Bob Vila takes an early interior tour of the modular home. Bob is in a 15-foot-wide-by-48-foot long section. The flooring and walls are almost complete and much of the molding and cabinetry is laid out and ready to be installed. Bob points out an archway between the kitchen and breakfast nook�one of the pleasant design surprises that can be added to a custom modular home. The floors are Bellawood�s Northern Red Oak with a gunstock finish. The darker finish gives a more sophisticated and formal look to the room. The hardwood floors are installed in the modular home just as they wood be in a site built home. Mike Snyder from Mike�s Flooring, a flooring sub contractor in the Simplex plant, points out the quality of the Bellawood noting it has very few flaws and a durable finish. The flooring is left incomplete where two pieces of the modular home are to be attached. On site, quick work will be made of the few details left when the large modular sections are joined.

For proper installation, wood flooring should be allowed to acclimate to its surrounding environment before it is installed. Too much or two little moisture in the flooring can cause it to bow, buckle, split, or crack after it is installed. In the dining room, Brickman shows Bob two ways to measure the moisture content of wood. The first is a traditional moisture meter that is stuck into the floor. The second is the FloorWatch system, which can be monitored remotely. The FloorWatch system monitors moisture levels, temperature, and relative humidity. It can be accessed over the phone or via a Web site. Before putting the floor down, Brickman applies a vapor barrier that is similar to an ice shield used in roofing. A different floor fastening system is being used in this room; rather than the nailing technique used elsewhere in the house, Brickman uses screws and wood plugs.

Now that the WarmZone radiant-floor heat has been installed, it's time to put the finish flooring on. The homeowners selected a Bellawood white oak, tongue-and-groove floor with an oxidized finish for a 50-year guarantee. Since the flooring will be nailed over the hyrdronic heat tubing, it is critical to avoid puncturing the tubes. General contractor Tim Berky is installing the flooring perpendicular to the tubing, which allows him to see the Pex at all times and avoid nailing into it. Berky shows Bob how he began the installation with the second course cut to receive the supply and return pipes and sited half way over the first loop, which initially runs parallel to the wall and is hidden from view. By starting his courses this way, he can set the power-assist nailer to drive the two-inch galvanized staples at an angle just above the tongue without fear of puncturing the tubing. While Berky shoots the staples, Bob points out how the entire floor and substrate is effectively a green application since it is all wood, which is a renewable resource. The advantage, he says, is that trees are planted every time the resource is used, resulting in increased planting and forest protection. The wood floor will cover the entire space, even under the cabinetry and appliances, to create an even floor and provide full finish flooring should the homeowners wish to remodel in the future.