Bob is in Mashpee, Massachusetts, where the affordable housing project is well underway with five of the eleven homes currently under construction. Bob talks with developer and general contractor Joe Valle about the pace of the project and the four homes that will be designated as affordable by housing agency guidelines. Valle introduces Bob to Zella Elizenberry of the Mashpee Affordable Housing Committee, Jamie Regan the chair of the Mashpee Zoning Board of Appeals, and Eric Smith, the Mashpee Assistant Town Planner. Together they explain the process that led to the approval and construction of Mashpee's first ever 40B affordable housing project. Regan explains that just 10 years ago zoning would have permitted the construction of four homes on this parcel of land, but today it is zoned for only two. While the board sees the need for affordable housing, they wanted to be sure there would be moderately priced housing, too. Elizenberry explains the original intent of the law, which was to prevent "snob zoning" or exclusion of lower-priced, affordable homes in wealthier communities. In exchange for the zoning relief, developers are required to provide 25 percent affordable housing in a development governed by Act 40B. Smith adds that the key areas where zoning relief was extended to the project are in reduced lot size and reduced frontage for the homes. They all agree that this development must speak well for Mashpee and its commitment to quality affordable housing. By law and by intent, the affordably priced homes must be identical to the market-priced homes in the same development, in terms of materials, workmanship, and design. Bob notes that the development is built on a cul-de-sac, which is perfect for young families.

Bob meets with Joe Valle, the developer and general contractor for the River Hill development in Mashpee, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod. Although Mashpee has zoning laws that restrict housing development to minimum two-acre lots, Valle found that this land could not be adequately broken up into two two-acre parcels. So, he applied for zoning relief through Massachusetts' Act 40B and was able to use the 4.5-acre parcel to build 11 homes, four of which are affordable. Valle shows Bob the plan for the new neighborhood, indicating where the affordable homes will be located. He also shows him the available house-plan options. Homebuyers may choose from a Colonial, a Cape, or a ranch model. All homes will be of the same size and specifications, ranging from 1,320 square feet to 1,600 square feet. They will be finished with wood siding, either cedar shingle or clapboard. Valle explains that 40B affordable houses may not differ in size, appearance, or materials from their market-priced neighbors. Valle is also limited, by law, to a 20 precent profit on the development. This will come mostly from the market-priced homes that should sell for around $345,000. He does remark that challenges, like the increase in building supply prices, may limit his profit even further. Still, Valle is excited to use the law as a tool to build beautiful, affordable housing for families who want to live and work in the community.

Bob visits with John Druley of Quaker Homes in Falmouth, Massachusetts. Druley is developing a parcel of land in Falmouth that will have eight homes, two of them affordable for families earing a modest income. Bob and Druley discuss the reality of housing in Falmouth, where one-acre building lots are required for new housing. A lot, Druley explains, will sell for around $300,000 with no construction. For this development, Druley has invoked Massachusetts' Act 40B to gain relief from zoning restrictions such as the one-acre minimum lot size. In return, Druley must make 20 percent of the homes available as affordable homes, for those earning up to 80 percent of the area's median income. The lots are 10,000 sqaure feet with a 40-foot setback from the road, 10-foot sidelines, and a 45 to 50-foot backyard. The homes are 1,800-square-foot Capes with attached garages, clad in white cedar shingles, with skylights, architectural-style roof shingles, and no-maintenance, energy-efficient vinyl windows. Druley explains that the affordable and market-priced homes must be indistinguisable in design, materials, and layout. The state assigns a 40B auditor to monitor the project and assure that no corners are cut on the affordable homes, and that the developer earns no more than 20 percent profit from the development. Druley explains that the market-priced homes in the neighborhood will sell for between $375,000 and $400,000, which will help offset the $119,900 selling price for the affordable homes.

Developer Joe Valle explains Massachusetts' Act 40B to Bob. This statute allows a developer to make full use of the land, without the constraints of stringent town zoning laws, in exchange for the creation of quality affordable homes. This four-acre parcel would typically have two homes, but Act 40B has allowed for the development of 11 homes, four of which are affordable in price. They will sell for half the price of the market homes in the neighborhood. The remaining homes will be sold at market price, but by law all of the houses must be of the same quality, size, workmanship, and layout.

Bob talks with Pat Fiero of the Housing Assistance Corporation about the difficulty in finding land and developing affordable housing on Cape Cod. Fiero tells the story of Dennis, Masssachusetts, where a forward-thinking zoning bylaw allows development of undersized lots if used for affordable housing. The reality is that neighbors have banded together to block such projects, so they do not come to pass. Known as the NIMBY (not in my backyard) response, such thinking prevents people who work in these communities from being able to live in them. It also keeps many who have grown up in these towns from being able to raise their families there.

Bob is in St. Petersburg, Florida, to tour a finished affordable home after completing projects in other parts of the country. The St. Petersburg container-built homes are part of a pilot project involving the use of idle steel shipping containers converted for use as housing units. The goal of the program is to create structurally sound homes that can withstand hurricane conditions. St. Petersburg contains an amazing variety of home styles that developed as people settled from all over the country during the early 20th century. The streets are lined with modest to medium-sized bungalows, Mediterranean-style homes, prarie-style cottages, two-story Dutch Colonials, and some Federal revivals to go with the true Florida bungalows. Along North Shore Park and Coffee Pot Bayou there are grander versions of the same styles. Most of these developments were built out during the 50s and 60s and the character of the housing has been well preserved. Bartlett Park, just south of downtown, was built as a working class retirement neighborhood in the 1920s. It has had a period of decline and problems with crime and poverty until a few years ago when the city and St. Petersburg Neighborhood Housing Services took action. With the Home Depot Foundation and the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes, the houses were adopted as pilot homes to see if it is feasible to use this technology to build affordable and storm-ready housing. Bartlett Park was once a depressed neighborhood, but is now experiencing a dramatic revival. Affordable housing and support for first-time home buyers is creating the "pride of place" needed to keep a neighborhood healthy and sustainable. This house was trucked onto the site in four sections, or "intermodal steel building units." These ISBU's are modified to meet the needs of the plan. The ISBU's were craned onto the foundation and welded to steel plates installed in the concrete. The conventional truss roof system was bolted to the containers. Each truss is attached with special hardware to resist hurricane-force uplift. The space between the ISBU's has been filled in with conventional construction. Steel sheathing was put in place, windows were cut, and the edges of the steel were ground down. The exterior walls were primed before stucco with a super-insulating coating called SuperTherm. SuperTherm prevents the walls from conducting heat, keeping the building comfortable and energy-efficient. On the last visit here, Bob talked with the architect for the project to get a feel for the space.

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.

Bob and developer John Druley walk through a home under construction by Qualker Homes in Falmouth, Massachusetts. This standard design is used for both the market-priced and affordable homes. The overall dimensions of the house are 26 feet by 36 feet. A center-door entry leads to 13-by-18-foot living room on one side and a 16-by-13-foot master bedroom on the other. The back of the house has a 13-by-18-foot kitchen with a back door and a window onto the backyard, a half-bath and laundry, and an entry to the master bedroom with full bath, tub-shower combination, double-bowl sink, and linen closet. The upstairs has two bedrooms with operable skylights and a full bath. This three-bedroom, two-and-one-half bath Cape will be lotteried as an affordable home to eligible families who make between $29,000 and $65,000 per year, and who qualify for a traditional mortgage. The home is stick-built with traditional 2X4 framing, oriented strand board (OSB) exterior sheathing, low-e glass, tilt-in vinyl windows, and gas heat. Bob and Druley point out that an affordable home must be affordable to operate and heat as well as being affordable to purchase.

Because this is an affordable house, most of the items in the kitchen were builder-supplied. The kitchen features oak cabinets and laminated countertops. With affordable homes, it's important to acquire appliances in the most efficient way. Big builders can buy everything wholesale but smaller builders often have to depend on the local mom-and-pop suppliers. BrandSource has an online network of 2,500 dealers who are locally owned but buy in bulk so the savings are passed on to the consumer. The main door of the refrigerator is at eye level and the freezer is a pull-out drawer down below. There are two separate compartments in the freezer so items do not get buried at the bottom. A dishwasher from Fisher-Paykel features two drawer modules instead of one so smaller loads can be run more regularly. The dishwasher is Energy Star rated and is extremely efficient. An electric range from GE completes the package.

Bob Vila recaps the construction done so far of a storm resistant home in St Petersburg, Florida, where abandoned shipping containers have been converted to modules for affordable housing. Bob stresses the importance of building storm ready homes in Florida, where hurricanes are an annual problem. Bob recounts how America has become a nation that imports more goods than it exports, leading to an oversupply of abandoned shipping containers. Technology has been used to convert these steel boxes into modules for building homes. Bob recounts how Bartlett Park in St Petersburg is undergoing a revitalization, leading to a need for affordable housing for first-time homebuyers. This project demonstrates how shipping containers can be converted for building affordable, storm-ready homes. This house uses four steel sections, called Intermodal Steel Building Units (ISBU's), that were trucked to the site. The units were specially modified at Tampa Armature Works, lowered into place, and welded onto plates installed in the concrete foundation. The conventional truss roof system was bolted to the containers. The roof is secured with special hardware recommended by FLASH (Federal Alliance for Safe Homes) to resist hurricane-force uplift.