This Old House

Bedford Project, Part 8 Of 16

General contractor Tom Silva finishes up the last of the structural work by replacing an undersized and partially rotted old post in the kitchen. Meanwhile, window restoration specialist Alison Hardy reinstalls the restored historic window sashes in the dining room, adding spring-action hardware and weather stripping to make them more efficient. In the garage, host Kevin O'Connor finds electrician Allen Gallant upgrading the electrical service to 100 amps so it can function as a workshop. Allen installs a system of metallic tubing as conduit on the inside of the building, and outside, brings the wires to the garage via a fishing system controlled by foot pedals for safety. Then, Kevin meets interior designers Dee Elms and Andrew Terrat at a house they designed in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that inspired the look for the Bedford Project kitchen. Back at the house, Tom shows Kevin how he's removing the more modern narrow strip flooring in the study to reveal the more historic wide pine boards underneath. With a light sanding and clear finish, the 200-year-old patina will stay intact.