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Wednesday, October 11, 2000 Watch 'Old Homes Restored' on HGTV this fall By JOHN
HAYES
From San Francisco to New Orleans to Boston, Americans have a longstanding love affair with beautiful old homeswhether they live in one or not. And since 1978, when "This Old House" blazed a trail on public television, we've thirsted for ever more programming on home renovation, restoration and decorating. Fans of the "Dream Builders" program on Home and Garden Television, now in its seventh season, surely will be excited by the debut of "Old Homes Restored," a new series produced by the National Association of Home Builders. "Old Homes Restored" is a half-hour, magazine-format show featuring Sean Pratt, a former professional carpenter, as host. Every Tuesday and Sunday, the show will feature restoration and renovation projects, both completed and under construction, especially those more than 30 years old. The subjects will be both historic houses and more generic homes undergoing innovative renovations that don't compromise the home's original architectural design or character. Viewers will get to know the homeowner, the architect, the contractor and the skilled craftsmen who lovingly restore each home and watch them practice their arts, too. During its first season, "Old Homes Restored" travels to Louisville, Ky., where the 200-year-old Woodland Farm is undergoing a world-class restoration; to Hillsboro, Va., for the unmasking of a log cabin camouflaged under wood siding; and to Seattle for a high-tech retrofit of an early 20th century Arts and Crafts bungalow. Other cities on the horizon include New Orleans, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Sag Harbor, N.Y., Oakland, Calif., Santa Fe and Levittown, Pa. After debuting a one-hour pilot episode of "Old Homes Restored" on Home and Garden Television that aired twice earlier this year, HGTV was convinced that there is a large and hungry audience for stories about remodeling and renovation. Praised for its compelling content and high production values, NAHB hopes that "Old Homes Restored" will join Dream Builders as "one of HGTV's most successful series," the latter according to Broadcasting & Cable magazine. Restoration enthusiasts can catch Old Homes Restored Sundays at 6 p.m. and Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. (all times EST). If you know of a restoration or renovation project you1d like to see featured on Old Homes Restored, call Bebe Murry of NAHB's Production Group at 800/368-5242, ext. 173. If new homes are more your style, the seventh season of "Dream Builders" premiered Oct. 2. The show airs regularly Wednesdays and Fridays at 6:30 p.m. and Sundays at 10 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Home and Garden Television, now distributed to more than 60 million U.S. households, serves a $4.1 trillion market and is one of today's fastest-growing networks. (John Hayes, who is with Torrey Homes, is president of the Home Builders Association of Midwest Georgia, which serves a membership of approximately 440 builders and associate members in Fayette, Coweta, Spalding, Heard and Meriwether Counties.)
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