Contractors |
Urban Landscape |
|
About the Author |
Deconstruction – Safe and Sound. If you're ready to jump right in with that renovation project – think twice & clean once. Dennis Livingston, a Baltimore artist, community activist and expert on lead paint hazards is helping to create the safe house. Livingston, an author whose books are endorsed by the US Department of Urban Development, offers readers an environmental impact statement of home renovation and materials, ¶ Resources inlcude laws, agencies, grants and projects including the EPA, City Grants for Lead Removal and the Acorn Safe House
Conquering The Small House Blues. Rowhouses were not made
for BOCA, the City's bible for building up to "snuff." How can you
build a stairs which require 36 inch wide tread in a house only 13 feet wide
and still have room to cook? The winder, is an ingenius and beautiful option,
Also a look at other space saving ideas for small houses. ¶ Resources
BOCA handbook, Stairs the Best of Fine Homebuilding.Baltimore City Planning
Department
Fusion of Art and Metal.Perhaps you've seen this face on TV, staring in one of Maryland Lottery's eccentric commercials. The photogenic and talented Karl Saar is co-builder of the dragster/barbeque party machine which was created as a tribute to Big Daddy Roth, the master of manical art cars. Saar, an art school graduate, doesn't limit himself to car art, his portfolio and commissions indicate his wealth of creative abilities, from utilitarian items such as staircases, furniture and fixtures to fanciful sculpture such as the armored, medieval "Fish Out-of-Water" commissioned by Walter's Art Gallery. Saar's pieces are on display at area galleries ... Resources.
Great Designs With Clay —Call it Stile. Tiles of great
variety and color can be produced at home and they're sure to bring a smile
with the value added ingredient of a child's imagination. Saltillo tile, the
majority coming from Mexico, can be bought uncolored and unsealed ready to
aborbs paint, dyes and sealers like a sponge. These raw canvases can be found
for a dollar or two and come in a variety of sizes. ¶ Resources: The
Loading Dock
Who is that masked man? Deconstruction requires long sleeve shirt, pants, boots, gloves and hat - not a fashion statement. Often a mask is necessary to remove hazardous air-borne materials. Plaster, lathing as well as more modern drywall harbor insect, mold and animal residue and waste – a significant health hazard. A hardhat (not a sitzbath) is often required for overhead work.
Bathroom Blues - Invisible walls minimize the space lost to partitioning for bathroom. Privacy and personal comfort must be considered; wood vertical blinds will provide privacy. Inside is a romantic combination of bead board half-walls, clawfoot bathtub and neo-angle shower as well as the pedestal sink, a focal point for the ersatz fireplace.
Floored Painted tiles can be set within a border of hard-wood flooring and set off with a transition strip of brass or other metal. The Saltillo tiles and Brazilian Cherry hardwood flooring were purchased at the Loading Dock. The wood isn’t perfect and you can’t always get the quantity you need but necessity is the mother of creativity.
