We completely finished one elevator that we have been working on at Carleton College. The project involved a complete modernization of the existing elevator including a new car,hydraulic cylinder, controllers, equipment, doors, etc. The existing elevator had been a freight elevator only. These projects involve an incredible amount of work and coordination of trade partners and state elevator inspectors working with us. The end product looks great and will allow students and staff to use the elevator as a passenger elevator. Our work included locating and installing glazed clay tile blocks to match the existing work in some locations. The end product looks great and should serve the college well for decades.
We are doing some repairs at the Three Links apartments in Northfield. The structural floor base in
the hallways had some deficiencies in it. We removed the existing carpeting in the halls and discovered that the underlayment had not been attached properly to the structure. This allowed the underlayment to pull up from the substrate, creating ‘waves’ that were difficult for people to navigate. Our solution has been to screw the substrate directly to the structural members of the floor system. This greatly stiffens the floor and eliminates waves and gaps. We are then installing new carpeting over the flooring. There are quite a few hallways in this large building, but it seems to be working well to take sections at a time and complete the work.
When we were in Atlanta last week I was really struck by the geometric lines and designs of the newer buildings downtown. Atlanta has a lot of construction from the 1960’s on. In fact I heard some complaints from some of the local folks that Atlanta destroyed some of their fine historic buildings in the 1950’s and 1960’s, including the movie theater that had the original showing of Gone with the Wind.
But the new buildings do have some wonderful architecture. I especially liked the Marriott Marquis with a fantastic atrium. When you look up from the main level it is an absolutely spectacular sight. The undulating lines of the floor levels are beautiful. It has a very organic feel to it. The elevators operate on the ‘spine’ in this photograph.
The High Museum of Art has an atrium that creates a multitude of geometric designs. The glass roof on the structural supports allows the light to filter through to people sitting or walking below it. 
The Westin hotel is another building with a lovely atrium area. The structural supports, while not transparent like the Marriott, create a truly breathtaking appearance with ambient lighting playing against the columns.
We did enjoy visiting the historic Fox theater. This is a 1920’s era movie house that was constructed using a Moorish theme common to theaters at that time. It is still in use as a theater hosting a wide range of productions.
I thought the ticket booth just off the front sidewalk
was striking in its design and function, allowing easy access to all sides.
We are helping out All Flex with a small addition to
their manufacturing plant. They needed the work done right away so we fought the cold a bit last week to get the excavation work completed. We erected a shelter over the excavation to keep soil from freezing and keep our block layers warm while working. Today with the bright sun it is quite toasty under the plastic shelter.
February 18, 2010 – 1:08 pm
February 15, 2010 – 12:56 pm
We are busy at work finishing The Crossing condominium units. The flooring is being installed by Bierman’s Flooring. This unit has nice laminate wood flooring in the kitchen and into the living room. This flooring goes well with the cherry cabinets. After the flooring work is completed we install wood baseboards at the perimeter.
The granite countertops were installed last week. An undermount stainless steel sink
was incorporated into the granite countertops. Granite makes a wonderful countertop material. It tough, doesn’t scratch easily, and doesn’t absorb most liquids. I like the natural look of cut stone.
The owner selected cherry finished hardwood for the doors and trim in the condominiums. We installed a 15 light glass French door between the living room and the study. This allows light to pass through but keeps out sound when closed.
The bathroom in the unit incorporates a wall hung water closet. This is a very nice
feature in that it makes cleaning the floor much easier. As in the other areas, the vanity is has a cherry finish.
February 12, 2010 – 11:12 am
February 8, 2010 – 9:56 am
Last week we just about finished all the cabinet
installations in the three condominiums we are finishing at The Crossing in Northfield. All the cabinets are cherry, but each of the three units is slightly different. One of the units has plastic laminate countertops for the work areas in the kitchen and granite on the island. We set the laminate tops, cut in the sink and are ready for the plumbers to do their installations.
Every time I am in the units I manage to glance out the windows and see something new. Today, with our massive white snowfall, I saw a gray fox marching along the riverbank….too quick for a photo however.
February 5, 2010 – 9:07 am
We are working at installing cabinets in our East side new home project. The
cabinets were custom made for the home using red oak to match the interior trim. A nice sized island is included in the kitchen. All the cabinets have rail and style doors that are inset into the face frames. This is a slightly more costly way to make cabinets, as opposed to overlay doors, but the appearance is very pleasing.
There is a screen porch connecting the house to the garage. Instead of using wood components to create the screen walls we tried a new product from NorthStar Screen Systems. The screen walls are constructed using extruded anodized aluminum. The product is very tough and will not rot or ever need painting. We selected screen walls that included balusters in the lower portion which provides protection for the screen.
