One of the key aspects of refinishing a basement is making sure it's dry and warm. Bob talks with Larry Janesky of Basement Systems about the steps taken to keep the Melrose basement dry. An interlocking plastic underlayment works as a subfloor for the basement floor. It's very important not to have organic material on the floor as it will be susceptible to mold from water vapor. Before the underlayment was put in place however, a perimeter drain was dug into the basement floor. The perimeter drain sends the water to a sump pump system. The system installed is called a Triple Safe System as it has three pumps inside; an AC pump, an AC backup, and a DC battery backup pump. Using this system, the basement should stay flood-proof. There is some standing water where the sump pump is being installed but this should not be a problem since the system has an air-tight lid on it so water cannot evaporate back into the home. A charger box for the sump pump alerts the homeowner when the pump is running on battery backup. Ice guard fittings have been placed over the pipes that carry the water to the exterior of the home so that water will drain even when water in the pipes is frozen. In an older home like this one, the foundation may be a little weaker and more porous than homes built today. To prevent rain water from seeping in through the foundation, a vapor barrier was installed. A product called Clean Space was also installed over the walls to direct water buildup from condensed water vapor into the perimeter drain. A flood ring was installed around the water heater, which will drain water into the perimeter drain. Dehumidifiers in basements should be basement rated. Normal dehumidifiers are designed to take water out of warmer air and might not be adequate for dehumidifying basements. A SaniDry Basement Air System was installed in the basement of the Melrose home. It can process 100 pints per day and has air filtration built into it. The system is Energy Star rated and will perform well in basement environments.

Bob meets with Beth Judge of Clemson University to review hazard-resistant building techniques at a demonstration house used to teach builders and architects in Charleston, South Carolina.

Here s another great tip from BobVila.com. It s certainly not new on the scene, but in this age of tightly built homes, mold is the new public enemy #1 for homeowners. And here s the big news: Bleach won t get rid of it! Molds have evolved over billions of years to thrive anywhere there s water and food. They spread through microscopic airborne spores that are present in the air we breathe. Surprisingly, there s really no such thing as a mold-free environment. All mold spores need to take root are constant moisture and organic material to feed on. Your mold problem could begin with something as small as a leak in your bathroom tile, creating the ideal conditions on the wood framing and paper-faced drywall of your bathroom wall. It s estimated that 40 percent of American homes have a mold problem. We know mold can follow a flood, but it can also happen when interior air is over-humidified or there s not enough ventilation. It can happen behind vinyl wallpaper or any other vapor barrier. And it can happen when a roof leaks or because of a leaky toilet or appliance. While our grandmothers would have washed moldy areas with bleach, we now know that some mold species have evolved to resist bleach on porous surfaces. While it will remove staining temporarily, the mold s roots, or mycilla, remain embedded in anything organic and regrow in as little as 24 hours. Flood victims who have relied on bleach report that in as little as three days their mold problem comes back with a vengeance. Mold remediation has become big business. Faced with tens of thousands of dollars worth of work with toxic chemicals, which may or may not be more harmful than the mold itself, some homeowners have had no choice but to tear down and rebuild or move. It s important to catch mold problems early. If you suspect mold, check the EPA s web site for instructions on removing it. Removing the affected material altogether is usually safest. But if it s an area larger than 10 square feet or there are very young or older folks living in your house, don t try to do it yourself. Find out more at BobVila.com: the ultimate home improvement web site! 2008 BobVila.com

Bob visits a job site where a deck is being added onto a house. Due to flood plain regulations, the deck cannot be attached to the house, it has to be free floating. Bob joins Al and Steve that are installing post brackets into the concrete with stub cut nails. Next come the short posts. They are using joist hangers on the rim or outer joist to speed up installation time. Then the pressure-treated floor joists are installed, making sure the crown or sag of the board is up. Next comes a tongue-and-groove floor material made out of Southern yellow pine.

Bob reviews the work done on the existing plumbing once all the waterproofing and flood-prevention measures are put in place in the basement. Al Leone of Leone Plumbing Corp. first cut the pipes into sections for easy removal. The cast iron pipe was cut and removed using a special pipe cutter. Bob explains that Leone is a union contractor who decided to go into business for himself. His helper, Matthew Orlando, is going through the apprentice training program through the Plumber and Gas Fitters Local Union Number 12 in Boston. The chapter spends $4,500 a year to put each apprentice through a thorough five-year training program where they spend two nights per week learning about everything from bathrooms to hospital gas work. Leone demonstrates some of the specialized work he does to install the pipe, including using oakum, a joint runner, and poured hot lead to form a joint seal. Leone then shows how some of the other seals are put in place in the pipe.

The new family room is all done and furnished and looks terrrific. Bob talks with Sarah Monzon, the homeowner who also acted as the general contractor on the project, about the remodeling work done on the room. The room was a "cave" according to Monzon before the project was started. A pitted soapstone sink was previously used as a laundry and had become an eyesore. The room was also cluttered with accumulated junk. Because of the shortage of space in the house, the family decided to finish the basement to add to the living space of the home. Monzon acted as the general contractor for the project because there wasn't money budgeted for the expense, which was not necessarily an experience she would choose to repeat. The local inspectional services department provided a large amount of information for the novice general contractor. It is imperative before homeowners do any work on their home that they obtain the necessary permits and find out what is safe and what is not. If homeowners do work on their homes without a permit and anything goes wrong, insurance will not cover the damage. Before any work was done on the house, the basement floors were concrete and heating ducts crisscrossed the ceiling. There was flooding damage in the basement during the past fall which needed to be corrected and prevented in the future. Basement Systems was called in to install a perimeter drain and drainage system. A lot of existing plumbing was then moved from the ceiling to make more headspace and a new HVAC system was installed to move the heating ducts. The new central air system complete with an air filter made the house much more livable. In one of the smaller spaces in the basement, a new bathroom was installed with the help of technology from Saniflo. Owens Corning Basement Finishing Systems was then called in to install new finished walls. Many of the mechanical devices in the basement are now hidden behind the walls but are still accessible as the walls can be easily removed. A new entertainment center was then installed in the finished basement featuring a S1 Digital Media Center. The media center allows the homeowner to browse digital pictures taken using the family's digital camera or to set the image as wallpaper for the screen. Television shows can be watched or recorded using a schedule guide. The media center also can store home videos, movies, and music. New reclining chairs from Bell'O were put in the entertainment room. When laying protection from flood damage in a basement, it is important to elevate wood from the concrete floor. Instead of using a plywood underlayment, a plastic tile system was used which interlocks and can be screwed down onto the concrete. Plastic webbing underneath the tiles diverts any water which may come up through the concrete or spill in the basement to the perimeter drain. Slide-Lok cabinets were put in the basement to increase storage space. The Slide-Lok wall system was put in place to hang tools in the workspace. The husband of the family is a musician and uses much of the storage space to hold his instruments. Because the room can double as rehearsal space, two and a half inches of fiberglass are in the walls to reduce sound transmission to the outside. The basement has a small office space for the husband as well. Accents throughout the space correlate with other things in the room. The lampshades on the desk have a design which relates to the flooring product. The floor does not have a wall-to-wall carpet although it looks as if it does. The floor is from Binvetec and features tiles of carpet which stick to the floor. The product has interlocking patterns which can easily be layed down. Bean bags from Sumo were put in the room for lounging in and the kids love to play on them. A stairwell fishtank from AquaVista is only four inches deep.

Bob talks with homeowner Sarah Monzon about some of the improvements that have been made to the property. Monzon points out the retaining wall they put in the backyard. The retaining wall has changed the area from a bramble-filled slope to a backyard where the children can play. Plants were put in that will give the backyard some more privacy when fully grown. Monzon explains that the children, ages four and five, have done some damage to the lawn so they are looking for solutions. The backyard does not have a fence, which Bob points out as a concern with a busy street and young children. Monzon reviews some problems with the exterior of the home which include mildew buildup and damage from squirrels and birds' nests. Monzon tells Bob about flood damage they experienced in the basement, something they would like to address and prevent in the future.

In this episode, Bob goes on a neighborhood tour of Naples, Florida. We see the highlife both by car and by boat as Bob selects a "cracker" cottage to remodel.

Todd Davison from FEMA is with Bob to talk about Hurricane Ivan and the power of storm surge. Ivan, unlike Hurricane Charley, had a very wide path and was slow moving. As a result, the storm surge was tremendous and the damage widespread. In the Florida Panhandle, 15, 000 homes were destroyed and another 25, 000 were uninhabitable. Storm surge built with this hurricane because of its slow, forward-moving track that pushed Gulf water ahead of it. This surge lifted bridges off their supports and homes off their foundations. Davison points out that there are building guidelines to prevent such damage. FEMA is actively involved in promoting guidelines for how to rebuild to fend off future damage. Protecting against storm surge is a huge focus for building practices because it forces water under slabs and presents a vertical risk of uplift to the home. Model codes now require that new homes be raised above the projected flood height. The Punta Gorda storm-ready house is nine and one-half feet above the water, a move that will save the homeowners more than half of the non-code premium for flood insurance. For homes built before the code, they are grandfathered and eligible for insurance but at a much higher rate.

John Picard, an environmental specialist, explains some of the features that make the Malibu house more environmentally friendly. Oriented strand board (OSB) used for structural wall sheathing is made from fast-growing aspen trees that reach harvest in only 12 years. The board is held together with resorcinol glue. Steel studs were used to give extra depth to some walls. Cold-rolled steel has a high-recycled content and can be recycled it self. Pre-punched holes allow wiring and plumbing to be installed quickly and easily. The extra wall thickness allows the walls to be super insulated. Nature Guard cellulose insulation, made from recycled newspapers, was used throughout the project. Material specialist Don Williams explains the advantages of Fiberbond wall board, which is used in place of drywall. Fiberbond is made from recycled newspaper. It's fire resistant, moisture resistant and provides good sound deadening. The joints don't need tape, just a special joint compound. Note, FiberBond was made by Louisiana-Pacific. That division has since been purchased by US Gypsum and the product's name has been changed to FiberRock.