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Roxbury Project, Part 1 of 10
For the second project of THIS OLD HOUSE's 30th anniversary season,
the crew takes on an issue that's top of mind in the country:
foreclosures. Partnering with the city of Boston and local
nonprofit Nuestra Comunidad, they will take a foreclosed and
abandoned two-family house from the 1870s and turn it into two
units of affordable housing in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Local
general contractor David Lopes shows host Kevin O'Connor just how
extensive the damage to the old house is, and they quickly get to
work demolishing the parts that can't be saved, including a
three-story rear extension that has rotted through from roof to
floor. Joining the project will be apprentices from YouthBuild
Boston looking to earn jobs in the building trades. In order to
recruit two young carpenters from the program to work with the
crew, master carpenter Norm Abram visits YouthBuild's annual
carpentry challenge. Back at the house, after more necessary
demolition, certified arborist Jack Kelly and his crew arrive to
remove a giant tree that had fallen from the project house's yard
onto the neighbor's garage. Renovating the house will be a great
challenge, but the city of Boston feels it will make a statement of
hope and respect in a neighborhood that has been plagued by
foreclosures.