Tiplady Makes 'This Old House' Debut

Barrington contractor Andrew Tiplady makes his television debut late Saturday afternoon.

“That’s what they tell me,” Tiplady said of the premiere of the “This Old House” series of shows in Barrington.

Tiplady and his crew reconstructed a Barrington Beach house for the award-winning PBS show, which came to Rhode Island for the first time last fall. It runs on Channel 36 starting tomorrow at 4:30 pm.

Tiplady will get the most face time of anyone in Barrington, including the owners, Geoff Allen and Michelle Forcier. He has seen a few clips of some episodes.

“But I’ve not seen a full episode,” he said. “I’m having some of the guys over. They have an open invitation every Saturday for the next 10 weeks.”

So, how was the experience working with "This Old House" and its master carpenter, Norm Abram, and show host Kevin O’Connor?

“I’d do it again in a heartbeat,” said Tiplady without hesitation.

He actually will appear with them on billboards in Times Square in New York City and on the Las Vegas strip to promote the show.

Tiplady said he didn’t realize how much he would be teaching other builders and do-it-yourselfers during the shows.

“I had an epiphany,” he said. “I realized that this is really a teaching show. I had a really nice time.”

Working with Abram, in particular, “was a treat,” he said. And he really learned how the whole process of producing a TV show happens.

The episodes also will show some of the secrets of constructing or rebuilding a beachfront property, which has to deal with wind and weather that most houses do not. Two of his crew members, Chris Aguiar and George Duarte, also get some face serious face time in one of the episodes, a first for the show, he said.

“I think we were up to their standards for good quality construction,” he said. “I think we left on really good terms. They seemed impressed with and appreciative of us.”

Tiplady said they finished the house on Jan. 12 – the target date – except for a few punch-list items, such as shelving. They started another job off of Washington Road while wrapping up the beach house, he said.

Tiplady added that he is “excited about the potential” for spinning off new jobs from the publicity he will get on TV. There is also the possibility that "This Old House" could come calling again if and when they take on another project in the area.

Right now, though, Tiplady said, he will be doing nothing but watching TV at 4:30 pm every Saturday for at least 10 weeks with his wife, Cindy, and two children, Zach, 14, and Emma, 11. His DVR will be recording each show as well.