Project Supervisor Dave Southard of DS Woodworks explains to Bob how a high-rise demolition differs from a single-family home demolition. Southard outlines steps to minimize the disruption to other building inhabitants. He also devises a demolition plan, which includes grouping materials for removal in stages. Gilson Novaes, a demolition expert, details the order of the demolition. The plan is to salvage some of the materials for reuse so that it does not all end up in a landfill.

Bob meets with construction foreman Keith Elmore of Two Trees Development to discuss the demolition work in progress in the project building. The crew has already removed a service elevator, opting to increase the available square footage for living space. The plans also call for the removal of selected support posts. The structure has been certified to hold without the extra support that was required for industrial use. Vila and Elmore then discuss some of the brick demolition work required to make room new or enlarged windows on the third floor. Elmore also explains that additional beamwork will be required to support the additional floor they are building above.

Bob enters the Brownstone apartment to find more evidence of 1940s updates in this turn-of-the-century row house. Curved ceiling shapes, a built-in bar, and chopped-up space show layers that were added during the conversion of the original building. Bob meets up with his son, Chris Vila, and reviews the preparations for demolition, which include permits, shutoffs for all the gas, water, and electricity, and removal of moldings and fixtures from walls. Bob asks if any detailing from the original Brownstone remain. Chris says there is nothing -- no moldings, mantles, or ceiling details. Chris does show Bob the hardwood floors buried beneath layers of vinyl and linoleum flooring. The goal will be to peel back the layers of this 2,000-square-foot apartment until just the original shell and structure remain.

Bob is inside the old barn where demolition is still taking place. The old staircase has been removed and the opening above is being enlarged to accommodate the new staircase that will be built.

House four of the Elmwood project. Kitchen and bath remodel at the home of Mark and Christina Macheska. An overview of the problems and solutions, demolition and installation of reclaimed pine floors.

Bob Vila shows a before-and-after demolition view of the kitchen and main living areas of the Miami Beach condo. Bob walks us through the open, loft-like space of the condo now that walls, cabinets, and finishes have been removed. Bob also looks at the former kitchen with its close walls, wallpaper, and dark cabinets. He looks back at the mural-covered wall that previously divided the living spaces and shows the open space that has taken its place. To complete the clean, open look of the updated condo, Bob outlines how the popcorn ceiling is scraped, cleaned, and skim-coated in preparation for a finish coat that will give it a light, modern look.

Bob Vila and Joe Fitzgerald discuss the roof types of surrounding homes and the possibilities for our house. They show the beginning of the demolition process on the roof so that it can be built up to support a barrel tile roof. Then Bob Discusses the Demolition of the rest of the home and what must be left standing so that the construction is a remodel rather than a complete tear down. Bob Also discusses the debris created by demolition and how it is disposed.

Bob Vila meets with architect Michael Pierce from DD Allen and Associates on the Balcony of the Biscayne Bay Condo. Pierce addresses the demolition aspect of the condominium rehab. The condo has an amazing view, but was designed for a different lifestyle and occupant 37 years ago. Today it is being gutted to make way for modern standards with ample natural light and views from almost every corner of the home, even the porthole in the shower.

The furred out walls from the 1940s, the oringinal lathe and plaster, and all the extra building materials have been removed from the 1890s Brownstone, leaving the original brick party walls. This allows for rigid insulation along the walls and built-out framing for the new windows. There has been a discovery during demolition -- original cornice work all around the perimeter of the front room, tthat was hidden by a drop ceiling, was found in near perfect condition. The plan is to restore it and skim coat the original ceiling, building back the areas where sleepers were hung to support the suspended ceiling. Now that the drop ceilings have been removed, the ceiling heights are 12.5 feet throughout. Looking up, Bob marvels at the quality workmanship of the craftsmen from the 1890s whose joistwork with cross bracing is still evident. Alongside the original joistwork is the cobbled job from a 1940s conversion that will need to be remedied during reconstruction.

Contractor/carpenter Cortney Lofton shows Bob the original kitchen cabinets. They discover a few spots of original paint during the demolition process. Bob then visits a salvage yard to view turn-of-the-century cabinets purchased by the homeowner.