This Old House (1979)

Episode Overview

Tom reflects on the day when heavy machinery came to demolish Dick and Sandra's old home, leaving behind only a gaping hole. Arborist Matt Foti and his team remove two 75-year-old Eastern white pines, which had been scorched in the fire, turning them into 2x10 planks using a mobile sawmill. Meanwhile, an environmental testing crew arrives to collect soil samples, as the fire department suspects that fuel oil may have leaked during the blaze. Should the test results indicate hazardous levels, remediation will be mandated by the state's environmental protection agency. Additionally, another crew digs by hand to determine the water table height, ensuring that the proposed foundation elevation meets the town's building regulations. Architect Chris Dallmus presents a model of the future home, a four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath design he describes as "village Victorian," inspired by homes he discovered in Billerica's town center.