Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

If you thought Christopher Nolans Batman movies looked good before, get excited because the director has confirmed that hes working on a 4K restoration of his The Dark Knight trilogy.Warner Bros. is in the thick of their new on-screen incarnation of the DC universe, butlots of folksare still loyal to Nolans Christian Bale-led version and rightfully so, its one of the best film trilogies of all time, so its a heck of a clever money-making move to get the director back on the Batman train for a new home video release.

Wth Dunkirk heading into theaters later this month, Nolan sat down for an interview with the folks atBadTaste.It(h/t Batman-News), where he discussed restoring his back catalogue to 4K and his enthusiasm process. His love for the cleaner images should come as no surpriseconsidering hes one of the last holdouts who stillinsists on shooting with film, and indeed, Nolan praises the new technology as a means of getting closer to the experience of a movie shot and projected on film.

Image via Warner Bros.

The wonderful thing about 4K technology is it gets closer to the resolution that we shot in film, he tells the outlet. Photochemically finished films of 35mm have at least 6K resolution, IMAX films, upwards of 18K. So as home video formats keep evolving, 4K particularly 4K with HDR, it allows us to give somebody at home an experience thats much much closer to what it was like to see the original film prints as projected on film.

Nolan also confirmed that he is very much personally involved with the restoration process, however, dont necessarily expect to see the 4K editions right away Its a long, complicated process that were doing right now, he said, but I think the results Im seeing are very pleasing and very spectacular. Watch what he had to say in the video below.

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Christopher Nolan Is Working on a 4K Remaster of 'The Dark Knight' Trilogy - Collider.com

Evidence of the lightning strikes damage can be seen inside the Midgett House. Photo: Contributed

Reprinted from the Island Free Press

RODANTHE Sometime during the night of Sunday, July 2, one of the favorite structures at the Chicamacomico Historic Site, the 1907 Midgett House, was hit by lightning.

The lightning strike connected with the original wiring in the home, which is not in use but still runs through the structure. From there, the effects of the strike trickled throughout the house, damaging the original panel box, causing old paint to shake loose from the walls and, most noticeably, destroying the original chimney.

Though there was no fire, the result of the strike was pretty damaging. Dinah Beveridge, the site manager, was the first one to see the home on Monday morning, as she was showing a new employee how to open the property for visitors.

One of the biggest challenges in the restoration may be the chimney.

It was a mess, she said. Weve got some renovation to do, for sure.

Now, the team at this historic Rodanthe landmark is working to collect donations to restore this popular 1907 residence, and reopen it for visitors.

We do need donations for this project, said John Griffin, president of the Chicamacomico Historical Life-Saving Station Board. (A lightning strike) was not in our budget for this year.

The Midgett House was donated to the Chicamacomico Historic Site in 2006 by residents Bette Gray and Trish Midgett, who also used their own money to have the original 1907 home moved to the site.

The home was an original keepers house for Palmer Midgett, who served at several stations throughout the island, and eventually became superintendent of all the stations on Hatteras Island later in his career.

This was the house he lived in, said Griffin. We furnished it as it would have been furnished in 1907 or 1908, and its a period piece. When people go through it, we tell them that this is how a well-to-do family may have lived at that time.

The home has two floors, featuring a total of four bedrooms, a kitchen and a dining room.

All of the rooms are very small, said Griffin. They did originally have running water, but no toilet.

A keeper was a high and well-paid rank, so this was a nice home for the time certainly not the home of an average Joe, he added.

As part of the five structures that are found at the Chicamacomico Historic Site, including the main 1911 Life-Saving Station, the original 1874 Life-Saving Station and two cook houses, the Midgett House is a favorite component for many visitors.

The damage to the electrical panel is shown. Photo: Contributed

Before the July 2 lightning strike, visitors could tour the intricate home, which has been outfitted with all original touches, and could step back in time to a Hatteras lifestyle of generations ago.

And more often than not, this brief time travel trip brought back memories for many visitors.

So many people just love that little house, said Beveridge. Its beautiful, and its like many of the houses from the old days. People go through there and say I feel like I just got out of my grandmas house!

For now, the home is closed as the folks at the Chicamacomico Historic Site start plotting out repairs. But hopes are high that it wont be too long before the little house that everyone seems to love is up and running again.

While cleanup is a big aspect of the coming renovation process, there are some repairs and changes that arent as easy as applying a new coat of paint.

One of the biggest projects in the restoration may very well be the chimney.

We dont have a lot of brick masons on the island for fixing the chimney, said Griffin, But a local guy who is a concrete contractor will take a look, and will hopefully be able to put it back together with the original bricks that got knocked off.

Another step that the site is planning to take is to address the wiring. Theres no electricity to the home, but removing the wiring is slated to be part of the restoration work.

It was a house that didnt have an electrical hook-up, but had wiring in it, explained Beveridge. All electrical wiring needs to be pulled out of it safety first.

Mike Daughtry, the local Chicamacomico Banks Volunteer Fire Department chief as well as the vice president of the board, helped secure the site from further damage. He placed a tarp over the open chimney to prevent further damage.

We havent been able to assess all of the damage were still in the early stages, said Beveridge.

In the meantime, the Chicamacomico Historic Site and all other structures are open for business. Additionally, fliers are being posted throughout the villages and on social media in the hopes that donations will come in for the work ahead for the Midgett House.

People are fascinated by the house. They go through and say, My grandmother had a stove just like that! said Griffin. Its closed now, and were not going to open it until its ready, but were starting the process to get it fixed.

In the meantime, folks can donate in one of three ways:

Please note Midgett House on your donation.

This story is provided courtesy of the Island Free Press, a digital newspaper covering Hatteras and Ocracoke islands. Coastal Review Online is partnering with the Free Press to provide readers with more environmental and lifestyle stories of interest along our coast. You can read other stories about Hatteras and Ocracokehere.

It costs about $500 to produce this and all other stories on CRO. You can help pay some of the cost by sponsoring a day on CRO for as little as $100 or by donating any amount you're comfortable with. All sponsorships and donations are tax-deductible.

Joy Crist is a Hatteras Island resident since 1998 and a writer and columnist with the Island Free Press. Her work has also appeared in a number of regional Outer Banks and statewide websites and publications.

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Effort On to Repair Damaged Historic Home - Coastal Review Online

Lexington Herald Leader

'Jarmageddon' in basement. Snake in attic. Restoring family home like 'reality show.' Lexington Herald Leader Many of the jars turned out to be rare, so the Gregorys emptied and scrubbed out 1,123 of them, about half of which have been sold to collectors to help fund the restoration. The Gregorys also had to clear a lot of trees and bushes from around the house.

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'Jarmageddon' in basement. Snake in attic. Restoring family home like 'reality show.' - Lexington Herald Leader

Wichita Eagle

Stryker Soccer Complex to host all-turf fields, indoor facility by 2019 Wichita Eagle Stryker Soccer Complex will have upgraded artificial turf fields, improved lighting, locker rooms, a two-field indoor facility and more by the start of 2019. The improvements are a part of a proposal package the city recently opened for bids. A pre ...

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Stryker Soccer Complex to host all-turf fields, indoor facility by 2019 - Wichita Eagle

Unlike air conditioners, ceiling fans dont lower a rooms temperature or remove humidity from the air. But you can boost your comfort leveland save energy and moneyby using ceiling fans and turning off the air conditioning when possible or by turning up the thermostat a few degrees and letting the fan do the rest.

Consumer Reports doesn't rate ceiling fans because in our past tests, most ceiling fans performed similarly on low and high speeds. But we did find some features that make a difference if you plan to buy a ceiling fan.

Ceiling fans come in a variety of styles and finishes. In the past, we tested a number of three-speed, 52-inch-diameter fans, the most popular size. We found that spending more didnt guarantee better performance but did get you fancier finishes on the motor cover and blades. We also learned to predict how noisy a fan would be just by looking at its design. Heres what else our tests revealed:

Fans save energy.The recommended indoor temperature for summer is 78 F, but some people set the thermostat much cooler. According toEnergy Star, you can save 3 to 5 percent on air-conditioning costs for each degree you raise the thermostat. Using a ceiling fan, which costs little to run, can make you feel up to 4 F cooler. (Don't forget to turn off the fan when you leave the roomfans cool you, not the room.)

Airflow and blade shape matter.Look at cubic feet per minute (CFM) numbers on the box or on the manufacturer's or retailer's website to get an idea of how well the ceiling fan moves air. A higher number means more air movement, but dont fret over small differences. Our tests showed comparable airspeed from fans rated from 5,000 to 5,600 CFM. Fans with the most airflow also made the most noise, but it was wind noise and fluttering, not motor noise. And be wary of fans with large blades that have ridges, bumps, or other surface texture; those often make more noise on high than fans with smooth blades.

Wobble can be fixed.Most fans come with balancing kits, a combination of weights that you attach to the blades to make up for slight differences in blade weight and removable clips that help you determine where to place the weights. You can eliminate most of the wobbling with such a kit.

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Ceiling Fans Add Comfort and Save Money - ConsumerReports.org

Plessey, a manufacturer of semiconductor products used in many applications including solid-state lighting, has announced it is a core partner in the worlds first biophilic design project. The Biophilic Office is a ground-breaking office refurbishment project run by BRE, a building research organization.

The project will be located on the BRE campus at Watford in a 650-metre-square office building. The building will be refurbished according to biophilic design principles, putting a spotlight on nature. Biophilia is based on the innate attraction to living systems and natural processes. The project is designed to provide quantifiable evidence of the benefits of a biophilic design on health, wellbeing and productivity of office workers. The project is a comprehensive and long-term study that is unique for its scale and data capture.

A key result of the project will be to provide a firm foundation for the guidance and adoption of measures in the facilities management and refurbishment sectors to promote health and wellbeing in offices.

As one of several core partners on the project, Plessey will be using the Biophilic Office, as well as its own test facilities, to evaluate the offices role in promoting the health and wellbeing of office workers, in addition to expanding research into this type of nature-centred design in general.

Over a three year period, Plessey will contribute its expertise and knowledge in sensing and solid-state lighting technologies, which are commercially available in a range of Plesseys products. Plesseys Hyperion range was designed to provide supplementary lighting in greenhouses, helping to achieve increased productivity for growers while providing 40 per cent energy savings compared to equivalent 600W and 1000W sodium lights. Plesseys Orion series of LED modules delivers new levels of design freedom to architectural and industrial lighting designers.

The project will show how quantified improvements in productivity and wellness can bring rewards for landlords, occupiers, developers and all those concerned with the office and wider built environment, said Ed Suttie, research director at BRE, in a press release.

We believe this exciting new project will yield much valuable data and enable us to develop lighting technologies that are truly people-centric, where light levels can be adapted to suit human circadian rhythms, added Dr. Keith Strickland, Plesseys Chief Technology Officer.

Researchers will carry out a baseline year of pre-refurbishment and a year of post-refurbishment monitoring, evaluating the Biophilic Office environment for daylight, lighting, indoor air quality, acoustic, thermal and humidity comfort. Office occupants will undergo confidential health evaluations and sign up to a series of online questionnaires and surveys. They will enlist the help of wearable technology to monitor key health metrics.

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Plessey to provide lighting to biophilic office project - REMI Network - Real Estate Management Industry Network

In a lot of places that have legalized medical or recreational weed, you can legally grow a certain number of plants. Its still illegal everywhere else. But even if you are allowed to grow your own weed, there will likely be restrictions on your growing activity. All of this means that there are many situations where you need to go into stealth growing mode. Here are the keys to growing weed without getting caught.

Stealth growing is all about anticipating what will give you away, and then taking steps to avoid those things. To do this, think about where you will be growing your plants. Why is this a good spot to grow? What do you think will be the biggest vulnerabilities you will face in this location? What are the biggest strengths this spot has going for it? Are there better, more discreet ways you might want to grow?

Most of what stealth growing requires is common sense and a little bit of planning ahead. As a general guideline, its always better to err on the side of being too suspicious and guarded than not suspicious enough.

This does not necessarily mean you need to become paranoid or some sort of conspiracy theorist. It just means you need to keep your stealth growing to yourself. Period.With that said, here are the most important tips for successful stealth growing.

Dont tell anyone that you are growing cannabis. Not even your best friend. We dont think your best friend is going to rat on you. Were more worried about them carelessly telling somebody elsesomebody you might not know or trustabout your grow.

This rule also applies if you ever find yourself in a conversation about anything related to growing. Do not let it slip that you are growing weed, or even that you know how to grow weed. Just keep silent and play dumb. You dont want to draw any unwanted attention to yourself.

In fact, you dont want any attention, even positive attention, on your growing activity. Its ideal if nobody except you knows about your stealth growing operation. To keep it safe, keep it secret.

This tip applies to all sorts of things. For starters, if you are growing outside, keep your plants from being too visible. This can be a little bit tricky. Since they need a lot of sunlight, you cant just cover them up or hide them during the day.

Look for remote and out of the way places to grow your cannabis. You can also try disguising your cannabis with other plants. Place them in a larger garden, or mix them in with other shrubs. Finally, watch out for strains that grow super tall or bushy.

Maintaining low visibility applies to indoor growing, too. For example, you dont want to be too obvious when you are building your grow room. If neighbors or passersby see you carrying loads of gardening equipment and soil into your house, they might get suspicious. Move stuff at night. Or put it all in nondescript boxes first. Anything to make it look normal or unremarkable.

This also applies to how and where you install equipment such as ventilation and lighting systems. You do not want people to see bright lights coming from your house at odd hours. Similarly, it would be bad if people saw ventilation hosing and ducts coming out all over the place.

The smell of cannabis is probabaly its most distinctive quality. Its a dead giveaway if you, your house, or your backyard constantly reeks of weed. To control the odor of your stealth growing operation, do the following:

If you are growing inside your home, be sure your stealth growing operation is silent. You will need a fair amount of elecrical equipment to successfuly grow weed indoors: lights, fans, vents, and if you are growing with a hydroponics setup you will also need water pumps and filters.

All of this can create a lot of noise. When selecting your equipment, be sure to read online reviews to find the quietest models. Along with that, when you install your gear, use padding or foam to insulate as much of your grow room as you can.

When youre all set up, walk around the house during daylight and nighttime hours. Look for anything weird. Be sure you cant see light streaming out of your windows, and listen for any loud or unusual sounds that could give you away.

Finally, dont be obvious. Do not make a pattern of visiting a remote grow site at the same time every day. Likewise, dont be obvious about bringing growing materials, plant food, and equipment into your home.

This also applies to other things like water and power bills. A sudden and dramatic spike in water and especially electricity usage can be an obvious indicator of a grow operation.

Try to use equipment that is as efficient as possible. In particular, when you are choosing lighting systems for an indoor grow, use lights that dont suck too much power. LEDs and some fluorescent bulbs are great for this.

Similarly, use reflective hoods to point as much light as possible down at your plants. In addition, line the walls of your grow room with reflective material. All of this means that no light will go to wasteit will all hit your plants. This lets you use your light bulbs more efficiently and can help you reduce the amount of electricity you need.

With a little common sense, some good planning, and a commitment to being quiet and discreet, you should be able to successfully pull off a stealth growing operation.

More:
Stealth Growing: How to Grow Weed Without Getting Caught - Green Rush Daily

By Tom M. Hanzely

There are nearly 5.6 million commercial buildings across the United States, which generate approximately 16% of greenhouse gas emissions. In order to reduce the environmental impact of these commercial facilities, even the smallest eco-friendly renovation shouldnt be overlooked, as it can create positive change. In fact, according to the U.S. EPAs ENERGY STAR program, if energy efficiency among commercial buildings improved by just 10%, there could be a total cost savings of about $40 billion, not to mention the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that would be prevented. Following are three renovations may not only reduce a commercial buildings carbon footprint, but even help save money over the long-term:

Re-roof and optimize insulation level. The opportunity to re-roof presents itself every few decades. This delivers the chance to bring your roofing assembly a critical part of the building envelope up to current standards. When it comes to re-roofing, the International Code Council (ICC) makes a distinction between a roof recover and a roof replacement. A roof can be recovered once, but if youre re-roofing due to a roof system failure, its likely time to look at a true roof replacement. You can remove old materials and build a new roofing assembly that meets todays standards. In most cases, old roofs will typically only have 1-2 of insulation, and a complete roof replacement would require additional inches of insulation to be installed. The industry now has more data on the appropriate levels of insulation to maximize the efficiency of the thermal barrier. When you re-roof, you can increase thermal performance by following the latest prescriptive guidelines found in the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) and ASHRAE tables, which prescribe minimum R-values to ensure youre effectively keeping heat in during the winter and out during the summer.

When it comes to re-roofing, the International Code Council (ICC) makes a distinction between a roof recover and a roof replacement. A roof can be recovered once, but if youre re-roofing due to a roof system failure, its likely time to look at a true roof replacement. Facility managers can have old materials removed and a new roofing assembly built that meets todays standards.

In most cases, old roofs will typically only have 1-2 of insulation, and a complete roof replacement would require additional inches of insulation to be installed. The industry now has more data on the appropriate levels of insulation to maximize the efficiency of the thermal barrier. When re-roofing, thermal performance can be increased by following the latest prescriptive guidelines found in the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) and ASHRAE tables, which prescribe minimum R-values to ensure the roof is effectively keeping heat in during the winter and out during the summer.

Insulation works to consistently regulate energy flow throughout a roofing assembly and minimize energy leakage. If re-roofing, facility management may want to consider a more energy efficient insulation such as polyiso, which can be recycled and reused on roofing applications.

Change existing skylights to daylighting units. When looking at the breakdown of energy consumption by building category, lighting is usually at the top of the list as a main consumer of energy. Utilizing daylighting systems, however, can save energy because the availability of sunlight matches the time we spend in commercial and industrial buildings daily. Furthermore, the sunlight matches the electrical demand put on the energy infrastructure.

Daylighting units provide the highest visible light transmittance with superior light distribution, compared to sunlight domes. This technology keeps facility interiors bright enough to decrease the use of indoor electrical lighting up to 70% during daylight hours. Daylighting units can catch up to 20% more light at low angles than standard shapes and transmit more light to the workplace area without producing glare, hot spots, or UV damage to interior furnishings, equipment, and other items.

Install vegetated roofing. Vegetated roofs offer a host of environmental and functional benefits to facility management staff, ranging from stormwater management and creation of new usable space to air quality improvements and, of course, significant energy savings. Vegetated roof systems provide shade and aid in cooling the air around the building through evapotranspiration. This reduces the pressure put on a facilitys mechanical heating and cooling systems for the floor directly below the vegetated roof, resulting in significant energy savings.

However, the actual thermal performance varies widely and is dependent upon factors including building design, time of year, depth of media, vegetation type and coverage, and amount of water held within the system. Nonetheless, these energy savings are real; theyre a dividend on the initial investment in a vegetated roof. Vegetated roofs also help protect the underlying roof system from extreme temperatures and ultraviolet rays, extending its service life and saving money from a roof replacement or restoration.

In addition to energy savings, installing a vegetated roof offers ample stormwater management benefits. A vegetated roof system reduces the volume of stormwater runoff, which helps alleviate the stress put on infrastructure. This is of importance in urban areas because excess stormwater runoff is the major contributor to non-point source pollution, stream bank erosion, and the cost to treat the water. Vegetated roofing mimics the role that soil and vegetation play in a natural setting by absorbing the water and eliminating impervious surfaces.

Maximizing R-value of roofing insulation, staying up-to-date on codes and standards, implementing daylighting units, and installing vegetated roofs are all renovations that can offer commercial buildings significant energy savings while also working to decrease greenhouse gas emissions.

Hanzely is a national sales manager for Firestone Building Products SkyScape Vegetative Roof System. He has 17 years of experience designing and installing vegetative roof systems throughout North America and is an accredited Green Roof Professional and a LEED professional. Hanzely holds a bachelors degree from Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, and a masters degree from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management, Schaumburg, IL.

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Roofing Renovation: 3 Energy Efficient Strategies - Facility Executive Magazine

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Gutter Professionals (561) 249-7292 | Seamless Gutters Palm ...