Here's another great tip from BobVila.com. Snow clearing can be a very strenuous job, even with the help of a snowblower. If you aren t physically able to do it or just don t want to ever again, you should look into the latest in snow melting technology. The simplest way out is the manually applied de-icing solution. Applied before a snowfall, it keeps light snow from accumulating. It can last a week or two, but you have to stay on top of it. Heated driveways, the envy of some neighborhoods, can cost between $10 to $15 a square foot to install. One type is the hydronic system that runs heated water mixed with anti-freeze under the driveway surface and requires a boiler and controls. Proper installation is crucial as a leak can compromise the whole system. The other type is an electric radiant system, which uses low-voltage mats under the driveway surface and can be purchased as smaller roll-out mats for walkways that must be kept clear at all times. Either type of system can be controlled manually, which works if someone is home to turn it on before the snow falls. But because snow is such a good insulator, late starts can keep a system from working at all. Automated controls are more expensive but work best as they turn themselves on when they sense the right moisture and temperature. Heated driveways cost about 25 cents a square foot per month to operate, depending on your climate and electric rate. Find out more at BobVila.com: The ultimate home improvement web site! BobVila.com 2008

Bob joins Jay Seminara of Seminara Construction who is in the process of laying down a new cobblestone apron at the edge of the driveway. The apron serves two purposes: as an aesthetic feature, and also to act as a barrier for the seashells in the rest of the driveway. Before the stones can be put in place, Seminara digs a trench and lays in stone dust. The dust acts as an adhesive, holding the stones in place. Next, Seminara dry-fits the cobblestones, making sure he gets a nice fit. To finish the installation, he taps the stones into place with a 20-pound hammer and fills in the gaps with more stone dust.

Next Bob takes us on a tour of the cottage he wants to remodel.

Bob meets Arquitectonica's Laurinda Spear, an architect who has come up with some eye-catching and very tropical ideas for the project. Due to local zoning laws, the original concept of expanding onto the back deck has changed. Instead, the kitchen will be extended to the side. A banana leaf motif has been chosen and will appear throughout the addition.

Here's another great tip from BobVila.com. Whether you call it a snowblower or a snow thrower, before you shell out for one this winter, make sure you re getting the one you need. If you consistently get more than six inches of snow or your driveway is a long one, you ll need a gasoline-powered snowblower. There are two types: single-stage and two-stage. Two-stage models are the most expensive, from $500 to $2,500. But if you re clearing unpaved areas and heavy snow you ll need them because they have an auger, which collects the snow, and a separate impeller, which throws it. Some models have great features like headlights, one-handed operation and electric, rather than recoil, start mechanisms, so you don t have to yank any cords. Some even have independent-clutch wheels that allow for easy pivoting without going into reverse. These can all come in handy when you ve got a lot of ground to cover. Electric models are less expensive, ranging from $100 to $400. They re lighter and easier to maneuver, and they don t make as much noise or create as much air pollution as gasoline-powered models. If all you ve got is a small, paved driveway and some walkways to clear and they re within a hundred feet of your house, an electric snowblower will serve your needs in snowfalls of up to six inches. It ll also save you gasoline and maintenance hassles without taking up much storage space. Find out more at BobVila.com: The ultimate home improvement web site! BobVila.com 2008

Here s another great tip from BobVila.com. Give your dog a sense of security and boundaries to keep him out of trouble while you re out of the house. A dog is happy when he knows where home base is. A pet crate, a designated corner, a closet with a pet door or even a laundry or mud room with a gate will define his space. A good dog bed is actually not just a luxury. While it keeps your pet off the floor and away from drafts, it also reinforces his place within your house. And it keeps pet hair concentrated; it s easier to throw the bed cover in the washing machine than to constantly clean the couch and the rug. Pet doors are liberating for both dogs and owners, and thru-wall doors are available for homes with glass doors. Some are even keyed to pets collars to keep out unwelcome visitors. If your pet tends to chew indiscriminately, keep extension cords out of reach. Avoid poisonous plants like tulips, azalea, lily, oleander, castor bean, cyclamen and kalanchoe. Keep the kitchen trash in a cabinet with a child lock. And store cleaning products, batteries, fertilizers and medications and any other toxic chemicals in a locked cabinet. Clean up spills right away, especially in the garage or on the driveway. Antifreeze containing ethylene glycol can actually taste sweet to dogs. Ingesting even a little will kill them, so buy the kind with propylene glycol instead. Other highly toxic household products dogs have been known to get into include rat poison, mothballs, fabric softener sheets and, believe it or not pennies. Keep dangers out of reach to keep your best friend safe at home. Find out more at BobVila.com: the ultimate home improvement web site! 2008 BobVila.com

Tim Berky, the general contractor on the Victorian remodel in Rowley, Massachusetts, explains the sequence of exterior demolition and foundation work to Bob. The first task is to contact Dig Safe to get clearance to excavate outside the existing back entrance to the home. Berky cuts into the existing driveway so that they can dig out the foundation and steps without damaging the rest of the driveway. The concrete stairs need to be removed, but it's important to maintain the foundation. Berky first excavates around the base of the stairs and uses a jack hammer to see if the stairs are poured against the foundation or independent of it. The crew discovers they are poured against the brick foundation and brings a large excavator with a pneumatic hammer to break up the stairs and to pull them away from the foundation. Berky will excavate to 48 inches deep to ensure that the new foundation wall is below the frost line.

Bob joins John Druley at another of the Quaker Homes that is nearly completed and ready for landscaping. This home is virtually the same as the first-time homebuyer model that Bob visited under construction. Landscaping will be standard for all of the homes with gardens out front, a picket fence and rose bushes, a clamshell driveway, and cobblestone edging. Initially, the septic systems were problematic for Druley since the burden of eight homes with lawns on the groundwater system and adjacent salt ponds presented concerns for the enviromental review board. According to Title 5, denitrification systems costing about $7,000 apiece would be required for each of the homes. Druley proposed reducing the size of the lawns, using low-nitrate fertilizers, and passing the savings on to the two affordable homes in the development. This further reduced the selling price of the homes from $145,000 to $119,900.

Steve Ivas, an environmental consultant, helped guide the homeowners through the process of securing permits for the house expansion. Neighboring Black Pond Bog is an endangered ecosystem owned by the Nature Conservancy. The boardwalk and paths are maintained by the Massachusetts Audubon Society. The pond was formed about 10,000 years ago by a melting glacier. The bog is lined with a fibrous mass at the bottom, which runs 20 feet deep in some sections. This bog is called a "quaking bog" because the surrounding plants and trees are growing on a sort of "life raft" on top of the water. Across the driveway from the job site is a vest-pocket wetland that is protected by the town. Small wetlands like these are protected because they provide filtering of storm water and a habitat for wildlife. The headwaters for the interconnected wetland system are at the job site and run along the roadway. The wetland is not landscaped and remains in its pristine condition. To protect it, an erosion-control system was put in place using staked hay bales with a silt fence behind them. This makeshift fence protects the wetland from any erosion or runoff from the job site. These small patches of wetland may seem like insignificant unlandscaped areas but they are very important for the town's ecological health.

Bob discusses landscaping and the stone terrace with Ruth Foster, landscape consultant. They stand in the diamond shaped courtyard with a series of diamond shaped planters. The first is filmed with herbs, the second with roses and the third a perennial garden. The fourth and outermost garden is a white garbed with maroon accents to match the trim on the Victorian�s windows. Ruth added sandy loam from a farm, as much of the soil on Martha�s Vineyard is almost a sandy beach type soil. In the herb garden she plants Lavender, Thyme, Basil, Parsley, Chives and Artimesia, which is in all the beds to tie them together. Ruth also selects a Japanese Red Maple and �New Dawn� climbing roses to highlight the garden. Bob then meets up with Fred Portinier, the hardscape consultant. He started with a baseline and worked his way out from the house using bluestone and a base of native island stone dust, gently sloping out to the driveway.