Some of the manufactured housing companies from the 50’s and 60’s were ahead of the curve on green building. Many of them used panelization (prefabricated wall sections) for their wall construction. Interior, non-bearing walls were often constructed using 2×2’s in lieu of the standard 2×4’s. This resulted in space savings, but created non-standard door jambs and generally required 1-3/8″ door thicknesses. Electrical box installations are tight and these walls are not suitable for chases in most cases. The narrow walls and narrow door jambs were followed by smaller than average casings, base and other associated trim.
There are many of these homes in the residential areas of Culver. I have no confirmations, but it is our understanding that most of these homes were purchased through National Homes out of Lafayette, Indiana. We were contracted to move a wall in one of these homes on Academy Road last month. This reminds us of a previous project completed on Fleet Parkway.
This project was a home purchased from a past client where we had completed several projects. The home was purchased by an Interior Designer and her family. She wanted to update the Master Bathroom, Guest Bathroom and Kitchen.
Along with this she wanted to change the existing trim throughout the house. She chose an oversized MDF trim for the casing and base which gave the walls more mass. This was added to all of the main floor rooms as well as the downstairs family room. We were able to collaborate with her on several methods of changing the trim such as the detail to the right (and the cap detail here) at the entrance to the dining room from the living room. This disguised one of the main openings where the narrow walls were obvious. The change was dramatic as you can see in these before and after pictures.
We provided a custom window seat at the main window in the living room providing a focal point for the room. This made a dramatic change to that room. There was also a dated white wrought iron railing system at the stairs into the room which we changed to wood following the theme of increasing the scale of accent elements.
The existing doors were a hollow core wood with stained veneer finish. These were changed to two panel (stacked) composite doors which were painted white to match the trim. The composite doors are heavier which required some reinforcing of the jambs, but the added weight made the 1-3/8″ thickness less noticeable. New hardware further enhanced the substantial feeling. An example of this can be seen in the master bedroom closet doors in the picture to the right. (Notice the size of the existing baseboard which was retained in this room.)
In the original floor plan, the master bathroom was small and was adjacent to a combination bathroom/laundry room that served the other two bedrooms. As part of the remodel, we expanded the master bathroom, stealing space from the laundry room. This expanded the master bath sufficiently to allow a separate shower and soaking tub (left). A furniture piece sink was used in this room. Tile floors were added with tile shower surrounds and a tile surround for the tub. Beadboard wainscot was added as well.
An existing closet was used to create a new guest bathroom to serve the other two bedrooms. This bath also included tile floors and wall details as well as similar beadboard wainscot. A custom cabinet was created to allow the sink to be installed over the area where the head space for the stairs to the basement encroached on this room. A tub-shower was installed opposite the sink. Custom clear glass shower partitions and doors were included in both rooms.
We also provided a custom cabinetry fireplace surround in the family room. The old cabinetry was removed and replaced with custom sizes. The red brick fireplace was covered in drywall and wood refreshing its appearance. The stained shelves were removed and reconstructed with the larger trim, recessed shelf strips, and custom shelves to match the cabinetry below. (See pictures below.)
It was quite amazing what these changes did to transform the home. We are pleased and proud that we were allowed to be part of this project.
I have been interested to watch the various happenings regarding the wind farm proposed by NextEra in southern Marshall County. My position on the Marshall County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) Board has given me the opportunity to be aware of this from early on.
I must say that I have been impressed by the way Marshall County officials have approached this. I have not necessarily been pleased with the county position that we should remain an agricultural based county, but using the wind farm model as one way of promoting that is effective. They did their due diligence on the issue before creating the zoning ordinance changes that allowed these farms. Marshall County officials met with county officials from counties with wind farms to review their ordinances and discuss what they thought they did right and what they did wrong. Our new county ordinance section that covers wind farms is an amalgamation and improvement on the ordinances of other counties that preceded it. I think they have done a good job.
Again from my interactions with MCEDC, I know that there are at least three wind farm companies considering sites in Marshall County. For months now I have known the name of one of them. (I just heard the name of one of the others for the first time last week.) I have seen announcements and attended presentations by one of them. I only know one of them that has tried to educate the public. In all cases that is NextEra. I am in no position to vouch for them and what they are doing other than to say that they are the only company that is being open about it. To the best of my knowledge, they are the only one that is an American company too.
I went to the presentation by the Concerned Citizen’s of Southern Marshall County (See their website here) that was held at the Culver Elementary School Gymnasium. While most of the information was interesting, I was disappointed where exaggerations were made. Unfortunately those exaggerations made all of the information suspect. An example of this was the discussion of the heights. The statements made at the gymnasium meeting were as follows: The proposed windmills are to be 450′ tall. That is equal to a 45 story building. That is taller than the skyline of Indianapolis which you can see from over ten miles away. It didn’t take much of an Internet search (here) to find that the tallest building in Indianapolis is the Chase Tower. It is 48 stories tall. It is 810′ tall. I don’t question that 450′ is a damned tall structure that will be seen from miles away, but why exaggerate it.
As many of you probably know, I am a board member on the Lake Maxinkuckee Environmental Fund (LMEF). I have been on the Fund board for over ten years and have served on the council for six. Because of my position on the MCEDC board, some felt that I had a conflict of interest in this issue, so I have chosen to recuse myself from LMEF votes on this issue. That has not particularly mattered since the votes passed unanimously sans my vote. I have participated in the discussion and have been disturbed by the turn it has taken. To my knowledge this is the first time that the Environmental Fund or Council has taken a position such as this without doing due diligence back up with independent consultants such as J.F. New & Associates. I was particularly disturbed by the recent email that went out from the fund stating that “we must not knowingly cause harm to any living thing.” Really? We have always promoted being good stewards of Lake Maxinkuckee as a resource, but statements like that cause us to drift dangerously towards the environmental whacko fringe.
I have taken a position through MCEDC that wind energy is a positive economic resource for Marshall County to use. As a member of LMEF, it appears that I am on the other side of this issue. Before the LMEF meeting I drove to White County and trespassed, walking right up to the base of one of the windmills. I was unmoved…
I really have no personal stake in this issue. I don’t find the the windmills visually objectionable, but I completely understand the position of those that do. I have to question some of the other things being dragged in and exaggerated to bolster their point though. I will continue to read the information from both sides with interest.
Credits to xkcd web comics for the wind turbine comic at the top of the page.
We were recently commissioned to renovate an old garage in Culver. There is nothing more “green” than repurposing an existing structure. Plus in this case the existing structure sits on the property line, so to maintain the current access and location, it had to be remodeled rather than be rebuilt. The existing structure had two walls bowed to the point of being nearly off the foundation. The entire structure was out of plumb in at least two directions, one by approximately 5″ in 7′! It was a rather sad structure. In its pre-renovation condition the local squirrels were getting more use out of it than the property owner. New concrete walks, aprons and a new concrete floor were completed in conjunction with our work by another contractor.
This structure was not the best built in Culver when we arrived at the site. It appears that it was not originally built “square”. We tackled it with the intention of making the best of what was available. We started by grouting the block cores full in the foundation wall where the bottom plate had moved. The allowed us to pull the wall back into position and anchor the wall to the foundation in the correct position. We then reconnected the tie rafters to square the top of the wall. We were only able to partially achieve this goal as shelving had been added which held the wall slighly out of plumb.
At the corners we pushed and pulled them back to as close to plumb as possible. Sheets of OSB sheathing were installed on the inside of the walls at the corners to provide diaphragm framing. This diaphragm framing held the studs in place at their corrected locations.
The existing windows had been installed without headers. We reconstuctioned these openings with headers and installed new windows. The existing entry door was replaced with a standard door size. The existing sliding doors were replaced with sectional overhead doors. We also added new electrical wiring, replacing the old knob & tube wiring. Electrical wiring was brought underground from the house connecting to the existing electrical panel. GFI duplexes (inside and outside), interior lights and exterior wall sconces were added.
To finish out the exterior cosmetic changes we installed new siding, new soffit, new fascia and new architectural shingles. The resulting facelift was a phenominal improvement. Our client should take up a collection! I think the whole neighborhood has been improved by this renovation.
The owner is pleased and christened the renewed structure by camping out in it with her children the first night it was complete.
The framers arrived yesterday morning and by the end of the day most of the walls were standing. (See picture to the right.) The panels come with the exterior sheathing in place. You can see a mix on the sheathing where some of it is an insulation board, but OSB sheathing has been substituted at the corners as diaphragm framing. Often diagonal steel straps are installed at corners in order to avoid breaking the insulation barrier, but in this case there were windows too close to the corners for the strap bracing to work.
We are constantly trying to improve the framing on these structures to be more efficient, both in the use of lumber and in insulation barriers. Thus the change to insulated sheathing from 100% OSB sheathing used on previous Garden Court projects, the use of laddered T- wall corner connections at interior walls and the use of California Corners.
These efficiencies are important to us during construction as they reduce material and labor costs. Since these projects are HUD funded, the budgets are limited. For the owner, Garden Court, these efficiencies will result in savings on utilities over the life of the project.
The Culver Tree Commission purchased new trees and they were installed over Memorial Day Weekend. Their funds are limited so the number of trees planted this year was fewer than in the past years.
Easterday Construction Co., Inc. has lost several trees along our street scape and the Tree Commission has slated one of our trees, a Wild Cherry, for removal. We’re not the prettiest face on the street, but I do think our large Oak trees along the street add character. When I was growing up there was a huge tree in the center of our loop drive, but it has been gone for more than 20 years, recently replaced by a volunteer Tulip Poplar.
For those of you that don’t know, the Culver Tree Commission accepts donations for the purchase of trees. I spoke to Tree Commissioner Dick Brantingham several times over the past few years about starting some replacement trees along our street scape. This year we received two Maple trees and a Honey Locust.
We made a tax deductible donation of $100 per tree to the Marshall County Community Foundation in the name of the Culver Tree Commission. I would consider that a bargain. On top of getting a nice tree planted, the Culver Fire Department takes care of watering the new trees in the first year. (If you’re interested in taking advantage of this and helping the Culver Tree Commission next year, contact Dick Brantingham or Mike Stallings. You can also contact the Town Hall to let them know you’re interested in helping.)
When I first moved back to Culver, I lived on Ohio Street in the house currently occupied by the Wesley United Methodist Church Thrift Shop. One of the nice things about that location was the beautiful tree-lined street. We have several such streets in Culver. Thanks to the efforts of the Culver Tree Commission, we will have more in the future.