Season 47 - Carolina Comeback

Western North Carolina celebrates as five families return home a year after Hurricane Helene. In Swannanoa, Kevin tours Jim and Allie's, then Miah's, while Mark stops by Cat and Jeremy's. In North Asheville, Jenn admires Melinda's new yard while Zack and Matt check out the interior, and Richard visits Paula's East Asheville home before everyone gathers at a local brewery to celebrate.

James Dose, a general contractor helping restore homes in East Asheville, channels his experience of Hurricane Helene into his song “Cavalry,” using music and imagery from the flooded Swannanoa River to show how creativity can help a community heal and rebuild.

Kevin O'Connor travels to Dalton, Georgia, the carpet capital of the world, to watch carpet made from start to finish. In Swannanoa, Zack Dettmore joins a local carpenter to install a butcher block counter, while Jenn Nawada checks in on front-yard landscaping plans in North Asheville. Back inside, Kevin looks at the electrician's seamless under-cabinet lighting.

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.

When the Swannanoa River surged past 26 feet during Hurricane Helene, it didn’t just destroy homes, it swept their landscapes with it. A local garden center is stepping in to help revive the Swannanoa project houses. Jenn meets with homeowners Jim, Allie, and Miah to hear their visions for brand-new yards, offering plant and layout options tailored to each property’s sun exposure and conditions. 

Kevin O'Connor takes a tour of the restaurants and breweries that are reopening after Hurricane Helene. Meanwhile, Tom Silva is teaching how to properly measure and install interior window shades. Later Kevin joins Mauro Henrique in prepping a house to be painted. Over in North Asheville, Mark McCullough installs a fireplace with chimney sweeps Alan Justice and James Esser.

In Asheville, NC, Kevin O'Connor strolls through restored Biltmore Village and learns about its history and future. In East Asheville, Mauro Henrique guides Paula in cleaning and staining a fiberglass door. In North Asheville, Jenn Nawada and landscape architect Jennifer Verprauskus build a boulder terrace retaining wall. In Swannanoa, Kevin learns a new method to install an interior door.

In Swannanoa NC, Kevin O'Connor helps Noah Swaty install interior window trim. At Mountain Heritage High, he meets teacher Jeremy Dotts whose students are building tiny homes for storm victims. In North Asheville, electrician Mario Salamone installs a new meter and enclosure. Meanwhile, Tom Silva helps Paula turn an antique chest into a bathroom vanity.

In Swannanoa NC, Kevin O'Connor joins builders Chris and Noah at homeowner Miah's house to help install kitchen cabinets. In North Asheville, Jenn Nawada learns of FEMA's tree removal efforts after Hurricane Helene. Mark McCullough tours the amazing masonry work of The Grove Park Inn, while Richard Trethewey teams with Abe and Caleb to air-seal Paula's home.

In Swannanoa, Kevin O'Connor helps Jim's brother Bill waterproof the bathroom, including around the shower window. Up in North Asheville, he meets with roofers JD and Jayden where the new shingles and flashing are installed with wind and water protection. In East Asheville, Kevin works alongside builder Will to remove rot, reinforce the frame, and replace the damaged boards of Paula's deck.

After Hurricane Helene devastated Asheville, North Carolina, in September 2024, the city’s craft beer community is helping lead its recovery. In this episode, This Old House visits Highland Brewing—the first craft brewery in Asheville—to explore how the industry that shaped the city is now rebuilding it.

In North Asheville, Mark McCullough and mason Don Caldwell clear storm-damaged chimney bricks, joined by sweep Alan Justice who finds cracks. In East Asheville, Kevin O'Connor helps Will Nicholson replace storm-damaged siding. Back in North Asheville, Zack Dettmore and James Dose remove a wall and add subflooring. Later, Kevin meets the Army Corps on relief efforts.

Kevin O'Connor meets meteorologist Stephanie Abrams to learn why the storm hit Asheville so hard. In Swannanoa, he and Zack Dettmore join builders Chris Cronin and Nick Swann. They reframe Jim and Allie's wall and prep Miah's attic HVAC for insulation. Richard Trethewey checks progress in East Asheville, while Zack demos floors in North Asheville. Later, Kevin hears a dramatic storm rescue story.

The crew travels to Western North Carolina to meet five families working to rebuild after Hurricane Helene destroyed their homes. Kevin O'Connor, Tom Silva, Richard Trethewey, and Jenn Nawada meet the homeowners to hear their stories from the day of the storm: what they experienced, what they lost, and what recovery means to them.

In exclusive extended interviews and behind-the-scenes footage not seen on This Old House's broadcast, a family recounts their terrifying night as Hurricane Helene destroyed their mountain home. From basement shelter to garage refuge, these additional scenes reveal the raw human drama before rebuilding begins.

This Old House follows Asheville families rebuilding after Hurricane Helene’s devastation.