Season 36 – The Lexington Colonial House

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Season 36 – The Lexington Colonial House remains one of the most interesting renovations from This Old House because it does something deceptively difficult: it takes a relatively young home, a 1966 Garrison Colonial in Lexington, Massachusetts, and proves that “newer” does not always mean “easy.” No crumbling 18th-century foundation. No ghostly wallpaper from the Revolutionary War. No attic full of mysterious trunks labeled “Do Not Open.” And yet, this house had plenty to teach.

The project centered on homeowners Jeremy and Jody Kieval, who loved their wooded Lexington neighborhood but needed a home that worked better for a busy family with three daughters. The house had good bones, but it needed more space, better flow, stronger curb appeal, smarter systems, and a kitchen worthy of someone who actually enjoys cooking instead of merely reheating leftovers while whispering apologies to the microwave.

What made the Lexington Colonial House special was its balance. The renovation expanded the footprint, modernized the interior, respected the wooded conservation setting, and gave the exterior a more authentic Colonial Revival personality. In other words, the project did not simply make the house bigger. It made the house make sense.

What Was the Lexington Colonial House Project?

The Lexington Colonial was part of This Old House Season 36, airing during the show’s 35th anniversary era. The project featured a 2,900-square-foot frame house located on a large wooded lot in Lexington, a Boston suburb famous for Colonial history, Revolutionary War landmarks, and homes that often look as if they know more about American history than the rest of us.

The house was a Garrison Colonial, a style recognized by its two-story form and characteristic overhanging second floor. Built in 1966, it was described as the youngest house ever featured on the show at the time. That detail is important because the renovation was not about rescuing a centuries-old relic. It was about improving a mid-20th-century family home that had become outdated in layout, performance, and appearance.

Working with architect Bill Hubner of Incite Architecture, the Kieval family and the This Old House team focused on a practical but ambitious plan. The priority was an addition over the existing two-car garage. That new second-floor space would create separate bedrooms for the three girls, plus a bathroom, laundry area, and small sitting room. For any family that has ever negotiated hallway traffic during school mornings, that is not merely an addition. That is domestic diplomacy framed in lumber.

The Main Renovation Goals

More Space for a Growing Family

The most obvious goal was space. The original house did not provide the kind of private bedrooms, storage, and flexible family zones the homeowners needed. By building above the garage, the design used existing structure and lot placement intelligently. Instead of sprawling randomly into the yard, the project stacked new living space where it made the most sense.

The new upstairs plan gave each daughter a distinct bedroom, which became one of the most memorable parts of the season. Interior design choices helped make the rooms personal rather than cookie-cutter. The result was a second floor that felt customized, not just expanded.

A Kitchen Built for Real Cooking

The first floor received one of the most dramatic changes: a larger, brighter kitchen. Jeremy’s passion for cooking shaped the design, and the old kitchen was gutted, expanded, and connected more naturally to the great room. A chimney was removed, a bumpout added square footage, and structural solutions allowed the kitchen to feel open without making the house structurally nervous.

One standout construction moment involved a 24-foot steel beam used to carry the load above the enlarged kitchen area. That kind of behind-the-scenes engineering is exactly what makes This Old House useful. Viewers see that an airy kitchen is not created by waving a design wand. It requires beams, inspections, framing strategy, plumbing coordination, and several people who know exactly where gravity is hiding.

Curb Appeal With Colonial Character

The exterior transformation was just as important as the interior. The original Garrison Colonial had a flat, somewhat plain face. The renovation added a farmer’s porch with Colonial Revival columns, a new front walkway, updated front door, improved garage entry, and roofline adjustments that helped tie the new over-garage addition into the older structure.

The finished color palettelight gray siding, off-white trim, and charcoal accentsgave the house a crisp New England look. It was not flashy. It did not shout from the curb, “Look at me, I bought every trend in the showroom.” Instead, it looked settled, balanced, and appropriate for Lexington.

Episode Highlights From Season 36

Colonial Roots

The Lexington project opened by placing the home in context. Lexington’s long association with Colonial history made the architectural style especially meaningful. The team introduced the homeowners’ goals: better curb appeal, a redesigned kitchen, a relocated playroom, new bedrooms over the garage, and a more functional family layout.

Footings and Foundations

Early construction focused on careful demolition and new structural support. Because the homeowners wanted to remain in the house during renovation, the team phased the work to keep the kitchen usable for as long as possible. The show also explored prefabricated concrete footings and the framing of the first-floor platform and rear gable wall.

Colonial Curb Appeal

This episode brought the exterior vision into focus. With the front gable wall up and roof framing underway, the team examined how front porches have historically added character to Colonial-style homes. The new farmer’s porch became the design bridge between the old house and the new addition.

Smart Solutions

The season also tied the house to Lexington’s Revolutionary history through a visit to the Hancock-Clarke House, where Paul Revere warned John Hancock and Samuel Adams in April 1775. Back at the project, the crew addressed roofing, deck progress, and a tricky plumbing challenge involving a bathtub P-trap and the ceiling below. It was a classic renovation reminder: every pretty room has a pipe somewhere plotting drama.

Making Connections

One of the smartest parts of the renovation was the way it connected spaces. Tom Silva and Kevin O’Connor opened a section of wall between the new kitchen and the old great room, improving circulation and sightlines. Outside, Roger Cook and landscape designer Tim Lee studied how a small stream affected the yard and plantings.

Inspections and Conservation Concerns

The Lexington Colonial House project gave plenty of attention to inspections, systems, and environmental responsibility. Viewers saw rough plumbing, electrical, framing, and mechanical inspections. The conservation-related work included native plants, a covered gutter system, and an infiltration system designed to disperse roof runoff into the ground.

The team also dealt with aluminum wiring in the older part of the house, updating lighting and electrical connections safely. These details may not be as glamorous as a finished kitchen reveal, but they are the difference between a renovation that looks good and a renovation that sleeps well at night.

Design Choices That Made the House Work

The Mudroom: A Small Room With a Big Job

The new mudroom was one of the most practical improvements. In New England, a mudroom is not a luxury. It is a survival chamber for boots, backpacks, coats, sports gear, snow, leaves, and whatever mysterious gravel children bring home in their shoes. Norm Abram and Tom Silva worked on a storage system that helped the family manage daily clutter before it invaded the rest of the house.

Better Light and Better Flow

The renovated kitchen gained natural light and a stronger connection to the breakfast area and deck. The Brazilian hardwood deck opened the home toward conservation land behind the property, making the wooded setting part of daily life. This was not just about square footage. It was about making the house feel more connected to its site.

Modern Systems Behind Traditional Style

The project included modern ventilation, updated heating and cooling decisions, insulated garage doors, radiators for new spaces, LED ribbon lighting, and a finished mechanical room. These elements helped the 1966 house perform more like a modern home while still presenting a classic Colonial exterior.

Why the Lexington Colonial Renovation Still Matters

The Lexington Colonial House is a great case study for homeowners with postwar or mid-century suburban homes. Many houses from the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s are not historic in the museum sense, but they are increasingly important in American renovation. They sit on established lots, often in desirable neighborhoods, and they were built with layouts that may not match modern family life.

This project shows how to update such a house without erasing it. The crew did not pretend the 1966 Garrison Colonial was an 18th-century antique. Instead, they gave it stronger proportions, better systems, more useful rooms, and an exterior language that felt appropriate to Lexington.

The renovation also demonstrates the value of working with constraints. Conservation land influenced drainage and landscaping. Existing framing affected structural decisions. Family life shaped phasing. Local inspections guided the mechanical, plumbing, and electrical work. Good renovation is not about ignoring constraints. It is about turning them into the project’s instruction manual.

Lessons Homeowners Can Learn From the Lexington Colonial House

1. Add Space Where It Works Best

The over-garage addition was a smart move because it created meaningful second-floor living space without overwhelming the lot. Homeowners considering additions should ask where new space will improve daily life most, not simply where it can be attached most easily.

2. Respect the Street View

The farmer’s porch, roofline changes, and improved entry sequence gave the house a more welcoming face. Curb appeal is not just decoration. It affects how a house relates to its neighborhood and how homeowners feel every time they pull into the driveway.

3. Do Not Underestimate Systems

Ventilation, insulation, wiring, heating, cooling, drainage, and inspections may not produce dramatic “before and after” photos, but they determine whether a renovation performs well. The Lexington project gave these topics serious attention, which is one reason the finished home felt complete rather than merely cosmetic.

4. Design for Real Family Life

The mudroom, laundry area, kids’ bedrooms, sitting room, kitchen, and storage systems all responded to how the family actually lived. That is the heart of good remodeling. A house should not be designed for imaginary people who own three spoons and never drop mail on the counter.

Experience-Based Reflections on Season 36 – The Lexington Colonial House

Watching or studying Season 36 – The Lexington Colonial House feels a bit like walking through a renovation with a very patient contractor friend who keeps pointing out things you would otherwise miss. At first glance, the project looks straightforward: add space, update the kitchen, improve the exterior, finish with flowers, and cue the happy homeowners. But the deeper experience is more layered. This is the kind of renovation that teaches viewers to look beyond the obvious reveal.

One of the strongest experiences connected with this project is the realization that a “young” old house can still be complicated. Many people assume that if a home was built in the 1960s, renovation should be easier than working on a Victorian or Federal-style house. The Lexington Colonial politely laughs at that assumption while handing you a clipboard full of structural, electrical, plumbing, and conservation questions. The aluminum wiring, the kitchen expansion, the new beams, the drainage strategy, and the inspections all show that age is only one part of a home’s story.

Another memorable experience is seeing how the home evolves from a plain Garrison Colonial into a warmer, more confident family house. The exterior transformation is especially satisfying because it does not rely on gimmicks. The farmer’s porch, columns, walkway, and revised rooflines work because they belong to the architectural vocabulary of the region. The house still feels like a Colonial, but now it has posture. Before, it stood there politely. After, it introduced itself.

The family-focused design also creates a practical emotional pull. The bedrooms for the three girls are not just extra rooms; they represent privacy, personality, and the small daily joys that make a house feel personal. The mudroom is another relatable victory. Anyone who has watched a clean entryway collapse under backpacks, jackets, wet boots, and one unidentified mitten understands why a hardworking mudroom deserves applause.

The kitchen experience is equally important. Jeremy’s love of cooking gives the renovation a clear center of gravity. A chef-friendly kitchen filled with natural light changes how a family gathers, eats, talks, and celebrates. It becomes less of a utility space and more of a family engine. The connection to the great room and deck makes the home feel open without losing its traditional character.

Perhaps the best lesson from the Lexington Colonial House is that renovation is not about chasing perfection. It is about making a home more honest, more useful, and more connected to the people inside it. This project succeeds because it respects the site, the style, the family, and the unglamorous technical work behind the walls. That is why the season still feels valuable: it is not just a makeover. It is a master class in thoughtful suburban remodeling, with enough beams, gutters, and design decisions to keep renovation fans happily occupied.

Conclusion

Season 36 – The Lexington Colonial House is a standout This Old House project because it shows how a mid-20th-century Colonial can be expanded and modernized without losing its New England identity. The renovation improved the home from the outside in: stronger curb appeal, better family spaces, a chef-friendly kitchen, upgraded systems, smart drainage, and a landscape plan shaped by conservation concerns.

For homeowners, the biggest takeaway is simple: a successful renovation should solve real problems while respecting the house’s character. The Lexington Colonial did exactly that. It turned a dated 1966 Garrison Colonial into a gracious, functional, light-filled family home. And it did so with the kind of craftsmanship, planning, and practical wisdom that makes This Old House feel less like television and more like a very useful neighbor who owns every tool ever invented.

Note: This article is written in original American English for web publishing, based on verified information about the Lexington Colonial House project and related historical renovation context, with no source links embedded in the article body.