Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

MAHOMET With contracts awarded for asbestos removal and demolition, the old Middletown school building's days are numbered.

The facility on Division Street, which has housed students at all levels, was most recently an early childhood center. It's been vacant since the opening of Middletown Prairie Elementary this fall.

A committee of community representatives convened last year advised that the district demolish the building and create a park memorializing the school and its legacy for the students of Mahomet-Seymour.

Last month, district officials established a timeline that set demolition for this winter.

Damien Schlitt of BLDD Architects reported to the school board that there were eight bidders for the asbestos removal contract. The low bidder was Missouri-based Schemel-Tarrillion at around $124,000.

Original estimates for the project ranged from $200,000 to $240,000, and Superintendent Rick Johnston said that officials were "very pleased" with how the bids came in.

Schlitt also presented bids for demolition of Middletown. The low bidder was Chrisman-based Razmus Demolition Services, at $179,997.

The board voted to award both contracts to the low bidders.

Johnston also read a letter from the Preservation and Conservation Association of Champaign County, which removed remaining furnishings and architectural features from the building several weeks ago at the invitation of the district.

Items salvaged by PACA include 120 feet of handrail, 75 feet of chalkboard trays, 14 slate blackboards, stage footlights and border lights and two sets of metal lockers.

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Bids awarded for Middletown demolition

ANN ARBOR - Meadowlark Builders will be conducting tours of a custom, resource-efficient home under construction in Dexter, the next installment in Meadowlarks Behind The Drywall Tour Series.

Attendees will get a rare glimpse of the technology and building techniques that go into constructing a resource-efficient home all before the drywall is placed on the walls. Guided tours will take place on Saturday and Sunday, December 13 and 14. This custom home, named Green Country Ranch, sits on an idyllic five-acre lot with a great view looking south over a meadow of waving grass.

Our clients are from Ireland and France and were used to smaller homes that last forever. They wanted a country setting, but were adamantly opposed to the large mcmansions mandated by the community review board. They came to us looking for something smaller that was resource efficient and better built than most of the current construction they had viewed, said Meadowlark President Doug Selby.

Working with the review committee was challenging, but - we ended up with a home that had the smallest possible square footage that could be built in the community, and it had all the elements of the smaller, more efficient home that our clients desired, Selby added.

Along with a durable and efficient building envelope, advanced HVAC system, and lots of green technology, this custom home has been designed and built to ensure that the owners will be able to stay in the home long into the future regardless of how their accessibility requirements change or how energy prices rise.

This home features:

Geothermal Heating and Cooling

Superior Walls foundation

Hot roof

Advanced thermal envelope

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Meadowlark Builders Offers Dexter Green House Tour Dec. 13-14

Concrete countertops are sealed to protect the surface.

Few remodeling alterations in a home are more coveted than new kitchen countertops. According to a National Kitchen and Bath Association survey, about 94 million linear feet of countertops were installed in homes in 2002, with 58 million (or 62 percent) going into kitchen remodels. And the amount spent on countertops ranks second, just below cabinets, in the kitchen remodeling budgets of U.S. homeowners.

Concrete countertops add a rustic touch to kitchen surfaces.

Since the kitchen is the hub of culinary creativity, more homeowners are moving away from the manufactured look of laminates and choosing materials that are as inimitable and timeless as a treasured family recipe. Countertops made from concrete are the latest trend du jour in kitchen interiors. Discriminating homeowners are discovering that this versatile, moldable medium can be handcrafted into a distinctive surface that expresses their individuality, design preferences and even their cooking style. "The clients I work with feel that the current crop of countertop choices granite included are too ordinary, pass or inadequate to satisfy their particular vision for their kitchen," says Jeff Girard, founder of FormWorks, Raleigh, N.C., and president of the Concrete Countertop Institute, a training facility offering hands-on instruction in concrete countertop fabrication. Jeff has seen the demand for concrete countertops skyrocket over the past five years, especially among homeowners eager to participate in the creative process. Residential kitchen and bath remodels represent a large portion of his work.

"Concrete countertops are not simply sidewalk slabs slapped onto cabinets," Jeff explains. "These are carefully crafted, highly engineered slabs that are processed to achieve a high degree of fit and finish."

Most concrete countertops are precast in molds built to the customer's specifications so they can be formed, cured and finished under controlled conditions. However, some fabricators prefer to cast the countertop onsite, setting the mold on top of the base kitchen cabinets and then filling it with concrete. Regardless of the casting method used, these are not cookie-cutter creations. Every casting is custom-made and thus inherently unique.

Concrete countertop makers often develop their own signature looks by using proprietary mix ingredients, casting techniques and surface treatments. Many are artists by trade and will collaborate with homeowners, architects and interior designers on ideas that will add to the character and individuality of the final product. As the photos illustrate, the options for personalizing concrete countertops are endless. Here are just a few of the possibilities:

Concrete can be earthy and natural, with a tactile quality not found in synthetic or stainless-steel surfaces. Because each concrete countertop is hand-cast, it exhibits subtle variations in color and texture. Concrete countertops can also be adorned with botanical imprints from real leaves or embedded with colorful stones, seashells and even fossils.

The environmental benefits of concrete also appeal to homeowners. Concrete is an eco-friendly alternative to petroleum-based synthetic products and nonrenewable natural materials such as quarried stone. Some concrete countertop makers incorporate natural minerals and recycled materials into their creations, such as fly ash (a byproduct of coal production), metal shavings, plastic regrinds, recycled glass and scrap wood chips.

Because of the time and craftsmanship required to build a concrete countertop, the price tag can be high from about $65 to $125 per square foot, depending on the degree of handiwork involved, according to Concrete in the Kitchen, published by The Concrete Network.

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Express Yourself with Concrete Countertops | Kitchen Ideas ...

Granite, Zodiaq, Silestone, Legacy, Hanstone, soapstone Countertops & Vanities Counter Act Countertops has fabricated and installed custom countertops and vanities in the Southern Oklahoma and Northern Texas areas for over 25 years. The reasons we have been so successful for so many years is because we strive for perfection and we keep up with the latest developments such as Micro-Seam technology. Micro-Seam technology has existed for years, but very few fabricators use it because it takes more work. At Counter Act, we think it is not only worth the extra work to have seams that are almost invisible and cant be felt, we apply it to every job we do as standard operations. The process will eventually become the granite countertop industry standard, but if youre not getting micro-seams now, you are not getting the best solution. Not every job needs a seam, and we strive for as few seams as possible. But when seams are necessary, our technology is the best. Read customer testimonials.

We invite you to our custom countertop facility to see for yourself why you should choose Counter Act to fabricate and install your quartz, soapstone or granite countertops. Owner Steve Reed is hands on with fabrication and installation of your countertops and vanities. Counter Act is a one-job-at-a-time company, and you will have no problem talking to our employees, who are good, honest people, enjoying their work and striving for perfection. Most of all we respect the home youve worked hard for. No matter if you are building a $2 million home or a $10,000 home, you will be treated with the same respect by Counter Act.

Call Counter Act Countertops at 580-220-8810 for a free estimate.

Choosing the right granite countertop contractor to fabricate and install your granite countertops is one of the hardest choices of your granite countertop project. Counter Act Countertops is a family owned and operated business, our goal is to provide you superior expertise and customer satisfaction. We are confident that you will be completely satisfied as we assist you every step of the way. We have over 25 years experience in granite fabrication using the most modern, computer aided equipment, and have some of the best trained technicians in the industry. Choose from over 100 colors of granite to turn your kitchen into a show place. An investment in granite countertops is a wise choice when building a new home or remodeling your present kitchen. Read more about granite countertops.

Counter Act Countertops fabricates and installs Dupont Zodiaq, Legacy, SileStone quartz, countertops in Southern Oklahoma and Northern Texas. Quartz countertops are your best choice for the growing, active family who is on the go. Quartz countertops are easy to maintain, never need sealing, and can take a lot of use and still look great. The biggest difference in our brands of quartz is the colors offered by each brand. Please take the time to look at the color samples and photos to see which brand of quartz countertop is best for your home or business. Our goal is to exceed industry standards and provide superior customer service We work with numerous brands of quartz countertop materials to provide you with many choices of countertop materials, colors and designs. Read about Dupont Zodiaq, Legacy, SileStone.

Soapstone countertops are not as widely known as granite or quartz, but have many properties that make them a viable alternative to other natural stone countertops. This naturally quarried stone is softer than most other natural minerals, but soapstone is very dense and non-porous. Since soapstone is impenetrable, it will not stain and no liquid will permeate its surface, as can happen with marble, slate, limestone or granite. Choosing what is best for your home is easy with soapstone because of the different varieties that are available. The variety of colors and their marbling effects make it easy to find the right countertops to complement the appliances and cabinetry that are in either your kitchen or bathroom. Read more about soapstone countertops.

Many people have questions about granite countertop installation, so we have tried to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about installing granite (or quartz) countertops in your existing home or new home during construction. This section addresses site preparation for granite countertops, measuring countertops, granite countertop cost estimate, granite countertop sinks, countertop edge styles, and granite countertop care. Most of the information also applies to quartz or soapstone countertop installation as well. Counter Act wants you to have all your questions answered, so if you have more questions, just give us a call at 580-220-8810. More about granite countertop installation.

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Counter Act - Granite Countertops, Vanities, Texas, Oklahoma

Shanghai Office Timelapse of Ceiling Installation
Striving for our LBC biophilia imperative and the ceiling! See this time-lapse photography of a ceiling installation in our Shanghai Office, the first proje...

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Shanghai Office Timelapse of Ceiling Installation - Video

In a Heartbreaking New Work, Peter Forgacs Uses Old Home Movies To Recreate Jewish Life

from the archives of the yivo institute for jewish research

Stolen Moments: Letters to Afar is comprised largely of dramaticallty edited footage of Polish home movies taken during the 1920s and 30s.

Peter Forgcss beautiful and heartbreaking video installation Letters to Afar at the Museum of the City of New York consists of several video projections accompanied by music and narration. The audio comes from speakers that hang from the ceiling inside transparent hoods. The large, darkened room is filled with hushed ambient sound music and lists of names and bits of narrative but the hoods focus the sound in places, and this mind-bending hasidic tale is the first thing you hear when you enter the room. As youre trying to make sense of it, a boys face appears on a monitor. He looks about 10 years old. Dressed in hasidic garb, he is goofing around and grinning at the camera in stark sunlight. You see him in split-screen: sometimes in action playing with his hat, shaking hands with a man in a suit (the filmmaker, perhaps?), and sometimes in freeze-frame, in close-up, stilled long enough for you to study and memorize his features. The boy was filmed in 1935, in Kazimierz a Jewish neighborhood of Krakw, Poland.

Using dramatically edited footage of interwar Poland, Forgcs creates an immersive monument to a vanished world. Monument is not the right word actually, since it implies something grand, static, and permanent. Forgcss installation, though massive it consists of six hours of footage playing on multiple screens is an intimate and deeply moving experience.

The films in the installation, from the archives of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, are fascinating in themselves. Throughout the 1930s, well-to-do Jewish American immigrants who could afford home movie equipment traveled back to their hometowns, filming the daily life of their relatives and communities in d and Krakw, Warsaw and Vilna, as well as in smaller places such as Nowogrdek and Oszmiana, Kolbuszowa and Kurw. A few were made as purely personal family records. Others were marketing or fundraising tools. The footage of d and Warsaw, taken by the travel agent Gustave Eisner, is heavy on monuments and landmarks, promoting travel to Poland. Several other films were made by landsmanschaften New York-based hometown aid societies that raised money to help specific towns and villages in the old country. Stylistically, most of these are very much home movies, full of touchingly familiar tropes: abrupt shifts of the camera; people posing awkwardly, accustomed to still photography holding smiles, then remembering to wave; others shying away. There is a sense of visceral repeatability that we dont expect from historical footage perhaps because most history documentaries focus on public figures and important events, using films made by professionals, for public consumption that imply a certain distance. Watching these, I kept thinking, I know these people; these could be my relatives. Some scenes of Warsaw are shot on color film dont miss them, theyre the definition of uncanny.

Talking about Letters to Afar, Peter Forgcs has likened his process to forensics, and compares these films to a record of a crime scene just before a crime. We dont know much about the hasidic kid in Krakw just that he was enjoying being filmed, and what his street looked like. But we know, with a nearly 90% certainty, that he didnt live to be an adult. Forgcs chooses to concentrate entirely on peacetime, and not to include any references to Shoah. The installations impact depends on our awareness of the tragedy yet to come.

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A Monument to the World Before the Holocaust

Last Monday, Pauline Oliveros and the Thingamajigs Performance Group convened inside the Berkeley Art Museum to begin plotting a one-time performance for that Friday. Oliveros, an 82-year-old composer and avant-garde luminary, settled on one of the brightly colored pieces of modular furniture scattered about as part of the Kaleidoscape installation. Without discussion, the Thingamajigs a local ensemble of instrument-makers, educators, and performers composed of Edward Schocker, Dylan Bolles, Keith Evans, and Suki O'Kane slowly navigated BAM's severe concrete ramps and platforms while running their moistened fingers over the lips of crystal glasses.

Intermittent water droplets plopped on the ground from a slowly leaking ceiling; a ballpoint pen scratched paper; fingernails bristled two days' stubble; and the sound of ringing glasses, which first seemed nearly inaudible, became a consummate series of quivering hums that zipped around the resonant structure.

After almost an hour, the Thingamajigs returned to Oliveros. She'd sat motionless, listening. "I'll tell you what was beautiful," she said, emerging from a reverie. "There was an engine sound, and the sound of a bell from outside." She gestured toward the window.

She continued, "Sound actually moves in this room and it turns." She suggested that the performers mind the "tail of the sound" and "listen to it from start to finish," and then posed a question: "Are you projecting, or are you reflecting?"

Schocker and Bolles studied under Oliveros at Mills College in the late 1990s. Oliveros became the first director of Mills music department in 1966, then known as the Mills Tape Music Center. She left the position the following year. Today, Oliveros teaches at Mills via Skype from her home in New York. Recalling Oliveros' teaching style, Schocker said, "I'd ask her questions, and she'd never really give answers."

Conversation with Oliveros was somewhat elliptical. When asked if parameters had been predetermined for the Berkeley Art Museum, Oliveros responded, "The instruments they play and the tunings." So, what instruments? "Well, I'm not sure," she said, smiling.

The creative process employed by Oliveros and the Thingamajigs play first, discuss after has roots in the late 1950s, when Oliveros and Terry Riley decided that imposing guidelines beforehand stifled the collaborative experience. Playing, recording, and then discussing the results critically afterward yielded better results. Their sessions are considered one of the first instances of "free improvisation" in the avant-garde.

In 1963, Oliveros became involved with the San Francisco Tape Music Center, a space that was dedicated to interdisciplinary work and relished institutional autonomy and community inclusiveness. Among the Tape Music Center's major contributions were the 1964 debut of Riley's groundbreaking minimalist piece, In C, for which Oliveros played accordion, and the commission of Donald Buchla's pioneering modular synthesizer, the Buchla Box.

In an essay for the book The San Francisco Tape Music Center, published in 2008 by the University of California Press, Oliveros recalled rehearsing a duo piece for accordion and bandoneon with David Tudor. Her housemate's mynah bird kept interrupting, so they wrote it into the score. The piece became Duo for Accordion and Bandoneon with Possible Mynah Bird Obligato. For a performance, they just played it on a seesaw, and brought the bird along.

In 1965, Oliveros improvised the tape and oscillator piece Bye Bye Butterfly, which incorporates a recording of Madame Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini. Listening to it next to an early track by hip 1980s industrial act Coil, or something new by electronic producers such as Vatican Shadow, illustrates the prescience of her 1960s work. In 2012, the label Important Records issued a twelve-disc box set of her recordings from the decade.

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Avant-garde Luminary Pauline Oliveros Listens Deeply to the Berkeley Art Museum

With Sizzling Summer Finally Fizzling Into Fall, Denver Based VO Heating and Cooling Offers Furnace Tune Ups Seven Days, 7am-7pm

In business since 2012, Van Orden's focus has been on offering energy efficient systems in compliance with green certification principles applied to the HVAC industry utilizing solar and geothermal heating and cooling systems, tank less water heaters along with other aspects of energy conserving green technology.

With utility companies raising fees, many homeowners and renters can't afford to run their heating and air conditioning for maximum comfort. Some tips to stay comfortable include installing ceiling fans while turning the thermostat up a few degrees, reversing the direction of ceiling fans in the cooler months forcing the heat downward, using bathroom fans to remove excess heat and humidity in the home, keeping heat generating appliances like lamps, computers, televisions, away from thermostats to avoid tricking it into pumping more cool air into a room than is necessary.

Homeowners can save energy while improving their home's comfort level simply by investing in energy efficient appliances and products from VO Heating and Cooling reducing their consumption of energy from fossil fuels while lowering their carbon footprint. "Every homeowner committing to using green power is a contribution to preserving and improving life on the planet," according to Van Orden.

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With Sizzling Summer Finally Fizzling Into Fall, Denver Based VO Heating and Cooling Offers Furnace Tune Ups Seven ...

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By: Joe Burnich

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CCA Video Carpet Cleaning Classes | Carpet Cleaning Academy 800-209-1750 - Video

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