Natural Beauties| 08 - Schmidt Custom Homes

MAR C H / AP R I L 20 1 4
Natural Beauties | 08
Two Custom Homes Capitalize
on Their Natural Surroundings
Chess Moves | 07
Beyond the Business Card | 17
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Pine wood, Wheat stain and Satin Taupe hardware
with light-filtering Marigold shades.
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PHOTO: GERRY KEHOE FOR THE MZO GROUP
table of contents
Natural Beauties ............ 08
MARCH/ APRI L 2014
Two Custom Homes Capitalize
on Their Natural Surroundings
Natural Beauties | 08
Two Custom Homes Capitalize
on Their Natural Surroundings
Chess Moves | 07
Beyond the Business Card | 17
Editorial:
The Design Cycle .............. 05
17
Mark Richardson:
Chess Moves ..................... 07
Beyond the
Business Card ................... 17
21
New Products .................... 21
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Cover: Texas Hill Country
home overlooking Wimberley
Valley and the Blanco River
was built on a sloping hillside.
Builder: Schmidt Custom
Homes Architect: Burleson
Design Group
Photo: Casey L. Fry
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Mark Richardson
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The Design Cycle
At one point during my three days of walking the Las Vegas Convention Center and
taking in the new products at the combined International Builders’ Show/Kitchen & Bath
Industry Show, I was standing in the shuttle bus line with a few designers.
We chatted about the appliances and products that impressed us. Retractable screen
doors, tilt-and-turn windows, refrigerators with inside-cavity door hinges, pull-down
shelving, and custom counters made with two different textures and stainless steel were
among the sights mentioned. We all saw booths where appliance manufacturers had
tossed the trim kits to roll out refrigerators and wall ovens that can install flush with
cabinets and counter edges. The new kitchen and bath layout, according to the conversation, is all about integrating movement with efficiency and getting rid of clutter.
Others in the bus queue shared that conference speakers predicted color popularity
could be influenced this year by global attractions such as the Sochi Olympics or the
World Cup in Brazil. One fellow said that the “in” look for kitchens and baths seemed to
be “European.” Counters, cabinets, appliances, sinks, and layouts at many booths sported
sleek minimalism with lots of black and gray.
Then Allison, a designer from Long Island, N.Y., said something about these design
trends that even I could understand. Home designs tend to be trimmed down and
simple during a bad economy, and we’re still in a very slow recovery, she said. During an
economic boom, design is flashier and more ornate; color schemes tend to be bolder—remember mocha and jewel tones—and brighter.
“I can tell just by looking at the decor of a house or a room whether that space was
designed when the economy was good or bad,” she told us.
So when I had a chance, I checked out magazine photos of houses, kitchens, and
bathrooms from previous decades. “The Better Homes and Garden Decorating Book” and
“House Beautiful” archives included a good number of rooms with futons, throw rugs,
hanging plants, white hardboard cabinets, and antique white and pastel colors during
1981, when double-digit inflation and unemployment reigned. By 1988, well after Fed
chief Paul Volcker whipped stagflation, colors turned bolder, even floral. Monster Hollywood dressing rooms appeared with large white light bulbs framing bathroom mirrors.
Overhead pot racks and ways to incorporate storage into design were pervasive since we
needed more room to accommodate all the stuff we were accumulating.
To my untrained eye, I could see decor swinging from simple to opulent and back
again as the country moved in and out of recessions. But even as far back as the 1970s,
amid the photo galleries of country, vintage, and Manhattan kitchens, was the “Finnish”
or “modern” kitchen featuring the clean horizontal lines, maximum counter space, and
minimal cabinets that were similar to layouts displayed at the show just a couple weeks
ago. Like fashion, some home design ideas are just cyclical.
Mike Beirne
[email protected]
www.CustomBuilderOnline.com
Custom Builder
5
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building entrepreneurship
Chess Moves
Today’s great business leaders are masters of thinking several moves ahead.
By Mark Richardson, CR, Contributing Editor
I
am not a master of chess, but I do
think there are some parallels between
the game and the leadership skills
needed to run a business today.
Average chess players really only have
the proficiency to watch their opponent’s
previous move and then react. They may
have a feel for what they want to accomplish and certainly have the game’s goal in
mind, but predicting the opponent’s move
is difficult.
Master chess players think several moves
ahead. They can lead their opponent with
some of their moves to accomplish the
outcome they want, and they may give
up a key game piece to capture a better
piece later. A master chess player not only
generally wins but also does so efficiently,
using little time and just a few moves.
Today’s great business leaders are masters of business chess moves. They not only
have a very clear vision of where they are
now with the opponent (the market and
competition), but also know the multiple
moves that will be required to get to the
next level of growth. Masters of the game
of business also are students of the game.
Some moves are driven by market opportunities, some by the competency of their
present team, and some by personal motivations and goals. While my columns are
often driven by actions you can put into
practice, the following are a few thoughts
or notions for you to contemplate.
1) Which part of your job will you
give up next? As your business grows,
you will need to delegate more. If you are
leading sales/production/operations, then
you will need to either groom someone to
take over one of these areas or bring in
someone from the outside. This transition
can be a tough one, but it is critical to
think a couple of moves ahead. If your real
strength (and love) is sales, then bring in
or promote someone to be the director of
production, so you can grow your revenues. Many times these transitions require
genuine buy-in from other team members
to be effective, so think about the preliminary chess moves you need to make before
moving forward.
2) Don’t assume that every team
member will advance. You may have
a plan but don’t assume you have the
sophistication and competency on your
team to execute it. As the business grows,
the complexity required at different positions also changes. A good salesperson
may not become a great sales manager.
A loyal bookkeeper may not have the
knowledge base to grow into a controller or CFO. While it is important that
everyone is encouraged to grow, the skills
and thought processes really change at
high-level positions.
3) Human resources may be the most
important move to make early. We often
think about getting the sales and production teams in order before positioning
the company for growth. HR usually is
relegated to the roles of managing benefits and handling grievances. But a great
HR director is a great recruiter, strong at
retention, a team-training developer, and
a culture expert. This person will help
make your vision come to life. A good
HR manager wakes up every day helping
you reduce the risks that often can derail
your vision.
While these three concepts are the
product of a little gray hair and hard-won
insights, the most important message I
can bestow is that you need to become a
master at thinking several moves ahead. It
is key to your success and growth. CB
Mark Richardson, CR, is an author, columnist, and business
growth strategist. He is the author of the best-selling book,
“How Fit is Your Business,” as well as his latest book,“Fit to
Grow.” He can be reached at mrichardson@mgrichardson.
com or 301.275.0208.
www.CustomBuilderOnline.com
Custom Builder
7
Natural Beauties
GRAPHIC CREDIT
Site characteristics shaped the design of these
two homes, which have spectacular views of
water, hills, and valleys from every room.
8
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March/April|2014
primary residences
By Susan Bady, Senior Contributing Editor
A
custom home on a choice-view lot needs to be properly oriented.
Often such properties are irregularly shaped and have multiple
elevation changes that can be challenging, as was the case with
the two residences featured here. But the builders and architects
applied their skill and experience to create homes that capitalize
on the natural beauty of each site.
Surveying the seascape
This Cape Cod, Mass., home
was framed to withstand
hurricane-force winds
and has hurricane-rated
window glazing. The siding
is dipped cedar shingles
and the roofing is 30-year
architectural shingles.
Right: The kitchen is a true
baker’s kitchen, says builder
Pat Sciuto.There are two
ovens, two sinks, a wine
refrigerator, and a walk-in
butler’s pantry.The cabinets
were custom built and painted,
and the 8-by-12-foot island has
a walnut countertop.
PHOTOS: GERRY KEHOE FOR THE MZO GROUP
There was no question that this 3,754-square-foot home on the western coast of
Cape Cod, Mass., would make the most of its ocean views. The house is less than a
mile from the water and nestled among lush, rolling uplands.
The clients, an empty-nester couple, wanted a traditional New England farmhouse with a wraparound porch, similar to another home designed by the architect, Andrew Zalewski of The MZO Group, Stoneham, Mass.
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9
primary residences
Coffered ceilings in
the kitchen and family
room provide spatial
definition without walls.
“Because it’s an open
plan, we needed beams
to hold the ceiling
up,” says architect
Andrew Zalewski. “We
integrated those beam
lines into patterns and
coffers on the ceiling.”
The bonus room over the garage is used as a bunk room for the homeowners’
visiting grandchildren.
“The big thing [for the wife] was to have a kitchen on the
ocean side,” Zalewski says. “She wanted a lot of glass so she
could look out and see the water each morning.”
The lot is about 10 feet above the street, so Harbor Homes
Building and Remodeling of East Falmouth, Mass., smoothed out
the grade for the driveway approaching the rear-loaded garage.
Zalewski made the back of the house a bit wider to accommodate windows in the other rooms. The main living area and the
porch share the view angles as well as all the bedroom suites.
10
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March/April|2014
One of the second-floor bedrooms has a fi replace and access
to a deck overlooking the ocean.
There’s a first-floor laundry room for the homeowners as well as
a second-floor laundry room for guests.
But the primary focus is the porch, which Zalewski calls an
“active porch.” Ordinarily this would be the back deck, but here
it’s a 12-foot-wide porch with plenty of room for furniture. “It was
important [to the clients] to provide a nice streetscape for the
neighborhood,” he says. “The front porch is a gift to the street.”
The open plan, augmented by sensibly placed wall elements,
keeps the desired traditional feel, yet the flow is quite modern
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primary residences
zone, so special framing connections and calculations were
required to satisfy local building officials that it could withstand
winds of 100 miles per hour or more.
In more than one way, this home is a dream come true for
the clients. “They actually looked at this piece of property when
they were much younger but didn’t buy,” Sciuto says. “Years
later they returned and it was back on the market, so they
bought it. It seemed like it was meant for them.”
A little romance, a little country
Another empty-nester couple wanted a home that would grow
with them through the years. They purchased 12 acres of rolling terrain in Texas Hill Country, overlooking the Wimberley
Valley and the Blanco River, and plunged into planning their
dream house with the help of architect Rick Burleson and
builder Cody Schmidt.
Schmidt, principal of Schmidt Custom Homes in Dripping
Springs, Texas, describes the 2,800-square-foot home as masculine on the outside with a romantic, feminine feel on the inside.
“The two mesh together very well,” Schmidt says.
PHOTOS: ©CASEY L. FRY
in concept. The ceiling treatments use traditional elements to
enhance the structural members that allow for an open floor plan.
The entire second floor is intended for the use of the couple’s
adult children and grandchildren when they visit. There are
three bedrooms, three baths, a bunk room, and a laundry room,
in addition to the family room or common room, as it’s labeled
on the floor plan. The common room opens to a deck and has a
snack bar in the corner.
The bunk room isn’t just a place for the grandchildren to sleep.
“When the next generation comes to visit, they want permanent
places to leave their stuff,” he says. “They don’t want it to feel
like a hotel.”
Pat Sciuto of Harbor Homes says the clients originally
planned a walkout basement on the right side of the property,
which drops off slightly. “As it turned out, we brought a lot
of the excess fill over to that side, put in a retaining wall and
gave them a nice yard, since they don’t really have a back
yard,” Sciuto says. “They landscaped it and put in a patio and
barbecue grill.”
The home is not in a flood zone, but it is in a hurricane wind
In this Texas Hill Country home, Douglas fi r shelving fl anks the living-room fi replace instead of cabinetry. The mantel is reclaimed wood from docks
on the Mississippi River. Stained concrete floors were used throughout the house.
12
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March/April|2014
Top: To capture the best possible views, architect Rick Burleson designed an elongated home on a sloping site. The foundation ranges from 1 to 14
feet in certain areas. Charcoal-gray limestone on the exterior and interior matches rock ledges on the property. Above left: Venus white granite
graces the kitchen’s countertops, and glass-front cabinets display the homeowners’ vintage teapot and Depression-era glass collection. The handpainted tiles above the range are from London. Above right: For greater privacy and independence as they get older, the homeowners outfi tted the
master suite with a stackable washer and dryer, and a kitchenette.
While there were a number of buildable sites on the property, in order to get the best possible views the house had to be
oriented on the edge of a gradually sloping hillside with a range
of elevations from 8 to 10 feet. Burleson, principal of Burleson
Design Group in Wimberley, Texas, designed a long, narrow house
divided into three primary components: the master suite on the
east end, the living/kitchen/dining area in the center, and a
guest bedroom and study on the west end. Breezeways (known
as dog trots in that part of the country) link the components.
The three separate living areas offer privacy for the clients as
well as their growing family and guests. The master suite has a
stackable washer and dryer and a small kitchen concealed behind
a wall of cabinets, which will allow the space to serve as a standalone living area in the couple’s later years. Most doorways are
36-inches wide, and steps were minimized throughout the plan.
The clients wanted an eclectic blend of cottage and Old World
characteristics, says Burleson. Instead of the white limestone typically seen in the region, they opted for charcoal-gray limestone
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Custom Builder
13
primary residences
The covered deck is truly an outdoor living room with its fireplace, flat-screenTV, comfortable furniture,
and kitchen (not shown).
that matches the rock ledges on the
property and was shipped in from a
quarry in Lueders, Texas.
The stones and wood beams
throughout the house anchor the
strength and boldness of the design,
but it’s the details that set it apart.
Rough-sawn, gray-stained Douglas fir
beams accent the kitchen and livingroom ceilings. The century-old mantel
above the living-room fireplace was
reclaimed from the Mississippi River
docks. Surrounding the fireplace are
built-in Douglas fir shelves instead of
the usual cabinetry. Another mantel
was cut from an old pecan tree on the
couple’s family ranch in Texas. “The
builder did a fantastic job of execution,” Burleson says.
The outdoor living space is one of
Schmidt’s favorites with its kitchen,
fireplace, flat-screen TV, and porch
bed. In the spring and summer, the
homeowners enjoy prevailing winds
and breezes from the south and
southeast. CB
MAY THE (SITE) FORCE BE WITH YOU
Wimberley, Texas, architect Rick Burleson specializes in
hillside. “There were challenges posed by the substantial
orienting homes for maximum views based on his analysis
slope, which caused the foundation to range from 1 to 14
of a site’s topography, sunlight, and breezes.
feet in certain areas,” he notes.
“The core of our design approach is based on designing
to the site forces,” Burleson says. “What I have learned
Andrew Zalewski used Google maps and compass work to
over many years is that the more you allow the site forces
help position the house with the main living areas facing
to shape the design, the better the house will turn out. If
west. The 100-by-160-foot site is roughly pie-shaped and
you respond to the elements in a profound way, the house
sits right at the outside of the street’s gentle S-curve.
ends up being really enjoyable. All the rooms have a view
because it was designed to fi t the topography just right.”
To maximize views in the Texas Hill Country home
featured in this article, Burleson elongated the house on a
14
When siting the Cape Cod home featured first, architect
Custom Builder
March/April|2014
“Putting the house in the right position on the lot, where
it’s aligned with the lower part of the street right-of-way,
actually provides the view corridor out toward the ocean,”
Zalewski says.
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business management
Beyond the
Business Card
Word of mouth will always be the holy grail of marketing,
but custom home builders can do more to find prospects
than just wait for past clients to pass their business card.
By Mike Beirne, Editor
W
ith no model homes to show or an in-house
sales team to troll for new business, custom
home builders rely on reputation to sell
themselves to prospective clients. So their
standard marketing tool is the business
card, which hopefully gets passed along by a previous client to
relatives or friends. But custom builders actually can have much
more in their marketing arsenal than merely word of mouth.
John Abrams says his clients do the marketing for South
Mountain Company, West Tisbury, Mass. “We just supplement
that,” says Abrams, the builder’s chief executive officer.
In addition to building custom houses on Martha’s Vineyard,
South Mountain also operates an energy-efficiency evaluation
service and a retrofit service that bring existing buildings up
to energy code standards. More than 10 years of solar panel
installation has positioned his company on the island as the
expert in green and energy-efficient building and remodeling.
That reputation gets South Mountain’s name out into the market
and in front of prospects. Besides million dollar mansions, South
Mountain also builds affordable housing, an activity that draws
local news media coverage.
“We’re always doing things that people are interested in hearing about, so people see us in the news,” Abrams says. “We balance the high-end homes with affordable housing because we’re
very interested in our social bottom line and our environmental
bottom line. That breeds trust. We’re in business for a number of
reasons and because of that, we have varied expertise.”
Share the Knowledge
Echoing that sentiment is Bryan Henson, president of Allen
Associates Construction, Santa Barbara, Calif., who says builders should engage with the community rather than wait for the
phone to ring. Associates had been conducting tours of houses the
company built for Habitat for Humanity and used that networking
experience to help organize home tours for the American Institute
of Architects’ local chapter. About half the homes on the tours
are built by Allen, so when visiting architects eventually talk to
homeowners, it’s the clients who are providing the unsolicited
promotion of their experience with the builder.
“We position ourselves to be a resource for architects and
designers. Those are the people that bring us work. We put out
goodwill. We put out knowledge. So we don’t really promote ourselves but rather take every opportunity where we can to share.
Then we let our clients say how great we are,” Henson says.
Allen Associates also offers more than a dozen free workshops
to the public annually. Some events are staged at the local
plumbing supply store and cover such topics as kitchen and
bath design, surviving a remodel, how to pick an architect or a
contractor, curb appeal, and healthy homes.
“We’ll talk about any item that may spark an interest,” Henson
says. “Moms with children are passionate for healthy homes. We’re
not looking for an immediate return, but over time we’ve done many
of these and have had people come back and give us business.”
The company website is another tool custom builders can use
to differentiate themselves and convey their reputaton to the
www.CustomBuilderOnline.com
Custom Builder
17
business management
market. A builder’s Web presence initially should focus on building an online relationship with prospects so eventually visitors
can reach that point where they are comfortable submitting their
contact information. Blogging is one effective way for a company’s
website to establish a tone that can draw prospects in to check you
out, says Dawn Sadler, principal of Idea One Media, a New York- and
San Francisco-based marketing consultancy for builders.
“When you know your market, you know what to write about,
and you can go write about how your product solves their problem,” Sadler says. One example she presented during a recent
education seminar at the International Builders’ Show concerned
understanding the dilemma of older Baby Boomer homeowners who want to downsize. An appropriate blog for that market
might be tips about how to make a current home more marketable so it can sell. Blogs can set the tone and position you as an
expert, or at least as a solution to your target market’s problem.
A builder’s website also should provide multiple opportunities
to download content like a company brochure, design-planning
worksheet, and checklist of what you would like to learn about
clients during an initial meeting. Each encounter can slowly
build trust and eventually win over website visitors into submitting their contact information.
One warning, though, if you’re not willing to invest in providing
professional-quality photographs of your product on the company
website, don’t bother marketing online. “It can be a visual disconnect,” Sadler says. “(The prospect) will think, “They’re cutting
corners here, will they also cut corners on my home?”
A Thousand Words
Good professional photos from a previous project or well-done
digital renderings from CAD files can bring a construction project
to life when there is no house to show or advertise, says Gary
Architects talk to homeowners during a house tour sponsored by an AIA
local chapter with assistance from Allen Associates Construction.
18
Custom Builder
March/April|2014
DePersia, a luxury real estate broker with the Corcoran Group,
in East Hampton, N.Y. With 3D images, multiple angles can be
created both from the ground and air and bring a project to life
long before it’s ready for prime time.
“Very often the buyer of a new construction home cannot
understand what it will be like living there until it’s done,”
DePersia says. “They cannot envision the end result that is
possible over the one-and-a-half-year cycle it takes to build.
Whether it’s online or in print, you want the best quality images
possible to appeal to a buyer’s imagination.”
Marshall Todd creates opportunities for potential buyers to see
his handiwork. The owner and president of Marshall Todd Builders,
Nancy, Ky., hosts a meet-the-builder party in a finished custom
home on a Saturday before his clients move in. Neighbors and
passersby are welcome to tour the newest house in the community, but on the Friday night before the crowds arrive, he invites
a small group of prospects that he has been courting to a more
intimate VIP night with finger foods and a special tour.
“It works well because it makes the clients feel special,” Todd
says.
He’ll also arrange to take prospects to the homes of his clients
where they can talk to those homeowners about their experience with the house and the builder. Recently, Todd spent a
weekend manning a booth at the annual Home and Garden Show
organized by the Lake Cumberland Home Builders Association in
Somerset, Ky. The February event attracted about 3,000 attendees including customers who are seriously considering breaking
ground on a new house by the spring.
Some attendees approach him with plans in hand and ask for
his critique. Todd’s booth was decked out with photo albums and
TV screens showing videos and stills of past projects. During previous years he gleaned about a half-dozen hot prospects from these
shows, and some of those contacts turned into four or five more
jobs. And a couple of the referrals turned out being custom houses
as big as 10,000 square feet.
Brandon Weiss, president of Weiss Building & Development
in South Elgin, Ill., has prospects tour his homes while they’re
under construction. There, the Graduate Master Builder—who
also carries LEED AP certification—uses that opportunity to
show potential customers structural and mechanical features
that make his houses energy efficient and points out what he
does differently from other builders with insulation, windows,
and other areas of construction.
“A model home will show you the pretty finishes and all that,
but what is behind the walls is just as important for the longevity and durability of the home,” Weiss says. “It’s more educational pointing out all the fine features of what is behind the
walls because with a high-level green home, when it’s finished, it
looks like any other home.” CB
Our new thick
slate looks just
like the real stuff.
And that’s where the
comparisons end.
Introducing Aledora Slate, the most realistic looking
synthetic slate ever created. With crisp, jagged edges
on each half-inch thick tile, Aledora replicates both
the color and variations of natural slate, at less than
one quarter the weight and one third the cost. To see
the future of slate roofing for yourself, request a free
sample today at InspireRoofing.com
TM
A DIVISION OF THE TAPCO GROUP
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Why Milgard Windows & Doors?
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milgard.com/professionals
Circle 758
new products
2.
3.
1.
1. Aluflex Sliding Door System
5.
4.
This aluminum-framed sliding door system from Hafele is suitable
for any space in the home that needs doors, especially closets.
A bottom-mounted track helps the system maintain stability
regardless of surrounding structural components. Customers can
now order Aluflex customized and pre-assembled through the
Hafele-to-Order (H-to-O) online service. Customizable features include dimensions, number of panels, mullions, finish, and material
(wood, glass, Ecoresin, and mirrors). Designs can accommodate
doors up to 88 pounds and 176 pounds. For more information,
circle No. 850
2. Aledora Slate Roofing
4. R20 Sustainable Insulation
These slate roofing tiles from InSpire Roofing Products offer
the look of genuine, thick slate tile at a lighter weight, more
economical price, and they’re virtually maintenance-free. Jagged,
irregular tile edges and natural shadow variance give the appearance of real slate without any undesired gloss. While lighter than
normal slate, the 12-inch tiles are more impact-resistant and
easier to install by hand or with a nail gun. A variety of colors
are available, and color mixes are an option as well. For more
information, circle No. 851
CertainTeed is adding this new fiberglass insulation to its family
of high-performance products to meet 2012 IECC requirements
that wood-frame walls have at least an R20 thermal performance.
Made from recycled and renewable content, including a
plant-based binder, the product contains no formaldehydes,
dyes, acrylics, or unnecessary fire-retardant chemicals, and
is Greenguard Gold-certified for low-chemical emissions.
Sustainable Insulation is available unfaced or kraft-faced for
standard wood-stud and steel-frame wall assemblies. For more
information, circle No. 853
3. EasyHeat FGS and FG Thermostats
These dual-voltage programmable (FGS) and non-programmable
(FG) thermostats are engineered to offer precise control of floor
temperature via floor warming mats or cables. The compact,
low-profile units are compatible with such accessories at either
120 or 240 Vac and loads up to 15 amps total system current. The
programmable FGS can be set for two, five, or seven full days to
accommodate user schedules; the non-programmable FG has a
simple temperature adjustment interface and on/off switch. For
more information, circle No. 852
5. Huntington Pendant
The newest edition to WAC Lighting’s Early Electric Collection, this
LED luminaire is ideal for Arts and Crafts-styled interiors. The low
voltage pendant uses just 5.6 watts while delivering up to 360
lumens, with a color rendering index (CRI) of 85 and a color temperature of 3000K. WAC’s Quick Adjust Canopy can be used for easy,
tool-free hanging from the ceiling. The pendant shade comes in
White or Amber; hardware finishes include Brushed Nickel, Chrome
and Dark Bronze. For more information, circle No. 854
www.CustomBuilderOnline.com
Custom Builder
21
new products
7.
8.
6.
6. Parapan Acrylic Door and Drawer Fronts
Designed for use in outdoor kitchens, these new acrylic
door and drawer fronts from Danver are nonporous, UVstable, waterproof, and easy to clean. Parapan is highly
durable to handle the knocks and bangs of everyday outdoor
entertaining.Twenty rich neutral and vibrant bright colors are
available to choose from, and colors are guaranteed to never
fade. All fronts are available in 18 mm thickness. For more
information, circle No. 855
gate. While most probe detectors demand at least 1.5 milliamps in
stand-by power, the GateMate requires 150 microamps—85 to 90
percent less than the nearest competitor. For more information,
circle No. 856
7. GateMate
8. LED Omni A19
This self-contained free exit system for solar powered gates
limits the amount of electric current needed for operation.
As a result, less power will be consumed by numerous cycles
throughout the day and any accessories associated with the
This LED bulb is designed to produce energy savings in retrofits
for 60-watt A19 incandescent or typical 13w to 15w spiral-shape
compact-fluorescent medium base lamps. It consumes just 11
watts—82 percent less energy than a 60-watt incandescent—
and possesses a rated life of 50,000 hours. Light is distributed
evenly in a 270° pattern around the front, top, sides, and back.
The LED Omni A19 is suitable for interior or weather-protected
exterior fixtures. For more information, circle No. 857
©2014 GAF 1/14
“Finally...
Affordable,
Genuine Slate”
gaf.com
Circle 759
22
9.
Custom Builder
March/April|2014
9. Alterna Engineered Stone
Armstrong offers these crushed limestone-composite tiles as
an alternative to natural stone and ceramic tile. Alterna tiles
are highly durable, warmer to the touch, softer underfoot, and
easy to care for. Tiles can stand on their own or be combined to
create patterns, including diamond or herringbone designs. Each
design comes with up to 32 unique tiles, allowing completely
customized installation. Sizes include 12x12-inch or 16x16-inch
tiles and 8x16-inch or 8x8-inch selections.
For more information, circle No. 858
©2014 Simpson Door Company. All trademarks are property of Simpson unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved.
All NEW
Contemporary
Doors
· Choose from 28 standard designs or
create your own custom door
door 7405
with shaker sticking
shown in Cherry
door 4974
door 49905
shown in Douglas Fir
shown in Douglas Fir
· Matching exterior and interior doors
for continuity throughout the home
· Available in over 100 wood species
and can be made in any size
We are proud to offer this new collection of Contemporary Doors that draws the best of
modern design into the Simpson heritage. They deliver clean lines and distinctive styles, all
with the quality and craftsmanship you expect from us. So embrace the bold architectural
features of modernism without sacrificing the warmth and durability of wood.
Learn more about these and other options at simpsondoor.com
Circle 760
LIFE GOES THROUGH IT®
Sewer anywhere
and save.
E/One Sewer Systems
can make tough sites buildable — and, cut
your sewering costs up to 50%.
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SEWER SYSTEMS
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