Bob looks at the sound attenuation product being used in the ceilling of the Manhattan Brownstone. Chris Vila, the project manager, explains that unlike fiberglass batts, this Roxul AFB fire batt is thicker than traditional batt and completely blocks sound transfer while preventing the spread of fire from space to space.

Bob talks with Brian Heinz of Pella windows about the large, custom double-hung windows that are being installed in the Manhattan Brownstone. In keeping with the original 1890s-style window, they have selected a one-over-one double-hung window. This window is almost as large as can be ordered to allow the maximum of natural light and air into the apartment. These Pella historic replacement windows blend old-world style with energy-efficient low-emissivity technology. Low-e glass keeps heat in during the cold months and locks heat out during the warm months. The all-wood window frames are clad in aluminum on the exterior to keep them maintenance free. The interior features a historically correct ogee profile around the entire sash and a thicker bottom rail as was the style at the end of the nineteenth century. David Kneeshaw of Keywood Installers joins Bob for the installation of the windows. He shows how the masonry opening is framed in plywood that is glued to the original brick then screwed into place. Two-by-six members are then affixed to the plywood to build the frame out to the proper dimensions. Finally, aluminum receptors are cut to length and ripped before being glued and screwed into place as receptors for the new window. The caulking makes for a secure installation that fights off water penetration. These custom windows cost approximately $1,000 apiece and feature the new Vivid View high-tech screens from Pella.

Bob meets Jason Hill from New England Classic as their ready-measured and pre-cut paneling system is installed in the Manhattan Brownstone. This flat-panel classic American design is modeled after the Arts and Craft style made popular in the late 1800s. This paneling is made of medium-density fiberboard (MDF) faced with a wood veneer. New England Classic offers Oak, Maple, Cherry, paint-grade wood, or a variety of standard finishes. The entire system is designed as a kit of parts that is custom fitted to the customer's space and style. Customers can go the the Web site and download design forms that gather the measurements and product specifics for the job. An in-house design team then creates a design, an installation plan, and a materials list. Once on-site the system is easy to assemble. First the center of the room is determined and marked, then the baseboard is set and leveled. The first panel is then centered on the line marking the center of the room. Panel adhesive is used on the back of each 3/8-inch panel to hold it in place and keep it off the wall enough to push it into the slot of the rabetted stile. The panel is then tapped into place and check for level. A top rail is slash cut along the edge before being installed with adhesive and nailed in place along the bead. A top cap completes the installation, and gives this panel a true 1890s feel.

Robert Kirkpatrick from Rinnai joins Bob to explain the tankless hot-water system being installed in the Manhattan Brownstone. Kirkpatrick explains that there are three key advantages to the tankless system. There's a huge space savings since the unit mounts on a wall, sparing the 12 to 16 square feet of floor space typically dedicated to the water tank. These tankless systems are also 70 percent more efficient than electric hot-water tanks. Most impressive of all, they provide an endless supply of hot water since the water is heated on demand rather than kept in storage. Kirkpatrick shows Bob the flow sensors that receive the water, generate the demand for heat, and gauge the amount of energy necessary to heat it to the desired temperature. The water is heated as it passes through the copper heat exchanger at the top of the unit. A double-wall pipe serves as the combustion air intake and the exhaust for the system, with a vent chamber up the middle surrounded by air intake along the perimeter of the pipe. This system is cost efficient as well, with payback of the initial investment in two to four years.

Bob shows the Woodport medium-density fiberboard doors selected for the Manhattan Brownstone. They are historically accurate five-panel doors like those made popular in the 1890s. The fifth panel is actually a horizontal in the middle of the door. These doors are paint-grade and will accept a nice painted finish.

Bob meets Todd Skulksy of Perfection Fence as he installs the classic New England-style vinyl picket fence. This product has a wood look and is made of mono-extruded vinyl so that it has only one layer and will not show nicks or discolorations over time. The fence is installed without mechanical fasteners and has been engineered with the crimps molded into the rails. The rail locks into the post piece and the crimp holds it in place. Perfection Fence vinyl fences come in different styles, this one with traditional New England features like the Colonial cap and ball finial for the top. Skulsky explains that these fences are moderately priced and cost less than finished wood fencing, but more than an unfinished wood fence. They are maintenance free, however, which will save money over time.

Bob is joined by Mikde Hobson of Westchester Insulation as the crew prepares one of the Mashpee houses for insulation installation. Hobson explains that this is a patented insulation system that uses special fabric stapled and drawn tight across any cavity that needs to be insulated. The crew works with pneumatic staplers to get the fabric in place across all the walls and the joists of the cathedral ceiling. The fabric is not intended as a moisture barrier of any kind and is just there to hold the insulation in place and prevent it from settling. Hobson shows Bob the white fiberglass that will be blown into the cavities. It is white because it is a virgin product, completely free of treatments, binders, or chemicals. Certainteed and Johns Manville both produce fiberglass insulation that is suitable for the Blow-In-Blanket installation. Once all cavities have been enclosed, the insulation contractor cuts a slit in the fabric and inserts a hose through which the fiberglass is blown. The cavity is filled to a density of two pounds per cubic foot which is visible to the eye by a slight bulge in the fabric. At this density, an R-value of 15 is achieved in two-by-four cavities like walls. In attics and ceiling cavities that are two-by-six, an R-value of 38 can be achieved. This insulation is inert and will not support moisture, mold, animals, or insects. It also serves as a sound insulator and can be blown in around drain lines, in interior partitions, and around tubs and showers. Blo-In-Blanket insulation is suitable for new construction or retrofit applications where it is blown in through the sheathing from the outside or through interior drywall to fill wall cavities. Blow-In-Blanket insulation costs about 50 to 60 percent more to install than traditional batt insulation, but offers such energy efficiency that it pays for itself within two to four years.

Bob is at the Mashpee site with Joann Borges of CertaPro Painters, a national painting company with 220 franchises throughout North America. She explains that their size, ability to use the latest technology, and their access to the newest products makes them a very affordable option for residential paint jobs. The house is taped and caulked in preparation for the paint job. Borges explains that a really good caulk has an expansion rate of 50 percent, meaning it will be able to expand and contract at the same rate as the wood and joints. A good caulk will make for a weather-tight seal. The painters then use a sprayer to apply the paint in slow, even strokes. This is not only fast but provides good coverage, especially with the Duration paint they are using from Sherwin Williams. This paint is twice as thick as regular latex house paint, so CertaPro's painters can give two-coat coverage in just one coat. This cuts down on time and labor, bringing savings to the customer. Certa Pro guarantees their work for two years and Sherwin Williams warranties any Duration paint job for as long as the homeowner owns the home. This is an affordable paint job that is meant to last, saving money up front and for the life of the home.

Tom Sullivan of Bellawood is in one of the four Mashpee affordable homes where they have donated hardwood flooring for the living room, dining room, and kitchen of each house. This 3 1/4 inch natural Maple flooring has color variations, tight knots, and more visual wood character than a select grade. Like the select and rustic grades, this Maple flooring is 12 percent harder than a Red Oak floor and will last a lifetime. Sullivan shows Bob a prefinished, micro-beveled plank that comes ready to install with a variety of lengths ranging from one to six feet. Bellawood provides a 50-year finish warranty on its flooring, which has eight coats of an aluminum-oxide based semigloss finish. Bob notes how the crew has positioned the pieces in advance to avoid lining up seams and to ensure an aesthetically pleasing layout. Sullivan points out that they have put rosin paper over the plywood subfloor and under the hardwood installation to combat squeaking.

John Spellman of Cape Cod Counter Works shows Bob the installation of the shop-made laminate counters in one of the Mashpee, Massachusetts, homes. They were fabricated in the shop and are now being fit to the cabinet frames and walls of the kitchen. Spellman finds that there is a bulge in the wall that keeps the counter about � inch off the wall, preventing it from sliding into place and accommodating the range that will sit between the cabinets. Spellman scribes the counter with a pencil to show how much will need to be removed to fit it flush against the wall. He then uses a belt sander to grind away at the counter until he has almost reached his scribing line. He puts the counter back in place to check the fit. It is nearly flush to the wall and just proud of the opening for the range. He estimates another 1/16 inch will need to be shaved off the countertop to make a perfect fit.