Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

An addition with a vaulted ceiling skillfully integrated into a first-level floor plan reconfiguration has won a Washington-area Contractor of the Year Grand award (COTY) for Michael Nash Kitchens and Homes. The design solution in which a seldom used-rear deck has been replaced by a sunroom with flanking outdoor entertainment components was executed in the Annandale home of Raymond and Barbara Sherry. The project was named Best Addition Under $100,000 by the Metro D.C. chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry in a ceremony held in mid-February.

In accepting the prize, Michael Nash president and founder Sonny Nazemian was quick to acknowledge his company's high-performance design team, which grappled with several site and structural challenges.

Developing a plan that fully utilizes overlooked space enlargement possibilities is our strong suit, Nazemian said. As a firm, we concentrate on achieving large improvements in functionality and design while adding comparatively little square footage. Our mission is always to expand what is possible within a budget by focusing the investment where it counts.

For the Sherrys, the remodeling process began last year with a simple assessment of goals and priorities.

We're the original owners of this house, which we've occupied for over forty years, Barbara Sherry says. We're empty-nesters now, but our daughter and three grandchildren live nearby, and we're the primary gathering place for the extended family. Gradually, I had realized that we were not using our back deck much, and that our dining room was too small for entertaining. I also wanted a better view of our lovely backyard... but wasn't sure what could be done.

Enlarging the dining room had always been a priority for Barbara, but given set-back requirements on the rear elevation, the feasibility of any large-scale modification was uncertain. Nonetheless, the Sherrys sought advice from Nazemian, who had remodeled their kitchen several years back.

Once we assessed the site issues, several possibilities became clear, Nazemian recalls. A sunroom off the back integrated into a reconfigured open floor plan would meet a lot of the stated goals. We could eliminate interior walls between the living room and dining room and open up sightlines. We also saw that a vaulted ceiling would make the rear elevation feel substantially larger.

The core problem was the existing rear elevation, which served as a bearing wall for the entire second floor. To the make the proposed expansion feasible, Nazemian and team would have to insinuate a horizontal support beam balanced on vertical supports between the first and second floor.

Since the home's primary living area is several feet above grade, excavating a foundation for the new wing presented an opportunity.

Engineering necessity sometimes yields a space-planning bonus, Nazemian says. By enlarging the foundation, we created a cavity under the addition that houses the adjunct HVAC system needed for cooling and heating the new space.

The larger task, however, was forming a new interior that would accommodate a 12-by-40 sun room with a 15-foot ceiling, and 30 feet of running window wall crowned by glass-facing arches.

The structural issue was daunting, Nazemian recalls. The sunroom would be the featured component in a completely open plan. To eliminate the rear bearing wall without relying on a middle post, the support beam would have to span a distance of thirty feet from one side of the room to the other.

To accomplish this, Nazemian specified an industrial-grade I-beam attached to similarly calibrated vertical beams. The vertical supports are concealed behind opposite walls on either side of the open space. This is the component entirely out of view which now holds up the second floor.

We're presenting an unusually wide and open area that incorporates almost half of the rear elevation Nazemian says. The lack of visible support is the defining effect of new space.

Barbara Sherry observes:

As one enters the house from the front, your eye moves out and up into an expanding horizon. It almost like an optical illusion, and pretty stunning.

Meanwhile, with double French doors and side lights on opposite elevations, the addition provides ready access to a pair of well-articulated outdoor places: a new Trex-clad grilling deck on the west side; a flagstone patio with water feature on the east.

From here, pebble-strewn trails meander past forsythia, hosta and old growth holly trees.

Back inside, natural light abounds in all directions. Saffron-hued walls complement pearl-stained crown molding and off-white trim work. For added visual cohesion, the original oak flooring has been replaced with maple. Overhead, a Casablanca fan softly stirs the air.

This is a spot to just relax and take in the garden, yet every gathering place in the new plan has its own identity, and a degree of privacy, Barbara observes.

Effective zoning is the key to an open plan, Nazemian adds. An open continuum needs to be scaled in a way that breaks down any appearance of excess volume. To accomplish this, we consider variances in ceiling height, the shape and placement of windows and built-ins, or the best spot for couches, tables, serving stations.

The idea is to invite the eye to explore, highlighting gathering places and focal points within a panorama, he adds. In this way, a comparatively small space becomes varied and exciting.

My family really loves the improvements, Sherry says. There's an abundance of quiet sitting places, yet it also supports easy interactions and large parties. We're pleased at how well the changes suit out current needs.

For information call (703) 641-9800 or MichaelNashKitchens.com

John Byrd has been writing about home improvement for 30 years. He can be reached at http://www.HomeFrontsNews.com or byrdmatx@gmail.com.

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Sunroom addition is Contractor of the Year grand winner | Articles ... - Fairfaxtimes.com

When it comes to protecting our homes from air and moisture infiltration, the building industry is quickly learning that there is such a thing as too tight. No matter how tightly a home is built, water is inevitably going to find its way in. And the tighter we build those walls, the harder it is to keep them dry. Attempting to stop all water and moisture completely is a recipe for disaster and a surefire way to ensure walls will get wet and stay wet.

In many places, building codes are driving the need for better moisture management solutions. The International Residential Code (IRC) now requires the use of water-resistive barriers, but some states have added even more prescriptive measures to their codes that now include the use of drainage planes, and others are expected to follow.

Thankfully, advances in material technology have resulted in innovative solutions for protecting our homes from the elements while also allowing them to both release vapor buildup and, in some cases, even drain bulk water.

Though exterior cladding is the first line of defense against outside water infiltration, housewraps have become a popular way to block whatever water is able to sneak through. And as building assemblies have gotten tighter, housewraps have taken on a new functionhelping to remove trapped water from the building enclosure. Their unique permeability enables them to both block moisture from the outside while also allowing walls to breathe to prevent vapor buildup. And the very latest innovations in housewrap technology is taking this moisture removal function one step further to incorporate drainage strategies, as well.

Todays most advanced housewrap products feature integrated drainage gaps through creping, embossing, weaving, or filament spacers. These new products eliminate the need for furring strips, helping to reduce material costs and streamline installation. Products that achieve a 1mm drainage plane, like TYPARs Drainable Wrap, can be as much as 100 times more effective than standard housewraps at removing bulk water from the wall.

These new drainable housewraps meet all current code requirements for drainability (ASTM E2273) without sacrificing any of the durability and ease of installation benefits builders and contractors have come to expect from premium housewraps, since they essentially handle and install the same. They are also vapor permeable, so moisture will not become trapped in the wall assembly and lead to mold or rot issues.

The ability to drain bulk water becomes even more important when installing a tightly fastened cladding such as cedar siding or fiber cement board, which could allow water trapped between the siding and a standard housewrap to pool. Drainable housewraps also work exceptionally well with reservoir claddings such as brick, stucco and stone, providing a capillary break that prevents any stored water from being forced into the wall assembly.

Advances in technology and building codes are driving adoption of better moisture management systems, and thats a great thing. While we cant completely stop water from getting into walls, there is certainly a lot more builders can do to help them dry out and minimize damage when they do get wet. By adding drainage capabilities to a solid mix of water resistance, durability and permeability, todays newest drainable housewrap products are a terrific way to address this challenge.

More Information

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New Drainable Housewrap Provides Integrative Solution for Moisture Management - Builder Magazine

Tips to keep roofing scammers at bay.

Nicole Zymek , KPNX 6:34 PM. MST March 01, 2017

Eric Skoog, President of Sunvek Roofing holds up an example of recent shoddy roofing work he is cleaning up after. (Photo: Nicole Zymek/12 News)

Spring temperatures bring with them spring rains. Unfortunately, they may also bring with them an increase in roofers trying to take advantage of homeowners.

"It was during the last monsoon season, after a big rainfall," recalls AndrewLeger,who learned that lesson firsthand.

"I had a contractor come by the house. He basically told me I had some damage in the house. I needed to get it looked at, repaired," said Leger.

But that contractor wasn't able to point out any specific damage. Instead, it seemed to Andrew, the contractor was trying to scare him into a job.

Andrew decided to do his homework, and called over a second company to look it over. They found there was no damage.

"So that kind of saved the problem right there, but it was close," he said.

"In some cases, they're shoddy companies. In other cases, they're opportunists. They realize the homeowner is desperate, they have a problem, they want it solved," said Eric Skoog, President ofSunvek Roofing.

He has spent a lot of his career cleaning up the messes of such roofing companies.

Skoog'sadvice is, if anyone comes to your door knocking, be wary.

"That's the first caution, why is this person finding it necessary to go door knocking to find work?"

Here are three things you should check before agreeing to work with any roofing company of contractor:

Make sure the company is listed with the Better Business Bureau Check the Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC) to make sure they have a license Check to make sure the company has a good record with the ROC

If you have a consumer complaint, Call 12 for Action. Volunteer investigators are available to take your call every weekday from 11 a.m. 1 p.m. at 602-260-1212. Or you can file your complaint online here.

( 2017 KPNX)

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Rainy weather brings roofing scammers - 12news.com

Elon Musk created a mini frenzy in the cleantech world when he announced roofing tiles with embedded solar panels, but India already had an innovator who figured out this solution and much more

Weve travelled incessantly across cities and rural India over the past few years gathering stories. One of the recurring questions that arise is about housing and, more specifically, roofing. The way urban slums are coming up and the way rural societies are developing, the industrial world has force-fed a solution that is neither eco-friendly, nor functional, and it does not have an ounce of beauty. Moving ahead from the mud houses with bamboo roofs and other natural materials (we can still very well use them), people are left with two options- expensive RCC or the mighty hot (in summers) and noisy (in monsoons) tin sheets. There are terracotta tiles in some parts but they are prone to breakages.

In Ahmedabad, our search for an answer brought us to Hasit Ganatra. A local lad who went to the University of South California to study engineering, Hasit has worked in the fields of rural solar electrification, electric vehicles and low-income housing. While figuring out an affordable housing solution in his last stint, he came across the dearth of proper roofing solutions.

My work in the rural solar electrification project took me to remote parts of the country and during my research around housing as well, I spoke with a lot of locals. And in numerous cases, roofing is the problem! People manage to get the walls together and up but roofing turns out to be the bottleneck

says Hasit from his research.

Concrete is just too expensive and tin sheets are a very poor alternative. I looked around for materials that can be picked off the shelf but found absolutely nothing. I told the firm supporting me to do housing that solving roofing can create a much larger effect, says Hasit. He started out by experimenting with materials in his backyard. There had to be a material that is hard, light, waterproof and cost-effective. The answer took time to come.

People called me crazy, they still do, Hasit told us at his factory shed in Vattva, the industrial area in Ahmedabad. His company, Re-materials, has rented out six sheds, where 35 people work tirelessly to manufacture a material that can be an answer to good quality, affordable roofing.

Trying out multiple thingspaper pulp, agriculture waste, plastic waste, etc. it took a good 14 months to arrive at a mix that gave the first iteration of the material they have currently. A lot of people in various capacities came in to help Hasit with his experiments. We rented a small press, got materials in very small quantities and tried out hundreds of combinations to arrive at a composition that worked for us, recollects Hasit. And from that stage, it took three months more to reach a point where that material was waterproof. For waterproofing, they used a mixture of synthetic resin and a couple of other things, but in the latest development, theyve managed to get rid of that as well and have a more eco-friendly layer that acts as a water-proofing material.

From the backyard to factory, it has taken a lot of hard work and persistence. Along the way, Hasit managed to get two investors onboard- Deepa and Gayatri Prahlad (family of well known professor Dr. C.K. Prahalad) and Arpit Vyas, an industrialist from Ahmedabad. And Re-materials ModRoof is now ready for production and scale up.

Over one billion people in slums and villages worldwide are not safe, secure, or proud of their homes because they lack adequate roofing.

And providing a solution for this challenge is ModRoofs mission.Work has already started. Weve made more than 70 installations in Ahmedabad, says Hasit. The product is ready and the word has started to spread. They already have inquiries from countries like Brazil, Mexico, Morocco and other developing nations. There is a clear need for such a product and were glad to have made something that answers the questions, says Hasit.

To make the company financially viable, there is still a long road ahead. The company has a pilot manufacturing facility and are looking to expand to implement 500 roofing projects a month to meet their expenses. That is how the world of manufacturing is. You need to hit some scale to make yourselves a force to be reckoned with. I want this invention to go the masses and not stay on the research desk, says Hasit.

As a founder, this is a great strength to have for a company that is so heavy on research and development. Most of Re-materials' manufacturing equipment is made in-house. From a pupling machine to a UV tester to an extruder machine, the team at Re-materials has taken up all challenges that have come their way. Give me six months and youll see a sprawling cutting-edge research centre. We are a product company but the core is the research in our work

says Hasit.We also saw samples of some other products including roofing tile which has a solar panel embedded (yes, before Elon Musk), modular wall system, furniture made from their material and more.

We went to a few installations and the families seem to be happy with what they have got. Re-materials has partnered with NGOs and a few micro-finance companies to get the installations going. People have come to them after seeing an installation and the word-of-mouth is also spreading in the communities. We have an all-women sales team. Once a family uses our roof, they become our evangelists and weve managed to get a wonderful set of women whore proud of spreading the work were doing, says Hasit.

But all this comes at its own price. For instance, during a site visit, one of the families had drilled holes in the tiles and installed a Tata Sky inspite of being asked not to. Re-materials already has this problem solved with the new material but to ensure a fool proof solution, they have a team which regularly visits the installations to take feedback. The research mindset was also not easy to get in. There will always be resistance at the beginning. But once the locals started to get the joy of experimenting and arriving at a solution, they now love the process, says Hasit.

Re-materials has done a phenomenal job at arriving at a product that fits the market as well as checking most of the eco-friendly boxes. We are clear in our mission of providing affordable roofing. Being eco-friendly just happened naturally and were glad, he adds. Now, the company is devoting all energy to scaling up operations and moving to a single larger integrated facility from where they can start delivering on the welcome pile of orders.

Checkout Re-material's website and feel free to write in to us at slowtech@yourstory.com if you want an introduction to Hasit or have something to share related to this story.

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This man from Ahmedabad has a roofing solution for the third world - YourStory.com

A weekend house fire on Cooper Lane resulted in the death of an elderly Cody man.

Firefighters found his body on the second floor of the historical home at 3704 Cooper Lane about an hour after they were notified of the fire at noon Sunday. The victim was the sole occupant.

On Wednesday morning officials had not yet shared the victims name, saying while they believed it was the 74-year-old white male occupant, his identity could not be confirmed until a coroners autopsy Thursday.

The 1910 log house was built on a homestead on several acres just outside current city limits. Several additions were later added.

According to Sam Wilde, Cody Fire Department marshal, the fire, which started on the second story, burned inside unnoticed for many hours because of the homes sturdy log construction. It wasnt until interior oxygen was consumed that flames finally broke through the roof, setting shingles on fire. Neighbors then spotted sign of the fire and reported it at 11:58 a.m.

They couldnt see smoke visible until it broke through the roof, Wilde said.

In all, 31 emergency personnel and eight units responded.

He said the fire likely started earlier that morning, or even the night before. The house was completely destroyed.

Going through the rubble, firefighters were unable to locate smoke alarms either on the main level or upstairs where the fire had started and burned everything.

If fire detectors were installed, they werent functioning, he said.

Although firefighters gained

entry to the first floor fairly quickly, Wilde said they werent able to access the second level where they found the body until 1 p.m.

The cause of the fire remains unknown.

There was so much stuff that burned, the fire marshal said. There were so many things we couldnt rule out; so many different possibilities.

Space heaters, a fireplace, the fact the victim was a heavy smoker are all possibilities.

There were electrical issues all over in the old home, Wilde said. There were so many things we looked at.

Although it took about an hour to extinguish the blaze, firefighters were on the scene almost five hours, mainly because it took considerable time to sift through charred remains upstairs.

We did have a lot of mop up because there was a lot of stuff to dig through to make sure the fire was all out, Wilde said.

Despite that precaution, the fire re-ignited, and the fire department was called back to the site 6:30 a.m. Monday. They spent another 45 minutes extinguishing the rekindled fire.

Discovery of the owners body inside the house was somewhat expected.

Wilde said neighbors and the mans brother thought he likely was at home, his pickup was in the driveway and he wasnt found elsewhere.

The sad outcome is cause for Wilde to again stress the importance of smoke detectors to alert people and allow them time to escape harm.

The majority of fatality fires [locally] and nationwide are because there were no working smoke detectors, he said.

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Man dies in house fire | Local News | codyenterprise.com - Cody Enterprise

Sometimes midseason moves and late additions to rosters smack of desperation and the urge for a team to do something, anything.

But there are those occasions when they make their presence felt.

A trade deadline deal sent sweet shooting Lou Williams from the lowly Lakers to a Houston team trying to crack the upper echelon of contenders and wasted no time making an impact, nailing 7-for-11 behind the 3-point line in his first game with the Rockets. Hes shooting 21-for-42 and averaging 24 points per game as the Rockets enter Wednesday nights game at L.A. against the Clippers (10:30ET, ESPN). The former Sixth Man of the Year joins this seasons likely leader for the award, Eric Gordon, to make a Rockets team that was already difficult to guard more potent.

The Cavaliers are now stirring Deron Williams and Andrew Bogut into the mix of the defending champions after being cut loose in Dallas and Philadelphia.

Will the additions have an impact?A look back shows seven top players that definitely made a difference:

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From Rasheed Wallace to Pau Gasol, these midseason additions ... - NBA.com

The Boston Celtics know any road to the NBA Finals will likely pass through Cleveland.

They put the defending champs on notice that they are gearing up to challenge them for their Eastern Conference throne.

Isaiah Thomas scored 31 points, including a pair of go-ahead free throws, as the Celtics outlasted LeBron James and the Cavaliers 103-99 on Wednesday night.

Boston's win overshadowed the seventh triple-double of the season for James, who finished with 28 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. Kyrie Irving added 28 points for the Cavaliers, who lost for the first time when leading at any point in the fourth quarter on the road.

The game marked the third meeting this season between the top two teams in the East, and the first win by the Celtics.

"We just played to win," Thomas said. "They're the No. 1 team in the East. One of the best teams in the NBA, and we just wanted to protect home court and get a win. We did that tonight."

Jae Crowder had 17 points and 10 rebounds for Boston, which led by three entering the fourth quarter before there were six ties and 10 lead changes in the final 12 minutes.

It was a 3-point barrage down the stretch, with the Celtics connecting on six straight attempts during one stretch. They also made this more difficult for a Cavs team that had averaged 126 points in its wins over the Celtics.

"This needs to carry over for us," Celtics guard Avery Bradley said.

Deron Williams, signed by Cleveland earlier this week, scored four points in 24 minutes in his Cavaliers debut. But it did little to help the Cavs overcome a night in which they were outrebounded 47-41.

It was tied at 99 when Thomas connected on a pair of free throws to put Boston in front 101-99. Irving then missed a jumper and Tristan Thompson grabbed the rebound and got it to Deron Williams, who then missed from the corner. Crowder got the rebound, was fouled and made his two foul shots to seal it.

"I saw Crowder running to me, he jumped and then I saw Marcus Smart running toward me," James said of the Cavs' missed opportunity in the waning seconds. "I saw D-Will naked in the corner, so I gave him an opportunity and he just missed it. We got the shot we wanted."

Despite the loss, coach Tyronn Lue was pleased with his team's effort.

"It was a good game went down to the wire, shot for shot," Lue said. "I.T. made two big shots, Avery made two big shots. We competed, we fought. That's all you can ask for."

TIP-INS

Cavaliers: Outscored the Celtics 50-42 in the paint. ... Finished 15 of 22 from the free-throw line.

Celtics: Al Horford finished with nine points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. ... Finished 13 of 31 from the 3-point line.

QUOTABLE

"I don't know if I'm in his level. I definitely slowed up because I knew it was him. I'm not taking no legend out." James on his near collision with Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who was seated on the baseline.

TOUGHER EAST

Celtics coach Brad Stevens said he's been impressed by the recent additions by several teams in the Eastern Conference. Though, he said, the line still forms behind the defending champions following their acquisition of Williams and anticipated addition of big man Andrew Bogut, who is free to sign after clearing waivers.

"I don't think I'm saying anything earth-shattering here: We're all chasing Cleveland," Stevens said.

ENERGY MAN

Derrick Williams playing on his second 10-day contract provided the energy for the Cavaliers early on, scoring 10 points in the first half.

He scored from the outside, got into the teeth of Boston's interior defense and sped the game up. One of his best highlights came in the second quarter when he blocked Bradley's jumper, sprinted ahead and received a pass from James for a fast-break dunk.

UP NEXT

Cavaliers: Continue their three-game road trip Friday at Atlanta.

Celtics: Have two days before beginning a five-game road trip Friday against the Lakers.

Follow Kyle Hightower on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/khightower

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Thomas, Celtics overcome Cavs, James' triple-double - ABC News

Autoweek

IMSA race weekends to get boost from LM P3 additions Autoweek All homologated LM P3 cars will make their Prototype Challenge this month at Sebring. And as for that debut, practice is scheduled for March 15, with qualifying on March 14, followed by the first of two races. The second race will take place on March 15.

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IMSA race weekends to get boost from LM P3 additions - Autoweek

New York Times

House Hunting in Sydney New York Times The kitchen and rear portion of the home, which includes an atrium, are more recent additions. From the sidewalk, a gate ... All four bedrooms are on the second floor, along with two full baths (the half bath is on the first floor). The master opens to ...

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House Hunting in Sydney - New York Times

Microsoft RT users had to be content with Windows Store apps and web-based applications. Photograph: Alamy

My wife has used a Microsoft Surface RT tablet for a few years in her job as a tutor. She has found its size and the touch keyboard invaluable in her planning and writing up of lessons, especially as this often happens in the car between pupils. Unfortunately, it is becoming less reliable, and much slower, and she is looking for a replacement. She has looked at the new Surface Pros, but does not want to spend more than 500. She requires Microsoft Office, a long battery life and portability.

By the way, I also wanted to thank you for the advice you gave my daughter in What sort of tablet should I buy for drawing? Niamh bought a Wacom tablet and is very pleased. John

Microsoft launched the Surface RT in 2012 when the tablet market looked promising. It was the first tablet to run Windows on an ARM chip, which provided long battery life. It also made it incompatible with all the traditional software written for Intel x86 versions of Windows, including viruses.

The Surface RT tablets included Microsoft Office, which was good, but it wasnt optimised for touch-screen use, which was bad. Otherwise, users had to be content with Windows Store apps and web-based applications.

While Surface RT users loved their machines, there were not many of them, and Microsoft abandoned the ARM line in favour of the successful Intel-based Surface Pro versions. However, ARM-based versions will return to the market later this year.

Your wifes Surface RT should not have slowed down that much, and a reset might speed it up again. To do this, take a backup of the current system or at least, all the personal data and restore it to factory condition. Run the Settings app (cogwheel icon), select Update & security, click Recovery and then hit the Get started button under Reset this PC.

The drawback is that you will have to reinstall all the updates that have been downloaded previously. This could take some time.

You could also optimise Windows for speed.

Windows has a lot of visual effects: for example, things slide into view instead of instantly popping into view. To change this, type in advanced system settings to find the System Properties sheet from the old Control Panel. In the Performance section, click the Settings button and then select Adjust for best performance.

After that, go through the list of effects and restore any you still want. Enable Peek, Show shadows under mouse pointer, Show window contents while dragging and Smooth edges of screen fonts are worth keeping.

Unfortunately, the Surface RT is a sealed box, like most tablets. You cant get the simple improvement that works with desktop and some laptop PCs: just add RAM.

The whole tablet market is in decline Apple iPad sales are roughly half what they were at their peak and manufacturers are shifting resources to AR (augmented reality, such as the Microsoft HoloLens) and VR (virtual reality, such as the Oculus Rift). Windows PC manufacturers switched to 2-in-1s and then convertibles, where sales are still growing strongly.

Unfortunately, the better products are generally more expensive, including the Microsoft Surface Pro 4, the HP Spectre x2, HP Elite x2, and Dell Latitude 11 5175. Theres a huge gap between pro tablets and convertibles with Intel Core processors, 8GB of memory and proper SSDs and the cheap, casual models with Intel Atom processors, 2GB of memory and 32GB of eMMC Flash storage.

It can be hard to find affordable machines in the sweet spot between the two extremes. These may have Intel Core M processors such as the Core m3-6Y30 and 4GB or 8GB of memory. The best compromise is a Cherry Trail (x3, x5 or x7) Atom-powered machine with 64GB of eMMC storage.

The one Id recommend at the moment is last years Lenovo Miix 310, which has an Atom x5-Z8350 processor, 4GB of memory and 64GB of storage for a current web price of 249.99 (30 off). However, this week, Lenovo unveiled the Miix 320 with 128GB of storage, so it might be worth waiting for that.

The main alternative is the Asus Transformer Book T100HA, which has a Cherry Trail x5-Z8500 processor, 2GB of memory and either 32GB or 64GB of storage. Currently, eBuyer has the 2GB/64GB model for 229.97 with free delivery. The T100HA has been around for a while, and the Miix 310 has twice the memory and a better keyboard.

In both cases, the electronics are behind the screen, so you can detach the screen from the keyboard and use it as a tablet. (The virtual keyboard is built into Windows 10.) The alternative is to keep the electronics under the keyboard and fit a 360-degree hinge. Folding the keyboard behind the screen provides a somewhat thicker tablet. The Lenovo Yoga range pioneered this approach, and your wife could have a look at one to see if the idea is acceptable. Yogas come in dozens of configurations but a Yoga 300 with an Intel Pentium N3710, 4GB of memory and 64GB of storage costs 279.99 from PC World. The N3710 is faster than the x5-Z8500, though not by much.

You dont say if your wife is using a stylus. I hope so, because a Surface-style device, Microsoft OneNote and a stylus is a terrific system for educational use. However, adding a stylus and a pen-capable screen bumps up the price, usually beyond your budget.

The main exception is the Asus Transformer Mini T102HA (x5-Z8350/4GB/64GB) with a stylus, which costs 449.95 at John Lewis, or 398.46 on Amazon. However, Microsoft currently has a Signature Edition (ie crapware free) version for only 349.

I believe the Mini T102HA is the cheapest current 2-in-1 with a stylus, unless you are willing to risk a Chinese product such as a Teclast X3 Pro or X5 Pro. These arent even included in Tablet PC Reviews invaluable spreadsheet of pen-capable Windows 10 systems.

The other possibility is Microsofts Surface 3 not the same as a Surface Pro 3 if you can still find one at a reasonable price. Microsoft has some at a student price of 449.99, if you pre-qualify as a student.

Lenovos very innovative Yoga Book is also worth a look at 549.99.

Windows 10 is a mobile operating system, like Android, and also runs on ARM chips in smartphones, which arent expected to run traditional x86 Windows programs. Later this year, however, we expect to see ARM-based tablets and small laptops running Windows 10 on the next-generation Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor. Qualcomm has a Microsoft demo video on its website.

These new devices wont be the same as the Surface RT. The main difference is that they have enough power to run traditional x86 programs under emulation. The Snapdragon 835 also supports touch, pen and the latest wireless standards: LTE, 802.11ad and Bluetooth 5.

Early models will probably be designed and priced for corporate use, but consumer versions should follow.

Have you got another question for Jack? Email it to Ask.Jack@theguardian.com

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Are there any good Windows 10 tablets to replace an old Surface RT? - The Guardian