Back in Needham, Kevin O’Connor checks in on the latest progress as the exterior work nears completion. Outside, he joins painting expert Mauro Henrique to prep the front porch ceiling—priming, filling, and caulking—while the homeowners narrow down their choice from six exterior paint colors.
Out back, Jenn Nawada and Mark McCullough begin transforming the yard, replacing an aging pergola, pond, and concrete slab with a new brick paver patio. Mark walks through the process, from building a layered base of crusher run and concrete sand to squaring off the house layout and setting true clay pavers in a running bond pattern for a clean, level finish with minimal cuts.
Meanwhile, Kevin heads to a family-owned lumber manufacturer in Tewksbury, where the project’s new rift-and-quartered white oak floors are being produced. Sean Herlihy shows Kevin how the flooring is made, starting with green lumber that is air-dried and kiln-dried, then ripped to width and run through a molder to cut the tongue-and-groove edges.
Back at the house, Kevin checks in as large-format 12-by-24 porcelain tile is installed in the new mudroom and half bath. The installer, Mike O’Neil, lays the tile in a diagonal herringbone pattern, explaining why porcelain is ideal for a high-traffic entry and how carefully snapped centerlines help the pattern flow evenly through both spaces.
Later, new white oak flooring is being installed on the first floor, while upstairs, Kevin and Charlie Silva focus on preserving the home’s original Douglas fir floors. Using salvaged boards, Charlie demonstrates how to weave new pieces into the existing hallway and a new linen closet without thresholds—carefully removing old tongue-and-groove boards with scoring, chiseling, and relief cuts before modifying replacement boards to fit seamlessly. Once sanded, the repairs will blend into the original floor, preserving the historic home’s character.
Original Air Date: Mar 26, 2026, Season 47; Ep. 17 23:42
Products and Resources
- Flooring: Holt & Bugbee
- Tile & grout: Artistic Tile & Design
- Hardscaping materials: Pine Hall Brick
- Landscaping materials: SODCO Inc.
