The roof on a house is the first line of defense homeowners have against the elements. A damaged roof will experience leaks, which can lead to a number of problems beyond the obvious water pouring through the ceiling.
Rotting wood, cracked and peeling paint, mold and electrical shorts are just a handful of the potential disasters that could lie ahead. Keeping up with a roof and making sure it stays in good condition can be a chore. To keep it in pristine condition, it is important to know how to maintain a roof, the signs of damage and the various types of roofing available:
- Fiberglass-based asphalt shingles are probably the most common in use today. Although durable, extensive exposure to heat, cold and moisture can take a toll. Signs that indicate repair may be in order include cracked shingles, a loss of granules on the shingles themselves, granules piling up in gutters and shingles with curling edges. The average life expectancy is somewhere between 15 to 30 years for this type of roof. More often than not, repairs usually call for an entire roof replacement.
- Cedar shingle or shake roofs are most often made from split Western red cedar logs. You can expect a good 40 years out of this type of roof, and replacing individual shakes or sections due to individual shingle damage is fairly simple and inexpensive.
- Limestone, sandstone, slate, fired clay and ceramic tile roofs are less common than asphalt shingle roofs, but tend to last longer generally the lifetime of the house. Heat and sun can leave them dry, and they will crack easily when stepped on, resulting in water seepage. However, repairing them can be a relatively easy job: If only one or two tiles are broken or cracked, that's all that needs to be replaced.
- Today's metal roofs are nothing like the old-style "tin roofs," as they were usually called, that were commonly found on farmhouses of the early 20th century. Laid directly over spaced beams, they did allow for the beloved sound of rain patter, but provided next to nothing in terms of insulation and tended to rust quickly. Modern metal roofs are light weight and durable, resistant to fire, wind and hail, and come in a variety of attractive colors. They are expensive (about three times that of an asphalt shingle roof) but can last as long as 100 years or more with little or no maintenance.
- A sod or dirt roof tends to be a rarity in the U.S., although interest in green technology has spawned somewhat of a comeback. They are more complicated to install, but they are the least expensive of just about any type of roof in existence. Comprised of sod overlaid on multiple layers of birch bark, they tend to last about 30 years.
Regardless of what kind of roof you have, here are a few general rules to keep in mind:
- Build-ups of leaves, snow and water can add extra weight to a structure, causing significant damage or even collapse.
- Working on or near a roof line can be dangerous. If you suspect roof damage, check it out from the ground with a pair of binoculars.
- Clogged gutters and damaged flashing only spell trouble. Make sure they're always kept in perfect condition.
When the time comes to have a roof repaired, avoid potential disaster. An inexperienced do-it-yourselfer can end up with broken bones or even worse from unexpected falls. An experienced team of bonded and licensed professionals can handle the job quickly and efficiently, with no danger to the homeowner.
2011年10月31日星期一
2011年10月30日星期日
Buildings relevelled with Uretek’s expanding structural resin injections
Uretek used their patented resin injection system to successfully re-level office buildings in Sydney to bring them back to their original position.
Four of these office stairwell towers at Huntingwood in Sydney had rotated outwards from the main building, moving by as much as 60mm at the top.
Uretek’s injections of expanding structural resins underneath the furthest-out base sections brought the towers back into correct position in just two days.
Relevelling buildings using conventional techniques can be difficult, messy and time-consuming. Uretek’s expanding resin injection method on the other hand, is a quick process, does not involve excavation or mess and does not require the building’s occupants to temporarily move out.
Uretek carries out building relevelling work from outside the building. The resin injection is done through small, 16mm diameter holes or 12mm tubes. Even smaller 6mm tubes can be used in slab-lifting, so that the penetrations are not visible in inside environments, especially with carpet, parquetry or ceramic tile floors.
Uretek’s expanding resins raise building footings and floors back to their correct levels with the results being seen in reduced wall cracks as well as functional windows and doors.
Uretek’s expanding resin technology is ideal for relevelling offices, homes, factories and warehouses among others.
Four of these office stairwell towers at Huntingwood in Sydney had rotated outwards from the main building, moving by as much as 60mm at the top.
Uretek’s injections of expanding structural resins underneath the furthest-out base sections brought the towers back into correct position in just two days.
Relevelling buildings using conventional techniques can be difficult, messy and time-consuming. Uretek’s expanding resin injection method on the other hand, is a quick process, does not involve excavation or mess and does not require the building’s occupants to temporarily move out.
Uretek carries out building relevelling work from outside the building. The resin injection is done through small, 16mm diameter holes or 12mm tubes. Even smaller 6mm tubes can be used in slab-lifting, so that the penetrations are not visible in inside environments, especially with carpet, parquetry or ceramic tile floors.
Uretek’s expanding resins raise building footings and floors back to their correct levels with the results being seen in reduced wall cracks as well as functional windows and doors.
Uretek’s expanding resin technology is ideal for relevelling offices, homes, factories and warehouses among others.
2011年10月27日星期四
Ceramic floor tiles and the glazed and unglazed varieties
As well as the many materials that are available in floor tile options, there are also lots of finishes available, from matte, glazed and unglazed. This can sometimes confuse many home owners because although they appreciate the appearance differences, they are unsure as to which is the best floor tile option.
Ceramic floor tiles are an ideal flooring solution and they can be glazed or unglazed depending on your personal preferences. There are differences in both the appearance of the two finishes and the way they function and perform as floor tiles.
The glazed variety of ceramic floor tiles are treated additionally by spraying a paint like substance onto them before firing them for a second time at very high temperatures. The second firing of the ceramic floor tile makes it have a shiny and gloss like appearance which can be different colours depending on the particular range of floor tiles.
The glazed variety of ceramic floor tiles will be very strong and durable as well as having a very low absorbency rate, making them ideal for a flooring material. On the other hand, ceramic floor tiles that do not undergo the final firing process and the extra glass will be unglazed ceramic floor tiles. The varieties of ceramic unglazed floor tiles are a non slip floor tile and are ideal for busy areas of the home such as the kitchen floor. The unglazed variety will however absorb water and stains and are more porous unless they receive any extra treatment. This can be in the form of a sealant which will protect the floor tile from any spillages and accidents.
The glazed variety of floor tile are also supplied in a matte finish and textured finish which gives the home owner the best of both worlds, a floor tile solution that provides anti slip properties and a different finishes. . A glazed ceramic floor tile will not normally require any further treatment such as sealant as the floor tile is already resistant to stains and moisture from the way it has been manufactured and largely as a result of the second firing process. The glazed variety of ceramic tiles are very versatile tiles and are not just used as floor tiles, they are commonly found in bathrooms installed as wall tiles where the gloss finish is very desirable. The gloss shine appearance of this wall tile is very attractive for home decor and is commonly used also as wall tiles in kitchen areas such as backsplash areas and behind cooker hobs.
The varieties of glazed and unglazed floor tiles is endless and floor tiles are not just supplied in solid colours, many of the floor tile patterns can have decorative patterns of many variations.
It can be confusing for many home owners when selecting floor tile materials because there is more to a floor tile than the material, with many different finishes and treatments. The best way forward is to get as much advice as you can when selecting floor tiles and all good tile stores will be more than happy to advise on the pros and cons of the different varieties of wall tiles and floor tiles.
Ceramic floor tiles are an ideal flooring solution and they can be glazed or unglazed depending on your personal preferences. There are differences in both the appearance of the two finishes and the way they function and perform as floor tiles.
The glazed variety of ceramic floor tiles are treated additionally by spraying a paint like substance onto them before firing them for a second time at very high temperatures. The second firing of the ceramic floor tile makes it have a shiny and gloss like appearance which can be different colours depending on the particular range of floor tiles.
The glazed variety of ceramic floor tiles will be very strong and durable as well as having a very low absorbency rate, making them ideal for a flooring material. On the other hand, ceramic floor tiles that do not undergo the final firing process and the extra glass will be unglazed ceramic floor tiles. The varieties of ceramic unglazed floor tiles are a non slip floor tile and are ideal for busy areas of the home such as the kitchen floor. The unglazed variety will however absorb water and stains and are more porous unless they receive any extra treatment. This can be in the form of a sealant which will protect the floor tile from any spillages and accidents.
The glazed variety of floor tile are also supplied in a matte finish and textured finish which gives the home owner the best of both worlds, a floor tile solution that provides anti slip properties and a different finishes. . A glazed ceramic floor tile will not normally require any further treatment such as sealant as the floor tile is already resistant to stains and moisture from the way it has been manufactured and largely as a result of the second firing process. The glazed variety of ceramic tiles are very versatile tiles and are not just used as floor tiles, they are commonly found in bathrooms installed as wall tiles where the gloss finish is very desirable. The gloss shine appearance of this wall tile is very attractive for home decor and is commonly used also as wall tiles in kitchen areas such as backsplash areas and behind cooker hobs.
The varieties of glazed and unglazed floor tiles is endless and floor tiles are not just supplied in solid colours, many of the floor tile patterns can have decorative patterns of many variations.
It can be confusing for many home owners when selecting floor tile materials because there is more to a floor tile than the material, with many different finishes and treatments. The best way forward is to get as much advice as you can when selecting floor tiles and all good tile stores will be more than happy to advise on the pros and cons of the different varieties of wall tiles and floor tiles.
2011年10月26日星期三
Ancient trash a modern treasure
For the past five summers, Southern Oregon University archaeologist Chelsea Rose has been digging for the treasures of everyday life in the garbage dumps of a 400-year-old Scottish village.
She's brought back scores of baggies full of broken dishware, tiles, liquor bottles and metal gadgets for her students to clean, analyze and glue back together, all to learn the art of archaeology.
A cross-section of household items is spread out on a lab table while junior Jorden Peery brushes and glues together puzzle-like pieces of broken redware, locally made clay ceramic.
The Scots, Rose explains, were poor in money, but rich in land, labor and resources, so they owned mostly handmade local wares and some fine China from London.
Rose says the redware is very similar to what SOU faculty and students found recently at a dig on the Peter Britt grounds in Jacksonville.
"Britt came from Switzerland and didn't bring anything, so, what we see here in Oregon from the 1850s is almost the same, most of it crafted from locally available resources and some packed in from Crescent City, a shipping port," Rose says.
The oldest Scottish artifact on the table was a slate roofing tile, dating back to about 1600. A well-made but broken ceramic light fixture looked like a charming candlestick but had a tell-tale hole in the bottom for an electric cord.
The dig, led by the University of Maryland, is in the shadow of Amisfield Tower, a private castle built in 1600 near Dumfries in southern Scotland. Archaeologists are also there to research the boyhood home of American Revolutionary sea hero John Paul Jones.
Some of the Scottish artifacts proved mystifying, but elderly local residents were able to identify a curious metal gadget that turned out to be a pull to ring a bell that would summon servants. Other artifacts were apothecary and face cream jars, drawer pulls, stained glass and leading to hold the glass. Found coins of many centuries ago are not valuable, but are helpful to fix exact dates of nearby artifacts, she says.
Students welcome the inflow of artifacts from faraway lands as they represent a break from the familiar items of the Northwest, Rose says.
The Scottish dig was made easier by the use of ground-penetrating radar, which could readily identify anything underground that wasn't dirt and rock. Digging several feet into the ground, Rose mapped, photographed and numbered hundreds of objects, which, when studied in labs, tells the story of what went on in the village and how it changed with varying climate, economy or political situations.
The dig turned up many animal bones, with lamb and rabbit being the favorites, says Rose, noting the fare was similar to the pioneer Jacksonville items being analyzed by Brenden Kelly, an archaeology senior who had just found and cleaned a slate pencil.
"It's mostly glass and nails, bottles, redware, a lot of elk, deer and bird bones," says Kelly. Seeds and pollen in dirt from the Jacksonville site are being analyzed to show what plant foods the pioneer dined on.
At the next table, students are analyzing fish bones from a midden (trash heap) of Coquille Indians at Bandon, which was occupied for at least 3,500 years.
About 80 percent of archaeology happens in the lab, says Rose, with only 20 percent in the field.
She's brought back scores of baggies full of broken dishware, tiles, liquor bottles and metal gadgets for her students to clean, analyze and glue back together, all to learn the art of archaeology.
A cross-section of household items is spread out on a lab table while junior Jorden Peery brushes and glues together puzzle-like pieces of broken redware, locally made clay ceramic.
The Scots, Rose explains, were poor in money, but rich in land, labor and resources, so they owned mostly handmade local wares and some fine China from London.
Rose says the redware is very similar to what SOU faculty and students found recently at a dig on the Peter Britt grounds in Jacksonville.
"Britt came from Switzerland and didn't bring anything, so, what we see here in Oregon from the 1850s is almost the same, most of it crafted from locally available resources and some packed in from Crescent City, a shipping port," Rose says.
The oldest Scottish artifact on the table was a slate roofing tile, dating back to about 1600. A well-made but broken ceramic light fixture looked like a charming candlestick but had a tell-tale hole in the bottom for an electric cord.
The dig, led by the University of Maryland, is in the shadow of Amisfield Tower, a private castle built in 1600 near Dumfries in southern Scotland. Archaeologists are also there to research the boyhood home of American Revolutionary sea hero John Paul Jones.
Some of the Scottish artifacts proved mystifying, but elderly local residents were able to identify a curious metal gadget that turned out to be a pull to ring a bell that would summon servants. Other artifacts were apothecary and face cream jars, drawer pulls, stained glass and leading to hold the glass. Found coins of many centuries ago are not valuable, but are helpful to fix exact dates of nearby artifacts, she says.
Students welcome the inflow of artifacts from faraway lands as they represent a break from the familiar items of the Northwest, Rose says.
The Scottish dig was made easier by the use of ground-penetrating radar, which could readily identify anything underground that wasn't dirt and rock. Digging several feet into the ground, Rose mapped, photographed and numbered hundreds of objects, which, when studied in labs, tells the story of what went on in the village and how it changed with varying climate, economy or political situations.
The dig turned up many animal bones, with lamb and rabbit being the favorites, says Rose, noting the fare was similar to the pioneer Jacksonville items being analyzed by Brenden Kelly, an archaeology senior who had just found and cleaned a slate pencil.
"It's mostly glass and nails, bottles, redware, a lot of elk, deer and bird bones," says Kelly. Seeds and pollen in dirt from the Jacksonville site are being analyzed to show what plant foods the pioneer dined on.
At the next table, students are analyzing fish bones from a midden (trash heap) of Coquille Indians at Bandon, which was occupied for at least 3,500 years.
About 80 percent of archaeology happens in the lab, says Rose, with only 20 percent in the field.
2011年10月25日星期二
Knoxville Carpet Partners with PreferredLocalBusiness
Knoxville carpet has never been as easily accessible as it is today, thanks to Frazier's Carpet One in Knoxville, TN joining PreferredLocalBusiness.tv, a partnership that will make quality carpet, tile, hardwood, laminate and vinyl immediately available to local internet searchers.
Since 1953, Frazier's has been serving the greater Knoxville area with pride. They are a charter member of the Carpet One buying group which, with over a thousand stores worldwide, not only has enormous buying power, but also has deep partnerships with all of the major brands, mills and manufacturers. When it comes to floor covering, clients can explain their needs and Frazier's will satisfy them beyond their expectations. Frazier's is one of the largest stocking dealers of floor covering in all of Tennessee, with a selection of carpet, hardwood, laminate, ceramic, vinyl and area rugs that has to be seen to be believed. Customers can always find the best products and great savings at Frazier's, everyday.
Frazier's exclusive brands like Relax, it's Lees®, Tigressa, Bigelow® and Resista Soft Style set the industry standard for beauty, style, and quality. In fact, every floor they offer has more than surpassed their own high standards of performance and comfort. And with four generations and more than 55 years of experience, expertise is what Frazier's offer their customers on so many levels. Their sales professionals are trained to ask the right questions, guide their customers through their easy-to-understand selection systems, and work with them to create exciting solutions. Flooring is their first language.
Carpet-seekers will love their SelectAFloor™ system. It's the perfect tool to navigate through the many flooring products, warranties, and colors to find what ultimately fits their needs and lifestyle. If their hectic home or work schedule still won't let them come to the store, they can purchase a beautiful new floor right online using the easy navigation. Customers can request samples to see how they look in their room, have their rooms professionally measured for free and have a certified installer come to their home to have their new floor installed. The entire process can be completed without even entering the store.
Frazier's believes in excellence every step of the way, so their work continues even after their customers have left the store. They are experts in floor covering installation, and they stand behind their work with a "Life of Floor" warranty. Even better, each Carpet One store, like Frazier's, is locally owned and operated. Frazier's is local. They work and live in in the Knoxville, Tennessee community and understand their customer's needs. When it comes to Knoxville carpet, customers can expect integrity, the very best personal service, value, and warranties from Frazier's Carpet One.
Since 1953, Frazier's has been serving the greater Knoxville area with pride. They are a charter member of the Carpet One buying group which, with over a thousand stores worldwide, not only has enormous buying power, but also has deep partnerships with all of the major brands, mills and manufacturers. When it comes to floor covering, clients can explain their needs and Frazier's will satisfy them beyond their expectations. Frazier's is one of the largest stocking dealers of floor covering in all of Tennessee, with a selection of carpet, hardwood, laminate, ceramic, vinyl and area rugs that has to be seen to be believed. Customers can always find the best products and great savings at Frazier's, everyday.
Frazier's exclusive brands like Relax, it's Lees®, Tigressa, Bigelow® and Resista Soft Style set the industry standard for beauty, style, and quality. In fact, every floor they offer has more than surpassed their own high standards of performance and comfort. And with four generations and more than 55 years of experience, expertise is what Frazier's offer their customers on so many levels. Their sales professionals are trained to ask the right questions, guide their customers through their easy-to-understand selection systems, and work with them to create exciting solutions. Flooring is their first language.
Carpet-seekers will love their SelectAFloor™ system. It's the perfect tool to navigate through the many flooring products, warranties, and colors to find what ultimately fits their needs and lifestyle. If their hectic home or work schedule still won't let them come to the store, they can purchase a beautiful new floor right online using the easy navigation. Customers can request samples to see how they look in their room, have their rooms professionally measured for free and have a certified installer come to their home to have their new floor installed. The entire process can be completed without even entering the store.
Frazier's believes in excellence every step of the way, so their work continues even after their customers have left the store. They are experts in floor covering installation, and they stand behind their work with a "Life of Floor" warranty. Even better, each Carpet One store, like Frazier's, is locally owned and operated. Frazier's is local. They work and live in in the Knoxville, Tennessee community and understand their customer's needs. When it comes to Knoxville carpet, customers can expect integrity, the very best personal service, value, and warranties from Frazier's Carpet One.
2011年10月24日星期一
A mind-altering run to defeat Alzheimer’s disease
Shortly after finishing his three-month, 3,312-mile run from the coast of Oregon to the Rhode Island shore, Glenn Caffery visited his physician and complained that his feet were numb.
“What’d you expect?” the doctor replied.
Caffery, a 49-year-old data management teacher at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, lives in Leyden, a small town in the Connecticut River Valley that borders Vermont. His cross-country pilgrimage was to raise awareness about the Alzheimer’s disease that killed his father at age 68.
“He was diagnosed at 55,” said Caffery, “but it was symptomatic at least two years prior to that.”
On May 19, Caffery stuck his foot into the Pacific Ocean and began his long, arduous journey across Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, South Dakota, and Minnesota on toward the Northeast and into New England. On Aug. 17, surrounded by friends and family, he splashed into the Atlantic Ocean at Misquamicut Beach in Rhode Island.
Along the way he had jogged through towns named Mud Butte and Faith and avoided roads with rumble strips that rattled the three-wheeled stroller he kept packed with supplies and camping gear. “It was kind of comfortable to have it with me. I never gave it a name. I’m glad it never came to that.”
His wife, Colleen, shipped Asics DS running shoes and multivitamins to designated truck stops every 350 miles. Truckers learned of his cause and gave him leeway on the highway. Railroad engineers leaned on train whistles for encouragement.
South Dakota was the most grueling part of the journey, a daunting 560-mile trek in 100-degree weather through desolate territory where the state mammal is the coyote.
“It got discouraging,” said Caffery. “There was no shelter. There were no trees. I was by myself and totally dependent on the people around me.”
He was grateful for people like the owners of the Ace Motel in Belle Fourche, South Dakota, who gave him a roof over his head and a fresh bar of soap in the shower stall. “Ceramic tile, toilet, shower … Compared to sleeping on the side of the highway, it couldn’t have been better.”
A nasty case of shin splints set him back a week, but his arthritic hip never barked and he was able to average 50 miles a day while burning 600 calories an hour.
“I was amazed with my body’s ability to bounce back every morning,” he said. “My left hip was pain free and my right arm wasn’t sore from pushing the stroller, but my left shoulder bothered me. It did nothing, but a person’s body responds to work.”
Most weight-conscious people try to maintain a caloric intake under 2,000, but Caffery needed 7,000 calories day to keep up his energy level.
“Food was the single hardest part of the trip,” he said. “The problem was, I had no appetite and the stuff I ate was high calorie and not particularly healthy. Mostly I got sick of things. They had really gross ice cream (in South Dakota) called Blue Bunny, and another problem was I was a vegetarian in one thousand miles of beef country. But I did eat a lot of eggs and drink a lot of chocolate milk.”
Jogging on thoroughfares built for fast-moving vehicles provided a shocking, near slow-motion perspective of death on the highway.
“Dead things were horrible, so many dead things in the road,” he said. “The stench was a constant companion. Cars are so disruptive, and I saw so much killing…. Two Canada geese crossing the road with their offspring and I thought how beautiful, and a car went smashing through them, just a swirl of feathers. The car never slowed. That was hard.”
At night in the West, snakes came to bask on the warm roads.
“I had to be careful. The really big snakes were the bull snakes and they camouflaged well on the road,” said Caffery. “When I saw my first prairie rattler I knew I had to keep getting fresh batteries for my head lamp.”
In Ohio his father-in-law died. He rented a car and drove to the memorial service in Easton, Pa., then returned to where he’d left off.
“It made me wonder whether my run was truly separate from my life or really just the same,” he said. “I don’t think it was as separate as it seemed.”
The country’s diverse geography didn’t affect him so much as the people he met.
“They have forever changed me,” he said. “I feel really blessed they brought me into their world. I came to learn that the U.S. is a big community and I’d never thought of it that way. I was given two flags along the way. I’ve never had a flag in front of my house but I cherish these two flags.”
Life has returned to normal for Caffery. He’s back teaching at UMass and on Oct. 18 he spoke at an Alzheimer’s symposium in Boston. Although he’s raised $25,000, he said, “Alzheimer’s been a part of my life but I don’t consider myself an activist, surprising as that sounds.”
His feet still hurt and his weight is down and he’s quick to admit, “I’m in pretty bad shape right now.”
Yet he’ll recover physically and keep the memory.
“What’d you expect?” the doctor replied.
Caffery, a 49-year-old data management teacher at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, lives in Leyden, a small town in the Connecticut River Valley that borders Vermont. His cross-country pilgrimage was to raise awareness about the Alzheimer’s disease that killed his father at age 68.
“He was diagnosed at 55,” said Caffery, “but it was symptomatic at least two years prior to that.”
On May 19, Caffery stuck his foot into the Pacific Ocean and began his long, arduous journey across Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, South Dakota, and Minnesota on toward the Northeast and into New England. On Aug. 17, surrounded by friends and family, he splashed into the Atlantic Ocean at Misquamicut Beach in Rhode Island.
Along the way he had jogged through towns named Mud Butte and Faith and avoided roads with rumble strips that rattled the three-wheeled stroller he kept packed with supplies and camping gear. “It was kind of comfortable to have it with me. I never gave it a name. I’m glad it never came to that.”
His wife, Colleen, shipped Asics DS running shoes and multivitamins to designated truck stops every 350 miles. Truckers learned of his cause and gave him leeway on the highway. Railroad engineers leaned on train whistles for encouragement.
South Dakota was the most grueling part of the journey, a daunting 560-mile trek in 100-degree weather through desolate territory where the state mammal is the coyote.
“It got discouraging,” said Caffery. “There was no shelter. There were no trees. I was by myself and totally dependent on the people around me.”
He was grateful for people like the owners of the Ace Motel in Belle Fourche, South Dakota, who gave him a roof over his head and a fresh bar of soap in the shower stall. “Ceramic tile, toilet, shower … Compared to sleeping on the side of the highway, it couldn’t have been better.”
A nasty case of shin splints set him back a week, but his arthritic hip never barked and he was able to average 50 miles a day while burning 600 calories an hour.
“I was amazed with my body’s ability to bounce back every morning,” he said. “My left hip was pain free and my right arm wasn’t sore from pushing the stroller, but my left shoulder bothered me. It did nothing, but a person’s body responds to work.”
Most weight-conscious people try to maintain a caloric intake under 2,000, but Caffery needed 7,000 calories day to keep up his energy level.
“Food was the single hardest part of the trip,” he said. “The problem was, I had no appetite and the stuff I ate was high calorie and not particularly healthy. Mostly I got sick of things. They had really gross ice cream (in South Dakota) called Blue Bunny, and another problem was I was a vegetarian in one thousand miles of beef country. But I did eat a lot of eggs and drink a lot of chocolate milk.”
Jogging on thoroughfares built for fast-moving vehicles provided a shocking, near slow-motion perspective of death on the highway.
“Dead things were horrible, so many dead things in the road,” he said. “The stench was a constant companion. Cars are so disruptive, and I saw so much killing…. Two Canada geese crossing the road with their offspring and I thought how beautiful, and a car went smashing through them, just a swirl of feathers. The car never slowed. That was hard.”
At night in the West, snakes came to bask on the warm roads.
“I had to be careful. The really big snakes were the bull snakes and they camouflaged well on the road,” said Caffery. “When I saw my first prairie rattler I knew I had to keep getting fresh batteries for my head lamp.”
In Ohio his father-in-law died. He rented a car and drove to the memorial service in Easton, Pa., then returned to where he’d left off.
“It made me wonder whether my run was truly separate from my life or really just the same,” he said. “I don’t think it was as separate as it seemed.”
The country’s diverse geography didn’t affect him so much as the people he met.
“They have forever changed me,” he said. “I feel really blessed they brought me into their world. I came to learn that the U.S. is a big community and I’d never thought of it that way. I was given two flags along the way. I’ve never had a flag in front of my house but I cherish these two flags.”
Life has returned to normal for Caffery. He’s back teaching at UMass and on Oct. 18 he spoke at an Alzheimer’s symposium in Boston. Although he’s raised $25,000, he said, “Alzheimer’s been a part of my life but I don’t consider myself an activist, surprising as that sounds.”
His feet still hurt and his weight is down and he’s quick to admit, “I’m in pretty bad shape right now.”
Yet he’ll recover physically and keep the memory.
2011年10月23日星期日
Manlius estate offers resort-style amenities
Staying at a resort for a few days can be restorative and restful, so what would it be like to wake up every morning in resort-like surroundings?
There's a 5-acre property at 5118 Duguid Road in Manlius that may hold the answer to that question. The property, home to Lisa and Mike Muraco and their children for over 20 years, is on the market for $995,000. An unspecified amount of additional land is also available.
Dubbed "Cheshire Farms," because it is said to resemble the green hills of Cheshire, England, the estate's brick and wrought iron gated entry swings open to reveal a dramatic, oak tree-lined private drive, flanked by expanses of rolling lawn. The view of the property from the road is reminiscent of the Southfork ranch from the "Dallas" TV show or of Kentucky horse county estates.
The 7,600-square-foot brick and cedar-sided Colonial home, built in 1963, has five bedrooms, four full bathrooms and three half-baths, central air and five wood-burning fireplaces.
The formal dining room, illuminated by two walls of windows, has crown molding, a marble floor and a 15-foot-high ceiling. A butler's pantry, hidden behind a swinging door, is tucked between the dining room and kitchen.
The adjacent family room feels like a ski lodge with its cherry cathedral ceiling, clear pine judges paneling, slate floor and floor-to-ceiling limestone fireplace built with stone gathered on the property. Cherry cabinetry divides the family room from the gourmet kitchen and breakfast nook.
French doors in the dining room and family room open to the expansive cement and brick patio and the L-shaped salt water pool with diving board and recently replaced liner.
The pool and patio, hidden from the driveway by a tall, brick privacy wall, combine with a huge rock garden and a deep back yard to provide a 3-acre, fully fenced play area for adults, children and pets. There is also a bocce court, bordered with landscape timbers and shaded by arborvitae, next to the pool.
An 1,100-square foot pool house is connected to the main house by an underground tunnel. The pool house offers many spa-like amenities, including a well-appointed room in which to relax and change clothes, and has a coffered ceiling, judges paneling, a water closet and sink. The pool house gym offers plenty of space for exercise equipment, and has a ceramic tile floor, exposed brick, ceiling fans and windows with transoms overlooking the pool and patio. A huge granite-walled walk-in shower and steam room awaits exercisers and swimmers.
The resort-like atmosphere extends to the front-to-back formal living room and the marble foyer with its sweeping staircase at the front of the home. A first-floor mahogany-paneled library with quartersawn pegged oak floors and a wood burning fireplace provides a sumptuous spot for study or contemplation.
The second-floor master suite features French doors that open to a balcony overlooking the pool, and a spacious master bath with marble floors, walls and countertops. The room has a jetted tub, separate water closet and walk-in shower as well as a double-sink vanity and heat lamp.
An adjoining combination walk-in closet and dressing room has built-in shelves, drawers and racks, recessed lighting and a cedar-lined ceiling.
Lisa described the property as a lovely, peaceful and safe setting to raise children, to let the dogs run free and to enjoy nature and the seasons. Some of her fondest memories include hosting holiday celebrations for friends and family members, watching the children play hide and seek in the dark, and sledding and snowshoeing.
"Our family feels very blessed that our children had the opportunity to grow up here," Lisa said.
There's a 5-acre property at 5118 Duguid Road in Manlius that may hold the answer to that question. The property, home to Lisa and Mike Muraco and their children for over 20 years, is on the market for $995,000. An unspecified amount of additional land is also available.
Dubbed "Cheshire Farms," because it is said to resemble the green hills of Cheshire, England, the estate's brick and wrought iron gated entry swings open to reveal a dramatic, oak tree-lined private drive, flanked by expanses of rolling lawn. The view of the property from the road is reminiscent of the Southfork ranch from the "Dallas" TV show or of Kentucky horse county estates.
The 7,600-square-foot brick and cedar-sided Colonial home, built in 1963, has five bedrooms, four full bathrooms and three half-baths, central air and five wood-burning fireplaces.
The formal dining room, illuminated by two walls of windows, has crown molding, a marble floor and a 15-foot-high ceiling. A butler's pantry, hidden behind a swinging door, is tucked between the dining room and kitchen.
The adjacent family room feels like a ski lodge with its cherry cathedral ceiling, clear pine judges paneling, slate floor and floor-to-ceiling limestone fireplace built with stone gathered on the property. Cherry cabinetry divides the family room from the gourmet kitchen and breakfast nook.
French doors in the dining room and family room open to the expansive cement and brick patio and the L-shaped salt water pool with diving board and recently replaced liner.
The pool and patio, hidden from the driveway by a tall, brick privacy wall, combine with a huge rock garden and a deep back yard to provide a 3-acre, fully fenced play area for adults, children and pets. There is also a bocce court, bordered with landscape timbers and shaded by arborvitae, next to the pool.
An 1,100-square foot pool house is connected to the main house by an underground tunnel. The pool house offers many spa-like amenities, including a well-appointed room in which to relax and change clothes, and has a coffered ceiling, judges paneling, a water closet and sink. The pool house gym offers plenty of space for exercise equipment, and has a ceramic tile floor, exposed brick, ceiling fans and windows with transoms overlooking the pool and patio. A huge granite-walled walk-in shower and steam room awaits exercisers and swimmers.
The resort-like atmosphere extends to the front-to-back formal living room and the marble foyer with its sweeping staircase at the front of the home. A first-floor mahogany-paneled library with quartersawn pegged oak floors and a wood burning fireplace provides a sumptuous spot for study or contemplation.
The second-floor master suite features French doors that open to a balcony overlooking the pool, and a spacious master bath with marble floors, walls and countertops. The room has a jetted tub, separate water closet and walk-in shower as well as a double-sink vanity and heat lamp.
An adjoining combination walk-in closet and dressing room has built-in shelves, drawers and racks, recessed lighting and a cedar-lined ceiling.
Lisa described the property as a lovely, peaceful and safe setting to raise children, to let the dogs run free and to enjoy nature and the seasons. Some of her fondest memories include hosting holiday celebrations for friends and family members, watching the children play hide and seek in the dark, and sledding and snowshoeing.
"Our family feels very blessed that our children had the opportunity to grow up here," Lisa said.
2011年10月20日星期四
A world apart near Battery Kemble Park
The entrance to MacArthur Court, just off MacArthur Boulevard in the Palisades neighborhood of Northwest Washington, is easy to miss, and that is a shame.
The small driveway opens off the boulevard into a charming community of Victorian-style homes arranged around a cul-de-sac to create a lovely world of its own.
Realtor Scott Polk of Long & Foster Realtors describes the 11-home MacArthur Court neighborhood as an eclectic mix of families from around the world who enjoy the adjacent Battery Kemble Park along with watching their children play and holding an occasional cul-de-sac party.
MacArthur Court’s residents can walk to local schools and child care facilities, the Palisades branch of the public library, the Palisades recreation center and numerous shops and restaurants with a variety of cuisines from American to Belgian to Italian to Chinese.
The Palisades neighborhood offers quick access not only to Battery Kemble Park, but also to the C&O Canal and the Potomac River. The delights of Georgetown and the Kennedy Center are minutes away, and residents easily can reach downtown Washington as well as the Virginia and Maryland suburbs.
Built in 2000, the single-family homes in MacArthur Court offer a taste of contemporary style inside, including myriad oversized windows and an open floor plan, while keeping a touch of formality with elegant crown molding.
The home at 5010 MacArthur Court, on the market for $1,165,000, has three finished levels and rests near the end of the cul-de-sac, adjacent to the park. The home includes a lawn and garden beds adjacent to the brick driveway, an attached one-car garage and several mature trees on all sides. The fully fenced backyard includes a lawn, garden beds and a towering walnut tree. A deck off the main level adds extra space for entertaining outdoors.
The back of the home faces south for maximum natural light, and the home sits on top of an incline so that the upper-level bedrooms have a view of the treetops on the Virginia side of the Potomac. Every room has as many windows as possible, along with high ceilings and recessed lighting, adding to the sense of light and space. The plantation-style shutters and blinds throughout the house convey to the buyers.
A flagstone walkway leads from the driveway to the small covered front porch. The front door opens into a foyer with hardwood flooring. Both the main and upper levels have hardwood flooring as well as crown molding.
Adjacent to the foyer is a formal living room or sitting area with a picture window facing the front lawn and a long narrow window on the opposite wall. A window-shaped cutout links the living room with the open floor plan at the back of this level, allowing light to filter between the rooms while adding to the inviting openness of the home. Hardwood stairs lead from the foyer to the upper level.
The entire back of the main level is open from the family room at one end to the kitchen at the other. The family room has a gas fireplace with a marble hearth and surround and a detailed white-painted wood mantel. This room has windows on three sides, including a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows with transoms and a glass door to the deck.
The adjacent dining area has a bay window framing a view of the walnut tree and backyard. The recently renovated kitchen includes granite counters, stainless steel appliances and maple cabinets. The kitchen has a breakfast bar with room for several seats and a triple window over the sink facing the backyard. The upgraded appliances include a Viking two-drawer dishwasher and double wall ovens, and the cabinets include two lazy Susan fixtures in the corner to maximize efficiency.
Just beyond the kitchen is a dazzling powder room with distinctive ceramic tile flooring that matches the counter, an oversized window with plantation shutters and a glass vessel sink.
Upstairs, the master suite has been expanded to encompass about 60 percent of the upper level. The suite includes a sitting area with a window seat set into a bay window that faces the upper branches of the walnut tree. The bedroom area has a ceiling fan and a cathedral ceiling along with windows on three sides.
The master bath has stone flooring, two vanities, a whirlpool tub and a stone shower with glass doors. The bathroom includes windows on two sides and a deep walk-in closet.
The small driveway opens off the boulevard into a charming community of Victorian-style homes arranged around a cul-de-sac to create a lovely world of its own.
Realtor Scott Polk of Long & Foster Realtors describes the 11-home MacArthur Court neighborhood as an eclectic mix of families from around the world who enjoy the adjacent Battery Kemble Park along with watching their children play and holding an occasional cul-de-sac party.
MacArthur Court’s residents can walk to local schools and child care facilities, the Palisades branch of the public library, the Palisades recreation center and numerous shops and restaurants with a variety of cuisines from American to Belgian to Italian to Chinese.
The Palisades neighborhood offers quick access not only to Battery Kemble Park, but also to the C&O Canal and the Potomac River. The delights of Georgetown and the Kennedy Center are minutes away, and residents easily can reach downtown Washington as well as the Virginia and Maryland suburbs.
Built in 2000, the single-family homes in MacArthur Court offer a taste of contemporary style inside, including myriad oversized windows and an open floor plan, while keeping a touch of formality with elegant crown molding.
The home at 5010 MacArthur Court, on the market for $1,165,000, has three finished levels and rests near the end of the cul-de-sac, adjacent to the park. The home includes a lawn and garden beds adjacent to the brick driveway, an attached one-car garage and several mature trees on all sides. The fully fenced backyard includes a lawn, garden beds and a towering walnut tree. A deck off the main level adds extra space for entertaining outdoors.
The back of the home faces south for maximum natural light, and the home sits on top of an incline so that the upper-level bedrooms have a view of the treetops on the Virginia side of the Potomac. Every room has as many windows as possible, along with high ceilings and recessed lighting, adding to the sense of light and space. The plantation-style shutters and blinds throughout the house convey to the buyers.
A flagstone walkway leads from the driveway to the small covered front porch. The front door opens into a foyer with hardwood flooring. Both the main and upper levels have hardwood flooring as well as crown molding.
Adjacent to the foyer is a formal living room or sitting area with a picture window facing the front lawn and a long narrow window on the opposite wall. A window-shaped cutout links the living room with the open floor plan at the back of this level, allowing light to filter between the rooms while adding to the inviting openness of the home. Hardwood stairs lead from the foyer to the upper level.
The entire back of the main level is open from the family room at one end to the kitchen at the other. The family room has a gas fireplace with a marble hearth and surround and a detailed white-painted wood mantel. This room has windows on three sides, including a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows with transoms and a glass door to the deck.
The adjacent dining area has a bay window framing a view of the walnut tree and backyard. The recently renovated kitchen includes granite counters, stainless steel appliances and maple cabinets. The kitchen has a breakfast bar with room for several seats and a triple window over the sink facing the backyard. The upgraded appliances include a Viking two-drawer dishwasher and double wall ovens, and the cabinets include two lazy Susan fixtures in the corner to maximize efficiency.
Just beyond the kitchen is a dazzling powder room with distinctive ceramic tile flooring that matches the counter, an oversized window with plantation shutters and a glass vessel sink.
Upstairs, the master suite has been expanded to encompass about 60 percent of the upper level. The suite includes a sitting area with a window seat set into a bay window that faces the upper branches of the walnut tree. The bedroom area has a ceiling fan and a cathedral ceiling along with windows on three sides.
The master bath has stone flooring, two vanities, a whirlpool tub and a stone shower with glass doors. The bathroom includes windows on two sides and a deep walk-in closet.
2011年10月19日星期三
Vinyl floor tiles in funky retro patterns are brought
Zazous are proud announce that they are the UK distributors for a brand new range of vinyl floor tiles from France. Kate Austin, owner of online webstore zazous, came across the product while sourcing cutlery for her current online homewares business. She liked them so much that this has led to a new direction for her. She plans to roll out the product by selling the tiles into flooring shops and DIY centres across the UK.
“We have only been selling them for a couple of weeks on our website and we have already seen a huge interest in the tiles but we need to get them to flooring suppliers. At present most of our customers are stumbling on them while shopping for wall stickers or home accessories. Once they are more widely available we think they will be in huge demand.”
So far the most popular designs have been The Red Stars, which is redolent of 1950s American diners, and Rose Des Vents which is more French in style and is similar to antique ceramic tiles. Rosemary is a striking larger scale pattern for the more daring home stylist. Finally are the Blue Rose and Capucine designs that can be used together to create a mix-and-match pattern. All the designs share a retro, mid century feel with a modern twist.
“I am so tired of all the pseudo-wood finishes and fake stone that I was genuinely excited to find these creative designs from France. I simply haven’t seen anything like them before. ” said Kate.
They are made from self-adhesive vinyl and are therefore very practical, easy-to-lay, durable and inexpensive at around £30.00 per square metre. They would be very functional and attractive in a kitchen or bathroom and would also work well in a conservatory or a hallway. Each tile is 30.5cm x 30.5cm and there are 11 tiles per pack.
“We have only been selling them for a couple of weeks on our website and we have already seen a huge interest in the tiles but we need to get them to flooring suppliers. At present most of our customers are stumbling on them while shopping for wall stickers or home accessories. Once they are more widely available we think they will be in huge demand.”
So far the most popular designs have been The Red Stars, which is redolent of 1950s American diners, and Rose Des Vents which is more French in style and is similar to antique ceramic tiles. Rosemary is a striking larger scale pattern for the more daring home stylist. Finally are the Blue Rose and Capucine designs that can be used together to create a mix-and-match pattern. All the designs share a retro, mid century feel with a modern twist.
“I am so tired of all the pseudo-wood finishes and fake stone that I was genuinely excited to find these creative designs from France. I simply haven’t seen anything like them before. ” said Kate.
They are made from self-adhesive vinyl and are therefore very practical, easy-to-lay, durable and inexpensive at around £30.00 per square metre. They would be very functional and attractive in a kitchen or bathroom and would also work well in a conservatory or a hallway. Each tile is 30.5cm x 30.5cm and there are 11 tiles per pack.
2011年10月18日星期二
Two Red Roses Acquires 1860s Cinderella Story Tiles
A rare set of ceramic tiles made by the English firm Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Company of London in the early 1860s has recently been acquired in London by the Two Red Roses Foundation of Palm Harbor. Seven pairs of hand painted tiles depict the story of Cinderella or the "Cinder-Wench…the maid with the shoe of glass." Only four sets of these tiles are known to have survived.
In 1862, British artist Edward Burne-Jones began to design fairy tale tiles in his illustrational, narrative style for Morris's newly founded company. The Cinderella story tiles were designed first, followed by Beauty and the Beast, and Sleeping Beauty. All three tales were commissioned by British watercolorist Myles Birket Foster for his new home, called The Hill, in the Surrey countryside, where they were installed as overmantels.
The Cinderella set now owned by the Two Red Roses Foundation includes a pair of tiles depicting the romantic culmination of the story, the wedding scene originally designed for the Sleeping Beauty narrative. According to Morris tile expert Richard Myers, all of the tiles, including the bonus pair, appear to have been painted by the same decorator in the late 1860s or early 1870s.
The staff of Morris had little expertise in ceramics and could not produce tiles from scratch in their facilities. White, tin-glazed earthenware tiles called "blanks" were imported from Holland and then painted by in-house decorators with low-fire overglaze enamels. An intermediate clear glaze was evidently applied to the blank and fired to maximize the bond with the surface decoration. Multiple colors required several firings at decreasing temperatures in a kiln Morris's staff also used for stained glass. Overglaze is a notoriously difficult medium to handle and often results in a fragile surface, prone to abrasion and flaking; consequently few examples of these early fairy tale tiles have survived.
Two other examples of the Cinderella story tiles are at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, and the Huntington Library, San Marino, Calif. A fourth set, which also included the extra wedding scene, was sold in 1999 by Christie's in London.
In 1862, British artist Edward Burne-Jones began to design fairy tale tiles in his illustrational, narrative style for Morris's newly founded company. The Cinderella story tiles were designed first, followed by Beauty and the Beast, and Sleeping Beauty. All three tales were commissioned by British watercolorist Myles Birket Foster for his new home, called The Hill, in the Surrey countryside, where they were installed as overmantels.
The Cinderella set now owned by the Two Red Roses Foundation includes a pair of tiles depicting the romantic culmination of the story, the wedding scene originally designed for the Sleeping Beauty narrative. According to Morris tile expert Richard Myers, all of the tiles, including the bonus pair, appear to have been painted by the same decorator in the late 1860s or early 1870s.
The staff of Morris had little expertise in ceramics and could not produce tiles from scratch in their facilities. White, tin-glazed earthenware tiles called "blanks" were imported from Holland and then painted by in-house decorators with low-fire overglaze enamels. An intermediate clear glaze was evidently applied to the blank and fired to maximize the bond with the surface decoration. Multiple colors required several firings at decreasing temperatures in a kiln Morris's staff also used for stained glass. Overglaze is a notoriously difficult medium to handle and often results in a fragile surface, prone to abrasion and flaking; consequently few examples of these early fairy tale tiles have survived.
Two other examples of the Cinderella story tiles are at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, and the Huntington Library, San Marino, Calif. A fourth set, which also included the extra wedding scene, was sold in 1999 by Christie's in London.
2011年10月17日星期一
Hat-trick of deals for Gent Visick
Nationwide Nursing Home Supplies, a supplier of nursing home and residential furniture, has agreed a five-year lease of a 28,605 sq ft warehouse unit on Grangefield Industrial Estate in Pudsey from owners Astonish Cleaning Products.
The estate is already home to Winder Power, Northgate, Olympus Labels, UPS and Vickers Laboratories.
Gent Visick also advised on an acquisition byceramic tile retailer Al Murad of a 23,143 sq ft unit on Howley Park Road East from logistics provider DSV Road.
Gent Visick acted as joint agents for DSV Road with Douglas Duff. Michael Steele and Co Acted on behalf of Al Murad.
The third deal involved the the 27,060 sq ft Gladman Developments-owned Mars building on Cosmic Park in Sherburn-in-Elmet being sold to engineering and fabrication specialists WEC Group.
WEC Group recently secured a long term contract with bus manufacturers Optare which is also located at Cosmic Park.
Gent Visick and DTZ acted on behalf of Gladman Developments.
“These three deals are another example of the recent activity seen in the sub 30,000 sq ft size category," said Nick Prescott from Gent Visick.
"This year we have seen a sharp erosion of available warehouse stock across all size categories, so much so that a number of occupiers are finding it increasing difficult to secure new premises on the open market which match their operational requirements."
The estate is already home to Winder Power, Northgate, Olympus Labels, UPS and Vickers Laboratories.
Gent Visick also advised on an acquisition by
Gent Visick acted as joint agents for DSV Road with Douglas Duff. Michael Steele and Co Acted on behalf of Al Murad.
The third deal involved the the 27,060 sq ft Gladman Developments-owned Mars building on Cosmic Park in Sherburn-in-Elmet being sold to engineering and fabrication specialists WEC Group.
WEC Group recently secured a long term contract with bus manufacturers Optare which is also located at Cosmic Park.
Gent Visick and DTZ acted on behalf of Gladman Developments.
“These three deals are another example of the recent activity seen in the sub 30,000 sq ft size category," said Nick Prescott from Gent Visick.
"This year we have seen a sharp erosion of available warehouse stock across all size categories, so much so that a number of occupiers are finding it increasing difficult to secure new premises on the open market which match their operational requirements."
2011年10月16日星期日
Natrona activist artist makes his mark, worldwide
Richly colored fabric mosaics of fish, birds and other familiar figures ride the wind at the Smoky Hill Arts Festival in Salina, Kansas, and other parts of the world.
These banners by Natrona artist Bill Godfrey celebrate all things — from community to nature to religion to art.
It might seem unlikely that Natrona, the industrial town that once thrived on salt mines, coal mines and steel mills would produce original and sustainable artwork.
Godfrey's process of creating the huge custom banners works like a well-honed process in a factory, but more whimsical and soulful. Godfrey creates his fabric pieces of art for corporate giants like Alcoa, including a fabric educational maze that has been exhibited on every continent.
Godfrey is not just the funky resident artist in Natrona, but the resident activist who is using art to change the face of the beleaguered town.
President of the civic group, Natrona Comes Together, Godfrey recently shepherded the creation of columns of mosaics in the town's park to start to remake Natrona into an "art town," a destination that people will visit one day.
He inhabits a renovated building that once sprouted ivy growing through holes inside the roof and ceiling a few decades ago.
What seems an anomaly is rapidly become part of Natrona's fabric: A silver fish is broken in half and embedded in a cement sidewalk at Godfrey's studio, which is flanked by a perennial garden overflowing with colorful artifacts like a cherry trellis and bright blue chairs, all nestled among carefully chosen perennial grasses.
The artist's studio is awash in color, contrast and shapes.
"Bill's sense of color is unbelievable," says Norman Brown, retired art teacher from CAPA high school and Godfrey's college roommate at Edinboro University. "He has an incredible eye."
There are unsigned Salvador Dali sketches hanging not too far away from a circa 1960s Oleg Cassini red couch that Godfrey snapped up for $5 a few decades ago, "when no one wanted this stuff."
Interestingly, when he bought the couch, he did not know that it was a Cassini, just as he did not know that other furniture he bought was affiliated with great artists and designers.
"I was attracted to the shape," he says. "I love the Art Deco period. It was a time of optimism when design could change the course of humanity."
Just as Godfrey can seem out of reach as an aesthete artist, who traveled the world, taking in the pyramids and the Great Wall of China, he always comes back down to earth, quickly.
"Bill is the most unpretentious artist," Brown says. "He is just a kind person. Probably one of the most honest people."
As Godfrey surveys his lot of treasures bought for a few single dollars years ago, he says, "I could never afford this stuff now." But the art collection is stuff now, taking up space.
"You need more objects when you are younger to find out who you are," he says. "When you are older, you become who you are, and you don't need the objects."
Besides, re-using those objects is much more fun. Godfrey renovated his studio using materials from torn down buildings and resale shops.
His ceramic-tile wall with a simple geometric pattern came from a Fox Chapel home. He scooped up blue glass near PPG's Creighton plant and installed it around a skylight, with the glass projecting different colors and shapes throughout the day.
What people don't want or have forgotten became Godfrey's province, including a bank of lockers in his laundry room, hidden behind a curved wall of corrugated tin.
Growing up in Tarentum, Godfrey moved to Pittsburgh after college to find his niche in the art community, taught at Carnegie Museum of Art for 13 years and traveled around the world.
He made his way back to the Alle-Kiski Valley to settle into a studio in Natrona to concentrate on his large-scale fabric installations. But he grew tired of the increasing blight around him and the drug dealers just a few doors down.
"We were surrounded by urban decay. It was getting scary," he says. "I thought enough is enough."
Godfrey and several neighbors formed the local community group Natrona Comes Together six years ago. The group has been responsible for transforming many aspects of the community, including the public park, plans for a walking trail, concerts and programs for local youth -- all aimed at change.
"All the residents down there have made a lot of progress in terms of cleaning the areas up around town, and crime is down," says George Conroy, chairman of the Harrison commissioners. "There's a definite improvement."
The group is working with Pittsburgh History and Landmarks to develop a museum in one of the abandoned row houses on Federal Street and is working with the Pittsburgh nonprofit Friends of the River Front for a canoe and kayak launch.
Big-picture-wise, Godfrey is planning an industrial memorial sculpture park. But most immediate is breaking ground for
These banners by Natrona artist Bill Godfrey celebrate all things — from community to nature to religion to art.
It might seem unlikely that Natrona, the industrial town that once thrived on salt mines, coal mines and steel mills would produce original and sustainable artwork.
Godfrey's process of creating the huge custom banners works like a well-honed process in a factory, but more whimsical and soulful. Godfrey creates his fabric pieces of art for corporate giants like Alcoa, including a fabric educational maze that has been exhibited on every continent.
Godfrey is not just the funky resident artist in Natrona, but the resident activist who is using art to change the face of the beleaguered town.
President of the civic group, Natrona Comes Together, Godfrey recently shepherded the creation of columns of mosaics in the town's park to start to remake Natrona into an "art town," a destination that people will visit one day.
He inhabits a renovated building that once sprouted ivy growing through holes inside the roof and ceiling a few decades ago.
What seems an anomaly is rapidly become part of Natrona's fabric: A silver fish is broken in half and embedded in a cement sidewalk at Godfrey's studio, which is flanked by a perennial garden overflowing with colorful artifacts like a cherry trellis and bright blue chairs, all nestled among carefully chosen perennial grasses.
The artist's studio is awash in color, contrast and shapes.
"Bill's sense of color is unbelievable," says Norman Brown, retired art teacher from CAPA high school and Godfrey's college roommate at Edinboro University. "He has an incredible eye."
There are unsigned Salvador Dali sketches hanging not too far away from a circa 1960s Oleg Cassini red couch that Godfrey snapped up for $5 a few decades ago, "when no one wanted this stuff."
Interestingly, when he bought the couch, he did not know that it was a Cassini, just as he did not know that other furniture he bought was affiliated with great artists and designers.
"I was attracted to the shape," he says. "I love the Art Deco period. It was a time of optimism when design could change the course of humanity."
Just as Godfrey can seem out of reach as an aesthete artist, who traveled the world, taking in the pyramids and the Great Wall of China, he always comes back down to earth, quickly.
"Bill is the most unpretentious artist," Brown says. "He is just a kind person. Probably one of the most honest people."
As Godfrey surveys his lot of treasures bought for a few single dollars years ago, he says, "I could never afford this stuff now." But the art collection is stuff now, taking up space.
"You need more objects when you are younger to find out who you are," he says. "When you are older, you become who you are, and you don't need the objects."
Besides, re-using those objects is much more fun. Godfrey renovated his studio using materials from torn down buildings and resale shops.
His ceramic-tile wall with a simple geometric pattern came from a Fox Chapel home. He scooped up blue glass near PPG's Creighton plant and installed it around a skylight, with the glass projecting different colors and shapes throughout the day.
What people don't want or have forgotten became Godfrey's province, including a bank of lockers in his laundry room, hidden behind a curved wall of corrugated tin.
Growing up in Tarentum, Godfrey moved to Pittsburgh after college to find his niche in the art community, taught at Carnegie Museum of Art for 13 years and traveled around the world.
He made his way back to the Alle-Kiski Valley to settle into a studio in Natrona to concentrate on his large-scale fabric installations. But he grew tired of the increasing blight around him and the drug dealers just a few doors down.
"We were surrounded by urban decay. It was getting scary," he says. "I thought enough is enough."
Godfrey and several neighbors formed the local community group Natrona Comes Together six years ago. The group has been responsible for transforming many aspects of the community, including the public park, plans for a walking trail, concerts and programs for local youth -- all aimed at change.
"All the residents down there have made a lot of progress in terms of cleaning the areas up around town, and crime is down," says George Conroy, chairman of the Harrison commissioners. "There's a definite improvement."
The group is working with Pittsburgh History and Landmarks to develop a museum in one of the abandoned row houses on Federal Street and is working with the Pittsburgh nonprofit Friends of the River Front for a canoe and kayak launch.
Big-picture-wise, Godfrey is planning an industrial memorial sculpture park. But most immediate is breaking ground for
2011年10月13日星期四
Saudi Ceramic profit leaps 17% for third quarter
Saudi Ceramic Company said net profit rose 17% against the same period last year, though fell by the same margin against the second quarter.
The country’s biggest supplier of tiles, porcelain and bathroom fixtures made SAR 54.2m ($14.45m) after tax between July and September, up 17.3% against the SAR 46.2m ($12.31m) posted last year. Gross and operating profits rose 19% and 15% respectively as production efficiency improved at its Riyadh facilities. The company has also opened new production lines in this time and expanded its international network of sales.
“These positive results and increases of the third quarter of 2011 compared with the same period of the last year reflect the company’s ability in sales and production as well since the new factories started the production.”
Net profit for the first three quarters of 2011 rose 10% against last year – SAR 179.5m ($147.856m) from SAR 162.5m ($43.32m) – with gross and operating profits rising 16% and 14% respectively.
Saudi Ceramic Company has benefitted from the higher levels of construction activity in Saudi Arabia, including the hotel projects in the country’s major cities and the thousands of homes under construction across the country.
This year the company has expanded its operations. In January the company test-ran a new pipe-making facility that it is running in conjunction with a subsidiary, Ceramic Pipe Company. In September, it completed the construction of its fourth tile factory, boosting the total capcity to 52m2 and adding an estimated SAR 150m ($40m) to revenue.
Earlier this month, the company said it is planning a second factory that will produce bathroom fixtures, investing SAR 120m ($32m) in the first phase out of the company’s own cash flow from the Saudi Industrial Development Fund and commercial banks. The new factory is estimated to contribute SAR 75m to revenues when at full capacity.
The country’s biggest supplier of tiles, porcelain and bathroom fixtures made SAR 54.2m ($14.45m) after tax between July and September, up 17.3% against the SAR 46.2m ($12.31m) posted last year. Gross and operating profits rose 19% and 15% respectively as production efficiency improved at its Riyadh facilities. The company has also opened new production lines in this time and expanded its international network of sales.
“These positive results and increases of the third quarter of 2011 compared with the same period of the last year reflect the company’s ability in sales and production as well since the new factories started the production.”
Net profit for the first three quarters of 2011 rose 10% against last year – SAR 179.5m ($147.856m) from SAR 162.5m ($43.32m) – with gross and operating profits rising 16% and 14% respectively.
Saudi Ceramic Company has benefitted from the higher levels of construction activity in Saudi Arabia, including the hotel projects in the country’s major cities and the thousands of homes under construction across the country.
This year the company has expanded its operations. In January the company test-ran a new pipe-making facility that it is running in conjunction with a subsidiary, Ceramic Pipe Company. In September, it completed the construction of its fourth tile factory, boosting the total capcity to 52m2 and adding an estimated SAR 150m ($40m) to revenue.
Earlier this month, the company said it is planning a second factory that will produce bathroom fixtures, investing SAR 120m ($32m) in the first phase out of the company’s own cash flow from the Saudi Industrial Development Fund and commercial banks. The new factory is estimated to contribute SAR 75m to revenues when at full capacity.
2011年10月12日星期三
The biggest problem with tile floors? The grout
Tile floors have been the standard for luxury installations for more than 2,000 years. But in the last decade, in particular, new materials and building techniques are challenging this method, because of both appearance and long-term performance.
First, let's talk about the biggest problem with tile floors. They have three main weaknesses: grout, grout and grout. Grout is integral to tiling floors, and while there is nothing wrong with the product itself, it has some inherent weaknesses in how we use it in our modern homes.
Modern-house floor construction (with smaller-dimension lumber and greater spacing between supports) is more flexible than you'll find in older homes. If you compare a new 2 x 6 versus a 2 x 6 from 50 years ago, you will see a big difference. In places where framing was once spaced 16 inches on centre, now it's common to see them spaced 24 inches on centre. All of this adds up to a framed house that has more "give" in it. Structurally speaking, the frame is still strong enough to do the job, but this added flexibility doesn't take into consideration the effect it has on a tile floor. That flex will cause grout to crack.
However, ceramic, porcelain, slate, and other types of floor tile require absolute rigidity in their support. One of the biggest complaints from new homebuyers is cracking floor grout. The builders are diligent in coming back and repairing the grout during the warrantee period, but the reason for the cracking grout has not been addressed. Without addressing the frame flex, the cracked grout will more than likely return over time.
Depending on the situation, the fix can be as simple as adding more blocking to the floor joists directly under the tile floor. This works where there are small areas, such as a powder room or front entrance. For areas where there is more tile coverage over a greater span, the joists may need to be laminated, or doubled up, in order to reduce the floor flex.
I think many people are drawn to a tile and grout floor because of its lasting durability, over alternative flooring systems. But durability depends on investing in high-quality materials. One option is the use of a decoupling membrane, such as the orange waffle sheets I recommend, which will allow for the flex. But these products aren't cheap, and many people don't want to spend the money for something they can't see. The smart money isn't spent properly.
There's another tile floor product that causes a lot of grief: the material that bonds the tile to the floor. The product I use is called Thinset. It comes in powder form and there is a big cost difference between cheap, low-quality product that doesn't adhere well over time, and expensive product that has excellent adhesion, and durability. Ultimately, the difference is in the longevity: The cheap stuff only performs for a few years and the expensive stuff can last a lifetime.
Since builders and contractors don't have any vested interest in seeing your tile floor last a lifetime, only a few invest on your behalf in buying the high-quality Thinset.
And when it comes to the DIY crowd, I'm never surprised when I'm at a big-box store and the shelf with the cheap product is always almost empty, while sitting on the shelf right beside it is the expensive product. I don't have to tell you that it's stocked full. Even when homeowners have the choice, they still opt for the cheap stuff without understanding the consequence of their decision.
If you've ever dropped anything hard, such as a cooking pot, on a tiled kitchen floor, you'll know the tile or gout it hits can crack or chip. That's one reason vinyl floors are so popular for kitchens: They're more forgiving. But vinyl flooring doesn't look like tile.
But now you can buy a peel-and-stick vinyl tile product that you can put grout in between in order to make it look like real tile, without the expense. Not a good idea. I would like to remind everyone that "crap plus crap equals crap".
Grout depends on rigidity and good adhesion, and grout also needs to be a certain thickness to gain its maximum strength. If you look at the sides of a ceramic or porcelain tile, you will notice it has a certain thickness to it and the sides are left unfinished. This is so the grout can better stick to the edges of the tile and enough of the product gets down in between the tile to give it some strength.
A groutable vinyl tile is just half the thickness, and because the vinyl tile has rounded edges, there's even less space for the material to work itself in between. This is not a good situation.
First, let's talk about the biggest problem with tile floors. They have three main weaknesses: grout, grout and grout. Grout is integral to tiling floors, and while there is nothing wrong with the product itself, it has some inherent weaknesses in how we use it in our modern homes.
Modern-house floor construction (with smaller-dimension lumber and greater spacing between supports) is more flexible than you'll find in older homes. If you compare a new 2 x 6 versus a 2 x 6 from 50 years ago, you will see a big difference. In places where framing was once spaced 16 inches on centre, now it's common to see them spaced 24 inches on centre. All of this adds up to a framed house that has more "give" in it. Structurally speaking, the frame is still strong enough to do the job, but this added flexibility doesn't take into consideration the effect it has on a tile floor. That flex will cause grout to crack.
However, ceramic, porcelain, slate, and other types of floor tile require absolute rigidity in their support. One of the biggest complaints from new homebuyers is cracking floor grout. The builders are diligent in coming back and repairing the grout during the warrantee period, but the reason for the cracking grout has not been addressed. Without addressing the frame flex, the cracked grout will more than likely return over time.
Depending on the situation, the fix can be as simple as adding more blocking to the floor joists directly under the tile floor. This works where there are small areas, such as a powder room or front entrance. For areas where there is more tile coverage over a greater span, the joists may need to be laminated, or doubled up, in order to reduce the floor flex.
I think many people are drawn to a tile and grout floor because of its lasting durability, over alternative flooring systems. But durability depends on investing in high-quality materials. One option is the use of a decoupling membrane, such as the orange waffle sheets I recommend, which will allow for the flex. But these products aren't cheap, and many people don't want to spend the money for something they can't see. The smart money isn't spent properly.
There's another tile floor product that causes a lot of grief: the material that bonds the tile to the floor. The product I use is called Thinset. It comes in powder form and there is a big cost difference between cheap, low-quality product that doesn't adhere well over time, and expensive product that has excellent adhesion, and durability. Ultimately, the difference is in the longevity: The cheap stuff only performs for a few years and the expensive stuff can last a lifetime.
Since builders and contractors don't have any vested interest in seeing your tile floor last a lifetime, only a few invest on your behalf in buying the high-quality Thinset.
And when it comes to the DIY crowd, I'm never surprised when I'm at a big-box store and the shelf with the cheap product is always almost empty, while sitting on the shelf right beside it is the expensive product. I don't have to tell you that it's stocked full. Even when homeowners have the choice, they still opt for the cheap stuff without understanding the consequence of their decision.
If you've ever dropped anything hard, such as a cooking pot, on a tiled kitchen floor, you'll know the tile or gout it hits can crack or chip. That's one reason vinyl floors are so popular for kitchens: They're more forgiving. But vinyl flooring doesn't look like tile.
But now you can buy a peel-and-stick vinyl tile product that you can put grout in between in order to make it look like real tile, without the expense. Not a good idea. I would like to remind everyone that "crap plus crap equals crap".
Grout depends on rigidity and good adhesion, and grout also needs to be a certain thickness to gain its maximum strength. If you look at the sides of a ceramic or porcelain tile, you will notice it has a certain thickness to it and the sides are left unfinished. This is so the grout can better stick to the edges of the tile and enough of the product gets down in between the tile to give it some strength.
A groutable vinyl tile is just half the thickness, and because the vinyl tile has rounded edges, there's even less space for the material to work itself in between. This is not a good situation.
2011年10月11日星期二
Home appeared on Property Brothers and Decked Out
One night last December, Raun Kaul was on Facebook and saw an ad for a new W Network renovation show called Property Brothers. He clicked on the ad and read what the show’s producers were looking for. “We fit their description to a T,” Mr. Kaul says. “I sent them an email and they responded right away. We were accepted.”
Mr. Kaul and his wife, Jasprit, got possession of their house on Jan. 7, and filming of the renovation began the next week. It was a three-week process with a reveal date of Jan. 31 and an air date of March 31. Things moved quickly.
The Property Brothers, Drew and Jonathan Scott, renovated four rooms. “We worked closely with the designer and were pleased with the result. We hired the same contractor and designer from the show to complete the house,” he says.
The best features of the house are the red oak open staircase, custom-made German tilt-and-turn windows and a modern fireplace, says Mr. Kaul of Re/Max 2000 Realty, who has co-listed the property with Mark Ianni. The windows are “not only incredible for sound but they keep the house cool in summer and warm in winter. They’re functional as well for cleaning,” Mr. Kaul says.
The chef’s kitchen has a white island and a walkout to a deck. Custom built-ins and custom blinds in the living room, Italian ceramic tile floors in the dining room and built-in closets in the master bedroom are highlights. The bathrooms have floating Philippe Starck toilets and pocket doors.
When filming of the Property Brothers wrapped, that was not the end of their renovation story. “The director of our episode of Property Brothers became a friend. Over the summer he was recruited to another production company and became director of the new HGTV show Decked Out. He thought our deck would be perfect for the show.”
Mr. Raul says he and his wife wanted a “very cool, chic Miami-vibe deck that was an extension of their indoor living space. We loved the white, the stainless steel and the color of our indoor hardwood and [host] Paul Lafrance was able to design an incredible deck that included those features outdoors and much more,” he says.
The 360-square-foot deck has a custom 12-person cabana that has built-in seating and a remote-control awning. The cabana is wired for surround sound and satellite television. A 13×8-foot custom pergola has a remote control awning.
“At night, the deck comes alive with over 95 LED lights, Mr. Kaul says. Stainless steel panelled walls along with custom stone veneer panelled walls are other deck highlights.
Mr. Kaul and his wife, Jasprit, got possession of their house on Jan. 7, and filming of the renovation began the next week. It was a three-week process with a reveal date of Jan. 31 and an air date of March 31. Things moved quickly.
The Property Brothers, Drew and Jonathan Scott, renovated four rooms. “We worked closely with the designer and were pleased with the result. We hired the same contractor and designer from the show to complete the house,” he says.
The best features of the house are the red oak open staircase, custom-made German tilt-and-turn windows and a modern fireplace, says Mr. Kaul of Re/Max 2000 Realty, who has co-listed the property with Mark Ianni. The windows are “not only incredible for sound but they keep the house cool in summer and warm in winter. They’re functional as well for cleaning,” Mr. Kaul says.
The chef’s kitchen has a white island and a walkout to a deck. Custom built-ins and custom blinds in the living room, Italian ceramic tile floors in the dining room and built-in closets in the master bedroom are highlights. The bathrooms have floating Philippe Starck toilets and pocket doors.
When filming of the Property Brothers wrapped, that was not the end of their renovation story. “The director of our episode of Property Brothers became a friend. Over the summer he was recruited to another production company and became director of the new HGTV show Decked Out. He thought our deck would be perfect for the show.”
Mr. Raul says he and his wife wanted a “very cool, chic Miami-vibe deck that was an extension of their indoor living space. We loved the white, the stainless steel and the color of our indoor hardwood and [host] Paul Lafrance was able to design an incredible deck that included those features outdoors and much more,” he says.
The 360-square-foot deck has a custom 12-person cabana that has built-in seating and a remote-control awning. The cabana is wired for surround sound and satellite television. A 13×8-foot custom pergola has a remote control awning.
“At night, the deck comes alive with over 95 LED lights, Mr. Kaul says. Stainless steel panelled walls along with custom stone veneer panelled walls are other deck highlights.
2011年10月10日星期一
Stoke-on-Trent children to create 2012 'wonderwall'
Children in Stoke-on-Trent are being challenged to design their own ceramic tile - to become a permanent reminder of the London 2012 Olympics.
An Olympic themed "wonderwall" will be put together as a piece of art using the winning tiles.
Designs can be created using computer graphics, digital photography, line drawing and painting.
And the council wants every child in Stoke-on-Trent to think about what the Olympic Games means for them.
Images will be on show in a temporary exhibition to coincide with the 2012 Games before the creation of the permanent work.
The winning designs will be hand painted onto tiles by artists from Anita Harris Art Pottery.
The competition is open to all children, schools, colleges and youth organisations.
Tile designs must be on a piece of paper or card sized 30cm by 20cm and entries need to be returned by 9 December this year.
Cabinet member for children's services Debra Gratton said: "This is a wonderful opportunity for our young people to create something unique and everlasting for an event in this country which may never come again in our lifetime.
"I'm looking forward to seeing the winning entries and potentially unearthing some more untapped artistic talent."
The locations for the temporary exhibition in Stoke-on-Trent and Cheshire and the permanent piece of public art for the city have not been decided.
An Olympic themed "wonderwall" will be put together as a piece of art using the winning tiles.
Designs can be created using computer graphics, digital photography, line drawing and painting.
And the council wants every child in Stoke-on-Trent to think about what the Olympic Games means for them.
Images will be on show in a temporary exhibition to coincide with the 2012 Games before the creation of the permanent work.
The winning designs will be hand painted onto tiles by artists from Anita Harris Art Pottery.
The competition is open to all children, schools, colleges and youth organisations.
Tile designs must be on a piece of paper or card sized 30cm by 20cm and entries need to be returned by 9 December this year.
Cabinet member for children's services Debra Gratton said: "This is a wonderful opportunity for our young people to create something unique and everlasting for an event in this country which may never come again in our lifetime.
"I'm looking forward to seeing the winning entries and potentially unearthing some more untapped artistic talent."
The locations for the temporary exhibition in Stoke-on-Trent and Cheshire and the permanent piece of public art for the city have not been decided.
2011年10月9日星期日
Home repair: Best flooring for a sunroom
The 16½-by-14-foot sunroom at the west end of my house is floored with stick-on tiles over plywood, probably lauan, placed over thick planks that were the original flooring. The stick-on tiles are peeling up and breaking. I’ve wondered if the new flooring was put down because the previous owner thought the gaps between the boards were too big. Sun pours in through the windows much of the day on two sides (a maple shades the third windowed side), so I think heat is the problem.
The sunroom isn’t heated in winter. Last year, we put fiberglass insulation under the floor and nailed black building board under that. The porch siding is now Hardie fiber-cement board from the ground up to the windows. There is insulation between the studs, and the inside walls are covered with bead-board-effect wood sheets. All gaps were sealed (no cluster flies or other bugs this year). The ceiling is aluminum strips that look like boards, with no insulation above. The windows slide open to expose screens, and there’s a ceiling fan.
I’d like to remove the ceiling and just paint the support structure and underside of the roof to decrease the summer heat in the room and for the spacious effect. I don’t use the room much in the winter, and I doubt this would affect the rest of the house enough to raise heating bills noticeably.
The problem is, what about flooring? My contractor wants to take up thetile and paint the plywood, which he thinks is nailed down, but I doubt it will wear well, and I don’t think it would look particularly nice.
I’d prefer to take up the plywood, grout between the boards if necessary, and use porch paint on them. Laminate flooring that mimics wood might not survive the heat and sun of summer. I don’t want carpet, because after seeing the dirty throw rugs, I’d think of it as a grime deposit. A flooring rep told me I’d have to use expensiveceramic or porcelain tile because the room’s unheated in winter and sun-beaten in the summer.
Aside from the expense, the depth oftile , or another layer of real wood planks, would interfere with opening the door to the outside. But is sheet vinyl an option? What about linoleum tile , or bamboo flooring? Or are there other options that won’t break the bank? This room is also the main entry to the house, so it does get foot traffic, including a large dog.
I like seeing the view from the sunroom through the window wall of the room to which it’s attached, so putting blinds on the large expanse of windows in the sunroom isn’t an option, plus opening and closing them daily would be a chore.
A: I am not clear about something. Is the roof of the sunroom all glass? If it is, why the aluminum strips? And if it is glass, I am not sure that just painting it is going to reduce the heat in the summer. An effective shield is one of the 3M films. A shade shop may also suggest a gray shade that would lessen the heat gain but that you could see through.
I agree with you that the lauan plywood would not be a great surface for heavy traffic. Once the lauan plywood is removed, you may be surprised to find that the original boards are OK, but if there are spaces between them, the way to tackle those will vary with the size of the cracks.
If you remove the lauan plywood, which is probably ¼- inch thick, will that give you enough room for an engineered or bamboo floor? I would think that either of those would stand up to the stresses of high heat and sun exposure.Ceramic or quarry tiles would be a great option, and they are ¼-inch thick, whereas wood flooring is 5/8 inch or more.
The sunroom isn’t heated in winter. Last year, we put fiberglass insulation under the floor and nailed black building board under that. The porch siding is now Hardie fiber-cement board from the ground up to the windows. There is insulation between the studs, and the inside walls are covered with bead-board-effect wood sheets. All gaps were sealed (no cluster flies or other bugs this year). The ceiling is aluminum strips that look like boards, with no insulation above. The windows slide open to expose screens, and there’s a ceiling fan.
I’d like to remove the ceiling and just paint the support structure and underside of the roof to decrease the summer heat in the room and for the spacious effect. I don’t use the room much in the winter, and I doubt this would affect the rest of the house enough to raise heating bills noticeably.
The problem is, what about flooring? My contractor wants to take up the
I’d prefer to take up the plywood, grout between the boards if necessary, and use porch paint on them. Laminate flooring that mimics wood might not survive the heat and sun of summer. I don’t want carpet, because after seeing the dirty throw rugs, I’d think of it as a grime deposit. A flooring rep told me I’d have to use expensive
Aside from the expense, the depth of
I like seeing the view from the sunroom through the window wall of the room to which it’s attached, so putting blinds on the large expanse of windows in the sunroom isn’t an option, plus opening and closing them daily would be a chore.
A: I am not clear about something. Is the roof of the sunroom all glass? If it is, why the aluminum strips? And if it is glass, I am not sure that just painting it is going to reduce the heat in the summer. An effective shield is one of the 3M films. A shade shop may also suggest a gray shade that would lessen the heat gain but that you could see through.
I agree with you that the lauan plywood would not be a great surface for heavy traffic. Once the lauan plywood is removed, you may be surprised to find that the original boards are OK, but if there are spaces between them, the way to tackle those will vary with the size of the cracks.
If you remove the lauan plywood, which is probably ¼- inch thick, will that give you enough room for an engineered or bamboo floor? I would think that either of those would stand up to the stresses of high heat and sun exposure.
2011年10月8日星期六
Warming to idea of in-floor heating
The London Home Builders' Association hosted the annual Parade of Renovations last weekend in London.
The event was an opportunity for the public to view some of the amazing work done during the last year by RenoMark Certified renovators who showcased the innovative products and technologies available for homes.
Of particular interest to me were the number of homes that utilized in-floor heating systems to complement or replace the conventional forced-air heating system.
Once considered exclusive, expensive and overly complicated, this technology has become commonplace in the residential housing market for good reason. It's relatively easy to install for professionals, it's extremely economical to operate, and it can be used in the smallest of areas, or throughout the entire house, making it one of the most flexible and versatile home heating choices available.
In-floor heating also has many attractive features not available with any other type of forced-air system. It does not require ductwork, and therefore will not require bulkheads in a finished basement ceiling. Because there is no air being forced through a duct and register, there is no noise from moving air, and it's less dusty, making it perfect for allergy sufferers.
There are two main types of in-floor heating: electric, typically used in a small area such as a bathroom and to complement a forced-air heating system; and liquid systems that pump warmed liquid through a closed loop.
Most hydronic in-floor heat systems work on the thermal mass principle, where a dense material such as concrete or gypsum is heated by pipes passing through or under it. Hydronic systems also work well with geothermal and solar, making in-floor heating an environmentally conscious choice. The dense material can be finished on its own but is usually covered with other dense materials such as ceramic tile.
Although in-floor heating is often referred to as radiant heat, it actually uses radiation, convection and conduction in harmony to warm the floor, the air and your body.
In a nutshell, heat radiates from the floor to the air, or from an area of higher heat to lower heat. That's the radiant part.
The warmed air rises, warming the whole room from the bottom up. That's the convection part.
Last, the floor surface is as warm or warmer than our body temperature, and therefore prevents us from losing body heat through conduction, or "touching" a cold surface. This is what makes the floors so comfortable to walk on.
In-floor heating also provides a consistent and controlled temperature, unlike a conventional forced-air system where air temperature is measured by a thermostat at a single location. The thermostat doesn't consider that bedrooms or living areas can feel warmer or cooler depending on our activity level.
Furthermore, thermostats are designed to detect when the temperature has cooled off enough for the furnace to come on, but this can sometimes be up to three degrees cooler than the preferred temperature. This cycle of heating up and cooling off combined with cool and overly warm areas may result in occupant discomfort.
In-floor heat is set to a consistent monitored temperature that never varies. Even in the event of a power blackout, the thermal mass of the floor would hold the heat for a long time before it would cool off.
In-floor heat is ideal for garages, workshops and even patios, making it perfect for hobbyists and outdoor enthusiasts alike. It's also ideal for foyers, mudrooms and bathrooms because wet floors dry on their own almost instantly.
The event was an opportunity for the public to view some of the amazing work done during the last year by RenoMark Certified renovators who showcased the innovative products and technologies available for homes.
Of particular interest to me were the number of homes that utilized in-floor heating systems to complement or replace the conventional forced-air heating system.
Once considered exclusive, expensive and overly complicated, this technology has become commonplace in the residential housing market for good reason. It's relatively easy to install for professionals, it's extremely economical to operate, and it can be used in the smallest of areas, or throughout the entire house, making it one of the most flexible and versatile home heating choices available.
In-floor heating also has many attractive features not available with any other type of forced-air system. It does not require ductwork, and therefore will not require bulkheads in a finished basement ceiling. Because there is no air being forced through a duct and register, there is no noise from moving air, and it's less dusty, making it perfect for allergy sufferers.
There are two main types of in-floor heating: electric, typically used in a small area such as a bathroom and to complement a forced-air heating system; and liquid systems that pump warmed liquid through a closed loop.
Most hydronic in-floor heat systems work on the thermal mass principle, where a dense material such as concrete or gypsum is heated by pipes passing through or under it. Hydronic systems also work well with geothermal and solar, making in-floor heating an environmentally conscious choice. The dense material can be finished on its own but is usually covered with other dense materials such as ceramic tile.
Although in-floor heating is often referred to as radiant heat, it actually uses radiation, convection and conduction in harmony to warm the floor, the air and your body.
In a nutshell, heat radiates from the floor to the air, or from an area of higher heat to lower heat. That's the radiant part.
The warmed air rises, warming the whole room from the bottom up. That's the convection part.
Last, the floor surface is as warm or warmer than our body temperature, and therefore prevents us from losing body heat through conduction, or "touching" a cold surface. This is what makes the floors so comfortable to walk on.
In-floor heating also provides a consistent and controlled temperature, unlike a conventional forced-air system where air temperature is measured by a thermostat at a single location. The thermostat doesn't consider that bedrooms or living areas can feel warmer or cooler depending on our activity level.
Furthermore, thermostats are designed to detect when the temperature has cooled off enough for the furnace to come on, but this can sometimes be up to three degrees cooler than the preferred temperature. This cycle of heating up and cooling off combined with cool and overly warm areas may result in occupant discomfort.
In-floor heat is set to a consistent monitored temperature that never varies. Even in the event of a power blackout, the thermal mass of the floor would hold the heat for a long time before it would cool off.
In-floor heat is ideal for garages, workshops and even patios, making it perfect for hobbyists and outdoor enthusiasts alike. It's also ideal for foyers, mudrooms and bathrooms because wet floors dry on their own almost instantly.
2011年10月7日星期五
The Great American Beer Festival
The Oxford Companion to Beer in hand, I took off for three days at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver last week. This beer-lovers Mecca boasts the largest collection of American beer ever served, its popularity growing with each passing year. In 1982, the festival’s first year, there were 800 attendees in a 5,000 square foot festival hall. This year’s festival sold out 50,000 tickets in the first week tickets went on sale. A small pavilion at the back of the convention center recreated the layout of the original 1982 festival for this year’s GABF 30th anniversary, and looking at that modest room against the backdrop of the Denver Convention Center was like looking at a tiny ceramic tile within an extensive mosaic. In 1982 Charlie Papazian, a legend in the beer world, chose a rather audacious name for the festival he founded. But that name has proved visionary in 2011.
So who are these hordes who flock to Denver for GABF each year? Mostly hardcore beer fans, of course, and there are many of them. One gauge might be to look at the number of homebrewers in the country. The American Homebrewers Association estimated that there were around 750,000 active American homebrewers in 2010. I asked a few individuals if they had anything fermenting back home, and heard everything from honey porters to seasonal spiced and pumpkin ales. The strangest answer was from a man brewing a lager using 7Up as a sugar source. He claimed it was a big hit with his friends.
Not everyone at the GABF was a professional or amateur brewer, but everyone was passionate about beer, and that passion manifested itself inventive ways. At the first session I attended on Thursday, I saw a group of men waiting in line dressed in Where’s Waldo outfits. I entered the floor to find a bevy of costumed attendees. There were lederhosen and kilts, of course, and beer maids in traditional Bavarian attire. But there were also more unusual beer garments. “Hop heads” wore rubber hop cones on their heads, or laurels made from hop vines. Three men wore cut-outs of actual kegs around their waists. There were the sillier costumes that had no discernible connection to beer, but contributed to GABF’s celebratory atmosphere. A group of grown men wore white bathrobes. A convincing Charlie Chaplin tapped his cane and tipped his top hat for photographs. Tigger the Tiger bounced about beside a group of twenty-somethings dressed as monks. Halloween came early for me this year.
But for all there was to see at GABF, it was the beer that took center stage. Try a flight of beers at a good beer bar, or drink a few beers from a well-stocked refrigerator, and you get some variety. It is another thing entirely to walk about the GABF floor armed with a single ounce plastic tasting glass, sipping 30 or 40 beers in a session. It was a bit like the first time I visited the Boston Aquarium as a child. I thought I had a pretty good handle on fish, but when I went to the aquarium and saw luminescent squid, Moray Eels, and colorful reef dwellers, the huge range of these creatures that I thought I had known overwhelmed me. The rows of brewery tables were like those fish tanks, demanding that I pay attention, because beer is more plentiful, more exotic, just more than I knew existed.
The most unusual beer I tried? That would be the Humidor IPA, brewed by Cigar City Brewing in Tampa, FL. Aged on Spanish cedar, the same wood used for cigar boxes, this beer smelled and tasted exactly like a Cuban cigar. It was so odd, but delicious, and proved the endless creative potential inherent in beer. Further proof was everywhere I looked. The Grapefruit Jungle beer brewed by the Sun King Brewing Company in Indianapolis is an IPA that uses three hops with grapefruit-like characteristics. It has a subtle aroma that builds slowly and convincingly – you can really smell, and taste, the grapefruit. Kriek, a sour beer flavored with cherries, is a style that I had heard of but never tried, until I stopped by the Sam Adams booth for their American Kriek. It tasted to me like sour cherry soda, and I while I didn’t love it, I was amazed that beer could taste this way.
So who are these hordes who flock to Denver for GABF each year? Mostly hardcore beer fans, of course, and there are many of them. One gauge might be to look at the number of homebrewers in the country. The American Homebrewers Association estimated that there were around 750,000 active American homebrewers in 2010. I asked a few individuals if they had anything fermenting back home, and heard everything from honey porters to seasonal spiced and pumpkin ales. The strangest answer was from a man brewing a lager using 7Up as a sugar source. He claimed it was a big hit with his friends.
Not everyone at the GABF was a professional or amateur brewer, but everyone was passionate about beer, and that passion manifested itself inventive ways. At the first session I attended on Thursday, I saw a group of men waiting in line dressed in Where’s Waldo outfits. I entered the floor to find a bevy of costumed attendees. There were lederhosen and kilts, of course, and beer maids in traditional Bavarian attire. But there were also more unusual beer garments. “Hop heads” wore rubber hop cones on their heads, or laurels made from hop vines. Three men wore cut-outs of actual kegs around their waists. There were the sillier costumes that had no discernible connection to beer, but contributed to GABF’s celebratory atmosphere. A group of grown men wore white bathrobes. A convincing Charlie Chaplin tapped his cane and tipped his top hat for photographs. Tigger the Tiger bounced about beside a group of twenty-somethings dressed as monks. Halloween came early for me this year.
But for all there was to see at GABF, it was the beer that took center stage. Try a flight of beers at a good beer bar, or drink a few beers from a well-stocked refrigerator, and you get some variety. It is another thing entirely to walk about the GABF floor armed with a single ounce plastic tasting glass, sipping 30 or 40 beers in a session. It was a bit like the first time I visited the Boston Aquarium as a child. I thought I had a pretty good handle on fish, but when I went to the aquarium and saw luminescent squid, Moray Eels, and colorful reef dwellers, the huge range of these creatures that I thought I had known overwhelmed me. The rows of brewery tables were like those fish tanks, demanding that I pay attention, because beer is more plentiful, more exotic, just more than I knew existed.
The most unusual beer I tried? That would be the Humidor IPA, brewed by Cigar City Brewing in Tampa, FL. Aged on Spanish cedar, the same wood used for cigar boxes, this beer smelled and tasted exactly like a Cuban cigar. It was so odd, but delicious, and proved the endless creative potential inherent in beer. Further proof was everywhere I looked. The Grapefruit Jungle beer brewed by the Sun King Brewing Company in Indianapolis is an IPA that uses three hops with grapefruit-like characteristics. It has a subtle aroma that builds slowly and convincingly – you can really smell, and taste, the grapefruit. Kriek, a sour beer flavored with cherries, is a style that I had heard of but never tried, until I stopped by the Sam Adams booth for their American Kriek. It tasted to me like sour cherry soda, and I while I didn’t love it, I was amazed that beer could taste this way.
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