Bob Vila Completes Total Renovation of BobVila.com

NEW YORK, Dec. 10, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Bob Vila, who inspired countless Baby Boomers to restore their old houses, is ready to help Echo Boomers with their do-it-yourself projects, too.  Vila has completely remodeled his website, BobVila.com, which now offers digitized TV episodes and new home-related content that is easy to navigate, view and use.  

"I have three kids who are part of the Millennial Generation, and like others in their 20s and 30s, they have moved into their first homes and started their own lives," said Bob Vila, the most trusted name in home improvement.  "Some young people are in fixer-uppers, some are juggling household and day-care expenses, and many are getting their first set of tools.  They are budget conscious, environmentally aware and tech savvy – and so is the new BobVila.com."

"Building Green" is a major theme of the updated and expanded BobVila.com, which includes three, never-before-aired videos in which Bob Vila visits a large Habitat for Humanity project in New York City; the home of Mary Richardson Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.; and the house that renowned architect Allan Shope built into a hillside.

"Each of these three green-building projects has its own, unique variables," said Vila. "Viewers will watch Habitat for Humanity build a 50-unit apartment complex in the Bronx using as many environmentally safe products as possible.  They'll see if the Kennedys' once-flooded home can be cleaned of mold and made healthy again.  They'll also tour the amazing home the Kennedys built using salvaged materials and state-of-the-art green technologies.  And, they'll meet Allan Shope, an architect who designed his triangular, earth-bermed home to be carbon-neutral, maximizing its heating and cooling efficiency, and minimizing its impact on the planet."

Vila, who originally launched BobVila.com in 1996, has a treasure trove of video from his 20-plus years on television.  He recently digitized many of his home-improvement shows for the web, so viewers can stream them from BobVila.com to their TVs, computers, smartphones and more.  Plus, Bob Vila has 1.2 million Twitter followers and an active online community filled with DIY enthusiasts.

"Everybody needs advice, whether they're babyproofing or winterizing their home, finishing a basement, adding space for in-laws, or remodeling or building a house," said Vila.  "BobVila.com has the project ideas, money-saving tips and helpful hints to help people get better results."

In addition to offering practical and inspirational home-improvement content, and product showrooms, the new BobVila.com has a "home buying section." There, Bob gives visitors the tools to find the home that fits their taste and lifestyle, and suggests what to consider before making what may end up being the biggest investment in their lives.  When they visit the "house tours" section, they will find some of the world's great homes and gardens featured.  These homes, along with those highlighted in "Travels with Bob," will spark ideas for visitors' home-improvement projects and, maybe, inspire their next holiday.  Visitors to BobVila.com also can find information about the 11 books Vila has written, including "Bob Vila's Complete Guide to Remodeling Your Home" and links to purchase their own copy.

Vila, who now lives in Florida and Massachusetts, was based in Boston in 1979, when he became the original host of the PBS series, "This Old House."  Vila won an Emmy his first year and continued to host the show for 10 years.  Widely credited with sparking the do-it-yourself, home-improvement movement, Vila hosted "Bob Vila's Home Again" on TV for 15 seasons and also hosted "Restore America with Bob Vila," as well as a TV show entitled "Bob Vila."  He has appeared on numerous other television programs, including the popular sitcom, "Home Improvement."  Vila produced and hosted "Bob Vila's Guide to Historic Homes:  In Search of Palladio," a three-part, on-location series that aired on the A&E Network and featured "The Villas of the Veneto" in Italy, "The Palladians in England and Ireland" and "The Palladian Legacy in America," including Neoclassicism and the Federal Period.

Born in Miami, Vila speaks English and Spanish, and served in the Peace Corps, building homes in Panama.  A graduate of the University of Florida, he also attended the Boston Architectural Center.

Bob Vila is committed to saving historical sites wherever preservation needs to be a priority.  That includes his current efforts to save the Ernest Hemingway House near Havana, Cuba, where his parents grew up before moving to the U.S.  "My passion for building and architecture started when I was 12, helping my dad put a new roof on the house he built for our family in South Florida," said Vila.  "It's a legacy that I'm proud to share with other home-improvement enthusiasts, including a brand-new generation of do-it-yourselfers."

LINKS:  http://www.bobvila.com; http://www.twitter.com/bobvila

SOURCE BVTV, Inc.