Home Again with Bob Vila - Season 9
1 - Accessible Home: Housing Project Introduced
Air Date: September 7, 1998
In a neighborhood outside of Boston, work begins on an affordable housing unit for a person with disabilities. Included: soil decontamination and foundation excavation.
2 - Accessible Home: Framing and Shingling
Air Date: September 14, 1998
Asphalt shingles and flashing are added to the roof, and walls are prepped with special blocking for mounting safety handrails. Also: tips on paneling and working with a culturally diverse crew.
3 - Accessible Home: Installing Siding
Air Date: September 21, 1998
A special weather- and fire-resistant siding is installed. Also: finishing the basement work and running electrical wiring.
4 - Accessible Home: Insulation and Door Installation
Air Date: September 28, 1998
Insulation work is begun and trenches are dug for the new water service. Also: Boston Mayor Thomas Menino stops by to help install the front door.
5 - Accessible Home: Designing for the Disabled
Air Date: September 28, 1998
Bob Vila talks with experts to understand the difference between adaptability and accessibility when designing homes for disabled people.
6 - Accessible Home: Building the Railing System
Air Date: October 12, 1998
The railing system is built and integrated with the front porch columns. Also: a tour of Boston's Roxbury community, making a comeback from urban blight.
7 - Accessible Home: Building the Railing System Stairs
Air Date: October 19, 1998
Landscaping begins, the modular stair system is anchored, and the front porch ramp is built.
8 - Accessible Home: Installing a Tankless Water Heater
Air Date: October 26, 1998
Recessed lighting and a cost-effective tankless water heater are installed. Also: a tour of a lighting manufacturing plant.
9 - Accessible Home: Shower Stall and Drywall
Air Date: November 2, 1998
Drywall goes up and plumbing begins on a shower stall designed for wheelchair users. Included: a field trip to learn about new trends in community living.
10 - Accessible Home: Accessible Fixtures and Elevator
Air Date: November 9, 1998
The elevator is put in, and bathroom fixtures are installed along with hardware specially designed for people with disabilities.
11 - Accessible Home: Energy Efficiency Discussion
Air Date: November 16, 1998
The energy-efficient boiler is installed, and Bob Vila heads to Germany for a tour of the plant where the boiler was made.
12 - Accessible Home: Lockset Installation
Air Date: November 23, 1998
A specially designed lock set is installed, along with an energy-efficient, side-by-side washer-dryer.
13 - Accessible Home: Accessible Unit Tour
Air Date: November 30, 1998
Bob Vila tours the completed unit, paying special attention to the wheelchair-accessible kitchen with energy-efficient appliances.
14 - Loft Conversion: Loft Conversion Initial Tour
Air Date: December 7, 1998
Conversion of an old fur storage building into a residential loft begins in Boston's Leather District. Included: a walking tour of other well-preserved antique commercial buildings in the neighborhood.
15 - Loft Conversion: Plumbing, Heating and the 'Big Dig'
Air Date: December 14, 1998
Installation of plumbing and heating begins. Included: a look at the progress of Boston's famous highway project, the 'Big Dig'.
16 - Loft Conversion: Plastering the Loft
Air Date: December 21, 1998
Plastering is begun on the project, while Bob Vila takes a trip to Cambridge to meet a landscape architect who converted an industrial building into a spacious home and office.
17 - Loft Conversion: Elevating the Kitchen and Bedroom
Air Date: December 28, 1998
A platform is built to raise the kitchen and bedroom above floor level. Included: a visit to a nearby finished loft.
18 - Loft Conversion: Paint and Plate Glass Windows
Air Date: January 4, 1999
The entryway and foyer are painted, and the plate glass windows are replaced throughout. Work on the bathroom begins with shower tile installation and lavatory plumbing.
19 - Loft Conversion: Framing a Wall With Built-in Cabinets
Air Date: January 11, 1999
Bob Vila addresses the challenge of framing and plastering a 48-foot wall with an almost imperceptible curve. Plus, built-in cabinets are constructed.
20 - Loft Conversion: Installing Plumbing Fixtures
Air Date: January 18, 1999
The bathroom progresses with the installation of an electrically powered full-body shower tower, a dual-speed pressurized toilet, and a glass lavatory.
21 - Loft Conversion: Installing Stainless Steel Countertops
Air Date: January 25, 1999
Installation of the restaurant-style kitchen is begun, and Bob Vila tours the fabrication shop where the steel materials being used were custom-made.
22 - Loft Conversion: Drywall and Plastering Tips
Air Date: February 1, 1999
Bob Vila offers tips on installing precision drywall and plastering in tricky places. Plus, a bookshelf nook is built and stainless steel appliances are installed.
23 - Loft Conversion: Installing Track Lighting
Air Date: February 8, 1999
Finishes are installed in the bathroom and elsewhere in the loft, track lighting is put in. Included: a tour of Lightolier's Tech Center to learn about the power of light to change the mood of a space.
24 - Loft Conversion: Building a Closet System
Air Date: February 15, 1999
Architect Greg Rochlin is on-site to oversee the fabrication of the hallway closet system-- a multicolored design pieced together in Formica laminate. Lighting designer Markus Earley returns with some snazzy fixtures and controls, and the stackable Maytag washer/dryer unit is installed in the closet.
25 - Loft Conversion: Kitchen Work and Shutters
Air Date: February 22, 1999
Work on the restaurant-style kitchen continues, as the wire shelving system is built and the stainless steel range hood is installed.
26 - Loft Conversion: Loft Conversion Final Tour
Air Date: March 1, 1999
A tour of the completed conversion project begins with the building's restored facade and ends with the sixth-floor residential loft.