Chris Ermides joined This Old House in December 2018 as the editor of pro content. Since then, he’s written and produced a wide array of digital content, including articles and videos geared towards professional tradesmen and women. He hosts the Ask This Old House podcast, the Idea House Build series, and many interviews on This Old House: Live.
His interest in home improvement began at the age of 6 when he accompanied his dad to the local hardware store on the weekends and helped him on projects around the house. It was during this time that he also started watching This Old House and New Yankee Workshop. The trades have been a vital part of his family for several generations—Chris’s grandfather, an immigrant from Greece, was a cobbler and his great grandfather was a carpenter in Greece.
While studying English in college, Chris worked full-time at a local hardware store before graduating with a Master’s degree in teaching English. He taught high school and middle school English while working as a house painter and repairman during the summers. After four years of teaching, Chris returned to the trades starting with a brief stint on a ranch in Wyoming.
His career path continued to evolve on job sites, working his way up from a laborer to carpenter and eventually site supervisor for a custom home builder in upstate New York. He combined his love for the trades and writing chops with his jobsite experience and became an editor at Fine Homebuilding and Tools of the Trade. He’s been a contributor to JLC, Deck Builder, and ToolBox Buzz. Throughout his career, he’s reported on many aspects of residential construction, including how-to, tools, materials, and building science.
Follow Chris on Instagram @ChrisErmidesTOH.