Richard Trethewey, Plumbing and Heating Expert
Richard Trethewey has been an integral part of the This Old House team since the home improvement show's debut in 1979. Today, he also appears on the Emmy Award-winning show's latest additions, Ask This Old House and Inside This Old House.
Russell called Richard's father Ron, proprietor of Trethewey Bros. Inc., the family plumbing and heating business, with an idea for a home improvement show in 1978. Serving the Boston community since 1902, Trethewey Bros. Inc. enjoyed a tremendous reputation and was highly recommended. After one season, Ron was in love with This Old House, but not with the pressure of filming before cameras, so he asked his son to take over. It was then, in 1980, that Richard became the show's plumbing and heating expert. "I guess I was just too young to be nervous," he says of his TV debut.
Born and raised in Dedham, Massachusetts, Richard learned from his father and others involved in the family business by working summers and school vacations. He is a licensed master and journeyman plumber in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and has long been an advocate for professionalism in the building trades. Richard is president of RST Inc., a manufacturer's representative company that provides training to the skilled trades, and is on the editorial board of This Old House magazine, published by This Old House Ventures, Inc.
Richard has contributed to Complete Remodeling, published by This Old House Books in conjunction with Sunset Books in 2004, the Homeowner's Manual, published by This Old House Books in 2000, and the heating and plumbing sections of This Old House Bathrooms and This Old House Kitchens, published by Little, Brown and Company in 1992 and 1993. He has authored This Old House Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning, also published by Little, Brown and Company in 1994.
Richard lives with his wife and two sons in a Boston suburb in an 1865 Victorian that he has extensively remodeled. His interests include sailing and home renovation.
