If you followed the devastation and recovery from Hurricane Helene in our region, you know how deep its impact ran across Asheville and Western North Carolina. Now, one year later, Season 47 of This Old House is coming here — and telling our stories, rebuilding our homes, helping shine a light on the strength and resilience here in the mountains.
A Legacy of Home Revival: This Old House Through the Years
Before we talk about Asheville, let’s pause and look at the show that’s becoming part of our story.
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This Old House first aired in 1979 on PBS, created by Russell Morash to document home renovations from foundation to finish.
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Over the decades, it’s become a cornerstone in home-improvement TV: showing craftsmanship, design, restoration, and community.
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Hosts have evolved: Bob Vila led from 1979 to 1989; then Steve Thomas from 1989 to 2003; and since 2003, Kevin O’Connor has carried the torch.
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The show’s cast includes craftsmen and trade experts — general contractors, plumbers, masons, HVAC specialists, landscape experts, painters — who work with homeowners to not just restore wood and brick, but to preserve heart and history.
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Over time, This Old House expanded into a media brand: books, a magazine, a website with how-to content, and streaming. (It now partners with Roku as part of its distribution in addition to PBS).
In short: this is more than TV. It’s real families, real homes, real transformation — and now, ours is in the spotlight.
Season 47: Carolina Comeback Brings the Show to Asheville & WNC
This upcoming season has a mission: to rebuild, to heal, to tell stories of survival and renewal in communities battered by Hurricane Helene.
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Asheville is Season 47’s first stop. The show will follow five families across several locations as they rebuild after the storm’s damage.
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One family we’ll meet is Allie and Jim, who faced some of the worst: 12 feet of floodwaters engulfed their home — they, their dog Piper, and their lives were forced to confront loss, survival, and now reconstruction.
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The season promises raw, human storytelling: from the terrifying night of the storm to decisions about rebuilding, restoration, resiliency, and community.
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In extended interviews, we’ll see moments not always shown in the broadcast: basement refuge, flooding, the emotional weight before the renovation tools arrive.
They call it Carolina Comeback — and it’s more than a tagline. It’s a commitment to showing how our communities endure, how homes matter, and how people fight to reclaim their foundations.
How to Watch (Don’t Miss It)
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Premiere: Thursday, 9/25 on PBS (check your local listings).
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Streaming: Beginning Monday, 9/29, the episodes will be available on The Roku Channel (free) and via PBS streaming platforms.
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You can also stream This Old House normally via PBS.org, the PBS app, or Roku devices.
If you’ve ever wondered how the magic happens — how the crews, trades, and homeowners work alongside one another to bring a battered house back to life — now’s your chance to watch it unfold here in our home.
Why This Matters to Asheville & Beyond
This isn’t just television coming into town. It’s a validation: our stories deserve the platform. It’s a chance for viewers everywhere to see the strength in WNC’s soil, the care in our communities, and the possibility of rebuilding well — not quick, but right.
As This Old House tackles Asheville, they also elevate our voices, our craftspeople, our history of resilience. We’ll see wood that was ruined, walls that held stories, communities pulling together again. That feels powerful.
So mark your calendars, set reminders, and join us as this season begins in the place we live, love, and rebuild.
