We have pretty much wrapped up our interior work at Robinwood Apartments in Faribault. Earlier we installed new siding on the apartment buildings. Our interior work was mainly confined to the common spaces and involved patching and painting walls, making repairs to handrails and other trims, and remodeling the finishes in the bathrooms. The bathrooms also received new fixtures with automatic water valves.

 

We also installed new carpeting in many of the common areas. The carpet is an 18" x 18" carpet tile. It gave the ability to create a pattern on the floors and also is very easy to remove and replace as needed for maintenance. Carpet tiles work very well in these high traffic commercial applications.

Posted by Ray Cox at 9:50 AM | Link

 

A reader sent me an email asking about how we handle tile showers. They are indeed a difficult 'animal' to deal with, but there are some pretty good materials to use today. In days gone by, the industry standard was to have a roofer come and create and apply a hot asphalt shower pan. A mud base, sloped to the drain, was then installed on top of the asphalt pan flashing, creating a water tight base.

Today we use a flexible PVC membrane material to create a seamless shower pan liner. The material is fairly easy to work with and coves up into corners and onto the walls. The material is clamped to a special shower drain that has small holes in the pipe drain. Before the mud base is installed a small area of clean gravel is placed against the holes to make sure they stay open and clear. Once the mud base is installed, if water does penetrate through the tile and grout and through the mud base, it hits the PVC membrane and runs to the drain where it seeps through the holes in the pipe. The mud is carefully mixed on site in a 'mud box' to be just damp enough to be firm and workable and allow level and pitched floors to be created, but not so wet that it shrinks too much or doesn't hold slopes and contours.

The installers have to use care in preparing the floor, installing the membrane, clamping the drain and installing the sloped mud base. Once all that is done the ceramic tile is installed in normal fashion. The end result should be a beautiful tiled shower that lasts for years and years.

Posted by Ray Cox at 9:22 AM | Link

 

Work has progressed well on the kitchen and bathroom remodeling work we are doing for a rural Northfield client. We recently finished the new red birch flooring and it looks wonderful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We selected red birch material to blend in with the existing maple flooring. Generally it works to stay with the same species of wood. But in this case the maple flooring was of a grade that contained so much red tint we had to use red birch. The floors blended together very well and look great.

We've started the cabinet and countertop installations and will shortly have the interior trim work completed.

Posted by Ray Cox at 6:00 AM | Link

 

When installing new flooring in a home there is a feature that many people like..heated floors. Often homes today use radiant heating under in the floors to heat the entire home. That is usually accomplished using hydronic heating systems with hot water circulated in tubing in or under the floor. It works very well, is quiet and draft-free and provides steady, even whole-house heating.

But another type of heated floor is very popular. This type involves electric heating elements under ceramic tile floors. These simple systems are not designed to provide a main heating source. Instead, they are designed to warm the floors in select spaces. There are many different systems available on the market today to accomplish this task. Some use pre-made mats with wiring in the mat. Others use cables strung on the floor. We are working on a remodeling job where the cable heating system is being incorporated into the ceramic tile floors in the bathrooms and laundry room. In this photo you can see the electric cables strung on the floor, ready for the mud base. Note that blue tape outlines where the water closet and a cabinet will be. We do not run the heating cables in these areas. In this powder room we did run the heating cables under the vanity cabinet because the vanity will have furniture type legs with air flow under the cabinet.

Using cable heat is a rather easy system. A membrane of felt is installed over the wood subfloor. Depending on the subfloor quality a reinforcing mesh may be needed as part of the system. The heating cables are installed on top of the membrane. Once in place the cables are buried in a 7/8" layer of 'mud' or Portland cement mixture. The finish floor-ceramic, slate or other tile---is applied directly to the mud base once it has set. Care must be taken to make sure the mud base is installed level and true. Where the floor may be subject to specific added loads, as from a washer and dryer, additional reinforcing material may be added. In the photo at right you can see the yellow plastic reinforcing mesh installed under the laundry equipment. Again, heat free areas are marked out with blue tape.

Operating such heating systems costs very little. The floor temperature is controlled with a thermostat, with a sensor mounted in the mud floor. Most floor layouts have about the same electricity draw as a 100 watt light bulb. When used in bathrooms these systems provide a nice way to warm your floors, promote quick drying of towels and allow you to keep your home a bit cooler while keeping your bathing areas warmer.

Posted by Ray Cox at 5:28 AM | Link

 

I had a site meeting at the large residential remodeling project we have underway. It is really taking shape now. This week our workers installed the new sliding patio door and the window in the kitchen. Those two things made a huge difference in the appearance of the work as the room is filled with light from new directions. The walls and ceilings have been finished with primer and an application of the first coat of paint.

The wood flooring on this job is a product called cumuru. Cumuru's official name is Dipteryx odorata. It's also commonly known as Brazilian teak. It is very hard, very strong---and very pretty. The wood lays extremely flat and tight which is nice in flooring applications like this. The hardness keeps the wood from denting from floor traffic. We will finish the floor with clear sealers that let the full grain and color variations show. A light slip membrane is installed under the flooring to eliminate any potential for squeaks

  Part of our work involves remodeling the master bathroom. We are reusing the whirlpool tub and setting it in a new deck. The plumbing connections have to be modified slightly but reusing the tub is a good, cost-saving measure.

We will be starting window and door trimwork shortly, followed by railings, stairways and cabinets.

Posted by Ray Cox at 1:39 PM | Link

 

Late last fall we completed window replacements for several of the Three Links Care Center facility buildings. Shortly after that we moved inside to do some remodeling modifications for the reception and office area. One of the challenges for that work is dust and noise control. Operations continue round the clock at the care facility so we have to do all we can to minimize and contain construction activities. One of the first things the workers did was construct sturdy temporary barriers around the work. Our enclosures utilize zip open doors in the polyethylene covers which work well for access control.

Part of our work involves making changes to the ceiling system. The architectural work is by Ken Rivera. He came up with a very nice circular concept. It is a challenge to create a smooth continuous circle out of drywall, but the workers have done a good job and it looks very nice.

We are creating new work stations for the staff. Before long the painting and carpet work will be completed and our noise and dust will just be a memory as they enjoy using the new spaces!

Posted by Ray Cox at 4:31 AM | Link

 

The First National Bank of Northfield held a grand opening for their new south banking facility this weekend. There were two events scheduled and I was able to attend both of them.

The first event was held on Thursday evening. It was a 'Business to Business' event sponsored with the Northfield Chamber of Commerce. This was a fun time for everyone in attendance. Area business people stopped by to visit and had a chance to look at the new bank. I heard lots of good comments about what a nice job we did constructing the building. The bank created a video of the construction process and had it running on one of the flat screen video panels in the building. Several people commented about how organized the project was and that it was completed quickly. The designers of the bank, HTG Architects, created an excellent design that seems to work well for the employees and the public.

Saturday morning the bank held a grand opening event for the general public. This was also well attended by hundreds of area residents. The bank was giving away Jesse James Gang bobble head dolls. They also had two of the James Gang members there in costume so people could have their pictures taken against the 1976 bank backdrop. I'm shown here with Becky Behrens, the manager of the new branch facility.

While the weather was cold, there was no shortage of excitement for people to venture out and see Northfield's newest banking facility. Once again I thank everyone at the First National Bank for selecting Northfield Construction Company as their building contractor. We thoroughly enjoyed working on this fine facility. It is a significant asset to the Northfield community and will serve residents well for many years.

Posted by Ray Cox at 4:45 AM | Link

 

Last week we worked at installing the last if the insulation and drywall on the large residential remodeling project we have going. The electrical and mechanical rough-in work was completed, leaving the drywall as our next task. While drywall is rather heavy, not very exciting work, it is the phase of the project that probably makes the most significant change in a job site. We go from open stud walls and ceilings to defined spaces very quickly.

The drywall finishers have been on site doing their work. A professional drywall finisher always makes the work look rather easy, but there are many important steps that go into creating a long-lasting, high quality finish. This team has years of experience and is doing a great job. Yesterday they applied a knock-down ceiling texture to most of the ceiling areas.

While the drywall work is being completed we moved on and started demolition in the master bathroom. This area is being completely renovated as part of our work. We are reusing the whirlpool tub, but will be setting it in a new tub deck and eliminating a step up into the tub area. The ceramic tile shower is being rebuilt with new fittings and valves, followed by a new mud base and ceramic tile.

Posted by Ray Cox at 4:37 AM | Link

 

The First National Bank of Northfield is hosting an open house at their new south banking facility in Northfield. It will be held this Saturday, February 9th from 9:00AM to 1:00PM at the new bank.

We constructed this new facility for First National Bank, completing our work in late December. It is a beautiful bank that should serve customers well. Please stop by to visit the bank if you are in the area on Saturday.

Posted by Ray Cox at 5:41 AM | Link