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‘This Old House’ sets up shop in Los Angeles’ Silver Lake By Kate O’Hare © Zap2it East of Hollywood and northwest of downtown Los Angeles, the trendy neigh- borhood of Silver Lake clus- ters around a reservoir, with many houses packed tightly on narrow, hilly streets. For the last few months, a Spanish Colonial Re- vival house on one of these streets has been ground zero for PBS’ venerable home-renovation series “This Old House,” which is tackling a Los Angeles project for the first time in its 30-year history. Beginning on Thursday, Jan. 27, TV fans can watch host Kevin O’Connor, master carpenter Norm Abram and the rest of the Boston-based “TOH” team, along with Los Angeles-based design-build firm Home Front, start add- ing 750 square feet — com- prising a second floor, larger kitchen, family room, and two bedrooms and baths — to the 1,500-square-foot 1930s home, which boasts a water view out the back. It belongs to Kurt Albrecht and his wife, Mary Blee, who both work in the entertain- ment industry and whose ex- panding family necessitated more room. “When they sign up with us, they commit to a sched- ule. We’re not a miracle makeover show, but it does move right along. There are at least a couple of months shaved off this timeline, and they had to commit to not a lot of change orders.” Luckily for the homeown- ers and “This Old House,” Home Front keeps a design- er on staff. Perched on a chair be- Master carpenter Norm Abram oversees the remodeling of a 1930s Spanish Colonial Revival house near Los Angeles when “This Old House” begins a new project Thursday on PBS. “It goes well,” says O’Connor on the job site in October (the wrap party is set for early February). “You’ve seen our little gem here in Silver Lake. This is quintessential California — red roof, clay tiles, stucco walls, earthquake prevention and hillside fire prevention.” In the early days of the show, when renovations were more modest and technology not as advanced, owners could be on site pro- viding “sweat equity.” Now lo- Stutzman MOTOR SALES , INC. 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US 33 West, Goshen • 533-1166 Monday-Friday 5 am-3 pm Sat. & Sun. 6 am-3 pm Serving Breakfast All Day Lunch • Daily Specials 5230 BECK DRIVE (at CR 17) ELKHART • 574-333-3910 8 The Goshen News • Viewer’s Choice • Saturday, January 22, 2011 - Friday, January 28, 2011 Now Open cal contractors do the work, with help and advice from the “TOH” experts — who also get to learn new things themselves. “We did a whole scene on the first two steps of four on the exterior stucco,” says Abram a few weeks later on the site. “They can now really fly over the next couple of weeks. When we come back in January, hopefully, we’ll see the final two steps. “It’s just clean. I wish we could do more stucco in New England.” But just because the homeowners aren’t swing- ing a hammer doesn’t mean they’re not part of the process, and that’s where on-site executive producer Deborah Hood comes in. “At times,” she says, “it seems like a psychology degree would be very use- ful on the job site. In some cases, the homeowners have thought about the renovation for a long time, planned it, but once you actually start building ... . tween contractors’ trucks at the curb, in-house designer Nancy Ganucheau says, “The way I work with the company is, I come in at the beginning, and I work up a design with the client, and I work up the code issues. “That’s (company owner) Steve Pallrand’s dream, to have the design integrated with the construction. It also means that all through the design process, they’re do- ing pricing, so there are no surprises.” Pallrand joins the con- versation, saying, “Often architects or designers come in, and what they’ve been taught is to impose their will on the design. We try to work with the existing house. “Whoever designed this thing did a really good job. It’s beautiful. We don’t want to overwhelm it.” Even when O’Connor, Abram, Ganucheau and Pall- rand aren’t on the job site, site supervisor Angel Leon is. He’s going to become a familiar face to “This Old House” viewers over the course of the project, and he’s also figured out how to integrate with the demands of making television. “The camaraderie with everybody has been the fun- nest part,” he says, taking a two-minute break from work- ing. “It’s a very relaxed atmo- sphere. It’s not all tense, with everybody running around, Allergies? Asthma? We Can Help! Snoring? Daytime Fatigue? Morning Headaches? Excessive Sleepiness? Yatin J. Patel, M.D. Diplomate, American Board of Pulmonary Medicine You may have sleep apnea. Sneeze & Snooze C L I N I C 2417 South Berkshire, Goshen 574-534-9911 www.md4lungs.com Watch informational videos on our website. Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m. trying to make something into what it really isn’t. “Basically, they come in, and we get to do our normal thing, on a daily basis, and they accommodate to us.” As to whether he’s pre- pared for TV stardom, Leon says, “Um, I’m not prepared. My family may be, but I’m not.” He’s also gotten a taste of the affection and respect that the show’s viewers have for those who work on it, espe- cially Abram. “That’s what I’ve noticed,” Leon says, “traveling around with ‘This Old House,’ with people coming from long distances, just to see Norm. ‘Where’s Norm?’ It’s all about Norm, absolutely. “He’s special. He does have a ton of knowledge. I’ve got to watch him work a little bit, and watching him talk about stuff, is impec- cable. There’s nobody who has that knowledge, unless you’ve been doing it for 35, 40 years.” 13024 US 20, Middlebury • 574-825-2965 COLLISION • BRAKES • EXHAUST BILL’S COLLISION ALIGNMENTS • OIL CHANGE SERVICE Weblinks Wednesday, SoapNet premieres the third season of the Canadian-produced “Being Erica,” about a woman whose therapist helps her change her past. Click on sn.soapnet. go.com/shows/being-erica “Face Off” premieres Wednesday on Syfy, pitting special-ef- fects makeup artists against each other in a competition be- fore celebrity judges. Get ready at www.syfy.com/faceoff Thursday, the animated espionage comedy “Archer” returns for its second season on FX. Get caught up on the characters and the story so far at www.fxnetworks.com/shows/origi- nals/archer/ On Thursday, PBS’ “This Old House” starts its first Los Ange- les project. Keep track at www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/tv Peek at Syfy’s new movie “Mega Python vs. Gatoroid,” premiering Saturday, at video.syfy.com/movies_events/ Deborah Ponce, RN, MSN, NP-C Nurse Practitioner Our friendly staff is ready to help you!

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