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Building a storm-ready house requires an integrated, reinforced structure like this cast-in-place solid-pour concrete envelope going up on a new home in Punta Gorda, Florida. True storm-ready design uses science and technology to create a home that is connected and tied down as a whole to withstand the brunt of brutal hurricanes and tropical storms.
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Season 1 - Storm-Ready Design
Punta Gorda, FL
 Buy Project Video
Teaming up with FLASH, the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes, Bob helps rebuild the home of Teresa Fogoloni and Jim Minardi in hurricane-battered Punta Gorda, Florida so it will really stand up to anything!
The story goes back to 9/11, when flight attendant Teresa found herself in the air above New York in the middle of a national crisis that changed the world. Their reaction was to retire to Florida to “get away from it all”. In a cruel twist of fate, the couple’s 1960’s home, once the model for the Punta Gorda Isles development, was completely demolished after two 2004 hurricanes had their way with most of the state of Florida. To either side of theirs, homes built since Hurricane Andrew were left virtually unscathed, ironic admonitions that the meager building codes observed when so many older Florida homes were built are now a menace to public safety.
Living in a trailer and spending Valentine’s Day watching the remains of their home being razed, Jim and Teresa have decided to make an example of themselves as they rebuild, in hopes that the thousands of other displaced Florida homeowners will find the technology and techniques useful as they rebuild. Bob and FLASH are putting together a plan using a newly updated solid-pour concrete wall system, super-engineered roof truss systems, impact-resistant windows, and integrated connective hardware which, coupled with scientifically researched construction techniques and standards, will produce a true storm-ready house.
At just over 2000 square feet on one story, it won’t be the Taj Mahal, but it’ll be comfortable, energy efficient, and safe, and that’s top priority for Jim and Teresa as they rebuild not just their home, but their lives.
Plenty of technology is available even for those simply repairing the damage after a terrible year and looking to protect themselves if it happens again. As a sidebar to the cast-in-place new construction story, Bob will visit another area neighborhood to help a homeowner repair a more traditional stick-built home. What’s safe to leave? What needs to be replaced? How can connective hardware be retrofitted onto an existing home? What’s the best siding to use? How can I protect my windows? Why is the garage always the first to go? These questions and more will be answered as Bob gets the word out on how to avoid repeat mistakes when the next hurricane hits.
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Dates Aired: September 12-18, 2005 | March 13-19
Bob is in hurricane battered Punta Gorda, Florida, to build a storm-ready home in season 1 of Bob Vila. Bob visits two homes in the same neighborhood, one that was ...
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Dates Aired: September 19-25, 2005 | March 20-26
Bob recaps construction of the stem-wall foundation and integral concrete slab, the vertical steel reinforcing, steel mesh, window bucks, headers, and spacers put in place for the cast-in-place concrete walls. ...
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Dates Aired: September 26-October 2, 2005 | March 27-April 2
This episode of Bob Vila will focus on roofs, how they are built and tied down to keep structures safe. Leslie Chapman-Henderson from FLASH, the Federal Alliance for Safe Housing, ...
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Dates Aired: October 3-9, 2005 | April 3-9
Bob visits PGT Industries to see impact-resistant windows being tested and assembled. Code Compliance Officer Dave Olmstead explains how windows break during a storm, allowing high-force winds to enter the ...
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Dates Aired: October 10-16, 2005 | April 10-16
Bob is back at the storm-ready house in Punta Gorda, Florida, where the interior work on the electrical system, plumbing, and walls is underway. The outswinging, oversized front door completes ...
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Dates Aired: October 17-23, 2005 | April 17-23
Jesse Gonzalez from Mercedes Homes shows Bob how faux columns wrap supporting pillars to give this Florida home a Mediterranean flair. The Styrofoam pillar halves come hollowed to fit the ...
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Dates Aired: October 24-30, 2005 | April 24-30
Bob joins Tim McLaughlin from Color Wheel Paints and Coatings as the crew applies the Flex Lox Masonry Coating System to the exterior of the house. Flex Lox protects masonry ...
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Dates Aired: October 31-November 6, 2005 | May 1-7
Bob reviews storm-ready features and visits with the homeowners and Tom Moorad of Moorad Painting as he applies a proprietary concrete staining product that will complement the Porcelanosa metallic-look tiles ...
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Dates Aired: November 7-13, 2005 | May 8-14
Bob’s in Punta Gorda for kitchen finishes to this storm-ready home. Jack Ballantine from Ambassador Kitchens joins him for the installation of the Cardell maple builder-line cabinets with solid wood ...
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Dates Aired: November 14-20, 2005 | May 15-21
Bob is on the newly poured pool deck as Don Humphrey and his crew apply the Texture-Krete finish to the top edge and traffic area of the pool. The concrete ...
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Dates Aired: November 21-27, 2005 | May 22-28
Bob is in Punta Gorda to learn about sustainable landscaping from Angela Polo of the Florida Yards and Neighborhoods Program. Polo is joined by Brian Kendzior who explains the overall ...
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Dates Aired: November 28-December 4, 2005 | May 29-June 4
Starting with the code-compliant pool cage, Bob watches the crew construct an aluminum frame built from blueprints and attach it to permanent structural roof gutters on the house and structural ...
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Dates Aired: December 5-11, 2005 | June 5-11
Brazilian Walnut or Ipe hardwood flooring is installed over a concrete slab as Jesse Bartusek explains how the concrete is tested for moisture content, sealed, and troweled with polyurethane adhesive. ...
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Dates Aired: December 12-18, 2005 | June 12-18
The Punta Gorda house is complete with a sustainable, low-maintenance yard designated as a Florida Yard by the Florida Yards and Neighborhoods program. Bob thanks Leslie Chapman-Henderson from FLASH as ...
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