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This 1921 home was not designed for basement living, but a moisture-proofing system, finishes, and new windows make it perfect for a growing family.
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Season 2 - Basement Finishing and Family Space
Melrose, MA
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In Bob’s third project, a young family with an old house looks at how to repurpose their wet basement to create family and recreational space for their active, growing kids. First they enlist Basement Systems to create a dry environment within the basement, complete with protected walls and floors, drainage, pumps, and perimeter drainage for the home. Next a full frame-to-finish basement finishing system from Owens Corning is installed. The homeowners take advantage of the sloping grade by replacing old double-hung windows with impact-resistant and energy-efficient models that let daylight into the space without using curtains for insulation or compromising security. Innovative plumbing solutions help the family add a small bathroom with a mascerating toilet and pump and a small laundry room to the layout. Ventilation, plumbing, security systems, and storage are all explored in these episodes. Ultimately, hip furniture, carpeting, and smart storage solutions make this space ideal for the growing family.
The new door to the basement leads to a refurbished yard that is low-maintenance and practical. Synthetic grass replaces a hard-to-grow patch of green in the back. New fieldstone pavers are put in place. Granite steps are recaptured from an abandoned building for use in front of the home. A new fence brings privacy and innovative storage, potting, and utility sheds. The old windows on the façade are replaced with low-maintenance, high-efficiency windows and the drafty window openings are insulated and refaced with western red cedar trim. Once complete, this family has plenty of room to grow and thrive without worries of having to move to find the space they need.
Bob Vila Projects
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Dates Aired: November 6-November 12, 2006 | May 7-May 13, 2007
Bob opens project three of season two in Melrose, Massachusetts, where a family with two young sons needs extra room and looks to repurpose their damp basement for expanded living ...
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Dates Aired: November 13-November 19, 2006 | May 14-May 20, 2007
In Melrose, basement waterproofing continues with exterior water diverters to take surface water away from the home and interior perimeter drainage to take water from wall barriers through an enclosed ...
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Dates Aired: November 20-November 26, 2006 | May 21-May 27, 2007
Bob is in Melrose where John Ambrosino of Total Temperature Control installs the new heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. Because of clearance issues, the unit is installed horizontally ...
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Dates Aired: November 27-December 3, 2006 | May 28-June 3, 2007
The Melrose, Massachusetts, basement remodel enters the finishing phase now that the mechanicals, plumbing, drainage, and moisture-proofing upgrades have been completed. Sheet-metal tracks are screwed into the concrete floor and ...
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Dates Aired: December 4-December 10, 2006 | June 4-June 10, 2007
Back in Melrose, Massachusetts, Bob reviews the exterior work on the 1921 Dutch gambrel. The home’s trim, built-out bays, and columns all need replacing. The crew starts by making ...
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Dates Aired: December 11-December 17, 2006 | June 11-June 17, 2007
Bob is in Melrose, Massachusetts, where salvaged granite is cut, pieced, and set in trenches to create a granite curb that runs along the sidewalk. The old concrete walkway and ...
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Dates Aired: December 18-December 24, 2006 | June 18-June 24, 2007
Back in Melrose, Massachusetts, Bob is outside for the installation of a white cedar fence that is racked to accommodate the sloping lot. The posts are sunk 36 inches into ...
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Dates Aired: December 25-December 31, 2006 | June 25-July 1, 2007
Bob is back in the nearly completed basement family room in Melrose, Massachusetts. The new space has progressed from a dingy, damp lower level to a finished family room. He ...
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Dates Aired: January 1-January 7, 2007 | July 2-July 8, 2007
Bob is in Melrose, where seamless aluminum gutters are extruded and installed to pitch the water toward the front of the house and away through storm drains. A Norway spruce ...
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Dates Aired: January 8-January 14, 2007 | July 9-July 15, 2007
Exterior repairs, painting, and new stucco are underway in Melrose, where Bob looks at the various surfaces that need paint and repairs on this 1921 home. The stucco walls are ...
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Dates Aired: January 15-January 21, 2007 | July 16-July 22, 2007
Bob is in Melrose to review progress, much of which includes creating a dry and moisture-proof basement. He reviews measures taken to develop perimeter drainage, isolate exterior walls to drain ...
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Dates Aired: January 22-January 28, 2007 | July 23-July 29, 2007
Bob is in Melrose, where landscape lighting is installed in the front and back yards using 12/2 wire in a continuous lead from the last light fixture all the way ...
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