What is it like being featured on 'This Old House'? Ask the owners of this New Jersey home
When their boiler stopped working in 2023, they finally decided to take the plunge into renovating. They gathered the plans from their architect and contacted builder Zack Dettmore, of Dettmore Home Improvements, who gave them an interesting proposal: What if they documented the project on PBS's "This Old House"?
And the rest is history.
Renovations of this three-bedroom, two-bathroom home are currently being featured on Season 46 of the iconic show, which has been showcasing home improvement projects across the nation since 1978. Field said they ultimately decided to do the show because it was something they had watched and were familiar with, so it felt like a unique experience for them.
"I watched 'This Old House.' I don't know that we would have been necessarily inclined towards working with a lot of shows, but it's been a huge joy and privilege to be a part of a real legacy element of like the best of what TV can be, in a sense," Field said. "So it was Zack's idea, but it was a pretty cool idea to come across our path."
The project — which was completed between March and November 2024 but first aired on PBS last month — involved creating a bigger and more functional kitchen, reformatting the home's first floor to make it better for entertaining, and updating the failing plumbing, HVAC and electrical systems.
The home also received a two-story rear addition to create a new primary suite, as well as new waterproofing, siding and energy-efficient windows.
"We knew that we'd have to do some things to the house, but we didn't think that it would be as big as what we ended up doing," Bhothinard said. "I mean, you buy a house and think, 'OK, we'll make some tweaks.' But we're not fixer-uppers in any way."
Sara Ferguson, senior series producer at "This Old House," said the staff finds homes to feature on the show in a variety of ways, whether from homeowners writing in or by talking to local architects in an area where they would like to work.
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In the case of this Ridgewood house, Ferguson said the team had worked with Dettmore on a home in New Jersey that was previously featured on the show. She said Dettmore told them about this project, and that everything ended up falling into place.
"Peter and Kay were up for it, and it was a win," she said.
As for what the experience was like, Field said they did weekly calls with the team about the renovation project and the show's production, so it became a big part of their lives. He said they had to rent an apartment in Ridgewood's Woodside neighborhood while renovations were taking place, but that they were constantly at the house with the crew.
Overall, they said, there's a lot of cohesion from everyone on the show and it feels like everyone is one big family, both on and off the TV screen. This goes for the show's host, Kevin O'Connor, and its core cast of experts — Tom Silva, Richard Trethewey and Jenn Nawada — and for members of production who are behind the scenes.
Bhothinard and Field said it was also interesting to see how each person involved in the project was able to put their own touch on it. Dettmore, for example, was very focused on the user experience of a design, so he came up with ways to make certain things more functional in each space, they said.
"What's great is to walk through the house and remember whose fingerprints are where on this project. We had goals for the project and aesthetic choices that we made, but they could make things better," Field said. "The windows we have are Jeff Jordan, our architect, responding to our desire for light in a way we wouldn't have thought to ask for. And the HVAC system is elegant in its minimalism in a way that Richard envisioned that we wouldn't have known to ask for."
"This Old House" also typically highlights local places in the town where they're working. Bhothinard and Field said they had the opportunity to highlight the James Rose Center in Ridgewood, which is a place they love for how it showcases James Rose's perspective on landscape architecture.
"They've done a ton to renovate that place and keep that kind of living history present in the town, and we hope more people can become aware of the center," Field said. "It's a real undiscovered gem here in northern New Jersey."
O'Connor, the show's host, grew up in the near-by neighborhood of Maplewood, so they said it was also fun to see how that was woven throughout the episodes.
In the end, Bhothinard said, they officially moved back into their home in mid-December and are still getting used to all of the new updates. But overall, they both said they're grateful for this experience and how it changed their lives for the better.
"It was really wonderful to meet the whole team and get a chance to be part of a show where the project is celebrated and the craft is celebrated and the people who are doing the work are celebrated," Field said.
Maddie McGay is the real estate reporter for NorthJersey.com and The Record, covering all things worth celebrating about living in North Jersey. Find her on Instagram @maddiemcgay, on X @maddiemcgayy, and sign up for her North Jersey Living newsletter. Do you have a tip, trend or terrific house she should know about? Email her at MMcGay@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Inside the renovated New Jersey home featured on 'This Old House'
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