Five builders in the area are collaborating on a Spring New Home Show (PDF flyer). The event will be held on two weekends in April. The first weekend will be April 12 and 13th from noon until 5:00PM. The second weekend will be April 19th and 20th from noon until 5:00PM.

This will be an excellent time to see the new homes that area builders have for sale. We also are hosting a series of mini-seminars at the homes. People will be presenting information on green building, mortgages and financing, bath design and other issues. I will be giving presentations on home lighting at our model home on Circle Lake. This beautiful Prairie style home features three bedrooms and an office, three bathrooms, a see-through gas fireplace, granite countertops throughout the home, and an expansive family room overlooking Circle lake and a 28 acre wetland full of wildlife.

Visitors to each of the homes will be able to register for a 32" LCD high definition television. The more homes you visit and register the more chances you have to win the TV. Plan to see the excellent homes this area has to offer.

Posted by Ray Cox at 6:27 AM | Link

 

  There are all sorts of cabinet hardware and fittings available for use today to make life a bit easier. Kitchen devices that lift mixers have been in use for a long time. We are working on a remodeling job now that includes a fold away ironing board. The ironing board is not a huge one, but it is available, compact and gets the job done. It fits into a normal cabinet drawer and the front flips down as you pull the ironing board out.

 

 

The laundry room also includes base cabinets that are slightly higher than typical. This accommodates a larger size set of washer and dryer and allows the countertop to flow over the units. This creates a good deal of counter area for folding clothes, etc.

Posted by Ray Cox at 12:34 PM | Link

 

This weekend I spent some time in Northern Minnesota. While out and about I came across this old farm building near Kerrick..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm sure this building would have a great tale to tell if it could talk. I am always amazed at the resiliency of the wood framed structures that farmers built decades ago. They are exposed to wind loads, animals and feed loads but seem to take it all in stride for years and years. When they finally reach the end of their useful like it often seems to take years and years for them to actually topple over and give up. No two of these site built structures were hardly the same, reflecting the needs of the owner and the materials at hand. As the winter winds blow the driven snow each year there are a few less of these proud old buildings watching over the land.

Posted by Ray Cox at 4:19 AM | Link

 

Yesterday I participated in a forum on Low Impact Development (LID). The forum was held in Faribault and was sponsored by the Cannon River Watershed Partnership (CRWP). CRWP is an area environmental organization that, as its name implies, is focused in water quality issues in the Cannon River watershed district. The forum took place at the American Legion and was well attended by folks from all across the watershed, including several people associated with city, township and county government organizations.

The forum opened with a speaker from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency presenting information on how LID can help communities and areas deal with meeting pollutant measurements as part of the total maximum daily load (TMDL) in waters. We also heard from city staff of Lake City, MN who talked about the work they did planning for 'The Jewel' development nearby.

We had an excellent presentation from representatives of the city of Hanover, MN. They talked to us about the process they used in planning a new residential subdivision using LID. LID allowed the developer to create more lots, all backing up to woods, trails and natural features. The amount of roads in the development ended up being slightly more using LID, but the ability to preserve remnants of Minnesota's 'Big Woods' forest, wetlands and meadows made the LID design stand out.

At 11:00AM I gave a presentation about site design from a builder and developers point of view. Kim Chapman from Applied Ecological Services, Inc. joined me in the discussion about developer's views of LID. So much of what LID promotes is centered on education..educating developers, engineers, government zoning officials, etc. The public endorses and appreciates the role of LID in projects and typically rewards the developers with a higher lot selling price.

Thanks to the Cannon River Watershed Partnership for organizing this informative forum. When we all understand water quality issues and what we can do to minimize pollutants everyone benefits.

Posted by Ray Cox at 7:33 AM | Link

 

We just finished up a remodeling project for a rural Northfield client. This work involved remodeling their kitchen and bathroom. The home is an older farmhouse which often presents challenges for workers.

As part of our work we installed new fir trim to match the trim used elsewhere in the home. The kitchen cabinets are clear finished maple. They blend in very nicely with the existing maple floor and the new red birch floor that we installed.

We installed new Marvin Tilt-Pac windows on all second floor windows of the home. This is a nice way to upgrade windows where the interior and exterior casings and jambs are in good condition, but the existing window sashes could be improved. Taking careful measurements, the Marvin sashes fit exactly into the existing openings. The new sashes have highly insulated glazing and tight weatherstripping. During our work we found two closet windows that had been covered over by earlier remodeling work!

The bathroom included a pedestal sink and a nice oval mirror. New lighting was included as part of the project, along with a new tub and ceramic tile.

With the added insulation and new window work the owners should experience significant energy savings. This project moved along very quickly and should serve the family well for years to come.

Posted by Ray Cox at 9:26 AM | Link

 

Tracy Davis recently posted some comments about historic buildings on the Northfield website 'Locally Grown'. Locally Grown is a community driven site that deals with all sorts of local issues. I appreciate Tracy's comments on our historic buildings and how they can be 'greened up'.

Northfield is fortunate to have some wonderful older buildings as part of its vibrant downtown core. Northfield Construction Company has done a fair amount of work on many of these buildings over the years, including significant renovation work for Northfield Arts Guild, Northfield Historical Society and the First National Bank buildings. I know first hand what a chore it can be to renovate or refurbish these great older buildings so I appreciate the care that the owners take in doing projects.

 

Generally, when a community takes care of its core buildings..downtown commercial spaces, churches, schools, etc. that caring attitude spreads all across the community. For example, a few years ago we did a total renovation of River of Life Church in Hastings, MN. The church most likely could have sold their property and relocated to another new location for less money than they spent on the renovation.but they felt a sense of responsibility to keep the older building going and in use. We ended up installing all new windows and adding significant amounts of insulation in this project which ended up reducing the overall energy use in the facility.

In a similar fashion, we recently completed work on an historic home in Faribault. In this case the homeowners really needed better garage space. Due to the topography and lot dimensions a detached garage was out of the question. So they worked with an architect and the city staff to arrive at a plan that was in harmony with the home. The stone work and other details involved in the garage addition were certainly more expensive than plain concrete block work.but it was warranted in an effort to match the home details.

The public appreciates it when building owners take the time and effort to restore, renovate and thoughtfully expand historic buildings. Everyone shares the exterior appearance of our buildings. It is wonderful when they can be preserved well for all to enjoy. There are many cities across America, including some right here in Minnesota, that have lost their 'heart and soul' because the city went through urban redevelopment schemes during the 1960's and 70's. That is unfortunate. I hope we all will be proud of the fine older buildings that we have. Next time you are downtown Northfield take a few moments to look at some of the buildings. Sit on Bridge Square and look over at the details of the Central Block and the First National Bank building. Think about all the work that went into constructing these fine old buildings during the 1880's. And there they are...still going strong 125 years later.

Posted by Ray Cox at 1:22 PM | Link

 

The wood floors on the large residential remodeling project we are working on were finished last week. The floors are cumuru and the clear finish applied to the floor really brings out the strong, warm colors in the wood. When we use wood floors on our projects we typically sand and apply two coats of finish before the trim work, cabinets and painting is finished. Then at the very end of the project we have the floor finishes return and lightly screen sand the floor and apply the final application of finish. We find that process works well to get good floor installations against cabinet and wood trims. We do have to keep some protection materials in place to keep the wood floors from getting damaged during construction traffic.

This week we are working on setting the newel posts at the stairway and loft areas. We are using cherry for the trim material so the newels were also made out of cherry. The newels are a simple design with a nice cap. This project has challenges in that the stairway guardrailing and the loft railing share the same newel post. The newel posts and balusters sit on a cherry nosing. The nosing provides a termination for the wood flooring as well as the carpet. The balusters for the railings will be custom fabricated steel railings. We have taken site measurements between the newel posts and are coordinating the iron work for delivery in a couple of weeks.

The ceramic tile work is being wrapped up as well. The master bath has some detail inserts in the shower and tub front that have to be carefully laid out. We did not make any layout changes in the bathroom, but the new wood trim, vanity and ceramic tile totally changes the look and feel of the room.

Posted by Ray Cox at 4:57 AM | Link

 

The March issue of the Northfield Real Estate Guide, published by By All Means Graphics, has an article on home lighting that I wrote. Lighting is such an important part of any home building or remodeling project with so many options available today to consumers. Careful attention to lighting placement and types is advised on all projects. The magazine is available free in many locations in the Northfield area. Here is what I had to say.

There are hundreds of decisions that need to be made when remodeling or building a new home. One of the most important decisions concerns lighting for your home. Unfortunately, it is a decision that is often overlooked or not given the proper discussion needed to create a quality, inviting and useful lighting plan in a home. Lighting plans for homes should address three basic concerns: task lighting, general lighting and spot or feature lighting. When properly combined into an overall lighting plan a user should feel comfortable at all times in a home.

Task lighting, as it name implies, puts light directly where it is needed so that an individual can accomplish the task at hand. Some people call this work lighting. An area needing task lighting in every home is the kitchen. Lights placed under the upper cabinets cast light directly on the countertop where food preparation takes place. Recessed lights placed in cabinets or ceilings over sinks, cooktops, salad sinks, or serving areas allow those areas to be covered with light when work is underway.

General lighting is used to provide the needed overall lighting in a room or space. General lighting will typically combine several different light sources, such as overhead ceiling, wall sconces, and floor or table lamps. General exterior lighting is also an important feature. Lighting can have a huge impact on how your home looks and feels when approached from the street. I also urge clients to consider light maintenance.changing bulbs.when placing general light fixtures. A wall sconce with a down and up light on separate switches is often a better choice than a recessed ceiling light placed in a 20' high ceiling.

Spot, or feature lighting is used to accent a particular element of a home. You may have a painting or other work of art that should be illuminated with a feature light. Some architectural features of a home also call for spot lighting. A custom glass front china cabinet, or a fireplace with fine wood mantel would both do well with spot lighting. Spot lighting is always separately controlled.

I feel the best way to create your lighting plan is to sit down with your builder, architect and electrician and discuss lighting. Have a copy of your floor plans and room elevations on the table and walk through each room of the home. Imagine yourself using the spaces on a cloudy day, a snowy day, in bright sun and in the dark of night. How will the spaces feel to you? What task or spot lighting will you need for food preparation, grooming, cleaning, and entertaining? This discussion should take place several weeks or months before the wiring work will be started. Keep thinking about lighting each time you visit your home under construction. Ask yourself 'Do I need face level lighting in the bathroom?' or 'Does the entry way feel too dark?' Now is the time to address those concerns.

Lighting is making huge advances every year. The traditional incandescent bulb, with its inefficient energy use, is being replaced by a variety of new options. Compact fluorescent bulbs reduce light energy consumption by two thirds while providing excellent light levels. Industry has created a full range of compact fluorescent light products to fit virtually any fixture. But the most exciting advancement in lighting is coming from a very tiny element---light emitting diodes, or LED's. LED's have provided the light for alarm clocks and electronics for many years. However, they now have now crossed over into regular consumer lighting applications. LED light fixtures are fairly expensive at this time, but through research and development LED's will soon be leading the way for many lighting applications. LED bulbs will most likely burn for 100,000 hours or more. Compare that to the typical incandescent light bulb life of 1,000 hours!

As part of the lighting review for your construction project it is wise to evaluate the placement of all electrical devices. Universal design standards call for receptacles and switches to be placed at certain heights, making it easier for all people to use the device. Sometimes adjusting a device by 2 or 3 inches can make the difference between easy access or no access for an individual.

And while lighting itself is important, lighting controls are also making huge advances. It is now possible to have a 'smart house' that uses wireless lighting controls. You can preset lighting levels so that all you do is activate one switch and a certain lighting scheme comes on. With the use of motion detectors, computer controls, and security system interconnects you can instantly create safe, bright, lighting in your home whether you are there or not.

In my 36 years on the building business I have never had a client say 'we put in too many lights'. However, there have been times when clients have said 'I wish I would have put a light here'. Through careful thought and discussion you can create a lighting plan that is tailored to your needs and will serve you and every user of your home well.

Posted by Ray Cox at 5:29 AM | Link

 

Our work on a large residential remodeling project continues to move forward. We are attending to various finishing tasks. One of them involves re-finishing the existing windows and doors. This home is about 25 years old with wood windows. Over the years there occasionally has been moisture accumulation on the window sashes that caused staining. In addition, the wood on the large south facing windows have had some finish deterioration from the sun. Since our work involves installing new window casings we are refinishing the existing windows themselves. This involves sanding rough wood, carefully re-staining and blending finishes, and finally, applying a couple of coats of new clear finish. The clear finishes available today are tougher and more durable than the finish originally applied to the wood trim in this home. Our work should stand for many, many years looking good and protecting the wood surfaces.

The ceramic tile setters have been busy as well. The shower stall includes a tile pattern on the walls. The pattern tile is a smaller size tile and looks very nice. The laundry and powder room tile floors have also been installed. This material is gauged slate. The natural look of slate is hard to beat. It is not an easy material to work with and grouting the joints is time consuming, but the finished floors look great.

This week we plan to finish the wood floors in the home. That always creates some challenges as all the wood floor areas are 'off limits' for other work during the finishing.

Posted by Ray Cox at 5:42 AM | Link