From: BobVila on Sun, May 02 2010 2:34 AM

Bob Vila meets with Bob Berle at Elm Court in the Berkshire Hills. Berle?s great-great grandparents, Vanderbilt-Sloanes, had the home built in 1886. It expanded through several additions to become the largest shingle-style home in the United States. The original architects, Peabody and Stearns, ...

From: BobVila on Sun, May 02 2010 2:32 AM

Bob joins Tom Strangfeld of Weston Nurseries and landscape architect Kristian Fenderson to walk the property and discuss the planting selected for the Medford home. They begin at the rock garden situated on a 2-foot grade transition from the street and the driveway. The plant material chosen for ...

From: BobVila on Sat, Apr 03 2010 4:50 AM

Here’s another great tip from BobVila.com. As green building hits the mainstream, you ll continue to hear many new terms. One of them is LEED certification. L-E-E-D, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a set of green building techniques and standards that make it easier for stat...

From: BobVila on Mon, Mar 29 2010 11:45 PM

Don Humphrey is spraying a cement and polymer mix from Innovative Concrete Technology called Texture-Krete 2000 onto the pool edge and deck in Punta Gorda, Florida. He moves in a circular motion to splat the cement mix onto the deck. As the gloss begins to leave the spots, a crewmember follows b...

From: BobVila on Fri, Feb 26 2010 5:54 PM

Homeowner and contractor Nick Beasley walks Bob through the progress to date in the master and kids bath, including leveling the floors, building partition walls, and installing cementitious board for the wall and floor tiles. Beasley explains how they discovered inadequate framing for the windo...

From: BobVila on Fri, Feb 26 2010 5:09 PM

Internet Home Alliance’s Tim Woods takes a close look at how a Hughes Network Systems' DIRECWAY satellite brings both high-speed Internet access and DirecTV service to a home with a structured wiring network from Home Director.

From: BobVila on Fri, Feb 26 2010 5:08 PM

The new Amarr Classica 3000 garage doors have been installed. These new steel doors are stamped with three panels and look like wooden carriage-house doors.

From: BobVila on Fri, Feb 26 2010 5:07 PM

Here’s another great tip from BobVila.com. Tis the season for snowblowing, and the Farmer s Almanac says we re in for a lot of the white stuff this year. It s no joke that hundreds of emergency room visits each winter are caused by unsafe snowblowing practices, so before you fire yours up, remem...

From: BobVila on Fri, Feb 26 2010 5:07 PM

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. Ch...

From: BobVila on Fri, Feb 26 2010 5:07 PM

Here’s another great tip from BobVila.com. If your home doesn t have the style you wish it had, adding crown molding can help. It can mask any imperfections between the wall and ceiling and add formality, polish and a sense of history, literally crowning the room. Installing crown molding can be...

From: BobVila on Fri, Feb 26 2010 5:07 PM

Here’s another great tip from BobVila.com. Homeowner s insurance is probably the single most important tool you have for protecting your biggest investment and your family s security, but it isn t a buy-it-and-forget-it deal. Besides just keeping your premiums current, you should review your pol...

From: BobVila on Fri, Feb 26 2010 5:07 PM

Here’s another great tip from BobVila.com. By now, most homeowners know that you need to get quotes from several contractors before deciding which one to hire for your job. But how do you know who you can trust? While the numbers are useful, the way contractors bid for your job can actually help...

From: BobVila on Fri, Feb 26 2010 5:07 PM

Here’s another great tip from BobVila.com. Microwave ovens are one of those household technologies most of us use a lot but don t really understand: Is nuked food good for you and is exposure to microwaves bad for you? While they are a form of electromagnetic radiation, microwaves are only sligh...

From: BobVila on Fri, Feb 26 2010 5:07 PM

Here’s another great tip from BobVila.com. Did you know that you could save 20 percent on your water bill just by replacing your toilet? Most conventional toilets use 3 1/2 gallons or more of water. And the U.S. flushes nearly 5 billion gallons of this precious resource every day. But this is the...

From: BobVila on Fri, Feb 26 2010 5:07 PM

Here’s another great tip from BobVila.com. We all know that life would be very different without that wonder of modern science: the toilet. But when it acts up, we also know life can get pretty complicated in a hurry. Don t wait until you have a houseful of guests to get prepared. Homeowners sho...

From: BobVila on Fri, Feb 26 2010 5:07 PM

Here’s another great tip from BobVila.com. While it s easy to feel helpless against global warming, there are actually 8 simple things you can do at home to be part of the solution. Energy-saving fluorescent lighting has come a long way. There s a fluorescent bulb to fit almost any fixture insid...

From: BobVila on Fri, Feb 26 2010 5:07 PM

Here’s another great tip from BobVila.com. Even if you re diligent about cleaning year-round, when winter s over there s always another reason to roll up your sleeves. But you can make spring cleaning less of an onerous chore if you use the right tools. Here are some suggestions. Get a year s wo...

From: BobVila on Fri, Feb 26 2010 5:07 PM

Here’s another great tip from BobVila.com. Our lives are increasingly busier these days, and it s hard to find spare time. Unless you have a home project that you d get a lot of enjoyment out of doing, it s worth considering calling on a professional for some of the routine tasks, like houseclea...

From: BobVila on Fri, Feb 26 2010 5:07 PM

Here’s another great tip from BobVila.com. Don t let a drain clog slow you down; it s usually an easy fix. A partial clog can be cleared by cleaning out the drainpipe. Older plumbing can be damaged by using harsh drain chemicals, so opt for a naturally biodegrading drain cleaner or use this home...

From: BobVila on Fri, Feb 26 2010 5:07 PM

Here’s another great tip from BobVila.com. As green building hits the mainstream, you ll continue to hear many new terms. One of them is LEED certification. L-E-E-D, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a set of green building techniques and standards that make it easier for stat...