Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

JUPITER, Fla., Sept. 17, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via PRWEB - Spray Foam Insulation & Roofing Magazine is proud to announce its September/October 2012 issue is now digitally available to readers across the globe. Fittingly, the theme of this newest edition is "Spray Foam Around the World" and will feature several internationally focused articles. Furthermore, this issue marks the publication's one-year anniversary.

Highlights of the September/October Issue:

SFIRM Readership Continues to Grow

In reaching the one-year mark, Spray Foam Insulation & Roofing Magazine's readership has steadily risen from a modest market share to nearly 19,000 readers in over 125 countries. This widespread geographic adoption is greatly facilitated by the magazine's 100% digital publication and fully audited readership.

"We continue to see readership expansion both domestically and throughout the world, trends that are directly linked to our reader-friendly digital and mobile platforms," said Ryan Spencer, Editor-in-Chief of Spray Foam Insulation & Roofing Magazine. "Bringing our audience new projects, products and industry-relevant topics in every issue maintains reader loyalty."

Spray Foam Insulation & Roofing Magazine, which is available as an iPhone, Android and Kindle Fire app, maintains a major advantage over traditionally printed publications. While print magazines can only measure how many issues are delivered, digital publications can measure how many issues are actually being read. On that note, Spray Foam Insulation & Roofing Magazine is growing strongly, with an exact readership of 18,777 as of writing, which stands as a 17% increase from the previous issue's tally.

About Spray Foam Insulation & Roofing Magazine:

Spray Foam Insulation & Roofing Magazine is targeted to a global audience of building construction professionals and energy-conscious readers. It is distributed bi-monthly to applicators, manufacturers, distributors, specifiers, general contractors, architects, engineers, and managers in both the public and private sectors. For more information, or free instant access, please use contact details provided.

This article was originally distributed on PRWeb. For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/9/prweb9905736.htm

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Spray Foam Insulation and Roofing Magazine Announces Latest Issue, One-Year Anniversary

A man died Sunday when his car hit a concrete retaining wall in Aurora.

The accident happened just before 6 p.m. Sunday at the intersection of Alameda Drive and South Chambers Road, according to a news release from the Aurora Police Department.

Investigators learned that the car, a Chevy Monte Carlo, was driving south on Chambers Drive at a high speed when it struck a curb near the intersection with Evanston.

After hitting the curb, the car slid sideways into the concrete retaining wall near the Highline canal bike trail underpass that allows trail users to cross under Chambers Road. The car came to rest east of the wall near a median.

Police found the car with severe damage and the driver pinned in the car.

Fire personnel began resuscitation efforts after unpinning the driver, but were not successful.

According to the news release, the driver was wearing a seat belt. Investigators believe speed was a contributing factor, but do not yet know if alcohol or drugs were involved.

The name of the man has not been released.

Read the original here:
One-car accident in Aurora claims one life

THE retaining wall at Olivers Hill which collapsed in April is still safe, despite motorists complaining of it "bulging".

The wall of rock-filled wire baskets was being constructed at the bottom of Olivers Hill before it collapsed on Thursday, April 19, causing chaos for motorists on Nepean Highway.

Southbound lanes were closed for two days while the site was secured and traffic speed limits are still reduced to 40kp/h.

But motorists are concerned the wall is about to collapse again.

Darryl Jones said there was another bulge in the gabion retaining wall on September 13.

"I would not be surprised if it collapses again in the next few days," Mr Jones said.

However, VicRoads spokesman David Fitzgerald said the wall was fine.

"We sent out some tradesmen to check it and it is stable," he said.

"It is still on track to be reconstructed in October and finished some time by Christmas."

At the time of the collapse, VicRoads regional director Peter Todd said the hill's instability was taken into account when the wall was designed.

Read the original:
Motorists' concern over 'bulging' wall at Olivers Hill

Facing a generation gap within the architecture industry, BlueScope Lysaght, a maker of steel building materials, has decided to encourage young architects in Malaysia by establishing the inaugural Malaysia Young Architect Award (MYAA).

Open to all practising architects below the age of 35, the company strongly believes that recognising and rewarding exceptional local talent will ignite their enthusiasm and raise the overall standards of excellence within the country.

There is an abundance of architecture talent in Malaysia, but a gap exists in terms of experience and exposure. Many have revolutionary ideas when it comes to concepts, but are limited by industry demands which are still rather conservative.

We are hoping that the MYAA will be a platform for these up and coming talents to showcase their ability and influence clients and developers to be open to more progressive and modern designs, said BlueScope Lysaght Malaysia president Heon Chee Shyong.

Underlining the prestige of the award, BlueScope Lysaght is allocating a prize of RM20,000 for the winner as well as a RM5,000 prize for the Top Choice award, based on online votes.

The organisers have also recruited a jury comprising world-renowned architects and designers to judge the winning design.

True to the spirit of MYAA, the jury panel itself varies in terms of age and design philosophies, originating from Australia, China, Bangkok, Singapore, and Malaysia.

The jury panel includes: Australias Environa Studio principal architect and director K.A. Tone Wheeler, PI Architect principal Tan Pei Ing, Dezignwerkz Asia chief executive officer Jasmeet Singh Sidhu, Kun Lim Architect design principal Kun Lim, Thailands GreenDwell sustainable design director Siritip Harntaweewongsa and Chinas MAD Architects founding principal Ma Yansong.

According to Jasmeet, the local architecture industry is competitive regionally, but improvements can be made to raise levels of excellence.

Malaysia has around 2,000 architects registered with Lembaga Arkitek Malaysia but there are another 2,000 or so who have yet to obtain their licence to practice on their own.

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Nurturing young architects

Canyon Lake United Methodist Church staff members are breathing a collective sigh of relief now that the construction on Canyon Lake Drive is completed capping a challenging year and a half of detours, construction equipment and noise.

It disrupted the pattern of cars going through, said senior pastor Eric Grinager. It affected the community and business, and it affected church participation. I think some of them were hastled by the construction and didnt want to deal with it.

In an effort to draw people back, encourage newcomers and get the fall started off on the right foot, the church has put up signs and billboards, letting people know the road is open, and so are we, Grinager said.

We want to be open to people looking for a church home, he said.

Along with many churches around the Black Hills, UMC will kick off its fall semester of classes and activities this month.

A fall kick-off event was held earlier this month that included a bouncy house, games, food and people dressed up as Bible characters. Students were introduced to Sunday school teachers and visited classrooms, and the church offered information on upcoming Christian education classes and activities.

The fall is an important time for churches, Grinager said. In his sermons, he said he talks about how many different calendars are used to start activities.

This really is the start of the Christian year for us in many ways, he said. People start planning their whole year based on the school calendar, and oftentimes, the church follows that as well.

The intent, he said, is to be there for families.

People make commitments now as to what they are doing with their kids and families, he said. We want to encourage them to include this as part of their commitment.

Continued here:
FAITH IN ACTION: Road work gives church a new start

Eight firefighters were hospitalized with burn injuries to their faces, hands and legs after two explosions erupted from the school's chemistry lab shortly after crews arrived at 5 a.m. on Sept. 5.

Investigators found the cause of the fire was accidental and the origin to be the installation site of a vent in a lab area, according to a release Friday. The fire had been smoldering in the crawl space above the lab's ceiling for hours.

The explosions were caused by an increase in oxygen to fuel the fire, a backdraft, after firefighters entered the school's chemistry lab.

Tulsa Public Schools leased the building, located at 2324 E. 17th St., to a charter high school it sponsors, the Tulsa School of Arts and Sciences, less than three weeks before the fire.

The Tulsa Fire Department received assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and its National Response Team, which department officials called "tremendously helpful" in the probe.

Without them, "it would have taken weeks longer to do what we did," said Capt. Stan May, public information officer. "The investigation into how it started and how the explosions happened is going to help us in our training."

The department plans to train firefighters to recognize circumstances similar to those that caused the explosions and will review safety protocols to prevent injuries.

Eric Doss, school director at Arts and Sciences, said that the day before the fire, its contractor, Magnum Construction, had been installing a ventilation pipe from the ceiling of the school's chemistry lab to the roof. He said it is standard for chemistry labs to have special ventilation to help remove odors and gases.

Arts and Sciences has announced it will hold classes at the former Sequoyah Elementary School at 3441 E. Archer St. for the remainder of the school year. TPS is evaluating the Barnard site's future.

"The district continues to explore its options with the Barnard property and we are still in information-gathering mode, working in conjunction with TSAS and our insurance companies," said TPS Superintendent Keith Ballard. "In the coming weeks, the TPS board will make a decision as to how we will proceed with the property."

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School fire caused by construction project, investigators find

Kitchen and bathroom renovations top the list of improvements for increasing the value of a home. But this labor-intensive remodeling can get expensive. Even without changing room layouts, the simple job of replacing finishes and fixtures can cost more than the price of a new car.

What builders call pull and replace remodeling can run about $12,000 to $22,000 for the average 5-by-7-foot bathroom and $29,000 to $52,000 for a 12-by-12-foot kitchen, estimates Rick Matus of Bethesda-based Case Design/Remodeling Inc. As soon as you start moving plumbing, electrical wiring and walls, the costs go up substantially from there, he says.

Budget-minded homeowners are finding cheaper solutions in the $10,000 to $20,000 range by making do with existing appliances and fixtures, refinishing kitchen cabinets and shopping for bargains. Suppliers and builders, in turn, are responding to the recession-driven demand for cost-conscious kitchen and bath remodeling with package deals aimed at guaranteeing the costs of materials and labor.

At first, there was no way I was going to spend $18,000 to $25,000 to remodel a bathroom, says Vienna homeowner Hannah Laufe, an attorney. But to get what we wanted, my research showed that was the amount we needed to spend.

Laufe and husband Richard Miller, a teacher, decided to renovate the outdated and worn master bathroom in their 1960s rambler. Everything was pink, the medicine cabinet was rusty and the faucets didnt work as well as they should, Laufe says.

The couple tapped Case to remodel the space based on the firms new renovation program, called the 2012 Bath Collection, launched in January. For $13,000 to $25,000, the company will demolish an existing space, remove lead paint if necessary, and install backer board and tile. New plumbing fixtures, vanity, towel bars, lighting and painting are included in the price. It saves the headache of shopping different sources, Matus says. He says Case is now considering similar package deals for kitchens.

Laufe and Miller had a choice of designs in contemporary, traditional and transitional styles, but within a narrow range of products. They chose a stained maple vanity with a granite countertop, a glass door for the shower, and marble-look-alike porcelain tile on the floor and shower stall, spending about $20,000 on the project. It took less than two weeks to complete, Laufe says.

Finding ways to save

Management consultant Cope Willis and wife Sophie, who works for an educational software company, spent about $9,000 to partially remodel their pink bathroom. They kept the existing toilet and pedestal sink, and hired a local handyman to install a new bathtub and finishes. We worked within the existing constraints of the bathroom to keep costs down, Cope Willis says.

New subway-style tile around the tub, marble tiles on the floor and beadboard wainscoting create what Willis calls a clean, traditional look in keeping with the architectural character of the couples 1938 Colonial in upper Northwest Washington.

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For kitchen and bathroom remodeling, finding ways to cut costs

THE retaining wall at Olivers Hill which collapsed in April is still safe, despite motorists complaining of it bulging.

The wall of rock-filled wire baskets was being constructed at the bottom of Olivers Hill before it collapsed on Thursday, April 19, causing chaos for motorists on Nepean Highway.

Southbound lanes were closed for two days while the site was secured and traffic speed limits are still reduced to 40kp/h.

But motorists are concerned the wall is about to collapse once again.

Darryl Jones he said there was another bulge in the gabion retaining wall on September 13.

"I would not be surprised if it collapses again in the next few days, Mr Jones said.

However, VicRoads spokesman David Fitzgerald said the wall is fine.

"We sent out some tradesmen to check it yesterday and it is stable, he said.

"It is still on track to be reconstructed in October and finished some time by Christmas.

At the time, VicRoads regional director Peter Todd said the hill's inherent instability was taken into account when the wall was designed.

See the original post:
Olivers Hill wall safe despite appearances

Jessica Syta said rain damage for her roof could have been avoided. (credit: CBS)

LITTLETON, Colo. (CBS4)- A Littleton homeowner says a roofing company left their job at her home incomplete and is to blame for the damage record rainfall caused there this week.

The rain that fell in the Denver metro area Wednesday set a record for the most rain in Denver on that date.

The roofing company admitted their workers should have never left the roof exposed overnight without putting a tarp in place.

The homeowner, Jessica Syta, said she had thousands of dollars worth of damage from the rain, damage that she claims could have been prevented.

A complete disaster, said Syta. I was perplexed as to being assured that my home was not open to any issues.

Syta gave CBS4 a tour of her home on Thursday with walls that had been stripped down to the studs and heat fans blowing nonstop to dry out the water damage. Her floors were soaked with rain.

Syta hired ASAP Roofing to replace her roof. The work was still in progress when she asked contractors if they needed to place a tarp over the roof knowing that rain was in the forecast.

She said they told her no and left a black covering as the only protection to the house.

When the storm hit and water started pouring into her home Syta said the roofing company was not responsive and took hours to return her calls.

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Littleton Homeowner Claims Roofing Company To Blame For Rain Damage

Investigators with the Tulsa Fire Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms found the cause of the fire at the Tulsa School of Arts and Sciences to be accidental and the origin to be the installation site of a vent in a lab area, according to a news release Friday.

On Sept. 5, a three-alarm fire gutted the school, which is located at 2324 E. 17th St.

Tulsa Public Schools leased the empty building to the charter high school earlier this year. Barnard Elementary School was closed as part of the district's efficiency effort Project Schoolhouse.

Two explosions erupted within an hour of when crews arrived on scene and began an interior attack on the blaze.

Eight firefighters suffered burn injuries to their face, legs and back. Three were hospitalized overnight.

Investigators say the explosions were caused by an increase in oxygen to fuel the fire -- a backdraft -- after firefighters entered the schools chemistry lab.

Read more in Saturdays Tulsa World.

Read the original:
Construction ruled cause of fire at Tulsa School of Arts and Sciences