This Old House

Residential Window Manufacturing - The Concord Cottage (25x8)

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Master carpenter Norm Abram finds general contractor Tom Silva installing exterior trim that looks like wood, but is actually cellular PVC and therefore resistant to rot. Inside, host Kevin O' Connor finds homeowner Jeff Bernard finalizing the lighting plan with master electrician Allen Gallant. In the future sunroom, Kevin lends Norm and Tom a hand installing the new clad windows that look just like homeowner Janet Bernard's traditional wood windows on the main house. At a Menomonie, Wisconsin, facility that produces more than 550 tons of glass per day, float glass expert Al Slavich shows Kevin how residential window glass is manufactured using state-of-the-art technology. Back at the Concord Cottage, with the rough plumbing complete and inspected, it's time to infill the slab. To cut costs, Tom shows Kevin how to make concrete from scratch - 3 parts gravel, 2 parts sand, 1 part cement - mixing it on site with a portable concrete mixer.