Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

We finally know the name of Michael Jordans long-anticipated team: 23XI Racing.

Of course, Jordan wont be the first superstar athlete to make the plunge into NASCAR ownership, nor will he be the first multi-billionaire. However, at age 57, Jordan will be a significantly younger face than many of his counterparts competing in the NASCAR Cup Series

While much focus has been put on the basketball legends highly polarizing foray into NASCAR with partner Denny Hamlin and driver Bubba Wallace, it may be easily overlooked to see that Jordon is potentially giving a solution to a lesser-known problem within NASCAR.

For years, many in the NASCAR community have shown increasing concern with NASCARs aging ownership, as many competitive owners, such as Roger Penske, Richard Childress and Joe Gibbs, are well into their 70s and beyond.

In fact, of the top 20 cars in the current 2020 Cup owner points, each of their owners is beyond the age of 70, with the exception of 49-year-old Tony Stewart and 62-year-old Chip Ganassi.

Still, Jordans team has promised to be competitive from the get-go, meaning he will indeed become the most youthful face in the top half of the garage, assuming his promises hold true.

However, Jordan wont be the youngest in the entire field. In fact, he is not even going to be close, which is especially promising compared to the lay of the land in 2017.

Andrew Murstein (56 years old) is one of the eight majority team owners (or ownership groups) who will be younger than Jordan entering the 2021 season. Murstein, the co-owner of Richard Petty Motorsports, has been leading the charge to transform RPM back into a competitive force, evidenced most recently with the hiring of Erik Jones.

Carl Long (53)has continued to expand his MBM Motorsports team after returning to Cup in 2017. 2020 has marked MBMs first full-season effort.

Following NASCARs two-month hiatus in response COVID-19 pandemic, Tommy Baldwin (53) restarted his part-time team this season after several seasons of no-shows.

The aforementionedTony Stewart (49)has been one of the few owners under the age of 50 across the last decade. Still, Stewart and business partner Gene Haas have transformed their team into a four-car organization that has claimed two championships.

He may have only entered one Cup race so far in 2020, but Matt Kaulig (47) has enthusiastically transformed his NASCAR involvement from a small sponsorship deal to a multi-car powerhouse team in the Xfinity Series. Kaulig has indicated he would like to take his team Cup racing full time in the future.

A relatively new team,Jeff Dickerson (44) and TJ Puchyr have also jumped head-over-heals into NASCAR ownership over the past two years. The co-owners of Spire Motorsports are set to expand from one charter to three (one leased) in 2021.

Michael Jordan isnt the only new owner for 2021, as former driver Justin Marks (39) will introduce his premiering Trackhouse Racing Team with driver Daniel Suarez. At 39, Marks will become the youngest full-time bossman, barring any younger additions.

Then theres owner-driver BJ McLeod (36) taking his team Cup racing for the first time in 2020. Despite just being a part-time Cup effort, McLeod readily expanded his Xfinity team over the last several years and looks to further continue to enrich his NASCAR involvement, with rumors holding that McLeod could be jumping into the series full time in 2021.

While the modern ownership model is slowly shifting younger thanks in part to new owners like Jordan and Marks, it has been painfully gradual.

The NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series is a polar opposite.

Interestingly enough, if Jordan were to make the dive into Truck ownership, he wouldnt be in the top 10 of the youngest owners. He would become the eighth oldest owner, only behind Maury Gallagher, Al Niece, Duke Thorson, Bo LeMastus, Tim Self, Norm Benning and Jim Rosenblum.

It is worth noting that the average age of a Truck owner is well under 50. A great deal of this trend is owed to the resurgence of independents and owner-drivers such as 29-year-old Jordan Anderson and 30-year-old Josh Reaume.

Father-son ownership duos like Kevin and Dawson Cram and Ken and Korbin Forrister have moved the needle down too.

Still, the Truck Series is a development series, both for drivers and owners. While there is youth spread across the board, Marks and McLeod have been the only two who have made the scary jump to the top.

Will Jordans youthful enthusiasm for NASCAR perpetuate a cascade of followers? Only time will tell.

More here:
NASCAR 101: The Youngest Active Owners in NASCAR - Frontstretch.com

These homes from South Yarra to Sorrento and in between are top of our list to inspect.

8 Kintore Street, Camberwell VIC 3124

Camberwell calls for those dreaming of leafy suburbs, good schools and impressive period homes. Part of the coveted Tara Estate, this 1901 late Victorian house was builder Henry Hutchinsons own home. Not surprisingly, he splashed out with fine architectural details including rare tri-coloured brickwork, a return verandah, marble mantelpieces, tiled fireplaces, delicate cornices and stained-glass windows.

The grandeur of the past lives on in the formal sitting and dining rooms family celebration, anyone? Modern additions include a family room, conservatory, upstairs bedroom and en suite. Perfect for a growing family, there are five bedrooms and two bathrooms. The block is large, as is the salt-water swimming pool, and Bourke Road shops are just around the corner. Selling agent Nikki Van Gulick says the house has been well maintained by the owners who are moving after 21 years. The garden is beautiful and you can see it from almost every room.

Expressions of interest: close 5pm November 9

Agent: Marshall White, Nikki Van Gulick 0419 325 911

14 Avoca Street, South Yarra VIC 3141

This pretty terrace offers a lot more than meets the eye. Victorian features happily mix with contemporary chic. Just steps away from Toorak Road shops, the Royal Botanic Gardens is also nearby. Those needing top schools are well catered for. The formal lounge and dining rooms are nicely connected while the kitchen and family zone overlook a generous terrace. Upstairs is a main bedroom, en suite and retreat plus another two bedrooms and bathroom. The surprise here is the basement-level gym, cellar, cinema, bedroom and bathroom. It has an oversize double garage, which is worth its weight in gold in South Yarra, says the agent.

Expressions of interest: close 3pm, November 6

Agent: RT Edgar,Mark Wridgway 0419 510 777

129 Wellington Parade South, East Melbourne VIC 3002

Is this city living at its best? Architect Rob Mills designed this uber-cool town house over three levels to take advantage of its city and park views. Its close to the MCG and the city is within walking distance. Outdoor terraces, high ceilings and beautifully detailed finishes put this in a luxury league of its own. The ground floor comprises a double garage and bedroom or home office. The living areas on the first floor are bookended by terraces with Jolimont Reserve peeping up on the north. Three bedrooms with balconies are on the top floor. The internal lift ensures the longevity of the home, the agent says.

Expressions of interest: close 5pm, November 4

Agent: Kay & Burton,Monique Depierre 0407 881 327

33 Wells Road, Beaumaris VIC 3193

Deep within this striking residence opposite Ilaroo Reserves playground is the warm heart of a 1970s brick house that was waiting for a magic wand. The magic came in the form of a new ultra-modern facade of Monument standing-seam matt cladding an audacious change by the project-driven owner and Black Rock architect Rohan Murley. The practical floor plan was retained and a luxury main bedroom suite was extended into the over-sized front garden. Its an amazing job, says the agent, noting its up-to-the-minute textural finishes, skylights, vertical split doors to an over-sized pantry and a huge all-weather curved deck facing the rear lawn.

Auction: 10am, October 31

Agent: Marshall White, Matthew Pillios 0408 145 982

11/17 Como Avenue, South Yarra VIC 3141

The serene side of South Yarra encircles this petite townhouse in the Como precinct. Cycle beside the Yarra, let the dog run free at Como Park, sip a soy latte from Kanteen and grab a picnic baguette from The Stables of Como Cafe, across the road. The property, in a 1978 low-rise development, has two bedrooms upstairs and a modern kitchen adjoining a living room (with fireplace) opening fully to a west-facing courtyard. Theres an English charm to the place, the agent says. Its a perfect pad for the younger generation, professional couples, those scaling down or for investment.

Auction: 2pm, October 31

Agent: Kay & Burton, Tom Staughton 0411 554 850

21 McCormack Street, Port Melbourne VIC 3207

More than simply an outdoor space, the rooftop terrace on this city-edge townhouse is both a private escape from the ordinary and a fabulous party venue. Its like a world on its own up there, so private and with majestic city views and catching the sun, the agent says. It also has provisions for a barbecue kitchen. The townhouse, built in 2012, is surrounded by popular parks and is 10 minutes walk from the beach. The vendors upgraded the downstairs deck and resurfaced the double-garage floor to make the most of every space.

Auction: noon, October 31

Agent: Belle, David Wood 0418 315 114

26 The Ridgeway, Kensington VIC 3031

4

Beds

2 Baths

Parking

This double-fronted Victorian-era family home is on a generous 400 square metres in a residential pocket that rates 10 out of 10 for walkability to local amenities, the agent says. Its even more of a hotspot since the City of Melbourne nominated nearby Bellair Street as a key precinct for post-lockdown outdoor dining. Block-fronted Fairhaven, where the vendors have lived for 30 years, has a priceless original iron-lacework verandah and scope to upgrade inside. Its convenient here, its quiet, and it has a versatile floor plan with a fourth bedroom that works as a home office, the agent says.

Auction: noon, October 24

Agent: Nelson Alexander, Jayson Watts 0415 940 227

2 Evans Street, Somers VIC 3927

Brimming with top-notch detail, romantic ambience and coastal elegance, this six years young home and its pool, terrace and decks nestle into the lush informal garden nurtured by the green-thumb vendor. The 1450-square-metre corner site features native plantings, sculptural shapes and bursts of colour; pride of place is earned by a multi-trunk lemon-scented gum favoured by visiting koalas. The interior will impress all other visitors. High ceilings, clerestory windows, beautiful timber floors, Italian marble, classic architraves and skirtings the agent lists. Its very evident that its generous in size and quality.

Expressions of interest: close 4pm, November 11

Agent: RT Edgar, Michael Parker 0428 540 500

170 One Tree Hill Road, Smiths Gully VIC 3760

A tight collection of tiny houses forms a romantic Tuscan-look micro-village within exquisite gardens at this surprising eight-hectare property. Various combinations of living areas, kitchens and bedrooms are found in each of the main house, second residence, cottage (the first one built circa the 1930s), a guest house, studio and barn-style loft, along with city views and remarkable bagged mudbrick walls, reclaimed timbers and wood fireplaces. The right person will say this is what theyve been dreaming of, says the agent, a near-neighbour. The lifestyle property with dams and grazing land will appeal for multi-generational living and B&B income.

Private sale

Agent: Jellis Craig, Scott Rawlings 0409 675 408

1330 Frankston-Flinders Road, Somerville VIC 3912

Fernbanks 140-year-old charms have been enhanced by a recent sensitive renovation that has added a new kitchen and casual living area at the back, as well as a large main bedroom, with an en suite and walk-in wardrobe, and a study. The double-fronted late-Victorian weatherboard is on 3550 square metres and is set well back from the road.

Vine-clad verandahs run around three sides of the house and white windows are set against muted exterior paintwork. Inside, the recent renovation has added a contemporary touch to the original large rooms. Three bedrooms are near the front of the house and open from the central hallway. They all have built-in wardrobes and two have fireplaces. A formal sitting room is opposite, and it adjoins the newly added open-plan area.

Private sale

Agent: Bonaccorde Property, Andrew Gillespie 0414 680 512

12 Canterbury Street, Sorrento VIC 3943

Newly built, this large contemporary-style house, which features timber highlights and polished concrete floors, is a short walk to Sorrentos shops and bay beach. A large kitchen, living and dining room extends to a covered outdoor dining area that is, effectively, another room and this overlooks the large north-facing pool and spa that are the focus of the house. Three childrens bedrooms are in a wing to one side of it and the large main bedroom, with an en suite and walk-in wardrobe, are on the other. A theatre, lift, study, games room, parking and storage complete a great package.

Private sale

Agent: Whitefox Real Estate, James Hallahan 0434 517 572

Read this article:
What to see this weekend: the best properties for sale around Victoria right now - Domain News

Forty years ago seems like such a long time. We were just getting into high school. The president was Jimmy Carter. Voyager was able to show the world the rings of Jupiter and The Knack had the top spot on Billboard with the hit song My Sharona. For some it seems like forever ago but for Toyota It marked the year that the brand TRD (Toyota Racing Division) had made and appearance in the U.S. of A.

Over those 40 years the TRD division has been involved in everything from NASCAR and drag racing to making some of the most popular pickup trucks on the market with the Tacoma and Tundra. It only seemed to make sense with all this diversification of product and brain power that they make the jump into the consumer sedan market.

So after a 40 year presence here in America with the TRD brand the folks at Toyota have given their two most popular sedans, the Camry and Avalon an injection of muscle and coolness, and pinning both with the TRD logo!

Right off we were quick to notice many design changes on the exterior of the TRD Camry in very visible aero elements that have been added. Most striking was the addition of a wing across the back on trunk line giving us pause, as we called it our racing Camry for the week.

The designers from Calty Design Research, Toyotas design studio have also given the sedan a more aggressive stance by lowering the body 0.6 inches, adding red brake calipers and an impressive TRD badge for each new Camry.

As an instant testament to the awesome new design, as we pulled into the parking lot of CupBop Korean take-out restaurant stand near Brigham Young University on the Friday night of our test drive, two students appeared almost as if on cue. Both began to question us as to the availability and what it was like to drive the TRD Camry.

Its always a great opportunity to talk with folks about the vehicles we review and test each week but this reaction was not what we had expected from a Toyota Camry. At the end of the 20-minute discussion they both wanted photos of the new TRD-enhanced vehicle to send to their friends and family!

We had to admit after just a few hours of diving the new Camry who really wouldnt want a 300-horsepower sedan, with looks to back up that kind of power? It also comes to reason that there are already many aftermarket parts available for the TRD including a new performance exhaust system. It shouldnt be long until 300 horsepower is just the benchmark for buying a new TRD.

The new Camry comes with a DOHC 3.5-liter V-6 power plant that is tied to an eight-speed automatic transmission and that has a sport mode and paddle shifters on the steering column. The engine also has a specially tuned cat-back dual exhaust that we found gives the TRD a very nice exhaust note. This was especially evident every time we started the sedan in our garage but was also a great edition out on the open road if we gave it just that little extra push for speed.

Over the week of driving and almost 500 miles in mostly an urban setting we did average a very nice 26.5 mpg. We also found the Camry with all of these great additions not only way more fun to drive but it also had some great road manners staying very planted and controllable even on very twisty turns.

Other additions that made for this awesome sport drive were a unique set of TRD shock absorbers along with summer tires that are included on the Camry only. Sport enhanced black alloy wheels rounded out the exterior, and coupled with the dual piston brakes made the Race Camry even better.

The design folks did not leave out the interior when they started changing things around for the Camry, as the red theme played out throughout along with the TRD concept. Red stitching in the seats and on the dashboard along with red TRD logos in the headrest add to the look.

Red is also the theme in the drivers console with red speedometer and tachometer. And if that were not enough, red seat and shoulder belts really made us feel even more like racing around in the Toyota.

The seats were very comfortable and made from a black SofTex with fabric inserts. The only downfall was that they were not heated as Mother Nature finally added a little fall to our weather the day after the Labor Day holiday.

After our week with the TRD version of the Camry we were very impressed with not only the design and handling of the Camry but with how it now stands out in a crowd. Our hats are definitely off to those at Toyota for making this happen.

It has to be hard to take what has become an icon in the automotive world and make something new and exciting with that product. For years the Camry has been the bread and butter sedan for the company, now through the use of the TRD division they have taken the Camry right off the NASCAR circuit and put it right in anyones driveway.

Check out the new Race inspired TRD Camry and add a little excitement to your life. We sure did at least for a week!

Link:
Sunday Drive - 2020 Toyota Camry TRD - Daily Herald

London Bay Renovation was recognized with a top Sand Dollar Award for Best Whole House Remodel of a private residence in Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club.

London Bay Homes has earned its reputation by building luxury homes in Southwest Floridas most exclusive neighborhoods for nearly three decades. And while homebuyer interest in custom building continues to grow, renovation is gaining in popularity among homeowners who prefer to modify their current home to fit their styles of today.

When you bought or built your home five or 10 years ago, it may have been perfect for your needs at the time. But over the years, styles have changed, said London Bay Homes President and CEO Mark Wilson. Maybe youve added grandchildren into your life or developed a new hobby that requires a dedicated and specialized space. Or you find yourself living in a Mediterranean-style home when your design preference skews more coastal contemporary these days. Whatever the reason is, our team works to meld past with present preferences to create seamless new home designs.

This was especially true for one family who had their eyes set on a home in Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club. While the home had stunning views and great bones, its 20-year old faade left some elements to be desired.

Before

The Hellers asked London Bay Renovation to weigh in on the four-bedroom, five-bath residence that caught their attention, and as a collective group, concluded the home needed a complete interior redesign, coupled with some exterior modifications.

It is the second London Bay home we have had, with the first being new construction, said Karen Heller. As satisfied London Bay homeowners, when we decided to do a whole house renovation, we didnt hesitate to work with them again. We knew we would receive excellent workmanship, the highest quality and that they would stand behind everything they did.

The project required gutting of most of the interior from ceilings and walls, to the electric and air conditioning systems. The master suite, a guest bedroom and the laundry room remained intact. The plan also called for adding an additional 500 square feet for a new guest suite to accommodate visiting family and friends.

A granite-heavy kitchen with a banquette was replaced with white marble countertops, crisp white Shaker-style cabinetry with brushed brass hardware and decorative glass-front doors, and a navy-painted island paired with nail-head stools for additional casual seating.

We took a home that was quite dated and focused on a renovation to open up common spaces to the views outside, said Bill Blanchard, Director of Construction for London Bay Renovation. The interior renovation focused on updating the old angular plan with a new rectilinear design that reclaimed wasted space and modernized the home.

Opening common spaces to enhance outdoor views was an equally important goal. The revised plan introduced a great room that opens up to the outdoor living area enhancing the overall livability and function of the home.

To update the homes Neo-Mediterranean exterior, the team retained the arched doorway but eliminated precast elements and heavy details around the entrance. Eschewing the dated terracotta and ochre palette, the exterior was painted to create a fresh lightness, with a dark tone introduced on the garage door and tile roof for dramatic contrast. The transformation continued by adding Bermuda shutters and dark trim to create a clean and timeless design that will look great in another 20 years, and beyond.

Before

We are thrilled with our newly renovated home, added Heller. The end result did not disappoint. It is a dream home that we will enjoy for years with our children, grandchildren, extended family and friends. The home was recognized by the Collier Building Industry Associations Sand Dollar Awards program for a top award in the $800,001-$900,000 category for Best Whole House Remodel.

London Bay Renovation covers the spectrum of home-improvement services, from complete interior and exterior makeovers and room additions, to kitchen and bath renovations and architectural and design accents. The companys commitment to Private Label Living ensures each project reflects the individual client and the home they envision. London Bay Renovation works in Southwest Floridas most exclusive neighborhoods to renovate luxury homes and condominiums built by both London Bay Homes and other builders. Its in-house team of experts includes designers and contractors, construction management and the award-winning design professionals working together to develop inspired design solutions that are in total alignment with homeowners goals. The experience is complimented by London Bay Homes personalized design process through its Selection Studio. The 3,500-square-foot studio showcases the latest design trends from flooring and cabinet selections to countertops and appliances, clients can enjoy a smooth renovation process all under one roof.

To schedule a visit and learn more about renovating with London Bay, call 239-298-7623 or visit http://www.LondonBay. com/ Renovation.

View original post here:
London Bay Renovation transforms 20-year old home into award-winning design - Florida Weekly

TheU.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has granted FMC Corporation registration for Vantacorinsect control in a range of crops including cotton, soybeans, corn, peanuts, potatoes, sweet corn, sugarcane and onions.

Vantacor is a highly concentrated formulation of Rynaxypyractive the industry standard for long residual control of Lepidopteran pests. It offers the same pest spectrum and activity as Prevathoninsect control powered by Rynaxypyrbut with a much lower use rate typically 0.7-2.0 fluid ounces per acre compared to 14-20 fluid ounces per acre. It also offers extended residual control of key worm species, reducing the need for multiple applications per season.

All the things growers know and love about Prevathon insect control extended control of Lepidopterans, tank-mix flexibility, no flaring of mites or aphids and preservation of many important beneficial insects are also conveyed by Vantacor insect control, says John McCool, FMC Insecticides Product Manager. In addition, the new formulation offers improved mixing, low use rates and less packaging. That means growers will spend less time handling and hauling jugs, shuttles and pumps to and from fields. Overall, it enhances growers productivity whether its in the form of time or fuel savings.

The list of Lepidopteran pests controlled by Vantacor includes:

FMC is committed to delivering products that maintain a safe and secure food supply with minimal impact on the planet. The company has pledged to invest 100% of its research and development spend on sustainably advantaged products by 2025.

Vantacor insect control is an example of FMC using its formulation expertise to shrink our environmental footprint while still delivering reliable insect control,says McCool. Thats a win for the grower, the environment and FMC.

More information about Vantacor insect control is available online or from your FMC Star Retailer.

Based on information provided by FMC Corporation

Go here to read the rest:
EPA Approves Vantacor Insect Control for Cotton and Other Crops - Cotton Grower

When thinking about renovating their homes, homeowners may imagine changing wall colors, expanding room sizes or upgrading appliances and fixtures.

However, unless people take inventory of the less glamouros components of the home, such as structure, plumbing, heating and cooling and insulation, other improvements may be for naught.

A home insulation project certainly doesn't offer the wow factor of a kitchen remodel, but insulation serves a vital function in the house that helps keep people comfortable and reduces energy consumption.

Insulation is typically placed in areas where air escapes, such as between the stud cavities inside the walls and in the attic, and serves to slow and reduce heat transfer.

The U.S. Department of Energy says between 50 and 70 percent of the energy used in homes is for heating and cooling. By improving home insulation, homeowners can make their homes more comfortable, consistent and efficient. In fact, the ENERGY STAR program overseen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says homeowners stand to save an average of 15 percent on heating and cooling costs by adding proper insulation.

To do so, homeowners can take a crash course in home insulation and find the products that fit their needs.

Blanket batts and rolls typically are constructed with fiberglass, so proper safety gear, such as a mask and gloves, is needed when handling them. Installing this type of insulation is relatively easy since the materials are designed to fit the standard width between studs, rafters and floor joists.

Loose fill is usually made of fiberglass or cellulose (recycled paper fiber). It is blown or sprayed into place with pneumatic equipment, according to The Home Depot.

Loose fill can be ideal for hard-to-reach areas in attics or inside wall cavities. It's good for adding insulation to irregularly shaped areas. Since it requires special equipment, this is a job best left to professionals.

Sprayed foam is just as the name implies, a foam made from polyurethane, polyisocyanurate, cementitious or other materials that are applied by a spray container. DIYers who need only small applications can use canned products . Large quantities are pressure-sprayed by professionals.

Ideal for unfinished walls, such as basement or foundation walls, floors and ceilings, these are boards of polyurethane or polystyrene. Foam boards tend to reduce energy consumption more effectively than other types of insulation.

See the original post here:
Types of home insulation and where to install them - Reading Eagle

While President Donald Trump has baselessly attacked plans to eradicate fossil fuel-based sources of energy from the United States' power grid on the grounds that doing so would be expensive and economically destructive, a new analysis reveals the opposite to be trueaggressively transitioning to 100% renewables would save Americans up to $321 billion per year while reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions that are heating the planet.

The report (pdf), No Place Like Home: Fighting Climate Change (And Saving Money) by Electrifying America's Households, published Wednesday by Rewiring America shows that a complete switch to clean energy sources like solar and wind would not only put the U.S. on a path toward zero emissions, but it would also save each household on average between $1,050 to $2,585 per year on utility bills.

"Too often we are told doing the right thing for the environment requires sacrifice and costs more," Adam Zurofsky, executive director of the energy policy organization, told The Guardian. "But no one is talking about the upsidewe can actually make a better economy and save people money and a byproduct will be to cut emissions from residential buildings."

According to the study, more than 40% of the nation's energy-related carbon emissions are determined by daily activities like bathing, cooking, and commuting. Today, most of the household appliances and neighborhood infrastructure used to facilitate refrigeration, lighting, heating, cooling, and mobility are powered by fossil fuels.

But, the researchers explain, the process of extracting and delivering dirty energy to households and communities is enourmously wasteful and costly.

If we "electrify" residential buildings and "decarbonize" what the authors call "life infrastructure" by linking household consumption to renewable sources of power, we can reduce energy use, costs, and emissions, they say, and therefore "fight climate change starting right in our own homes."

The report states that "electrification is the only viable pathway to decarbonizing a household." The authors say that doing so "is possible with the technology we have now," giving several examples of changes that could be adopted:

We can decarbonize our driving with electric cars, and charge them cleanly with solar on our rooftops and renewable electricity from the grid. Where most homes now burn methane in the kitchen to run the stove, we can switch to electric induction for cooking... We can use electric water heaters, or better still, heat pump hot water heaters that more efficiently provide us with hot showers and warm water. A heat pump, potentially with energy storage cheaply attached, can replace our furnace or other heating systems with electricity. We can buy electric clothes dryers to replace natural gas ones.

"To make this all work," the report notes, "we need to install a bigger load center, wire in electric car chargers, and attach a battery capable of running the loads in the house for a half day or so."

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One of the biggest barriers to change may be the high upfront costs associated with upgrading household infrastructureyet, as the report points out, "we only succeed in fighting climate change if all households can transition to the new economy."

In order to ensure an equitable and environmentally just future, the authors advocate harnessing the power of the state to implement "creative policy solutions," from low-cost financing to direct purchasing assistance for low- and moderate-income households and those with low credit scores.

Zurofsky told The Guardian that "the federal government can make it 'dirt cheap' for people to switch to renewables," especially now that solar is the cheapest form of electricityin human history.

In addition to public subsidies, the report acknowledges that "regulatory reform and restructuring of monopoly control of energy services is absolutely necessary."

Transforming household energy consumption would not only result in the decarbonization of more that 40% of the U.S. economy, but the efficiency gains would also generate savings that "are more than enough to return money to households," Zurofsky said.

As the report notes, "It is the poorest households that have the most to gain from household energy savings."

The authors write that "if we apply the same technologies and approaches to the commercial sector, it would eliminate around 65% of emissions."

Bryan Snyder, an energy and environment expert at Louisiana State University, told The Guardian that such an undertaking would be difficult because it would require the country "to build an electrical generation system on top of our roofs that is the same size as contemporary U.S. generation," while regional inconsistencies in sunlight would add to the challenge.

Zurofsky retorted that the widespread adoption of rooftop solar power is feasible. "That does not mean it will be easy to do," he said, "or that we won't have to stretch our existing capacities to make it happen."

According to Zurofsky, Rewiring America's new reportwhich echoes a recent study by the Economic Policy Institute confirming thatinvestments in energy efficiency and clean energy would create millions of jobsis meant to demonstrate "what the future can look like if we are motivated to make it so."

The rest is here:
'What the Future Can Look Like': Study Shows US Switch to 100% Renewables Would Save Hundreds of Billions Each Year - Common Dreams

Press release from North Haven Fire Department:

Oct. 22, 2020

Chief Paul Januszewski and the North Haven Fire Department encourage residents to test their smoke and carbon monoxide detectors when setting their clocks back for daylight saving time.

Daylight saving ends Sunday, Nov. 1 at 2 a.m.

"Testing and changing batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are quick and easy habits that can prevent fires and save lives," Chief Januszewski said. "We encourage all of our residents to change the batteries inside their smoke and carbon monoxide detectors when they change their clocks for daylight saving time."

According to the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF), working smoke detectors decrease the risk of dying in home fires by nearly half. Additionally, in many reported home fires in which smoke detectors were present but did not operate, the batteries had been removed or the detector was disconnected due to dead battery alerts or nuisance alarms.

The National Fire Protection Association reports that three of every five home fire deaths resulted from fires in homes with no smoke detectors (38%) or no working smoke detectors (21%). Additionally, dead batteries caused one-quarter (24%) of the smoke detector failures.

The North Haven Fire Department also asks that all business owners not only change their clocks, but also change the batteries in their smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and replace the batteries on wall mounted emergency lights and exit signs. All businesses should have emergency backup lighting as a safety feature to provide temporary lighting in case of power failure.

In order to keep your family and home safe, North Haven Fire recommends that residents follow safety tips outlined by IAFF:

The North Haven Fire Department would also like to remind residents that carbon monoxide and smoke detectors are not interchangeable and should never be disconnected. The best practice for checking your carbon monoxide and smoke detectors is to do so monthly.

From Monday, Oct. 26 to Friday, Nov. 13, the North Haven Fire Department will be offering free 9-volt batteries for North Haven residents. Residents interested in receiving 9-volt batteries can pick them up at the Fire Headquarters, 11 Broadway, North Haven, Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Supplies are limited.

For more information on smoke detector and CO detector safety, visit the IAFF website or contact the North Haven Fire Department at 203-239-5321.

This press release was produced by North Haven Fire Department. The views expressed here are the author's own.

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North Haven FD: Check Smoke And CO Detectors - Patch.com

A new feature-length documentary film profiling the meticulous, Harboe Architects-led restoration of Frank Lloyd Wrights Unity Temple in Oak Park, Illinois, will be available to stream for a limited time on Vimeo starting October 30. This special preview screening/fundraising period will conclude on November 15 with a panel discussion hosted by filmmaker Lauren Levine discussing the documentary and the momentous effort to preserve one of Wrights most iconic early works for future generations. Virtual tickets for the film, titled Unity Temple: Frank Lloyd Wrights Modern Masterpiece, cost $20 and include access to the Zoom-based panel.

Proceeds from ticket sales will help support four additional Wright sites in addition to Unity Temple: Taliesin, Taliesin West, Fallingwater, and the Hollyhock House in Los Angeles. (Despite being geographically disparate, all five of these works collectively comprise a single UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with the Frederick C. Robie House, the Herbert and Katherine Jacobs House, and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.)

Narrated by Brad Pitt, Unity Temple: Frank Lloyd Wrights Modern Masterpiece dives into the rich history of the reinforced concrete (a then-audacious choice) house of worship. Commissioned in 1905, Unity Temple was completed in 1908 following a string of construction delays, modifications, technical difficulties, and cost overruns.

Wright, 41-years-old at the time of the churchs completion, had settled in Oak Park, a growing suburb directly west of Chicago, in the late 1880s. Wright took on numerous residential projects in and around Oak Park during the beginning of the 20th century including early Prairie-style homes. Wildly experimental for its time, Unity Temple was not only Wrights first major public buildingits also widely considered his most significant work and a vastly influential forebear of the modern architecture movement. Unity Temple makes an entirely new architectureand is the first expression of it. That is my contribution to modern architecture, Wright later said.

The project was also a deeply personal commission for the young architect, who was a member of the Unitarian Universalist congregation that the church was built to serve. (Unity Temples predecessor, the Oak Park Unity Church, was destroyed in a fire in 1905.)

Over the decades, Unity Temple has suffered from various structural problems and maintenance woes, namely water damage. Early efforts to safeguard the church led to the formation of the Unity Temple Restoration Foundation (UTRF) in 1970, a secular, preservation-minded organization that, thirty years later, began devising a comprehensive restoration master plan in partnership with the church. Unity Temple was named both a National Historic Landmark and added to the National Register of Historic Places the same year UTRF was established.

Fast-forward nearly four wear, tear, and leak-filled decades later to 2009 when the UTRFs push to preserve the ailing church became all the more urgentand widely-publicizedwith its inclusion on the National Trust for Historic Preservations 11 Most Endangered Historic Places List. In 2015, Unity Temple closed to the public and restoration work kicked off in earnest. The multi-year, $25 million effort, which involved painstaking interior and exterior work including on the buildings art glass windows and multitude of leak-prone flat roofs, was completed and reopened in the summer of 2017 for both worship andguided public tours led by the Chicago-based Frank Lloyd Wright Trust. The restoration was met with widespread acclaim and much like with the churchs drawn-out construction, the patience of all involved certainly paid off.

Over the course of the documentarys 55-minute run time, Levine chronicles the reawakening of Unity Temple with input and insight from the restoration team including lead architect Gunny Harboe, members of the Unity Temple congregation, and a range of architectural historians and critics including Paul Goldberger and Blair Kamin. As for Pitt, he steps in to narrate the architects philosophies, according to a press release.

I hoped to convey a window into Wrights mind, beyond the often repeated autobiographical mainstream material, so that we could better understand Wrights guiding philosophy and intent that his buildings reflect the people who use them, said Levine. It was important to capture both the tremendous task and details of the restoration itself as well as the spirit, diversity and commitment of the congregation who continue to bring the building to life.

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A Brad Pitt-narrated documentary about restoring the Unity Temple will soon be available for streaming - The Architect's Newspaper

The earthquake struck in seconds, but three years later restorers still face a monumental task: about half of the 2,340 colonial-era buildings and churches damaged in the 2017 Mexico quake still need to be repaired, restored or partially rebuilt.

It is a titanic challenge: crumbling old stone and lime mortar walls and domes, without an ounce of cement or rebar, have to be built back with the same ancient materials

But that doesnt mean the work is primitive. At the Nuestra Seora de Los Angeles church near downtown Mexico City the restoration work has a space-age feel: towering curved metal support structures are delicately lowered into place by huge cranes, to support the half-collapsed dome of the church. Meanwhile, the other, standing half of the 100-ton dome looms 80 feet (25 meters) above workers.

There is always a sensation of risk being in there, of course, because you sense that pieces could come falling down at any time, said Antonio Mondragn, the architect at the National Institute of Anthropology and History who leads the restoration effort. Any material that comes flying down from 25 meters (yards) would be very dangerous. There is always a risk, and we know we cant stay inside very long.

Mondragn has gained a respect for the old church a chapel built in the late 1500s stood here, of which only a portion of one wall remains, while the collapsed dome was built between 1740 and 1884 calling it noble. The dome didnt collapse at the moment of the quake, but rather five days later, leaving time to get people and precious objects out.

It is so dangerous to stand beneath the remains of the dome that the tons of steel structures are made off-site and then gingerly lowered into the crater at the center where the dome once stood; the steel beams simultaneously brace the remaining walls of the cupula, provide a work platform just under the dome and the arch over the top, to provide trusses for a temporary metal roof.

The experts working on projects like this across Mexico face some of the same issues confronting restorers everywhere, like Frances re-building of the Notre Dame Cathedral: are the materials and craftsmen's skills of centuries ago still available? How can you explain delays to impatient modern citizens, for whom construction is something that is done in weeks or months?

It is true that some of the finer, more specialized knowledge of these (construction) crafts has been lost. This work is still being done, perhaps more clumsily, but the crafts remain and people know how to work with these materials, Mondragn says, referring to the quarry stone and super-light tezontle volcanic stone used to build the original dome. But with quarries near the city depleted or filled in to create housing Mondragn says in effect, it gets harder every day to find good material.

Initially, restorers thought that they would have to dismantle what remained of the dome and re-assemble it piece by piece, Mondragn said. But they realized that the cause of the collapse had been an enormously heavy central cupola that stood atop the dome and which had been leaning out of level because the church was unevenly sinking into Mexico Citys notoriously swampy soil. So the collapsed part could be rebuilt and mated with the remaining structure.

The $2 million restoration effort at Nuestra Seora de los Angeles will take at least two years more; impatient residents often ask experts why it is taking so long. To date, about 1,100 of the 2,340 damaged structures have been restored.

Architect Fernando Duarte Soriano is restoring churches for the Institute, known as the INAH, in the neighboring state of Morelos. He points to the barrel-vault roof from the 1500s of the former convent of San Juan Bautista in Tlayacapan, Morelos that cracked and partly collapsed in the 2017 quake.

Sometimes with community members, we face a situation where they say it has been so long, and you havent finished,' says Duarte Soriano, noting that original materials like lime mortar, wood and stone take longer. Imagine, these structures sometimes took as long as 100 years to be built ... and in three years, we have managed to consolidate the structure.

While the Tlayacapan convent, started in 1554, soon after the conquest, is nearing completion there are dozens of other churches that need urgent attention.

Duarte Soriano headed up teams that went out immediately after the 2017 quake to inspect 159 damaged buildings in Morelos, often at enormous personal risk. The truth is there are vaults on the verge of collapsing, collapsed bell towers, domes, buttresses and walls that were falling down. At times it wasnt safe to go into all those places, there was a chance that part of it was going to come down on top of you.

Unable to correct inclinations in some structures, the best restoration work will still leave some buildings leaning at crazy angles, steadied with steel cables and counterweights.

Nor were the original builders centuries ago faultless geniuses; the restoration work has uncovered some elementary errors, like the use of rounded river-stones in the lower parts of some walls. Their round shapes are inherently unstable and dont hold mortar well.

Experts restoring buildings and monuments here have faced every kind of challenge: how to replace a bent old steel support completely encapsulated inside a slender stone column hundreds of feet tall; how to fix foundations sunk in swampy soil; how to restore church bell towers that are central to village life. There have even been fires and takeovers by homeless people at one church under restoration.

Filiberto Arias Araujo, the parish priest at the San Juan Bautista church in Tlayacapan, explains the importance of the bells in Mexican village life. Church bells are commonly rung as an alarm in emergencies, or toll to gather townspeople together. After San Juan Bautistas bell towers were damaged in 2017, the town went silent for three years.

They rang the bells recently as a test, Arias Araujo said of the restoration experts. They wanted to see if there were any vibrations, especially in the facade, and the people were saying Great! We got shivers hearing what we hadnt heard in three years, our bells, the voice of our town.

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Mexico halfway through quake restoration of old churches - The Independent