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Greenhouse > Episode 1: House Tour and Demolition

Plans for the Greenhouse

Project: Greenhouse, Episode 1, Part 2

Bob begins the state-of-the-art greenhouse project by visiting Boston's most famous solarium, that of the quirky and romantic Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Back at the project site, Bob meets the homeowner, tours the existing house, and discusses plans for the addition with the architect. Contractor Bob Ryley begins demolition.

Part 1: Tour of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Part 2: Plans for the Greenhouse: Bob, the architect, and the homeowner discuss plans for the new greenhouse. The exact position of the greenhouse in relation to the existing house is chosen so as to maximize the amount of southern light the space receives in the colder months.
Part 3: Demolition of the Front Porch

Bob Vila heads to Cape Cod in the dead of winter to watch over the construction of a custom, high-tech greenhouse. The design and construction of a new addition to the front of an existing house afforded the creation of this conservatory and of a new front entry pavilion that features a mahogany pergola supported by limestone columns.

Also from Greenhouse

Episode 2 - Pouring the Footings
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Description:
Bob surveys the newly excavated foundation layout and sees the concrete poured along a special conveyor belt to make the footings. Bob then travels to New York City to experience a large-scale, world-class greenhouse, the Brooklyn Botanical Garden.
Episode 3 - Attaching Steel Uprights
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Description:
The custom-made steel uprights that will support the weight of the greenhouse arrive, and, soon after, they are attached to the foundation. Rigid insulation is also added to retain heat, even in the dead of winter. Bob takes a walk down Boston's Commonwealth Avenue for a look at two upscale solariums from the last century-- one at Burrage House, the other at Webster House.
Episode 4 - Building Masonry Walls
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Description:
Masonry walls are built onto the foundation for the greenhouse, and work begins on the specially designed Parallam rafters that will support the glass roof and walls. Traveling to Indiana University, Bob takes a tour of the institution's educational greenhouses: the older Jordan Hall and the computer-controlled Hilltop Gardens.
Episode 5 - Heating and Ventilating System
Episode 6 - Installing Windows and Glass Walls
Episode 7 - Adding Stucco and Laying a Stone Floor
Episode 8 - Greenhouse Tour

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