Alot has happened this week. The shower surrounds have been done in the main bathroom and ensuite, ready for the tilers (tiles were delivered Thursday). The downpipes were installed Wednesday ready for the stormwater pipes to be laid and we now have a whirlygig on the roof. The electrician has installed all the light fittings/switches, power points and tv/telephone points, so it is all happening again. All the outside light fittings have light globes which is abit weird as they are easy to steal which is exactly what happened the other day. Kell rang the builders the other day and we were told they knock off in 4 weeks time for a month and that they should be close to completion by then so it won’t be too far into the new year before we’re in. We’ll see…..

No new pics at the moment but will post some when we get some….

One option for speeding-up the camp set-up and breakdown process, and to allow standing space in the van for changing and cooking would be to have a pop-up roof (see inspiration galleries). I found that these are easily available for VW vans, but not so for the Vito. That said, you could find something for around £1000 that could probably be adapted.

Then yet another internet search found a small German outfit building expedition vehicles with aluminimum, telescopic roof (click images to enlarge). Taking this as inspiration a version for the Vito using marine play with rubber seals was sketched out, and cutting out that back 4 (of 5) roof panels to create the opening. It would be a ‘no-going-back’ development so would require a lot of modelling and testing before build.

Nod…

We’re finally getting a much new roof on our house this week.  The parsonage in which we live has needed a new roof pretty much ever since we moved in eight years ago.  We started having leaks a few years ago, and, well, after the big storm we had in October, the church council finally agreed to a new roof.

Of course, this costs major bucks, and our church, like most churches these days, is not rolling in the dough.  However, thanks to a some generous donors, the roof is already over 3/4 paid for.  Yay!

The roofers were supposed to begin last Monday, but then they had to finish up another job, so they wouldn’t be able to start until Wednesday.  Then, there was a big storm forecasted for Friday, so they decided to put it off until this week.  Of course, with Thanksgiving on Thursday, this is only a 3-day week.  However, they’re doing 2/3 of the roof.  They’re doing the peaked garage roof as well as the flat upstairs roof.  Next week, they’ll do the flat living room roof.  The living room is a whole section of the house by itself, and the room measures 18×28.  (Before the church was built, they used to hold church services in the living room.  Apparently about 60 people could fit in there!)  So, that will be done next week.

On Monday, a group of about eight hispanic gentlemen arrived bright and early at 7:30, ringing our doorbell (and waking us all up!)  They tore off the old roofs on those two sections, and were out of here by noon.  Around 4:30pm, another truck arrived with the next day’s materials.  The girls and I sat outside and watched as three guys and a huge conveyor belt unloaded tarpaper, shingles, and big canisters of tar off their truck.

This morning, the first guy was here at 8am.  I think he was here to put on the new, fancy-schmancy uber-super gutters that hopefully should not have the problems the old ones did.  An inspector arrived soon after, looking cross and stern and making violent hand and arm gestures (not obscene, but very demanding, pointing here and there quite fiercely).  Everyone else arrived at 8:30, and the hot tar melter machine was turned on right away.  Pee-yew!  Very stinky.

Luckily, Curious J had an art class this morning, so we headed off to that and escaped the smell.  After class (where I knew a suprising number of moms and nannies, thanks to my 6+ years of teaching music classes), we went to the adjoining park, where I met another mom and child from my recent music class.  It was a simply beautiful day today, weather-wise, probably the warmest day we’ve had in weeks.  So, it was a good day to be outside at a park.  After playing a while, J and I ran a few errands before heading back home.  Everything still stank, so I made a quick PB&J lunch for the girls and I, and J and I ate down in the church fellowship hall with Lyd and the other school kids.

After lunch, and after spending recess time with the school kids, I took J to JJ’s office, where he had set up the Pack & Plan in anticipation of J needing a quiet place to nap.  (JJ was off doing an in-home BIC class (Bible Information class), and then he was camped out at Starbucks writing an article on Catholicity that he was asked to write for the next “Worship the Lord” newsletter that all WELS pastors get.  I’ll see if I can link to it when it comes out in January.)  I brought a quiet project of mine along to the office, and after a few increasingly-stern admonishments to J to ”lie down,” she finally zonked off.  I got some progress done on my project until school was out at 3:30.  Lyd came home and we got ready for her gymnastics class.  We woke up J and headed out to the car, and on our way out I noticed Juan, the foreman, heading towards his truck.  I rolled down my window, asked how things were going, and he said they were done for the day, but that they’d be back tomorrow.  I noticed the only white guy there, so I talked to him a bit, too.  He said he was the owner, and he assured me that he’d have the two roofs done by tomorrow, and that he’d be back next week to do the other roof.  Excellent!

So, tomorrow, I have to figure out one more day of what to do with J to occupy ourselves away from the house in the morning.  I think another trip to the park will be in order, as well as a big pre-Thanksgiving grocery shopping trip.  I picked up a 21.5 pound organic, hormone-free, antibiotic-free turkey this evening at Lunardi’s.  Only one person is coming over so far, but I always make a huge turkey at Thanksgiving.  It’s a lot of work to cut up and process the whole bird, but then it lasts a LONG time.  It’s worth it for me.

But, all this inconvenience is still going to be worth it in the end, when our roof doesn’t leak anymore!  Or grow moss on it!  I’m looking forward to this all being done.

I have always been in favor of having something above my head. That’s why I don’t understand convertibles; not only is there nothing above your head but also your air conditioner doesn’t really work because natural air keeps blowing in your face. I like my air to come from gas powered engines or a hookers breath.

Celebrities also love roofs, that’s why many of them sell roofs in their spare time. Roofs do so much for us I can totally understand their love of roofs. Roofs cover us and if you think children in China are roofs then roofs are also responsible for most forms of toy production. Celebrities love to stand and be seen and when they stand on a roof more people get to see them and notice how they too have human skin. Roofs are also in many famous movie scenes such as…um…the titanic? Whatever, roofs make famous people more famous and that’s why celebrities try and own as many roofs as possible. It’s a simple algebraic equation; people are only as valuable as the number of roofs they stand on and the amount of money they put in their bank account.

Another great thing about roofs is that roof rhymes with doof, and not very many things rhyme with doof. Celebrities like words that rhyme with doof, I have never been able to figure out why but it has something to do with makeup and not making sense during television interviews.

I also love roofs because if you have one then I know not to make fun of you for being homeless. I am very good at making fun of homeless people; I am so good at making fun of homeless people that they often are unable to think of a witty reply and that has nothing to do with the fact that they don’t have lips.

So I also like roofs famous celebrities, come find me and we’ll pee off of some of our favorite roofs onto the shoulders of homeless families

Take a look over the roofs, perhaps you see something nice.

Please visit That’s My World for more photos

/T

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random thoughts—
snow melt
drips from the roof

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Would you like to know how long appliances like your oven, refrigerator, dishwasher, washing machine and dryer might last? How about your furnace, air conditioner, roof or the toilet in your bathroom? Every appliance and component in your home has a design life. Components like the foundation and wood frame should last for the life of your home.

quality. Components that are not properly maintained, lower quality appliances and components subject to extreme conditions may not last as long as indicated. Conversely, appliances and components, and components subject to extreme conditions may not last as long as indicated. Conversely, appliances and components subject to extreme conditions may not last as long as indicated. Conversely, appliances and components that are well maintained and are of higher quality may last longer. Times are in years.

This weekend I had the opportunity to hang out over at the rooftop bar of The Wit Hotel appropriately named, ROOF.  Twenty-seven stories above the intersection at Lake and State, ROOF has amazing views of the city.  Entering into The Wit, we were directed up to the second level where a host was taking names.  Providing our names, we had about a ten minute wait before we were able to take the elevator upstairs.  The bar is roomy enough and does serve food.  Drinks of choice seem to be variations of martinis and other cocktails.  They have a very limited beer option available, and the price for a Stella was $8.00.  Keeping in mind it was November when we were there, the locale has many heat lamps and firepits. Even outside, we were very comfortable in the heated areas; outside temperature otherwise was about 45F with a slight breeze.  A great mix of people and age groups (mostly young professionals in their mid-twenties to mid-thirties), just about anyone would have a great time here.  Pricey drinks, but what can you expect at a rooftop bar in the Loop.  I give ROOF at The Wit Hotel a B.  I’m not much for waits and over-priced drinks, but with no cover and a great atmosphere, I’d recommend heading here and enjoying some time with your friends.

I was just playing around with my camera. I wanted to take a sunset picture which looked good. Just didn’t know how to fiddle with the shutter and aperture in my camera yet. I think that’s why my friend always tells me to read the manual. Of course, with almost a year past since i bought my camera, I haven’t gotten around to it.

I know, I need to take more pictures if I want to practice this. Just didn’t have the inspiration recently.

Will have lots of chances to take nice pictures this coming weekend. I will be going out of town.

I visited Odakyu’s Agris Seijo rental farm in Seijogakuenmae in Setagaya and was prepared to be charmed by a community vegetable farm built by a rail company above their tracks. Three years ago, the Odakyu corporation rebuilt the station, undergrounded the railway, and used some of the new land to promote urban farming. But I left feeling somewhat strange that reclaimed land could be gated and restricted. Although it is the rail company’s property, I think they missed a huge opportunity to create a great space for the neighborhood.

The farm is entered through a two story building that has a plant store on the first floor, spilling into the sidewalk, and a club room on the second floor. On entering the building, I learned that the garden was gated, and that no photographs were allowed. With my Tokyo University of Agriculture business card, I was handed a visitor’s pass. Two explanations were given about the no photography policy: customers would be concerned about their privacy, and photographers might misrepresent the photos they take. Please note that all the photos in this post were all taken from public roadways outside the gates.

Once inside, I discovered that this Agris Seijo t has 303 rental plots, ranging in price between 5,500 and 14,500 yen per month ($60 to $175) depending on size and sunlight. 70% of the plots are being used, and the farm is organized in two seasons, with a fallow period during winter. Many of the customers are first time vegetable growers, and there are classes and staff to help them.

Some of what I observed: an elderly man harvesting giant sweet potatoes. Attractive netting with metallic strips to deter birds and insects. Some very attractive plots with broccoli, rainbow chard, carrots, celery, lettuce, salty leaf, peppers, basil, cauliflower, onion, eggplant, daikon radish.

Clearly burying the tracks below grade reduces railway noise for the neighbors and adds soil and plants which benefits the environment. There are benefits for customers and neighbors. Yet, I was struck by how empty the farm was during my weekday visit, and wondered why only 70% of the plots are rented after three years of operation. I also wonder if the customers or the railway company owner feels more special or important because of the gated aspect of the garden. In a city that is remarkably safe, I cannot imagine need for keeping people out.

This wealthy project reminds me of the community garden I observed in Tsukushima. There, neighbors invested great time and effort in making beautiful spaces on an existing concrete river embankment. It appears that each gardener is expressing their own passions and perhaps competing with their neighbors. At no cost to the local government, neighbors have beautified dead space which can now be enjoyed by anyone. The Tsukushima community garden is completely accessible 24/7 and shows how ordinary people can create a great public space.

Some more thoughts and image about Odakyu after the jump.

From the rental farm, I noticed that the new Seijogakuenmae station had a roof garden. Making my way above the first two floors of retail, and a third floor of parking, I reached the roof garden on the fourth floor. It was nearly vacant, apart from two high school age boys and a woman sitting alone. Surrounded by restaurants, maybe the roof garden is appreciated more during dinner hours.

I realize that creating great urban spaces is about more than money and design. Empty spaces provide little human benefit. It appears that wealthy neighborhoods are more concerned with restricting access and remaining exclusive, yet the results are dead spaces. Seijogakuenmae, with more action in its parking lot than its sidewalks and roof top parks, reminded me of the privatized spaces of the United States.

Lastly, there is one more image from Odakyu that may surprise foreigners. Historically, throughout the 20th century, private Japanese rail lines played a critical role in developing its cities: railways fed into railway-owned department stores, and some of these corporations branched out into other business including developing suburban housing. Odakyu stations all feature convenience stores, owned not surprisingly by Odakyu.

Shot from the roof of an apartment building in west Bloor.

a green blurb of a thing
black and red
foundation houses
skated roofs
against a brassy sky
hazy (or lazy
silver cloud lining
copper
blue
somewhat deep sound of wave
slap
against the sailboat
i wanna be the mast.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t help but be inspired as I walk around downtown Lancaster and look at the majestic churches. If you would like to see more pictures of Churches that we have worked on, I invite you to visit <a href="“>
As we work on church roofs, I know that we always take just a little more pride inwhat we do. The entire company feels the history of the church and knows that people may be looking upwards for inspiration and there will be our work.

DaVinci Roofscapes is famous for their slate and shake tile.  DaVinci Roofscapes began in 1999; they are located in Kansas City, KS.  DaVinci prides itself on being the lead provider of authentic looking and durable synthetic slate and shake tile roofing.  They are maintenance free and backed by a 50 year limited warranty.

The DaVinci products resist curling, cracking, mold, fading, algae, insects and fungus.  Because DaVinci tiles resist water it allows the tiles to be installed in all weather conditions.  Also their shake and slate synthetic tiles resist fire, high wind and high impact. DaVinci Roofscapes slate and shake synthetic roof tiles are contributing to the LEED certification process (LEED-NC Standard 2.2).  They are aiding us in our continued effort to gain our LEED certification for our Green Life Smart Life home.

The Green life Smart Life house has chose to use the slate roofing for its exceptional appeal and durability.  Although it is a synthetic slate it comes with the same look and durability as its natural counterpart.  It allows the Green Life Smart Life home to gain the look of slate without using up natures resources.  It is also much more cost effective than using real slate.  In addition the instillation process is also remarkably easier than installing natural slate with the changing of size and texture.

The DaVinci roofs are easy to install and require no special tools or instructions.  They are embedded with state of the art UV stabilizers.  The product was developed with contractors in mind, they are packaged by size and color making them easier to use.  They are also made in 5 different shapes and sizes allowing for a more authentic look and easier installation.

The DaVinci tiles are also all 100% recyclable making them even more appealing to the consumer, rather than the traditional roofing which takes up enormous space in the local landfill.  To save on transportations costs DaVinci compounds, molds and finishes all the lightweight tiles in their Kansas facility to save energy and also transportation costs.

By Kate Kiselka. Follow me on Twitter

The ornate carvings at Rosslyn Chapel

By Cara Sulieman

WORK IS getting underway to preserve one of Scotland’s most famous and important chapels.

Rosslyn Chapel in Midlothian starred in the blockbuster Da Vinci Code and has seen a massive increase in visitor numbers since.

But thanks to a botched repair job in the 1950s the roof is crumbling and has been sealed off for some time.

The Rosslyn Chapel Trust is looking to secure a further £1 million to ensure that a £9 million restoration can be completed within the next year.

Work is set to start next month on a brand new roof for the chapel, restoring the building to its former beauty.

It is famous for the intricate carvings that line the walls of the small chapel, and the rumoured connections to the Knights Templar.

Work has already begun on restoring the stained glass windows in the main body of the building.

See more of our pictures at our Flickr site and videos at our dedicated channel,  Deadline TV.

Along with my new roof, I just installed a Solatube skylight. Our bathroom is the only room in the house with no windows. It had one originally, but someone covered it up with a tub-surround years ago. The room is a cave. Even in the middle of the day, you need to turn on the light. So I thought it would be an ideal application of a small tubular skylight. Now it’s bright enough that we only need the light in the mornings and at night. Hopefully we can recoup the money in energy savings, but it will take some time. I went with Solatube and not Suntunnel by Velux or another brand because from everything I’ve read and seen, Solatube is the best. I was certainly impressed with the quality of their product. The inside of the metal tubing is like a mirror! I thought it would just be painted silver or something, but it is literally a mirror. Plus they have good customer service. The day I got home and opened the box, I found that the dome had been cracked in shipping. I called and they were very nice over the phone and I received a new dome in two weeks, free of charge. I got the more expensive model because you can take a 30% tax credit this year. So really, the $300 model is less expensive than the $250 model that does not qualify for the credit. Here are the before and after pictures. Each picture was taken around noon without a flash. Keep in mind this is November in the Northern hemisphere and the Solatube is on the North face of the roof. I imagine it will be brighter come summertime.

We just got a new roof! The previous owner of the house bought it in 1983 and never put a roof on, so we know that it was at least 26 years old. It had three layers of shingles on it and the original boards, no plywood. So we got six quotes. Some were as high as $15,500 and the one we eventually went with was $7,500. Our house is 1,500 sq. ft. and we’ve been told our roof is 17 squares. We got Barkwood (color) 30 year architectural shingles made by GAF Elk. It’s nice having a new roof over our heads, but not so nice having hardly any savings left in the bank. We got kinda used to having a $10,000 cushion. Well, not anymore! Here are some pictures. Before and after. Now we just need to paint. I put in a new skylight too, but that will be its own post. If anyone has any questions, just let me know.