This time, Pathway Autumn pavers are chosen for a walkway and patio project for This Old House, filmed in December 2025 and scheduled to be shown nationally on PBS stations from January through mid-April of 2026. The pavers, with color all the way through, consistent sizing to ease installation, and sufficient durability to withstand vehicular traffic, have been requested – and supplied – several times for the show’s home renovation projects over the years. ABOVE PHOTO: Jenn Nawada and Mark McCullough of This Old House. PHOTO: This Old House.
Pine Hall Brick Company’s pavers are again ready for their closeup, as PBS’s This Old House starts another project to improve a backyard in the Boston suburbs.
This time out, Pine Hall Brick’s Pathway Autumn pavers are being used in a renovation of a 1896 home with Victorian elements in Needham, Massachusetts. The episodes, part of This Old House’s 47th season, will be shown this spring on PBS stations nationwide.
New hardscaping melds with the past at the 3,000-square-foot 1896 home in Needham.
The homeowner chose genuine clay pavers for the project. In early December, This Old House landscaper Jenn Nawada and mason Mark McCullough worked closely with Pine Hall Brick Company veteran distributor Kevin Barry of Stiles and Hart Brick Company in Boston.
The challenge was to get the pavers from the local brickyard to start the installation quickly – to both accommodate the production schedule and to outrun the famously fickle New England winter weather. The solution came when Barry arranged a quick, early-morning delivery, which was received on the job site by Nawada.
The This Old House hardscape team lays a running bond of clay pavers. Below, mason Mark McCullough places a paver on the set.
A new beginning
This Old House will document the renovation in which the homeowners are looking to make the old new again, effectively updating the layout to better suit modern life in a household with three sons, ages 1 to 17.
The homeowners want to enhance the Victorian elements they love, including the front porch, bay windows, and multiple dormers, while also creating a more open, modern floor plan. The plan for the 3,000-square-foot house is to focus on the kitchen, bathrooms, and mechanical systems, while building a modest two-story rear addition.
From old bricks to new pavers
Nawada said that there was an existing brick patio but that it was in the wrong place, because the footprint of the house changed; because the family wanted a bigger space in which to entertain; and because the roots of a river birch had heaved the old bricks out of place. The tree and its roots were removed.
The fresh new patio just needs some sand swept into the paver joints and it’s ready for generations of enjoyment.
“The original idea was to try and match the existing brick, expanding the footprint of the old patio and installing new and old together,” said Nawada. “But the old brick was difficult to match so it will be used in another area of the property. The new beautiful Pine Hall Brick pavers were used to create two walkways, from the driveway and to a secondary entrance and the main patio that is 22-by-20.
“With their busy lives and three children, they wanted a low maintenance wide open space for family activities. The new patio will comfortably allow for relaxed seating and a dining table. There was also talk about a pergola over the patio area in the future.”