This Old House: Season 23
The Manchester House
Season 23 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- Directly follows the overarching narrative developments of This Old House Season 22.
- Faction dynamics and core character alliances shift under escalating external stakes.
- Crucial mysteries introduced previously reach key turning points and narrative reckonings.
- Sets up serialized story arcs that build directly toward the climactic season finale.
Season overview
The Manchester House
Episode Guide
Season 23 Progress Shield
The Manchester House - 1
Sep 22, 2001
Steve and our master carpenter approach the latest project house by water, finding a convenient dock at the base of the property. They meet Janet McCue, who is busy supervising the
The Manchester House - 2
Sep 29, 2001
The day starts off with the landscaping works of Roger Cook. He and his crew cut down a few trees that were threatening the house, have move a dozen or so rhododendrons and azaleas
The Manchester House - 3
Oct 6, 2001
Steve sees the seaside public rotunda and ""chowder house"" our subject property looks out on, with Manchester Historical Society president John Huss as guide. At the house, nearly
The Manchester House - 4
Oct 13, 2001
With the new concrete walls poured, it's time to damp-proof them, just one more in a series of tasks that adds up to nearly $30,000 for the new foundation - which is simply the cos
The Manchester House - 5
Oct 20, 2001
The foundation has been backfilled and carpenters are busy putting up the forms for the new terrace. Inside, the area for the new kitchen and family room has been completely opened
The Manchester House - 6
Oct 27, 2001
Steve finds our master carpenter in the new jobsite office trailer, complete with secure storage - good for keeping paperwork safe from the work going on inside the house and for k
The Manchester House - 7
Nov 3, 2001
Steve tries his hand at driving the jobsite forklift, successfully (if shakily) delivering a load of plywood to the thir floor. Inside, he and Tom discuss their concerns about the
The Manchester House - 8
Nov 10, 2001
Our new roof is going on, and our master carpenter talks to roofing contractor Mark Mulloy about the system: decking, bitumen membrane covering every surface from eave to ridge, a
The Manchester House - 9
Nov 17, 2001
Steve sees the progress on the new addition, including a roof joist system of 1 x 12 LVLs, necessitated by the room's high ceiling height. Inside, Tom and our master carpenter show
The Manchester House - 10
Nov 24, 2001
Steve begins the show in a municipal parking lot in Ipswich, Massachusetts, where once stood a beautiful 250-year-old Georgian home. Later in the show, he takes viewers to the Smit
The Manchester House - 11
Dec 1, 2001
From the shoreline, Steve sees the rapidly improving look of the house, which has now regained its missing wing and dormers, and is starting to have its new front porches put on. T
The Manchester House - 12
Dec 8, 2001
There's been major progress on the job, as Steve sees the new bays and porch deck on the sea side of the house, Tommy and our master carpenter begin shingling with red cedar shingl
The Manchester House - 13
Dec 15, 2001
Roger Cook and crew have begun to tear up the old asphalt driveway in preparation for a newly configured one. Painter John Dee shows Steve his approach to restoring the turn-of-the
The Manchester House - 14
Dec 22, 2001
Our master carpenter sees how the faulty east chimney has been fixed by specialist Mark Schaub and his crew: the game room fireplace is bricked over, but the guest room above gets
The Manchester House - 15
Dec 29, 2001
The last of the ipe decking is arrived, Steve and our master carpenter check out the installation method on the front deck: pressure-treated sleepers spiked into the concrete slab,
The Manchester House - 16
Jan 5, 2002
The last of the wallbaord has arrived, including 1/4"" bendable board for the music room's curved ceiling. Lighting designer Susan Arnold shows Steve the many choices in recessed d
The Manchester House - 17
Jan 12, 2002
Steve drived down to the house, checking out the newly open vistas of the house and yard through the newly bare trees along the road. Inside, ths study and dining room are shaping
The Manchester House - 18
Jan 19, 2002
The new spa arrives on the back of the truck; placed on concrete pad, plugged in and filled with a hose, it's soon open for business. Tom begins installing the new beautiful wood p
The Manchester House - 19
Jan 26, 2002
Roger Cook and crew enclose the new spa in veneer stone, while inside homeowner Janet McCue has roped two friends into helping her complete the srtipping and reglazing of the half-
The Manchester House - 20
Feb 2, 2002
An asphalt grinder makes quick work of the old driveway, truning blacktop into a gravel mix that will serve as a bed for the new, reconfigured drive. Inside, Mark Schaub shows Stev
The Manchester House - 21
Feb 9, 2002
Roger Cook mulches the planting areas around the finished spa; bushes will give it some privacy. In the dining room, Tommy puts up the final pieces of an elaborate, 11-piece ceilin
The Manchester House - 22
Feb 16, 2002
In the music room, our master carpenter begins to install the first pieces of inglenook, while Steve gets a look at the wiring, fuse panels, and emergency backup power unit for the
The Manchester House - 23
Feb 23, 2002
Mud season has arrived early in Manchester, and Steve pulls our producer out of the mud to start the show. In the mudroom, Joe Ferrante lays 6 x 6 Chinese slate, while our master c
The Manchester House - 24
Mar 2, 2002
As our completion deadline draws near, the house is abuzz with activity. Flooring contractor Pat Hunt installs a lazer-cut wood floor medallion in the shape of a compass rose, whil
The Manchester House - 25
Mar 9, 2002
A last arrival by boat reveals to Steve and our master carpenter how far we've come from the plain shingled box we found on Day 1 of this project, and Steve declares he'll be satis
The Manchester House - 26
Mar 16, 2002
The final days in Manchester begin with a look at the smoke detectors - specialist Greg Smizer explains to Steve maintenance obsolescence issues, and points out that the ones he's