This set of DVDs follows the construction of a 3,375-square-foot custom home that combines traditional Shingle-Style design with elements of English country style and timberframe construction. Exterior features include a cedar shingle roof and siding, a veneer of Niagara dolomite stone over the poured foundation walls and a turret roof over the round breakfast nook. Inside, special touches include a fireplace of Niagara dolomite, timberframe trusses and a sky-lit, stained-glass ceiling.

The first disc in the set covers siting and design issues; pouring the foundation using insulated concrete forms; installing decorative timberframed trusses and beams salvaged from an old distillery in Ontario; plumbing, electrical, and radiant-floor heating rough-ins; shingle panel siding and shingle roofing; veneer-plaster walls; laying floors of antique old-growth pine, stone, and ceramic tile; installing the stained-glass ceiling in the dining room and installing the cabinets, countertops, and fixtures in the kitchen, bathrooms, master suite office and laundry room.

The second disc focuses on finish carpentry--trimming out the arches and columns and installing the staircase, railings, wainscoting, shelves and cabinetry--and electronics for the home office and home theater.

In the third disc we tour the finished main floors and examine the decorating decisions, then move to finishing the lower level. Projects here include installing a solid-surface tub surround and setting handcrafted ceramic tiles in the guest bathroom. We also set up a home workshop that features an air-filtering system, plenty of wall and cabinet storage space, a vinyl tile floor and a unique workbench with a removable top.

The focus shifts to the landscape in the final disc. Hardscapes include a brick paver driveway, stone retaining walls and a stamped-concrete patio. We then prepare and plant cottage-style perennial beds, lay sod, plant a prairie garden and install a drip-irrigation system.

459 Minutes, 2004