Home Again with Bob Vila

Construction begins on a Cape Cod-style home being built in Marstons Mills, Massachusetts. Included: the lot is cleared and cement is poured for the f...

A recycled "ell" is added,and a first-floor deck is built. Also: tips on ordering lumber.

Bob visits Barbara Gooddale in her authentic antique Cape Cod house to get a feel for the style and practicality of this design; back at our house, th...

A staircase is built and the second floor is toured. Also: Bob Vila visits a shingle plant in Delaware.

Some demolition is done on the old ell to prepare it for renovation; ceiling joists and roof rafters go up in the new section of the house, and we see...

A bulkhead is installed; a soffet, facia and drip edge are added to the front of the house. Also: asphalt shingles and a ridge vent.

The old ell is joined to the new construction, with some demolition done to make room for a shed dormer and a slider door. Bob visits the Wes-Pine woo...

Bob and Ryley install the pre-hung front door and visit Shepley Wood Products to see how it was made. Dean Fraser shows us how to apply cedar shingles...

Bob goes over the electrical wiring with John Hickey, cedar clapboards are put up, and Hand Cassidy explains insulation ratings. Our contractor Ryley...

Bob discusses the kitchen layout with designer Amy O'Haire, then visits her showroom. Claude Daigle demonstrates his drywall techniques, and John Aalt...

Our contractor Ryley shows us how to put up the pine interior paneling in the living room; Bob checks out the furnace and ducting with installer Scott...

Artisan Terry Maiche shows us two inexpensive ways to dress up a floor with paint: spattering and stenciling. Ryley builds a bathroom vanity, and Bob...

Bob discusses landscaping with specialist Susan Hofer--sod, a gravel driveway, brickwork, fences, perennials. We tour the smart finished exterior with...

Now in Chicago, Bob takes a driving tour with realtor Catherine Caravette of our new neighborhood, Wicker Park, and of nearby upscale Lincoln Park. We...

Bob discusses plans with local architect Bill Bauhs, and takes a tour of downtown Chicago's striking modern buildings with architectural historian Sus...

Bob and Ron discuss the removal and shoring up of bearing walls, to be replaced by special engineered beams. We visit Macmillan-Bloedel's Parallam Pla...

The crew installs a Parallam beam in the living room and iron beams in the back masonry wall. Ron Gan and Bill Bauhs talk budget and convince Bob to r...

Scott Smith's excavation crew digs out the basement to make room for a basement slab. Bob discusses heating systems for the rental units with installe...

The concrete basement floor is poured, leveled, and screeded; our contractor Ron repairs a broken window pane the old-fashioned way, and Bob discusses...

Bob goes downtown to the Merchandise Mart to see a selection of bathroom fixtures. Back at our greystone, plumber Dan Macias replaces an old toilet an...

Drywall and plaster work is discussed. Also: a visit to a drywall plant in Delaware.

A review of the project's budget and progress. Also: a trip to an appliance showroom, and the bathroom floor is prepped and tiled.

Wooden floors are refinished and new windows are installed. Also: a visit to a light-fixtures store.

Kitchen cabinets are installed and the landscaping work begins.

Installed: a basement staircase. Also: a visit to a flooring plant.

Kitchen countertops are mounted. Also: a tour of the home with an interior decorator.

Bob and contractor Ron Gan look around our next projectan old deserted "coach house." Architectural historian Susan Benjamin gives us a tour of some o...

Bob discusses plans for the coach house with our architect, Mike Morgan, and with contractor Ron Gan; demolition begins. Brick worker Dan Webb explain...

Bob tours architect Frank Lloyd Wright's studio and sees some houses Wright designed in Greater Chicago. Back at the coach house, the basement is exca...

The Eagle roofing crew strips several ancient layers of old roofing, and a section of the roof is removed to make room for a new dormer. Bob explains...

Bob tours the Hill Arboretum, an apartment project adapted for the physically challenged. Back at the coach house, a fireplace dealer explains the new...

Bob tours the completed living room and dining room of the coach house, then reviews work done on the heating system. We see the base cabinets install...

Bob installs the finishing touches in the coach house kitchen, including some galvanized steel features. We go outside to plant a tree and landscape t...

Bob takes the grand tour of the finished coach house exterior with Ron, our contractor. We go inside to see the decorating job that the team of Rita M...