Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

These popular outdoor living spaces offer a wide variety of choices for design and materials.

By Daniel Westbrook

Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties

Q: Im looking to install a deck in the coming months. What do I need to know beforehand?

A: Over my 30-some-odd-year career, Ive had the opportunity to build a lot of decks, from extremely custom to quite simple. Decks can include railings, stairs, covers, trellises, lighting, privacy and different levels. They can be square or radius, with many different uses. They provide a footprint of expanded living space and entry access, and are used for cooking, entertaining, lounging and experiencing the outdoors at home.

Its no wonder that these outdoor spaces offer such a wide variety of choices for design and materials; so much so, in fact, that it can be difficult to know what might be best for your needs or wants.

Here are some of the main things to consider when deciding what type of deck space might work best for you.

Identify where the deck is going to be and why. For instance, is it going to be used for barbecuing, where you will need immediate access to the kitchen, or do you want to expand space off the bedroom to create an area for downtime? Is it down off the first floor, or up off the yard tying into a second story? Are you interested in having it covered to extend the season, or perhaps carry a hot tub where extra engineering and privacy might be important?

The key here is thinking it through so when its time to call a deck builder, youll be able to communicate clearly what kind of usage you want, and where its going to be built. Sometimes, it might be necessary to call a designer or architect to help you through that process.

When it comes to building a deck off the second floor as opposed to the first floor, there are a few more things to consider.

Because the deck is high, the understructure can typically be seen, so it should be built to be visually pleasing. There is often usable exterior space below, too, so consider how this view will look and feel and if you want to keep things dry underneath. If so, maybe a waterproof design is best.

Another thing to consider when building a second-story deck is if access to the yard is desired. If so, the footprint of a stair structure does have an impact on the yard space. Stairs should be located where access to the yard from above is easy, but still out of the way from traffic flow in the yard below. Plus, the structure should be visually pleasing and not feel like a barrier.

Once usage, location and access are identified, its time to think about your decks design. Design has three components: architecture, materials and engineering. All three work together to result in a solidly built deck that has the desired final look and feel.

Maybe an unobstructed view is important, so a glass railing may be best, which affects architecture and materials. A hot tub is heavy and affects structural engineering and space design. Privacy affects architecture, materials and maybe engineering by way of tie-in posts for structural strength, or with trellises additions or lattice work.

Also in the mix to consider is maintenance over time. For instance, wood will require more maintenance than composite materials. In considering materials, there are many types and choices within types, so do your due diligence.

After all of that, I have two final recommendations: 1) Go through the process of getting a permit, and 2) stop by a lumber company that has a variety of material samples and knowledgeable individuals to help you learn.

Daniel Westbrook is the founder and owner of Westbrook Restorations and a member of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties, and HomeWork is the groups weekly column. If you have a home improvement, remodeling or residential homebuilding question youd like answered by one of the MBAs more than 2,800 members, write to homework@mbaks.com.

Continued here:
HomeWork: Key things to consider before building a deck - Seattle Times

COTTONWOOD Three of Cottonwood-Oak Creeks schools will see improvements this summer in the last phase of the districts Capital Bond projects.

Thanks to the $15 million Capital Bond approved three years ago by the communitys voters, parking lot work at Dr. Daniel Bright, Mountain View Preparatory and Oak Creek schools, as well as drainage and surface work throughout the district will be started and completed this summer.

On Haydon Corporations summer agenda are a redesign of the parking lot at Dr. Daniel Bright School, as well as a separation of bus lanes from the parent pickup and drop-off lanes at Oak Creek School and Mountain View Preparatory.

The redesign of the parking lot at Dr. Daniel Bright School will include moving the parent pickup and drop-off lanes from beside the bus lanes to up on the hill, and keeping the bus lanes below.

Haydon Corporation will also construct a new stairway and wheelchair ramp expected to improve student- and parent-access to the schools front entrance.

New asphalt will also be added at the three schools after construction is completed. Also, the walking track at both Cottonwood Elementary and Cottonwood Middle schools will be repaired and resurfaced.

Other Capital Bond work at COCSD this summer includes window replacement in the 500 and 800 buildings at Cottonwood Middle School, remodeling the front office at Cottonwood Middle School, as well as work in several of the bathrooms throughout the district.

The district will replace fire alarm systems at Cottonwood Elementary, Cottonwood Middle and Oak Creek schools, as well as at the District Office, also known as the Clemenceau Building. Cottonwood-Oak Creek will also contract to upgrade some of the oldest carpet in classrooms at CES, CMS and OCS.

The cost of these projects is expected to use most of the remaining bond funds, according to COCSD.

Though the district has another seven years to spend the remaining bond funds.

Go here to see the original:
Cottonwood-Oak Creek prepares for summer Capital Bond projects - Verde Independent

THE MAYOR'S UPDATEVolunteers make many things possible in Kiel Tri-County News The renovations will include interior painting of the rooms, new carpeting of the living room and porch areas, window treatments, new furniture and interior dcor upgrades. Exterior upgrades will include window repair and paint, door replacements, deck ...

Link:
THE MAYOR'S UPDATEVolunteers make many things possible in Kiel - Tri-County News

Walter Miller Elementary School is the next and last school in the Neshaminy School District that will get major energy system overhauls designed to make the building's heating, cooling and electrical systems operate more efficiently.

The school board recently awarded Harrisburg-based Reynolds Solutions a $3 million contract for the work.

Walter Miller, at 10 Cobalt Ridge Drive South in the Levittown part of Middletown, will have air conditioning installed in all its classrooms, said Reynolds vice president Damion Spahr. The school previously had air conditioning in some offices and other areas but not in the classrooms, he said.

Improvements also will be made to the electrical and other mechanical systems, said Spahr. A lot of the work involves installing controls on the systems that make them run in a way to save energy, he added.

In addition, Reynolds workers, as part of their last phase of work on Neshaminy schools, will install security vestibules at both Walter Miller and Pearl Buck Elementary, also in the Levittown part of Middletown.

Security vestibules involve structural and technological changes to the schools' main entrances that make visitors first enter the main office and have their driver's licenses checked against a criminal database before they are cleared to enter the rest of the building.

This last phase of upgrades at Miller will be similar to work Reynolds alreadyhas done at Albert Schweitzer, Herbert Hoover and Joseph Ferderbar elementary schools, and Carl Sandburg and Poquessing middle schools, said Spahr.

The Miller project should start around mid May and be done by the end of summer, he added.

The entire package of Reynolds' work at the schools will cost $34.89 million. It is being funded with $27.4 million from a $57.9 million bond issue approved in 2015 and $7.4 million in capital reserve funds, said school district business administrator Barbara Markowitz.

The other part of the bond issue paid for Neshaminy's new Tawanka Elementary School in Lower Southampton, she added.

"We've gotten a lot done on time and on budget," said school board member Steve Pirritano of all the upgrades.

"I think we've created a great environment for our children to learn in," he added.

Continue reading here:
Walter Miller Elementary last Neshaminy school to get energy upgrades - Bucks County Courier Times

For the Record

Your current subscription does not provide access to this content. Please click the button below to manage your account.

Thank you for reading and relying on TulsaWorld.com for your news and information. You have now viewed your allowance of free articles.

(Listed by owner, tenant or building name. This weekly update lists new commercial construction, expansions and enlargements of more than $50,000. Information is from initial applications and is subject to change. Dollar amount is valuation declared by owner.)

M&M Drywall, 4707 S. 101st East Ave., new construction/business office, $325,000.

McCormick Office Building, 1713 S. Peoria Ave., new construction/commerical, $550,000.

Salata, 6030 S. Yale Ave., interior alteration/restaurant, $225,300.

Char Char, 6560 E. 91st St., interior alteration/restaurant, $125,000.

Bancfirst, 7625 E. 51st St., interior alteration/office, $197,000.

Meridian Tower, 5100 E. Skelly Drive, interior alteration/reconfigured offices, $250,000.

(From filings in the Tulsa County Clerks office)

17-024728 Marlene Byrne, Teletalk Therapy Solutions, 2750 N. Seventh St., Apt. 3216, Broken Arrow, counseling.

17-024729 Marlene Byrne, Words of the Heart Greeting Cards, 2750 N. Seventh St., Apt. 3216, Broken Arrow, greeting cards.

17-024853 Antonio Moreno, Northeastern Oklahoma Landscapes, P.O. Box 842, Broken Arrow, landscaping.

17-025171 Cody Nichols, Nichols Pursuits, 204 W. 34th Place, Sand Springs, sole proprietorship.

17-025489 Trenton Dentis, Legend Construction, 4917 S. 265th West Ave., Sand Springs, construction.

17-027022 Jamey Durbin, Barbie Trapp House, 12770 E. 39th St., manufacture and sell clothes.

17-027067 Justin Thompson, Junk Free Removal and Hauling Services, 14453 S. Hudson Ave., Bixby, junk removing and hauling.

17-027199 Olena Lobova, Smiling Kid, 2515 S. 91st East Ave., babysitter.

17-027291 Aleta Capel, Urban Lotus Feng Shui, 401 W. Knoxville St., Broken Arrow, interior decorating and consultations.

17-027406 Daniel Glowacki, Lite Load Concrete, 21661 E. 46th St., Broken Arrow, concrete company.

(Weekly update includes filings classified as business in the numerical list of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District in Tulsa, and which also list business as nature of debt on bankruptcy document.)

See the rest here:
For the Record: Commercial building permits, partnerships, bankruptcies - Tulsa World

Patch.com

Mayor Announces $9 Million to Go to School Repairs Patch.com In 2016, Mayor Walsh invested $25.1 million for door and window replacement at seven schools, which leveraged nearly $16.4 million in MSBA accelerated Repair Funds. This project will allow for nearly 3,000 windows to be replaced at these schools by the ...

View original post here:
Mayor Announces $9 Million to Go to School Repairs - Patch.com

MILWAUKEE The Yorkbrand ofJohnson Controlswill continue its sponsorship ofBuilding Homes for Heroesthrough 2017 and provide veterans with home comfort systems.

Building Homes for Heroes is a national nonprofit organization that recognizes the tremendous sacrifices of men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces by supporting the needs of severely wounded or disabled soldiers and their families. The organization strives to build or renovate quality homes and gift them to severely injured veterans nationwide, mortgage-free.

2017 marksthe fourth consecutive year that York and Building Homes for Heroes have worked together. Through its sponsorship of the Building Homes for Heroes program, Johnson Controls, along with York distributors and independent contractors nationwide, has donated quality heating and cooling systems, including installation, labor, and on-going maintenance, to over 40 military families since 2014.

"Partnering with our network of local independent contractors to provide our wounded veterans with home comfort systems is another way we give back to the communities where we live and work," saidLiz Haggerty, vice president and general manager, Johnson Controls Unitary Products Group.

Participating York contractors are installingYork Affinityheating and cooling systems for reliable and energy-efficient home comfort. In addition, the company is planning to install smart thermostats as part of its 2017 sponsorship. The newYork touch screen residential thermostatincorporates smart technology to communicate with both conventional and connected HVAC systems. Homeowners can control their system remotely using their smartphone to monitor and adjust settings for up to six zones/rooms to save energy and feel more comfortable. The thermostat is also user friendly, with an easy-to-use touch screen interface and remote programming features that are helpful for the disabled.

"We are honored to play a role in giving veterans a comfortable home," saidJim Probst, president ofGeorge Brazil Air Conditioning & Heating,Phoenix, Arizona. "We've been a part of seven Building Homes for Heroes homes during the three years we've been the local heating and air conditioning contractor for the program. Every time we're contacted to help, we jump at the chance because there's no greater way for us to show these vets how grateful we are for their service."

For more information, visitwww.buildinghomesforheroes.orgor http://www.johnsoncontrols.com.

Publication date: 3/31/2017

Want more HVAC industry news and information? Join The NEWS on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn today!

Continue reading here:
Johnson Controls and Building Homes for Heroes Partner - ACHR NEWS

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) No matter where you live or the season, theres no bigger energy user in your home than your heating and cooling system, so making the most of efficiency tools is a great way to save money. Some of those measure can cost more than you may be able to afford. Solar window film is a product catching on as a more affordable option.

Installing high-efficiency windows can be a great investment but its also expensive and costs thousands of dollars, says Angies List founder Angie Hicks. If youre looking for a more affordable option, window film is a great alternative.

Solar window film is a thin material applied to window glass. Without it, most of the solar energy that hits the glass comes right on through into your home. With the film, most of that energy stays out. How much depends on the type of film you use.

Window film will be a much better option in terms of improving the performance and matching the performance of a new replacement window, typically a fifth the cost of going through the replacement of those windows, said Kevin Koval, owner of SOLARIS window film company.

Homeowner Jay Dunbar said he earned his investment in window film back in energy savings within three years and resolved an issue of uneven temperature in his house right away.

First thing that we noticed, because we had it applied I think it was in late fall, we noticed that when it got cold, all of a sudden our bedroom wasnt 10 degrees colder than the rest of the house, which was very nice, Dunbar said.

You can install window film yourself, but doing that could void your window warranty. Reputable pros will replace your warranty with their own. Theyll also install the film without bubbles, which will prevent cracks or peeling later on. Some will even let you transfer the warranty if you sell your house.

Only a few states actually require trade licenses for window film installers, so you want to do some additional homework to see their affiliations with different trade associations and also what kind of guarantee they have behind their work, Hicks said.

Window film offers more than energy efficiency. It shields you from the glare of sunlight, filters out potentially dangerous ultra violet light and even helps protect your furniture from fading from prolonged exposure to the sun.

Installing film on a typical sliding glass door will cost between $300-500 and an average double-pane window costs between $100-150. Window experts say you can expect energy savings of five to 10 percent.

States that require window film licenses: Arizona, California, Mississippi, North Carolina and Oregon. To determine the trade license status of a building pro, use the Angies List License Check free-of-charge.

View original post here:
Angie's List: An Invisible but Mighty Energy Saver - 41 NBC News

LEHIGH ACRES, Fla.A single mother received an unexpected surprise Friday when she camehome from the zoo.

Renee Glazier, who is a single mother, originally hired Purified Air Conditioning and Heating to install a new cooling system in her home. The installation would have cost her about $5,000, but the company teamed up with other local businesses to surprise her with a home makeover instead.

Vic Elsey, Purified Air Conditioning community relations manager, met Renee through a local church. When he heard about the problems Glazier was having, he knew he had to help.

I know we have Extreme Makeover on TV, and I just think its so awesome that Vic and his team really stepped up and are helping people in the community who really need it, Glazier said.

The team sent Glazier to the zoo with her kids while the work was being done. Much to her surprise she not only received her brand new air conditioning unit, but also a new set of stairs and a deck that leads into her home.

Elsey believes this project is one small step in an effort to help the community.

Its very rewarding, he said. I cant say anything more than this is exactly what I want to do for a living, which is help as many people as possible.

More:
Lehigh Acres mother surprised with home makeover - Wink News

A constant stream of evidence confirms performance losses up to 30% from roof curbs due to poor manufacturing, installation, or maintenance. Such curb defects reduce the performance of a 14-EER unit to a system performing below 10 EER. The problem is, unless you look for it, curb defects and the resulting efficiency losses are invisible.

How Does a Curb Function? Roof curbs are accessories resembling a pedestal that sit below a rooftop-packaged unit. A well-designed and installed curb provides a transition for the supply and return air from the unit to the air distribution system.

In theory, a properly built and installed curb should have little effect on airflow through the system. In an ideal world, there should also be no temperature change through the curb. However, any difference in the air temperature entering or leaving a curb signals the possibility of leakage from outside the curb into the airstream. It can also indicate air bypassing between the supply and return ducts within the curb.

The Most Common Curb Defects Because the curb constitutes less than two feet of the typical duct system, you may assume it has little effect on system performance. The purpose of this article is to change that assumption.

In the field, weve found new construction curbs have little negative impact because a new project is built from scratch. The manufacturer builds a curb matching the equipment and duct penetrations are custom built to match the curb. The roofer professionally ties the new curb into the new roof so there is little chance of an air or water leak.

Airflow Losses -- Curb problems often begin when equipment is replaced. An aftermarket curb is often used to connect the footprint of the old unit to the footprint of the replacement unit. Since the average curb height is only 12 inches, the curb manufacturer whips up a 12-inch transition connecting the replacement unit to the roof with little regard for airflow.

If the discharge duct of the unit is offset 24 inches from the supply duct roof penetration, to meet SMACNA duct standards, the roof curb would need to be 48 inches tall. So, low-bid work often takes these shortcuts and gets low-bid results with a 30% reduction in airflow.

Temperature Losses Curb leakage is often the result of sloppy work during equipment replacement. Aftermarket curbs are included in hopes of reducing the amount of required labor. Since the labor budget is blow-and-go, the care and attention needed to assure good workmanship is missing.

Improperly sealed return duct curb penetrations are very close to the fan where duct system pressures are highest. Highest pressure equals increased leakage. Air can be pulled into the duct system from a hot attic, or directly from outside.

Leakage between the supply and return inside the curb is another serious problem that is often impossible to see once the unit is set. The result is very poorly performing equipment shutting off on high limit or a screwed-up refrigeration charge.

Pressure Testing to Discover Curb Airflow Restrictions The first test: measure pressure drop of the supply and return duct through the curb. Do this by installing test ports in the supply and return before and after each duct enters the curb.

In the illustration below, pressure test locations are marked P1 to P5. Take and record the four pressure readings. Subtract the pressure measured in P1 from P2 to find the return duct pressure drop through the curb. Then, subtract the pressure measured in P4 from P3 to find the supply duct pressure drop through the curb.

Field measurement has documented supply and return duct pressure drop through the curb in a well performing system averages less than 10% of fan rated pressure. An example of this is a system where the fan was rated at .50, the pressure drop of the supply and return duct combined through the curb would be no more than .05. If the measured pressure were higher than this rule of thumb, system airflow could be lower than required.

To correct this problem, the duct needs to be oversized throughout the system to compensate for the excess resistance to airflow.

Test port P5 shows one additional pressure test that may indicate air leakage within a curb. Install a test port into the hollow area of the curb. Drill the hole behind the flashing to assure there is no water access into the curb. Connect the tubing to your manometer and measure the pressure within the curb. Ideally, the pressure should be zero.

If the pressure within the curb is positive, this indicates a supply duct leak. If the curbs internal pressure is negative, this indicates a dominant return duct leak. You can normally get access to the duct within the curb by reaching down through the equipment.

Temperature Testing to Identify Curb Airflow Leakage When equipment is set on the curb, several opportunities for leakage can be created. These include:

Temperature testing can help identify curb leakage and pinpoint the cause of the problem as well as the needed solution. Any total temperature loss measured in the supply and return duct through the curb exceeding 1 degree Fahrenheit in cooling mode or 2 degrees in heating mode indicates a defect needing repair. Under ideal circumstances, there should be no temperature change through the curb. No temperature change is evidence the curb is performing correctly.

Refer to the Curb Temperature Troubleshooting Illustration above. Subtract to find the temperature difference between T1 and T2 to identify temperature loss or gain in the return duct. To find leakage in the supply duct subtract to find the temperature difference between test ports T3 and T4. Test port T5 can identify any bypass by measuring the temperature in the hollow area of the curb.

As you apply these testing and troubleshooting principles to the curbed systems you service, sell, and install, you will be able to correct invisible defects that have gone undetected for decades.

Rob Doc Falke serves the industry as president of National Comfort Institute -- an HVAC-based training company and membership organization. If you have additional comments or questions about performance diagnostics, contact Doc at robf@ncihvac.com or call him at 800-633-7058. Go to NCIs website at nationalcomfortinstitute.com for free information, articles, and downloads.

More here:
Troubleshooting Rooftop Unit Curbs - Contracting Business