The open-plan family room of the Punta Gorda house overlooks the canal on one side and opens onto the living area and kitchen on the other. Cecile Hemphill of Oh Cecile in San Francisco shows Bob the cookware and accessories that now fill the cupboards. Starting with Chantal cookware in bright colors, a teapot with a whistle, a Lodge pre-seasoned cast iron skillet, and a Joyce Chen wok, Hemphill has completely outfitted the kitchen for cooking and entertaining. The drawers are filled with Oxo ergonomically designed cooking utensils. Ironwood Gourmet's Acacia wood cutting boards stand ready on the counters, as does bright-colored Chantal ceramic ware that goes from the freezer to the oven to the table. Bob also remarks on the Whirlpool side-by-side refrigerator-freezer that measures and dispenses water. All of the appliances are from Whirlpool, including the dishwasher and front-loading washer and dryer. Bob and Hemphill remark on the overall design of the kitchen, the openess and the size of the elements, which are perfectly scaled and large enough for easy living and frequent entertaining.

Because this is an affordable house, most of the items in the kitchen were builder-supplied. The kitchen features oak cabinets and laminated countertops. With affordable homes, it's important to acquire appliances in the most efficient way. Big builders can buy everything wholesale but smaller builders often have to depend on the local mom-and-pop suppliers. BrandSource has an online network of 2,500 dealers who are locally owned but buy in bulk so the savings are passed on to the consumer. The main door of the refrigerator is at eye level and the freezer is a pull-out drawer down below. There are two separate compartments in the freezer so items do not get buried at the bottom. A dishwasher from Fisher-Paykel features two drawer modules instead of one so smaller loads can be run more regularly. The dishwasher is Energy Star rated and is extremely efficient. An electric range from GE completes the package.

A half bathroom and a laundry were also installed in the basement of the Melrose home. These systems were installed using a pump system because the room is below street level and needs to have wastewater pumped up to the sewer lines. A SwanStone Deep Laundry Sink was put in place with a Moen faucet. A Whirlpool front-loading washer and dryer set was also installed. In order to fit so much material in a limited space, the homeowners shopped for appliances using Brandsource.com, which gave the couple detailed information on different brands, including sizes and shapes. Brandsource carries information from over 2,500 retail outlets and features $10 billion in products. The appliances were installed by a local dealer. The washing machine is a Whirlpool Duet, which features extra-large capacity, is energy efficient, and has storage in the bottom. A large freezer from Amana was installed along with a refrigerator-freezer and a GE microwave. A GE wine cooler chills beverages in the other room. The TV is a 50-inch Samsung flat panel. A 42-inch plasma Samsung TV was also installed in the master bedroom. A smaller television set was installed in the children's room. A stainless-steel grill was put in the backyard.

Bob is in the final I'On development home for Cherry cabinet installation, Northland refrigerator and wine storage system.

Here's another great tip from BobVila.com. After years of leftover science experiments, Thanksgiving dinners and midnight snacks, he s probably served you well, but old Mr. Fridge is adding more to your electric bill than he s worth. Your refrigerator hogs more electricity than almost anything else in your house. If it s an older model, it s using twice as much as a new Energy Star certified model would to keep the same milk cold. A new fridge is a big purchase, and there will be a small fee to dispose of the old one. But some electrical utilities are actually giving rebates of $150 or more to customers who replace their old refrigerators with new, energy-efficient models. To find out what s offered in your state, check the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiencies, or D-S-I-R-E. Even without the rebate, buying an Energy Star certified refrigerator makes sense. A mid-size fridge more than 10 years old can cost $100 a year to run. Today s Energy Star compliant models cost half that much: some use less energy than a continuously running 75-watt light bulb. And with so many great new features like digital temperature control, French doors and even an alarm to tell you when the door s been left open a new fridge is a great investment that works for your family 24 hours a day! Find out more at BobVila.com: The ultimate home improvement web site! BobVila.com 2008

Ron Ford from Kohler Power Systems joins Bob to talk about the 22-kilowatt backup generator that has been installed. The generator is permanently connected to the home's main power distribution center and will keep important household appliances (including furnaces, refrigerator, security systems, and computers) running in the event of a power outage. Powered by natural gas and is insulated to minimize noise, the generator automatically supplies electricity in the event of a power outage without having to be switched on by the homeowner. It will even kick in if the homeowner is away from home.

Bob gets some tips about how to hook up an automatic ice maker from plumber Ed Mann. Ed demonstrates how to connect the ice maker with the water supply in the house. One-quarter-inch soft copper tubing is used and an extra five feet of slack is left on the line in order to move the refrigerator in and out without removing the line. Ed likes to use a copper tee and compression valve instead of the saddle valve because the earlier method will result in many years of service whereas saddles have a tendency to leak. A compression fitting is used to make up the copper tubing to the solenoid valve on the refrigerator.

Bob meets Denny Ruffini to see how a metal stud wall is built in the basement. Bob explains his decision for choosing metal, inculding water damage and termite prevention. The wall is quickly installed with self tapping screws and secured to the new concrete floor.

Mark Herndon, executive chef of the Virginia governor's mansion gives Bob a tour of the newly remodeled kitchen facility.