The WORST episodes of This Old House
Every episode of This Old House ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of This Old House!
This Old House celebrates the fusion on old world craftsmanship and modern technology. Each season features two renovation projects. Project One traditionally consists of eighteen or more so episodes and is filmed in Massachusetts. Project Two is taped in a different region of the country to highlight the variety of American architectural styles and renovation issues.
#1 - The Westerly Ranch House: Chimney Down and Walls Up
Season 41 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/12/2019
Mark McCullough and Jeff Sweenor take down the chimney. Scott and Shayla window shop. Jeff Sweenor and Richard Trethewey visit a convention to discover new plumbing products, while back at the ranch the exterior walls come down. Jeff will reuse the original rafters for new wall framing.
#2 - The Seaside Victorian Cottage: Back to Narragansett
Season 42 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/22/2020
After months of meticulous restoration, the stained glass windows are ready to be reinstalled. Electrician Ben Giles has an apprentice. Tom re-creates original shingles. Landscape meeting with homeowners.
#3 - The Seaside Victorian Cottage: Chimney Straightener
Season 42 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/15/2020
Chimney bricks are cleaned and repurposed for a new, straight chimney. Staggered shingles are reapplied. Kevin learns about glass orbs hidden on Block Island. Richard shows a new shower drain.
#4 - The Seaside Victorian Cottage: New Light In Old Windows
Season 42 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/8/2020
Decorative Queen Anne style barge rafters are reproduced for the garage addition. The antique windows get restored and primed in the shop, re-glazed, and then returned to the house for installation.
#5 - The Seaside Victorian Cottage: Project Interrupted
Season 42 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/1/2020
The guys begin restoration of an 1887 Queen Anne Victorian Cottage. Kevin hears about preserving historic details while updating the interior space and creating a new garage and master suite
#6 - Behind the Build: Anatomy of a Kitchen
Season 42 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/25/2020
From demo day and design, to selecting the finishing touches, we follow every step as the homeowners decide on the components and the crew converts a decades-old butler's pantry kitchen into an up-to-date kitchen for the future.
#7 - The Westerly Ranch House: Pining for Old Pine
Season 41 - Episode 10 - Aired 1/11/2020
Norm uses old pine from a local sawmill to make a coffee table. Mauro teaches apprentice Kathryn to whitewash the knotty pine paneling. Tommy and Jeff build a pergola for the deck. Kevin helps with a shutter assembly. Electrician Ben shows apprentice De’Shaun how to light the pergola.
#8 - The Westerly Ranch House: Tanks for the Propane
Season 41 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/23/2019
The new propane tank gets buried in the backyard. Norm advises an apprentice in composite decking. Jeff and Tom add final touches to the coffered ceiling. A shelving system goes into the new office, and applies a stone veneer to the new chimney.
#9 - The Westerly Ranch House: Return to Paradise
Season 41 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/9/2019
Kevin O'Connor reviews the progress of the Westerly house. Tom Silva and Jeff Sweenor work on the main staircase at Jeff’s shop and then they bring it to the house to install. At the Idea House, Kevin looks at new clapboard siding technology. Richard Trethewey tours a factory to see how a furnace is built and then watches one being installed at the project house.
#10 - Lexington: Install With Care
Season 45 - Episode 13 - Aired 2/1/2024
The new mechanical room is revealed. Heath Eastman installs in-wall lights at the front ramp. Richard Trethewey and plumber Abe Bilo install an offset sink drain. Kevin O'Connor visits a local glass studio where the homeowners' son Wix is assisting glass artists Andrew Iannazzi and Emery Wenger with making a custom piece. Tom Silva begins installing support bars in Caffrey's bathroom.
#11 - The Westerly Ranch House: A Ranch Out Westerly
Season 41 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/5/2019
The new season kicks off with a ranch house in Westerly, RI. Inside, Tom and Kevin tour the house and admire the knotty pine paneling. Kevin and the homeowners take a look at the architect renderings. Norm pays a visit to California Ranch style homes. Richard tours the structurally sound basement with Jeff. Jenn and Roger walk property to consider landscape options. Salvage and demo begin.
#12 - Brookline Mid-Century Modern House: What's the Miter With the corner
Season 40 - Episode 22 - Aired 5/11/2019
Rebuilding a century-old puddingstone wall; revisiting the 2005 Cambridge modern project; installing trimless LED recessed lights; installing large tanks under the driveway to curtail rainwater runoff.
#13 - The New Orleans House - 5
Season 12 - Episode 23 - Aired 3/1/1991
#14 - The New Orleans House - 4
Season 12 - Episode 22 - Aired 2/22/1991
#15 - 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.
#16 - 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.
#17 - 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.
#18 - Ipswich: Secrets Behind the Wall
Season 44 - Episode 16 - Aired 3/30/2023
The architect shares his vision for the property, but before plans can be completed, a bit of exploratory demo must take place. A lesson on first period homes is given. The team hopes to uncover the original timber frame during demo.
#19 - The Seaside Victorian Cottage: Design Elements
Season 42 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/17/2021
Tom watches ceiling mounted speakers disappear. Richard oversees the startup of a new HVAC system. Kevin learns about garage door side mounts. The pool arrives and is lowered into place. The homeowner and designer walk Kevin through design choices.
#20 - Ipswich: Rebuilding Centuries
Season 44 - Episode 20 - Aired 4/27/2023
The newly restored timber frame structure is reassembled on site. A Rumford fireplace is installed where the old was demolished. The steel ridge beam is craned in place. The homeowner visits a local stone yard to select a kitchen countertop.
#21 - Ipswich: Below Grade Plumbing
Season 44 - Episode 19 - Aired 4/20/2023
The old fireplace firebox is demolished leaving the chimney for the new fireplace. The dismantled timber frame pieces are restored offsite. Plumbing is run for a below grade bathroom. A steel beam is prepared for installation. Kevin goes clamming.
#22 - Ipswich: Careful Considerations
Season 44 - Episode 18 - Aired 4/13/2023
The timber frame structure in the ell is carefully dismantled. A new fireplace for the original gambrel is considered. Landscape and hardscape ideas are explored. A family run lumber mill is toured. The homeowner decides on a roof shingle style.
#23 - Ipswich: Prep-Work
Season 44 - Episode 17 - Aired 4/6/2023
Preparation for the new foundation begins. A centuries old cistern is uncovered. The original timber frame structure is assessed, and the original floorboards and roof sheathing are salvaged for later use. The sill is inspected for water damage.
#24 - Newburyport: Demo Find
Season 44 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/19/2023
Work is underway for the new three-story bump out, and the interior is fully demolished in preparation for the new modern floor plan. An old narrow and steep staircase is replaced with a new winder staircase. The homeowner visits the town museum to learn about the history of her home. A bulge and lean-proof retaining wall is built. The City of Newburyport wastewater treatment facility is toured.
#25 - Summer Special: Scandinavian Modern
Season 42 - Episode 27 - Aired 7/11/2021
This Old House has followed the rebuilding of over 70 homes. But after 42 years only one of those was a Scandinavian Modern. This Cambridge, MA house started life as a dark, divided 1887 two-family home. We turned it into a bright, open Scandinavian-style one-family. In this summer special, we compress the efforts to restore this beauty into one episode. Follow the action as Tom Silva, Norm Abram, and Roger Cook, along with their teams, take this old house from rundown to remarkable.