Blog & Social

Appearing on the Fresh Ideas Stage Friday, March 28 at 3 pm and Saturday, March 29 at 11 am

Kevin O'Connor is known by millions as the host of the award-winning PBS series This Old House and Ask This Old House. He grew up, along with his four brothers and two sisters, on various job sites led by his father, a civil engineer, and years later he remains an avid home enthusiast.

Kevin was a longtime fan of This Old House when he and his wife, Kathleen, were renovating their 1892 Queen Anne Victorian and sent an email seeking advice from the Ask This Old House experts. To their surprise and delight, the house call served as Kevin's first screen test to serve as the new host for the two shows, making him only the third host in the history of the pioneering home improvement series. His natural curiosity and ability to connect with both experts and audiences is a big reason why This Old House maintains its position as the leading multimedia home enthusiast brand, serving more than 20 million consumers each month with trusted information and expert advice.

Kevin will share some behind-the-scenes photos, videos and stories from This Old House at its 46-year mark and do a meet-and-greet with visitors to the Southern AZ Home Show on Friday, March 28 at 3 pm, and on Saturday, March 29 at 11 am.

Ahead of his visit to Tucson, we got Kevin to share some of his home advice:

What is one project you tell people to NOT do as DIY?

Don’t work in the electrical panel. This is for the pros. Feel free to turn breakers on and off but pretty much avoid everything else, the downside is pretty bad!

Tips for designing an office at home.

These days it’s often the most important room in the home so treat it that way. Make it functional and comfortable. A few things we added to ours that really helped were tons of electrical outlets for all the charging that’s needed. We even added an in-floor outlet under the big worktable so computers can be plugged in while working without cords strung all over the place. A cabinet with glass doors for the printer helps with the noise, you can print a big document without disturbing an important phone call. High speed internet and repeaters are also critical so think about where you’ll hide all the wires.

Favorite room in your home?

My office. Hardest working room for sure, but also very comfortable. We added some library lights, grass cloth wallpaper, new leather chair and a few other things that kick up the form and function. Given the amount of time we spend in the room it was worth it.

What’s in your backpack?

I have a Carhartt knapsack in two or three different colors. One is for the jobsite, this one gets beat up badly but has what I need for days on the construction site like extra gloves, backup hearing protection, and a rain-proof notebook. The other is my EDC (Every Day Carry) and for my camera equipment, which goes with me everywhere.

Best home purchase for under $100?

The Hori Hori – look it up. It’s like a multi-tool for gardening and was a gift from our landscape expert Jenn Nawada. It digs, cuts, measures and is an all-around essential tool that you can wear on your belt. When working in the yard I reach for it all the time, now that I have my own. Thanks Jenn!

What’s your next home project?

Bistro lights for the patio. We have some up temporarily to see if we like them and where they should go, but now it’s time to make them permanent. The patio is my ongoing project, with little improvements made every year since we spend so much time out there. Right now, I’m building a custom planter for the corner of the patio that will also hold the corner post for the light pole to dress it up and make it feel nice and permanent.

What’s one tip for a big impact in landscaping or curb appeal?

It’s about the edges. I don’t care what you have in the beds, just so long as they are edged with crisp, clean lines. And keep the walkways and driveway edged, as well. A crisp edge line looks great and says that you’re on top of your yard.
Tell us about your pet(s). Two dogs, Trapper and Colby, our yellow labs. The best ever. 11 years and 1 year old. We joke that Trapper “speaks human, he knows exactly what we’re saying” and that Coby is a lot like my teenage son, with a tail. They are best buddies. The best, by far!