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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.

Guardian Industries' Performance Plus II Low-E can save significant energy dollars when incorporated into a window such as the Philips Marquee 9000. This high performance low-E coating is designed to keep heat where you want it, so warm rooms stay warm in the winter, and cool rooms stay cool as the summer sun is reflected away from conditioned interior spaces. Homes with high performance low-E glass use less heat in the winter and less air conditioning in the summer, resulting in significant consumer energy savings.

Bob visits with Mark Lundquist of Burnham Hydronics to check out the boiler for the hot-water heating system being installed in the Mashpee, Massachusetts, affordable homes. This Burnham Spirit model is a medium efficiency, easy-to-maintain, sealed-combustion unit. Since it is sealed combustion, it pulls the air it needs directly from the outdoors and vents to the exterior without the use of a chimney or flue. This enables a homeowner to close off the space surrounding the boiler without worrying about available combustion air for the furnace. This model uses standard parts, so any repairs will be fast and easy. The boiler is made of cast iron and has a 25 to 40 year life expectancy. It operates at 84 percent efficiency, so the homeowner will use energy dollars wisely. Charlie Delvecchio of Cape Plumbing breaks out the cost of the boiler to about $1,500 and the baseboard tubing for another $6,000, for a total cost of $7,500 for installation of the home heating system. The domestic hot-water tank is linked to the heating system as hot water from the boiler passes through a coil in the insulated hot-water tank, warming the household water through energy exchange. If the water is maintained at the proper temperature just from this passive exchange, the boiler will never be called upon to heat water for faucets and showers.

Bob again meets up with insulation contractor Joe Sheridan in the main house where the Cocoon insulation in being blown into the original plaster walls. To accomplish this, Joe's crew has drilled holes every 16 inches so that they are into every stud cavity. They drill one high and one low to acheive the proper density. First they apply it to the bottom and fill till it's solid in there - about 30 seconds on a bottom cavity. The installer can tell when it's filled from the pressure of the hose. The product will start backing into the hose. With experience you can hear it. Thge goal is to create maximum density in the cavities - leaving no air pockets. When the insulation process is complete a plasterer will have to come in and patch each hole individually.

Bob visits the historic neighborhoods and parks of St. Petersburg, Florida, starting with Roser Park, known as "the neighborhood a cookie built" because its founder, Charlie Roser, had sold his company Fig Newton to the National Biscuit Company before developing Roser Park in the early teens. In the 1920s Roser Park was considered one of the most attractive residential developments in all of Florida. Many of the historic buildings are still standing and brick walkwaysbuilt of Augusta block line Booker creek. The Old Southeast development was built a little later and boasts Lansing Park on Tampa Bay. This is a purely residential park designed for fishing and recreation, but sitting only a few miles from the high-rises of downtown St Petersburg where Bob points out the Salvador Dali museum, big businesses, colorful restaurants, an open-air post office designed by Edward Tomlinson, St Peters Episcopal church, and The Coliseum. Old Northeast neighborhood encompasses Crescent Lake Park and boasts an eclectic mix of historic building styles from around the country, including bungalows, Colonials, Federal Revivals, Mediterranean villas, Florida crackers, and Prairie-style homes. The North Shore features parks with public access to the water and high property values. To the north of St.Petersburg lies Snell Isle, developed by C. Perry Snell with the intention of producing a truly upscale residential area. It features statues imported from Europe and beautiful large homes.

Bob talks with Brian Heinz of Pella windows about the large, custom double-hung windows that are being installed in the Manhattan Brownstone. In keeping with the original 1890s-style window, they have selected a one-over-one double-hung window. This window is almost as large as can be ordered to allow the maximum of natural light and air into the apartment. These Pella historic replacement windows blend old-world style with energy-efficient low-emissivity technology. Low-e glass keeps heat in during the cold months and locks heat out during the warm months. The all-wood window frames are clad in aluminum on the exterior to keep them maintenance free. The interior features a historically correct ogee profile around the entire sash and a thicker bottom rail as was the style at the end of the nineteenth century. David Kneeshaw of Keywood Installers joins Bob for the installation of the windows. He shows how the masonry opening is framed in plywood that is glued to the original brick then screwed into place. Two-by-six members are then affixed to the plywood to build the frame out to the proper dimensions. Finally, aluminum receptors are cut to length and ripped before being glued and screwed into place as receptors for the new window. The caulking makes for a secure installation that fights off water penetration. These custom windows cost approximately $1,000 apiece and feature the new Vivid View high-tech screens from Pella.