Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design
-
July 30, 2017 by
Mr HomeBuilder
Photographed by Ana Kamin for Lonny.
Floors are the foundation of a room. But while living with an unsightly fifth wall can cause some serious interior angst, (get outta here, 70s linoleum!), updating it can also be a major undertaking. So, to help make the prospect of an underfoot overhaul a little less daunting, we turned to Homepolishdesigner Ana Claudia Schultz.
Below Claudia gives us a flooring 101, sharing everything from quick fixes to timeless materials to exactly what professionals you should hire for the job. (And yes, in most cases, Claudia does not recommend updating your floors solo.) If youre tired of that cheap, outdated, or otherwise eye-offending situation happening south of your feet, read on and remedy that frightful floor with confidence.
Whats the first thing to consider when choosing a new floor?First you have to consider the room and its use. If the area is part of the rest of the space, then you need to consider whether you want to match it for fluidity or break up the space.
How much does replacing your floor typically cost?It depends on the material and price per square foot, and on the contractor's bid. It can be as low as $1.50 per square foot for flooring, to up to hundreds per square foot. Some contractors take the price of the material and match that for installation costs, or it's a flat fee. If the design is mosaic and a lot of labor, then it will cost more no matter what.
Photographed by Nicole Franzen for Lonny.
Can you pick out and install new floors yourself, or should you hire professionals?Do not install yourself unless you are more than handy, but also have amazing talent to do so. Even with engineered wood floors [you should hire help], because the installation may be easy but the finishing touches are just as important. How did you finish the edges? Does your baseboard cover the edges or do you not have baseboards and need to cut the wood perfectly on the edge? What about transition on a turn? All things to consider.
Who, if anyone, should you hire?A great contractor makes a great designer look amazing. Always hire a great contractor, with or without a designer. One of the roles of the designer is to make sure we help you make the right decisions once for the overall look for the room and home instead of re-doing and replacing it in the near future.
What materials are most durable? Best bang for your buck?Bang for your buck is porcelain, even for faux wood, and it's more durable than engineered wood. Natural stone is most expensive and least durable. You will need to constantly maintain it.
Are there any quick-fix options to improve the look of your floor without replacing it?If you have wood floors, always consider keeping them! Don't cover them up and re-stain them, even if they have a parquet pattern. Parquet has a bad rap, but it adds texture. Plus, it's always better than carpet.
Photographed by Amy Bartlam.
Current trends?Natural oak finish is back! And it's the least expensive way to finish your natural wood floors. White and bleached oak is "out", which was one of the most expensive options for staining.
Any flooring that never goes out of style?Wood, no matter what finish, because it can go out of style one year and a few years later, come right back.
Anything else to consider in choosing a new floor?You need to love it! Ignore trends. Love everything in your home and it will always put a smile on your face.
Photographed by Nicki Sebastian.
Related Articles:
Read more from the original source:
Expert Advice: Help, I Hate My Floors! - Lonny Magazine
-
July 30, 2017 by
Mr HomeBuilder
I was one of those kids with perpetually grass-stained knees who reveled in the acquisition of new scrapes and bruises and the accumulation of mud under my fingernails. Being dirty was an accomplishment. My big brothers were always dirty when they got home from work, always covered in sawdust or mortar and stinking of sweat and construction site dust. They were two of the coolest people I knew and I wanted nothing more than to be dirty, just like them.
With age came invitations to accompany them on jobs, which was inevitable. It was a family flooring installation business, and it belonged to all of us, even me. At work during my preteen years, I wore whatever clothes I owned that were too old or ill-fitting for school. I was fragile and spindly back then and did not look the part of a construction worker, but I took pleasure in dressing up (or down, as it were). I liked fetching tools and earning the rips in my pants and pulling splinters from my palms. I liked the fatherly banter from strange men on job sites, pointing out how I was really something and shouldnt my parents be proud.
At school, I experimented with different kinds of clothing. Id always loved reading The Baby-sitters Club, a series in which a main character crafts outlandish outfits, so I figured it would be fun for me to do the same. Homemade jewelry, oversized sweaters with leggings, vibrant skirt-and-tights combos. My creations werent well-received. Once, a classmate asked me out on a date as a joke while his friends stood nearby and snickered. Another poured a pile of outdoor debris, literally sticks and stones, into my backpack when I wasnt looking. As a middle-schooler, these moments felt excruciating. I retreated into my books and spent most of my time in the library, the second safest place in the world after my beloved construction sites.
At 16, I worked after school as an actual, paid flooring installer. I nailed hardwood and built tile showers and eventually started directing crews of men twice my age. I made decent money and bought work clothes that were practical and made me feel attractive. Low-cut, flare-legged jeans that looked good with a leather belt and tool pouch. Tees slim enough to show off my figure but loose enough for me to stick my hand under and fold them up to wipe the sweat off my forehead.
I felt confident in those clothes. I liked that I could walk into a hardware store or lumber yard and be taken seriously. I liked how the strange men had started looking at me with intrigue, as if I was really something but in a way that was different than before. By my junior year of high school, I had figured out how to dress for the acceptance of my peers: polos with logos, denim skirts, overpriced leather sandals. I made friends and even dated a couple of the more popular boys but I clung to the edges of their world with difficulty. It was only after the bell rang, after I slipped out of my itchy teenage skin and back into my grimy work one, that I felt comfortable. Everything else was just pretending.
Homecoming was in October. Id stopped by a little mall boutique after school, on my way to help one of my brothers install porcelain tile in a kitchen, and I had a small selection of dresses draped over my arm. I approached a saleswoman.
Hi, can I try these on?
She evaluated me slowly. Her gaze cascaded from the top of my head (ponytail tucked under a baseball cap speckled with dried thin-set mortar) to my T-shirt and jeans, which were technically clean but had seen better days, and on down to my crusted-over work boots. She cocked her head to the side and gifted me with a pitying smile that was somehow also a frown.
Aww, honey, she whispered. Of course you can.
She thought I couldnt afford them.
Another time I walked into the restroom of a busy lunch joint. A little girl was sitting on the edge of the counter waiting for her mother, who was in a stall. I smiled at the girl and took to washing my dirt-caked hands at the sink. The girl stared at me, her eyes wide with concern.
Mommy!? There's a man in here.
These moments didnt hurt my feelings the way the rocks had years before, but I do remember them. I remember thinking about my brothers, how Id been to restaurants and clothing stores with them at their grimiest, and Id never seen them on the receiving end of a pitying smile. And while I can't confirm this, I would bet their degree of cleanliness (or lack thereof) never caused onlookers to mistake them for women.
I installed full-time for a few more years and then quit. I didnt stop enjoying it, but tides do change and Im the type who can get tired of anything. I worked in retail for a while, then transitioned to office life, where, like in high school, I learned how to dress for acceptance. Cardigans, dresses, flats, funky accessories that doubled as conversation starters. Now I work from home as a writer and am pleased to once again have the rare luxury to wear only what is needed. Because I live in Florida, that means shorts and tank tops.
Somewhere along the way, I tossed my dirty old work clothes. I miss them at times.
I miss them on nights when a gang of blue-collar workers are laughing over a round of beers at the bar. I miss them on mornings when Im feeling particularly nostalgic, when I stop at a gas station and crews are fueling up, chugging cheap coffee, and icing down coolers of bottled water. I've missed them on so many occasions when looking like a man or at least like a member of the mens club would be more beneficial than looking like a woman.
I could always get some more clothes like the ones I used to wear, rub dirt on them, maybe pull a few threads loose at the seams. But of course, it's not really about the fabric. I miss the camaraderie of my crew, the weight of a tool pouch against my left hip, and how unbreakable I felt wearing outfits meant to be broken in. I miss being a dirty woman who made clean people uncomfortable. I miss using my jeans as napkins.
I could dress for the reactions I want, but theres no practical reason for me to wear a pair of crusty work boots out to the bar or mall. And if theres one lesson I learned from my roots, one thing about myself Ive come to terms with once and for all, its that I just like practicality no pretending.
Recently, I decided to install a backsplash in my kitchen. It had been years since Id used any of my tile tools, and when I dug them out of storage, I realized my sawblades were dull. I drove to a home improvement store to buy replacements.
There are multiple ways to cut tile. You can use a wet saw, which looks like someone flipped a table saw upside down and stuck it in a tiny bathtub. You can use a tool called a scorer. Or you can use nearly any small, handheld dry saw as long as you switch the toothed blade out for a smooth diamond blade. (Teeth are for cutting wood.) I prefer the last option, though it works best if the tile isnt too dense otherwise it will heat up and chip all to hell.
At the store, I asked an employee where to find their diamond blades. I was wearing a floral tank top, nice shorts, and a pair of Vans. He must have misheard me. He must have thought Id asked not for blades, but for a long-winded lecture about how they work and how tile can only be cut with a wet saw, no exceptions. After 10 minutes of this I went off to find the blades myself.
The backsplash looks great, by the way.
View post:
I Miss the Clothes I Wore as a Construction Worker - Racked
Category
Flooring Installation | Comments Off on I Miss the Clothes I Wore as a Construction Worker – Racked
-
July 30, 2017 by
Mr HomeBuilder
This article is published in collaboration with Scutify, where you can find real-time markets and stock commentary from Robert Marcin, Cody Willard and others. Download the Scutify iOS App, the Scutify Android App or visit Scutify.com.
There are several reasons why a San Antonio Bathroom Remodeling project is highly popular among the residents. Most households are looking forward to achieve trendy bathrooms in order to suit the changing lifestyles and evolving bathroom styles. A trendy bathroom in your home can meet the overwhelming expectations of your family members besides significantly increasing the resale value of your property. However, when you plunge into a bathroom remodel project, you must follow some guidelines so that you get the best outcome expected as well as minimize the spending you do on the project. Here are some expert pieces of advices on how to approach your bathroom remodeling project.
Decide on the objectivesEvery project should be tuned perfectly to meet its objectives. First identify your goals from the project. Take into account the needs and tastes of your family members too. Visit some trendy bathrooms or browse through the pictures of some great bathrooms. These steps will equip you with the basic idea to decide what to look for in your bathroom remodeling project. Also, discussing with a professional bathroom remodeling company will give you some useful ideas.
Plan the spaceEstimate what you wish to remove and what you wish to get in newly. Based on this consideration, work on the space available to see whether you are going to gain or lose. Any attempt to ruin the existing comforts is a total waste on the money and effort you spend. So, right from the planning stage, be focused on what you wish to achieve.
Ensure the harmony of the various elementsAfter all, the ultimate purpose of any bathroom remodeling project is to see that the final result is awesome and appreciated by others. So, ensure that the different aspects of your planning, the amenities you will install, the kind of tiling and colors you bring in, the utility aspects you will install are in harmony with each other resulting in a overall compatibility without striking some dissonance.
Plan for economyEconomic planning does not mean compromising with the quality output. You can still have a great bathroom by minimizing the spending through a proper planning. For instance, when you install new features or relocate the existing features, ensure you disturb the existing plumbing lines the minimum. This will ensure you save on the costs of the project.
Buy branded accessoriesWhat you achieve must be durable and trouble free in the long run. So, though economy should be one of your considerations, it must not cripple your choice of branded fixtures and accessories. Products that carry a warranty will save you enough money in the event of some troubles or faults. Also, sometimes, the price decides the quality and you must never settle with some inferior options.
Choose the right bathroom remodeling companyThe ultimate results of the bathroom remodeling project will depend on the quality of the company you choose. Right from their industry experience, planning skills, expertise, knowledge of the latest trends and designs, capable workforce and customer centered working model, the merits of the company will work to your benefit. Looking from these angles, the residents find us the best San Antonio bathroom remodeling firm.
Safeshowers is a Leading bathroom remodeling Company In Austin & San Antonio, TX provides Tub To Shower Conversion and Safety Shower Austin.
This article published in collaboration with Scutify, the best app for traders and investors. Download the Scutify iOS App, the Scutify Android App or visit Scutify.com.
More:
Owner's Guide To Bathroom Remodeling - Minyanville.com
Category
Bathroom Remodeling | Comments Off on Owner’s Guide To Bathroom Remodeling – Minyanville.com
-
July 30, 2017 by
Mr HomeBuilder
"Many Americans choose to age in their own homes where they are familiar with their environment," said Joe Todaro, Director of Operations of Gold Medal Service. "People of all ages value their ability to live independently and remodeling a bathroom in preparation for retirement will ensure convenience and safety."
Things homeowners can do to adapt their bathrooms so it is safer for anyone with limited mobility to use include:
Having your bathroom remodeled may appear to be daunting, but certain companies, like Gold Medal Service, can create a fully customized bathroom with minimal difficulty in as little as one day. Bathroom remodeling is a timely and cost-effective solution for homeowners who need to adapt their bathroom making it safer and more convenient for someone with physical impairments to use, while increasing a home's value.
For more tips and advice on one-day bathroom remodeling solutions, contact Gold Medal Service at 800-576-GOLD or visit http://www.goldmedalservice.com.
About Gold Medal ServiceGold Medal Service was founded in 1994 with a vision to provide homeowners with a reliable and trustworthy home service company customers could count on to fix just about anything that could go wrong in a home. Since then, Gold Medal has grown to include more than 195 Service Expert Technicians, Installers, and employees solving plumbing, heating, cooling, electric, drain, sewer and waterproofing issues for homeowners across the state ofNew Jersey. Gold Medal Service is aDave LennoxAward recipient, exclusive to the top 25 Lennox Premier Dealers throughout the Unites States andCanada. For more information, call 800-576-GOLD or visitwww.goldmedalservice.com.
MEDIA CONTACT:Heather RipleyRipley PR865-977-1973hripley@ripleypr.com
View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bathroom-remodeling-tips-making-aging-in-place-in-your-own-home-safer-and-easier-300494163.html
SOURCE Gold Medal Service
Home Page
Read this article:
Bathroom Remodeling Tips Making Aging-in-Place in Your Own Home Safer and Easier - PR Newswire (press release)
Category
Bathroom Remodeling | Comments Off on Bathroom Remodeling Tips Making Aging-in-Place in Your Own Home Safer and Easier – PR Newswire (press release)
-
July 30, 2017 by
Mr HomeBuilder
"Well-planned and executed home improvements make your house more livable while you live there, and they boost your home's resale value," says Angie's List founder Angie Hicks. "If you're investing in your home specifically to help sell it, focus your dollars on the things that will really wow a potential buyer."
Home remodeling projects with the highest ROI include:
THE KITCHEN
Whether it's a major overhaul or just a simple makeover, putting a fresh face on your kitchen is your best investment. Many homes on the market still have cabinets, appliances and fixtures dating back to the 1990s or longer.
Maximize your return by limiting your project cost to no more than 20 percent of the value of your home. Expect an 85 percent return on your investment.
THE BATHROOM
An outdated bathroom can spoil a sale. Current trends have homeowners installing large showers instead of garden tubs. A major update by a reputable bathroom remodeling contractor costs less than $20,000, but it should yield an 80 percent return.
DECKS
A new deck can cost a few thousand to tens of thousands of dollars, depending on size and materials used. Before you build, look at other homes in your area and build accordingly. If the deck is in good shape, your return could be more than 80 percent.
SIDING
If your home's facade is siding, and it's not in good shape, replacing or repairing it can bring instant freshness. You'll likely spend at least $10,000 for vinyl, more for fiber cement, but you should get at least 80 percent back.
WINDOW REPLACEMENT
The energy efficiency of new windows is a clear benefit to switching out older windows, but in some cases, it's a safety feature, too. Costs depend on the number of windows you're replacing, of course, and the type. Expect a return on your investment of at least 70 percent.
HIRING A REMODELING CONTRACTOR
Do your due diligence when hiring a contractor for any improvement. Visit Angie's List for consumer reviews on highly rated contractors, builders and other service professionals.
"Don't settle for a company without a great local reputation or references you can verify," Hicks says. "Wait for the right contractor."
Excerpt from:
What remodeling projects have the highest return on investment? - Duluth News Tribune
Category
Bathroom Remodeling | Comments Off on What remodeling projects have the highest return on investment? – Duluth News Tribune
-
July 30, 2017 by
Mr HomeBuilder
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y., July 24, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Controlling the temperature of the home is an important part of daily comfort. Outdated and inefficient units can leave the home uncomfortable during the dog days of summer. T. Webber Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning, a family owned and operated home services company serving the Hudson Valley, offers advice for homeowners to determine if a ductless air conditioning system would make a good fit for the home.
"We are often asked by homeowners if we think the ductless air conditioning system is right for their home or transforming their garages into a living space," said Tommy Webber, owner of T. Webber Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning. "There are many benefits to having a ductless mini-split system; it will not only save on energy costs, but it can assist with peace in the home when it comes to individual desired room temperature."
Webber offers the top five benefits of installing a ductless mini-split air conditioning system:
For Hudson Valley-area residents who would like more information on the ductless mini-split air conditioning systems, the professionals at T. Webber Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning are ready to assist. For more information visit http://twebber.com/ or call 1-845-265-1400.
About T. Webber Plumbing, Heating & Air ConditioningT. Webber Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning is a family owned and operated home services company serving the Hudson Valley area, including Dutchess, Putnam, Westchester, Orange and Ulster counties. A+ rated by the Better Business Bureau, T. Webber has been the company of choice for commercial and residential repairs and services for nearly 30 years. Tom Webber founded the company in 1989 with the vision to exceed customer expectations and provide exceptional service with integrity, competence and objectivity with every service call. T. Webber provides timely, same-day service for plumbing, heating, air conditioning, electrical, well system, water quality, bathroom remodeling, and sewer and septic repairs. For more information, call 1-845-265-1400 or visit http://twebber.com/.
MEDIA CONTACT: Heather RipleyRipley PR865-977-1973rel="nofollow">hripley@ripleypr.com
View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/5-reasons-to-install-a-ductless-heating-and-cooling-system-300492257.html
SOURCE T. Webber Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning
The rest is here:
5 Reasons to Install a Ductless Heating and Cooling System - Markets Insider
-
July 30, 2017 by
Mr HomeBuilder
July 28, 2017
iStock photo
As heat and humidity grip many parts of the nation, controlling the temperature of the home, be it a single or multi-family structure, is an important part of daily comfort. But outdated and inefficient units may leave thehome uncomfortable during the dog days of summer. The desire to keep cool can be lose tothe desire to avoid a huge utility bill next month.
But there may be a solution that lowers your energy bills while keeping homes comfortable.T. Webber Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning, a family owned and operated home services company serving the Hudson Valley in New York, offers adviceto determine if a ductless air conditioning system would make a good fit.
Owner Tommy Webber offers the top five benefits of installing a ductless mini-split air conditioning system:
Topics: Architectural Firms, Automation and Controls, Building Owners and Managers, Construction Firms, Consulting - Green & Sustainable Strategies and Solutions, Energy Saving Products, HVAC - Heating & Cooling & Ventilation, Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), Interiors, Technology, Ventilation
View original post here:
5 reasons to install a ductless heating, cooling system - Proud Green Building (press release) (registration) (blog)
Category
Heating and Cooling - Install | Comments Off on 5 reasons to install a ductless heating, cooling system – Proud Green Building (press release) (registration) (blog)
-
July 30, 2017 by
Mr HomeBuilder
Sacramento homebuilders are trying to deal with a severe shortage of construction workers by training high school students in summer internships. They want the teens and their parents to consider the possibility that a construction career might be a good alternative to college, though that can require some convincing.
Theres a negative stereotype about dirty jobs, said Rick Larkey, executive director of the North State Building Industry Foundation. The group is leading the effort to recruit 5,000 new workers over five years in Sacramento, Placer, Yolo and El Dorado counties. A big part of that is the outreach to high-school students through internships and after-school programs.
The foundations pitch on its website is that a four-year college degree isnt the guarantee of financial success it used to be. The American workforce is in desperate need of skilled technicians, and incomes for construction work can rival jobs requiring four-year degrees without the expense of college.
Were trying to give them an opportunity to have a successful and meaningful career that pays well, especially for those that like to work with their hands, Larkey said.
After last decades housing crash, thousands of Sacramento-area construction workers left the industry. Many retrained for new careers or moved away. Now that home construction is on the upswing, builders are finding they cant keep up with demand because they lack skilled laborers. Plumbers, electricians and many other tradespeople are in short supply.
The builders are looking to teenagers, such as Karina Records, to help fill those jobs.
Records, 17, spent part of Thursday morning in the attic of a half-built home learning to install heating and air conditioning ducts. She carefully stepped from rafter to rafter with the sun beating down on the roof above her on a 100-degree day.
My helmet is filled with sweat, she said as she climbed down a ladder to learn how to install a dryer vent. Despite the heat, she said she enjoyed the detailed work of connecting ducts and other tasks involved in heating, ventilation and air conditioning, or HVAC, a field where skilled workers are in high demand.
Records is an incoming senior at Sheldon High School in the Vineyard area of Sacramento County, about 2 miles from the construction site where shes worked this summer. She and 14 or 15 high school juniors from the Elk Grove Unified School District made $10.50 an hour interning with national homebuilder Lennar at its subdivisions near Bradshaw Road and Gerber Road.
Under the instruction and guidance of Lennar mentors, the interns have gotten hands-on experience in nearly every step of home construction. They poured foundations, framed houses and put in plumbing. They hung cabinets, laid carpet and installed wiring. They painted homes, built fences and set up solar panels.
I try to expose them to everything we can so they can make choices, said Sandy Wills,senior construction manager with Lennar at its Vineyard location.
About 30 interns worked at Lennar job sites around the Sacramento region this summer. More than 30 others took part in Mayor Darrell Steinbergs Thousand Strong initiative, learning construction skills, or another program run through the Placer County Office of Education, the Building Industry Foundation reported.
The Lennar interns at the Vineyard project said their exposure to different trades was key to learning what work they found satisfying.
Nick Carlson, 17 and a Sheldon High student, said hed like to be an electrician. The work is challenging, and journeyman electricians make about $35 an hour, or $70,000 a year, he said. Carlson said he sees trade school as a potentially more direct route to a career than college.
A number of interns said they intended to go to college to pursue a degree in construction management or engineering before going back to work in the homebuilding industry. Others said they were still weighing their options but hadnt ruled out going right into a skilled trade.
Chris Rhodes, 17, said he learned about the construction internships as a student in Cosumnes Oaks High Schools Architectural Design and Engineering Academy. He said hell probably go to college to study mechanical engineering but liked knowing he had options.
Construction is a fast-growing industry, Rhodes said. If doors get closed to you, this door is always open.
Jason Kolvoord, 17, said he wants to work in construction for a while before going to college, and Miriam Bell, 17, said she plans to go to trade school but hasnt decided on a trade yet. Both teens attend Laguna Creek High School.
Lennars Sacramento-area vice president for operations, Jeff Panasiti, said there are plenty of jobs for interns who want them after graduation.
You guys are on the other side of the recession, Panasiti told a group of teens in a newly built garage. Seventy percent of construction workers lost their jobs and scattered. Now there are ample opportunities for new workers, he said. The skys the limit.
View original post here:
Homebuilders want high school students for construction jobs - Sacramento Bee
-
July 30, 2017 by
Mr HomeBuilder
Q: How do I stop my wood-burning fireplace from smelling like smoke in humid weather? A faint smoke smell would be OK, but this is obnoxious. It seems worse when the air conditioner or even the washer and dryer are running. The smell just wafts on in from the chimney. We have a glass door installed, but it doesnt help.
A: Chimney smells stink up indoor air when the air pressure is lower indoors than out. Especially in a house that was built to be fairly airtight, this can happen when a dryer or other exhaust fan runs or if there are leaks in heating and air-conditioning ducts. To equalize the pressure, air moves down the chimney, making your house stink. Summer conditions add to the problem because the outdoor air is hot and humid and therefore heavier than the drier, cooler indoor air.
In theory, closing the damper on your fireplace should stop the airflow where the air picks up the smell. But fireplace dampers often dont seal very well. For a better seal, you could have a chimney sweep install a spring-loaded stainless-steel damper at the top of the fireplace flue. We called a local company that estimated the job at $630.
Or, for $42.99 to $86.99, depending on the chimney width, you could install an inflatable device known as a Chimney Balloon, available at Amazon.com. It has mixed reviews, however, with some buyers reporting that it punctures easily. Filling a hefty plastic bag with insulation and stuffing that into the chimney opening at the base of the fireplace might work just as well and would surely cost less. Just be sure to remove the plug before you use the fireplace.
If closing off the chimney doesnt stop the smell, call a heating and air-conditioning company to assess air balance in your home. It might help to pipe fresh air directly to combustion appliances (which would include the dryer if yours is a gas model). Or you might benefit from a heat-recovery ventilator, which could introduce more fresh air but in a way that uses the temperature of indoor air to preheat or precool it so you dont waste energy. Sealing leaks in heating and air-conditioning ducts or balancing the system by adding more openings might also be part of the solution.
Q: Our KitchenAid Superba garbage disposal was installed in January 2011. For the past few months, it has failed to grind up and flush vegetable matter that it previously had no problem with. The blades rotate, chopping up the waste, but the waste does not exit the unit. I called the manufacturer for guidance. I was told to fill the disposal with ice to help with grinding. Although some relief was obtained, much of the waste remained in the disposal. Any ideas about why it is failing?
A: This is a three-fourths-horsepower model thats still sold. It has a five-year limited warranty that would cover a repair visit to your home if it were still in effect. But the warranty expired about 1 years ago, a sign that its probably time to replace the unit. The current cost is $279 at Lowes and perhaps even less from other retailers if you shop around online.
If youre reasonably handy, you could probably install a new unit yourself. KitchenAid provides installation instructions that appear straightforward. Lowes could install it for about $120, a local spokesman said.
You might try repeating the ice trick a couple of times. Disposals sometimes work poorly because of a buildup of grease and other debris. Ice particles whip around in the mechanism and pick up the gunk, helping to clean it.
Also try another cleaning method that the manufacturer suggests in its care manual: With the unit off, place a stopper over the opening and fill the sink halfway with warm water. Mix one-fourth cup baking soda with water and dump it in. Turn on the disposal as you remove the stopper. If youre lucky, the force of the water, plus the bubbling action and grease-cutting properties of baking soda, will help restore the units performance, as well as eliminate any foul odors. After the sink drains, remove the sink baffle and clean it by hand or in the dishwasher. Replace it before you operate the disposal again.
See original here:
How to stop fireplace smoke smells during summer - Daily Herald
-
July 12, 2017 by
Mr HomeBuilder
Clark Construction Group has been selected by University of California San Diego (UCSD) to build the$608 million North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood, a 10-acre project designed to achieve LEED Platinum certification. HKS Architects will lead the design team for the project and Safdie Rabines Architects will also assist with design.
The mixed-use neighborhood will blend academic residential, commercial and cultural programming and will house 2,000 beds. The development will have tenants such as Sixth College, Social Sciences and Arts and Humanities. The campus will incorporate student housing academic buildings and research spaces, general assignment classrooms and community service programs. Additionally, the project will include the Craft Center, a space providing non-curricular classes that will engage the campus and surrounding community and will feature 9,000-square-foot retail space.
The Living and Learning Neighborhood at North Torrey Pines community will consist of seven buildings featuring outdoor space, approximately 1,200 parking spaces, as well aswalking and bike paths. Construction will begin in summer 2018 and is slated for completion in 2020.
Innovative universitieslike many leading urban centersare transforming their campuses into vibrant mixed-use neighborhoods. The Living and Learning Neighborhood will be among the most progressive campuses in the country, as it will offer students, faculty and visitors a truly integrated experience, David Harper, HKS principal & global higher education sector leader, said in prepared remarks. Unlike many traditional universities that silo academic, residential and administrative facilities into separate areas on campus, we are fusing together all aspects of the university experienceliving, learning, socializing and workinginto a single environment.
UCSD has been expanding its campus recently, with other projects in the works including a partnership with BioMed Realty to develop a 110,000-square-foot research hub focused on finding treatments and cures for cancer and other chronic diseases.
Video courtesy of HKS
Read the original post:
Clark Construction Leads $608M San Diego Mixed-Use Project - Commercial Property Executive
Category
Retail Space Construction | Comments Off on Clark Construction Leads $608M San Diego Mixed-Use Project – Commercial Property Executive
« old Postsnew Posts »