The tables were turned last week when we started replacing damaged roofing for Lampert Lumber in Northfield. Northfield Construction Company purchases quite a bit of lumber and materials from Lamperts. It is nice to have a reciprocal work arrangement where we can provide a service to Lamperts.

This work was related to the severe hail storm that came through Northfield almost two years ago. In some places on this metal roof the hailstones went right through the metal! Imagine the force behind such action. It is no wonder that every asphalt roof and many membrane roofs suffered damage in the storm. With lots of out of town roofers working in the area just about the entire city has had a new roof. This metal roof for Lamperts will be about the last of the hail work for us.

Posted by Ray Cox at 10:18 AM | Link

 

We installed mirrors and lights in bathrooms on one of our current projects. The first bathroom incorporated light fixtures in the large polished plate glass mirror. The mirror extends to the ceiling. This is a great way to provide good lighting in a room. When the lights are on full power they give off a lot of light. When toned down with the dimmer they create a soft glow.

The second bathroom incorporated a framed mirror the client had. We mounted wall sconces on each side of the mirror. This is a guest powder room so it doesn't require significantly high light levels. The vanity was made to look more like furniture than a sink base, with furniture style legs. The sink itself is a bowl sink set into a hole in the stone countertop. This creates a very pleasing appearance and is an easy to clean detail.

Posted by Ray Cox at 8:50 AM | Link

 

We set granite countertops on a kitchen job today. The stone the client selected is beautiful! It has such an organic feel to it with the wonderful crystalline formations contained in the stone.

This kitchen has an island. The owners decided to use a shaped end on the stone, overhanging  the cabinets to create an area for stools. The island has a spectacular feature that to me looks like flowing water. I believe this granite selection is from Brazil.

Posted by Ray Cox at 12:04 PM | Link

 

On the kitchen remodeling project we are working on we created a fun little functional design feature. Part of our work included creating a new buffet cabinet in the dining area. The buffet has a lovely oak countertop. The owner asked if we could insert some ceramic tiles into the countertop, creating a flush area to set hot or wet things. We figured out a way to rout an area into the countertop and set the tiles. The owner selected some very pretty tiles for this feature.

Another thing we did in this kitchen is use LED undercounter lighting. LED stands for light emitting diode. LED's last years and years and operate using far less energy and stay cool to the touch. The light assemblies we used in this kitchen draw just 7 watts of power per unit. We used 8 units, so when all undercounter lights are on they will draw a total of 56 watts..less than a single 60 watt incandescent bulb! These lights are mounted below the glass front buffet cabinets, creating a great spot for serving food to guests. The recessed lights in the kitchen are also LED fixtures so the total electrical use for lighting is very low.

Posted by Ray Cox at 9:47 AM | Link