• Richard Trethewey is the star of the TV show “Ask This Old House”
• He followed his father’s steps both in the house renovation business, and in TV show appearances
• He has his own company, RST, Inc, which does HVAC equipment, plumbing, and complete pipe systems installation
• Richard has been invited onto various TV shows, including “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” and “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon”
• He has an estimated net worth of $1.6 million.
Contents
Richard Trethewey is the star of the TV show “Ask This Old House”, in which he appears as the expert plumber. He followed his father’s footsteps both in the house renovation business, and in TV show appearances.
Early life and family
Richard Trethewey was born under the zodiac sign of Virgo on 16 September 1956, in Dedham, Massachusetts USA, so holds American nationality,. His father’s name is Ron, who is a professional house improvement specialist. He and his brother, John, Richard’s uncle, were invited to the show the first year it went on air by Russell Morash, the producer of the show.
From his early years Richard witnessed his father working in the sphere of plumbing and heating, so learnt a lot watching his dad developing his business.
Career
Richard started his career as a member of his father’s company, Trethewey Brothers, Inc. He’s a registered master plumber, and works both on the TV show series “This Old House” and as a hired plumber and Heating, Ventilation, & Air Conditioning (HVAC) specialist. Richard left his father and uncle’s company in 1990, to launch his own, which he called RST, Inc. The company does everything related to HVAC equipment, plumbing and complete pipe systems installation. The company has its office registered in Westwood, Massachusetts, having nine employees, including Richard himself.
During his long career Richard has been invited onto such TV shows as “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” (once in 2010 and twice in 2012), “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (once in 2015 and again in 2017), in which he shared his experience of starring in the “This Old House” house improvement series.
This Old House
Launched in 1979, the franchise “This Old House” became one of the most popular house improvement series, having 40 seasons on WGBH-TV – in 2019 the show was obtained by WETA-TV. During its history the show won 17 Emmy awards and was nominated more than 80 times for many others.
Focused on renovating old houses, the series revealed many useful tips for those who decided to make changes in their houses themselves, with their own hands. As the program attracted a larger and larger audience, the franchise expanded, and WGBH-TV launched two more similar shows: “Ask This Old House” and “Inside This Old House”. Richard Trethewey appeared in all sister shows of the franchise.
“Ask This Old House”
Richard became a member of the regular cast for “Ask This Old House” along with his colleagues Roger Cook, Tom Silva and Kevin O’Connor, appearing as the host of the show. “Set near Boston, the experts answer questions on home improvement from readers of the “This Old House” magazine, and from the viewers of the show.
Some of them are even visited by the hosts of the show, getting practical analysis on their issue and some assistance in solving their problem. Kevin O’Connor participates in some of such episodes, helping the workers to do the task.
“Inside This Old House”
The show that aired from 2003 to 2004 was pretty much the same as “Ask This Old House”, the difference being that it concentrated on one theme, for example, landscaping, heating, installing windows, etc., and discussed it during the whole episode, giving comprehensive answers to all the questions related to the chosen topic. Richard, as usual, acted as the expert on plumbing, heating and air conditioning.
“This Old House: Trade School”
They say, ‘keep a dress long enough and it will come back in style’. Well, it turned out to be true for the show “This Old House”, as in 2017 the show spawned another spin-off with the same old hosts, including Richard Trethewey, Norm Abram, Roger Cook and Tom Silva, who discuss the same things related to the house improvement process, comparing their previous experience and modern day solutions. The spin-off is aired by the CW network.
Personal life
Richard has been married to Christine for more than 20 years, and they’ve welcomed two sons: Ross and Evan, who are both starring in the show “Ask This Old House”.
Son, Ross Trethewey
Ross was born in 1980, and has a BS and MS in mechanical engineering he obtained from Tufts University, Massachusetts from which he graduated in 2003. He then moved to Germany for three years, where he worked for a manufacturer in the sphere of renewable energy equipment and high-efficiency heating. Getting back to the US, he joined his father on TV, appearing in the shows “Ask This Old House” and “This Old House” in 2011, applying his vast knowledge of renewable energy, and in particular wind power, solar power, off-grid and geothermal storage. In 2016, Ross and the producer of the show Heath Racela, created a special segment of the show called “Future House”, in which Ross explains the principles of the new technologies people will be using in the near future, and how these technologies will influence the way the houses are built. As of 2024, Ross resides in Boston with his wife and son.
.@AskTOH #futurehouse segment featuring a digital organizer for tracking all items in your house is called @centriqhome pic.twitter.com/33avF8eb5e
— Ross Trethewey (@rosstret) October 7, 2017
Hobbies, favorite things and interesting facts
Richard likes boating, swimming and hiking. He learne to sail in his youth, and has taught his own sons to behave on water, so they can spend as much time at the beach or boating as they want. Richard also likes spending time with animals. He has several pets at home, among them three dogs, two parrots and fish.
Appearance, clothing style
Richard has short dark brown hair, but his head is now bald; he has blue eyes, and wears glasses sometimes. Richard is 5ft 9ins (1.75m) tall – his height sometimes made him feel uncomfortable at his projects.
Thus, he shared the photo of him standing in the cellar of the house he improved in terms of the show “This Old House”, and the ceiling was way too low for him: ‘There are many things I will miss about our fabulous Jamestown project; the original basement height is not one of them. I’m just too tall’, Richard wrote in his tweet.
Net worth and salary
As of 2024, Richard’s net worth is estimated to be close to $2 million, benefiting from the bond of “This Old House” series, and from his own company RST Inc.
