Elevator finished

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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.

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Three Links Apartments

TLCarpet 003We are doing some repairs at the Three Links apartments in Northfield. The structural floor base inTLCarpet 001 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.

Atlanta, part two

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.

100_3591 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.

 

100_3523 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. 100_3481

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.

100_3600 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 sidewalk100_3603 was striking in its design and function, allowing easy access to all sides.

All Flex

100_3609 We are helping out All Flex with a small addition to100_3608 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.

Atlanta, GA

Ellen and I spent last week in Atlanta, Georgia. It was nice to get away to a different climate for a bit, although it was unseasonably cold there. We mainly had blue skies with full sun which helped warm things by noon most days.

100_3553 When we travel I always like to look at architecture. Atlanta is full of interesting buildings. Many of the large100_3564 downtown buildings were designed by John Portman, a local architect. Portman has a legacy of buildings including several hotels. He has done a fabulous 100_3478 job making these big structures feel in scale for humans.  The Westin Hotel features an elevator on the exterior of the building. In 2008 Atlanta was hit by 130 mile per hour winds which damaged a lot of glass in the Westin Hotel. The exterior elevator was not in operation while the glass is being replaced. What an enormous task! The Westin also features an excellent restaurant at the top floor. It rotates slowly so you get a full panorama of Atlanta as you enjoy your meal. Ellen and I took at 6:00PM seating so we could watch the lights of Atlanta come on.

100_3494 We spent a good chunk of time in the state capitol100_3502 building. Their capitol has a large gold dome that can be seen for miles and miles when the sun shines on it. The interior of the building has a lot of Georgia marble and other stone and is quite lovely. The legislature was not in session, which gave me a chance to look over their House and Senate chambers. I had a wonderful chat with the House Sergeant at Arms. At 180 members the Georgia House is quite a bit larger than the Minnesota House, but their Senate is only 56 members.

100_3574 One day we went to the Atlanta History Center. There100_3572 is a 1850’s farmstead there that gives a real feeling of what life was like at that time and location. The corner detailing on the log walls was exceptional and appears to be in excellent condition after many decades of exposure.

100_3568 We did most of our traveling by the Metropolitan Atlanta Regional Transportation Authority…or MARTA. The underground trains were fast, clean and on time. We used the MARTA bus on the surface street for connecting links. One of the central downtown MARTA stations is fairly deep underground with a long escalator to take you up and down.

Elevators and Library

DSCF3106 We continue to work on upgrading the elevators atDSCF3107 Carleton College. Some are more challenges than others. On the present elevator we had to secure glazed block in a similar color and pattern to match the 1954 work. That is not always easy to do….this order came to us from a Texas fabrication plant. But the end result looks good and will provide a very durable finish. It takes a bit of work to fit the blocks in around the various elevator control panels.

100_3459 In a related elevator comment, Ellen and I were in100_3458 downtown Minneapolis earlier this week. We stopped by to look at the Hennepin Central Library. I had not seen the building before and wanted to look at it. One of the impressive features is the two elevators that run up an interior courtyard. The elevators are all glass so you can watch things as you go up and down.

100_3456 I also saw a lovely wooden arch that I believe was removed from an earlier library and relocated into this new building. The caring on the entry arch is remarkable.

Condominium Work

100_3449 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 sink100_3448 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.

100_3453 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 nice100_3450 feature in that it makes cleaning the floor much easier. As in the other areas, the vanity is has a cherry finish.

East side stairs

100_3447 Our East side new home is progressing nicely. Our100_3445 carpenters have been busy with the stairway to the second floor. The stair is constructed of red oak as is all the trim in the home. The stairs has open railings with balusters and newel posts. This type of stairway is a challenge for carpenters because it uses what is called a reverse skirt board at the open areas. A reverse skirt has a mitered joint at each tread where the riser meets the skirt board. This requires the skirt board to be cut with all the miters, set in place, then each riser and tread fit. It takes some time but it makes a very pretty staircase.

100_3423 We have set the custom bookcases in the hallway. The100_3422 shelves in these bookcases are about 10” deep. Most of the shelves are adjustable to suit the size of books and art work to be displayed here. We also have the seats set in place in the eating nook at the kitchen. This is a really nice spot with east views of the backyard.

100_3446 The music room is flanked by some smaller bookcases set on the floor, with oak columns extending up to the lowered ceiling. The ceiling in the music room has some oak trim on it as well. This creates a very nice setting for the piano.

Trims at The Crossing

100_3418 Last week we just about finished all the cabinet100_3416 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.

100_3420 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.

East side cabinets

 100_3411 We are working at installing cabinets in our East side new home project. The100_3412 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.

100_3414 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.