Fit For A Modern Day Family And Full Of Surprises: THIS OLD HOUSE® Premieres The Arlington Italianate Project In January

A 200-Square-Foot Addition Creatively Reinvents a Modest 1872 Italianate Home Adding Much Needed Space for a Family of Four

CONCORD, Mass., Dec. 16, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- How can just 200 square feet of additional living space change everything for a growing family? Find out when Emmy^® Award-winning home improvement series THIS OLD HOUSE^® premieres The Arlington Italianate Project this January 2014 on PBS (check local listings). Local architect David Whitney has the family's solution: a second-story master suite addition and clever reorganization of the awkward, chopped-up 2,100-square-foot Italianate home just north of Boston in Arlington, MA. Tune in to see how a small addition can make all the difference as general contractor Tom Silva, experts Richard Trethewey, Roger Cook, Norm Abram and host Kevin O'Connor renovate the 1872 home—restoring old world features, creating a better flow with more space, and adding cutting edge technologies throughout the house. As the series unfolds, the experts uncover hidden gems—such as ornate plaster mouldings and medallions above an old dropped ceiling—and they discover one surprise after another throughout this exciting new series.

"The Arlington Italianate Project features a smart and sensitive renovation," says host Kevin O'Connor. "Viewers will be surprised to see how one small addition and a clever reorganization of space can transform the way a family lives in their house."

THIS OLD HOUSE will highlight many new technologies in this series, including a new way to replicate architectural details with a scanner and a 3-D printer, a new generation of energy efficient circulator pumps that can make a difference in a family's energy bill, and watertight fiberglass gutters that mimic historic wooden gutters without the maintenance issues.

Carrying on the tradition of old world craftsmanship that can't be seen anywhere else on television, Silva replicates the 150-year-old wooden corbels that are a signature feature of the Italianate style; Trethewey pours molten lead to make a lead and oakum joint for a cast iron waste line; and Abram visits one of the oldest continuously operating mill sites in America—Schwamb Mill—to see how they make oval picture frames using antique tools.

To offer an inside look at the Italianate style, Abram visits one of the best preserved Italianate homes in the United States—Victoria Mansion in Portland, ME—and Cook tours the Italianate gardens of Elm Bank with the Massachusetts Horticultural Society in Wellesley, MA.

"It's a season of surprises, including a visit from Edgar Hansen—one of the most well known cast members from Discovery Channel's Deadliest Catch," says Senior Series Producer Deborah Hood. "It turns out that Edgar is an accomplished DIY renovator, and we couldn't resist the chance to put him to the test as a 'greenhorn' for the day on our jobsite."

Featuring 18 brand-new episodes, THIS OLD HOUSE: ARLINGTON ITALIANATE PROJECT will premiere nationally on PBS on January 2, 2014 (check www.thisoldhouse.com/tvschedule or your local listings) as the second project of the series' 35^th national season. A video sneak peek of the series can be seen at http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/video/0,,20765554,00.html. Viewers will be able to watch full new THIS OLD HOUSE episodes Sundays at 7 p.m. after each show premieres at www.thisoldhouse.com/watchTOH.

In the months leading up to premiere, visitors to www.thisoldhouse.com can access exclusive behind-the-scenes special features, such as a photo gallery, project overview, and products and services information. The homeowners' blog can be found at oldhousemyhouse.thisoldhouse.com. Viewers can become fans of THIS OLD HOUSE on Facebook or follow the show on Twitter.

THIS OLD HOUSE is produced by THIS OLD HOUSE Productions, Inc., for THIS OLD HOUSE Ventures, Inc., and is presented on PBS by WGBH Boston. Vice President of Television Operations is Michael Burton.  Senior series producer is Deborah Hood.  Series creator is Russell Morash. THIS OLD HOUSE is the No. 1 multimedia home enthusiast brand, offering trusted information and expert advice through award-winning television, a highly regarded magazine and an information-driven Web site. THIS OLD HOUSE Ventures, Inc., is a business of Time Inc., which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Time Warner.

WGBH Boston is America's preeminent public broadcasting producer—PBS's leading source of content for television and the Web (prime-time, children's, and lifestyle programs) and a major supplier of programs heard nationally on public radio and online. For more information, visit www.wgbh.org.

WGBH Media Contacts:
Marivel Valdes
617-300-5398
[email protected]

Jessica Neligon
617-300-5361
[email protected]

SOURCE WGBH