Norm Abram's New House

by Norm Abram, John Murphy (Illustrator)

The host of "The New Yankee Workshop" and master carpenter of "This Old House" presents the story of how he and his wife, over four years, built the home of their dreams in rural Massachusetts

Genres: Nonfiction

305 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1995

About the author

Master carpenter of This Old House since the series’ 1979 premiere, and host of The New Yankee Workshop since its premiere a decade later, Norm Abram has inspired millions of homeowners to renovate and restore their homes. Seen across the country as the ultimate home improvement guru, everyone wishes Norm lived next door.

This carpenter-turned-celebrity was “discovered” by creator Russell Morash, who had commissioned him to build a barn on Russ’s suburban Boston property. Russ was so impressed with Norm’s work (he had the smallest scrap pile Russ had ever seen) that he invited the carpenter to help with the renovation of a rundown Victorian house in Boston’s historic Dorchester section—with a WGBH camera crew recording the process for a series. It was an instant success, and Norm has been master carpenter for This Old House ever since.

Admired for his easy-going manner and common-sense approach to renovation, Norm is an uncompromising old-world craftsman and a pioneer who searches out new construction products and approaches. His appearances at trade shows across the country and on Today, The Late Show With David Letterman, Oprah!, Entertainment Tonight, and Good Morning America are extremely popular. His likeness, complete with a trademark plaid shirt, has been featured on Home Improvement, Saturday Night Live, Steven Spielberg’s Freakazoid, and in nationally syndicated cartoons.

Norm has authored eight companion books, including Ask Norm, The New Yankee Workshop, Classics From The New Yankee Workshop, Mostly Shaker From The New Yankee Workshop, Outdoor Projects From The New Yankee Workshop, Norm Abram’s New House, Measure Twice, Cut Once, and, The New Yankee Workshop Kids’ Stuff, all published by Little, Brown and Company. He has also contributed to Complete Remodeling and Complete Landscaping, both published by This Old House Books in conjunction with Sunset Books in 2004. Norm serves on the editorial board of This Old House magazine, published by This Old House, LLC., also authoring the popular column, Norm’s Tricks of the Trade.

Born in Rhode Island, Norm was exposed to the carpentry trade by his carpenter father as a young child. Norm continued to refine his skills working by his father’s side remodeling and building custom homes through high school and college vacations. He attended the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where he studied mechanical engineering and business administration. In 1976, after three years as a site supervisor for a New England-based, multimillion-dollar construction firm, he founded Integrated Structures, Inc., a general contracting company he operated until 1989. The main focus of the company was house renovations and additions, with the occasional new home or commercial project.

Norm is also on the board of trustees of Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, and had the privilege of giving the 2001 commencement speech at The North Bennet Street School in Boston, which is renowned for its commitment to teaching craftsmanship.

Norm lives with his wife in a classic Colonial home that he built in Massachusetts. They enjoy cooking and entertaining, visiting art galleries and museums, as well as boating, fishing, and kayaking.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I have been watching 'This Old House' since it started in 1979 (I would have been 12 that first season). I have grown up with Bob Villa, Steve, Norm, Tommy, Roger, and all the others. I have even watched many episodes of Norm's woodworking shows, and came perilously closed to buying woodworking tools. 'This Old House' ignited my interest in old houses, architecture, and perhaps even history. Without a doubt it gave me the wherewithal to tackle many projects (with varying degrees of success). I swapped out an outdoor lighting fixture a few days ago -- and all credit goes to TOH. If you are not a extreme fan like me - you probably won't enjoy this book. It's now 25 years old. Norm does a good job of explaining how he and his wife (?!?!?) Laura made their decisions and hired their contractors. You meet Norm's kids too. And his pets - no dog, but a bunch of parrots. Who knew? Plenty of the TOH crew make an appearance to offer actual help or advice or referrals to contractors. Norm writes like he talks, direct and to the point. His technical explanations are clear and concise, not that that's what I read this book for.

[Wilson E. Stevens Sr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book on details of building a house. It does show the influence of Norm's show and contacts in contractors because of the show that enabled him to build his dream house. Well worth the time to read it, and indicated a lot of good ideas for when and if I should ever build a custom house. I think however that I would need a lot more money than I will ever have to do what he did.