Water Damage Cleanup

100_3404 It was quite a bit of work cleaning up after the burst100_3405 water pipe in our client’s home. Most of the flooring was removed right away to help eliminate water and moisture in the home. Last week we removed drywall from damaged walls and ceilings. This has helped dry out the structure. Yesterday I stopped by to see how the drying process was coming. The insurance adjuster was with me. He authorized some additional areas to be removed and repaired. He agreed that the moisture is gone and we should be able to close up areas now.

This type of damage is never easy to go through as a homeowner. But one thing that makes it bearable is a good insurance company and adjuster. The adjuster on this claim was very fair, quick in coming to view the damage, and prompt with his paperwork and authorizations.

Cabinets at The Crossing

100_3408 Yesterday our carpenters started setting cabinets in the first condominium we are completing at The Crossing in Northfield. Each of the units is slightly different and will have different interior finishes. For this unit we are using cherry cabinets with framed panel doors. We are installing a good sized crown molding at the top of the cabinets. Cherry has a very warm feeling which works well with the views of the woods and river out the expansive windows in the unit.

100_3409 We had our tile installers complete the floors in the bathrooms and laundry areas. The tile is a nice slate gray material in a 12”x 12” size. The vanities are the same cherry cabinetry as the kitchen.

Interior Trim

100_3369 With the primer and first finish coats of paint applied, we are starting interior trim work at our East side new home project. The trim in this home is red oak. In keeping with the Craftsman style of the home, we have tried to keep the trim simple. We are using flat casings around the windows and doors. The head casings are slightly thicker and wider than the side casings, allowing the side casing to butt into the head casing. Craftsman homes didn’t use many mitered corners. Trims were designed so that average craftsmen using standard tools could create pleasing designs. I think this is being accomplished well in this new home.

100_3367 The interior doors in the home are solid three panel oak units. This style of door blends in well with the Craftsman style. Our base trim is also flat trim without any embellished routing or molding applied. The hardware in the house is oil rubbed bronze which has a dark patina.

 

The mechanical equipment has mostly been set in place and connected. We are now100_3371 running the permanent heating system. To do this we first clean the house well and then cover all the duct openings with filter fabric. That keeps the duct systems clean.

Next week we will be working on wood floors and starting to set cabinets.

NAF Grants Breakfast

Because of my continuing education course conflict yesterday I was not able to attend the Northfield Area Foundation grants breakfast. I have served as a director for the Northfield Area Foundation (NAF) for several years. NAF is a community organization dedicated to improving Northfield. We raise funds and allocate a portion of the funds each year to worthwhile community organizations. Checks were distributed to many groups yesterday morning. You can see photos and a short video from the grant breakfast yesterday on the NAF website. http://northfieldareafoundation.org/archives/125/

Continuing Education

Yesterday I spent all day in a contractor’s continuing education class. It was hosted by the Rice County building inspections divisions of the Cities of Northfield and Faribault, and Rice County. The event was held at the Northfield Ballroom and with 80 people was well attended. Lampert Lumber in Northfield was a sponsor as well, providing lunch for the attendees and a wonderful selection of door prizes at the end of the day.

100_3372 The instructor for the day was Greg Karow (right in this photo). Greg is a former building official from Goodhue County. Greg also worked for the State of Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry in the building codes division. He is now conducting educational seminars through Code Education Opportunities. All building contractors in Minnesota are required to complete 7.5 hours of approved education each year. With all the changes being made to building codes I think this is a very reasonable requirement.

Minnesota will be adopting a new building code shortly. We used the day to review100_3374 floor, wall and roof framing issues related to the new code. Greg included several photos of rather amazing existing conditions that he has run across in his years doing inspections. In this photo it shows structural beams and supports that were cut out to fit plumbing pipes. We run into this type of situation many times while remodeling homes built in the 1920-s and 1930’s when builders were just getting used to platform framing methods. But to see it in modern construction today is rather disturbing.

One of my favorite pictures of the day dealt with calculating the required amount of100_3375 structural wall sheathing required to stabilize a home. The calculations are not difficult but the results of not getting it correct can be devastating. In this photo the entire garage and house shifted due to improper wall bracing.

100_3373 One of the benefits of a class like this goes beyond the instruction. During the breaks the contractors in attendance have an opportunity to talk with each other. I ran into long time friends from Shieldsville, Montgomery, Faribault and other locations. We had the opportunity to talk about what works to handle specific problems. We also talked about our struggling construction economy. No one in the roof felt business was going to be robust in the next couple of years.

Water Damage

Picture 001 This is the time of year when cold weather can cause problems in houses. Sometimes it is something fairly simple, such as a belt breaking on a furnace, which can be repaired easily and without incident. Other times it is something more major, such as a burst water pipe. That happened lately to a client. When the water line broke it poured water out into the living areas of the home and down to the finished lower level. Our first task was to remove all the soaked carpets and pad and get ventilation and dehumidification underway. This home has plywood floors which hold up well to a quick soaking like this.

If you should have some misfortune with your home or business facility give us a call and we will promptly assist you. Northfield Construction Company works with your insurance company and adjusters to clearly identify what the damages are. We arrive at a work plan that restores your property in a quick and professional manner.

Geothermal System

 100_3358 The geothermal heating system equipment is being connected at our East side new home project. This is the home that was featured in the recent Northfield News article about geothermal heating systems. The main in-ground lines come into100_3356 the home in the basement and terminate in a large collector valve. The lines are insulated to retain the ground temperatures as the fluid in the lines is processed through the geothermal compressor system….the large dark box on the floor in the photo.

At the far end of the equipment room is the furnace. For most of the time the furnace is used as a fan coil to distribute the warm air or cool air from the geothermal system. If there should be a problem with the geothermal system in delivering the amount of heat required to heat the home, the furnace is connected to natural gas. The furnace can heat the home in a conventional manner.

100_3357 The home has under-floor hydronic heating in the basement level. This system gets its heat from a compact wall mounted boiler. The in-floor heating tubes are connected to the boiler using manifolds so water flow can be varied. This boiler is connected to Xcel Energy’s off-peak electricity system through a second electric panel and meter. The cost of electricity supplied through this panel is much lower than the cost of the power supplied through the main house panel. Xcel is able to do this as they can shut the power off and on to balance their power loads.

Winter Frost

100_3349 Yesterday was one of those beautiful winter days where the trees, wires, poles and grasses were covered with a soft white frost. This is the kind of frost that is pretty but isn’t damaging. Sometimes we get blasts from winter that coat everything with heavy clear ice which100_3346 pulls wires, breaks poles and causes havoc. This gentle frost is lovely. I snapped some photos as I was out and about during the day. In the early morning I found the white trees backed by building lights especially nice.

Octopus and Winders

100_3353 This morning I met with a client that is considering remodeling at their home. It is a nice home from about 1915. It is a bit unusual in that the home has not had a lot of remodeling done to it over the years. It still has what may very well be the original furnace, originally fired with coal. A gas burner has been added but the100_3352 huge firebox and large diameter distribution piping….giving rise to the term ‘octopus furnace’….are all intact. Fuel efficiency for this furnace is probably around 50 percent, so removing it and installing a new high efficiency forced air furnace makes a lot of sense. But I do like to see the lovely old metal castings incorporated into these early furnaces. The ducts were often wrapped with sheet asbestos, as shown here, so proper removal of the furnace is important.

100_3354 Another feature of the home is that it has a main stairway to the second floor as well as a secondary stairway down to the kitchen. These secondary stairways were often real works of art. They typically100_3355 twisted with a winding turn. They have very steep dimensions, almost no treads for the winding portion of the stairs, and very shallow treads for the regular stair run. Handrails were typically not used. Almost nothing in the stairway meets current building code requirements—-but they got the job done, took up little space, and were carefully crafted by the finish carpenters.

Deer

100_3336 Early this spring I posted about a deer family that was hanging around at my home. Ellen and I thoroughly enjoyed watching the doe with her triplet fawns. We would see them from time to time as the fawns lost their spots and started to grow up. Then we didn’t see them for a stretch late this fall, and hoped they didn’t end up on someone’s table for dinner. But then after the big snows came they started coming around again….looking for food. I put some corn out for them now on a regular basis and they stop by to eat. It appears the three babies have grown and are still with the mother, and what Ellen likes to think is an ‘Aunt deer’. It is fun to see this wildlife right in town enjoying the area.