This Old House

Cambridge | Interior Finishes Begin (27x13)

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Landscape contractor Roger Cook shows host Kevin O'Connor how he's installing a pre-fabricated pitched structural foam trench drain at the entrance to the garage. Inside, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey shows Kevin the radiant tubing going down in the master suite, the cast iron waste pipe and PEX water supply lines in the walls of the library, and how the high-velocity mini duct system is saving valuable space on the first floor. Painting contractor Jim Clark shows master carpenter Norm Abram the challenge he's facing in developing a stain formula that will work with all of the various wood species in the house. General contractor Tom Silva shows Kevin the water-blown expanding soft foam insulation going in on the second floor. Kevin visits the Stata Center at MIT to see how modern architecture is serving the needs of one of the country's most advanced universities. At the end of the day, Tom lowers the 12kW generator into place on the newly poured pad next to the garage. The unit will cover just the "essential loads" during a power outage — some lights, mechanical systems, refrigerator and sump pumps.