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Bob installs cultured marble panels in a bathroom with Jack Miklaus. Jack demonstrates fabrication and installation techniques.

Here s another great tip from BobVila.com. Drywall has been the wall finishing material of choice for most of a century because it s so easy to install and finish. Another of its virtues is that when it s damaged, it s easy to repair. For scratches or small dents, a quick swipe of joint compound with a 3- or 4-inch putty knife and a bit of sanding before priming and painting will do fine. For small holes up to 3 inches, self-adhesive plastic mesh tape and then a coat or two of patching compound will work. For medium-sized holes between 4 and 6 inches, try a drywall bandage. Check to make sure there s no electrical wiring in the area first, then use a keyhole saw to cut the hole into a neat square or rectangle. Transfer that shape onto a piece of new drywall, add 2-inch margins and cut out the larger patch piece. Trim off the back and gypsum in the 2-inch margin but leave the face paper uncut. Spread patching compound around the outside edges of the hole and press the bandage into it, feathering the edges. Let it dry. Then sand and re-coat with compound. Finally, sand again, prime and paint. For really big holes, you can use the tie and twist bracing method. Cut a piece of drywall or a length of 2x4 a few inches larger than the hole. Drill two small holes in the center and loop a 2-foot string through it like a button. Tie the ends around the middle of a stick. Apply adhesive to the back edges of the hole inside the wall. Adhere the patch piece and twist the stick from your side of the wall until it holds tight. Then, fill the remaining space with drywall patch pieces and mesh tape. Finish with compound as usual, cutting the string and pulling it out just before it dries. For super-large holes bigger than a foot wide, cut the drywall back to the two nearest studs and expose them halfway. Cut a new panel of drywall to fit and attach it as you normally would with drywall screws, joint compound and tape. Find out more at BobVila.com: the ultimate home improvement web site! 2008 BobVila.com

The front room of the Manhattan Brownstone is getting its finishing touches as prefabricated oversize cove molding is installed at the ceiling. This molding is made of plaster and fiberglass strands to make it sturdy but light. The windows are then finished with a casing the depth of the masonry wall. Once it is nailed in place, the Victorian profile molding can be installed around the window and up to the cove molding at the ceiling. These high-profile moldings can now be made of one piece of wood, but the Victorians would have layered different profiles, one on top of the other, to achieve the same look. The molding is set with panel adhesive then nailed in place. This traditional window casing design features a header and casing running down to a plinth or decorative block at the base.

Bob meets lead carpenter Connor McKenna from Thorough Construction, who is working with the original floor joists in preparation for the hardwood floors. Bob remarks again on the hig-quality craftmanship of the original builders, but notes that the floor joists have been chopped up and hacked through for wiring, plumbing, or gas jobs over the years. McKenna explains that sistering the joists, or applying additional lumber to strengthen the existing timbers, will create a sturdy base and allow them to recreate a level floor. A laser level is used to project a level line throughout the apartment that will be followed for leveling all the new floors. McKenna applies panel adhesive to the tops of the new, sistered joists before laying four-by-eight sheets of Georgia-Pacific Plytanium Sturdifloor on top. This is a tongue-and-groove subfloor that is strong enough to serve as the only layer under hardwood flooring. Once affixed and locked in place, the Plytanium is nailed to the joists with traditional deck screws, never drywall screws, to create a stronger, better, quieter installation for the hardwood floors that will follow.

Bob discusses the wall layout with carpenter Bob Ryley and confers with Bryan Readling from A.P.A., The Engineered Wood Association, on the use of laminated veneer lumber on the house in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina.

Bob visits the Willamette I-joist Mill in Woodburn, Oregon to watch the process of manufacturing these engineered joists. Bob then returns to the Habitat for Humanity house in Yonkers, New York where the crew assembles the second floor walls with SIPS.

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.