Thoughts and ideas from one of the best area home inspectors in the Bloomington Normal area.
Archive for July 28, 2010
Massive crane lifts TAWC AC units into place on roof
659 days
A crane towered over downtown Warren on Wednesday.
The 150-ton crane was used by William T. Spaeder Mechanical Contracting of Erie to lift three heating, ventilation and air conditioning units (An air conditioner -often referred to as AC, is a home appliance, system or mechanism designed to dehumidify and extract heat from an area. The cooling is done using a simple refrigeration cycle. In construction, a complete system onto the roof of the Transit Authority of Warren County (TAWC) building at 42 Clark St.
The crane lifted the three units, estimated in weight from three to six tons, into positions on the roof.
According to TAWC Construction Manager John Vietmeier, the units are heat recovery and air conditioning units (An air conditioner -often referred to as AC, is a home appliance, system or mechanism designed to dehumidify and extract heat from an area. The cooling is done using a simple refrigeration cycle. In construction, a complete system. The building’s climate control comes from a geothermal system.
“The project consists of improvements to the TAWC intermodal facility and roof replacement,” TAWC Executive Director John Aldrich said.
There will be a total of 44 rooms in the building when finished, Vietmeier said.
The construction site, with 18,500 new square feet on the second floor of the building, two maintenance bays and a bus wash area, and renovations throughout the existing building, is bustling.
In addition to Spaeder, three other subcontractors are working on the job: Perry Construction Group of Warren, Keystone Electric Construction of Erie, and Dasco Plumbing of Clarion.
“We’re averaging about 35 to 40 people a day” working at the site, Vietmeier said.
Work is progressing quickly. “We’re making good progress,” he said. “We’ve been really blessed with the weather.”
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Sinking yard sparks EOC response
659 days
Ryan Pelham, Highlands Today
Charles Andrews of the Highlands County Emergency Operations Center puts caution tape around the opening of a hole that opened up in the backyard of a home on Sturgeon Drive in Sebring. Andrews said he believes the hole was a result of wood and other debris decaying under the lawn and is not a sinkhole. The house is a mile away from the sinkhole on Valerie Boulevard that swallowed two homes in 1989.
By JOE SEELIG
Highlands Today
Published: July 29, 2010
SEBRING – Highlands County officials were called to the home of a Sebring Ridge woman Tuesday who called after her son noticed the back yard had sunken since he last cut their grass.
Homeowner Lynn McCray said her son Malcolm, 15, immediately called her when he discovered the dip about 75 feet long, 10 feet wide and two feet deep.
“My son was mowing the grass yesterday and his foot sank in, about two feet down,” she said. “There was no sand there.”
She pointed to a sunken gully in the back yard.
“This was not like this the last time the grass was cut,” she said.
Highlands County Emergency Operations Director Tim Eures and county Fire Services Supervisor Charles Andrews were at the Sturgeon Drive home Wednesday morning.
Andrews said a 911 call was received at about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday. A crew with the West Sebring Volunteer Fire Department and interim Emergency Management Director Scott Canaday both arrived.
They recommended that County Engineer Ramon Gavarrete take a look at it in the morning, which he did.
They dug down about two feet and hit water, which was a good sign, because when you have a sinkhole the water levels drop in the aquifer, said Andrews.
“I’m not convinced it’s a sinkhole,” he said.
Authorities found some rotting debris in a hole they dug and believe, because the dip in the back yard runs from the back of the pad that her home is built on and along the same line into her neighbor’s yard, that somehow debris may have been there and covered over.
“We feel very confident that’s what it is,” said Andrews.
The neighbor said his home was built in 2003 and he believed McCray’s house was built about the same time.
The McCrays have lived in the home about four years. She said recently her kitchen cabinets (Kitchen cabinets are the built-in furniture installed in many kitchens for storage of food, cooking equipment, and often silverware and dishes for table service. Appliances such as refrigerators, dishwashers, and ovens are often integra separated from the walls and a crack appeared on the floor near her son’s rear bedroom.
McCray remembered Wednesday a Valerie Boulevard sinkhole, dating back to April 29, 1988, when the home of Dr. William Pivnick fell in, as well as part of a second home rented by Nena Todd. McCray was living on Star Avenue in 1988, she said.
“I literally saw this house fall into that sinkhole,” she said. “That sinkhole swallowed the yellow house completely. The green one went in partially.”
The sinkhole is now overgrown and home to wildlife, including water moccasins that crawl out of the standing water into the yard of Albert Avalos of 3116 Valerie Blvd.
“It was back in the 80s before I ever came here,” he said.
According to old newspaper records kept at the Sebring Historical Society, Dr. Pivnick was a clinical psychologist and a crisis management officer at Avon Park Correctional Institution.
Kate Manissero was a school teacher at Hardee County Senior High School, who was staying in Pivnick’s home temporarily because her lease had ended in another home. She planned on moving out of the area in June.
All of her possessions were inside when the house went in.
Nena Todd had rented the second home for eight years and was considering an option to buy when part of it started to break apart in the back. Neighbors gathered together to help her get her things out.
That home had to be demolished and an empty overgrown lot stands on the corner.
McCray said she called 911 because she was worried if she needed to pull her things out of her house she wanted adequate time to do it.
Highlands Today reporter Joe Seelig can be reached at (863) 386-5834 or jseelig@highlandstoday.com .
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Researchers study green air conditioning
659 days
University researchers have received a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to study a type of metal that could boost energy- and space-efficiency in refrigerators and air conditioning units (An air conditioner -often referred to as AC, is a home appliance, system or mechanism designed to dehumidify and extract heat from an area. The cooling is done using a simple refrigeration cycle. In construction, a complete system.
Materials science professors Ichiro Takeuchi and Manfred Wuttig, who conceptualized a new cooling method utilizing the metal, will lead the research into practical real-world applications on this campus, material science and engineering department chair Robert Briber said. Researchers in other parts of the country will also assist.
The university?s research will focus on the cooling of the thermoelastic shape memory alloy, in which deforming metal reduces ambient temperature, according to Briber.
?Refrigeration is a ubiquitous technology fundamental to every aspect of human life,? Takeuchi wrote in an e-mail, and current refrigerants ?are all harmful to the environment and cause global warming.?
By using the thermoelastic shape memory alloy ? which materials science professors at this university first discovered ? manufacturers could replace water-based cooling systems, potentially reducing electricity consumption and taking up less space, Briber said.
?If the project is successful, we will be able to reduce the electricity bill by a large amount. We can also use it to reduce emission of all the environmentally harmful refrigerants,? Takeuchi wrote.
The researchers know that the metal has the potential to cool small areas but they will be building a prototype cooling unit to test whether or not it is more efficient than the current method. They hope to make their initial demonstration of the product in one-and-a-half to two years, Takeuchi said.
This project will allow the scientists to ?bridge from fundamental research into the actual prototype,? Briber said.
Lead researcher Takeuchi?s research interests include temperature scanning microscopes and smart materials, shape memory materials that exert mechanical stimulus when added to electronic circuits. Wuttig is also an expert on smart materials, but was traveling and unavailable for comment at press time.
The university’s project is one of 43 recipients of grant money from the DOE?s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy program, out of more than 500 initial concepts submitted and 164 full grant applications, according to DOE spokesman Jeff Sherwood.
?It?s good to be recognized by DOE,? Takeuchi wrote. ?Our idea is entirely new, and it is good that they recognized the value in our new idea.?
The university?s discovery of the new metallic alloy, ?is a breakthrough in a sense that they?re proposing a system that is better than one that anyone has had before,? said Briber.
This separated it from the dozens of concepts that were not funded after a review by a panel of experts at DOE.
Grants were awarded July 12 based on ?scientific and technical merit and the potential to dramatically advance national energy and economic goals,? according to a press release.
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Thieves steal copper pipes and AC units from 24 homes
659 days
RICHMOND, VA (WWBT) ? Richmond Police are investigating a rash of break-ins in the city’s Northside.??The thieves are going after copper piping, air conditioning units (An air conditioner -often referred to as AC, is a home appliance, system or mechanism designed to dehumidify and extract heat from an area. The cooling is done using a simple refrigeration cycle. In construction, a complete system and radiators.? They’ve hit two dozen homes in July.?
Police have already made several arrests for these burglaries, including one person, who detectives said may be responsible for multiple incidents.? Some of the thieves are still out there and many homes could still be targets.
One resident had this reaction to the news: “It’s frustrating, irritating, aggravating,” she said.
In the Richmond Police Department’s Fourth Precinct, burglars are finding ways into homes and making off with copper piping from the water lines underneath your sink or near your bath tub, entire air conditioning units (An air conditioner -often referred to as AC, is a home appliance, system or mechanism designed to dehumidify and extract heat from an area. The cooling is done using a simple refrigeration cycle. In construction, a complete system and even radiators.? They resell the items or trade them for cash at scrap yards.
This month alone, the Northside has seen 24 incidents of this type of theft.? 15 of them have been in North Highland Park and 12 of those were in vacant homes.
Detective John Walker explained how homeowners can protect their property.
“They need to make sure they have the grass cut, keep their hedges trimmed, make the house look lived in,” he said.
According to Walker, police have arrested six suspects thanks to watchful neighbors.? But one woman, who asked us not to identify her, said while she doesn’t want her home to be a thief’s next target, she’s too afraid to help police.
“You’ll get shot if you snitch out here,” she said.? “They’ll try to beat you up or they’ll try to jump you, anything, while you at the store.? So I’m not gonna stick my nose in that.”
Tips to police can be made anonymously.? Detectives said if you see anything suspicious, whether it be a strange car or truck or a person who does not belong in the neighborhood, call them.? Officers would rather clear a complaint than investigate another theft.
Copyright 2010 WWBT NBC12. All rights reserved
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House Fans – Pros and Cons
660 days
Whole house fans are fans mounted in the ceiling that draw air up and out of the house to lower the temperature and circulate the air. These fans are often used in the place of air conditioning because they can lower the temperature by several degrees for a much lower cost than most air conditioning units.
They’re different from attic fans which are designed to vent the attic of a home. If you use a house fan, you will also need to have an attic fan or some type of adequate venting to allow the hot air pulled out of the house to escape the attic. If you don’t have adequate venting in the attic, the hot air that’s pulled into it will cause condensation and moisture problems that will damage your home.
These fans cost much less to operate than air conditioning and often cost less to purchase and install, but they do have some disadvantages. Whole house fans typically can’t cool as efficiently as air conditioning. In extremely hot weather, the temperature inside the home is still going to be very warm. With air conditioning, you can set a temperature as low as you choose and reach it. That’s not possible with a fan of any kind.
Also, if allergies are an issue then air conditioning is by far the better choice for cooling a home. House fans work pulling hot air up and out, which only works efficiently if windows are open and allow air to be pulled in from outside. When air is pulled through an air conditioning unit, it goes through a filter that can trap some allergens and irritants. Air that a house fan pulls inside comes in directly with no filtering, and will contain pollen, mold, grass and other common problems for allergy sufferers.
A third disadvantage to whole house fans is the noise. Even some models designed to run quietly are loud enough to be intrusive in everyday activities. If the fan is mounted in a high ceiling or a place where noise isn’t a problem, you don’t have allergies and you don’t need the house to be extremely cool in the summer, a house fan could be a budget-conscious choice.
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Home Improvement Projects For the Back to School Season
660 days
It’s “Back to School” Season and now is the perfect opportunity for some quick touch-up projects around the house so everyone has a successful school year. Organizing living space and adding colors that stimulate thought processes are recommended for a productive school year.
For tight budgets with very little extra spending money, here are a few creative ideas for some inexpensive home improvements ideas:
? Give your house a complete clean. Throw out anything that does not get used on a regular basis to free up space and clear clutter. This will allow your mind to focus on your studies ahead.
? Reorganize closet space by adding shelves and drawers. Also give yourself some space to stock up on needed school supplies.
? Sand down and paint bookcases, shelves and dresser drawers to add accent colors to a room.
? Hang a bulletin board to display projects, calendars, pictures, artwork, etc.
? Add curtains, add throw pillows or a comfy blanket decorate for a more personal touch.
? Change out light fixtures for new and more modern track lighting. Also add lamps and other decorative lighting in dark corners for study areas.
? Create a comfortable study area by rearranging furniture and add an accent wall color or oriental floor rug.
? Look for good deals on desks, chairs, and other furniture at garage sales, estate sales and antique shops.
? Create a room for relaxation for a break from the studying. Adding pastel colored towels, paint and scented candles to a bathroom provides a great space for a calming bath or shower.
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Handyman – Use Free Resources to Find One Near You
660 days
If you are looking for a good handyman, it may be time to start considering your resources before you commit to one. There are plenty of ways to find a good one near you. Learn the free resources that are at your fingertips before you start your search for someone to fix up your house.
Since handymen usually perform many types of jobs, it is likely that you have friends and family members who have used one recently. If you have heard them mention upgrades they have made to their homes, ask them if they used a handyman to help them out. Since they can usually provide a range of services, it is appropriate to ask who was used no matter how small or large the upgrade was. This may lead you in the direction of a good professional for the job at hand.
Another resource to use is the phone book since you can easily flip to a page that lists handymen in your area. Some professionals take out full page ads with information about their services, as well as discounts for new customers. Others just list their contact information. Either way, you can get a good idea of how many are in your area so that you know how many you have to choose from. You can create a list of people to call, and should ask each one about their services, prices, and availability.
If you get coupons sent to your house regularly, you should keep an eye out for those offering the help of a handyman. You will not only be able to get a sense of the professionals in your area, but you can also save money by collecting coupons. Some may offer a small service for free as a way to get you interested in their company, or they might just provide a percentage off their prices for any services. Either way, coupons can definitely be useful to those looking for a handyman.
You can use these free resources to create a list of companies to call. The list will likely become shorter as you find out service offerings and prices, and also as you get a general sense of the attitude of each handyman that you contact. As long as you feel comfortable with the attitude, services, availability, and prices of the company, you should take the next step of obtaining a quote for your project.
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Thompson Creek Window Company Wins 2010 SmartCEO Circle of Excellence Award for Customer Service
660 days
Rick Wuest, President of Thompson Creek Window Company, recognized as one of Greater Baltimore’s most accomplished and unique business leaders.
Landover, MD (PRWEB) July 28, 2010 — Thompson Creek announced today its President, Rick Wuest, has received a Baltimore SmartCEO 2010 Circle of Excellence Award, which recognizes 10 Greater Baltimore CEOs who have demonstrated specific leadership attributes that have made them uniquely successful in the business community.
The 10 winners of the Circle of Excellence Award will be celebrated at SmartCEO?s Circle of Excellence Awards event on May 12, 2010 at the Intercontinental Harbor Court Hotel from 6:00-9:00p.m.
Rick Wuest said, ?Thank you to SmartCEO for inviting Thompson Creek into the circle of excellence. As CEO I accept this award which rightfully belongs to all of the employees of Thompson Creek. The driving force behind how every Thompson Creek employee performs their job is the goal of total customer satisfaction. Being recognized for outstanding customer service by Smart CEO validates that these efforts have resulted in the desired effect. Only through the dedication and hard work of every one of our employees at Thompson Creek is it possible to realize our vision of total satisfaction for each and every one of our customers.?
The Circle of Excellence categories for which CEOs were nominated and honored are:
???? Hot Startup
???? Serial Entrepreneur
???? Marketing
???? Young Entrepreneurship
???? Family Business
???? Product Innovation
???? Lifetime Achievement
???? A Classic
???? Philanthropy
???? Customer Service
?Circle of Excellence winners are not only selected and honored for their accomplishments, but for demonstrating success in applying a unique leadership attribute that significantly benefits their business and the community,? said Craig Burris, Publisher at SmartCEO Magazine. ?We are honored to recognize Rick Wuest as one of Greater Baltimore?s standout leaders.?
Baltimore SmartCEO magazine is a regional ?growing company? publication. SmartCEO believes that a ?growing company? is really determined by the spirit, drive and dynamics of a company’s owners and managers, rather than by the size of its building, the number of its employees, or its sales volume. Each month, a variety of businesses in the greater Baltimore and greater Washington areas turn to its pages for features, case-study advice and trend analysis, all with a uniquely local flavor. SmartCEO is read by more than 31,000 business owners in Baltimore and Washington.
For a complete list of winners or more information regarding the program and event, visit www.smartceo.com.
About Thompson Creek Window Company
The Thompson Creek Window Company is a privately owned and family operated manufacturer and installer of energy efficient home improvement replacement products serving the Maryland, Northern Virginia and Washington D.C. Founded in 1980, their roots were planted as a manufacturer of energy efficient, maintenance free vinyl replacement windows (Replacement windows should be distinguished from new-construction windows. New-construction windows have a “nailing fin” along the outer frame. This fin provides a surface so that the window can be nailed in from the outside of the ho. Since that time, they have evolved into one of the leading specialty home improvement contracting companies in the nation. Thompson Creek?s product mix includes replacement windows (Replacement windows should be distinguished from new-construction windows. New-construction windows have a “nailing fin” along the outer frame. This fin provides a surface so that the window can be nailed in from the outside of the ho and doors, vinyl siding, and a clog-free gutter system. They operate their administrative offices and 80,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Landover, Maryland, where they employ a staff of over 200. For more information visit www.thompsoncreek.com
###
Thompson Creek Window Company
George Schaub
301-306-5290
E-mail Information
Trackback URL: http://prweb.com/pingpr.php/U3VtbS1Ib3JyLVByb2YtSG9yci1TaW5nLVNxdWEtWmVybw==
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Tips in Buying a Miami Real Estate Home
660 days
If you are planning to buy a Miami real estate home, you have to take into account that there are factors to look into. To be able to have a smooth sailing buying process, you have to do things right.
What you need to consider are as follow:
Budget
Before going out of the market, you need to have the budget for a home. Set an exact budget and stick to it. If you have savings, then well and good, you can use it. If you do not have, then you have to apply for a loan first. In applying for a loan, you have to see to it to submit all the requirements needed to assure that you loan will be process. Also, in filling up the form, write legibly to avoid misunderstanding with the information written in the form.
Hire a real estate agent
You have the option of hiring a real estate agent in order to have someone to assist you with your buying process. You have to make sure that you will be working with a skilled and knowledgeable real estate agent. You can seek for about 3 agents, interview each until you finally decide which the best is. Go with the agent that you are comfortable working with but also he/she must has the skills needed and must be familiar with the market.
List of Miami real estate homes
Your agent will go out of the market and look for homes that match your criteria. The agent will then hand you out the list so you have homes to view and compare to finally get the right home for you.
View the homes
Your agent will assist you in viewing few Miami real estate homes. You have to allocate time in viewing and checking out these homes in other for you to compare each until you find the right one.
Buy your dream home
Since you took time of viewing Miami real estate homes, you will soon find the right home for you. Just don?t forget to do frisco home inspection in order to assure that you?ll be buying the right home for you.
Eliza Capili Ayson
Miami Real Estate
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Boonton resident objects to home inspection as unlawful search
660 days
BOONTON ? A resident facetiously told town officials he would let them take his 87-year-old mother off to jail rather than comply with a proposed expansion of the anti-stacking law requiring inspection of the owner-occupied portion of the multi-family units, as well as the rental portion.
Only five members of the nine-member board were present, so all five would have to have voted for the ordinance for it to be adopted.
?When the fine is big enough, take her to jail,? Bob Morea said of his mother, with whom he splits a two-family house. ?It?s cheaper than sending her to a nursing home. Take her to jail,? he repeated to the Board of Alderman at its meeting on Monday. ?You take care of her.?
Morea asked if the law would apply to situations where no rent is collected, like the two-family home he splits with his mother.
Alderman Michael Eoga, who was absent when the ordinance was introduced, said he was not prepared to vote for it because he thought that point was not addressed in the proposed ordinance.
Only five members of the nine-member board were present, so all five would have to have voted for the ordinance for it to be adopted.
Town Attorney John Dorsey suggested continuing the ordinance until the next meeting on Monday, Aug. 16, and having the inspectors who recommended the change come to the meeting to explain their reasoning.
A motion to do that was unanimously passed. Aldermen Cliff Keezer, Paul Nevadomski and Terry Dunn and Alderwoman Patricia Bujtas were absent.
Morea and other residents who objected loudly and at great length to the town?s proposed update to the anti-stacking law enacted several years ago, said they consider the requirement that the owner?s portion of multi-units also be subject to inspection to be an invasion of their right to be secure in their homes and property as guaranteed by The Constitution.
?My mother has been living here for 87 years and now I gotta explain this to her,? Morea said. ?You?re illegally searching our houses. I?ve contacted the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) and they?re interested in this.?
Town officials enacted a local ordinance a few years ago requiring owners of multi-family units to register the units with the town and pay $50 for an annual inspection of the rental unit. Officials said this was for the safety of the renters and for general public safety, to make sure the homes were safe, had smoke detectors and were not overcrowded or illegally expanded with extra kitchens and so on.
They have called the law, along with an improved database that better allows coordination of information between police and zoning officers, a success. Officials said many illegal multi-units and unsafe conditions were identified and rectified as a result of the inspections.
Now, according to Alderman Dan Carey, the inspectors who have been going out and doing the checks of the properties, have suggested the ordinance be expanded to require the owner-occupied sections of these properties also be inspected.
The reason, according to Carey, is that property owners could be adding illegal apartments in basements or in their portions of the structure that could be unsafe for the occupants and the general public. They also could be failing to comply with smoke detector and other safety requirements in their section of the building, which would defeat the purpose of the inspection of the rental units.
?They?re part-time inspectors and they want to make their jobs full-time!? Morea exclaimed from the audience.
Morea asked if the property owners had to pay another $50 to have their section of the homes inspected.
?No,? Carey replied.
Equally unhappy with the proposal was resident Ernest Codella.
?I take offense,? said Codella. ?This is more and more encroachment on the people in this town. Look around this town. There are dumps that are falling down and these people get away with anything.? Single-family homes that are not rented are not subject to the inspections.
?This is a foot in the door,? he said. ?You?re coming on private property and saying you can?t do this, you can?t do that. Then you?re going to tell us what you own isn?t really yours,? he said.
?It?s amazing. Who makes this stuff up?? he asked. ?A little group decides for the masses what we can and cannot do … I don?t see anyone from Washington on down that represents us anymore. We actually have taxation without representation.?
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