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 confers with carpenter Cortney Lofton and cabinetmaker Brian Comeaux on the milling and construction of an interior soffit of the bungalow.

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.

The front of the home is complete and looks like the exterior of any home in the American suburbs. Bob talks with Ray Price, the project manager for St. Petersburg Neighborhood Housing Services and Steve Armstrong, the architect. There were some speical issues in this project due to the four different types of materials used for the building exterior. The challenge was to find a finish that would blend the surfaces and textures together. The garage and foundation use concrete block construction; four ISBU's or converted metal shipping containers make up the four corners of the home; conventional framing connects the ISBU's; and plywood makes up the gable ends. To blend and transition these four types of material, a horizontal band is used as a design element to separate the two types of materials. A water table band was placed near the base of the home to solve the problem of closing the joints. The stucco face of the house is actually a stucco coating that is applied over the 16-gauge sheet metal. It is a smooth finish with a traditional stucco look. The insulation behind the stucco is SuperTherm, an insulating ceramic coating. SuperTherm is an energy-efficient thermal coating with an R-factor of 19 and is similar to the substance used to coat the space shuttle. SuperTherm is becoming more available for commercial and industrial applications. Around the back of the home, much of the original vegetation, including the big oak trees, is still in place. The neighboring lots have been cleared but great pains were taken to preserve old growth. The garage door is accessed by an alley around the back of the home. The neighborhood was originally designed with alleys between the blocks so people could have their trash picked up and deliveries made. The alley system is being cleaned up and brought back. Having a back alley for the garage entrance allows for a front porch on the main street. The roof overhang is made of sheet metal, aluminum fascia, and a soffit which gives it a nice clean look. This overhang is low maintenance and meets hurricane code requirements. Right next door to the home, a second prototype follows roughly the same setup and construction. Using lessons learned from the first home, the detailing around the windows will be refined in the construction of the second home. All the windows are made of impact-resistant glass made by PGT. Although this second house will follow the same wooden roof truss system as in the first house, there are some alterations. Different types of insulated panels are being investigated as a possibility for the roof. These insulated panels are very strong and work well with the tie-down to the ISBU's.

Tim the Tool Man Taylor shows Bob Vila his Home Improvements at his home near Detroit. Including the demo to make room for his mother in law in the soffit. The tongue-in-cheek tour shows off some of the finer points of construction humor.

Need a roof that will last a lifetime? Custom-Bilt Metals' "LastTime" Metal Roofing Systems are most commonly selected for use over solid decks, light structural buildings, residences, and in modified form such as soffit and facades. The features of the CB-150 Titan Standing Seam Panel include stiffening ribs (optional), a panel height of 1.5 inches, and a choice of panel width from 12 inches to 24 inches. All of Custom-Bilt Metals standing seam panels are coated with a new, premium cool coating called ULTRA-COOL. This coating dramatically increases the reflectivity to such a degree that Custom-Bilt's product meets the ENERGY STAR specifications for cool roofs. Watch as the individual roof panels are formed on site, and learn more about the features and installation of the "cool" roofing product.

Bob looks at the exterior design elements on the Punta Gorda house with Jesse Gonzalez of Mercedes Homes. Bob mentions the Tuscan feel evoked by the dormered overhangs with arches and faux columns. Gonzalez shows Bob the support stringers for the soffits that will have a brown finish to match the roof drip edge. They then move to a mirror arch and overhang with bearing posts made with four-by-four lumber. Gonzalez and his crew have pre-formed Styrofoam columns that are made in halves and fitted exactly to the post. The crew fills the inside of the column half with expanding adhesive foam and fits it to the back of the post. They fill the gaps between the post and column with adhesive foam then marry the second half in the same fashion. The two sides are then held together with bungee cords to set for an hour. Styrofoam rings are cut to form decorative bases or capitols for the columns. Two rings are set on the top and bottom with the adhesive foam. The entire column is then sprayed with a textured acrylic that will be painted to match the house. These custom decorative elements only cost about $40 to $50 apiece, but unify the design and provide decorative cladding for the bearing posts. Since they are light and well affixed, these columns are unlikely to break free in high winds but can be damaged by wind-borne debris.

Bob reviews the varous elements of the roof, including the fascia, soffits and sheathing. The shingles are then applied in layers, adhearing to the row beneath. Flashing is also installed and discussed.