Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

For a 17-story, Class-A office building currently underway in Bostons Seaport District, builder-developer Skanska USA, along with Boston-based design firm CBTand a host of engineers, had to think outside of the box.

So, they looked to the ellipse.

The 400,000-square-foot building, which topped out in March, is shaped by an elliptical steel frame that bows out as it ascends, reducing lateral loads and allowing the interior to be relatively light on columns.

The project, 121 Seaport, is just one of several buildings to break ground in Bostons burgeoning Seaport District in the last few years. The development run was sent into overdrive by the 2004 addition of new convention center in the neighborhood, with more than 7.6 million square feet of residential and commercial space built or on the way. And thats just whats being developed as part of developer WSs Seaport Square master plan for the districts core.

That massive undertaking has spurred other development in the area, including GEs new $200 million headquarters, which broke ground there this week on the site of a former candy-making facility.

At 121 Seaport, the decision to use an elliptical frame came from two parallel charges. The first, according to Henry Celli, senior project architect at CBT, was Skanskas goal to build the most energy-efficient structure the team could manage (the project is vying for LEED Platinum certification). The second was less quantifiable and came from the architects, who wanted to break from the typical steel-and-glass rectangular buildings cropping up nearby.

"As we were analyzing the Seaport District it was our second project in the Seaport we were noticing how the existing zoning was forcing a lot of projects into a regularized form, and we wanted to distinguish ourselves from that form in some other way,"Celli said.

The view from 121 Seaport into downtown Boston

Hallie Busta

Zoning in the area encourages square or blocky construction that uses up most the site, Celli said, with a relatively low cap on project height due to the nearby Boston Logan International Airport. An added challenge was the MBTA Silver Line train that ran beneath one end of the site, making digging too close challenging and costly.

The design solution was two-fold. The heft of the building was angled on the site as much to mind the placement of the foundation relative to the subway tunnel as to offer a "strong gesture,"Celli said, toward the adjacent Seaport Square Green park, both part of the Seaport Square master plan.

The project team derived the elliptical shape from building models generated to determine what form factors would allow them to reduce the risk associated with building near a subway line, limit solar heat gain on the faade, reduce the wind loads and, more generally, deliver a fresh, yet modest, take on office building design in a neighborhood filled with boxes.

The elliptical shell offers expansive views of the Boston Harbor and Financial District from the interior which this reporter witnessed when visiting the site last week. Even with the interiors complete, 10-foot ceilings throughout the space and high-performance vision glass which accounts for 80% of the faade will largely maintain the sights.

Those high ceilings are possible in part because the project uses a chilled-beam mechanical system instead of typical HVAC, which Skanska first implemented at 101 Seaport a similarly sized office project next door and will use in 121, too. The system circulates water, instead of air, reducing energy consumption and lowering related costs. The project will also use a 40,000-gallon-tank rainwater reclamation and reuse system, which will cut water consumption throughout the project by 30%, Russ DeMartino, vice president of development for Skanska USA Commercial Development, told Construction Dive in an email.

"We used a lot of data to back up the design moves we were making,"Celli told journalists during a presentation at Skanskas Boston office last week. For example, for a 25,000-square-foot floor plate, CBTs design requires 10% less cladding when the ellipse form factor is used compared to the rectangular one. The design choice also cuts energy usage by 14% thanks to a lower solar-heat gain coefficient, and the lighter load requires 15% less rebar in the buildings core.

CBT

An "aggressive"construction timeline, according to DeMartino, required the team to consider alternative construction methods to speed up the build. The team settled on the still-uncommon "up/down"construction process to erect the structure. The approach, through which the substructure and the first part of the superstructure are built roughly in tandem, is particularly useful for large projects in urban areas where conventional foundation work can be challenging.

"If we designed each tower column foundation to support the entire 17 stories of building, each of them would have been 25 feet deeper and it would have increased the cost of the project by $6 million,"DeMartino said, noting that using the method shaved six months off the job as compared to a typical bottom-up build.

Heres how it worked: The project team designed a temporary foundation under each column that could support the dead load of the subterranean parking and the first six floors of the tower. A 7-foot-thick concrete slab was then constructed at the lowest level of excavation (three floors down) to connect with the building columns and spread the load of all 17 stories across the slab. From there, floors seven through 17 were constructed.

"Accordingly, the excavation crews were 'in a race'to install the bottom garage slab before the steel crews erected more than six floors of the tower,"DeMartino said. Having Skanska as developer and builder helped manage that process, he added.

A rendering of the completed project

Skanska

Even though the bulk of the building was angled to avoid it, the subway tunnel under part of the site presented a challenge to construction. Excavation walls can move between inches and a foot which normally isnt a problem, DeMartino said except when building near an underground structure as massive and complex as a subway.

The project team used Autodesks BIM 360 project collaboration software to manage workflow and a combined Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D and Revit model to develop a plan for the site that used the permanent parking floors underground to brace the perimeter walls, nearly eliminating lateral movement of 121 Seaports permanent slurry wall.

"Ironically, this method is also much faster than a conventional building construction method, saving many months of schedule,"DeMartino said.

BIM wasnt only used to facilitate design. It also helped keep the project on track. Paul Pedini, vice president of operations for Skanska USA Civil,told journalists during the presentation that the model was also used to manage the schedule and even to see if equipment necessary for construction would fit where it needed to on-site. "[There are] so many uses for the model once you get it,"he said.

In addition to the buildings atypical orientation and flared shell, the ground plan was also a critical environmental design factor, in this case by making the area more accessible to pedestrians. The projects three-story podium is separated from the tower and largely fills the site. Its rounded edges match the form of the rising, rounded corona, while the buildings entry is pulled back from the street corner. A 70-foot-wide outdoor pedestrian promenade on the third level of the podium provides space for retail and greenery and visually separates the base from the tower.

A rendering of 121 Seaport shows the receded entrance

Skanska

For a part of the city that was once a place for visitors to drop their cars on the way into downtown, supporting the uptick in commercial and residential development with greenery and public space is important. "Ten or 20 years ago, [the area] was mostly parking lots,"Celli said. "Essentially, where our building is it was a sea of parking lots. Most people would drive in, park in that area, then walk into downtown."

A view across the 17th floor

Hallie Busta

Looking out from the top of 121 on our tour, it was hard to imagine the sea of parking lots Celli mentions. Next door is 101 Seaport, also by Skanska and home to its Boston offices, and its other completed nearby project, Watermark Seaport Apartments, is also visible. For now, the view from the top of 121 is uninhibited, with wind whipping through the wall-less shell and the curve of the floor plate more apparent from the incomplete interior then it is likely to be for its eventual tenants. During our visit, crews were already working their way up to install the glass curtainwall, apply fire-proofing and begin to prepare the building for tenants.

Working on 121 Seaport with Skanska and CBT was McNamara Salvia as the structure engineers; Haley and Aldrich as the geotechnical engineers; Bala | TMP as the MEP engineers; Nitsch Engineering for the civil work; and Vidaris as faade consultant.

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At Boston's 121 Seaport, Skanska plays with process, form for office construction - Construction Dive

GREENCASTLE, Pa. Summit Health is planning to build a medical office building in the Greencastle-Antrim community.

Construction could begin as soon as this summer in Antrim Township, Pa.

John Massimilla, chief operating officer of Chambersburg (Pa.) Hospital, confirmed this week that plans for the Summit-owned site at Exit 3 of Interstate 81 have changed since the project was proposed in spring 2015.

Originally, we planned to place an urgent care at the location, he said. We decided we wanted to plan a facility similar to the Waynesboro (Pa.) Medical Office Building in Greencastle because it is important to us that we provide convenient, accessible health care options to residents of Greencastle and northern Washington County.

The Waynesboro Medical Office Building opened in April 2015 adjacent to Waynesboro Hospital on East Main Street. The $15 million, three-story facility took about a year to construct.

The building houses Summit Health services for breast care, cancer and hematology, cardiology, endocrinology, ENT and hearing, orthopedic, podiatry, urology, women's health, surgical, primary care and walk-in.

It is planned that the (Greencastle) building will be about the same size as the Waynesboro Medical Office Building, Massimilla said.

He said Summit Health has not decided what services will be offered at the Greencastle location.

Summit Health houses a number of services at the John L. Grove Medical Center on the east side of Greencastle. Those services include primary care, walk-in, imaging, lab and women's health.

Plans for specific services located at the new facility have not been decided, Massimilla said when asked if any of those services would be moved to the new facility.

The Antrim Township Board of Supervisors gave approval Tuesday for Summit Health to begin moving dirt at the site while the plan is going through the review process.

The area of the new medical office building, known as the Antrim Commons Business Park, is a busy one.

In addition to several warehouses being built, the new location for Blaise Alexander Chevrolet Volvo is under construction, and El Dorado Stone is building a new production facility.

Summit Health hopes to begin construction by late summer or fall, Massimilla said.

Read more here:
Summit Health to build new medical building in Greencastle - Herald-Mail Media

City officials said they are in talks with individuals who may be interested in revamping the Fairborn Theatre, but the conversation is still in its infancy stages and is still too early to say for certain what the future of the facility could be.

Whitney Vickers | Greene County News The Fairborn Theatre, located on Broad Street, is not currently planned to be demolished or opened back up anytime soon. However, city officials are working to replace a window that was broken by a recent storm.

Whitney Vickers | Greene County News The Fairborn Theatre, located on Broad Street, is not currently planned to be demolished or opened back up anytime soon. However, city officials are working to replace a window that was broken by a recent storm.

FAIRBORN The Fairborn Theatre, located on Broad Street, is not going anywhere anytime soon, according to city officials who said the theatre means as much to them as it does to citizens.

The building is as important to us as it is to residents, Fairborn Community Development Director Michael Gebhart said. Our charter was signed there its huge to us, its huge to city council, its huge to the city manager and to all the employees its an icon Weve all got history there.

No active plans are currently in the works to tear down or revamp the theatre, but city officials said the most ideal situation would include reusing the facility.

That possibility may become a reality in the future, but it is currently too early to say for certain.

We want to see it reused, Gebhart said. Were actively talking to a couple people, but it is in the infancy stage and I dont know (at this time) if anything will pan out but there are no active plans to do anything to that building besides replace the glass window Were going to keep working on trying to get that building reused.

A strong wind that came along from a recent storm took out a window on the facility. Due to the window not being made of tempered glass, a dangerous splintering was created across the window surface, calling city code enforcement employees to remove the shards to eliminate any safety concerns. By the time the glass was removed, another window was ordered to serve as a replacement.

However, the replacement window was broken by the supplier before it ever made it into the window frame. Although it could be fixed as early as this week.

Because that window was so big, our supplier didnt have it in stock, Gebhart said. It came in a week later and they broke it. For the size of the window, it takes every crew member they have [to install it].

City officials said they are in talks with individuals who may be interested in revamping the Fairborn Theatre, but the conversation is still in its infancy stages and is still too early to say for certain what the future of the facility could be.

http://fairborndailyherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_1.jpgCity officials said they are in talks with individuals who may be interested in revamping the Fairborn Theatre, but the conversation is still in its infancy stages and is still too early to say for certain what the future of the facility could be.

Whitney Vickers | Greene County News The Fairborn Theatre, located on Broad Street, is not currently planned to be demolished or opened back up anytime soon. However, city officials are working to replace a window that was broken by a recent storm.

http://fairborndailyherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_2-2.jpgWhitney Vickers | Greene County News The Fairborn Theatre, located on Broad Street, is not currently planned to be demolished or opened back up anytime soon. However, city officials are working to replace a window that was broken by a recent storm.

Whitney Vickers | Greene County News The Fairborn Theatre, located on Broad Street, is not currently planned to be demolished or opened back up anytime soon. However, city officials are working to replace a window that was broken by a recent storm.

http://fairborndailyherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_3-2.jpgWhitney Vickers | Greene County News The Fairborn Theatre, located on Broad Street, is not currently planned to be demolished or opened back up anytime soon. However, city officials are working to replace a window that was broken by a recent storm.

No other active plans in the works

Reach Whitney Vickers at 937-502-4532.

.

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Fairborn Theatre would ideally be 'reused' - Fairborn Daily Herald

Katrina J. E. Milton - kmilton@shawmedia.com

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The alto saxophone Donna Hutson learned to play as a fifth-grader growing up in Sandwich is the same one she uses today.

Now 67, Hutson is an original member of the Indian Valley Community Band (IVCB), which was founded in June 1986 when three Sandwich band directors Joel Hawkinson, Terry Wickwire and Paul Rossok placed a newspaper ad looking to start a band with members from the community. The bands members travel from more than 12 different towns to perform together.

The band has more members than ever. At 1:30 p.m. Sunday, May 7, at the Sandwich Opera House, 140 E. Railroad St. in Sandwich, 38 musicians will perform on stage during the bands 31st annual spring concert.

I just love playing in the band, Hutson said. Im one of the bands original members. We sound so good when we all get together, and its always a lot of fun. Its a good group to be a part of.

I guess once youre a band geek, youre always a band geek.

The bands concerts are free, with donations collected at the door for a different local nonprofit organization or group before each concert. Groups and projects that concert revenue has helped in the past include Fox Valley Older Adults Services, Equine Dreams, the Sandwich Lions Clubs Franklin Mall Christmas Project and the Tri-County Kiwanis Clubs Fruit of the Room project.

Proceeds from this years spring concert will benefit the Sandwich Opera House. Chris Roe, the opera houses executive director, said the money will be used for building repairs, including window replacement, painting and historical restoration after water damage.

We always enjoy having the Indian Valley Community Band perform at the opera house, Roe said. I love that theyre all local musicians and that their age range is such a variety. Some havent played since high school, some are in high school. Its always a surprise to hear what music they will perform at the concert. Its always something fun and different.

The band will perform 10 songs of varying genres during the concert. Songs include Offenbachs Ballet Parisien, Strauss Radetzky March, a Spanish paso doble and an arrangement of the Beach Boys greatest hits.

The music we will be playing has a great variety, from more serious pieces, like a German march, to the Beach Boys, said Richard Hart, IVCBs director since 2011.

One of my favorite pieces we will be playing, The Light Eternal, is a memoriam of four World War II U.S. Army chaplains of four different faiths that gave up their lifeboat seats and their lives when their ship was torpedoed.

After a short intermission, a sing-along with the audience will start off the second half of the concert. A punch and cookie reception will be after the concert, allowing the audience the opportunity to meet and socialize with the musicians.

In addition to the spring concert, the band also performs a Christmas concert at the Sandwich Opera House and a summer concert in the park. The summer concert will be 6:30 p.m. Friday, June 16, at James Knights Park, 1001 Latham St. in Sandwich.

The band does not have auditions anyone high school-age or older who plays an instrument is welcome to join the band and play along. All instruments are needed, especially clarinets, percussion and trombones. The band rehearses from 6 to 7:20 p.m. Mondays at Sandwich Middle School, 600 Wells St.

Trumpeter Jean McBride of Yorkville, another of the bands original members, said shes continued to play in the band because of the wonderful people shes met over the years.

Flautist Deb Kell of Sandwich said she feels lucky to have joined the band in 2008.

I didnt play my flute for 35 years, Kell said. I was able to take it out of the closet and play again, even though I was rusty. Im just happy to have music and people to play with.

Visit link:
Indian Valley Community Band concert to benefit Sandwich Opera House - Valley Free Press

Patricia Guthrie / Whidbey News-Times George Senerth (right) WhidbeyHealth executive director of facilities, checks on construction progress of the new addition. Its innovative heating and cooling system is predicted to reduce energy use by half.

An innovative heating and cooling system being installed at WhidbeyHealth Medical Centers new $50 million addition could turn the facility into one of the most energy-efficient hospitals in the country.

Known as a variable refrigerant flow (VRF) system, it will respond quickly when patients want their rooms warmer or cooler and it could cut energy use and bills in half.

Comparing it to conventional systems, Im told with the VRF system the energy savings is 50 percent, said George Senerth, executive director of facilities for the healthcare system.

Cutting back on its heating and cooling bills means less demand for electricity, and ultimately less burning of fossil fuels.

This is very unique for the West Coast. Its energy efficient but not with high cost, says Don Iverson, mechanical engineer at Coffman Engineers, Inc., a consultant on the project. Youre not creating a very high construction cost to get energy efficiency.

WhidbeyHealth Medical Centers new 39-patient room addition, designed by HDR Architecture, is expected to open by summer. The hospitals contractor is Andersen Construction.

Construction is about 82 percent complete, Senerth said.

Seattle-based Coffman Engineers suggested using the VRF system as a way to reduce electric bills and more efficiently provide climate control. The Coupeville-based hospital depends on propane and electricity for heating and cooling, which are more expensive than natural gas.

Hospitals may heal people, but they tend to be unhealthy for the environment. Thats because most hospitals rely on a traditional reheat system that blows cold air into hundreds of rooms at the same time from a large, centrally-located ventilation system.

The air is delivered cold because some interior rooms need cooling. Rooms that dont need cooling have individual heating coils that heat the cooled air back up to room temperature.

As much as 40 percent of all energy consumed by a hospital is used for reheating, Iverson says.

Instead of blowing air continuously throughout a building using a standard compressor, VRF systems use variable speed compressors and technology that sense when a room needs to be cooled or heated.

With variable refrigerant flow technology, it spreads out the control of the system into a zoned basis, Iverson explained. Heating coils are controlled by the room, not the central system.

Thermostats exist in patient rooms now, Senerth said, but theyre inefficient.

Our system is so old that if a patient turns it down to 68 degrees from 74 degrees, it will take awhile, he said.

The VRF system recovers heat from where its not needed and redirects it. It also senses when a rooms temperature rises as more people gather, such as in a conference room. It adjusts accordingly.

Whidbeys addition is designed with two long corridors with windows facing south and north. Although built as a two-story addition, only one floor is being used for patients.

We have north-facing patient rooms and south-facing patient rooms, Iverson said. We need to cool the south facing and we need to heat north facing. This system is ideal for that.

The VRF concept was developed in Japan decades ago and caught on in Europe long before it came to the United States.

Its been installed in mid-size buildings throughout the country, but WhidbeyHealth is the first health care facility to install it at a large-scale for a patient wing.

Students with the University of Washingtons Integrated Design Lab are tracking the project to gauge energy savings. It could qualify for a maximum rebate from Puget Sound Energy, which requires a 25 percent reduction in energy usage.

It will reduce the load of electricity needed from Puget Sound Energy and it will save them coal, Iverson said.

Another plus is that patients will breathe air thats only been recirculated from their own rooms and not the entire building as is done with conventional systems, Iverson explained.

In addition to projected energy savings, the WhidbeyHealth addition is designed to reduce water usage with low-flow plumbing fixtures and less irrigation, said Annette Himelick with HDR Architecture.

A courtyard being built as an outdoor extension of the existing cafeteria is designed with conservation in mind, Himelick added.

The site is landscaped with 100 percent Pacific Northwest native plants, 65 percent of them native to the island. These native plants do not have the same irrigation needs that other plants require.

Read more from the original source:
New hospital addition may use 50 percent less energy - South Whidbey Record (subscription)

Home improvement, home renovation, or remodeling is the process of renovating or making additions to one's home. Home improvement can be projects that upgrade an existing home interior (such as electrical and plumbing), exterior (masonry, concrete, siding, roofing), or other improvements to the property (i.e. garden work or garage maintenance/additions).

While "home improvement" often refers to building projects that alter the structure of an existing home, it can also include improvements to lawns, gardens, and outdoor structures, such as gazebos and garages. It also encompasses maintenance, repair and general servicing tasks. Home improvement projects generally have one or more of the following goals:[1]

Maintenance projects can include:

Additional living space may be added by:

Homeowners may reduce utility costs with:

Emergency preparedness safety measures such as:

Home or residential renovation is an almost $300 billion industry in the United States,[4] and a $48 billion industry in Canada.[5][full citation needed] The average cost per project is $3,000 in the United States and $11,00015,000 in Canada.

Professional home improvement is ancient and goes back to the beginning of recorded civilization. One example is Sergius Orata, who in the 1st century B.C. is said by the writer Vitruvius (in his famous book De architectura) to have invented the hypocaust. The hypocaust is an underfloor heating system that was used throughout the Roman empire in villas of the wealthy. He is said to have become wealthy himself by buying villas at a low price, adding spas and his newly invented hypocaust, and reselling them at higher prices.

Perhaps the most important or visible professionals in the renovation industry are renovation contractors or skilled trades. These are the builders that have specialized credentials, licensing and experience to perform renovation services in specific municipalities.

While there is a fairly large grey market of unlicensed companies, there are those that have membership in a reputable association and/or are accredited by a professional organization. Homeowners are recommended to perform checks such as verifying license and insurance and checking business references prior to hiring a contractor to work on their house.

Home improvement was popularized on television in 1979 with the premiere of This Old House starring Bob Vila on PBS. American cable channel HGTV features many do-it-yourself shows, as does sister channel DIY Network.[6]Danny Lipford hosts and produces the nationally syndicated Today's Homeowner with Danny Lipford. Tom Kraeutler and Leslie Segrete co-host the nationally syndicated The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show.

Movies that poked fun at the difficulties involved include: Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948), starring Cary Grant and Myrna Loy; George Washington Slept Here (1942), featuring Jack Benny and Ann Sheridan; and The Money Pit (1986), with Tom Hanks and Shelley Long. The sitcom Home Improvement used the home improvement theme for comedic purposes.

Excerpt from:
Home improvement - Wikipedia

Since quartz is manufactured, you can choose the exact pattern, color, and texture you want. Many people like being able to choose the exact appearance of their counters, while others like the varied, unique look of granite.

Were proud to work with the helpful team at Pacific Shore Stones.

Many people think replacing kitchen cabinets is much more expensive than refacing them. However, we find that we can usually replace your kitchen cabinets with Waypoint for about the same price as refinishing your cabinets. Replacing your cabinets gives you the benefit of new boxes and drawers with full-extension, soft-close drawer boxes. These add value to your home.

If you already love your kitchen counters, refacing is a perfect alternative. You can choose from many door styles and finishes, and we handle refacing quickly and with minimal disruption.

We provide services to Santa Maria, Arroyo Grande, Lompoc, Nipomo, Santa Ynez, Orcutt and other cities and towns in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties.

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Kitchen Remodeling Contractor | New Life Bath & Kitchen

Remodeling Construction Contractors offers highly respected service throughout the Fontana, California area. The Fontana Bath and Kitchen Remodeling team has been awarded the Best of 2015 recognition for Fontana.

Fontana CA: Remodeling Construction Contractors is the recipient of the Best of Fontana 2015 award. The Fontana Bath and Kitchen Remodeling professionals offer free consultations during the first visit with the team. The First Responder Discount amounts to five percent off. Saving money with the contractors team is part of the quality expectations delivered by the professional team. The company offers room addition, solar panel installation, bath and kitchen remodels and concrete. The professional team serves the greater Fontana area including Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga and all the way down to Chino Hills, California.

A spokesperson for the team explains, We are a locally owned and operated company that values honesty, integrity, and treats your home improvement as if it were our own. You will find us to be competitively priced, with close attention to the details of each and every project that we are involved with. We look forward to building lasting relationships, and guarantee your satisfaction. In fact, our excellence was recognized by Best Businesses in Fontana.

He continues, Whether you have a house to renovate, you are looking for a room addition, or just need a block wall and a concrete patio, you can feel secure, knowing you will get prompt service and the best contractor construction prices in Fontana California. You have come to the best remodel company in the Inland Empire.

RCC is a leading construction contractor in Fontana CA, with more than twenty years of experience. The team has completed thousands of remodel and construction projects. The professional team is known for its ability to exceed expectations in residential construction. As a top-rated firm, the experts should be the renovation choice for Fontana residents.

The contractor in Fontana specializes in bathroom and kitchen renovations, solar panel installation, roofs, windows and door installation, realistic synthetic turf installation (save water), concrete and paver installers, flooring-tile or stone, room additions, patio covers, and more. The professionals put the final touch on all the projects.

More information is available at http://www.RemodelingConstructionContractors.com.

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Contact Remodeling Construction Contractors:

Karl (909) 726-7100 MyRemodelingContractor@gmail.com 15129 Foothill Blvd #E, Fontana CA 92335

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Fontana Bath and Kitchen Remodeling Receives Best of 2015 Award In Fontana - Digital Journal

Home Reality VR by MR Direct

Toledo, Ohio (PRWEB) May 10, 2017

Designed as a tool to envision multiple options before remodeling the kitchen or bath; the new Home Reality VR app from MR Direct has truly fulfilled its purpose. This technology provides potential customers with an out-of-this-world experience as they plan their renovations.

Home Reality AR was the first app designed by MR Direct. It utilized augmented reality and allowed any combination of sinks and countertops to be previewed in a users actual home environment. This augmented reality app was designed for use with iPads or Android tablets and has been met with great enthusiasm for several years.

With the recent advent of virtual reality headset systems, like Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, the MR Direct tech team set out to use this revolutionary science to their customers advantage. The new Home Reality VR app is a virtual reality program which will allow the user to walk throughout a pseudo kitchen or bath with the sensation of actually being there. While strolling through this virtual room, one can create a palette of infinite colors and use it to change the shade of the walls and floor. Also, any countertop, from an extensive library of the most popular styles, can be switched in and out at will. And most importantly, any model from the entire collection of MR Direct sinks can be inserted into or on these countertops. The combinations are truly endless as the user can mix and match all the elements and then walk around the room to view their choices from any angle.

Home Reality VR will soon be available in app stores free of charge.

A more complete story of both Home Reality apps, and the full collection of MR Direct sinks and faucets, can be reviewed by visiting http://www.MRDirectint.com.

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New Home Reality VR App Offers Speculative Remodeling in a Virtual Kitchen or Bath - PR Web (press release)

Tuesday, May 9, 2017 - by Mike Croxall, president, Home Builders Association of Greater Chattanooga

People remodel their homes for many different reasons, with an eye toward their own enjoyment and the eventual resale value. Some want to give new life to a house with an out-of-date floor plan. Baby boomers who want to stay in their homes as they age as well as younger home owners who are looking ahead want to enhance accessibility. And, many home owners want to add sustainable home features that also save money on utility bills.

As the home building and remodeling industry celebrates National Home Remodeling Month in May, one this is clear home owners are taking their wish lists to professional remodelers to make them happen.

Open up to new spaciousness Open floor plans remain as popular as ever, and more and more home owners are choosing to take out an interior wall or two to make the space feel larger and more connected.

Remove a wall between the kitchen and a formal dining room and the newly opened space can breathe new life into the entire floor. Natural light enters from more directions and family members working in the kitchen or eating at the counter can interact with others watching television or doing homework. Entertaining takes on a new ease, as friends can gather and move about more freely in the space.

Design for aging in place Enhancing your home to better accommodate aging in place can also be an upgrade in style, ease of use, and comfort for everyone.

A bathroom upgrade where luxury meets universal design might include a large walk-in shower with zero-threshold, a built-in teak bench or tile corner seat, and multiple shower heads, including a waist-high sprayer.

A new kitchen island may add an eye-catching look and adaptive conveniences with multi-level countertops of an easy to maintain, durable and attractive material such as engineered quartz, a deep drawer for dishes and another for the microwave, and a sink with hands-free faucet.

Going green Remodeling your home can not only fulfill your familys dream of a more comfortable and stylish home, but depending on the upgrades you choose, you can also realize savings on utility costs, improve air quality for better health and strengthen the long-term value of your home.

Some of the top upgrades that can make a home more energy efficient include putting in high-efficiency windows and low-flow water fixtures, replacing appliances and water heaters with ENERGY STAR-rated models, increasing or upgrading the quality of insulation, and installing a high-efficiency HVAC system that is appropriately sized for the area that is to be heated or cooled.

To learn more about remodeling or to find a remodeler in your area, visit the Home Builders Association of Greater Chattanooga at HBAGC.net.

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Mike Croxall: Much To Celebrate About Home Remodeling - The Chattanoogan