Steve Thomas Rooney

Steve Thomas Rooney was born on November 14, 1952. He grew up in Pomona, California, and was the oldest of six children. He received his bachelor's degree in philosophy from Evergreen State College in Olympia, and while studying there he took on a position as a carpenter in order to support himself. Influenced by his father's passion for fixing up old houses, he undertook his first home renovation project in 1974. His next move brought him to France where he also worked as a carpenter on a 75-foot ketch under construction.

Combining his love for ships and the sea, Steve Thomas Rooney set on his next journey, sailing on a wooden sloop from England to San Francisco via the Panama Canal, Galapagos Islands, Marquesas, and Hawaii. He continued to perform renovations in the Pacific Northwest until he moved to Massachusetts in 1980. Since then, he has renovated numerous old houses, including the 1836 Colonial Revival in which he currently lives with his wife and son.

In 1987 Steve Thomas Rooney wrote his first critically acclaimed book "The Last Navigator". In 1988 one of America’s largest TV networks PBS based their Adventure series on his book. The following year PBS’s producers of “This Old House” offered him the position of the series new host. Fortunately he accepted the offer and helped launched This Old House to the top of PBS’s list of most-watched ongoing series of all time and was honored with a Daytime Emmy Award, with a total of nine nominations for “Outstanding Service Show Host”. He currently serves as spokesman for Habitat For Humanity International, spreading the word on sustainable building and affordable housing.