The building Ben is currently restoring is in the market for a bricklayer. Since Seamus used to work as a bricklayer back in Ireland, Ben talks Alex and Carl into putting his father back on the payroll. But no sooner than Seamus has got the job than he's convinced the entire crew to go on strike. Meanwhile, Luke refuses Ben's help on an art project for school.

Ben is disappointed to learn Luke tricked Seamus into signing his straight ""C"" report card. Ben relays this to his friend, Liza, the dean of NYU, along with his fear that Luke won't be able to get into his dream school -- which just so happens to be NYU. Liza persuades Ben to teach an architectual course there with the side perk that it'll be easier for Luke to get in with poor grades if his father happens to be faculty. One of Ben's new students, Sara, tells Ben how much he inspired her not to drop the class. Ben finds out the sad truth -- Luke doesn't want to go to NYU anymore, he wants to go to the U of Hawaii. Sara changes her major to architecture, and freaks out when Ben tells her he's planning to quit because of his son. But Liza manages to talk him out of it. Alex and the company foreman, Carl, tell Ben he should make a move on Liza. Ben decides to let go of his dream of both father and son going to NYU. Seamus enrolls in Ben's class -- where he disturbs things by taking pictur

Ben doesn't approve of Luke's alternative girlfriend, Jane, because she has a tongue ring. Hoping to get Luke to dump her, Ben tries to fix him with one of his well-to-do students -- whose mother happens to be carrying a torch for Ben. Meanwhile, Seamus becomes alternative himself when he changes his hair color.

Jesus the doorman lets Ben in on a little secret: a couple who live in the building's penthouse, Troy and Alice Wolfe, are moving out, and Ben can have it cheap if he befriends the Wolfes before they put it on the market. And if Ben can have the penthouse, then Seamus can have his own wing. And then Alex can have Ben's apartment. And then Carl can have Alex's apartment. Ben decides to invite the Wolfes to dinner to try to butter them up, but he has to find a place to hide Bailey -- who bit the Wolfes' dog, and who Seamus said they had put to sleep. So Ben dumps Bailey off at Alex's, even though Ben won't invite Alex to the party. Bailey eats half of one of Alex's valuable baseball cards, so Alex drops by the dinner anyway to voice his displeasure. Then Carl just shows up, even though he wasn't invited either. Next, Jane and her boss, who are catering for the dinner, get into a brawl when their van gets towed -- with the food still in it. Troy and Alice arrive last, and quickly provoke