From San Francisco

to New Orleans to Boston, Americans have a longstanding love affair with

beautiful old homeswhether they live in one or not.

And since 1978,

when "This Old House" blazed a trail on public television, we've

thirsted for ever more programming on home renovation, restoration and

decorating. Fans of the "Dream Builders" program on Home and

Garden Television, now in its seventh season, surely will be excited by

the debut of "Old Homes Restored," a new series produced by

the National Association of Home Builders.

"Old Homes

Restored" is a half-hour, magazine-format show featuring Sean Pratt,

a former professional carpenter, as host. Every Tuesday and Sunday, the

show will feature restoration and renovation projects, both completed

and under construction, especially those more than 30 years old.

The subjects

will be both historic houses and more generic homes undergoing innovative

renovations that don't compromise the home's original architectural design

or character. Viewers will get to know the homeowner, the architect, the

contractor and the skilled craftsmen who lovingly restore each home and

watch them practice their arts, too.

During its

first season, "Old Homes Restored" travels to Louisville, Ky.,

where the 200-year-old Woodland Farm is undergoing a world-class restoration;

to Hillsboro, Va., for the unmasking of a log cabin camouflaged under

wood siding; and to Seattle for a high-tech retrofit of an early 20th

century Arts and Crafts bungalow. Other cities on the horizon include

New Orleans, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Sag Harbor, N.Y., Oakland,

Calif., Santa Fe and Levittown, Pa.

After debuting

a one-hour pilot episode of "Old Homes Restored" on Home and

Garden Television that aired twice earlier this year, HGTV was convinced

that there is a large and hungry audience for stories about remodeling

and renovation. Praised for its compelling content and high production

values, NAHB hopes that "Old Homes Restored" will join Dream

Builders as "one of HGTV's most successful series," the latter

according to Broadcasting & Cable magazine.

Restoration

enthusiasts can catch Old Homes Restored Sundays at 6 p.m. and Tuesdays

at 7:30 p.m. (all times EST). If you know of a restoration or renovation

project you1d like to see featured on Old Homes Restored, call Bebe Murry

of NAHB's Production Group at 800/368-5242, ext. 173.

If new homes

are more your style, the seventh season of "Dream Builders"

premiered Oct. 2. The show airs regularly Wednesdays and Fridays at 6:30

p.m. and Sundays at 10 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Home and Garden

Television, now distributed to more than 60 million U.S. households, serves

a $4.1 trillion market and is one of today's fastest-growing networks.

(John Hayes,

who is with Torrey Homes, is president of the Home Builders Association

of Midwest Georgia, which serves a membership of approximately 440 builders

and associate members in Fayette, Coweta, Spalding, Heard and Meriwether

Counties.)