The WORST episodes of This Old House

#1 - Nashville: Welcome to Music City, USA

Season 46 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/26/2024

The team arrives in style to Music City, USA and kicks off the season at a rundown brick cottage in East Nashville. After Jenn Nawada gives Kevin O'Connor and Tom Silva a Nashville wardrobe upgrade, they make a stop at a local music venue to see a special performance. Once they have gotten a little Nashville out of their systems, they meet the homeowners and start game planning.

#2 - Lexington: Engineered For Accessibility

Season 45 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/19/2023

Great progress is being made on the project house. The primary addition is being framed and the rooms are starting to take shape. A sound deadening wall is built. A lally column is removed and a larger ridge beam is installed to create an open kitchen and dining area. The homeowners choose hardscape finishes based on 3D renderings. An accessible designed bathroom is toured.

#3 - Saratoga Springs: Old House New Supports

Season 43 - Episode 33 - Aired 6/23/2022

The old flooring system is replaced with a new one using ledgers and I-joists. The homeowners explore tile options. An old porch is saved and is tied into the new construction. A web of steel I-beams and roof trusses are installed.

#4 - Saratoga Springs: Raise The Roof

Season 43 - Episode 31 - Aired 5/26/2022

The original foundation needs repointing. A steel beam is installed in the new basement. Trends in plumbing fixtures are explored. A truss system is the solution for the 3rd-floor living space, which leads to a visit to the manufacturer.

#5 - Saratoga Springs: TOH In Saratoga Springs

Season 43 - Episode 27 - Aired 4/28/2022

It's off to the races on a new project in Saratoga Springs, NY; but first, the crew gets a history of the bustling city. They meet new homeowners Evan and Whitney and Evan's mother Susan. The house has been in Evan's family for seven generations.

#6 - The New Orleans House - 5

Season 12 - Episode 23 - Aired 3/1/1991

#7 - The New Orleans House - 4

Season 12 - Episode 22 - Aired 2/22/1991

#8 - The Westwood House - 12

Season 9 - Episode 12 - Aired 12/17/1987

Our host and master painter Sam Perry discuss the progress of Weratherbee Farm's exterior paint work. The new addition is blueboarded, and plaster Calvin Mills demonstrates his art. Security systems specialist Edmund F. Baker shows us the hard-wired security system recommended for the house. Our master carpenter instructs homeowner Bill in replacing window sash cords.

#9 - The Melrose House - 4

Season 7 - Episode 21 - Aired 2/27/1986

The nearly-completed attic renovation is ready to be insulated. Our host sets off for the Lexington Hotel in Chicago, once headquarters for Al Capone and now being renovated by Sunbow, a foundation that trains women in carpentry and other construction skills.

#10 - The Newton Cottage - 5

Season 7 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/7/1985

Construction continues with the installation of the staircase. Homeowners insulate the structure and our master carpenter discusses and demonstrates the framing and installation of windows. Our host takes a side trip to Diamond Head, Hawaii, to tour the construction.

#11 - Carolina Comeback: Silt and Stone

Season 47 - Episode 9 - Aired 1/1/2026

Kevin O'Connor goes antiquing with Miah at the Antique Tobacco Barn, where she is looking for a new kitchen table. Jenn Nawada assists with collecting soil samples from Jim and Allie's yard, then visits a state lab before returning with results. In Asheville, Kevin visits a nonprofit workshop that is crafting Paula's concrete vanity top.

#12 - Summer Special: Return to Paradise

Season 42 - Episode 30 - Aired 9/16/2021

Residents of Paradise, California woke on the morning of Nov. 18, 2018, to find their quiet town overtaken by an uncontrollable wildfire. The fire would burn thousands of homes, businesses, schools and make it difficult to escape—resulting in 85 deaths. This Old House follows three families on their emotional journey as they rebuild their homes.

#13 - The Reading Ranch - 7

Season 7 - Episode 15 - Aired 1/16/1986

We go on an encore field trip to Ryland Homes, Maryland-based manufacturers of prefabricated houses renowned for low cost and energy efficiency. Back at the construction site, our host and our master carpenter work with Frank to build the deck on his new second-story addition.

#14 - The Newton Cottage - 7

Season 7 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/21/1985

Tile is installed in the new addition. On an excursion to Seattle, Washington, our host looks at a renovated hotel and visits elegant houseboats.

#15 - In and Around Boston - An Artful Apartment 4

Season 6 - Episode 26 - Aired 3/29/1985

Final details are completed in the apartment, including the installation of state-of-the-art telephone and a personal computer. Designer Ben Lloyd, tenants Margie and Eric and our host take a final tour of the newly decorated apartment.

#16 - Brookline Mid-Century Modern House: Finally Finishes

Season 40 - Episode 25 - Aired 6/22/2019

Installing closet systems, modern baseboards and a linear wall drain in the master shower; selecting door hardware; installing floating bathroom vanities.

#17 - Summer Special: Rebirth of Detroit

Season 42 - Episode 29 - Aired 9/9/2021

Kevin, Richard, and Tom follow a family on their journey to restore an abandoned house in Detroit. The city has a program to bring these empty houses back to life, revitalizing the neighborhoods.

#18 - Behind the Build: Memorable Makers

Season 42 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/18/2020

This Old House features talented makers. From young blacksmiths metalworking to a woodworker who finds centuries-old lumber under water, we visit people and places all over the country who make beautiful household items.

#19 - The Melrose House - 3

Season 7 - Episode 20 - Aired 2/20/1986

Work proceeds inside and out on Tug's attic, as the roof is shingled and skylights and windows are installed. Our host is given a special tour of New York's Trump Tower, where luxury and elegance abound.

#20 - The New Orleans House - 3

Season 12 - Episode 21 - Aired 2/15/1991

#21 - The Jamaica Plain House - 18

Season 12 - Episode 18 - Aired 12/29/1990

The final day. Boston's Mayor Ray Flynn drops by to welcome Hazel to the city and gives her a wreath. Designer Joe Ruggiero shows us the three different treatments he gave each floor of the triple-decker, and we see how the stenciling and checkerboarding in the foyer were done. Out at the workshop, the guys build a folding screen for the first-floor dining room.

#22 - The Lexington Bed and Breakfast - 18

Season 10 - Episode 18 - Aired 12/29/1988

The crew installs a metal railing on the granite patio using hydrolic cement. We then visit a single-family home development in Aurora, Illinois, featuring houses so energy-efficient the builder guarantees that annual heating bills will not exceed $200.

#23 - The Lexington Bed and Breakfast - 16

Season 10 - Episode 16 - Aired 12/15/1988

Our host and Jim Sinek discuss the budget. Meanwhile, plastering contractors have begun their work. Our host tries out plastering stilts. Then we visit a bed and breakfast in Williamstown, Massachusetts, where the homeowners used the B&B income to restore their 1770 farmhouse to museum quality. Back in Lexington, our host checks out the fireplace chimney pipe in the attic. Outside, the crew has built a faux chimney to hide the metal pipe and give it a brick facade.

#24 - The Santa Barbara Bungalow - 4

Season 9 - Episode 24 - Aired 3/10/1988

Work on the California bungalow continues with the homeowners pitching in. The crew starts shingling the new roof, and our master carpenter starts to assemble the pergola. Electrician Rudy Escalera stops by and landscape architect Grant Castleberg shows his rough design plans. Later, our host takes a tour of the Hearst Castle in San Simeon.

#25 - The Westwood House - 20

Season 9 - Episode 20 - Aired 2/11/1988

Our host leads us on a tour of the finished and decorated Weatherbee Farm with interior designer Jean LeMon. Upstairs, designer Joe Ruggiero shows us simple decorated techniques used in the master bedroom and bath.