Tips
Ice Dams
We’ve been dealing with ice dams this winter. Several clients have had issues in locations that they have never occurred before. Usually when they call though, the “dam” comes first and the spelling is different… Often it’s unclear if this new occurrence is due to a change in conditions with the building or an unusual weather pattern.
Ice dams are what occur at the eaves on buildings where snow and ice melt on a roof and the resulting water runs to the edge of the roof and refreezes. The dam actually occurs outside the building wall envelope. Unattended, water created by the dam can cause rot to occur on the roof deck and possibly on structural members, it can saturate insulation causing loss of R value, and eventually damage to interior finishes such as drywall, paint and wood trim.
Typical Ice Dam Condition
The typical ice dam is caused by a combination of poor attic insulation and poor attic ventilation. Heat escapes from inside of the building and into the attic. The heat in the attic warms the roof and causes the snow on the roof to melt. The water from the snow melt runs down the roof towards the eave. As it passes over the exterior wall where the roof hasn’t been warmed, the water refreezes and an ice dam forms. As the ice dam forms, it stops the water from reaching the eave and escaping. As the water refreezes, it expands and pushes back up the roof and often under the shingles. As it pushes up under the shingles, it breaches the weathertight barrier. As it passes back over the exterior wall, it gets back to the warm area and thaws again. The resulting water then drips in the attic. This is when the water problem occurs and is often the first time the ice dam becomes apparent.
ECO Countertop
ECO is a new countertop by Cosentino. It’s not one that I have seen personally, but I have read several articles about it. It is made of 75% recycled materials. According to their website, this includes:
- Mirrors salvaged from houses, building and factories;
- Glass from windshields, windows and bottles;
- Granulated glass from consumer recycling practices;
- Porcelain from china, tiles, sinks, toilets and ECO by Cosentino products.
These items are bound together by an environmentally friendly resin that comes in part from corn oil.
One of the articles I have read on this was from the December 2009 issue of Multifamily Executive where it is touted for its durability. It is apparently comparable to granite for durability. It is also in the same price range.
Metal Buildings and “Green” Construction
Pre-Engineered Metal Buildings (PEMB’s) are one of the most environmentally friendly forms of construction for large scale projects. Almost by definition, the PEMB is optimized to provide the required building function with the minimum of waste. Couple that with the fact that steel is a recyclable material and this adds to the green aspect of PEMB construction.
We recently received a letter from Butler Manufacturing Company (BMC) talking about the new EcoCalculator and how it applies to PEMB construction. The letter included the following quote: “Our type of construction customarily instills a level of predictability in terms of cost, erection time and quality,” said David E. Evers, PE, vice president of research and development for Butler Manufacturing and chairman of the Energy Committee for the Metal Building Manufacturers Association. “The growing interest in applying metal building structural, roof and wall assemblies to ‘green’ buildings has led to their inclusion in the development and acceptance of a tool known as the EcoCalculator for Assemblies developed by The Athena Institute, in association with the University of Minnesota and Morrison Hershfield Consulting Engineers (http://www.athenasmi.org/tools/ecoCalculator/indec/html). This remarkable software provides architects, engineers, contractors and others instant access to Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for hundreds of common building sections, including a number of typical metal building assemblies.”
Metal Building construction is one of the “green” ideas that makes sense. Easterday Construction Co., Inc. has been a Butler Builder for over 30 years and has always been pleased by the quality of the BMC product. This is one of the construction ideas that was “green” long before green grew to its current popularity!
Francis Ellert in the General Assembly
Culver Citizen article announcing Francis Ellert's candidacy 12-10-09
I had lunch with Francis last Friday. I’ve been friends with Francis for more than a decade now. We met when we served on the Culver Chamber of Commerce Board together. He is someone I respect and we meet on occasion to attempt to solve the world’s problems… or at least to discuss how they’re currently affecting us.
Well, Francis has stepped up and is taking it to the next level. He has made the choice to get politically involved and actually do something about it. He has announced that he is running for the District 17 State Representative position. Not that he hasn’t been involved before now. He has served on many boards such as the Chamber Board where I met him. He’s well known in the community and I think he has an excellent shot at this.
I’m pretty stoked about the possibility of having someone of Francis’s quality representing us in the General Assembly. He has a good head on his shoulders and and he’s not afraid to take on a challenge. Plus, the main thing I like about Francis is that I know he will listen. I am constantly frustrated by politicians that make decisions for us without understanding the issues. How hard is it to ask those that it will affect? I trust Francis to make informed decisions. I also trust him to have the humility to accept it when I bust his chops if he slips up on this! Ha!
Best wishes for a successful campaign, Francis! I think we would all benefit from your success in this endeavor.
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Update: WTCA Radio has some good background information on Francis on a web page here.
Georgia Guidestones
Georgia Guidstones
Last week Becky and I took some time off and went south. The 5 degree temperatures this morning made us wonder why we came back!
We spent some time in Atlanta with friends and one of the things we did was visit the Georgia Guidestones. The Guidestones are in Elbert County, Georgia, east of Atlanta. They’re on a hilltop out in the country and a little difficult to find. I had read about them in a newspaper article a while back and we’re always looking for interesting things to do while we’re there. This was a nice drive and an interesting display.
The stones have a sort of manifesto inscribed on them, which appears to be a blueprint for a new civilization after some catastrophic event. It is carved into the stones in eight different languages. They read as follows:
- Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature.
- Guide reproduction wisely – improving fitness and diversity.
- Unite humanity with a living new language.
- Rule passion – faith – tradition – and all things with tempered reason.
- Protect people and nations with fair laws and just courts.
- Let all nations rule internally resolving external disputes in a world court.
- Avoid petty laws and useless officials.
- Balance personal rights with social duties.
- Prize truth – beauty – love – seeking harmony with the infinite.
- Be not a cancer on the earth – Leave room for nature – Leave room for nature.
They have several precise cuts in the stones that have astronomical significance, such as a hole through which the North Star can be seen and and an aperture in the capstone that allows a ray of sunlight to shine through at noon each day. One of the other interesting things is that there is a time capsule and some inscriptions that remain unfinished, even though, by all accounts, the work was completed per specifications.
It’s unfortunate that some individuals have taken it upon themselves to deface them. Whatever their intent, the Guidestones are an interesting feature on the landscape. It’s probably not something I would make another trip to see, but it was worth one visit.
Wikipedia has an entry on the Georgia Guidestones here. More of the story about how the Guidestones came to be can be found at the Wired Magazine site here.
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MacKenzie Ledley - Executive Director, Pulaski County Public Library