Kevin O’Connor returns to Walpole, Massachusetts, to see a classic 1970s ranch and a new accessory dwelling unit, finally occupied by a military family and their grandparents. Inside, the once-chopped-up main house now has vaulted ceilings, an open kitchen, improved flow from a new garage and mudroom, an upgraded kids’ bath, and a primary suite using new space from the addition.
Next door, the ADU gives Jill’s parents a full kitchen, two baths, laundry, plus a shared bonus room where the whole family gathers.
Downstairs, Richard Trethewey walks through the mechanical heart of the project, showing how a propane-fired boiler, hydronic air handlers, and a separate heat-pump system quietly serve both the main house and ADU while dual electrical panels keep billing separate. In the finished basement, new paneling and a preserved German-style bar nod to the home’s past.
Tom Silva meets with builders Kevin Smith and Jared Ruggieri to discuss the challenges of building Walpole’s first ADU.
Out front, Jenn Nawada and Zack Dettmore reveal a reworked driveway and a rebuilt code-compliant garage. Outback, a big deck ties together the main house, bonus room, and ADU.
Meanwhile, Kevin visits Dan at his Rhode Island Air National Guard base to see the C-130J he flies and hear how years of service shaped the family’s choice to put down roots in Walpole, before the whole extended family gathers to celebrate their double homecoming.
Original Air Date: May 28, 2026, Season 47; Ep. 26 25:24
Products and Resources
- Architecture: Blackbird Architecture
- Contractors:
LDS Construction
Barr Construction - Electrical contractor: LJ Brennan Electrical Contractor
- Flooring:
JJ Hardwood Floors
Engineered Floors - Custom woodwork: G&R Custom Finish Woodworking
- Air quality technology: Ecoflow
- Roofing: GAF
- Insulation: Advanced Green Insulation
- Plumbing: RGC Plumbing
- Water treatment: SteadyPure
- Waterproofing materials: Drycrete Waterproofing
