Two Recent Old House TV Shows: The Craftsman and In With the Old

Since some casual banter or chit chat is permitted on Fridays, I was curious as to whether any of you have watched The Craftsman, starring Eureka, CA, Blue Ox Millworks business owner, Eric Hollenbeck. I visited Eureka some years ago and having lodged at the Eagle House Inn, I was told by the proprietor that Mr. Hollenbeck had custom made much of the replica Victorian millwork inside the building. I went the next morning over to see Blue Ox Millworks and got to speak with Eric Hollenbeck, personally. I readily identified with the kind of work he was doing and was favorably impressed with his unique business outreach program for troubled kids. Eric has a keen sense of humor and is a walking scholar about Victorian era millwork and antique woodworking machinery. He showed me a rare period machine that milled eight corner blocks with rosettes/Bull’s eyes at a time. It was gratifying to see Eric imparting his vast store of knowledge with teenagers who hadn’t a clue about what they were being taught to work on. Eric showed the teenagers how to make (lead free) paint from scratch using a very old formula he had found. I was amazed when he explained how he discovered angled corbels going along the eaves of the gables were cut using a specific jig design that greatly simplified the task. My kind of show. The Craftsman airs on Thursday evenings at 8 PM EST and 7 PM CST. The fairly new TV network formed by Chip and Joanna Gaines called the Magnolia Network, airs the show.

In With the Old is another new Magnolia Network show that is far more restoration friendly than shows from another home improvement network. The show aired on Weds. in the 7/8 PM timeslot. The episode I watched had a Baltimore, MD preservationist and designer uncovering and restoring original details in her brick rowhouse. I appreciated the respect shown towards the original house as well as the finished results.

One last show that is also on the Magnolia Network is Clint Harp’s Restoration Road . During the seasons of Chip and Joanna’s Fixer Upper show, Clint was the go-to man for making custom furniture and custom woodworking. He was always very knowledgeable and articulate so I wasn’t too surprised to see he landed his own show.

Preservation and restoration friendly TV shows have always had short lifespans but I welcome new shows which share old houses worth saving while not taking the usual route of remodeling beyond recognition. Chip and Joanna surprised me with their Waco, Texas, Castle project. When I first read about it, I figured the Victorian era mansion grade stone “Castle” was going to end up with the usual “Farmhouse Rustic” look from their Fixer Upper series. Happily, I was wrong because a great deal of effort was made to take a restoration approach to the grand home and what turned out was quite impressive. It makes me think that after putting their touch on so many older homes, the restoration/preservation philosophy finally found favor with Chip and Joanna. Then again, I still don’t know what to think about Chip as he laughingly stated his favorite part of rehabbing houses is the demolition part.

I would be remiss in not mentioning season seven of Brett Waterman’s Restored show is coming to the Magnolia Network. Although not strictly a preservationist, Brett is knowledgeable and talented in bringing lost features back to the houses he works on. Only thing… I kind of wish the affable tall drink of water would trade his signature Cowboy hat in for a construction hard hat. California, after all, is not west Texas.