Two-Family Greystone

Chicago, IL

Bob buys a two-family greystone and its run-down coach house in a neighborhood in transition, Chicago's Wicker Park. He gets advice on wise improvement strategies for that market from the general contractor and the architect. With their input Bob decides to include a finished basement in the project. The project takes us through a low-budget renovation of the two apartments. Along the way we visit Macmillan-Bloedel, manufacturer of the engineered wood parallam beams used to shore up the house, the Pella window factory, the Congoleum factory, and a Georgia-Pacific facility that manufactures drywall. Bob explores an extraordinary architectural salvage warehouse and finds a perfect period iron fence. The project concludes with a decorator's tour showcasing the eye-catching results that can be achieved on a shoestring with creativity and a savvy sense of style.

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	Plans Discussed and Demolition Begins (HA0115) Dates Aired: December 10-16, 1990 Bob discusses plans with local architect Bill Bauhs, and takes a tour of downtown Chicago's striking modern buildings with architectural historian Susan Benjamin. Back at our house, we meet our ... View show summary
	Engineered Beams and Plumbing (HA0116) Dates Aired: December 17-23, 1990 Bob and Ron discuss the removal and shoring up of bearing walls, to be replaced by special engineered beams. We visit David Parker at Macmillan-Bloedel's Parallam Plant in Vancouver, British ... View show summary
	Parallam and Iron Beam (HA0117) Dates Aired: December 24-30, 1990 The crew installs a Parallam beam in the living room and iron beams in the back masonry wall. Ron Gan and Bill Bauhs talk budget and convince Bob to renovate ... View show summary
	Basement Excavation Begins (HA0118) Dates Aired: December 31-January 6, 1991 Scott Smith's excavation crew digs out the basement to make room for a cement slab. Bob discusses heating systems for the rental units with installer Kirk Rustman, and Ron Gan ... View show summary
	Electrical Work Begins (HA0119) Dates Aired: January 7-13, 1991 The concrete basement floor is poured, leveled, and screeded; our contractor Ron repairs a broken window pane the old-fashioned way, and Bob discusses the electrical layout for the first floor ... View show summary
	Plumbing Continues (HA0120) Dates Aired: January 14-20, 1991 Bob goes downtown to the Merchandise Mart to see a selection of bathroom fixtures at K & B Galleries with Susan Kaiser, back at our greystone, plumber Dan Macias replaces ... View show summary
	Plaster and Drywall Work (HA0121) Dates Aired: January 21-27, 1991 Bob takes a tour of the Georgia-Pacific drywall plant in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania, with Monty Palmowski. Back in Chicago, we take a look at some plaster patching and drywall details ... View show summary
	Budgeting and Tiling (HA0122) Dates Aired: January 28-February 2, 1991 Bob discusses the budget and progress to date with contractor Ron Gan and realtor Catherine Caravette. Then, he compares kitchen appliances with Bruce Wolfson at the Merchandise Mart's Irv Wolfson ... View show summary
	Lighting and Flooring (HA0123) Dates Aired: February 3-9, 1991 Our contractor Ron Gan builds an inexpensive do-it-yourself lighting fixture in the bathroom; we see the new circle head window finished in the basement. Tom Forest repairs a hump in ... View show summary
	Landscaping Begins (HA0124) Dates Aired: February 10-16, 1991 Bob goes to Chicago's South Side to tour the Salvage One architectural warehouse with Anne Steinweddel. He finds an authentic iron fence for our front yard; gardener John Rasthenis landscapes ... View show summary
	Flooring and Stairs (HA0125) Dates Aired: February 17-23, 1991 Bob tours Congoleum's plant in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania with Jim Kogut; back in our kitchen, installer Ed Janecek shows us how to add a creative touch to a vinyl floor ... View show summary
	House Tour (HA0126) Dates Aired: February 24-March 2, 1991 Bob tours the finished exterior with contractor Ron Gan, then goes inside to see Christine Smyth's spectacular decorating job. Ron installs folding closet doors; Bob, Ron, and realtor Catherine Caravette ... View show summary