Tom Silva

As a proud member of America's favorite home improvement team since 1986, general contractor Tom Silva has provided years of expert advice to home enthusiasts across the country on "This Old House." He also brings his endless expertise to "This Old House's" sister show, "Ask This Old House."

Renovating houses since he was a child, Silva's first major project, working alongside his dad and brother, was installing a basement fallout shelter underneath their 1787 Colonial in Lexington, Massachusetts. After digging out the 20x40x12-foot hole under the house, by hand, and hauling away all the boulders, they framed it and finished it off. "It took us two years, and I felt such pride in what we had accomplished that I knew I wanted to do this for a living," says Silva.

Silva Brothers Construction, made up of Silva, his brother Richard and his nephew Charlie, built the original set for the WGBH-TV Boston production The Victory Garden in the parking lot of WGBH. Russell Morash, the creator of "This Old House," discovered the Silva crew while they were conducting a major restoration on an 1845 Greek Revival-style house. It was then that Russ named Silva and his crew the general contractors for the show.

Silva says, "Each job is unique and different, which is just what I like. Besides loving my work, I've made good friends with the entire crew of This Old House, and it's been a rewarding experience." Silva has contributed to Complete Remodeling and Complete Landscaping, published by This Old House Books in conjunction with Sunset Books in 2004, and the Homeowner's Manual, published by This Old House Books in 2000. He is on the editorial board of This Old House magazine, published by This Old House Ventures, Inc., where his work and expert advice are featured regularly.

Parents of a daughter and a son, Silva and his wife live in a 19th-century house he continues to renovate in a Boston suburb. He is a native of Massachusetts and a boating enthusiast.