This is the place to rant, rave, brag, belly-ache, crack a joke, procrastinate, and delve into the metaphysical aspects of the DIY mindset. We’re off the map, on a tangent, and frequently off topic. This is the stuff we don’t show on TV.
Look out, Pisa, there is a new building on the block! Capital Gate, located in Abu Dhabi, now holds the Guinness Record for the "Worlds Furthest Leaning Manmade Tower." Scheduled for completion in late 2010, this 35 story building with an incline of 18 degrees is the focal point of Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Company's (ADNEC) new mixed use development.
Hydraulic Elevators are prevalent in multi-level structures throughout the world. They facilitate and control the flow of people, make the movement of equipment easier, and allow disabled persons access to upper-level floors. Elevators in use today fall into three general categories: hydraulic, electric traction, and Machine Room-Less (MRL). The hoisting mechanisms to lift the cars of elevators generally employ either hydraulics or wire-rope traction systems. The principle of hydraulics is based on Pascal’s law of the incompressibility of fluids: any change in pressure applied at any point in the fluid is transmitted undiminished throughout. This pressurized fluid is used for the generation, control, and transmission of power.
We typically install flooring in our bathrooms that is best suited for wet areas, like ceramic tile, natural stone, or resilient (linoleum or vinyl) flooring. While these types of materials are durable and hold up better against water than a wood floor might, they are still susceptible to moisture damage. Performing routine, preventative, and material specific maintenance will keep your bathroom floor looking new for years to come.
An air cooled condensing unit is an enclosure for one or multiple condenser fans, compressors, coils, piping, and controls. Its purpose is to provide cooling to a building via a central station air handling unit. Condensing units are the outdoor section of a split system (A split system is simply an HVAC air conditioning system in which the air handler and condensing units are separate pieces of equipment) and cools the refrigerant which is circled through its cooling coil.
Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) is the new paradigm in design and construction. At its core, IPD means bringing all of the parties in a typical construction project—owner, architect, and builder—together as early as possible in a more robust partnership than is traditionally seen in construction. A true IPD partnership involves changing how the project team is configured, how contracts are written, how risk is shared, how decisions are made, and the tools that are used to communicate information. Today some projects are implementing IPD in its pure form, while others are making incremental steps towards it.
Brick Masonry is one of the oldest known man-made building materials, dating back to around 8000 B.C. Modern clay face brick comes in numerous standard sizes, most in nominal 4" widths, with nominal lengths of 8" or 12", and heights ranging from 2" to 5-1/3". Actual dimensions are normally 3/8" less than the nominal size, which allows for the typical mortar joint thickness. The most common size, "modular brick," measures 3-5/8" wide by 2-1/4" high by 7-5/8" long. This modular dimension works so that three bricks match the height and two bricks match the length of a standard nominal 8" by 16" concrete block or concrete masonry unit (CMU).
If you know how to take care of it, your lawn and garden can give you years of enjoyment for surprisingly little effort.
When it comes to watering your yard, you may be able to save yourself some “green” without your lawn turning brown -- by using an automatic irrigation system. If that system is correctly designed, installed and maintained, it can keep your landscape looking lush on the least amount of water.
Ted Kokenos is a veteran construction cost estimator. He initiated a transition from pencil and paper cost estimating to computer-based while working for a construction company employing about 60 people. His experience might inspire some construction firms that have been thinking about making the leap to computer estimating to finally go for it!
Architect Sarah Nettleton’s keynote speech, presented at Inside Out: Transforming the Built Environment, posed the question, "How do you want to be in your building?" Answering this question can help us develop a more focused and deliberate approach to building. The process of considering how we experience our built environment not only informs us as to what to include in a design, but shows us how to eliminate the extraneous features which contemporary buildings -- especially houses -- have taken on. In 2007, Nettleton authored the book The Simple Home: The Luxury of Enough, published by The Taunton Press, which examines 21 different homes located throughout the country and explores the topic of building simply.
If you have an older home with double-hung wood windows, you may want to consider replacing them with energy-efficient wood or vinyl windows, which have insulating glass. Even if storm windows have been added to your home over the years, they are not as energy-efficient or attractive as modern replacement windows.
In challenging economic times such as these, we need to find new ways to create revenue. With increasing focus on water conservation and efficient irrigation practices come new opportunities. Whether it is simply offering product upgrades to current customers through the bid, or marketing to past customers with aging irrigation systems, a wide variety of efficient product solutions exist in the market today. Many of the new products available today do not require much or any effort above and beyond traditional installation practices and offer your customers a reasonable timeframe for return on investment.
