Bob Vila TV Shows >
Modular Mountain Retreat > Episode 12: Sound Insulation and Restored Rooms at Elm Court

Installing a Sound-Attenuating Coffered Wood Ceiling

Project: Modular Mountain Retreat, Episode 12, Part 1

Bob catches up on the work in progress at Elm Court. Joe Adams and Ralph McGrath from Owens-Corning are working in a media room installing a QuietZone Acoustyle coffered ceiling. This grid ceiling system is ideal for a media room, since it will greatly reduce noise from audio and visual systems.

Downstairs, Bob joins Sonya and Bob Berle in the grand parlor, one of the most ornate rooms in the house. The tour continues into the adjacent dining room.

Next, Vila and the Berles finish the tour in the kitchen area, where the couple used some stock and some reproduction material to create an authentic butler's kitchen.

Part 1: Installing a Sound-Attenuating Coffered Wood Ceiling: Bob meets with Joe Adams and Ralph McGrath in the media room of the Elm Court. Adams and McGrath are installing a sound-attenuating grid-ceiling system from Owens-Corning.

A standard T-bar steel framing system used commonly in drop ceilings is being used here as the substructure for the engineered panels. The panels anchor to the grid with carbonized steel expansion clips. The solid and perforated wood panels allow the sound to be absorbed through the ceiling and into the black acoustic board that's adhered to the ceiling.

QuietZone systems control sound waves in four ways: they absorb, block, break, and isolate. By managing the energy of the sound wave, Owens-Corning redefines ambient noise. The panels can be ordered in natural materials like Walnut or other fine woods.
Part 2: Elm Court's Grand Parlor
Part 3: Elm Court's Dining Room
Part 4: The Kitchen and Butler's Pantry at Elm Court

Beautifully sited on wooded acreage with breathtaking views of some of the most beautiful countryside in New England, this Arts and Crafts style bungalow certainly doesn't look factory-built. You'd never know it was a modular home unless Bob took you to the Pennsylvania factory where it was built, almost from start to finish.

The house goes down the assembly line from framing, through wiring and plumbing, all the way to the installation of flooring and priming for paint.

The house is trucked to its pre-fabricated foundations on the lot, and start all the finishing touches that will prove that a modular house doesn't have to be a cookie-cutter affair.

Also from Modular Mountain Retreat

Episode 1 - Modular Home Construction and Site Preparation
- Read More
- Read Less
Description:
Bob and his crew travel to western Massachusetts to feature the construction and on-site assembly of a modular home in the Berkshires Hills. Simplex Industries is building the home in Scranton, PA. Bob visits the Simplex factory to witness the the prefab process. Pat Fricchione, Jr., owner of Simplex, tells Bob the history of the company, remarking on how the image of modular construction has changed over the years. While touring the building site, Bob gives an overview of the rustic Berkshires area before joining general contractor Michael Shiels to discuss the foundation prep work that is underway.
Episode 2 - Modular Construction Details and Foundation Work
- Read More
- Read Less
Description:
The crew from Superior Walls is preparing for the pre-cast foundation walls, which will provide the base for the modular home. To learn about the manufacturing process for the pre-cast panels, Bob travels back to the Simplex plant in Scranton PA, where he sees how each module is framed and prepped for delivery. Back in the Berkshires, once the panels have been lowered into place by crane, Mel Zimmerman from Superior Walls explains the foundation assembly process.
Episode 3 - Modular Construction, Wiring, and Drywall
- Read More
- Read Less
Description:
All of the work in progress is going on indoors, safe from the elements that can slow traditional home construction. The work underway includes roof assembly, subfloor installation, wall framing, and drywall application for the house's main living areas. Tasks that are also ongoing include spackling and sanding, installing insulation, applying wall and roof sheathing, plus house wrapping and interior trim work. Leviton structured wire boxes, which will form the backbone of the home's voice and data system, are also being installed, while, at the Simplex stair shop, the staircase for the project houses is being carefully assembled.
Episode 4 - Interior and Exterior Finishes on a Modular Home
Episode 5 - Assembling a Modular Home
Episode 6 - Shake Roof and Stone Façade for Modular Home
Episode 7 - Panelized Cedar Shingles, a Metal Roof, and The Mount
Episode 8 - Direct Vent Heat and Composite Deck Materials
Episode 9 - Energy Efficient Heat, Column Deck Supports, and The Mount
Episode 10 - Berkshires Architecture, Shakespeare & Co., and Structured Wiring
Episode 11 - Introducing Elm Court
Episode 13 - Elm Court Decor and Ongoing Restoration

12 Inventive Uses for Old Dishes	Create Your Own Furniture: 90 Clever Ideas	48 Ways to Make Your Entry More Inviting	Bring the Outdoors In: 10 Fresh New Ideas
15 Design Inspirations for Small Space Living	12 Architectural Masterworks of 2012	A Second Life for Wine Bottle Corks	15 Easy Things to Make with Extra Wood