Installing an Impact-Resistant Front Door, Electric Wiring with Metal Studs, Plumbing with Metal Studs and a Concrete Slab

Clip Summary

Bob is back at the Punta Gorda, Florida, storm-ready house for the installation of the hurricane-resistant front door. Jesse Gonzalez from Mercedes Homes joins Bob for the installation of an oversized front door with impact-resistant side lite. Like the windows of the home, the door is installed agains a pre-cast lip so that it can resist blown-in during a storm. The sill and the added concrete lip will also help protect against water infiltration during a storm. The door is unusual in that it swings out, a feature that will help keep it and the house envelope in tact when pressured by high winds. Bob joins electrician Jose Rodriguez as he installs wiring in metal framing at the storm-ready house. Rodriguez uses plastic boxes with plastic flanges to house the wiring. Rodriguez also attaches a protective nail plate over the wiring where it crosses the furring strips. The wires are then tied to the studs and run down to the box where they are connected. Bob recaps the visit to the PGT window factory where the impact-resistant windows for the storm-ready house are made and tested. He reviews the violent impact testing they undergo and how they are laminated with DuPont Buticite in between the layers of glass to prevent a puncture or penetration that could lead to total building failure. The heavy slider panels are installed and adjusted to make a solid, secure, and smooth sliding door set. Bob joins Dan Gerry from Tranquility Plumbing as they punch holes in the metal studs for the CPVC tubing that will carry the hot and cold water through the house. Gerry admits that it is somewhat easier to install plumbing in metal studs, because it's faster to punch out the metal than to drill standard wood framing. Gerry also describes how drains, waste pipes, and flow pipes were set before the slab was poured. The CPVC pipe runs through the punched holes and is fitted with pipe tights to protect the pipe from puncture and eliminate noise from vibrating pipes against metal studs. Bob watches as a sink tie-in is cut, fitted, and installed with adhesive. Bob joins Dan Gerry from Tranquility Plumbing as they punch holes in the metal studs for the CPVC tubing that will carry the hot and cold water through the house. Gerry admits that it is somewhat easier to install plumbing in metal studs, because it's faster to punch out the metal than to drill standard wood framing. Gerry also describes how drains, waste pipes, and flow pipes were set before the slab was poured. The CPVC pipe runs through the punched holes and is fitted with pipe tights to protect the pipe from puncture and eliminate noise from vibrating pipes against metal studs. Bob watches as a sink tie-in is cut, fitted, and installed with adhesive.