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Here's another great tip from BobVila.com. While you were having fun in the sun this summer, it was no vacation for your house. Sun, wind and rain can cause as much wear and tear as snow and ice. A fall checklist will tip you off to some problems before they become nasty mid-winter surprises. Check your house from top to bottom. Start by inspecting the roof with binoculars: Are your shingles worn or failing? Check the attic for signs of leaks around the skylights or vents, chimneys, and have your chimney cleaned once a year. Clear out your gutters and check for leaks there, too. Drain your outside hose spigots if you live where pipes can freeze. Switch your screens for storm windows, and seal any drafty windows and doors. The same goes for paint and siding: make sure you caulk or repair those gaps around windows, doors, trim and vents, and replace any siding that is failing. In the basement, check for dampness on the floor and walls, test your sump pump, flush your water heater and check for any signs of leakage. Clean your dryer vent regularly. Make sure that paints or any flammable materials are stored away from heat sources in a closed metal cabinet. And make that appointment to have your heating system serviced yearly. Do the top-to-bottom check this fall, and you ll avoid expensive surprises this winter! Find out more at BobVila.com: The ultimate home improvement web site! BobVila.com 2008

Before starting an exterior paint job, make sure to sand the surface and remove peeling paint. Next wash the surface to remove dirt, power washing if necessary. Patch small cracks and seams with caulk, and check for proper ventilation. Finally, add primer to any bare wood.

For a great finish on your painting projects, start by preparing the surface the right way. First, counter-sink any finish nails. Then fill all holes and imperfections with a fast drying wood fill. Caulk and smooth all cracks and seams. Sand the surface smooth with fine sandpaper, and seal any knots with a clear shellac to prevent resins from bleeding through your finish paint.

Here's another great tip from BobVila.com. Even if you live in a quiet neighborhood, laundry and dishwashers, hair dryers and even showers can make your house a noisy place. If you work at home, you know how important a quiet environment is especially when the kids are enjoying that fabulous new home theater. So, what s the best way to keep sound from going where you don t want it? You can absorb it, block it, break it or isolate it. Absorption dampens sound waves by converting them into weaker energy. Fiberglass batt insulation inside interior partitions actually converts sound to heat. Carpets, upholstered furniture and acoustical ceilings also help with sound absorption in large open areas. Blocking sound requires a barrier with enough mass to stop the air movement caused by airborne sound waves. you can block noise by using acoustical caulk in all gaps, double drywall, concrete walls or even lead sheeting. Breaking the path of the sound means removing the point of contact between the inside and outside so sound doesn t reverberate through the structure. Acoustic wall studs or a layer of foam under flooring allow the inner surface to float and isolate the noise. Even if you re not building a recording studio in your garage, there are lots of reasons to make noise control part of your next remodel. Find out more at BobVila.com: The ultimate home improvement web site! BobVila.com 2008

Bob Vila meets with Jim Costello from Superior Walls of America to discuss the difference between precast panels delivered to the site and a traditional poured concrete foundation. The precast panel is made of an outside shell wall of high strength concrete combined with rebar reinforced concrete pillars. The ten-inch thick pillars give a look similar to a traditional stud wall with Styrofoam insulation. Pressure treated furring strips attached to the pillars make drywall or paneling easy to attach. The panels have an R factor, the measure of a materials resistance to the passage of heat, of 5 (concrete block has an R factor of about 2). Polyurethane caulk with special concrete adhesives is added between each panel to insure a tight seal. The panels are attached to each other and the base with pre-installed saddle bolts. A typical home�s installation takes about five hours and without having to wait for the foundation to set or dry, contractors can begin framing immediately. The walls are guaranteed for 15 years compared to poured concrete walls, which generally have a warranty of one year.

Aaron Renfroe from Great Southern Windows installs the PGT WinGuard windows as Bob looks on. He first applies a thick bead of polyurethane caulk to the flange on the window frame. Bob points out the cast concrete lip on the window buck that will provide a solid surface behind the frame to prevent blow-ins. The caulked edge of the frames lays up against the concrete lip to make a very tight seal. These heavy windows are held in place with long masonry screws, called Tap Cons. Since Hurricane Andrew, stringent codes have required longer screws that are drilled right into the block or concrete.

Bob recaps the work done so far in the nursery project at the home in Melrose, Massachusetts. The house has already been insulated for the tough New England winters and will now be insulated for sound control. Bob talks with Arline Bronzaft, an Environmental Psychologist with a PhD in child development, about the importance of raising a baby in a quiet environment. Bronzaft stresses the importance of a good night's sleep for an infant. With this in mind, Bob reviews a discussion he had with Harry Alter of Owens Corning and the installation of their sound attenuation product, QuietZone. Alter reviews the necessary safety equipment for installing the Owens Corning QuietZone batt insulation and demonstrates how it is installed. Alter shows how to mark outlets and cut the insulation to accomodate them. Alter also shows how the insulation can be split apart to surround existing wiring. Bob talks to Alter about making sure all the stud cavities are filled and to be on the lookout for any gaps or cracks. Alter reviews with Bob the differences between acoustic and thermal insulation. This product is a lighter weight density insulation designed specifically for accoustic insulation. A special caulk is applied in gaps and cracks that cannot be filled by the QuietZone insulation, particularly where the walls meet the floor, ceiling, and door, and around all outlets.