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00:00Today on This Old House.
00:02Installing window trim can be tedious,
00:03but I have a way that's going to save us a lot of time.
00:06Then I'll show you how to lay out the electrical for a new kitchen,
00:09whether you're doing a renovation or a new build.
00:12And by removing just one plant,
00:16we've transformed the front yard.
00:26That's it.
00:48Hey there, welcome back to This Old House.
00:51I'm Kevin O'Connor and I am currently en route to our project,
00:55which is in suburban Needham, Massachusetts.
00:58We are working for a family of five.
01:02They are expanding and renovating their turn-of-the-century home.
01:07And first on their list is to open up the first floor.
01:12They want to connect an expanded kitchen to a brand-new family room.
01:16And that was made possible thanks to a one-ton beam
01:20that was craned into place, hoisted up, and then bolted right where it needs to go.
01:25Now the last time we were here, we had all of the rough framing inside complete.
01:30The duck work was going in and new windows were starting to be installed.
01:35And today, well, all of the trades are here, including our crew.
01:39Jen Nwada is going to be working on a landscape plan.
01:42Heath is going to be putting in the rough electric.
01:45And, of course, Charlie is here too.
01:47He's going to be trimming out those new windows.
01:49But before he does that, he's actually got a pit stop that he has to make,
01:54which I'll let him explain.
01:57Installing window trim on an entire house can be time-consuming.
02:00I found us a shortcut that will save us time on this job site.
02:04I'm headed to Springfield, Massachusetts to a factory that is a one-stop shop.
02:09All the trim is manufactured on site.
02:13Doug Bell, an architectural millwork expert, will show me around.
02:19Hey, Doug.
02:20Welcome, Charlie.
02:23So this is where it all happens?
02:24This is where it all happens.
02:26Did you make all of these parts?
02:27We do.
02:28We basically are able to turn plastic into all of these architectural elements.
02:33Well, that's pretty impressive.
02:35So this is our material here, though.
02:36This is a rice hull composite consisting of more than 50% rice hulls and PVC.
02:42Yeah.
02:42Well, I toured the factory.
02:43Very impressive how it's made.
02:45But now I want to see how you guys put it together.
02:47All right.
02:48Let's show you what we can do with it.
02:49All right.
02:52So this is the heart of our company right here, our CNC router.
02:55Pretty much everything that we do here gets cut on this machine.
02:58Right there is the sheet of rice hull composite we're going to be using for your window surrounds.
03:03The router bit that's in there is designed specifically for composites.
03:06So I think we're ready to go.
03:07All right.
03:08Let's see it happen.
03:10All right.
03:10So I see he just puts it in place.
03:12Now he's turning on the vacuum.
03:13And that actually just draws the negative air down to hold the sheet in place, correct?
03:18Yep.
03:18That sheet will not move.
03:20And here it goes.
03:21So it's going over to pick up the proper tool.
03:23Wow.
03:24So you had sent me the quote that you had from your windows.
03:27On that quote, it lists the unit size of every window.
03:30Right.
03:30I start out by taking all of that information.
03:32I draw it, then turns my drawing into the G code that's required to run this machine.
03:38So I don't see any dust.
03:40Well, we trap all this dust in the dust collector and we save it all.
03:43The manufacturer will send a truck to us and we load it all up and they take it back and
03:48are able to reuse it into the new material.
03:50Wow.
03:51So that's a high percentage of being recycled.
03:53It is.
03:54It's probably very close to 90% or more.
03:56That's impressive.
03:58All right.
03:58Let's take a look at the finished products.
04:00So it's done.
04:02What's done is we've cut these boards out.
04:04So now every part and these are casing legs and heads are cut to the exact size that are required.
04:09As straight as an arrow.
04:11Yep.
04:11Well, we're going to take them to the next step in the process of making them window surrounds.
04:15So now we have all the parts sorted and we're going to come over to the table saw and cut
04:21the bevel on the bottom of the legs.
04:26And here we are cutting the kerf required for the bulb seal.
04:30It's a silicone bulb seal that basically installs into this kerf just like that.
04:34So just a pressure fit.
04:35Yep.
04:35And then this runs along the inside of the window frame and compresses up against the outside of the window
04:40to create a nice tight fit.
04:41So all four sides including our seal will have it also.
04:44That is correct.
04:45Yep.
04:46Great.
04:46So here is an example of a finished folded seal.
04:50All right.
04:51And you can tell it's folded because it's going to have face grain on two adjacent faces and you can
04:56see on the end that it's got a miter.
04:57And there's the miter right there and it's just an ever so small thin skin left.
05:02And that looks like one solid piece.
05:03Exactly.
05:04This is what it looks like when it comes out of the molder.
05:06Okay.
05:07This goes in as a square board.
05:08It's got profile knives on both edges.
05:11So you have to heat this up though to bend it, correct?
05:13So we have a heat tape underneath this piece of aluminum.
05:17It will heat that edge and then we'll be able to fold it and glue it together.
05:23That's all set.
05:23Boom.
05:24Parks it over here.
05:26Well that was quick.
05:28So how long does this have to sit?
05:29Only about a minute.
05:31So it's ready?
05:32Yeah.
05:32Okay.
05:33Take it out.
05:40There you go.
05:41That is nice.
05:43All right.
05:43So the next step is installing the nailing fin.
05:45So we've cut a spline in the back side of the casing and then this is going to be installed
05:49right inside that spline.
05:53And ultimately that's how you're going to attach your window surrounds.
05:55That's a perfect fit.
05:56So these are the sides and the top.
05:58Correct.
05:59And the bottom all the way around.
06:01This is where we assemble them.
06:03All right.
06:03So I see he glued them.
06:04Yep.
06:05Put the two ends together.
06:06Yep.
06:06That's basically a temporary clamp to hold it together while he's installing the pocket screws.
06:15Now it's time to install the sill.
06:17So same process.
06:18Put a little glue on the bottom.
06:19Yep.
06:26So what's next?
06:27Next we apply the back band.
06:28All right.
06:31We will install these with a little bit of glue and stainless steel pin nails.
06:40Good.
06:43Okay.
06:45Now we're going to do some quick sanding before we bring it into the booth to spray it.
06:49And you're matching our actual window color.
06:52Correct.
06:52We took the paint chip that you brought us and we had it matched.
06:57All right.
06:57So here we are.
06:58We have five completed already for you.
07:00All right.
07:01So two coats of paint.
07:02Two coats of paint.
07:02Nailing flange on.
07:03Correct.
07:04Bulb seals installed.
07:05Well, this looks great.
07:06You have saved me a ton of time and I can't thank you enough.
07:10You are very welcome.
07:18So.
07:36This massive overgrown rhododendron takes up a lot of realization.
07:40It's a real estate in the front of the house.
07:42So the homeowners decided to remove it and make room for new plantings.
07:47Keep going.
07:48Okay.
07:49That's good.
07:50Luckily, the backyard needs additional screening.
07:52So today, Charlie and I are going to transplant it to its new home.
07:56Nice scoop.
08:06You got it.
08:07I'm watching you.
08:08Yep.
08:11Just keep on going.
08:13What do you got for a measurement, Jen?
08:15I got six.
08:16So how old do you think this is?
08:18I think it's about 75.
08:19Could be 100 years old.
08:21So we get it up and in.
08:42So all of the work on the exterior house is really coming along great.
08:46We've got our house wrap on for air movement and less moisture so it doesn't get into the cavity of
08:51the house.
08:52And we have these nailer strips right here.
08:55This lattice work to basically create a space behind our trim work right here.
09:00So air can travel up into this cavity.
09:02And if any condensation should form or moisture should develop, that air moving all the time will dry it out.
09:09So the house won't get rot, mold or mildew.
09:12But you also want to make sure you can keep the bugs out.
09:15So we have a bug screen that goes right across the bottom so no bugs can climb in there and
09:20nest inside the wall.
09:22So we got that going and now we can side the house.
09:51All right, Charlie and I are getting ready to put some of the new decking on the new deck back
09:57here over a flat roof, but flat roofs really aren't flat.
10:02They have to be pitched so the water can run off somehow.
10:07Underneath our roof roofing, that's a rubber roofing.
10:10There is a pitched piece of material that basically puts a pitch on the roof.
10:16That pitch is about one inch every six feet.
10:21So now we don't want our decking to follow the pitch of the roof.
10:26When we're sitting on a chair, we want to feel level.
10:28So we're going to frame the decking level.
10:31To do that, we put shims on top of the rubber roof, but we tapered them.
10:37So they're shallow on that end and wider on this end.
10:40So the bottom follows the pitch as it goes up, making the top level and the bottom pitched.
10:46Now on each end, there's an opening for the water to drip out of.
10:51Now the first thing we're going to do is we're actually going to make a picture frame around the perimeter
10:56here.
10:56And the deck boards will fit in between so we'll have our corners mitered.
11:00And that's what we're measuring for right now.
11:16So we've mitered this corner.
11:18It's a 45 degree angle.
11:20And we're going to fasten it from below with pocket screws.
11:23So I put the bracket on.
11:28Drill a hole.
11:29And that screw will go through that hole into the other piece, holding them together from below.
11:52Good.
11:52All right.
11:53So now we have a nice tight miter that's never going to open up over time.
11:57All right.
11:58So now we're going to screw our board down on the perimeter.
12:01Put it on my mark.
12:03And we're going to fasten it with this screw right here.
12:06It's a two directional thread.
12:09There's a thread that's right there that's going to pull the screw into place.
12:12And this thread right here is a left hand.
12:15It's going to push the board down against the framing once it gets in.
12:19And this tip is going to drive the head of the screw below the surface creating a void.
12:26So we can drop our plug.
12:28So I just hold it.
12:29Put it into the hole.
12:31Hit it.
12:33Drops down.
12:34And it's flat.
12:44Now that the board is in place, we might as well get this cleaned up.
12:47Yeah.
12:48Sounds good to me.
12:51If you're taking on a renovation or a new build, an electrician will definitely be involved.
12:56But if you don't pay attention to the timing and sequencing of the electrical work, you could run into issues
13:00with things like inspections or the final fit and finish of your project.
13:03So please do it once and do it right.
13:06Now with that, welcome to the kitchen or where the kitchen is going to finally end up shortly.
13:11Now, as you can see, we're working on the rough in phase.
13:14And what that means is we're installing all of the mechanicals and the electrical in the open walls before the
13:19board and plaster go up.
13:20So before I start doing my electrical work, there are a few things I need.
13:24The first one are the kitchen plans.
13:26And I don't mean the ones off the architectural drawings.
13:28I want the ones from where you're actually buying the kitchen cabinets.
13:31These are going to be more detailed.
13:32They're going to have my exact dimensions.
13:34They're going to have my elevations and any other specialty items may have chosen.
13:38Second thing I'm going to go for.
13:39I need the appliance specifications.
13:41And this is for two reasons.
13:43One, I need it for my load calculation for the building.
13:46It's very critical that we make sure we size the service appropriately.
13:49And changing some of these appliances can really affect that.
13:51The second reason is a lot of appliances have very specific areas where we have to install the receptacles or
13:57the water lines.
13:58So I want to make sure we know exactly where those go.
14:01And finally, I need the electrical plants.
14:03And this is going to show me how many lights we have, where they're going, what type, the switching,
14:08and what else the homeowner wants.
14:10So now that I have all this, I can show you where I started.
14:12So the first thing I like to do is install a piece of strapping that runs the entire length of
14:16the kitchen
14:16where the countertop and cabinets are going to go.
14:18And what I do is I set this at actual finished countertop height, which is typically 36 inches.
14:23And that's what we have here.
14:25Now, typical height is 36 inches at the top of the countertop off of the finished floor.
14:29So I finished floor is three quarters of an inch.
14:32Cabinets and counter are going on top of it.
14:33So I've set this at 36 and three quarters of inches using a laser level around the entire kitchen.
14:39The reason I do this, it helps me with my layout.
14:40I can go ahead and use this to mark where my appliances are going to be.
14:43So you can see where the oven is going to land.
14:45We can see that we have a cabinet down in this corner where I can't put anything that goes from
14:49the countertop all the way to the ceiling.
14:50And you can see the refrigerator and the freezer over here.
14:53The other thing we did is I don't normally do this, but to help the homeowner, we marked out the
14:57cabinets and the countertop with blue tape.
14:59So we can see all the jogs to see exactly where everything's going to land.
15:02And we also marked the island the same way.
15:05This makes it a little easier to put your eyes on it and get a feel for exactly what the
15:08space is going to be like.
15:09And if there are any changes you want to make, now's the time to do it before we close the
15:12walls up.
15:13Now, while we're on the island, I want to jump into what we need for receptacle outlets.
15:17National code says we either have to prep for one or if we do install one, it wants to be
15:21a pop-up in the counter.
15:22But here in Massachusetts, we have to install one no matter what.
15:25And we can install it on the sides.
15:27So I'm going to let the homeowner choose whether they want to install it on the left or the right
15:30-hand side.
15:32When we come back here, we're going to talk about the counter receptacle outlets that have to go in.
15:35And we have a couple of codes we have to follow with that as well.
15:38So any countertop that's greater than 12 inches has to have one.
15:42Then when we have a break in the countertop where we have something like an oven or a sink,
15:46we can't be more than two feet away from that break with a receptacle.
15:49From that point, we don't want to be any more than four feet apart.
15:53The reason for this is most appliances have a two-foot cord.
15:56So when you put an appliance on the counter, they want to ensure that you can plug it in no
15:59matter where you install it.
16:01They don't want you running an extension cord across the kitchen.
16:05Finally, we're going to work on the appliances.
16:07And this is going to show you exactly why we needed those critical kitchen plans and the appliances specifications.
16:13You can see right here, this is our oven in this space.
16:16This is exactly where the oven receptacle has to go.
16:19If we didn't have all that information, we probably wouldn't land it in there.
16:22And then installing the oven on the final product would be very, very difficult.
16:26So now that the homeowners approved everything we've done, I can go ahead and grab the boxes and start the
16:30layout.
16:34And what I like to do is I line up the actual device screw hole.
16:39I use this as my point of reference because that will be the same for all devices or whatever boxes
16:43there are.
16:44Box size might be different.
16:45So if I did top a box, another box might be taller than this one.
16:49So I want to make sure I go to that screw hole.
16:58Hey, Charlie.
16:59Hey, Devon.
17:00Here to help.
17:01I know you and Tommy got started on the deck.
17:04Yeah, the other day we put the border on the deck.
17:06Now we're going to use a clip system, which is right here.
17:09So the infill boards are grooved left and right, or I guess both sides.
17:14That's right.
17:15And then what's the deal?
17:16This is a hidden fastener system?
17:17That's right.
17:18The screw will go right down through that, right into the sleeper system holding it in.
17:21Nice and snug.
17:22One clip per sleeper.
17:24We're off to the races.
17:25That's right.
17:26But now we have a gas pipe.
17:28So we had the plumber come by, threw in a pipe in, roofer came by and waterproofed it.
17:32So this is new.
17:33And what are you thinking?
17:34Just a one or two inch hole in a long board so we can set that over it?
17:38Yeah, it'll be a small hole.
17:39It'll be a flange over the hole.
17:40But thinking down the road, 10, 20 years, a leak ever develops right here in this part
17:45of the roof because of this, I want to put a little access panel.
17:49So the one long board, we're going to cut 20 inches to fit right here.
17:54And we use the same plug system to fasten that down.
17:57And then if they ever want to pull it out, they take out the plugs, take out the screws,
18:01and have an access.
18:02Smat.
18:03Smat.
18:03Wicked smat.
18:04All right.
18:04Want to set this one?
18:05We do.
18:05So here, why don't you put these in, and I'll eye it.
18:10Right about there.
18:12Perfect.
18:18I like it.
18:19Yep.
18:25Before we install that 20 inch piece, I'm going to put one more clip here.
18:29So this is where the two boards will join.
18:32And if we don't, the other board that's long won't have a place to hold it down.
18:39Yeah, so this side is not going to have the clips because as easy as this board went in,
18:43we want to be able to take it out.
18:44And if we had clips, one second, right there, we wouldn't be able to take it out.
19:12Okay, so we were able to take the rhododendron out, and man, that was not an easy task, but
19:18we did it.
19:18What do you think?
19:20Well, first of all, I'm amazed that you're able to get that rhododendron out in one piece
19:23and transplant it into the backyard.
19:25I'm really happy you were able to save it.
19:27I think it's going to work much better back there.
19:29It's a great focal point, and it adds that little bit of screening that's just perfect back there.
19:34Yeah, I think it'll work really well back there.
19:36All right, so upon our discussion, when I was at the nursery, this is what I came back with.
19:41You mentioned you wanted to keep it lower, right, and have evergreen, some year-round color.
19:47And then, so what I came up with is to anchor the corners on both sides.
19:52This is a juniper, and it's called a Manhattan blue juniper.
19:56And I believe Liz wanted Christmas lights?
19:59Absolutely.
20:00So this will be a fun tree to come out and decorate.
20:03And anchoring this corner will be perfect.
20:05And then moving over this way, went with a simple row of clean boxwood.
20:10These are Green Mountain boxwood.
20:12They're going to be evergreen, year-round color.
20:14So about how long do you think it will take these boxwoods to get up to the height of our
20:19railings on the front porch?
20:20Because the rhododendron had already gone above and beyond that height.
20:23So your PTSD with the rhododendron is going to be no more because they're not going to get to that
20:28height.
20:28Their growth rate is only about three to five inches a year.
20:32And really, if you just prune them once a year, you're going to be fine, if that.
20:36You know, let them get to the achieved height that you want, and then keep them shaped from there.
20:41That sounds awesome.
20:42Yeah.
20:42So would you like to help me get a shovel, and we'll get them in the ground today for you?
20:46Sure.
20:47All right.
20:53Okay, so a little 101 on the plantains, since I want them to all be in a straight line.
20:58Just go around each of the base of the pot, so you kind of have the imprint of it.
21:05Scoot the boxwood out of the way.
21:07Dig the hole as deep as the plant is.
21:10When you get to your desired depth, you take your boxwood.
21:19Sometimes tapping it around each side, it helps to loosen it.
21:23And then it should loosen right up like that.
21:28And this is the whole root system.
21:30You want to go around with your hands and rough it up.
21:34And then place it in the hole.
21:40And then I'm going to look down to see if it's in a straight line.
21:45And then you can see if any others need to be tweaked or adjusted.
21:49Then you save yourself digging up something that you already planted.
21:53But I think we're good.
22:02Nice.
22:03And so see how the soil through the top of this root ball is pretty equal to this ground, which
22:09is perfect.
22:10Perfect.
22:11There's one more thing I want to put in the ground today since it's fall.
22:15I would love to give you some daffodil bulbs for a little pop of color in the spring.
22:25Nice job, Patrick.
22:27Well, I guess it's a wrap.
22:29So until next time, I'm Jen Nawada.
22:31And I'm Patrick.
22:32For this old house in Needham, Massachusetts.
22:41Next time on This Old House.
22:44We're making a new patio brick by brick.
22:49Our Needham homeowners are installing brand new hardwood floors that are being manufactured just 30 miles from the project.
22:56And I've come here to see the process.
22:59And upstairs, we're patching old floors with salvage boards.
23:03And I'll show you how.
23:08That's next time.
23:39We'll see you next time.
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