For the past three years, St. Thomas has rented the top three floors of the rectory to tenants, reserving the lower level as the home for the church’s music director, who is set to move out next month. This Federal-style row house, built in 1915, has approximately 3,900 finished square feet of space, with seven bedrooms, three full baths and a powder room, including the lower-level apartment.
In addition to its interesting history, the rectory offers potential buyers a chance to own an exceptionally large home in one of the city’s most sought-after neighborhoods.
Dupont Circle and the Dupont Circle Metro station are 3½ blocks from this home, which sits on a quiet, tree-lined side street away from the hubbub of restaurants and nightlife but within an easy walk of an array of urban amenities. The Phillips Collection, art galleries, restaurants, cafes, shops and clubs all are within walking distance of the rectory, as are Adams Morgan and Logan Circle.
The rectory offers an unusual opportunity to own a single-family home in this neighborhood; many similar row houses have been converted to condominiums and apartments. The property has expansive rooms, high ceilings, hardwood flooring and three working wood-burning fireplaces. Many of the home’s original details have been preserved carefully.
The rectory is in excellent condition, although buyers may choose to update the kitchen and bathrooms. The residence includes a small front garden enclosed by a wrought-iron fence, a side garden with a flagstone pathway and a spacious wood deck above the detached two-car garage. The deck is accessible from the lower-level apartment and the main level and has plenty of space to host an outdoor party in the midst of the city.
The wood front door includes an etched-glass insert and opens into a flagstone-floored foyer with a door to the lower-level apartment and hardwood stairs to the main house. The apartment includes a living room with tile flooring, two tall windows and a fireplace that has a detailed white-painted wood mantel. The dining area has ceramic tile flooring and French doors leading to the side garden. Nearby is a full kitchen with ceramic tile flooring, a bedroom with windows on two sides and a full bath.
The first level of the main home offers a spectacular open floor plan perfect for entertaining. At the front of this level is the living room, which has three tall windows overlooking the street, hardwood flooring, crown molding and two built-in bookcases that flank the wood-burning fireplace. The fireplace mantel, with its elaborate white-painted detailing, is a focal point for the room.
At the center of this level is an open hall between the living room and dining room that makes the entire home feel even larger than it is. The dining room has two windows facing the deck, a beamed ceiling and hardwood flooring.
At the back of this level are a powder room with a pedestal sink, and the kitchen, which includes a breakfast bar, a window and a wall of pantry closets. A glass door leads from the kitchen to a short wood walkway to the deck. Stairs from the walkway lead to the lower-level garden and the detached garage.
Hardwood stairs lead from the main hall to two upper levels, with a large skylight above the stairs filtering light to both levels. Both of these levels have hardwood flooring, and each has a full bath with tile flooring.
The first upper level includes an oversized front bedroom with a fireplace, a ceiling fan and three windows overlooking the street. This bedroom has three oversized closets.
2011年9月29日星期四
2011年9月28日星期三
Floored by tile turmoil
“We have had an ongoing battle over one thing or another with our flooring company since July,” Sally and Rob Roy recently told Action Line. “When our salesman came to our home in Binbrook to measure our foyer, he estimated the job at 196 square feet and said we’d require 18 boxes of ceramic tile. I thought this was too much tile, but didn’t challenge him because he said he would take back any unopened cartons.”
The homeowners were quoted a price and placed a deposit on their credit card.
They were told an installer would be in touch.
On Aug. 4, the installer provided a possible start date of Aug. 12. But the day before, the Roys say he called again to say he’d sprained his ankle and was not available.
The following week, they called their retailer, but say they still couldn’t get any definitive answers.
“At that point, we said we would buy the tile from the store and find our own installer. They gave us a $1/square foot discount for our troubles and I picked up the tile on Aug. 30.”
The couple’s installer finished the job by Sept. 12, but there were two boxes of tile left over.
“I took the boxes back to the store expecting the salesmen to refund $176.30,” Roy told us. “He said they wouldn’t take them back, showing me the sales slip I signed when I picked up the tile on Aug. 30. It states: ‘All sales final.’”
Roy left the tiles at the store.
“This has been bizarre to say the least,” he said. “What are we supposed to do? What options do we have?”
Well, you can always write Action Line.
We contacted Alexanian Carpet and Flooring and the manager of their Upper James store immediately apologized, offered to refund the $176.30 and return the two boxes of tile to them.
“I was not aware of this situation until I received your email,” Garo Magakian told Action Line.
“I would never have allowed this complaint to go on this long. I just spoke to Mrs. Roy and apologized on behalf of Alexanian’s. I decided to refund the cost of the two boxes, but also suggested she keep them in case she ever needs to repair a section of her new floor. I have been a very proud member of the Alexanian team for 28 years. At this time I thank Mr. Roy and yourself for making myself aware of this situation.”
All the firm’s installers are subcontractors.
The Roys originally agreed to pay Alexanian’s $3,378.16 for the tiles and installation.
“We placed a $1,778.16 deposit,” Roy said. “The final payment of $1,600 was to be due when the job was completed, but was never paid. They did give us a discount of $191.44 when I cancelled the installation. We paid our own installer about $1,900.”
Deduct the $176.30 and it’s pretty much a wash.
Ontario’s Consumer Protection Act governs “future performance” contracts such as these. When ordering goods and services, it’s often best if you have a delivery or installation date inserted in your contract. If you don’t receive the goods and services within 30 days of that date, you can ask that the deal be cancelled and your money refunded.
The homeowners were quoted a price and placed a deposit on their credit card.
They were told an installer would be in touch.
On Aug. 4, the installer provided a possible start date of Aug. 12. But the day before, the Roys say he called again to say he’d sprained his ankle and was not available.
The following week, they called their retailer, but say they still couldn’t get any definitive answers.
“At that point, we said we would buy the tile from the store and find our own installer. They gave us a $1/square foot discount for our troubles and I picked up the tile on Aug. 30.”
The couple’s installer finished the job by Sept. 12, but there were two boxes of tile left over.
“I took the boxes back to the store expecting the salesmen to refund $176.30,” Roy told us. “He said they wouldn’t take them back, showing me the sales slip I signed when I picked up the tile on Aug. 30. It states: ‘All sales final.’”
Roy left the tiles at the store.
“This has been bizarre to say the least,” he said. “What are we supposed to do? What options do we have?”
Well, you can always write Action Line.
We contacted Alexanian Carpet and Flooring and the manager of their Upper James store immediately apologized, offered to refund the $176.30 and return the two boxes of tile to them.
“I was not aware of this situation until I received your email,” Garo Magakian told Action Line.
“I would never have allowed this complaint to go on this long. I just spoke to Mrs. Roy and apologized on behalf of Alexanian’s. I decided to refund the cost of the two boxes, but also suggested she keep them in case she ever needs to repair a section of her new floor. I have been a very proud member of the Alexanian team for 28 years. At this time I thank Mr. Roy and yourself for making myself aware of this situation.”
All the firm’s installers are subcontractors.
The Roys originally agreed to pay Alexanian’s $3,378.16 for the tiles and installation.
“We placed a $1,778.16 deposit,” Roy said. “The final payment of $1,600 was to be due when the job was completed, but was never paid. They did give us a discount of $191.44 when I cancelled the installation. We paid our own installer about $1,900.”
Deduct the $176.30 and it’s pretty much a wash.
Ontario’s Consumer Protection Act governs “future performance” contracts such as these. When ordering goods and services, it’s often best if you have a delivery or installation date inserted in your contract. If you don’t receive the goods and services within 30 days of that date, you can ask that the deal be cancelled and your money refunded.
2011年9月27日星期二
Carpentry house waits for buyer
In a charming neighborhood on the south side of Carthage, a home is waiting for a family.
Two years ago, the Carthage High School carpentry class completed a home at 2534 Stephen St., which has yet to be purchased.
The 1,985-square-foot home sits on a lot approximately 100x135 feet deep. It features three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, spacious interior design and a vibrant popular tree in the backyard. Ed Stephens, director of the Carthage Technical Center, said it's a wonderful home and a great buy at $149,900.
“If I was looking to move to Carthage, I think this would be my choice,” he said walking through the doorway.
When viewers of the house enter through the roomy two-car garage, they are embraced by either the full kitchen or the welcoming, carpeted living room. Or, viewers may enter through the modern designed front door, turn left and see the bedrooms. The kitchen, entryways, breakfast area and hallways have hardwood floors. Stephens said the ceiling fans, the doorknobs, windows and other fixtures are all top-of-the-line products. When viewers exit the house from the back sliding door, they see a covered porch and walkway to the garage.
Stephens said the yard landscaping will be finished this fall by Pinewood Nursery, and shutters will be added to the house – and the price of the house will remain the same. Also, during the Maple Leaf, All Things Grand and Aaron’s Rental Center will stage the house with furniture.
The kitchen features custom-made oak cabinets, lamented countertops, a dishwasher and microwave. There is a spacious pantry with easily accessible drawers as well, and a breakfast nook.
The house is trimmed in oak with oak six-panel interior doors. There are ceramic tile floors in the bathrooms and utility room.
Supplier for the wood products, windows and doors was Barton's of Carthage. Shingles are under Tamko Heritage's 30-year warranty. Gutters are aluminum installed by Bolivar of Joplin as well as the insulation for the garage ceiling. Plumbing was by Scott Heating & Plumbing for rough-in, with the carpentry class and Wampler Plumbing completing the finish. Tub and showers were Aqua Glass, fixtures from Kohler, and the faucets are from Delta.
Southwest Heat and Air did the heating, and Watson Electric Co., did the electricity. (The house is wired for both cable and Internet.) Bricks were supplied by Acme Brick Co., installed by Hodson Masonry. The overhead garage door and openers were supplied by Dean's Garage Door. The paint, carpet supplied and installed by Sherwin Williams. Tile, hardwood floors, light fixtures, microwave and dishwasher were supplied by Lowe's. Sealer, stain and clear finish provided by Minwax.
Two years ago, the Carthage High School carpentry class completed a home at 2534 Stephen St., which has yet to be purchased.
The 1,985-square-foot home sits on a lot approximately 100x135 feet deep. It features three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, spacious interior design and a vibrant popular tree in the backyard. Ed Stephens, director of the Carthage Technical Center, said it's a wonderful home and a great buy at $149,900.
“If I was looking to move to Carthage, I think this would be my choice,” he said walking through the doorway.
When viewers of the house enter through the roomy two-car garage, they are embraced by either the full kitchen or the welcoming, carpeted living room. Or, viewers may enter through the modern designed front door, turn left and see the bedrooms. The kitchen, entryways, breakfast area and hallways have hardwood floors. Stephens said the ceiling fans, the doorknobs, windows and other fixtures are all top-of-the-line products. When viewers exit the house from the back sliding door, they see a covered porch and walkway to the garage.
Stephens said the yard landscaping will be finished this fall by Pinewood Nursery, and shutters will be added to the house – and the price of the house will remain the same. Also, during the Maple Leaf, All Things Grand and Aaron’s Rental Center will stage the house with furniture.
The kitchen features custom-made oak cabinets, lamented countertops, a dishwasher and microwave. There is a spacious pantry with easily accessible drawers as well, and a breakfast nook.
The house is trimmed in oak with oak six-panel interior doors. There are ceramic tile floors in the bathrooms and utility room.
Supplier for the wood products, windows and doors was Barton's of Carthage. Shingles are under Tamko Heritage's 30-year warranty. Gutters are aluminum installed by Bolivar of Joplin as well as the insulation for the garage ceiling. Plumbing was by Scott Heating & Plumbing for rough-in, with the carpentry class and Wampler Plumbing completing the finish. Tub and showers were Aqua Glass, fixtures from Kohler, and the faucets are from Delta.
Southwest Heat and Air did the heating, and Watson Electric Co., did the electricity. (The house is wired for both cable and Internet.) Bricks were supplied by Acme Brick Co., installed by Hodson Masonry. The overhead garage door and openers were supplied by Dean's Garage Door. The paint, carpet supplied and installed by Sherwin Williams. Tile, hardwood floors, light fixtures, microwave and dishwasher were supplied by Lowe's. Sealer, stain and clear finish provided by Minwax.
2011年9月26日星期一
Visalia's business Olympics brings workers together
Forget those 49ers. Visalia Ceramic Tile employees have a lot more to talk about around the water cooler today after winning the fourth annual Visalia Corporate Games.
The 10-day event, which wrapped up Friday, is designed to boost morale and help employees get to know each other outside the formal work atmosphere, said Michelle Fitzgerald, Visalia parks and recreation supervisor.
With competitions including tug of war and obstacle courses, as well as volleyball and Texas hold 'em, the city tries to provide something for everyone, whether or not they are an athlete.
"Adults don't get to do these types of things very often. It's our own little Olympics in Visalia," Fitzgerald said.
And it's just like the big games, right down to the gold and silver medals awarded for each activity.
The only requirements are to be a business in Visalia and to pay the $500 registration fee, which includes entry in all 20 competitions and pays for 10 days of friendly competition.
While the overall champion gets bragging rights and a trophy, everyone becomes a winner in a different sense, Fitzgerald said.
"You see and hear stories about people who feel
they've been brought closer together by this," Fitzgerald said. "Maybe they shot an email back and forth or spoke on the phone, but they never met face-to-face until this."
While some of the larger competitors, such the Visalia Unified School District and Kaweah Delta Health District, have 500 to 600 people on their teams, other companies may only have 15.
But they have the same number competing in each event to keep all things equal, Fitzgerald said.
Events are held in different locations throughout the city to help boost community spirit and local business, she said.
When the Rock Band 3 competition was held Thursday night at Howie & Son's Pizza Parlor, participants dressed in crazy wigs, wild garb and fake tattoos while more than 200 people crammed in to watch.
"People coming in for pizza would go, 'Whoa! What's going on here?'," Fitzgerald said with a laugh.
The fall event has been so successful that with 14 teams competing in 2011, it has more than doubled in size since it started in 2008.
Fitzgerald would like to see it reach 20 teams so the competition can divide into large and small business divisions, but said it is already so successful that some businesses are fielding teams for other things outside work, such as the recreation department's volleyball league.
In addition to the grand winner, the Inspirational Peer award — chosen from teams nominated by each company — was won by Pacific Southwest Container.
The most sportsmanship team award, chosen by a panel from parks and recreation, was won by Visalia Ceramic Tile.
The 10-day event, which wrapped up Friday, is designed to boost morale and help employees get to know each other outside the formal work atmosphere, said Michelle Fitzgerald, Visalia parks and recreation supervisor.
With competitions including tug of war and obstacle courses, as well as volleyball and Texas hold 'em, the city tries to provide something for everyone, whether or not they are an athlete.
"Adults don't get to do these types of things very often. It's our own little Olympics in Visalia," Fitzgerald said.
And it's just like the big games, right down to the gold and silver medals awarded for each activity.
The only requirements are to be a business in Visalia and to pay the $500 registration fee, which includes entry in all 20 competitions and pays for 10 days of friendly competition.
While the overall champion gets bragging rights and a trophy, everyone becomes a winner in a different sense, Fitzgerald said.
"You see and hear stories about people who feel
they've been brought closer together by this," Fitzgerald said. "Maybe they shot an email back and forth or spoke on the phone, but they never met face-to-face until this."
While some of the larger competitors, such the Visalia Unified School District and Kaweah Delta Health District, have 500 to 600 people on their teams, other companies may only have 15.
But they have the same number competing in each event to keep all things equal, Fitzgerald said.
Events are held in different locations throughout the city to help boost community spirit and local business, she said.
When the Rock Band 3 competition was held Thursday night at Howie & Son's Pizza Parlor, participants dressed in crazy wigs, wild garb and fake tattoos while more than 200 people crammed in to watch.
"People coming in for pizza would go, 'Whoa! What's going on here?'," Fitzgerald said with a laugh.
The fall event has been so successful that with 14 teams competing in 2011, it has more than doubled in size since it started in 2008.
Fitzgerald would like to see it reach 20 teams so the competition can divide into large and small business divisions, but said it is already so successful that some businesses are fielding teams for other things outside work, such as the recreation department's volleyball league.
In addition to the grand winner, the Inspirational Peer award — chosen from teams nominated by each company — was won by Pacific Southwest Container.
The most sportsmanship team award, chosen by a panel from parks and recreation, was won by Visalia Ceramic Tile.
2011年9月25日星期日
Road test
I can think of five spots around town that are tricky traffic situations. I will spare you three.
One is at Rising Sun Avenue and Martins Mill Road, where if you turn right at the green light, in a very few yards you are confronted with another light, which is invariably red. Out-of-towners will be momentarily stumped. (The heart of Northeast Philly is not a good place for reflection on the vagaries of highway logic.) My friend Rich, who lives on the next block, says the correct answer is to proceed through the second light—which seems clear enough to me now that I know!
The second sticky-wicket is at Shoppers Lane near Cheltenham and Ogontz. This one is definitely a civil engineering goof. They have two left turn lanes feeding into a large parking area that serves a Shop Rite, Target, and The Home Depot—and as a matter of fact the leftmost of the two lanes leads to nowhere. (It was intended to siphon overflow parking, but that was a bad idea and they have yellow school buses parked there now.) You have to merge into the right lane at some point in order to proceed to your happy paint brush purchase.
My concern is for the innocent alien, the Philadelphia first-timer, the unsuspecting motorist from Montana, who, heaven forbid, dutifully but ignorantly applies his brakes at the Rising Sun Avenue light after turning right at Martins Mill. He will be lucky to escape with a chorus of angry car horns—and very unlucky indeed if the incident happens after the Phillies lose (or win) a World Series.
It is well for us to remember the times when we have been out-of-towners, or had a goldfish bowl on the front seat. Or when a snake that earlier got loose from our son's shoebox suddenly started slithering out of the heating vent (which happened to me). Your fellow motorist has life complications you cannot even guess at. Could be that pregnant lady's water just broke; maybe that guy who forgot your "wave" got a bad diagnosis today; maybe that moron creating gridlock at the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge just discovered he has gephyrophobia; maybe that rude lane straddler needs to find a bathroom—quick.
And if we may be permitted to extrapolate from macadam roads to other "roads," we may perchance find in ourselves a tempered judgment toward our fellow man who seems off course but is merely the victim of appearances. My son drove up from the city on a Saturday night to go to church with me on Sunday but forgot his good shoes, and had only the cruddy, grout-encrusted boots he had worn to install ceramic tile. May the well-dressed brethren at such times remember the day when a tuna casserole destined for the post-worship service potluck spilled on their dresses and patent leathers.
And if you happened to be in that pharmacy near Lansdale when I walked in with my granddaughter and purchased candy cigarettes, they were actually not for her but for my mother, to help her quit smoking.
One is at Rising Sun Avenue and Martins Mill Road, where if you turn right at the green light, in a very few yards you are confronted with another light, which is invariably red. Out-of-towners will be momentarily stumped. (The heart of Northeast Philly is not a good place for reflection on the vagaries of highway logic.) My friend Rich, who lives on the next block, says the correct answer is to proceed through the second light—which seems clear enough to me now that I know!
The second sticky-wicket is at Shoppers Lane near Cheltenham and Ogontz. This one is definitely a civil engineering goof. They have two left turn lanes feeding into a large parking area that serves a Shop Rite, Target, and The Home Depot—and as a matter of fact the leftmost of the two lanes leads to nowhere. (It was intended to siphon overflow parking, but that was a bad idea and they have yellow school buses parked there now.) You have to merge into the right lane at some point in order to proceed to your happy paint brush purchase.
My concern is for the innocent alien, the Philadelphia first-timer, the unsuspecting motorist from Montana, who, heaven forbid, dutifully but ignorantly applies his brakes at the Rising Sun Avenue light after turning right at Martins Mill. He will be lucky to escape with a chorus of angry car horns—and very unlucky indeed if the incident happens after the Phillies lose (or win) a World Series.
It is well for us to remember the times when we have been out-of-towners, or had a goldfish bowl on the front seat. Or when a snake that earlier got loose from our son's shoebox suddenly started slithering out of the heating vent (which happened to me). Your fellow motorist has life complications you cannot even guess at. Could be that pregnant lady's water just broke; maybe that guy who forgot your "wave" got a bad diagnosis today; maybe that moron creating gridlock at the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge just discovered he has gephyrophobia; maybe that rude lane straddler needs to find a bathroom—quick.
And if we may be permitted to extrapolate from macadam roads to other "roads," we may perchance find in ourselves a tempered judgment toward our fellow man who seems off course but is merely the victim of appearances. My son drove up from the city on a Saturday night to go to church with me on Sunday but forgot his good shoes, and had only the cruddy, grout-encrusted boots he had worn to install ceramic tile. May the well-dressed brethren at such times remember the day when a tuna casserole destined for the post-worship service potluck spilled on their dresses and patent leathers.
And if you happened to be in that pharmacy near Lansdale when I walked in with my granddaughter and purchased candy cigarettes, they were actually not for her but for my mother, to help her quit smoking.
2011年9月22日星期四
Choose your mood
Courtyards, a multi-phase condominium project being developed by North York-based Greatwise Developments not far from the Queensway Carleton Hospital, promises not just 598 up-to-the-minute condo units, but an enticing checklist of outdoor options as well.
The scale model of the project in the on-site sales office shows six buildings of various sizes and configurations on a block of land bounded by Baseline Road, Morrison Drive and Draper Avenue. Connected to each of the buildings is a themed courtyard with names like Relaxation Zen Garden, Animation Café and Recreation Bocce Court.
There’s also a central courtyard modelled on an Italian piazza, a town square where locals have traditionally gathered to chew over whatever needs to be chewed over. The courtyards are accessible by walkways from anywhere in the project and should be a highlight of the multi-year development.
“The main thing we wanted was different courtyards, but with a continuity of pedestrian traffic,” says Rudy Levstek of Larocque Levstek Consulting Services, the project’s landscape architects. “It was an opportunity to do something different, where the exterior is just as important as the inside.”
Kathie McMahon likes the inside very much — or at least the sleek, contemporary model unit she saw at the sales centre. In fact, she’s already bought a condo in Courtyards One, the six-storey, 73-unit building that is the first phase of the project.
“I loved the feel,” says McMahon, a former interior decorator. “And it won’t be too hard to clean.”
McMahon, who paid about $300,000 including parking for her 683-square-foot unit on the fifth floor with one bedroom and a study, was one of the first to buy. Currently living in Australia, the recently widowed woman is eager to move to Ottawa to be close to her children and grandchildren.
“My daughter lives nearby and I’m very comfortable with this neighbourhood. I’ve seen how it’s developed over the past few years. I’ve just been waiting for this building to open so I could buy.”
McMahon has returned to Australia to wrap up her life there while Greatwise gets on with building Courtyards One, which should be ready for occupancy in December 2013.
When she moves in, she can expect to enjoy standard granite countertops in the kitchen and bathroom, nine-foot ceilings, stacking washer and dryer, and laminate flooring everywhere except the bathroom, where it’s ceramic tile. She’s also looking forward to life on her east-facing balcony, although condo living means giving up the garden she now has Down Under.
Units on the top floor above her will include ceramic tile in the foyer and crown moulding throughout as standard features.
At the ground level, meanwhile, there will be a kitchen-equipped lounge with an adjacent exercise room and an outdoor terrace area with a barbecue.
By the time McMahon moves in, the eight-storey Courtyards Two next door to her building could be under way. That will eventually be followed by a couple of 12-storey, linked buildings as well as two low-rise, L-shaped buildings at the rear of the property along Draper Avenue.
Ottawa architect Roderick Lahey designed Courtyards. It’s based on an original concept by architect Douglas Hardie and The Regional Group, who were going to build the project until Greatwise took over.
Among other features, Lahey points to the open, ground-level archway in the link between the central buildings. As you enter the property from Baseline Road, you’ll be able to see through the archway to Draper Avenue at the rear, a visual surprise that will also underscore the site’s flowing design.
The windows, balconies and other exterior features of Lahey’s buildings emphasize squares and rectangles, with surfaces that protrude and recede in a tantalizing fashion.
“The square is a beautiful form in itself,” he says. “There’s a lot of activity (on the exterior), but as you move through the site and the courtyards, there’s much less activity. We tried to create a bit of an urban space with all these little courtyards.”
The area that will become that urban space is currently occupied by 84 rental townhomes known as the Redwood Community. Tenants and neighbours reacted strongly to The Regional Group’s original proposal for redevelopment, which included a 20-storey tower and a total of 537 units. Their fears included increased traffic and a worry that tenants in the existing townhomes would be unable to find other affordable accommodation.
Compromises on building height helped the project win city council approval in 2009. The development is also in line with the city’s intensification plans.
The scale model of the project in the on-site sales office shows six buildings of various sizes and configurations on a block of land bounded by Baseline Road, Morrison Drive and Draper Avenue. Connected to each of the buildings is a themed courtyard with names like Relaxation Zen Garden, Animation Café and Recreation Bocce Court.
There’s also a central courtyard modelled on an Italian piazza, a town square where locals have traditionally gathered to chew over whatever needs to be chewed over. The courtyards are accessible by walkways from anywhere in the project and should be a highlight of the multi-year development.
“The main thing we wanted was different courtyards, but with a continuity of pedestrian traffic,” says Rudy Levstek of Larocque Levstek Consulting Services, the project’s landscape architects. “It was an opportunity to do something different, where the exterior is just as important as the inside.”
Kathie McMahon likes the inside very much — or at least the sleek, contemporary model unit she saw at the sales centre. In fact, she’s already bought a condo in Courtyards One, the six-storey, 73-unit building that is the first phase of the project.
“I loved the feel,” says McMahon, a former interior decorator. “And it won’t be too hard to clean.”
McMahon, who paid about $300,000 including parking for her 683-square-foot unit on the fifth floor with one bedroom and a study, was one of the first to buy. Currently living in Australia, the recently widowed woman is eager to move to Ottawa to be close to her children and grandchildren.
“My daughter lives nearby and I’m very comfortable with this neighbourhood. I’ve seen how it’s developed over the past few years. I’ve just been waiting for this building to open so I could buy.”
McMahon has returned to Australia to wrap up her life there while Greatwise gets on with building Courtyards One, which should be ready for occupancy in December 2013.
When she moves in, she can expect to enjoy standard granite countertops in the kitchen and bathroom, nine-foot ceilings, stacking washer and dryer, and laminate flooring everywhere except the bathroom, where it’s ceramic tile. She’s also looking forward to life on her east-facing balcony, although condo living means giving up the garden she now has Down Under.
Units on the top floor above her will include ceramic tile in the foyer and crown moulding throughout as standard features.
At the ground level, meanwhile, there will be a kitchen-equipped lounge with an adjacent exercise room and an outdoor terrace area with a barbecue.
By the time McMahon moves in, the eight-storey Courtyards Two next door to her building could be under way. That will eventually be followed by a couple of 12-storey, linked buildings as well as two low-rise, L-shaped buildings at the rear of the property along Draper Avenue.
Ottawa architect Roderick Lahey designed Courtyards. It’s based on an original concept by architect Douglas Hardie and The Regional Group, who were going to build the project until Greatwise took over.
Among other features, Lahey points to the open, ground-level archway in the link between the central buildings. As you enter the property from Baseline Road, you’ll be able to see through the archway to Draper Avenue at the rear, a visual surprise that will also underscore the site’s flowing design.
The windows, balconies and other exterior features of Lahey’s buildings emphasize squares and rectangles, with surfaces that protrude and recede in a tantalizing fashion.
“The square is a beautiful form in itself,” he says. “There’s a lot of activity (on the exterior), but as you move through the site and the courtyards, there’s much less activity. We tried to create a bit of an urban space with all these little courtyards.”
The area that will become that urban space is currently occupied by 84 rental townhomes known as the Redwood Community. Tenants and neighbours reacted strongly to The Regional Group’s original proposal for redevelopment, which included a 20-storey tower and a total of 537 units. Their fears included increased traffic and a worry that tenants in the existing townhomes would be unable to find other affordable accommodation.
Compromises on building height helped the project win city council approval in 2009. The development is also in line with the city’s intensification plans.
2011年9月21日星期三
Alphabet-themed decor at The Letteroom
The friends Jackie Jackson and Sherrie Mead teamed up two years ago to launch The Letteroom, an online shop selling personalised gifts and home accessories that they run from an ancient stable in the south of England.
If you're against the trend for all things spelt - "SLEEP" in the bedroom, "EAT" in the kitchen and "WASH" in the bathroom - then look away now. The Letteroom is the place to go for decorative letters and playful alphabet-themed buys in all shapes and sizes. Coat hooks, bunting, notebooks, luggage tags, cushions, plates, paperweights - there are a lot of lettered lovelies to lust after here. I've got my eye on the quirky Scrabble tile cushions. They're perfect for a spot of spelling on the sofa - and, rather pleasingly, even have the correct letter scores. I'd buy the letters S-O-F-A.
Don't miss the vintage comics range - large, three-dimensional letters made from recycled cardboard and covered with original comic pages. They're made to order, so no two are the same. You can even request a specific magazine, book or comic for a really personal gift.
Check out the colourful paper alphabet cups, which come in a box of 30 including all the letters as well as a few love hearts for romantic messages. You could use them at a party or wedding, of course, but they're cute as vases, pen pots, or just lined up on a shelf as ornaments.
There's a good selection of ceramic mugs on offer, too - everything from jolly cartoony initialled ones to chic typographic font designs. They can all be filled with chocolates for a small extra charge, which is a nice touch. If you're on a tight budget, pay a visit to the "grab a bargain" section, where discounted and end-of-line goods can be found.
There is wall art to admire before you log off. Letterpress geeks will appreciate the stylish limited-edition retro screen prints produced on an antique press using vintage woodblock type. They have simple slogans such as: 'Genius at work" and "Department of messing about". Sadly, I fear it's the latter phrase that's more appropriate for our house.
If you're against the trend for all things spelt - "SLEEP" in the bedroom, "EAT" in the kitchen and "WASH" in the bathroom - then look away now. The Letteroom is the place to go for decorative letters and playful alphabet-themed buys in all shapes and sizes. Coat hooks, bunting, notebooks, luggage tags, cushions, plates, paperweights - there are a lot of lettered lovelies to lust after here. I've got my eye on the quirky Scrabble tile cushions. They're perfect for a spot of spelling on the sofa - and, rather pleasingly, even have the correct letter scores. I'd buy the letters S-O-F-A.
Don't miss the vintage comics range - large, three-dimensional letters made from recycled cardboard and covered with original comic pages. They're made to order, so no two are the same. You can even request a specific magazine, book or comic for a really personal gift.
Check out the colourful paper alphabet cups, which come in a box of 30 including all the letters as well as a few love hearts for romantic messages. You could use them at a party or wedding, of course, but they're cute as vases, pen pots, or just lined up on a shelf as ornaments.
There's a good selection of ceramic mugs on offer, too - everything from jolly cartoony initialled ones to chic typographic font designs. They can all be filled with chocolates for a small extra charge, which is a nice touch. If you're on a tight budget, pay a visit to the "grab a bargain" section, where discounted and end-of-line goods can be found.
There is wall art to admire before you log off. Letterpress geeks will appreciate the stylish limited-edition retro screen prints produced on an antique press using vintage woodblock type. They have simple slogans such as: 'Genius at work" and "Department of messing about". Sadly, I fear it's the latter phrase that's more appropriate for our house.
2011年9月20日星期二
Create your own kitchen chalkboard with a floor tile
Decorating with chalkboards is all the rage. You can find them featured in everything from interior-design magazines to top design blogs. Many retailers have decorator-style chalkboards for sale at pretty steep prices.
You can make your own chalkboard for a fraction of the retail price. Paints such as Plaid brand FolkArt Chalkboard paints come in a variety of colors, can be found at craft stores and are easy on the wallet. Doing it yourself is easy and fun and the results can be outstanding.
The paints work on a variety of surfaces, so the sky is the limit when it comes to design ideas. You can make a chalkboard with an ornate frame, paint over an old globe to make a chalkboard globe, paint directly onto the wall to create a chalkboard surface or make a kitchen chalkboard from an oldtile .
To make the kitchen design, you will need to gather a few materials. First is chalkboard paint. This design uses the FolkArt slate-gray color. Next you will need a surface. For this design, aceramic 16- by 16-inch floor tile was used. You will also need a foam paintbrush, a piece of chalk and a hanger.
The design can be embellish using painted wood letters. For this look, I chose the word "EAT." The materials needed are wood letters, acrylic craft paint, paintbrush, sandpaper, small nails, thumbtacks and heavy-duty glue.
To get started, paint thetile with one coat of slate-gray Chalkboard paint. Be sure to paint only in one direction. Allow to dry for about 1 hour. Working in the opposite direction of the first coat, paint a second coat. Allow to dry. Paint a third coat in the direction of the first coat. Allow to dry.
Next you will need to season the chalkboard. To do this, rub a piece of chalk over the entire surface and wipe clean, and your board is ready for chalking.
To make the word "EAT," paint each letter a different color using acrylic paints. The colors used in the design are tomato red, moon yellow and medium blue. To create an antiqued look, dry-brush over the colors with medium-gray paint. To do this, dip a loose bristle paintbrush into the gray paint, tap off the excess paint and dry brush over the letters. Allow to dry.
Using sandpaper, sand the edges of the letters to create a rustic look. Push thumbtacks and small nails into the letters. Attach the letters to the chalkboard with E6000 glue. Using the same glue, attach a hanger to the back of thetile .
It is that simple and the results are so fun. Hang in a kitchen and jot down what's on the menu or who called or make a shopping list. When friends ask where you got your new chalkboard, be sure to tell them you made it.
You can make your own chalkboard for a fraction of the retail price. Paints such as Plaid brand FolkArt Chalkboard paints come in a variety of colors, can be found at craft stores and are easy on the wallet. Doing it yourself is easy and fun and the results can be outstanding.
The paints work on a variety of surfaces, so the sky is the limit when it comes to design ideas. You can make a chalkboard with an ornate frame, paint over an old globe to make a chalkboard globe, paint directly onto the wall to create a chalkboard surface or make a kitchen chalkboard from an old
To make the kitchen design, you will need to gather a few materials. First is chalkboard paint. This design uses the FolkArt slate-gray color. Next you will need a surface. For this design, a
The design can be embellish using painted wood letters. For this look, I chose the word "EAT." The materials needed are wood letters, acrylic craft paint, paintbrush, sandpaper, small nails, thumbtacks and heavy-duty glue.
To get started, paint the
Next you will need to season the chalkboard. To do this, rub a piece of chalk over the entire surface and wipe clean, and your board is ready for chalking.
To make the word "EAT," paint each letter a different color using acrylic paints. The colors used in the design are tomato red, moon yellow and medium blue. To create an antiqued look, dry-brush over the colors with medium-gray paint. To do this, dip a loose bristle paintbrush into the gray paint, tap off the excess paint and dry brush over the letters. Allow to dry.
Using sandpaper, sand the edges of the letters to create a rustic look. Push thumbtacks and small nails into the letters. Attach the letters to the chalkboard with E6000 glue. Using the same glue, attach a hanger to the back of the
It is that simple and the results are so fun. Hang in a kitchen and jot down what's on the menu or who called or make a shopping list. When friends ask where you got your new chalkboard, be sure to tell them you made it.
2011年9月19日星期一
Memorable buildings find new purpose at ISU
When Terre Haute's federal building reopens next fall, the long-remembered post office corridor will resemble the image remembered from when the building first opened.
Only the people who will soon stroll past the building's historic post office boxes won't be searching for mail; they'll be heading for class.
The building that housed a downtown U.S. Post Office and federal court will maintain trademarks of its past as it hosts new classrooms and spaces for the Scott College of Business at Indiana State University. The federal building, along with the former Emeline Fairbanks Memorial Library, have found new life at ISU as renovations will resurrect some of the most well-known characteristics of the buildings.
"It's important to try to preserve and save these historic buildings," said Bryan Duncan, director of capital planning and improvements at ISU. "It's got to be the ones that are right for preserving. We obviously can't preserve every building, but these two in particular are historically significant and ripe for the ability to preserve them."
The federal building project is projected to cost about $20.5 million, including federal, state and private funding, and spanned three phases of restoration and construction. The demolition needed in the project is almost complete, Duncan said. Construction crews are working on the building from the top floor down to the lower level. Drywall is being installed in some areas on the top two floors, while items such as wiring, electrical outlets and vents are being installed on the lower floors, Duncan said.
The renovations will juxtapose the federal building's 21st century-style construction and technology with early 20th century art deco traditional architecture. University students may be using Skype to talk with peers anywhere in the world, while in the nearby former federal courtroom an audience will listen to a prominent speaker detail expectations of future business leaders against a backdrop of the Magna Carta's signing.
"It is a bit dusty now," Nancy Merritt, dean of the Scott College of Business, said of the prized mural. "However, as renovations continue, the painting will be cleaned by art restorers, and it will look fantastic."
Students will learn in specifically designed classrooms throughout the building, including a financial trading room and a new Sales and Negotiations Laboratory, which will include breakout rooms equipped with technology to record students' practice sessions as they hone their sales tactics and negotiation skills.
"Through this type of hands-on learning, our students will develop the type of professional skills that enable them to become highly successful members of the workforce," said Jon Hawes, marketing professor and director of the Sales and Negotiations Center. "We are excited to be able to offer new capability to our students and hope to also increase our community engagement through use of the Sales and Negotiations Center."
Construction crews were at times challenged with efforts to preserve some traditional elements of the building while renovating other areas to prepare for the business college, Duncan said.
"For example, in the historic corridor, that ceiling is close to 20 feet tall, and being able to get utilities around and through in that area to the entire building is a major challenge," he added.
The $250,000 Fairbanks Hall renovation began in May and is nearly done. The building's ceramic tile floor was cleaned and refurbished during the project, Duncan said. About 95 percent of the building's ceramic tile flooring has been restored, said Scott Tillman, university architect at ISU who designed the project.
Some ductwork and pipes also were relocated to the attic, and equipment was installed near the roof to help melt ice and snow. Crews also repaired some of the plaster near the dome ceiling.
Only the people who will soon stroll past the building's historic post office boxes won't be searching for mail; they'll be heading for class.
The building that housed a downtown U.S. Post Office and federal court will maintain trademarks of its past as it hosts new classrooms and spaces for the Scott College of Business at Indiana State University. The federal building, along with the former Emeline Fairbanks Memorial Library, have found new life at ISU as renovations will resurrect some of the most well-known characteristics of the buildings.
"It's important to try to preserve and save these historic buildings," said Bryan Duncan, director of capital planning and improvements at ISU. "It's got to be the ones that are right for preserving. We obviously can't preserve every building, but these two in particular are historically significant and ripe for the ability to preserve them."
The federal building project is projected to cost about $20.5 million, including federal, state and private funding, and spanned three phases of restoration and construction. The demolition needed in the project is almost complete, Duncan said. Construction crews are working on the building from the top floor down to the lower level. Drywall is being installed in some areas on the top two floors, while items such as wiring, electrical outlets and vents are being installed on the lower floors, Duncan said.
The renovations will juxtapose the federal building's 21st century-style construction and technology with early 20th century art deco traditional architecture. University students may be using Skype to talk with peers anywhere in the world, while in the nearby former federal courtroom an audience will listen to a prominent speaker detail expectations of future business leaders against a backdrop of the Magna Carta's signing.
"It is a bit dusty now," Nancy Merritt, dean of the Scott College of Business, said of the prized mural. "However, as renovations continue, the painting will be cleaned by art restorers, and it will look fantastic."
Students will learn in specifically designed classrooms throughout the building, including a financial trading room and a new Sales and Negotiations Laboratory, which will include breakout rooms equipped with technology to record students' practice sessions as they hone their sales tactics and negotiation skills.
"Through this type of hands-on learning, our students will develop the type of professional skills that enable them to become highly successful members of the workforce," said Jon Hawes, marketing professor and director of the Sales and Negotiations Center. "We are excited to be able to offer new capability to our students and hope to also increase our community engagement through use of the Sales and Negotiations Center."
Construction crews were at times challenged with efforts to preserve some traditional elements of the building while renovating other areas to prepare for the business college, Duncan said.
"For example, in the historic corridor, that ceiling is close to 20 feet tall, and being able to get utilities around and through in that area to the entire building is a major challenge," he added.
The $250,000 Fairbanks Hall renovation began in May and is nearly done. The building's ceramic tile floor was cleaned and refurbished during the project, Duncan said. About 95 percent of the building's ceramic tile flooring has been restored, said Scott Tillman, university architect at ISU who designed the project.
Some ductwork and pipes also were relocated to the attic, and equipment was installed near the roof to help melt ice and snow. Crews also repaired some of the plaster near the dome ceiling.
Spacious living with room to choose
Sometimes a jolt of fresh energy is just what the housing market needs. That's how owners Jon Schwartz, chief executive officer, and Wade Grabeldinger, chief financial officer, felt when they founded Crimson Cove Homes last May.
They built a show home in Granville, a new development in west Edmonton just south of the Whitemud and west of Anthony Henday, and have been busy ever since.
It didn't take long for customers to become interested. Kate Cosentino was drawn in by the small-scale company and its modern show home. As a real estate agent for ReMax Elite, Kate knew the area well and was interested in buying her first house with her boyfriend, Cory Robinson.
"We bought our home when it was in the framing stage. The show home drew me in. I was impressed by the level of finishing. Other builders nickel and dime you on finishings, but at Crimson Cove it was already part of the package."
Kate and Cory's home was completed on June 24, and they are now enjoying home ownership and all that comes with it. Their 1,750square-foot, two-storey is done in what Crimson Cove terms the Atlantic style. Hardwood floors, ceramic tile, a tile fireplace and quartz countertops are some of the features of the Atlantic. The Pacific offers a lower price option with linoleum and carpet.
Kate was also impressed by Muriel Mckay, the area sales manager. "I know quite a few sales reps from being a realtor, and she (Muriel) stuck out as special. She wasn't only concerned about the sale. By getting to know us, she was able to help with our selections based on who we are and what we do. It seemed like it was a whole other level of service."
The Starling show home is a 2,006sq.-ft., two-storey with nine-foot-tall ceilings on both floors. Rectangular tiles cover the front entryway and flow to the mud-room. Hardwood floors extend into the main entertainment space. Bright quartz countertops waterfall over the cabinetry, giving the space a modern feel.
Jon describes the inception of Crimson Cove. "Wade and I had been working at a tract home builder, a big company. I'd been doing land development, and Wade started as a controller. We then became general managers. I'd been there a long time and saw that there were a lot of things I wanted to do differently."
One of those things was providing the opportunity for customers to customize their homes. Rather than being limited by a set scheme or design, buyers are invited to personalize their homes. "If customers are going to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars, our view is that they should be able to change more than the paint colour," says Jon.
There are several floor plans to choose from, ranging in size from 1,533 sq. ft. to 2,700 sq. ft. and from $375,000 to $650,000.
Crimson Cove has sold 22 homes, all in Granville, a neighbourhood next to The Grange Shopping Centre with banking, a Safeway store and restaurants, as well as easy access to Anthony Henday and the Whitemud.
Jon and Wade spent time measuring out spaces during the design process to make sure they functioned well. "When we built this house, we didn't have to make any changes during construction. We feel we really nailed it," says Jon.
They built a show home in Granville, a new development in west Edmonton just south of the Whitemud and west of Anthony Henday, and have been busy ever since.
It didn't take long for customers to become interested. Kate Cosentino was drawn in by the small-scale company and its modern show home. As a real estate agent for ReMax Elite, Kate knew the area well and was interested in buying her first house with her boyfriend, Cory Robinson.
"We bought our home when it was in the framing stage. The show home drew me in. I was impressed by the level of finishing. Other builders nickel and dime you on finishings, but at Crimson Cove it was already part of the package."
Kate and Cory's home was completed on June 24, and they are now enjoying home ownership and all that comes with it. Their 1,750square-foot, two-storey is done in what Crimson Cove terms the Atlantic style. Hardwood floors, ceramic tile, a tile fireplace and quartz countertops are some of the features of the Atlantic. The Pacific offers a lower price option with linoleum and carpet.
Kate was also impressed by Muriel Mckay, the area sales manager. "I know quite a few sales reps from being a realtor, and she (Muriel) stuck out as special. She wasn't only concerned about the sale. By getting to know us, she was able to help with our selections based on who we are and what we do. It seemed like it was a whole other level of service."
The Starling show home is a 2,006sq.-ft., two-storey with nine-foot-tall ceilings on both floors. Rectangular tiles cover the front entryway and flow to the mud-room. Hardwood floors extend into the main entertainment space. Bright quartz countertops waterfall over the cabinetry, giving the space a modern feel.
Jon describes the inception of Crimson Cove. "Wade and I had been working at a tract home builder, a big company. I'd been doing land development, and Wade started as a controller. We then became general managers. I'd been there a long time and saw that there were a lot of things I wanted to do differently."
One of those things was providing the opportunity for customers to customize their homes. Rather than being limited by a set scheme or design, buyers are invited to personalize their homes. "If customers are going to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars, our view is that they should be able to change more than the paint colour," says Jon.
There are several floor plans to choose from, ranging in size from 1,533 sq. ft. to 2,700 sq. ft. and from $375,000 to $650,000.
Crimson Cove has sold 22 homes, all in Granville, a neighbourhood next to The Grange Shopping Centre with banking, a Safeway store and restaurants, as well as easy access to Anthony Henday and the Whitemud.
Jon and Wade spent time measuring out spaces during the design process to make sure they functioned well. "When we built this house, we didn't have to make any changes during construction. We feel we really nailed it," says Jon.
2011年9月18日星期日
Clydesdale pupils design International Children’s Games murals
Pupils from Clydesdale primary schools have produced a lasting legacy of the 2011 International Children’s Games – designing four large tile murals which will be placed in four different Clydesdale locations.
Biggar, Blackwood, Lanark and Woodpark Primary Schools won a competition, run by South Lanarkshire Council, to design the mural, which would encapsulate the feelings that hosting the Games evoked for the children.
The lucky winners then worked with Biggar ceramic artist Stacey Roberts, who transformed the winning designs from A4 paper to a full scale mural.
The murals have now been installed in Biggar High School community wing, Lesmahagow High community wing and the Lifestyles Centres in both Carluke and Lanark for everyone to enjoy.
For more on this story pick up a copy of the Carluke and Lanark Gazette, which is in the shops now.
Biggar, Blackwood, Lanark and Woodpark Primary Schools won a competition, run by South Lanarkshire Council, to design the mural, which would encapsulate the feelings that hosting the Games evoked for the children.
The lucky winners then worked with Biggar ceramic artist Stacey Roberts, who transformed the winning designs from A4 paper to a full scale mural.
The murals have now been installed in Biggar High School community wing, Lesmahagow High community wing and the Lifestyles Centres in both Carluke and Lanark for everyone to enjoy.
For more on this story pick up a copy of the Carluke and Lanark Gazette, which is in the shops now.
2011年9月15日星期四
Make a tile statement
The two most popular varieties in the market when it comes to tiles are ceramic and vitrified tiles. Vitrified tiles are the shiny big ones tiles you might have seen in houses and shops. This is made by mixing silica and clay to form a non porous tile with a glassy texture. Ceramic tiles are those made from clay tiles and topped with a ceramic glaze.
The basic difference is that vitrified tiles are actually one kind of ceramic tile. But these are made after the vitrification process and go through a high level of refining, generating a glassy effect, while ceramic tiles are made of natural biodegradable and recyclable materials.
But then there has always been this long-standing debate on vitrified tiles vs ceramic tiles. Ceramic tiles have been the popular choice for counter tops, walls, floors and even in home roofing. Vitrified tiles, on the other hand, have a layer of coloured glass.
The composition of vitrified tiles is homogenous in nature. To achieve a glossy look, vitrified tiles are manually polished. Ceramic tiles have a glaze applied over them.
However, most glazes are not that durable or scratch resistant and over time, it yellows, it cracks and it chips. Aisha Siddiqui from Delhi has recently done up her house with a range of tiles. “I’ve used a lot of ceramic in the bathroom and the balcony for the warm and elegant texture it renders to the room. My living room is all vitrified tiles as we wanted to give it a spacious look,” she says. Big-sized vitrified tiles are smooth and easy to clean apart from adding to the spacious look of the room. Vitrified tiles have a demand in countries like India, UK and USA.
When you compare the varieties, you realise that ceramic tiles are actually more cost-effective. However, both ceramic and vitrified tiles are available in a range of prices, colours, patterns and sizes. Talk of durability and vitrified tiles are sure winners. Vitrified tiles are much stronger than natural granite, which is one of the most durable products for modern homes. Vitrified tiles win over ceramic tiles on factors such as strength, ability to resist scratches and acids, alkalis, and chemicals without being damaged.
Full tiling with vitrified tiles cost a bit more than vitrified flooring and therefore ceramics are preferred by many as an economical choice. But for those who prefer a chic and glamorous look, vitrified tiles are definitely going to rule the flooring market in the near future.
The basic difference is that vitrified tiles are actually one kind of ceramic tile. But these are made after the vitrification process and go through a high level of refining, generating a glassy effect, while ceramic tiles are made of natural biodegradable and recyclable materials.
But then there has always been this long-standing debate on vitrified tiles vs ceramic tiles. Ceramic tiles have been the popular choice for counter tops, walls, floors and even in home roofing. Vitrified tiles, on the other hand, have a layer of coloured glass.
The composition of vitrified tiles is homogenous in nature. To achieve a glossy look, vitrified tiles are manually polished. Ceramic tiles have a glaze applied over them.
However, most glazes are not that durable or scratch resistant and over time, it yellows, it cracks and it chips. Aisha Siddiqui from Delhi has recently done up her house with a range of tiles. “I’ve used a lot of ceramic in the bathroom and the balcony for the warm and elegant texture it renders to the room. My living room is all vitrified tiles as we wanted to give it a spacious look,” she says. Big-sized vitrified tiles are smooth and easy to clean apart from adding to the spacious look of the room. Vitrified tiles have a demand in countries like India, UK and USA.
When you compare the varieties, you realise that ceramic tiles are actually more cost-effective. However, both ceramic and vitrified tiles are available in a range of prices, colours, patterns and sizes. Talk of durability and vitrified tiles are sure winners. Vitrified tiles are much stronger than natural granite, which is one of the most durable products for modern homes. Vitrified tiles win over ceramic tiles on factors such as strength, ability to resist scratches and acids, alkalis, and chemicals without being damaged.
Full tiling with vitrified tiles cost a bit more than vitrified flooring and therefore ceramics are preferred by many as an economical choice. But for those who prefer a chic and glamorous look, vitrified tiles are definitely going to rule the flooring market in the near future.
2011年9月14日星期三
Saudi Ceramics completes fourth factory facility
Saudi Ceramics, the listed manufacturer of ceramic products, said it has completed the second and final phase of its fourth tile factory to help meet demand for finishing materials in the country.
The Riyadh company, which also has a business line in water heaters, said it has started pilot production at the new facility. The factory will produce 9,000,000m2 of ceramic tile or porcelain. The company had originally signed contracts with companies that could execute the expansion last October.
“With the addition of this project with a capacity of the company's total production of tiles 52m square metres annually,” the company stated to its shareholders. “[It is] expected to contribute to this expansion in the company's revenues increase when working at full capacity by SAR 150m.”
Saudi Ceramics, along with suppliers of cement, steel and aluminium, is attempting to capitalise on the strong construction activity in Saudi Arabia that has been mostly funded by the government.
The Riyadh company, which also has a business line in water heaters, said it has started pilot production at the new facility. The factory will produce 9,000,000m2 of ceramic tile or porcelain. The company had originally signed contracts with companies that could execute the expansion last October.
“With the addition of this project with a capacity of the company's total production of tiles 52m square metres annually,” the company stated to its shareholders. “[It is] expected to contribute to this expansion in the company's revenues increase when working at full capacity by SAR 150m.”
Saudi Ceramics, along with suppliers of cement, steel and aluminium, is attempting to capitalise on the strong construction activity in Saudi Arabia that has been mostly funded by the government.
2011年9月13日星期二
Most Music City Center contract money goes out of state
More than 85 cents of every dollar being spent on the Music City Center construction job is going out of Middle Tennessee, with out-of-state firms winning the six largest contracts.
But project leaders say two-thirds of the money has wound up back in the region’s economy as subcontractors have hired hundreds of local firms to help them do the work while buying much of their material here, as well.
“Sixty-six percent of every dollar we spend ends up coming back,” senior project manager Larry Atema said at a convention center authority meeting Thursday. “You can’t buy air handlers here. But you can buy concrete.”
After the new convention hall was sold to the public and the Metro Council as a local economic stimulus, questions arose early in the project about 90 percent of the construction money being awarded to out-of-state companies. Newer data show the percentages haven’t changed much over the past year.
A procurement log indicates that more than 93 percent of the approximately $350 million that will be awarded for construction items or packages has now been spent. Of the $326.7 million awarded to date, just $48.2 million has gone to Middle Tennessee-based subcontractors. (An additional $10.8 million has been awarded to two Memphis companies.)
A slight majority of the 42 contracts awarded so far have gone to Middle Tennessee firms: 21 in Nashville and one in Spring Hill. But the largest of those awards has been $11.6 million to Acousti Engineering for ceiling work, while six larger contracts, each worth $17 million to $51.9 million, have gone to companies from Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan and Missouri. Those top half-dozen contracts account for more than$210 million by themselves.
Elbert Holbert, business manager for the Operative Plasterers’ and Cement Masons’ International Association’s Local 909, said the numbers are disturbing. He said his union’s members haven’t been able to get work laying concrete for the 1.2-million-square-foot, $585 million facility, the biggest construction project Nashville has ever seen.
Ceco, a St. Louis-based company, won a $42.5 million structural concrete contract from Bell/Clark, the project’s general contractor.
“We didn’t get any of it,” Holbert said. “I’ve got men who haven’t worked for three years.”
Metro Councilman Robert Duvall, who voted against the project 20 months ago, said he’s disappointed that more of the money isn’t staying in Nashville and Middle Tennessee.
“If they say 66 percent is coming back, that’s better than 15 percent,” Duvall said. “But I’d rather it be much, much higher than that. I think taxpayers would prefer that more of the money stay with our friends and neighbors.”
But Atema and others working on the project say the big contract numbers are misleading.
Holly McCall, the convention center authority’s spokeswoman, said there were no local bidders for the painting, ceramic tile, millwork and window washing jobs, which are worth more than $11 million combined. The only Tennessee bidder for the $39.5 million structural steel job was from Knoxville.
“There aren’t a lot of companies that do some of this stuff,” McCall said. “Nashville is not a known center of steel production work.”
But much of the money in the steel contract has still trickled down to Middle Tennessee. The local ironworkers union has worked with a Minnesota steel erection firm, which is working, in turn, with Indianapolis-based Lenex Steel Co., which won the steel fabrication job.
Also, subcontractors and the companies they contract with are required to post bonds as insurance against the possibility that they won’t complete the work. Some of them simply don’t have the financial wherewithal to put up the amounts needed for the work that has to be done, officials said.
“Sometimes it’s just the nature of the beast as to what they can financially support,” said Patrick Holcombe, a project manager for the convention center authority.
Holcombe said several factors go into choosing the best firm for a particular job. They include cost, the time it will take to do the work, bonding capacity, projected local participation and use of minority-owned businesses.
“We don’t always have the luxury of picking the local guy,” he said.
Holcombe provided a list of 317 local firms working with each of the prime subcontractors, including about 75 associated with Ceco, the structural concrete subcontractor. Ceco expects to spend 84 percent of its $42.5 million contract on local materials, labor and equipment, according to the procurement log.
But project leaders say two-thirds of the money has wound up back in the region’s economy as subcontractors have hired hundreds of local firms to help them do the work while buying much of their material here, as well.
“Sixty-six percent of every dollar we spend ends up coming back,” senior project manager Larry Atema said at a convention center authority meeting Thursday. “You can’t buy air handlers here. But you can buy concrete.”
After the new convention hall was sold to the public and the Metro Council as a local economic stimulus, questions arose early in the project about 90 percent of the construction money being awarded to out-of-state companies. Newer data show the percentages haven’t changed much over the past year.
A procurement log indicates that more than 93 percent of the approximately $350 million that will be awarded for construction items or packages has now been spent. Of the $326.7 million awarded to date, just $48.2 million has gone to Middle Tennessee-based subcontractors. (An additional $10.8 million has been awarded to two Memphis companies.)
A slight majority of the 42 contracts awarded so far have gone to Middle Tennessee firms: 21 in Nashville and one in Spring Hill. But the largest of those awards has been $11.6 million to Acousti Engineering for ceiling work, while six larger contracts, each worth $17 million to $51.9 million, have gone to companies from Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan and Missouri. Those top half-dozen contracts account for more than$210 million by themselves.
Elbert Holbert, business manager for the Operative Plasterers’ and Cement Masons’ International Association’s Local 909, said the numbers are disturbing. He said his union’s members haven’t been able to get work laying concrete for the 1.2-million-square-foot, $585 million facility, the biggest construction project Nashville has ever seen.
Ceco, a St. Louis-based company, won a $42.5 million structural concrete contract from Bell/Clark, the project’s general contractor.
“We didn’t get any of it,” Holbert said. “I’ve got men who haven’t worked for three years.”
Metro Councilman Robert Duvall, who voted against the project 20 months ago, said he’s disappointed that more of the money isn’t staying in Nashville and Middle Tennessee.
“If they say 66 percent is coming back, that’s better than 15 percent,” Duvall said. “But I’d rather it be much, much higher than that. I think taxpayers would prefer that more of the money stay with our friends and neighbors.”
But Atema and others working on the project say the big contract numbers are misleading.
Holly McCall, the convention center authority’s spokeswoman, said there were no local bidders for the painting, ceramic tile, millwork and window washing jobs, which are worth more than $11 million combined. The only Tennessee bidder for the $39.5 million structural steel job was from Knoxville.
“There aren’t a lot of companies that do some of this stuff,” McCall said. “Nashville is not a known center of steel production work.”
But much of the money in the steel contract has still trickled down to Middle Tennessee. The local ironworkers union has worked with a Minnesota steel erection firm, which is working, in turn, with Indianapolis-based Lenex Steel Co., which won the steel fabrication job.
Also, subcontractors and the companies they contract with are required to post bonds as insurance against the possibility that they won’t complete the work. Some of them simply don’t have the financial wherewithal to put up the amounts needed for the work that has to be done, officials said.
“Sometimes it’s just the nature of the beast as to what they can financially support,” said Patrick Holcombe, a project manager for the convention center authority.
Holcombe said several factors go into choosing the best firm for a particular job. They include cost, the time it will take to do the work, bonding capacity, projected local participation and use of minority-owned businesses.
“We don’t always have the luxury of picking the local guy,” he said.
Holcombe provided a list of 317 local firms working with each of the prime subcontractors, including about 75 associated with Ceco, the structural concrete subcontractor. Ceco expects to spend 84 percent of its $42.5 million contract on local materials, labor and equipment, according to the procurement log.
2011年9月12日星期一
Mission Viejo group brings artwork, $10,000 for tornado relief
A delegation from Mission Viejo, Calif., on Monday delivered a check for tornado relief and some public artwork.
The artwork is a ceramic tile mural called “Doves of Peace.” A subtitle reads “for the city of Joplin, Missouri, to help rebuild their parks after an incredible F5 tornado in May 2011.” It is on display in Joplin City Hall. A nearly identical one is on display in the City Hall in Mission Viejo, in southern California.
The group presented the city with a check for $10,000 on Monday. They had raised the money from many fundraisers, including raffles of gift baskets, and selling the opportunity to glaze pieces of tile that are part of the mural.
Cathy Allen and Margot Ferron headed up the fundraising effort. Allen, with the city activities committee, was organizing the town’s Fourth of July street fair when the tornado struck Joplin. Allen went to Mayor Dave Leckness with the idea of using the event to do something for Joplin. He approved.
Ferron joined the effort and began the Mission Viejo Supports Joplin campaign.
Booths at the street fair allowed children to create cards showing their support for Joplin children. It also attracted their parents, where large water jugs were awaiting their donations.
That effort raised $2,667. Allen and Ferron said they knew they could do better.
The Orange County city’s Hometown Block Party at the end of July provided another fundraising opportunity, with Christmas in July and a theme of “It’s better to give than to receive.” The event was sponsored by Mission Viejo’s Pacific Symphony.
They raffled tickets to a Los Angeles Angels baseball game.
“It was raised a dollar and $5 at a time,” Ferron said. She said the initial goal was $5,000, but it kept increasing each time the goal was met.
Ferron and Allen said they also were assisted by Lion’s Heart, a youth organization, and the local Boy Scouts troop.
On Sept. 9, with the fund $800 short of the $10,000 mark, an anonymous donor pitched in with the final $800.
The artwork is from a painting by the late Joe Koons in about 1969. He was a mentor of Melanie Yarak, who was part of the group who came to Joplin. Yarak said Koons taught her about the idea of allowing community members to glaze the tiles. Koons died before the “Doves of Peace” mural was created. His daughter, Jennifer Koons, was another artist listed on the piece. The fourth artist is Cha-Rie Tang.
Julie Koons, Joe Koons’ widow and Jennifer Koons’ mother, also traveled to Joplin for the presentation.
“I’m very proud and I know he would be thrilled,” Julie Koons said of the destination of her late husband’s art.
“He was the kind of guy who talked with a laugh,” Yarak said of her mentor. “I can just hear him telling me ‘incredible,’ if I were to tell him how his art was being used.”
The artwork is a ceramic tile mural called “Doves of Peace.” A subtitle reads “for the city of Joplin, Missouri, to help rebuild their parks after an incredible F5 tornado in May 2011.” It is on display in Joplin City Hall. A nearly identical one is on display in the City Hall in Mission Viejo, in southern California.
The group presented the city with a check for $10,000 on Monday. They had raised the money from many fundraisers, including raffles of gift baskets, and selling the opportunity to glaze pieces of tile that are part of the mural.
Cathy Allen and Margot Ferron headed up the fundraising effort. Allen, with the city activities committee, was organizing the town’s Fourth of July street fair when the tornado struck Joplin. Allen went to Mayor Dave Leckness with the idea of using the event to do something for Joplin. He approved.
Ferron joined the effort and began the Mission Viejo Supports Joplin campaign.
Booths at the street fair allowed children to create cards showing their support for Joplin children. It also attracted their parents, where large water jugs were awaiting their donations.
That effort raised $2,667. Allen and Ferron said they knew they could do better.
The Orange County city’s Hometown Block Party at the end of July provided another fundraising opportunity, with Christmas in July and a theme of “It’s better to give than to receive.” The event was sponsored by Mission Viejo’s Pacific Symphony.
They raffled tickets to a Los Angeles Angels baseball game.
“It was raised a dollar and $5 at a time,” Ferron said. She said the initial goal was $5,000, but it kept increasing each time the goal was met.
Ferron and Allen said they also were assisted by Lion’s Heart, a youth organization, and the local Boy Scouts troop.
On Sept. 9, with the fund $800 short of the $10,000 mark, an anonymous donor pitched in with the final $800.
The artwork is from a painting by the late Joe Koons in about 1969. He was a mentor of Melanie Yarak, who was part of the group who came to Joplin. Yarak said Koons taught her about the idea of allowing community members to glaze the tiles. Koons died before the “Doves of Peace” mural was created. His daughter, Jennifer Koons, was another artist listed on the piece. The fourth artist is Cha-Rie Tang.
Julie Koons, Joe Koons’ widow and Jennifer Koons’ mother, also traveled to Joplin for the presentation.
“I’m very proud and I know he would be thrilled,” Julie Koons said of the destination of her late husband’s art.
“He was the kind of guy who talked with a laugh,” Yarak said of her mentor. “I can just hear him telling me ‘incredible,’ if I were to tell him how his art was being used.”
2011年9月8日星期四
Scratch the itch to remodel baths and kitchens with smaller projects
It's a reality of our fragile economy: Many homeowners who dream of the perfect kitchen or master bath are putting full-scale renovation on hold in favor of more limited changes.
"What's on everyone's minds is making the space feel a little better and function a little better until you can reach the ultimate kitchen or bath that you want," says Danny Lipford, host of a nationally syndicated home-improvement radio show.
But which small projects are worth it if you're going to remodel in just a few years?
Choose projects that offer big change at little cost or that serve as first steps toward eventual full-scale renovation, says Sabrina Soto, designer and host of HGTV's new series "The High Low Project."
Lipford suggests making changes to the biggest surfaces in a room, such as countertops or floors. Using a type of paint sold in a kit (Lipford recommends one found at Gianigranite.com), homeowners can paint over an old laminate countertop and then seal it with a coating that mimics the look and solid feel of laminate and looks surprisingly good, all for less than $50.
Tanya Memme, host of A&E's "Sell This House," agrees that big surfaces are a good place to start. "Any room will look bad if the floors aren't in decent shape," she says.
Cover a soon-to-be-replaced wood or tile floor with a colorful new rug, or put down peel-and-stick vinyl tiles. Good quality vinyl tiles resembling granite can cost several hundred dollars if you're covering a full kitchen floor. But the change is dramatic, so it may be worthwhile even for just a few years of use.
Old ceramic tile floors and tile walls can get a facelift for just a few dollars if you use grout stain, Lipford says. You can make dingy grout a pristine white again or change it to a new color.
Memme suggests adding a tile backsplash to a kitchen wall for a burst of new style. Do it yourself to save money. "It might seem difficult to put up tile," she says, "but actually it's very easy to do." Small tiles come on a mesh sheet, so you're not placing each one.
Installing under-cabinet or over-cabinet lighting probably isn't wise if you'll be removing the cabinets in a year or two, says Michael Hydeck, president of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry. But a new ceiling light can be installed now and still be used when kitchens or bathrooms are renovated.
Changing window treatments also can change a room's lighting and bring in fresh color. Remove old blinds or shades and replace them with inexpensive curtains.
"What's on everyone's minds is making the space feel a little better and function a little better until you can reach the ultimate kitchen or bath that you want," says Danny Lipford, host of a nationally syndicated home-improvement radio show.
But which small projects are worth it if you're going to remodel in just a few years?
Choose projects that offer big change at little cost or that serve as first steps toward eventual full-scale renovation, says Sabrina Soto, designer and host of HGTV's new series "The High Low Project."
Lipford suggests making changes to the biggest surfaces in a room, such as countertops or floors. Using a type of paint sold in a kit (Lipford recommends one found at Gianigranite.com), homeowners can paint over an old laminate countertop and then seal it with a coating that mimics the look and solid feel of laminate and looks surprisingly good, all for less than $50.
Tanya Memme, host of A&E's "Sell This House," agrees that big surfaces are a good place to start. "Any room will look bad if the floors aren't in decent shape," she says.
Cover a soon-to-be-replaced wood or tile floor with a colorful new rug, or put down peel-and-stick vinyl tiles. Good quality vinyl tiles resembling granite can cost several hundred dollars if you're covering a full kitchen floor. But the change is dramatic, so it may be worthwhile even for just a few years of use.
Old ceramic tile floors and tile walls can get a facelift for just a few dollars if you use grout stain, Lipford says. You can make dingy grout a pristine white again or change it to a new color.
Memme suggests adding a tile backsplash to a kitchen wall for a burst of new style. Do it yourself to save money. "It might seem difficult to put up tile," she says, "but actually it's very easy to do." Small tiles come on a mesh sheet, so you're not placing each one.
Installing under-cabinet or over-cabinet lighting probably isn't wise if you'll be removing the cabinets in a year or two, says Michael Hydeck, president of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry. But a new ceiling light can be installed now and still be used when kitchens or bathrooms are renovated.
Changing window treatments also can change a room's lighting and bring in fresh color. Remove old blinds or shades and replace them with inexpensive curtains.
2011年9月7日星期三
Commercial Market 2011 - June 2011
The commercial flooring industry grew last year, following two years of losses, though growth was modest and spotty. Some sectors were actually down last year. However, the biggest sector, corporate, showed some growth and that was enough to pull the market up.
According to Market Insights/Torcivia, commercial flooring sales were up 1.4% last year to $4.151 billion. Last year’s growth was fairly insignificant in the grand scheme of things—it’ll take a lot more than 1.4% growth to offset the losses of the past two years. However, the fact that the commercial market turned positive so quickly, recovering ahead of the residential market, is great news for the industry and holds a promise of greater gains in the next couple of years.
A strong rebound in corporate earnings has been central to the recovery of the commercial flooring industry, and pent-up demand cycling through different sectors at different rates is also helping push numbers up. In general, everything that was trending up in the second half of 2010 has continued to trend up this year.
Refurbishment is generally a larger part of the commercial flooring business than new construction, and as the economy emerges from the recession, the ratio is even more pronounced. In most commercial sectors, there’s very little new construction. The economy is still too fragile, confidence is still too low and banks are still maintaining high hurdles for borrowers.
Pressure on Manufacturers
When demand for products falls and it becomes a buyer’s market, manufacturers have to contend with all sorts of pressures. This time around, everyone from designers to end users is demanding an extraordinary level of service. They’re looking for an immediate response on everything from samples to lead times, and manufacturers have had to dig deep to find ways of getting product out as quickly as possible.
While the market seems to be stabilizing, raw material prices are rising at unprecedented rates. It’s as though every element that influences raw material costs—be it crude oil prices, refinery capacities, droughts, floods, demand from China—is acting to add cost to the equation. Worst hit are the flooring categories with the highest polymer use, like carpet and vinyl flooring, but every type of flooring is getting more expensive to produce at the very least from material transportation costs, facility operating costs, specialty chemicals costs and, almost universally, competition from China.
Squeezed at one end by raw material costs and at the other end by the pricing pressure of a buyer’s market, manufacturer margins are getting thinner and thinner. There’s only so much a manufacturer can do in terms of reducing product weight, lowering overheads and streamlining operations. With demand still below par, they can’t pass through high enough price increases to meet their increased costs. And too often, clients come looking to spend what they spent before, and when they trade up from lower quality goods they are not trading up as much as they used to.
The good news is that several manufacturers report increased activity at the higher end—the same trend is taking place in the residential market. And while high end buyers are more price conscious than before, it’s nothing like the battle taking place at medium and low price points.
Global Market Update
The financial crisis, global in scope, had a huge impact on the world’s largest economies. And while the U.S. market is still struggling to find its legs, many of the emerging markets are already in full rebound. Though there are several European countries still in crisis, much of Europe has been recovering faster than expected. However, it’s still a region in turmoil, with several nations facing staggering problems.
In general, developed nations like the U.S. and much of Europe are expected to emerge from the global recession with slow, modest growth compared to the vigorous rebounds of emerging markets. Smaller economies, which felt the impact largely through trade, have by and large recovered already.
The focus of many U.S. exporters is on the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China), the four strongest emerging markets. Together, those four markets account for nearly 2.9 billion people, or 43% of the global population. Not only are the long-term prospects good among the BRIC economies, but they’re also rebounding quickly, so there’s plenty of business going on right now. And a lot of that is in new construction.
Commercial flooring producers report that foreign business has picked up faster than U.S. business. Firms with large global operations showed higher growth in 2010 than did those more reliant on the domestic market. Interface Inc., for instance, which does nearly 50% of its business in foreign markets, saw 6.3% growth in the U.S. and 17% growth in foreign business. Shaw reports that its overseas business fell faster and has come back faster than U.S. business. Overall, the Asian market is most robust.
Flooring Categories
Carpet dominates the commercial market, with a nearly 70% marketshare, followed by ceramic tile at just over 13%, then resilient at 11.2%. Then there’s a huge gap before hardwood at 3.8% and laminates, half that size, at 1.9%. There was no significant shift in share last year among the bigger flooring categories. With total commercial flooring sales up a hair, carpet took a tiny bit of share, and both ceramic and resilient lost a little.
The only real action was in the hardwood and laminate categories, which together account for less than 6% of the market. Both categories have limited application in the commercial market and they do best in parts of the retail sector. Last year, commercial hardwood business was down an estimated 8.1%, while laminates were up an impressive 26%.
In the carpet category, the story continues to be gains by carpet tile, largely at the expense of broadloom. The top ten mills, which account for over 90% of the industry, all sell carpet tile. And for half of them, carpet tile is bigger than broadloom. Most of the smaller mills that don’t sell carpet tile are specialists in the hospitality sector, where broadloom still dominates.
Broadloom sales were down last year, while carpet tile was up. Carpet tile’s share is strongest in the institutional market, where broadloom can’t match the performance and maintenance characteristics of tile, and the corporate market, where it’s ideal for workstation applications and over raised access flooring. Carpet tile also has a strong share of the government sector where GSA (General Services Administration) guidelines favor its environmental attributes.
Commercial Sector Overview
Industry experts, from economic analysts to designers to manufacturers, break out the commercial sector in various ways, combining market sectors into different categories. Distinct sectors include leased office space (tenant improvement), owner occupied office space, acute care, assisted living, K-12, higher education, government, retail store planning, public space (everything from airports and stadiums to libraries and churches), hospitality guest rooms, and hospitality public space, which includes casino carpet.
The common categories are: corporate, which includes tenant improvement and owner-occupied offices; healthcare, which includes acute care and assisted living; hospitality, combining guest rooms and public space; retail; and institutional, which includes government, public space and, often, education. Many experts break out the institutional sector into its component pieces.
No matter how you cut it, the biggest sector by far is corporate, with over 40% of the market, followed by institutional (in its broader definition). Retail and healthcare are close in size, and the smallest piece of the pie is hospitality.
According to Market Insights/Torcivia, commercial flooring sales were up 1.4% last year to $4.151 billion. Last year’s growth was fairly insignificant in the grand scheme of things—it’ll take a lot more than 1.4% growth to offset the losses of the past two years. However, the fact that the commercial market turned positive so quickly, recovering ahead of the residential market, is great news for the industry and holds a promise of greater gains in the next couple of years.
A strong rebound in corporate earnings has been central to the recovery of the commercial flooring industry, and pent-up demand cycling through different sectors at different rates is also helping push numbers up. In general, everything that was trending up in the second half of 2010 has continued to trend up this year.
Refurbishment is generally a larger part of the commercial flooring business than new construction, and as the economy emerges from the recession, the ratio is even more pronounced. In most commercial sectors, there’s very little new construction. The economy is still too fragile, confidence is still too low and banks are still maintaining high hurdles for borrowers.
Pressure on Manufacturers
When demand for products falls and it becomes a buyer’s market, manufacturers have to contend with all sorts of pressures. This time around, everyone from designers to end users is demanding an extraordinary level of service. They’re looking for an immediate response on everything from samples to lead times, and manufacturers have had to dig deep to find ways of getting product out as quickly as possible.
While the market seems to be stabilizing, raw material prices are rising at unprecedented rates. It’s as though every element that influences raw material costs—be it crude oil prices, refinery capacities, droughts, floods, demand from China—is acting to add cost to the equation. Worst hit are the flooring categories with the highest polymer use, like carpet and vinyl flooring, but every type of flooring is getting more expensive to produce at the very least from material transportation costs, facility operating costs, specialty chemicals costs and, almost universally, competition from China.
Squeezed at one end by raw material costs and at the other end by the pricing pressure of a buyer’s market, manufacturer margins are getting thinner and thinner. There’s only so much a manufacturer can do in terms of reducing product weight, lowering overheads and streamlining operations. With demand still below par, they can’t pass through high enough price increases to meet their increased costs. And too often, clients come looking to spend what they spent before, and when they trade up from lower quality goods they are not trading up as much as they used to.
The good news is that several manufacturers report increased activity at the higher end—the same trend is taking place in the residential market. And while high end buyers are more price conscious than before, it’s nothing like the battle taking place at medium and low price points.
Global Market Update
The financial crisis, global in scope, had a huge impact on the world’s largest economies. And while the U.S. market is still struggling to find its legs, many of the emerging markets are already in full rebound. Though there are several European countries still in crisis, much of Europe has been recovering faster than expected. However, it’s still a region in turmoil, with several nations facing staggering problems.
In general, developed nations like the U.S. and much of Europe are expected to emerge from the global recession with slow, modest growth compared to the vigorous rebounds of emerging markets. Smaller economies, which felt the impact largely through trade, have by and large recovered already.
The focus of many U.S. exporters is on the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China), the four strongest emerging markets. Together, those four markets account for nearly 2.9 billion people, or 43% of the global population. Not only are the long-term prospects good among the BRIC economies, but they’re also rebounding quickly, so there’s plenty of business going on right now. And a lot of that is in new construction.
Commercial flooring producers report that foreign business has picked up faster than U.S. business. Firms with large global operations showed higher growth in 2010 than did those more reliant on the domestic market. Interface Inc., for instance, which does nearly 50% of its business in foreign markets, saw 6.3% growth in the U.S. and 17% growth in foreign business. Shaw reports that its overseas business fell faster and has come back faster than U.S. business. Overall, the Asian market is most robust.
Flooring Categories
Carpet dominates the commercial market, with a nearly 70% marketshare, followed by ceramic tile at just over 13%, then resilient at 11.2%. Then there’s a huge gap before hardwood at 3.8% and laminates, half that size, at 1.9%. There was no significant shift in share last year among the bigger flooring categories. With total commercial flooring sales up a hair, carpet took a tiny bit of share, and both ceramic and resilient lost a little.
The only real action was in the hardwood and laminate categories, which together account for less than 6% of the market. Both categories have limited application in the commercial market and they do best in parts of the retail sector. Last year, commercial hardwood business was down an estimated 8.1%, while laminates were up an impressive 26%.
In the carpet category, the story continues to be gains by carpet tile, largely at the expense of broadloom. The top ten mills, which account for over 90% of the industry, all sell carpet tile. And for half of them, carpet tile is bigger than broadloom. Most of the smaller mills that don’t sell carpet tile are specialists in the hospitality sector, where broadloom still dominates.
Broadloom sales were down last year, while carpet tile was up. Carpet tile’s share is strongest in the institutional market, where broadloom can’t match the performance and maintenance characteristics of tile, and the corporate market, where it’s ideal for workstation applications and over raised access flooring. Carpet tile also has a strong share of the government sector where GSA (General Services Administration) guidelines favor its environmental attributes.
Commercial Sector Overview
Industry experts, from economic analysts to designers to manufacturers, break out the commercial sector in various ways, combining market sectors into different categories. Distinct sectors include leased office space (tenant improvement), owner occupied office space, acute care, assisted living, K-12, higher education, government, retail store planning, public space (everything from airports and stadiums to libraries and churches), hospitality guest rooms, and hospitality public space, which includes casino carpet.
The common categories are: corporate, which includes tenant improvement and owner-occupied offices; healthcare, which includes acute care and assisted living; hospitality, combining guest rooms and public space; retail; and institutional, which includes government, public space and, often, education. Many experts break out the institutional sector into its component pieces.
No matter how you cut it, the biggest sector by far is corporate, with over 40% of the market, followed by institutional (in its broader definition). Retail and healthcare are close in size, and the smallest piece of the pie is hospitality.
2011年9月6日星期二
Spring Valley Village offers 4 Stars
Spring Valley Village announces the new "4 Star" promotion, which offers several free options.
Some of the items on the list include two car garages, covered porches, granite countertops, hardwood floors and gas fireplaces. Buyers can also upgrade carpets, ceramic tile floors, landscape packages, lighting, stainless steel appliances and more.
"It is absolutely fantastic," said Craig Stevens, sales manager for Spring Valley Village. "Our customers love it because they have so many free choices to make their homes beautiful. The promotion is only for a limited time so it is important for customers to call or visit as soon as possible," he continued.
Spring Valley Village is an adult, 55-plus community of ranch homes with prices from $99,900 to $189,900. This low maintenance community offers many options as standard and welcomes design ideas to accommodate special needs. Home features include one level ranch style floor plans, two or three bedrooms, two full baths, warm gas heat, central air, one or two car garages, gas fireplaces, Whirpool appliances, and much more. "Customizing is not only welcome, it's encouraged. Each Customer is met with individually to design their homes and make suggestions on how to make their new home fit their lifestyle. With our ‘no pressure' sales approach customers learn quickly that they can move at their own pace without fear of being ‘pushed' to move faster than they desire."
Spring Valley Village also offers a 7700 square foot state of the art clubhouse which features a large fitness center complete with treadmills and other aerobic equipment as well as weight training equipment. "This is truly one of the nicest clubhouses in the area." comments Stevens.
Some of the items on the list include two car garages, covered porches, granite countertops, hardwood floors and gas fireplaces. Buyers can also upgrade carpets, ceramic tile floors, landscape packages, lighting, stainless steel appliances and more.
"It is absolutely fantastic," said Craig Stevens, sales manager for Spring Valley Village. "Our customers love it because they have so many free choices to make their homes beautiful. The promotion is only for a limited time so it is important for customers to call or visit as soon as possible," he continued.
Spring Valley Village is an adult, 55-plus community of ranch homes with prices from $99,900 to $189,900. This low maintenance community offers many options as standard and welcomes design ideas to accommodate special needs. Home features include one level ranch style floor plans, two or three bedrooms, two full baths, warm gas heat, central air, one or two car garages, gas fireplaces, Whirpool appliances, and much more. "Customizing is not only welcome, it's encouraged. Each Customer is met with individually to design their homes and make suggestions on how to make their new home fit their lifestyle. With our ‘no pressure' sales approach customers learn quickly that they can move at their own pace without fear of being ‘pushed' to move faster than they desire."
Spring Valley Village also offers a 7700 square foot state of the art clubhouse which features a large fitness center complete with treadmills and other aerobic equipment as well as weight training equipment. "This is truly one of the nicest clubhouses in the area." comments Stevens.
2011年9月5日星期一
Roofing underway at new Shreveport Friendship House
Sabrina Henderson is looking forward to more room for children's programs when a new Community Renewal Friendship House opens in Shreveport after the first of the year.
"I think it will have a little more structure," said Henderson, who coordinates the Queensborough neighborhood Kids Club for children in kindergarten through fifth grade. "It's tough when you have two clubs meeting in the same place."
The new house will be Community Renewal's 10th neighborhood revitalization center and its second in Queensborough. Coordinators who live in each center oversee literacy, life skills and community service programs for children and adults. Wednesday, Henderson worked one-on-one with youngsters finishing their homework.
Henderson said she'll be calling on parents to become more involved when the new location opens.
"I'd like them to at least come see what their children are doing," she said.
Community Renewal has faced funding challenges in the past couple of years, but money from the House for Hope Auction this summer is underwriting some of the Friendship House construction.
Donations will cover the rest, said builder Curtis Loftin.
"We still need ceramic tile, carpet, counter tops, light fixtures, Sheetrock, door locks and hardware," Loftin said.
Community Renewal continues to seek sponsors for operating funds. The organization is "solidifying" its neighborhood revitalization structure in Shreveport and Bossier City, said founder Mack McCarter.
The organization also is gathering baseline data so it can measure how relationship building affects neighborhoods it serves.
"Within six months we will have all the baseline stuff done and within a year the first reports coming in. We want to show not only economic impact but what this means in terms of engendering hope and sense of well-being for all of us," McCarter said.
"I think it will have a little more structure," said Henderson, who coordinates the Queensborough neighborhood Kids Club for children in kindergarten through fifth grade. "It's tough when you have two clubs meeting in the same place."
The new house will be Community Renewal's 10th neighborhood revitalization center and its second in Queensborough. Coordinators who live in each center oversee literacy, life skills and community service programs for children and adults. Wednesday, Henderson worked one-on-one with youngsters finishing their homework.
Henderson said she'll be calling on parents to become more involved when the new location opens.
"I'd like them to at least come see what their children are doing," she said.
Community Renewal has faced funding challenges in the past couple of years, but money from the House for Hope Auction this summer is underwriting some of the Friendship House construction.
Donations will cover the rest, said builder Curtis Loftin.
"We still need ceramic tile, carpet, counter tops, light fixtures, Sheetrock, door locks and hardware," Loftin said.
Community Renewal continues to seek sponsors for operating funds. The organization is "solidifying" its neighborhood revitalization structure in Shreveport and Bossier City, said founder Mack McCarter.
The organization also is gathering baseline data so it can measure how relationship building affects neighborhoods it serves.
"Within six months we will have all the baseline stuff done and within a year the first reports coming in. We want to show not only economic impact but what this means in terms of engendering hope and sense of well-being for all of us," McCarter said.
2011年9月4日星期日
BUILDING REMAINS OPEN DURING CONSTRUCTION
More than $3 million worth of improvements will greet customers at Acme Fresh Market when work is completed by Nov. 1.
"We keep putting money back into the community," said Jim Trout, Acme executive vice president. "In the midst of our country's economic situation, we're driving money back into the store.
"When people shop here, they are investing in their own community," he said. "We know we have to earn their business every day, and we're working hard to do that."
The store at 4445 Kent Road, Stow, remains open while the upgrades are being made.
The parking lot is being redesigned to improve traffic flow.
"It will be easier to get in and out of," Trout said. "Parking spaces will be closer to the store."
Trout said the previous parking scheme was north to south. Now, it will be east to west.
"Before, people had to walk across traffic and through the cars to get into the store," he said. "Now, they can walk down the aisles."
Additional outside lighting will be added for customer safety.
The new entrances will have doors on either side of a front window area, which now is covered with wooden paneling.
The size of the store, about 65,000 square feet, will remain the same, Trout said.
Changes inside include creating a "power alley concept" where the deli section is now. It will include the deli, bakery, meat and seafood, and cafe areas.
"We will put perishable items together to create a market concept," he said. "Fresh produce will be the first thing you see."
The floral department is moving to the front of the store, and the section with prepared food will be moved closer to the front.
"We will have better, more efficient lighting inside the store to highlight our products," he said.
Flooring in the power alley and adult beverage sections will be ceramic tile.
Trout said the amount of space for the cold beer area will double.
"The adult beverage section is one of our fastest growing departments," he said. "People like to entertain at home more instead of going out."
In the rear of the store, the frozen food department will expand by one-third "because our customers are telling us they want more choices," he said.
Trout said the store's Asian, Mexican, Italian and Thai food sections will expand.
In the middle of the store, the pharmacy, natural organic food area and greeting cards section will be positioned on tile that will look like oak flooring "to create a destination for health and wellness," he said. "There are a lot of trends toward health and wellness."
He said a certified nurse practitioner will be on hand in the pharmacy area, as well.
New colors of paint on the walls will be "warm and inviting."
"It will make a relaxing shopping experience for our customers with all our great products under one roof," he said.
The Stow location is under the guidance of store director John Finn, who has been with Acme for 44 years.
"John knows what his customers want, and he's going to give it to them," Trout said.
Trout said Acme has been feeding families for more than 120 years.
"We want to provide the best shopping experience for our customers," he said.
"We keep putting money back into the community," said Jim Trout, Acme executive vice president. "In the midst of our country's economic situation, we're driving money back into the store.
"When people shop here, they are investing in their own community," he said. "We know we have to earn their business every day, and we're working hard to do that."
The store at 4445 Kent Road, Stow, remains open while the upgrades are being made.
The parking lot is being redesigned to improve traffic flow.
"It will be easier to get in and out of," Trout said. "Parking spaces will be closer to the store."
Trout said the previous parking scheme was north to south. Now, it will be east to west.
"Before, people had to walk across traffic and through the cars to get into the store," he said. "Now, they can walk down the aisles."
Additional outside lighting will be added for customer safety.
The new entrances will have doors on either side of a front window area, which now is covered with wooden paneling.
The size of the store, about 65,000 square feet, will remain the same, Trout said.
Changes inside include creating a "power alley concept" where the deli section is now. It will include the deli, bakery, meat and seafood, and cafe areas.
"We will put perishable items together to create a market concept," he said. "Fresh produce will be the first thing you see."
The floral department is moving to the front of the store, and the section with prepared food will be moved closer to the front.
"We will have better, more efficient lighting inside the store to highlight our products," he said.
Flooring in the power alley and adult beverage sections will be ceramic tile.
Trout said the amount of space for the cold beer area will double.
"The adult beverage section is one of our fastest growing departments," he said. "People like to entertain at home more instead of going out."
In the rear of the store, the frozen food department will expand by one-third "because our customers are telling us they want more choices," he said.
Trout said the store's Asian, Mexican, Italian and Thai food sections will expand.
In the middle of the store, the pharmacy, natural organic food area and greeting cards section will be positioned on tile that will look like oak flooring "to create a destination for health and wellness," he said. "There are a lot of trends toward health and wellness."
He said a certified nurse practitioner will be on hand in the pharmacy area, as well.
New colors of paint on the walls will be "warm and inviting."
"It will make a relaxing shopping experience for our customers with all our great products under one roof," he said.
The Stow location is under the guidance of store director John Finn, who has been with Acme for 44 years.
"John knows what his customers want, and he's going to give it to them," Trout said.
Trout said Acme has been feeding families for more than 120 years.
"We want to provide the best shopping experience for our customers," he said.
2011年9月1日星期四
The ordinary turns extraordinary at SWIC exhibit
The latest exhibit at the Southwestern Illinois College Schmidt Art Center aims to change the way people think about books and wooden tools.
"BOOC: Beautiful, Outrageous, Original and Clever Books by Artists" and "Lyrical Objects" are two exhibits opening today at the Schmidt Art Center and running through Oct. 1.
"BOOC" consists of several "books" made of materials and in ways traditional literature isn't usually found. These include ceramic tile book pages, sculptural pop-ups and handcrafted poetry tracts.
"Visitors will be able to see things that aren't normally included as book components made into beautiful works of visual -- and literary -- art," said Schmidt Director Libby Reuter.
Works by artists M.J. Goerke, Marcus Griffen, William Harroff, Joanne Kluba, Bob Smith and Barbara Wiese will be featured.
"Lyrical Objects" features the sculptures of Jane Birdsall-Lander. These combine wooden tool handles and parts of musical instruments so each one takes on humanistic values to inspire the imagination of viewers.
The two exhibits will allow visitors to look at normal objects and see them as something extraordinary.
Birdsall-Lander "takes wooden implement handles and combines them with other wooden pieces, mounting them on the wall to make sculptures that resemble fantastical tools, musical instruments or ladders," Reuter said. "It will spark your imagination."
Several activities are tied into the event.
* A public reception is from 6 to 8 tonight. The event is free and refreshments will be available.
* Creative Kids begins at SWIC with artistic book-making projects at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Sept. 3, 10 and 24 and Oct.
* Joanne Kluba will lead a workshop to show adult artists how to create special folded books from 9:30 a.m. to noon Sept. 17. The fee is $50 and pre-registration is required.
And Sept. 22 and 29 from 6-8 pm. in the Schmidt Reading Room, Poets and artists will read from their works as attendees are allowed to handle pieces from the exhibit from 6 to 8 p.m. Sept. 22 and 29 in the Schmidt Reading room. This event is free and open to the public; no registration is required.
"BOOC: Beautiful, Outrageous, Original and Clever Books by Artists" and "Lyrical Objects" are two exhibits opening today at the Schmidt Art Center and running through Oct. 1.
"BOOC" consists of several "books" made of materials and in ways traditional literature isn't usually found. These include ceramic tile book pages, sculptural pop-ups and handcrafted poetry tracts.
"Visitors will be able to see things that aren't normally included as book components made into beautiful works of visual -- and literary -- art," said Schmidt Director Libby Reuter.
Works by artists M.J. Goerke, Marcus Griffen, William Harroff, Joanne Kluba, Bob Smith and Barbara Wiese will be featured.
"Lyrical Objects" features the sculptures of Jane Birdsall-Lander. These combine wooden tool handles and parts of musical instruments so each one takes on humanistic values to inspire the imagination of viewers.
The two exhibits will allow visitors to look at normal objects and see them as something extraordinary.
Birdsall-Lander "takes wooden implement handles and combines them with other wooden pieces, mounting them on the wall to make sculptures that resemble fantastical tools, musical instruments or ladders," Reuter said. "It will spark your imagination."
Several activities are tied into the event.
* A public reception is from 6 to 8 tonight. The event is free and refreshments will be available.
* Creative Kids begins at SWIC with artistic book-making projects at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Sept. 3, 10 and 24 and Oct.
* Joanne Kluba will lead a workshop to show adult artists how to create special folded books from 9:30 a.m. to noon Sept. 17. The fee is $50 and pre-registration is required.
And Sept. 22 and 29 from 6-8 pm. in the Schmidt Reading Room, Poets and artists will read from their works as attendees are allowed to handle pieces from the exhibit from 6 to 8 p.m. Sept. 22 and 29 in the Schmidt Reading room. This event is free and open to the public; no registration is required.
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