Also a warning to people watching "This Old House":
The seasoned, professional, competent tradespeople you see on every episode are a nonexistent myth in most areas of the country. Many of the projects they accomplish with relative ease are not practical to the more junior tradespeople you will be able to find, and they will be fantastically expensive if you find the veterans you see on the show.
I think the trick is that just like in most jobs, the people need to not work in isolation and have a support network.
We had major water damage a few years back in our brand new house, and we hired a reputable local small contractor to fix it. Most of the work was done by his sons, who were in their late 20's to early 30's, but he was on site to discuss the work done beforehand, and numerous times during the work to direct. You can bet if any of them had a problem or question, they would work with each other and their father to come to a good solution combining their experience. They did very high quality work.
I would rather have a worker of below average experience with an expert to manage and provide direction to them than an average level worker in field that doesn't rely disproportionately on skill of an individual.
I think you're saying, "But they're not a good example of the things that can go right," and I'd have to agree. As a cautionary tale memories of that show delayed me buying my first house by almost five years. And I should have vetoed some things my partner was okay with that bit us even though I knew better.
I recall thinking for instance how unrealistic it was how often they knew a guy who knew a guy who could get them a nice reclaimed piece to greatly reduce the money:quality ratio for a bathroom, a staircase, a fireplace or a gable. From a standpoint of normalizing recycling and reclamation, thumbs way up. But nobody is that lucky when the cameras are off. I'm sure extra favors were returned off-camera (in addition to the brief infomercial)
TOH is one of the better shows in this respect. While they don't flaunt the costs of renovations, which often exceed a half million dollars, they do make a serious effort to show the experience and professionalism that the tradesman have. The hosts are always interviewing tradesman to ask what, why, and how they are doing something, and offering questions that you should ask any potential contractor.
With most other renovation shows, the tradesman are just magic fairies that don't do much more than assist the host, who it seems is single-handedly doing the work.
The seasoned, professional, competent tradespeople you see on every episode are a nonexistent myth in most areas of the country. Many of the projects they accomplish with relative ease are not practical to the more junior tradespeople you will be able to find, and they will be fantastically expensive if you find the veterans you see on the show.