the trim on a door frame. Steve and Roger perform annual maintenance on a snow blower. Steve consults with Jim on ways to clean and maintain old paintbrushes. Tom makes a House Call to a young couple and shows them how to use sisal and jute rope to fill the gaps in their 160-year-old pine floor.
Watch Now:Apple TV
#21 - Wooden Bung Holes; What Is It? Lattice Project
Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/28/2002
In the workshop loft, Tom shows Steve how to cut wooden bung holes and install them in decking. Jim visits a viewer and shows her why the new paint in her bathroom is cracking and peeling. In the loft, Tom, Steve and Roger examine two unfamiliar objects and try to guess what they're used for. Tom makes a House Call and shows a young couple how to build an attractive outdoor lattice.
Watch Now:Apple TV
#22 - No More Scalding; Robotic Mowers; Critter-Proofing
Season 1 - Episode 14 - Aired 1/9/2003
Richard visits a homeowner and installs a new shower faucet that will eliminate the chance of scalding. Roger and Steve head outside to test the latest robotic lawn mowers. Tom and an animal control expert visit a homeowner and help her "critter-proof" her house.
#23 - Crown Molding; What Is It? Keeping Out the Cold
Season 1 - Episode 23 - Aired 3/13/2003
Tom installs crown molding with homeowners Sheila and Karen Fitzpatrick. Back in the loft, Tom, Richard, Roger and Steve examine two unfamiliar objects and try to guess how they're used. Then Richard helps a Chicago-area homeowner install insulation to prevent his bathroom pipes from freezing.
#24 - Repairing a Window Screen; Saving the Rain; Looking for Headroom
Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/10/2002
In the debut episode, Steve joined Richard, Roger and Tom in the Ask This Old House loft to give viewers a chance to ask questions and get expert advice about their homes. Tom shows Steve how to build a replacement window screen using inexpensive parts purchased from a home center. Roger demonstrates how an old barrel can be used to water a garden. Responding to a letter from a homeowner, Richard and Steve demonstrate how to fix and a leak in a 20-year-old dishwasher. Roger demonstrates the proper technique for sharpening lawn mower blades. Tom hits the road for the first House Call of the season, to a tall homeowner whose low ceiling threatens to knock him out on his way to the basement.
Watch Now:Apple TV
#25 - Gutter Protection; What Is It? Steadying the Toilet
Season 1 - Episode 18 - Aired 2/6/2003
Tom visits homeowners Roy and Sandra Lynn and shows them several products that are designed to keep leaves and other debris out of rain gutters. Then Tom, Richard, Roger and Steve examine two unfamiliar objects and try to guess how they're used. Richard then visits homeowners Steve and Maureen Parker and helps them repair their wobbly toilet.