What happened to This Old House? omg

[DFB]

Yea I don't know who that show appeals to anymore. I pretty much quit watching after they replaced Vila. Guess it got to the point where it was all about money. If I remember renovation turned in major reconstruction. Those Silva bros. never took anything down for repair that never got totally rebuilt from the ground up and the plumbing/heating replacement costs were always out of site.

Norm was always good. And he got his own show too.

I had a book he published with furniture plans particularly wanted it for the awesome red oak banded true carpenters style workbench with end vice which I never did get around to building...at least not yet! :laughing:

 

[kc5dlo]

Kind of ironic. As I recall, Bob Villla was replaced because of his financial connection with Craftsman.

 

[chopped]

Most of the shows feature houses that should be demolished, and remodeling costs a lot more per sq. ft. than building new. Most of the time they take the place down to the studs & start over. Recently they fixed up a rubble stone foundation that was falling apart and poured a concrete floor for a usable basement. I'm no expert, but I would have jacked up the house, torn out the rock and poured a new concrete foundation, floor & all.

A couple years ago they had some "expert" show how to fall a tree. The way he did it could get someone killed. Being a forester, I wrote to them to tell them what the guy did wrong and didn't get a response.

I still enjoy the show. Lots of neat stuff and I do learn useful things from "Ask This Old House".

I wonder if you could describe the wrong process some. I do some tree felling myself and am curious. thanks..Luckily for me most of my tree work is in the woods away from houses.

 

[bigtiller]

Kind of ironic. As I recall, Bob Villla was replaced because of his financial connection with Craftsman.

The drunk driving charge didn't help either.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Norm was the one who knew what he was doing. I stopped watching when it got to be too much specialty work that the average DIY guy can't do.

I like some of the shows like Rehab addict, and Holmes, but they still don't show enough of how to do things.

 

[farmall 55a case]

I always liked Norms show new Yankee workshop but I don't ever see it on pbs anymore? Use to always watch them as a kid! I think he dose hold the record for longest running show on TV not sure tho?

 

[2458n]

Bob Villa was a tool. He would endorse anything. Norm was the only draw back then. The new group is okay with me. I mean there is only so many ways to hang a garage door. Tommy shows alot of the tricks of the trade in doing different things. I am sure these are real world things he has picked up. The plumber just showed how to reseat a toilet on the rotted bathroom floor. THIS IS A EXAMPLE YOU WILL RUN INTO. I enjoy the show for what it is.

 

[Pilot]

Chopped, I 'm sorry it's been too long to remember what the guy did wrong. A different episode shows the right way to do it. Starts about half way thru: Damaged Clapboards, Felling Trees | Ask TOH Episodes | Ask This Old House TV | This Old House On the second tree, I would have made the face cut a little deeper.
I mark the bar with a Sharpie pen at 18" so I can use the saw to measure the firewood length. Works especially well with my arborist (a.k.a. "top handle") saw which is light and quick & easy to handle.

 

[Scooby074]

Its been getting worse and worse IMHO.

Theyve always spent a ton of money, even back in the day... but to me they just jumped the shark, literally, when they had one of the fishermen from Deadlist Catch as a guest. I hope that this never happens again, I really dont care what a crab fisherman thinks about foundation construction!:mur:

 

[ultrarunner]

I met Norm twice... once in Pleasanton CA where he was having breakfast and another time at the Dallas Fort Worth airport... came across just as he did in the show... nice, softspoken guy.

My brother just bought an old homestead with a house that is questionable and a barn from the 1880's that is still standing.

He would be money ahead starting over but there is a catch... new county regulations no longer allow either the home or barn or any structures where they presently stand...

His choice is to work with what he has or give up on that part of the property... there are so many setback and ridge hilltop restrictions that even with acreage... many choice building sites are off limits.

I'm helping him come up with a plan... not to go overboard but, instead to work with what he has...

One big issue is the home is heated by wood... which is a no/no now. If he were to give up the wood stove it would be gone forever...