This Old House

Final Touches

Landscape contractor Roger Cook oversees the finish going down on the driveway - a thin layer of liquid asphalt and stone that ends up looking like a gravel driveway, without the maintenance. Inside, master electrician Allen Gallant installs a new LED strip light at the old fireplace to give the brick surround a warm glow. Decorative painter Tony Bevilacqua shows host Kevin O'Connor how he created a bright custom canvas wall covering for the new powder room. In nearby Concord, Massachusetts, master carpenter Norm Abram meets blacksmith Carl Close to see how he's making a Colonial-inspired boot scraper and doorknocker for the house. General contractor Tom Silva shows Kevin the new single garage door that's made to look like two carriage doors thanks to a false post down the center. Kevin meets with realtor Ron Phipps to discuss why antique homes can be challenging to sell, and how THIS OLD HOUSE addressed the major concerns with the renovation. In the basement, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey shows Kevin the latest offering in hot water heaters - a hybrid type that functions like an instantaneous hot water heater, but with a heat exchanger and small storage reservoir that eliminates the wait for hot water and also improves efficiency. Then, lighting designer Susan Arnold reveals her strategy for lighting both the high-ceilinged family room and the low-ceilinged kitchen, and how she's controlling everything with a new system that can be operated via an app on a smart phone or tablet.