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.

… Chadsworth's 800.COLUMNS plain Octagonal Roman Doric columns, with attic base, separate the entrance hall from the living room in this cottage-style home. Part of the new PolyStone Premier Custom Collection, these columns add ‘weight’ without…

This radiant American Cherry flooring matches perfectly the leather furniture in this living room. Bellawood offers over 120 wood flooring varieties, including different wood species, grades, widths, cuts, and thicknesses…

…engineered stair system from Port City Staircase in the Lifespan House. Port City designs…
…Controlled (CNC) routers enables Port City Staircase to design and construct staircases of…
…priced right off the blueprints but every staircase is actually field measured to ensure…

…off-site with engineered wood I-joists from Willamette Industries providing…
…flexibility. Moreover, these I-joists are resource friendly utilizing 50% less wood fiber than traditional lumber joists. The flooring system, called…

An elaborate staircase is under construction in the kitchen. Applying a centuries old furniture making technique, the…
…underneath the treads and behind the risers to fill the flaired openings creating an incredibly tight staircase.

…looking to have multiple levels in a smaller space: a "monk" staircase. The steps alternate from left to right to allow the stairs…
…in a loft-style home for young urban hipsters. The monk staircase in this photo is found in a dome-style home in Ann Arbor…