TV Shows with Bob Vila
Watch clips, episodes, and full seasons from 17 years of TV and web series hosted by Bob Vila, America’s Handyman.
Storm Ready Housing
Bob partners with St. Petersburg Neighborhood Housing Services (SPNHS), a NeighborWorks affiliate, and Tampa Armature Works (TAW) to create affordable, energy-efficient, storm-ready housing from recycled steel shipping containers.
Description:
Bob Vila is in St. Petersburg, FL, learning how to create affordable, energy-efficient, storm-ready housing from recycled steel shipping containers. Bob and the team build a roomy, single-family home that improves this once-blighted neighborhood and creates opportunity for first-time homeownership.
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Victorian Kitchen & Bath Remodel
Bob undertakes the partial remodeling of a historic Queen Anne Victorian home in Rowley, MA.
Description:
Bob Vila undertakes the partial remodel of a historic Victorian home in Rowley, MA. The house is a classic New England gem with many partitioned rooms, plus the added appeal of a large yard with preserved wetlands beyond. From permits and approvals to the addition of a mudroom and deck, this pro…
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Chicago Coach House
A coach house in Chicago is reborn! This project includes gutting and rebuilding the interior structure, finishing the basement, adding a roof dormer, and faux-finish painting.
Description:
A coach house in Chicago is reborn! This project includes gutting and rebuilding the interior structure, finishing the basement, and adding a roof dormer. Local artists even show Bob how to give the newly renovated home some panache with a creative, Chicago-style decorating approach and faux-fin…
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Two-Family Greystone
Bob tracks the progress of a two-family greystone in Chicago’s Wicker Park undergoing a remodel.
Description:
Bob Vila tracks the progress of a two-family greystone in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood that is undergoing renovation. The project documents a low-budget upgrade of the building’s two apartments and concludes with a decorator’s tour showcasing the eye-catching results.
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Cape-Style Home
Bob’s first project for Bob Vila’s Home Again is a Cape Cod-style home in Marstons Mills, MA. Bob takes the viewer through all the steps of building a house from scratch.
Description:
Bob Vila’s first project for “Home Again” is a Cape Cod-style home in Marstons Mills, MA. Bob takes the viewer through all the steps of building a house from scratch: from architect’s plans and foundation digging to framing, cedar shingling, installing a heating system, and using artist’s paint…
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Cracker Cottage
Bob rejuvenates a modest but classic Florida house, focusing on light, ventilation, and outdoor living.
Description:
Bob Vila rejuvenates a modest but classic Florida house, focusing on light, ventilation, and outdoor living. Projects include opening walls, improving air conditioning and ventilation, blowing in some insulation, and putting in a new entry.
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Split-Level Ranch
A worn-out, 17 year-old raised ranch, with problems familiar to many homeowners, gets a new look.
Description:
Bob Vila is in Plymouth, MA, to oversee the remodel of a worn-out, 17-year-old raised ranch with problems familiar to many homeowners. The façade is re-sided and repainted, windows are replaced, and a new entry is built. Inside, the new bath and kitchen, which are added, provide the project high…
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Ranch Expansion
Bob takes on the expansion of a 35 year-old ranch house in Wayland, MA, while keeping a close eye on the project budget.
Description:
Bob takes on the expansion of a 35 year-old ranch house in Wayland, MA. With an eye on the budget, projects include European kitchen cabinets, a state-of-the-art closet system for the master bedroom, custom built-in bookshelves, an eye-catching fan detail on the front façade, and a private deck…
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Victorian
Bob tackles a remodeling and construction project on the Massachusetts island of Martha’s Vineyard.
Description:
Bob Vila tackles a remodeling and construction project on the island of Martha’s Vineyard. The expansion of the cabin transforms a tiny vacation home into a spacious family retreat with an authentic ‘Vineyard Victorian’ look.
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Cabin in the Woods
Bob explores the concept of sustainable design by putting resource management theories into practice for everyday living.
Description:
Bob Vila explores the concept of sustainable design by putting resource management theories into practice for everyday living. Projects include a pre-cast foundation system, earth-friendly septic system, energy-efficient appliances, and more.
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Greenhouse
Bob heads to Cape Cod in the dead of winter to watch over the construction of a custom, high-tech greenhouse.
Description:
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 mahogan…
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Federal-Style Home
Bob tackles the revitalization of an exquisite Federal-style home, built in the early 1800s, which survived the Civil War but barely survived Hurricane Hugo in 1989.
Description:
Bob Vila tackles the revitalization of an exquisite Federal-style home, built in the early 1800s, which survived the Civil War but barely survived Hurricane Hugo in 1989. A major aspect of the project is the painstaking process of restoring the original plaster ornamentation and woodwork to the…
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Dream Garage and Boat Storage
An innovative and functional post-and-beam barn structure is designed to provide space to store, and perform work on, boats and cars.
Description:
This innovative and functional post-and-beam barn structure is designed to provide space to store, and perform work on, boats and cars. Bob Vila takes us through the story,which centers around creating a state-of-the-art, ergonomically efficient, well-lit, and safe environment.
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Master Bedroom
A master bedroom suite in a compact 1930s Colonial Revival home in suburban Newton, MA gets a makeover.
Description:
A master bedroom suite in a compact 1930s Colonial Revival home in suburban Newton, MA, gets a makeover. Bob Vila details the process of building the foundation, from forming and cement pouring to inspection and backfilling. Also, Bob sees how the interior baseboard molding and window trim is m…
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Malibu Beach House
Bob transforms a worn-out California beach house on stilts into an elegant Spanish-style villa, worthy of its glamorous location—Malibu.
Description:
Bob Vila transforms a California beach house on stilts into an elegant Spanish-style villa, worthy of its glamorous location—Malibu. Projects include an elegant winding staircase, a state-of-the-art sprinkler system, environmentally friendly blown-in cellulose insulation, and seismic code compl…
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Craftsman Bungalow
Bob oversees the remodeling of a Studio City bungalow in Los Angeles, CA.
Description:
Bob Vila oversees the remodel of a Craftsman bungalow in Los Angeles, CA. It’s a vintage kit house, purchased from a Sears & Roebuck catalog in 1923 and built in Hollywood. Working with contractors, Bob helps restore the home’s thoughtful details while adding improvements fit for the owners’ mo…
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Kitchen Remodel
Bob follows the remodeling and expansion of the kitchen and family room of a 15-year-old house in suburban Miami.
Description:
This project features the remodeling and expansion of the kitchen and family room of a 15-year-old suburban Miami tract house. Innovative and fun projects include walls built using insulated concrete forms, stucco application, and glass block walls.
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Accessible Home
The accessible home project follows an urban renewal story, involving grass-roots activism and affordable housing.
Description:
This project follows an urban renewal story, involving grass-roots activism and affordable housing. Bob Vila reports on nine newly built three-bedroom homes, including one with accessibility for people with disabilities.
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Elmwood Neighborhood
Community building in the historic Elmwood neighborhood of Providence, RI is the focus of this project.
Description:
The theme of community building in the historic Elmwood neighborhood of Providence, RI, is the focus of this project. Rather than tackling one house, Bob Vila is helping 11 neighbors tackle smaller projects like porches, kitchens, bathrooms, and even a third-floor artist’s studio.
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Loft Conversion
Bob highlights the world of stylish city living, by chronicling the conversion of an apartment in Boston’s Leather District into a sleek, modern residential loft space.
Description:
Bob Vila highlights the world of stylish city living by chronicling the conversion of a loft apartment in Boston’s Leather District. This unit is getting a top-of-the-line treatment: cutting edge design, custom-made furniture and casework, sleek modern fixtures, and up-to-date appliances.
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Executive Mansion
In Richmond, Virginia, the oldest continuously occupied governor’s mansion in America is in need of serious repairs, and Bob’s team is there to help.
Description:
In Richmond, Virginia, the oldest continuously occupied governor’s mansion in America is in need of serious repairs, and Bob Vila’s team is there to help. Projects include the complete overhaul and modernization of the basement to include a state-of-the-art caterer’s kitchen for official functi…
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Lifespan House
Mount Pleasant, SC, a suburb of Charleston, is the scene, not only of a remarkable new home, but of a remarkable transformation in suburban living.
Description:
Bob Vila heads to the Low Country: Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. Steeped in tradition, this historic suburb of Charleston is the scene, not only of a remarkable new home, but of a remarkable transformation in suburban living at the developing community of I’On.
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Habitat for Humanity
Bob introduces the latest in sustainable materials and efficient building techniques on a Habitat for Humanity build.
Description:
Bob Vila introduces the latest in sustainable materials and efficient building techniques on a Habitat for Humanity build. This project documents a five-day process that transformed an empty lot into a snug, comfortable, and sustainable home in Yonkers, NY.
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Victorian Restoration
In a neighborhood of family homes on tree-lined streets, just five miles from downtown Boston, Bob’s scouts discovered a Victoria-era home that needs a full-scale renovation. The new owners, a work-at-home professional couple with children, would like to add modern features, while retaining the essential aspects and overall integrity of the old home.
Description:
Located just five miles from downtown Boston, Bob’s scouts discovered a Victorian-era house in a neighborhood of family homes on tree-lined streets that was past due for a full-scale renovation.
The home’s new owners, a work-at-home family, have set goals to modernize the home’s floor plan, upd…
Vermont Farmhouse
Bob works with the Quechee Lakes Development Company to build a residence that hearkens back to the past yet satisfies the needs of a family in the new millennium.
Description:
The wooded New England setting, with quaint towns and covered bridges, provides the perfect backdrop for building a traditional Vermont-style farmhouse.
Bob works with the Quechee Lakes Development Company to build a residence that hearkens back to the past yet satisfies the needs of a family i…
Manhattan Remodel and Cape Cod Affordable
This project deals with two very different notions of home. On one hand, Bob is participating in the revitalization of an apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. On the other hand, Bob is involved with the construction of several quality affordable homes in Mashpee, MA.
Description:
This project deals with two very different notions of home. Bob begins on New York City’s Upper West Side, where an 1890s Brownstone is revitalized through high-quality craftsmanship and sensitive design. New York’s past meets its present, as the entire floor is recaptured and refurbished to cre…
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Modern Colonial
This project focuses on the construction of a Colonial-style home built with both history and the future in mind.
Description:
This project focuses on the construction of a Colonial-style home built with both history and the future in mind. While the 4-bedroom, 4-bath home will have a traditional exterior and interior detailing, the plan will suit the needs of a modern family, including easy-maintenance fireplaces, a g…
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Modular Mountain Retreat
Beautifully sited on wooded acreage with breathtaking views of some of the most beautiful countryside in New England, this Arts and Crafts-style bungalow certainly doesn’t look factory-built. You’d never know it was a modular home unless Bob took you through its construction from pre-fabrication to on-site assembly.
Description:
Beautifully sited on wooded acreage with breathtaking views of some of the most beautiful countryside in New England, this Arts and Crafts style bungalow certainly doesn’t look factory-built. You’d never know it was a modular home unless Bob took you to the Pennsylvania factory where it was bui…
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Miami Beach Condo
Bob and the crew demonstrate how to use space, color, and choice finishes to make the most of a small space. By transforming the kitchen, living, and bath spaces, the remodel gives the condo a light-filled, open, and airy feeling– a quality the apartment, in its original state, very much lacked.
Description:
In this condo renewal project, Bob and the crew demonstrate how to use space, color, and choice finishes to make the most of a small space.
The kitchen is converted into an elegant dining space looking onto the living area, while a closet is transformed into a bar with recessed lighting and gla…
Waterfront Warehouse Rehab
Bob heads to the DUMBO neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York for this project involving an abandoned warehouse built in the mid-19th century. The manager for the project is real estate professional Chris Vila, Bob’s oldest son.
Description:
Bob Vila heads to the DUMBO neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY, for this project involving an abandoned warehouse built in the mid-19th century. Bob’s adaptive reuse will yield three ultra-hip apartments with commercial space at street level. Project manager is Bob’s oldest son, Chris Vila, who helps…
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Storm-Ready Design
Bob meets with FEMA and FLASH to learn how a home can survive a hurricane, how to build a hurricane resistant home, and meets homeowners that are rebuilding after losing it all.
Description:
When hurricanes strike again and again, as they did in Florida in 2004, the effects are devastating. Bob Vila and crew work to completely rebuild a damaged house, using new standards for storm-ready housing. Along the way, Bob investigates a home’s vulnerabilities in extreme weather and learns …
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Basement Finishing and Family Space
A young family with an old house repurposes their basement and refurbishes their yard to create family and recreational spaces for their active, growing kids.
Description:
Bob Vila helps a young family with an old house create family and recreational space for their active kids. Projects include replacement window installation, innovative plumbing solutions, and smart storage to make indoor and outdoor spaces ideal for this growing family.
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Bob’s Shingle Style Home
This 26-episode project centers around the remodel of Bob’s own gracious Shingle Style home in Cambridge, MA.
Description:
This project centers around the remodel of Bob Vila’s own gracious Shingle Style home in Cambridge, MA. It’s a house with a lot of history and beautiful architectural details, many of which were obliterated in remodels of the 50s and the 70s. On the centennial of the house’s construction, Bob g…
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Babyproofing the House
Bob talks to industry specialists about healthy living environments and child safety products as he helps a young expectant couple upgrade and childproof their home.
Description:
In Melrose, MA, Bob Vila helps a young couple expecting their first child to prepare their home. The focus is on creating a safe place with a strong emphasis on indoor air quality and a healthy living environment. Bob reviews child safety products with industry specialists, as they outfit the h…
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Building Green
In Bob’s new Building Green Web series, he focuses on green projects that are embracing the cleanest and most efficient technologies.
Description:
In Bob’s new Building Green Web series, he focuses on green projects that are embracing the cleanest and most efficient technologies. He demystifies green home design and construction as well as the myth that building green has to mean building expensively or unattractively. His premise is that …
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Building an Addition for an Elderly Parent
Bob introduces Howard Brickman who is building an addition for an elderly in-law. Innovative techniques and improved building practices translate to quick construction, a minimum of waste, and energy savings down the road.
Description:
More and more homeowners are converting their houses into multi-generational homes for themselves, their children, and their aging parents. In Norwell, MA, Bob Vila meets a couple making room for a mother-in-law.
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