Running cabling in a few inches of space between trains and tunnels. Smashing apart rooms to rebuild fireproof walls. Drilling holes through foot-thick floors for cooling. Setting networking equipment on fire to see how it drips. This is how engineers at Canada Water station have spent the past few months, in a race to install 4G on the London Underground for the first time and meet a tight political deadline.

It's the lament of the spoiled Londoner that there's no mobile connection on the Underground, as though it's perfectly reasonable to expect 4G service under the Thames in a tunnel that's part of a 157-year-old train network.

But Moscow, Seoul and Toyko have connected commutes, so why can't we? The difference between those networks and our own is tunnel size. It's not easy or cheap to install 4G networks in the space of a few inches, and that's only the first of plenty of hurdles facing Transport for London (TfL) engineers and contractor Installation Technology who are trying to bring mobile connections to the Underground for the first time.

"We've been working on the idea for the better part of ten years now with no solution," says Shashi Verma, chief technology officer for TfL. So what changed? The Home Office needed a new Emergency Services Network (ESN) and money suddenly appeared. Now, the systems for ESN and commercial 4G are being trialled in parallel in a project covering the tunnels and platforms from Westminster to just beyond North Greenwich, as well as most of the station areas.

If all goes to plan, the system will go live in March, giving commuters connectivity in tunnels underground along that stretch of the Jubilee line. And if you look closely, you'll be able to see where it comes from.

Between stations of the Jubilee line, in the inches-wide gap between the train window and the wall, try to spot the black cables running along the tunnels. These are called "leaky feeders" and they are seeping radio connectivity into the tunnels, in the same way as a water pipe that's been methodically slashed would spray at intervals.

At the core of the cables is a copper wire, but the casing that normally protects the radio waves has regular apertures to passively leak out the signal.

"It's a fairly basic technology that's very low maintenance," says Martin Osborne, Head of Mobile Infrastructure Delivery at TfL. "We've been running systems using leaky feeder for 20 years."

Two leaky feeder cables have been installed: one for the commercial service and a second for the Home Office's emergency network. They join a leaky feeder cable already in place, used for drivers' radios and all three need to squeeze into the few spare inches between the tunnel wall and the trains hurtling by, without interfering with each other's signal.

To manage that, engineers used lasers to scan tunnels and 3D imaging to virtually install the cables, to see if it fit alongside trains - and discovered that they could risk placing them as close as 100mm away from each other without interference.

The team running thick cable from 500-metre drums in the dead of night when the tube isn't running have an even bigger problem to contend with: they might have connectivity, but it's not strong enough for anyone to really be able to use it.

Higher frequencies are faster and have more bandwidth, but need to be helped along by repeaters. While the emergency network happily operates at 800MHz via the leaky feeder alone, the signal strength is nowhere near enough for anyone on the train to use 4G.

TfL has built a hidden room with massive boxes of high-powered radio equipment, like a home router at a massive scale. That sends the data via a hub to convert the radio signal to optical, letting it hop onto a fibre line that also runs through the tunnels; look for the thinner, bright yellow cable along the walls. On the platforms, there are high-powered directional radios pointing into the tunnels, as well as low-power units above commuters heads, both of which connect to fibre and on to operators networks.

TfL has installed 4G server rooms to guarantee coverage in tunnels

TfL

The aim is that if you're on the train, your phone won't switch between systems, but if you emerge and head up escalators to the ticket hall, then you'll move onto a local network. "All we're doing is taking the signal from mobile operators and putting it through various different antennas and broadcasting it out across the tunnels and into the stations," says Osborne.

The eight stations in the trial are served by a "base station hotel" a mini data centre for each of the four main 4G operators to keep their own separate equipment at Canada Water station.

For the wider network, one will be needed every 15 kilometers or so, meaning as many as ten will be required. Here at Canada Water, EE has its own hotel in a nondescript room along the bus station, while the other three are setting up shop in a long corridor a few levels underground; as of our visit, only Vodafone and EE had installed equipment with weeks to go until launch.

All that may sound complex, but the system is straightforward to network specialists, who are using equipment bought off the shelf. "The challenge for us is doing it in a very difficult environment, underground, which is noisy, dirty, old and has no space," says Osborne. And that's spurred the design, with passive equipment such as leaky feeders used in locations where maintenance is a challenge, because no-one wants to have to do this work again.

To get fibre in, the pavement was ripped up. To install cooling in the other areas below ground, fist-sized holes were drilled through the concrete flooring.

On a tour of the station, one of the engineers took visitors down a bright hallway in the hidden side of Canada Water station, slipping a key into a lock at the end. "We won't all fit in," he joked, pulling the door open to reveal not another hallway or room, but the equivalent of a broadband cabinet. For fire-safety, TfL had to build a foot-wide structure out of breeze-block to house a dozen cables plugged into ports.

EE's data hotel looks like any server room, with rows of racks filled with networking equipment. But it needed a new wall for fire containment and its networking kit needed to be fire tested. That means it was taken to a lab and lit on fire, to see how material would drip from it important information for equipment installed over people's heads.

Fire isn't the only challenge. The Jubilee line is the newest part of the tube, but it still dates to 1998. Requirements were different then, so the network doesn't have enough power supply for all this additional equipment. Plus, the extra equipment gives off heat, meaning even more power is needed for cooling. To make it work, new power feeds had to be run from a local substation not easy when external permission from local residents is required and energy savings had to be found across other systems.

The installation team is already keeping an eye on temperatures outside the remit of the trial. Further down the line, trains often wait in tunnels outside Green Park station; because of the stop, trains pull hot air with them and leave some of it behind. One engineer said that spot is being monitored to see the temperature impact from a few radio boxes several stations away.

The heating and power would be less of an issue if the mobile operators were willing to upgrade their equipment to low-power alternatives. Had this project waited three years, that shift would likely already have happened, Osborne says.

But as this is only a trial, it's difficult to demand operators invest in new equipment. For the full rollout, there are hopes that operators choose or are forced to upgrade to low-power kit. "We hopefully be using [this trial] as a lever to try to encourage the industry to move to low-power solutions," Osborne says. However, the arrival of 5G will only exacerbate the heating and power woes, as higher frequency equipment demands more energy and more antennas.

For now, commuters will have to make do with 4G. Progress may feel slow, but the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has lit a fire under this project. Last year, the mayor's office got in touch with Verma. "We were told in no uncertain terms you have to build something," he said, referencing the 4G rollout.

While it may have pushed the project forward, the attention from on high means added pressure. "It has been very difficult and very challenging, especially in terms of time," he told the assembled installation team, gathered together to receive a safety award. One engineer told us the time pressure was the one part of the project he would have liked to have done differently.

The mad rush to finish this trial in March may have something to do with the mayoral election in May. But of course, Khan's pressure isn't the only reason this rollout is happening. Alongside the emergency network, there are plans to hand the system to a commercial supplier to implement, selling access to the mobile operators and bringing in much needed revenue to TfL. And, for Verma, there's a further motivation.

"Delivering a train service is kind of taken for granted," he said. "Our ability to delight people is very limited." Putting Wi-Fi into the stations ahead of the 2012 Olympics did just that, Verma says. He hopes that this new feat of engineering will be enough to spark a similar effect.

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Inside the messy mission to bring 4G to the London Underground - Wired.co.uk

As easy as it is to add a second Amazon Echo smart speaker to your home network and Alexa app, it's as easy to add even more.

At its simplest, this means you can speak to the Alexa assistant from more places in the home, but there's much more you can do with multiple Echo speakers. Here is a look at what else you and your smart home can now do.

Read More:

Stereo Pairing

First up, we're going to assume you have two Echo speakers in the same room and want to increase the breadth of their soundstage by turning them into a stereo pair. This means one Echo handles the left channel of a music track, and the other looks after the right channel, creating a broader, more dynamic sound.

Stereo Pairing works with all Echo speakers from the second-generation Echo Plus and third-generation Echo Dot onwards, as well as the latest third-generation regular Echo, and new Echo Studio.

So long as you have a pair of the same Echo speakers (two Echo Dots, or two Echo Studios, for example) you can create a stereo pair. To do this, follow these instructions:

On the next screen you'll be asked to confirm which two Echo speakers you want to pair together. Remember, these need to be the same type of Echo speaker.

Three Echo Dots make a home-wide sound system for $150Amazon

You then need to tell the app which Echo speaker is left and which is right. The app doesn't let you play a sound to identify each speaker (which can be confusing if they both look the same and you've forgotten which is which), but you can easily swap them later if you get it wrong.

Tap Next after you have picked the two speakers, and the setup is complete. Now you will see this newly created stereo pair under your list of Speaker Groups in the Alexa app. When speaking to these Echos, Alexa will only reply out of whichever is closest to you.

Home Theatre and Surround Sound

Expanding on this concept, multiple Echo speakers can also be used to create a surround sound system for your Amazon Fire TV device.

We've explained this in greater detail here, but in short the feature lets you pair up to four Echo speakers and the Echo Sub to create a home cinema system.

You can add two or four Echos (as long as they are all the same) and the Sub is optional. Using the new Echo Studio also opens the door to Dolby Atmos, with the speakers firing sound upwards and bouncing it off the ceiling to add depth to whatever you are watching.

Music in multiple rooms

Setting up a multi-room speaker group with AlexaGearBrain

The Alexa app makes it easy to name each Echo then assign them to a room or floor in your home. This means you can ask the assistant to play music "in the kitchen" or "upstairs", no matter which Echo you ask.

You can also ask Alexa to play music everywhere, so the same track will play, perfectly synchronized, through all the Echo speakers on your network. This is great way to create a Sonos-like sound system on a budget (since a set of two Echo Dots currently costs $60.)

What's more, you can ask Alexa to play from different sound sources on each Echo. That way, one person can play a radio station from TuneIn in the kitchen, while someone else has their favorite Spotify playlist on in the living room.

There are a couple of down sides here though, as third-party Alexa speakers like those from Sonos cannot be added to an Alexa multi-room setup, as the feature is exclusive to Echo products.

By default, you cannot play different music from the same source in different rooms. But, this is possible if you pay $14.99 a month for an Amazon Music Unlimited family plan. This gives you access to 50 million songs and the ability to create up to six user accounts.

Once set up, you can play different tracks through up to six different Echo speakers in the same home.

To set up a multi-room music group of Echo speakers, follow these instructions:

Here, you will be asked to name the new group (such as Living Room, Downstairs or Everywhere). Then tap on the speakers you want to include in the group, and tap Save.

Now, you can say to any Echo speaker in the home: "Alexa, play [artist name] everywhere" and every Echo will be brought to life.

Create a home intercom system

Echo speakers show a green light when being dropped in onGearBrain

With two or more Echo speakers in your home, you can create an intercom system. Once set up, you can say to one Echo: "Alexa, drop in on the living room," and a two-way audio connection is established between the two Echos, meaning people in the two rooms can talk to each other.

We have previously written about how to get started with Alexa Drop In here.

This feature may only have limited uses for some, but it's a handy way to drop in on the kitchen to see if dinner is ready, or for getting the kids to come downstairs.

When an Echo is being dropped in on, its light pulses green to let you know someone elsewhere in the house is listening.

Broadcast messages across the home

Similar to drop-in, this feature lets you broadcast recorded messages to every Echo in the home, but without listening in through their microphones. All you have to do is say: "Alexa, broadcast [message]," and Alexa will play your message to every other Echo. Instead of "broadcast," you can also say "announce".

Read more from the original source:
The benefits of installing multiple Amazon Echos in your smart home - Gearbrain

Whether you have a large or small home, room and house additions are invaluable investments. Along with expanding your available storage and living space, adding rooms withfeatures that are desirable to home buyerscan increase the value of your home. But before you start adding an addition to your home, here are a few things to keep in mind:

The first part of planning a home addition is finding inspiration. Below are some home addition ideas that can help inspire your next home improvement project!

One of the biggest home addition projects is adding a second story. While this major addition can cost anywhere between$90,000-$200,000, it does add significant square footage and resale value to your home. Work with a builder or architect to make sure your homes structure and foundation can handle the additional weight!

Creating abonus roomor apartment over a garage is a great way to add extra square footage without turning your home into a mess. With the foundation of the garage already in place, all you need are walls and a roof. Once its finished, you can rent it out or use it as a guest bedroom. Keep in mind that certain additions like a new roof, Type X fireproof drywall, and vapor barriers will be more expensive than other home addition projects. Costs typically average around$35per square foot when building a bonus over-the-garage room.

A modular addition is a pre-fabricated room that can be added onto the exterior of the house to create a second story, and theyre popular home expansion projects for single-story buildings like ranch homes. These additions run10-20%cheaper than conventional additions and can be made off-site, saving you from living in a constant construction zone. Costs vary between$80-$200per square foot, depending on the size of the addition and where it goes.

Dormers not only expand your attic and provide much needed light, but they also add major curb appeal and make your home look larger. Some homeowners choose to installDIY dormersto increase their attic ceiling space. A DIY project will run about$1,800, while professional installation can cost anywhere between$2,500-$20,000.

Finishing your basementincreases the livable square footage in your home, and it gives you an additional space you can use for a small apartment, a home theater, or an entertainment room. The average cost to finish a basement is between$6,500-$18,500with a return on investment around69%. Just be sure you include emergency windows or a backyard walkout if you plan to use a basement space for bedrooms.

Remodeling your kitcheneven on a minor scalecan provide a great return on investment. Expand your kitchens square footage by turning a flex space or bump-out addition into a walk-in pantry or breakfast nook. Kitchen remodel projects can cost between$12,000-$21,000and recoup almost93%of the cost at resale. Check out thesekitchen remodeling ideasfor more inspiration!

Increasing bathroom square footage can greatly increase the value of your home. Similar to a kitchen addition,bathroom projectshave an ROI of up to62%. Costs start around$3,000for a bathroom upgrade or expansion and can go up to$25,000for a full-on addition. Looking for bathroom addition ideas? Try extending your master bathroom to include space for a soaking tub or dual sinks. Or add a half-bath in an underutilized small space like under the stairs, a closet, an attic bonus room, or a basement.

While many homes have entryways, an entire mudroom addition is a handy way to keep shoes, coats, and backpacks all organized in one space. Installing wall hooks, built-in cabinets, lockers, or cubbies during the remodel adds both additional storage and visual appeal. Mudroom additions can cost anywhere from$400for a minor project in an existing room to$25,000for a total addition.

If you love spending time on your front porch, enclose it and turn it into a sunroom! In order for your porch to be considered livable square footage, it needs to have heating and be accessible from the house. Make your sunroom addition feel like a second living room with lamps, comfortable furniture, and plenty of seating. If you live in a state with extreme winters, you may need to consult an architect or builder to make sure the roof and walls are strong enough to support heavy snow. The cost to add a sunroom varies from$15,000-$22,000with a50%return on investment.

Enclosing a back patio can create a cozyoutdoor living room! This home addition project can be quite extensiveespecially if you extend your roofso make sure you enlist the help of builders or contractors. Like a sunroom, a patio must be enclosed and accessible from the house in order to count toward livable square footage. Back patio enclosures typically run between$8,375-$24,305.

Cantileveredhouse bump outsare small extensions (or micro-additions) of rooms that can be considered extra square footage. Bump-out additions can be as small as two feet and as large as 10-15 feet. Because bump outs do not require a roof or foundation work, the cost of bump-out additions can be15-30%less than a conventional addition. Some bump-out ideas for small rooms include creating a window nook in a living room, building a walk-in closet, adding a space for a bathtub in a bathroom, or increasing the space of a kitchen to allow for counter space.

As far as home addition projects go, an attic has unlimited potential! The only square footage stipulations that must be followed are at least half of the ceiling must reach seven feet, and the attic must connect to a stairway. Once these requirements are met, you can take advantage of that extra square footage and turn it into a bedroom, home gym, art studio, or office. Converting an attic into livable space can recover as much as53%of the value!

If youre looking for a creative home addition idea, consider the garage! An attached garage can only be considered additional square footage if you dont use it as a garage. Instead, consider turning your garage into a gym, art studio, guest bedroom, or craft room! The average cost of making a garage into a room addition project is around$11,065with up to an80%return on investment.

Is your current laundry area small? Expand it and get more square footage! Second-floor laundry rooms are ahighly desired unique home feature, so moving your laundry room from a basement or first level to an upstairs addition can be a worthwhile investment. If youre feeling ambitious, tackle the project yourself using thisDIY tutorialfrom The Family Handyman.

Knowing which home additions increase home resale value and square footage can help you make good investments in your home that will last for years. Looking for other creative ways to improve your home? Check out thesehome remodeling ideasfor more inspiration!

***

Need to store furniture while youre remodeling your home? Extra Space Storage has easily accessible storage locations throughout the U.S.Find a storage unit near you!

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14 Home Addition Ideas for Increasing Square Footage ...

Last year, homeowners spent nearly $19 billion on home improvements, reports Scarborough, a consumer trend research group. If you're thinking about joining this club by building a garage addition to your home, there are a few important things to consider. These tips will get you started in the right direction before you start hammering nails or calling contractors.

Before you do anything else, find out what the zoning laws are in your area. They will state such things as where a garage can be located on your property and the size limitations. They will also specify any special requirements such as roofing materials and drainage considerations. Based on the zoning information, you'll know whether you can even build a garage on your lot and what types are allowable.

The Housing Forum recommends an attached garage if you just need something in which to park your cars. This is a less expensive option because one wall will already be in place. A detached garage would be the choice in which to have a workshop where you want to shield the house from the noise of power tools.

If you're planning on a single-car garage, House Logic says to start with a 14 feet by 20 feet addition. For a two-car garage, go 20 feet by 24 feet. This will just let you get your cars in and open the doors. If you want additional space for storage or a workbench, you'll want to add 6 or 8 feet.

If you already have a carport and are planning on an attached garage, your existing driveway may be sufficient. If not, for a single car garage, you'll need to plan on a 10 feet wide driveway from the garage door to the street. If there are obstacles, such as trees or a wall on either side, you may want a 14 feet wide driveway to make sure the car doors clear the obstacles when opened.

For a two-car garage, you'll want a 20 feet to 24 feet wide driveway. If you need space to turn the car around so you can pull forward out into a busy street, you'll need to plan on a 10 feet wide by 12 feet deep space right in front of the garage.

You'll want to make the garage look like a part of the house and not detract from it. An attached garage placed with the doors opening to the side with some windows in the front looks like just another room addition. This will likely increase your driveway expense since it may not be a direct line into the garage.

If the doors must face front, consider using two one-car doors for better eye appeal. Blend the roof overhang into your house's roof, too, for continuity.

The prices can vary greatly based on the location in the U.S., the materials and extras you add such as a floor drain, extra electrical outlets or built-in shelves. For planning purposes, the Housing Forum suggests using $40 to $50 per square foot for a basic construction. This makes an average one-car garage run $9,600 to $12,000 and a two-car garage $15,200 to $19,000.

To build a garage yourself, you'll need to know the zoning laws and codes inside and out. You can check with a commercial construction equipment company such as Neff Rental to see what the costs are for trenchers and backhoes. You'll have to work with the concrete companies to poor the footings just right. But unless you're a licensed plumber and electrician, you'll need someone to come in and do that work, or inspect it, to make sure it meets the city's codes. There are many pieces to stay on top of.

People with a contracting background may choose the DIY route, but the next best thing is to be an educated consumer. Do your homework first, says the Garage Plan Shop, and you can oversee the contractor's work and make sure that the costs are staying in line with your own budget.

Take a moment to stop and think about your garage addition and if you will have any living spaces above the garage which is very common. Maybe this will become a new rec room, tv room or playroom.Will you need to invest in additional construction steps,hardwood flooringany other architectural details to make this room complete? The good news is, once your garage is complete, if you aren't quite ready to tackle another living space, install a nice interior door and get to it when your schedule, and budget allows.

Creative Commons image by sheilaq6931

Originally posted here:
Things to Consider Before Planning a Garage Addition

Even in mild climates like Texas, there's nothing more frigid than trying to handle metal tools in your chilly, drafty garage. As it turns out, you can easily heat this space with a range of fixesfrom quick additions to permanent installations. Here's how to properly heat your garage this winter.

Types of Garage Heaters

You have the tiny space heater tucked under your desk at work, but there are many mobileor more permanentoptions that can heat your whole garage. The most popular are electric, but you might want to consider one of these lesser-known mediums as well.

Should You Insulate Your Garage?

If you want a more permanent, efficient solution, you might consider insulating your workspace. Most garages aren't sufficiently insulated, which is why they feel so cold in the winter months. If you are a dedicated craftsperson or spend a lot of time working in your garage, enlist a professional contractor to insulate your walls and ceilings.

Like your home, you'll want to prevent heat from going straight out the garage window or door. You might want to replace your garage door with a better insulated model. It might seem like a big expense at first, but this will pay dividends in heating costsand comfortonce you're done.

HomeAdvisor is a Patch promotional partner.

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Heres How To Winterize Your Garage In Texas - Patch.com

During the early months of 2020, construction is scheduled to start in Irvine, Calif., on BANC, a 250-key luxury hotel with 16 condos and 150,000 sf of office space. Sitting atop that buildings parking garage will be a 40,000-sf roof deck with two swimming pools, a 6,500-sf nightclub, and $1.4 million in landscaping.

The landscaping will contribute to providing a level of intimacy for an amenity that accommodates 1,200 people. Another element meant to create a kind of Las Vegas experience will be 40 rentable cabanas, including six that fit up to 20 people each, says Rob Budetti, NCARB, CDP, LEED GA, Partner with AO Architects, this projects designer.

BANC accentuates how roof deck entertainment spaces have become prevalent, even essential, in new construction and as additions to existing buildings. The amenity has become a prominent feature for office buildings, offering an accessible, secure extension of the occupants workplace, explains John Crump, Vice President and Workplace Studio Leader for SmithGroups Washington, D.C., office, whose recent projects include the District Center at 555 12th Street NW, with a 10,000-sf outdoor terrace.

When considering a roof entertainment space, project teams must address several factors: weight loads, moisture control and rainwater management, wind uplift, and occupant safety. The BANC project, for example, must account for the pools depth (3 to 4 feet) and planters with six feet of planting depth, says Diego Alessi, ASLA, Principal and Director of AO Architects landscape studio.

There are four types of loadssnow, rain, live, and deadthat any roof deck design manages, says Blair Hildahl, PE, LEED AP, CMO and Founding Partner with Base4, an AE firm based in LaCrosse, Wis. He adds that if shear walls dont extend above the roof level, the rooftop structure must be able to withstand lateral loads from seismic and wind activity.

Planning for a roof deck needs to happen at the concept stage, says Hildahl. The challenge is to make egress, accessibility, insulation requirements, and waterproofing/drainage work together efficiently.

That gets complicated when the amenity is being dropped onto an older building whose original structural design only figured on snow and dead loads on the roof.

Chicago-based architecture and construction firm Epstein designed the conversion of the Conrad Chicago from an office building to a hotel. The owner, Lawrence Geller, insisted on adding a dynamic roof, so Epstein had to make sure the buildings columns could handle the extra load. The columns were reinforced with a carbon-fiber spray, and beams were installed under the roof slab, says David Scott, AIA, Epsteins Director of Hospitality.

Roof deck amenities are typically built in layers, and the lower layers are probably not going to be touched again for a very long time, says Craig Hargrove, AIA, LEED AP, CDT, RRC, Senior Vice President and Director of Architecture with Hoffmann Architects. So how those layers get built is important because they can be fabulously expensive.

Hargrove notes that a deck must deal with the pitch that funnels rainwater from the roof to drains. But a -inch incline in the walking surface can be noticeable and disturbing psychologically to people standing on it.

Water can be moved to drains at two levels: at the structural deck where the waterproofing membrane is often installed, and above the deck at the walking surface. If these two surfaces drain independently, each can have two different pitches, allowing the walking surface to have a slope that is more conducive to the use of the space. In other cases, such as with loose laid pavers on a pedestal system over the structural deck, the walking surface can be level with no pitch, because water that might collect at the walking surface will drain to the structural deck between the pavers. The pitch of the roof then moves the water by gravity to the drains.

Another approachand one that is typically less expensiveis to stack high-density plastic adjustable shims, known as screw jacks, under the corners of the deck to level the panels.

In any reconstruction that involves a roof deck, its important to consider insulation placement, advises Carl Baldassarra, Principal and Unit Manager with Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates (WJE). Improper installation below the roof deck can lead to problems such as increased freeze-thaw damage, efflorescence, and condensation.

To control moisture, WJE uses a separate waterproofing membrane, such as hot applied rubberized asphalt, which functions as an air barrier and vapor retarder on the surface of the deck, say WJE Principals Norbert Krogstad and Rich Koziol. (The choice of insulation, says Koziol, is currently confined to extruded polystyrene board because of its water-resistant properties.)

Hargrove of Hoffmann Architects notes that the trick is to keep the roofs membrane as far away from the asset as possible to protect the membrane, which is a key component in moisture control. Penetration points therefore should be flashed and detailed carefully.

The roof deck amenity atop the Conrad by Hilton hotel in Chicagoan adaptive reuse of an office buildingrequired that the buildings structural columns be reinforced to hold the extra weight. Roof deck amenities must also handle wind lift when installing flooring and furniture. Photo:Neal Burger/courtesy Epstein.

Getting the entertainment space to intersect seamlessly with the roofs rainwater drainage system is a design imperative. But, Scott cautions, People dont want to see what youre doing to remove water.

To manage rainwater, BANCs roof deck amenity will be built on paving materials atop a pedestal-like system that, at different areas, will be between six and 18 inches above the roof. Irrigation and drainage will go through the underdeck space. Planters will have their own drainage system thats filtered through a biofiltration swale (a requirement in California).

Wind can play havoc on outdoor entertainment spaces. WJEs Krogstad says that, depending on the space and the height of the building, it might be necessary to anchor the deck or terrace finishes to the structure below. Hargrove points out that manufacturers offer paver-locking systems, in wood or precast concrete, so that the roof itself acts as a large unit of ballast.

See Also:Passive House picks up steam

Base4s Hildahl notes that the deck height can affect the elevator landing heights. And if theres a kitchen or any covered spaces, they need to be raised, too; otherwise you may need a ramp for such spaces.

The number of exit doors, stairs, sprinklers, standpipes, and elevators that a roof deck entertainment space must have is spelled out in codes that, for an existing building, sometimes lead to reconstruction. Its sort of the reverse from the way most buildings are designed because people are moving back and forth from the top of the building, says Epsteins Scott. For the Conrad Chicago project, the Building Team had to deconstruct a section of the building to make way for a second stairwell.

In the interest of occupant safety, rooftop spaces used by the public need to be reviewed for guardrail height, says WJEs Baldassarra. Roof decks on tall buildings might also limit the use of combustible materials such as wood decking.

Excerpt from:
Rising to the occasion - Building Design + Construction

If you are in the market to sell your home, you will find that it is not an easy task. Buying a home is a lot easier than selling it. If you can sell your home quickly, you should thank your stars because you are fortunate. For those who find it challenging to sell a home, there is an option that increases the chances of selling your home quickly, and that option is known as staging your home.

Staging a home means you make your house look excellent and appealing to the prospective buyer. Most real estate agents who were assisting buyers felt that staging a home helped the buyers to make a decision. Most buyers even mentioned to the agents that they were able to picture themselves living in the house.

And similarly, agents who were assisting sellers informed the website that they were able to get a reasonable sales price for the seller. Staged homes also sold faster than homes that are not, according to 100commissionrealestate. Lets now get down to the right way of staging a home:

A cluttered house will never sell. People do not like to see a cluttered house as it makes the house look smaller than it is. Also, the prospective buyer is not interested in all yourknick-knacks. An item that may seem very important for you will have no value for the buyer. You should remove all your details, and you can even rent a storage unit for this purpose.

If you think that you can keep your things in a closet, well, you are not alone, but most buyers will open and check cabinets, and a cluttered closet will not help you in any way. Once you have removed the clutter, you should ideally get your house deep cleaned.

Many deep cleaning service providers will make sure that the home sparkles. Make sure that special care is shown for your kitchen and bathroom. Keep the windows open and let in the fresh air. An additional tip is to keep a lid of the toilet closed when you are showing around a buyer.

Everyone likes a house that is bright and neat. So make sure that the curtains are opened and fresh light filters through.

Also, make sure that all the light fixtures are colorful and attractive. If your lighting fixtures need to be changed, make sure to replace it.

It is common knowledge that white light looks better than yellow light, so make sure that the lights are white and bright.

The first room that a person is going to see is the living room, so make sure that the living room is beautiful. If needed, remove all your furniture, and you can even rent the right furniture to improve the overall look and feel of the living room.

Also, space matters a lot. The buyer needs to see that there is a lot of space for movement, so make sure that the furniture is sparse and not too much. Some buyers do not like to see furniture at all. They want the house devoid of any things.

The next room that most buyers like to see in the bedroom. Most of us spend one-third of our lives in a bedroom, and hence it matters a lot to many people. Make sure the bedroom is painted in soothing colors, and the buyer should feel a sense of relaxation when he or she enters it.

The kitchen is also essential for most buyers. Ensure that it is deep cleaned and also make sure that the appliances in the kitchen are serviced and in good working order. A good tip is to bake cookies or bread before the arrival of the buyer because the fragrance will be an excellent mood enhancer and a great ice breaker.

The bathroom should be deep cleaned, and the fittings should be in good working order.

One place that most people forget to clean in the garage. Many people love to have a neat and organized garage, so make sure that the parking is neat and clean. The tools are kept neatly etc.

As we all know that the first impression a buyer has almost always decided the sale. The first thing that a wannabe buyer will see is the curb or the outside of your house, and this needs to be impressive, it needs to create a lasting impression on the mind of the buyer, and if this is accomplished, the sale of the house is more or less complete.

To improve the value of your curb, as the exteriors are often referred to by realtors, you need to wash the walkway and also the house, there are many power wash service providers you can avail their services and get it done. The windows of the house will also be visible from the outside, and it should be neat and clean, and it should not be coated with dust and grime, you need to get it cleaned too.

If you have a lawn, make sure that the grass is not overgrown. If it is, then mowed it. Keep potted plants along the walkways, ideally with flowering plants. Different colored flowers add a lot of beauty to the sidewalks. If required, get the main door painted so that it looks good. The mailbox is often overlooked, the buyer will not like a house that has a broken mailbox or a dirty one, so make sure that the inbox is cleaned and neat.

Small additions add a lot of value to the house. Keep nice vases in the rooms; make sure that fresh flowers kept in them, it is a small addition, but it adds to the beauty of the place. Buy fresh fruits and keep them in a bowl on the dining table, fold towels and hang them in the bathroom, etc. These small additions will make the wannabe buyer think about buying your house positively.

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The Right Way Of Staging Your Home in 2020 - ChartAttack

A new winery will debut in Finleyville this weekend.

Owners Lou and Linda Siyufy, a Peters Township couple, will launch Giant Oaks Winery at a grand opening beginning at noon Saturday. Their facility is located at 3540 Washington Ave., and features a tasting room that will have wines produced with grapes from California, Chile, Pennsylvania and Washington state.

There also will be a selection of semi-sweet white wines and dry reds; Pennsylvania-crafted spirits and beer; and a small plates menu.

Regular tasting room hours will be 4 to 10 p.m. Thursday and Friday; noon to 10 p.m. Saturday; and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday. Private parties may be scheduled on off-business days.

The winery evolved from a hobby Lou Siufy started more than a decade ago. He and his wife also are remodeling a second room in their building for private tastings, and for rental for events/parties for up to 60 people.

For more information, call Beth Stroud, 724-782-0216.

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Winery to open Saturday in Finleyville | Business - Observer-Reporter

It may be winter, but work continues on the future Mark Boulevard bridge. The estimated $7.5 million project includes the construction of the bridge and two roundabouts. Pennington County Engineer Mike Flaagan said a cofferdam was built weeks ago, allowing a crew to drive pile and pour the footing for the west pier of the bridge. Further construction of the west pier wall will continue for the next couple of weeks and then work will switch to the cofferdam for the east pier. (Photo courtesy of Mike Flaagan)

by April ScheinohaReporter

Remodeling and building projects were among the topics discussed at the Pennington County Board meeting Tuesday, Jan. 28.

Commissioner Bruce Lawrence provided an update on remodeling the county Department of Motor Vehicles office. The office is located at the Government Center, formerly known as the courthouse. The county plans to expand the office into the former site of the County Attorneys Office, which has since moved to the Justice Center.

Lawrence said fellow Commissioner Darryl Tveitbakk had contacted architectural firm BKV Group to possibly create a conceptual drawing for the remodeling project. BKV Group worked on the Justice Center. Lawrence noted that a DMV employee created drawings of what employees wanted and needed in that area. He asked whether the county could instead use the employees drawings for the project.

Commissioner Don Jensen noted that the county is required to seek bids and consult with an architect if the project is more than $100,000. Lawrence replied that the county budgeted $25,000 to remodel the area this year.

The matter is expected to be discussed further at an upcoming meeting of the Building Committee.

Commissioners scheduled a bid opening for the roundabout west of Challenger Elementary School. Bids will be opened Monday, March 9 at 11 a.m.

The roundabout will be constructed as part of the estimated $7.5 million Mark Boulevard bridge project. The county is in the process of constructing the Mark Boulevard bridge connecting the area near CES with the area north of Sanford Health. Two roundabouts are planned as part of that project the CES roundabout and a roundabout on Highway 32 north of Sanford Health. It is anticipated that the bridge would be completed by the end of the 2020 construction season. The Highway 32 roundabout is scheduled to be completed by the end of July 2020. Construction on the CES roundabout will start in summer 2020 after school has ended. The CES roundabout will be completed in summer 2020.

Work has started on the bridge. Pennington County Engineer Mike Flaagan said a cofferdam was built weeks ago, allowing a crew to drive pile and pour the footing for the west pier of the bridge. Further construction of the west pier is expected to continue for the next couple of weeks. Work will then move to the cofferdam for the east pier.

Faye Auchenpaugh, who serves on the City Auditorium Committee, presented the final draft of the Future of the Old Auditorium Adaptive Reuse Plan.

If the county chooses to move forward with renovating county-owned City Auditorium, it is expected that it could cost several million dollars.

City Auditorium was dedicated in February 1934 after the former City Auditorium burned down a year earlier. Currently, the building is in disrepair, and the building doesnt comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The county pays about $30,000 per year to maintain the building, which is leased to several tenants. Rental fees dont cover the cost of operating the building.

To help it determine how to proceed, the county hired a University of Minnesota senior research fellow and a graduate student to obtain public input and craft a design. Their work was covered by grants and private donations.

After meeting with the public, Virajita Singh and Kenos Leong proposed the following:

Building a handicapped-accessible entrance between the Pennington County Government Center (formerly known as the courthouse) and City Auditorium, and installing an elevator;

In the basement: Renovating an area for a childcare center, installing cardio machines for the public, renovating a bathroom, creating a gathering hub, creating a multipurpose room/rental party room, updating the kitchen for community use, and creating a storage area for the Thief River Falls Area Community Theater;

On the ground floor:Creating a garden, a nature playground, an information desk area, a coffee bar and a co-working/quiet room. The stage and gym floors would remain there.

On the second floor: Creating a history gallery, a learning center (for technology and art) and an art gallery. However, one row of balcony seats would remain on the second floor.

Auchenpaugh said the State Historic Preservation Office has reviewed the countys application to have City Auditorium listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It determined that the application met all of the criteria. The application now goes before the Minnesota Historical Societys State Review Board. That group meets Tuesday, March 24. If the board passes it, the application then proceeds to the U.S. Department of Interior for final approval.

After Auchenpaugh left the meeting, commissioners noted that they are still investigating their options for the building. Lawrence said he had spoken with an asbestos removal expert, who plans to tour the building and provide an estimate for asbestos abatement.

Our subscribers make this coverage possible. Subscribe today at subscribe@trftimes.com and support local journalism.

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Updates provided on remodeling and building projects in the county - Thief River Falls Northern Watch

All you need is just following our simple and concise guidelines in case you decided to start doing that without the use of any bathroom remodeling service provider.

So, to shorten a too-long room by yourself and without hiring a Bathroom remodeling houston company in case you live in Houston, it is advisable to do the following:

1- Paint the back wall in a darker color, it will then seem closer.

2- Similarly, to give more height to a room, paint the ceiling with the same color as the walls, or in a color that closely resembles it. This tip is particularly interesting for small bathrooms that dream of large spaces.

3- The light tones also make it possible to better capture the light in a room, thus creating a feeling of greater volume than in a dark room. Hence you will generally favor light tones, white tiles, and white light bulbs.

4- Well-thought-out artificial lighting, which will not overlook any area of the bathroom, is also very important.

5- Also, think of the mirrors that literally allow you to split the spaces! Preferably install them on one of the long walls of your room.

6- Finally, do not overload your decoration too much, at the risk of shrinking the space: no need to acquire a number of trinkets useless, your everyday objects can be displayed on your shelves and will perfectly fulfill the same function, while freeing up useful storage space.

7- You can also banish the shower curtain, which you replace with a completely transparent glass wall, which will bring more volume to the room.

8- If your walk-in shower is separated from the rest of your room by a partition, you can also break the linearity of your bathroom by installing your furniture or vanity top and its mirror on this partition, rather than in a row with the rest of your items.

It's as simple as that, only be careful and cautious if it's your first attempt to do such things.

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8 Decorative Tips To Visually Enlarge Your Small Bathroom - The African Exponent