Bob looks at storm-ready features on the Punta Gorda house, starting with the front door that is outswinging with a stop to prevent blow-in. He also points out the impact-resistant glass that is being used throughout the house. Leslie Chapman-Henderson talks with Bob about soffit details that are being incorporated in the storm-ready house. The problem with poor soffits is that during a storm wind-driven rain and wind force their way up under the roof, into the attic where wind force attacks the structure and rain soaks the insulation and walls. In humid climates wet insulation and wallboard begin to grow mold within hours. Closing the soffit to penetration is not currently a code requirement but is critical to smart building in storm zones. Joe Breese from Alcoa shows Bob the vinyl soffit that is being used in the Punta Gorda house. The locking panel system means that wind will force the panels to grip tighter to one another rather than pull apart. The panels are connected to a j-channel that is attached to the wall. They are installed with 5/8-inch stub nails spaced every 16 inches. The soffit panels are cut to fit and stapled in place. There are no ventilation grilles evident on these vinyl panels. All air moves through the grooves in the panels to ventilate the roof and attic space. Still, these panels have about 80 percent more ventilation capacity than standard vinyl soffit panels.

Bob talks with Leslie Chapman-Henderson from FLASH about the storm-resistant features of the Punta Gorda house. The home is built of SWS — Solid Wall Systems — cast-in-place concrete walls that keep the home protected from impact and water penetration. It also has impact-resistant windows and patio doors to prevent penetration from flying debris, and an outswinging front door to resist blow-in. The home has a raised foundation and stem-wall construction to fight damage from storm surge. The roof goes beyond code with straps and clips that are embedded in the concrete structure during the pour to keep the roof tied down, extra thick 5/8-inch plywood sheathing rather than OSB, an extra moisture barrier, barrel tiles that are screwed into the substrate rather than mortered, and soffits that are reinforced and covered with a grill that resists wind penetration but allows heat from the roof to escape. Although code does not require storm-resistant soffits, Chapman-Henderson expects that to change after all of the soffit failures and water damage from Hurricane Charley. The garage door on this home is impact and wind-resistant with reinforced construction and heavy-duty tracks to prevent twisting, blow-in, and ultimate house failure during a high-wind event.

Bob, Ryley, carpenter Danny Ruffini, and copper work specialist Fred Mitchell install custom fabricated copper-lined wood gutters on Bob's home. Bob reviews the special cuts used to optimized the gluing surface. Ryley discusses the soffits and the copper that will line the gutters.

Bob opens the segment with a look at the Certainteed Landmark shingles selected for this project. Fabricated with a dragon's tooth angle, the Landmark shingles give the impression of a handsplit shake roof. Next Bob flashes back to the construction of the roof. Starting with the raising of the laminated veneer lumber (LVL) ridge beam onto the gable ends, Bob walks the viewer through the various steps in the process - laying out 20 foot 2 by 10s for the rafters, marking a ridge cut at the top of each rafter and a crow's foot at the bottom, positioning and securing the rafters to both sides of the ridge starting at the center, applying the CDX plywood sheathing followed by an ice and water barrier as underlayment for the first course of shingles, nailing on the aluminum drip edge, and finally laying out and applying the first course of shingles. Once the first course is finished, felt paper is stapled to the rest of the sheathing as underlayment. After the roofers have finished shingling all the way to the top, they add ridge vents and soffit vents to prevent moisture from building up under the shingles.

…to hold 300 pounds! So decorate the walls of your new living space and hang your favorite family pictures, art, and lighting fixtures. We wanted to make sure that our finished basements were able to fit in with the style of the rest of your home, so…

Here's another great tip from BobVila.com. We all know that switching to fluorescent lighting saves energy and money. But if it s such a good deal, why aren t we all doing it?

Installing a new ceiling light fixture can greatly improve a room's aesthetics and illumination. Step 1: Turn off power to the circuit. Go to the circuit breaker and locate the circuit supplying power to the ceiling fixture. Turn off that circuit. Turn off the circuit breaker.

As Driscoll Electric prepared to install the track lighting in the loft, Bob toured the Lightolier Tech Center in Fall River, MA with lighting designer, Markus Early. Lightolier, the inventor of track lighting, has designed a facility to showcase the qualities, functions, and applications of light.

Lamp or bulb power is measured in watts. One thousand watts equals one kilowatt. A kilowatt-hour is equal to 1000 watts used for 1 hour. Bulbs operate within a set range of watts. The maximum wattage defines the bulb: 40, 60, 75 or 100 watt for typical incandescents.