Bob meets with Michael Shiels to discuss the progress on the modular home project�s exterior construction. Bob points out some of the features that give this home its custom built exterior feel, including Cedar clapboard shingles on the lower half and Cedar shake shingles on the upper portion of the exterior walls areas as well as steel roofing. Cedar shakes are applied as a panel to the exterior of the house. Ken Clark from Cedar Valley Shingle is on location to demonstrate the installation of these panels and explain how they are produced at the factory for quick installation at the home site. At the factory, two-foot-by eight-foot plywood sheets are laid out and band saw cut, kiln dried, Western Red Cedar shingles are stapled and glued to the sheet. The band saw cutting process increases the open grain on the wood and allows for a better penetration of stains and sealers to extend the life of the shingle. The plywood backing increases the �dead� air space and increases the insulating value of plain cedar. The corners are made at the factory to conserve time and materials at the job site. The interlocking panels and pre-constructed corners can shave 75 percent off the install time of standard shakes. The shingles are also available pre-finished.

House nine of the Elmwood project. The front porch project continues with new red cedar shingles and a paint job.

Bob tours the Maibec American Classics mill in Quebec, Canada, where the cedar shingles for the center-entry Colonial house were manufactured. Maibec uses Eastern White Cedar from certified, responsibly managed forests for its shingles. The shingles come in three grades. All Maibec shingles are resawn and rebutted using a proprietary process that ensures that the bottom of the shingle is square with the sides without requiring hand shaving on site. This makes the shingles a little more expensive initially but saves time and money on the installation and makes for a cleaner, finished look. Bob is using the Nantucket William E. Poole Series for his Colonial project. These premium grade shingles are actually pre-finished right at the plant.