This Old House

This Old House gives you the inspiration, information and instruction you need to take on home improvement projects of all sizes and succeed. In every issue, find fresh design ideas for every room, creative DIY solutions, step-by-step projects, and tips from the pros.

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Welcome to the “live well in the moment” movement

Happy 20th, Ask This Old House! • The home-improvement show that goes anywhere to answer your questions is celebrating two decades on the road. Join us as we look in the rearview mirror at some house-call highlights, epic episodes, and notable detours along the way

You didit! • Reader projects, tips, and triumphs

Renewed and improved • A welcoming kitchen was at the top of the wish list for the owners of this 1920s Colonial Revival. The resulting renovation delivered everything they hoped for, while respecting the house’s heritage

FLOOR PLANS

Renovation recap

Upgrades big and small • Want to get a jump on the remodel of your worn-out kitchen or dated bath? Check out our picks for the best of what’s new, all designed to enhance how we want to live now

BEYOND THE COOK SPACE • With the kitchen devoted solely to cooking having gone the way of the butter churn, it’s no wonder that today’s kitchen remodels are multifunctional, too. More and more they include adjacent spaces—mudrooms, laundry areas, storage-packed seating nooks—that work just as hard. “With people spending more time than ever at home, they’re rethinking how their homes function and seeing new possibilities,” says Airy Kitchens designer Sean Lewis. The resulting “kitchen-plus” renovations yield spaces that boost efficiency, sure, but are also more enjoyable to live with. Witness the projects on the following pages.

WHAT THEY DID

WARMING UP BLACK AND WHITE • We love that the classic color combo is still cool—and how today’s organic materials and burnished finishes can keep it from looking cold and clinical. Ahead: three ways to get it right

WHAT THEY DID

Ready-to-Assemble Cabinets • When it comes to kitchen remodeling, cabinets take a big chunk of the budget. An alternative to traditional factory-built boxes, RTA cabinets promise big savings in exchange for some sweat equity

Tough to beat • With their ornamental beauty and adaptable natures, many perennial garden favorites are worth a second look for their resiliency in an era of weather extremes

A Better Tile Job Starts Here • A veteran tile setter shares his best practices for achieving top-notch tiled surfaces

Minimizing grout lines

WHEN TO SEAL GROUT AND TILE

“While we’re at it…” • Homeowners’ plans for an exterior fix-up lead to a full-scale renovation at the West Roxbury project house. The goal: Upgrade the 19th-century house to suit their modern family

The return of the American elm

Giving old windows new life • In an expansive workshop on the North Shore of Massachusetts, Alison Hardy—a.k.a. the Window Woman of New England—and her small team of skilled workers are meticulously restoring dozens of weathered, century-old sashes. This Old House stops by for a visit

Adaptive reuse for an 1890s schoolhouse

Op-art cutting board • Using hardwoods of strikingly different colors, TOH contractor Tom Silva and TOH host Kevin O’ Connor team up to create a cutting board with an eye-catching 3D effect

Cordless drill/drivers • TOH editor Chris Ermides explains how to choose and...