Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

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There are so many good reasons to remodel your basement -- more usable room, additional privacy, increased resale value, and energy efficiency, to name just a few. The best part is that basement remodeling costs only about 10-15 percent as much as building out. So get busy choosing pretty and practical light fixtures and floor coverings to enhance your newfound space, but don't forget one important item ... the egress window.

What Is an Egress Window?

Every room used for the purpose of sleeping requires a direct opening to the outdoors, to allow for emergency escape and rescue. Therefore, unless you have a walkout basement, you will need to include some form of egress from each bedroom. Most commonly, this is a window, although legally it may also be a low skylight or a door. (If you can work it into your basement remodel design, a door is an excellent choice. It provides more privacy and independence when you are creating a studio apartment to be used as an in-law flat or a rental unit -- subject to local zoning laws, of course. However, the layout of many basements does not allow for door installation.)

While this type of opening is not a requirement for other basement remodels, such as a home office, gym, games room, or family room, it's still a good idea to include an egress window in the construction. You'll be glad of the flexibility it allows in case you want to change the room's purpose some day -- or use it as an occasional guest room right now.

Egress Window Specs

International Building Code specifications for egress windows are very demanding -- with good reason, as they are designed to save lives. The bottom of any egress window is required to be no more than 44 inches above floor level. The net clear opening must be at least 5 square feet for a basement bedroom, the amount of space required to admit a firefighter wearing protective gear and carrying an air tank on his/her back. Note that this refers to the open space available to crawl through, and not merely the total area of the window. The egress opening, as well as window bars, if any, must be operable from the inside, without any keys or other devices, to permit fast exit. For basements, the most practical style of egress window is usually a casement.

Window Well

The nature of a basement is that generally most or all of it is located underground. For this reason, an egress window will need a window well to make it functional. This is an outdoor excavated area adjacent to the egress window. Code specifies that the well's horizontal dimensions must be a minimum of 9 feet, with a horizontal projection of at least 36 inches. The top of the window well is required to be 6 or more inches above the soil line, with steps or a ladder provided. Construction of the well will be much easier if you excavate it first, before installing the egress window. Ensure proper drainage. A cover or grate may be installed on top of the window well to keep out small animals such as skunks, but it is subject to the same operating principles as the egress opening itself.

Egress Window as a Design Element

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Basement remodel? don't forget the egress window!

While the recent razing of the ASB Building on Broadway was obvious to any passerby, the extreme makeover next door wont be apparent for a few months yet.

The Medical Office Building (MOB) is being remodeled to house what will be called St. Rose Health Center; the name change from St. Rose Ambulatory & Surgery Center would occur as a result of a successful joint venture between Hays Medical Center and Centura Health, which continues to be negotiated.

The MOB, which opened in 2009, will be home to existing and new services.

St. Rose Senior Vice President Leanne Irsik outlined the basics of how the facility will be re-configured.

A new entrance will be added to the southeast side.The first floor will accommodate registration just inside the main entrance, where the atrium is now.Other first-floor occupants will include St. Rose Family Medicine & Urgent Care, infusion and specialty nursing, laboratory collection, occupational testing, and imaging and diagnostic services.The second floor will be home to the Specialty Clinic, Great Bend Internists and the licensed ambulatory surgery center.

Golden Belt Home Health & Hospice will remain in the Kirby Medical Office Building, located just south of St. Rose; other support offices also will move into the Kirby facility.

The ambulatory surgery center will include one main procedure room with three spaces for patient care before and after procedures, Irsik said. These are same-day procedures that require local or regional anesthesia or sedation. The most common are minor biopsies, endoscopies, colonoscopies, pain management and carpel tunnel treatment.

The parking lot will be directly south of the lobby, outside the new entrance. Parking also will be available on the west side. After the new building opens, the west entrance temporarily will be used while the east end is completed after the circular towers are separated from the MOB.

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Remodeling progresses at St. Roses Medical Office Building

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) - To appreciate the history behind the Sanford House, start with the wallpaper mural in the grand entrance hall of the 168-year-old pillared landmark.

Depicting scenes of life in the Americas in the 1820s, the design is called Vues dAmrique du Nord. It was created by Jean Zuber, a French artist whose company made luxury handmade wall coverings in the late 19th Century, according to The Grand Rapids Press (http://bit.ly/1yKkk6T ).

In 1960, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy salvaged the same woodblock-printed wallpaper and installed it in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House. Youll also find the pattern in the dining room of the Old Governors Mansion in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and the elegant Monmouth Historic Inn in Natchez, Mississippi.

Zuber never visited America, but painted scenes from places and events about which he had heard and read. Hence, Boston Harbor has tropical Spanish moss hanging from its trees and the Indians look like they are from India, not North America.

Rae Green, who restored the house in Grand Rapids with her husband, David, said shes amazed the murals have survived all of the owners and non-profit agencies who have occupied the home since the wallpaper was installed during a 1907 remodeling.

There have been stories that some of the owners almost took it down, said Green, who will operate Sanford House as a private treatment center for women with addictions to alcohol and drugs.

The Greens bought the house for $365,000 in July after it served as an office building for several health and recovery-related agencies over the previous 23 years. Since then, they have invested more than $1 million while restoring and remodeling the home for its next life.

Green makes no apologies for the plush setting, the in-house chef or the $20,000-per-month fee they will charge their clients. Out-patient clients will be charged $600 a week for three-hour thrice-weekly sessions.

There is so much stigma when it comes to someone getting treatment for substance abuse, she said. Sometimes, the stigma is even greater for women.

We want to create an environment that was comfortable so they could focus on the work that they are there to do and restore their lives and the lives of their families.

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168-year-old Grand Rapids house restored as treatment center

Officials anticipate opening the reconfigured facility at 44 Millpond Parkway in March

Published Dec 18, 2014 at 2:18 pm (Updated Dec 18, 2014)

In the newly built children's area, stud walls separate the programming and performance area from the collection room.

Images provided by Cheryl Fils-Aime/cherfoto.com The Monroe Free Library is using a $30,370 New York State Library Construction grant to replace windows.

The library's new public entrance and foyer were framed out by late summer.

The day after the removal of the books and shelves, the library's main collection space is vacant.

MONROE Monroe Free Librarys $1.9 million renovation is about 95 percent complete, according to a Dec. 1 progress report from Verticon Ltd., the contractor managing the project.

The contractor estimated that the construction portion of the project will be substantially completed by the last week of December. This includes finishing the installation of the heating, ventilating and air conditioning and electrical systems; siding and roofing; and interior finish work such as ceiling tiles, painting and millwork, doors and flooring.

The next progress meeting is scheduled for Dec. 22, when the libary expects to have a clear idea of the date Verticons construction work will be complete.

Barring any construction delays or unforeseen contingencies, library anticipates opening an expanded and reconfigured facility at 44 Millpond Parkway at the beginning of March. The doors will open with an enlarged childrens area, a Young Adult room, added capacity for books and programs, improved office spaces, and the ability to offer more services to the community.

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Monroe Free Library expansion nears completion

Superior Roofing Company Bakersfield 661-322-8300
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North West Rubber Roofs - P.V.C Single Ply Roofing Systems
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Merry Christmas from LaFerney Commercial Roofing

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That being said, as a roofing contractor in Sioux Falls, Ive been a part of them at different times in my Roofing career. Not because I believe in what they do, but because the bulk of the public still does..time will tell how long that will last.

Truth be told, most listing services online produce about the same effect as a BBB listingin that if a roofing contractor does bad work, then customers will leave negative feedback on their listings. The new way that the web is allowing interaction between consumers and businesses is allowing for the same thing that the BBB did before all of the new web 2.o social media became the norm online.

Anymore the BBB is simply an overpriced listing.. kind of like advertising in the good old fashioned Yellow Pages big book/door stop not many people see it, but as a roofing contractor or any business. you have to pay out the nose in order to still be a part of it.

Anymore if a potential client asks if Im a roofing contractor with the BBB I simply tell them it cost me over $500 per year and never brought in a single project, so after a few years of wasting money on them I canceled, but if the customer would like I could make one call and get my A+ roofing contractor rating right back..(I also mention that paying clients get negative remarks and situations taken off quickly, if they ever even become public).

Regardless of the BBB stance as a consumer protection company the sad truth is that they are a business that makes millions off of other businesses, and reality would dictate that their loyalties go to where their money comes from.

In a strange way, the BBB is like the old gangsters offering protection to local roofing contractor businesses, and then increasing the cost of protection..to the point where it no longer is protection, but extortion.

Because of the common phrase check them with the BBBwhen searching for a roofing contractorthe BBB has risen to the point that it kind of strong arms businesses to pay their unreasonable listing fee just because consumers expect it.

In my experience as a roofing contractor, the listing with the BBB was a waste of marketing money, and only a few people ever checked out my roofing contractor profile with the BBB . and none of them ever became a client.

They (the BBB) also sent me regular emails to events ranging in price from $100 -$500, and Im sure this is simply part of their profit producing strategy.(I believe each office is a locally owned franchise, so listing fees vary depending on the area located, but I could be wrong on thatso dont quote me Ill have to do a little more research and then update this post at that time:)

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Best Roofing in Sioux Falls 605-549-5033 - Roofing Sioux Falls

"I think we checked off a lot of boxes in terms of what we wanted to accomplish," president of baseball operations Michael Hill said. "We felt like for us to take that next step, we needed to improve. And we wanted to add a starter. We wanted to add a bat, an upgraded bat, which we haven't done yet. But we were able to improve our lineup with the addition of Dee Gordon and inject some speed."

Gordon, the All-Star second baseman, is heading to the Marlins as part of a seven-player deal with the Dodgers.

The Marlins capped their stay in Southern California by making two more trades on Thursday. Right-hander Mat Latos was acquired from the Reds. A lower-profile move brought in right-hander Andre Rienzo, the only Brazilian-born player ever to reach the Majors.

Michael Hill discusses the Marlins' acquisitions

Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill talks about landing Mat Latos, Dan Haren and Dee Gordon at the Winter Meetings

The additions and subtractions have reshaped the roster, and created some questions. Here's five things to watch for moving forward.

Power bat A strong push was made for Rockies first baseman Justin Morneau, but the asking price was too high. Even though talks fizzled in San Diego, there is a chance they could rekindle before the end of the month. Free agent Michael Morse is a definite possibility, and so is Pittsburgh's Pedro Alvarez. It's highly doubtful the D-backs will trade Mark Trumbo.

Overstocked rotation An area of need filled up quickly in 24 hours in San Diego. Two separate deals landed Latos and Dan Haren. Now, there is the question of whether Haren will join the club or retire to be with his family on the West Coast. If Haren reports, Miami will have Latos, Haren, Henderson Alvarez, Nathan Eovaldi, Jarred Cosart, Tom Koehler and Brad Hand competing for five spots. And, oh by the way, Jose Fernandez, should be recovered from his Tommy John surgery to join the group around the All-Star break. The logjam will make it extremely difficult for prospect Justin Nicolino, a standout at Double-A Jacksonville, to open the season with the club. Having too many isn't necessarily a bad thing. A year ago, the Marlins used 13 different starters.

Trade chips Haren's decision may impact Eovaldi's future. The team may be less willing to trade a power arm without the assurance of a proven veteran to fill the void. Hand is in an interesting spot because he is out of options, so he has to make the team. Hand can be used out of the bullpen, but he is more comfortable starting. He's also the lone lefty starting candidate now that Andrew Heaney's been traded. If a power-hitting first baseman is added, first baseman Garrett Jones will be seriously shopped.

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Marlins turning attention to further moves

The Marlins last had a winning season in 2009, and they haven't been to the postseason since claiming the 2003 World Series title. They will deal with playoff talk once again when Spring Training begins in February.

Miami was a surprise team in 2014, finishing 77-85 after a disastrous 100-loss campaign in '13.

"[In 2014], from anybody outside of the clubhouse, expectations were minimal, if there were any," McGehee said. "We did a good job of exceeding what people on the outside probably thought we could do. Now, [in 2015], it's a different story.

"We're not sneaking up on anybody. It's a little different ballgame when you're expected to win. Hopefully that doesn't affect anybody in a negative way."

Miami has enjoyed one of its most productive offseasons in years, addressing its major needs before Christmas.

The offseason directive started when owner Jeffrey Loria agreed to do whatever it took to sign two-time All-Star right fielder Giancarlo Stanton to a long-term deal.

Gordon discusses being traded to Marlins

Dee Gordon talks about being dealt by the Dodgers to the Marlins as part of a seven-player deal

President of baseball operations Michael Hill and general manager Dan Jennings executed the plan and convinced Stanton the organization was committed to winning. Stanton bought in and signed a benchmark 13-year, $325 million contract on Nov. 19.

Since Thanksgiving, the team has completed four trades, and they've added a power bat in Morse, a proven starter in Latos and an All-Star second baseman in Gordon, who paced the Majors with 64 stolen bases last year.

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McGehee: Miami ready to face high expectations