The Mashers' Victorian remodel includes an expansive outdoor deck to bring indoor living outside. Bob looks at the western red cedar deck that creates the transition from indoors to the gardens and yard planned by Ruth Foster. Meg Tarvin from FrontGate joins Bob to look at the furnishings that recreate this space as an extension of indoor living. Starting on the deck, Tarvin shows Bob the teak table with a stone center that turns and functions as a lazy susan. The teak chairs and umbrella are upholstered in a Sunbrella fabric to live up to year-round northern weather. Below the deck, an outdoor room is furnished with a wicker-look synthetic couch and chairs with Sunbrella-covered cushions. The seating and the elegant rug are synthetic and intended to live outdoors in all kinds of weather. To keep outdoor living comfortable, FrontGate has provided a Mosquito Magnet to attract and trap biting insects and a firepit for warmth and ambience.

House four of the Elmwood project. Replacing ceiling with a metal ceiling and Medallion cabinets install.

The new kitchen space in the Miami condo has been opened up and brightened. Bob meets with LesCare cabinet representative Brad Brewster, of Princeton Custom Cabinetry, who explains the features of this semi-custom cabinet line. Bob has selected a standard white, contemporary style that features invisible hardware, undermount drawers, and edge-banded finishing that completely encases the fiberboard core. The cabinets look seamless, and almost completely eliminate off-gassing thanks to the edge-banded design. Brewster shows Bob the kitchen layout and the lazy Susan that spins 360 degrees to provide full access to the corner cupboard. Bob prices out the kitchen cabinetry and counters per running foot and finds it to be an affordable, elegant, easy-care solution for the getaway kitchen.

The kitchen is set for company, but the counters are clean and uncluttered. Appliances in white complement the adjacent living space in this open-plan apartment. The Whirlpool double-door refridgerator in white, with lots of storage and features, blends with the oven and cooktop, also from Whirlpool, and the Energy Star dishwasher with high-end features like wine-glass racks and special wash cycles. Bob challenged the crew to outfit the kitchen completely by shopping online from Sears.com. Juicers, pots, pans, blender, combination microwave-convection oven, coffee grinder and brewer, were all selected, delivered, and tucked away in this getaway kitchen designed for easy entertaining.

Bob and developer John Druley walk through a home under construction by Qualker Homes in Falmouth, Massachusetts. This standard design is used for both the market-priced and affordable homes. The overall dimensions of the house are 26 feet by 36 feet. A center-door entry leads to 13-by-18-foot living room on one side and a 16-by-13-foot master bedroom on the other. The back of the house has a 13-by-18-foot kitchen with a back door and a window onto the backyard, a half-bath and laundry, and an entry to the master bedroom with full bath, tub-shower combination, double-bowl sink, and linen closet. The upstairs has two bedrooms with operable skylights and a full bath. This three-bedroom, two-and-one-half bath Cape will be lotteried as an affordable home to eligible families who make between $29,000 and $65,000 per year, and who qualify for a traditional mortgage. The home is stick-built with traditional 2X4 framing, oriented strand board (OSB) exterior sheathing, low-e glass, tilt-in vinyl windows, and gas heat. Bob and Druley point out that an affordable home must be affordable to operate and heat as well as being affordable to purchase.

The kitchen counters are being installed, but need to be crafted on site since they were too large for the high-rise elevator. Brad Brewster of Princeton Custom Cabinetry explains that one set of counters was prefabricated at the shop, then brought to the apartment in pieces. The installers make a field joint to bring the two sections together, first by applying contact cement to the two edges, then angling the edges together so that the Formica seam forms tightly as the counter is lowered into place. The counters are then secured with screws from underneath. The second part of the installation requires on-site assembly. The condo's long kitchen counter ends in a round dining center. The entire installation will be done with one large piece of Formica that is 5 foot by 12 foot, making a seamless surface down the entire length of the counter. For the specialty rounded counter, Princeton Custom Cabinetry uses a Verola plywood from South America that is strong and provides a stable undercore for the suspended counter. Once in place, a stainless steel post will serve as a leg for the rounded counter, giving it extra support. The plywood is covered with contact cement that is allowed to dry for five minutes. Spacers are then laid across the face of the plywood so that the Formica can be positioned correctly without getting stuck to the adhesive before the crew is ready. Ernie Wernecke removes the last spacer showing Bob how a tight consistent seam is made using this technique.