The time has come! We are now accepting submissions for the 2012 Artisan Electric Room Style Giveaway.

Would you like to know what’s up for grabs? Good! Because we’d like to tell you.

Artisan Electric has teamed up with Willow Stained Glass Studio and R. Douglas Painting to offer a room style giveaway worth more than $3000, including:

• A full lighting consultation, design, and installation, light fixtures, dimmers, and 2 USB U-Socket powered outlets provided by Artisan Electric
• A full room re-paint provided by Gaius Douglas of R. Douglas Painting
• A professional style, design, and space planning consultation with Michelle Wood-Voglund, of Willow Stained Glass Studio

If you’ve got a room that could use some attention, head over to the Artisan Electric Facebook Page and enter to win the giveaway. The entry period will be open for the next two weeks. Finalists will be chosen by the Makeover Team and announced on Monday, June 18th, 2012. By submitting an entry to the giveaway, each entrant agrees to the following rules and regulations:

• The Artisan Electric Room Style Giveaway is sponsored by Artisan Electric, Willow Stained Glass Studio, and R. Douglas Painting.
• The sponsors reserve the right to modify this giveaway as needed.
• The giveaway is open only to residents in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, and only owner-occupied homes are eligible for this giveaway.
• Room size is not to exceed 400 sq. ft.
• Winner agrees to sign a consent to work agreement prior to the start of the makeover that will include a line item description of the work to be done.
• The makeover package does not include any unforeseen repairs required to complete the work.
• All work is insured and guaranteed.
• Winner grants permission for the giveaway sponsors to use before/after photos and videos for future advertisement and promotional purposes.
• The giveaway sponsors reserve the right to defer to a runner-up if site conditions prevent a pro install or safe work conditions.
• The Makeover will be completed within 90 days of the conclusion of the contest.

In this day and age, saving money and going green can go hand in hand.  I have been doing a lot of research over the last year to find information on electric usage reduction for residential applications.  To say the least, there is a lot of information out there, much of which is false or misleading.

So during this time I came across this awesome web site by Michael Blujay (AKA:  Mr. Electricity).  Do yourself a favor and cheek it out – I love this guys site.  I promise you will learn at lest one thing on the first page you did not know

SAVING ELECTRICITY – Michael Blujay

In this day an age of low bids, trunk slammers, poor workmanship, and a general lack of professionalism in the trades finding the right folks to do work with can be a challenge.  It comes as no surprise that we get asked for contractor referrals all the time.  Naturally this leads to us keeping a list of referable, reliable, trustworthy companies that can deliver a quality product and keep to a time table.  Here is my “GO TO” list – the people that I  have come to trust, who consistently meet my expectations and take great care of our clients.  I will personally vouch for these companies – this is my A-TEAM when it comes to local small contractors.

The A – TEAM

BRENNECO Plumbing (765-448-6190) > Randy Lynch

MECKO’S Heating and Cooling (765-447-7555) > Dave Mecklenburg

ARNIE COOK Roofing – residential and commerical roofing / windows / siding (765-420-7663) > Arnie Cook

ARTISAN ELECTRIC (765-414-3913) > That’s me – Chris Voglund

HAGUE QUALITY WATER – water conditioning equipment sales and installation (765) 538-2549 > Steve Sidel

HENERY POOR LUMBER – building materials / custom wood / kitchen and bath supply (765) 474-1388 > Jay Andrew

KIRBY RISK SUPPLY – all things electrical / lights / fans (765) 448-4567

CARPENTER’S PAINTING – exterior paint and restoration (765) 430-5560 > Bryan Carpenter

R.DOUGLAS PAINTING – high end interior paint (765) 412-4621 > Gaius Douglas

ECODOMIA – steel frame homes / general contractor (765) 418-7117 > Chris Xioufarides

SIMON CONSTRUCTION – general contractor (765) 567-2764 > Sam Simon

WYATT COMMUNICATIONS - phone and com tech support and supply (765) 447-6545 > Bill Wyatt

TRI-TECH CONSTRUCTION – commercial buildings / cement work / crane service / overhead doors (765) 448-7994

KJG ARCHITECTURE – full service architects and engineers (765) 497-4598 > Kelly Good

K.L. SECURITY ENTERPRISES – fireproof data and document storage 1-866-867-0306 > Johnny Klemme

BECK’S AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE CENTER – all things car and truck (765) 447-9459 > Robert Hancock

MAXIMUMMEDIA - media / web / graphic design and consulting (765) 413-8923 > Noah Mattern

JP VIDEO PRODUCTIONS - all things video (765) 269 – 9692 Jay Patzschke

IS PHOTOGRAPHIC - all things photo (765) 420-9621 > Dave Mason

AUTO GLASS EXPRESS – all things auto glass (765) 446-7900 > Ron Whitaker

EDGE IT SOLUTIONS - all things IT (765) 807-6121 > Ryan Edgell

OUTDOOR ROOMSCAPES - all things outdoor kitchen (574) 965-2009 > Andy Schwindler

HAYS and SONS RESTORATION - emergency fire / water / flood /smoke / wind / tree / roof issues (765) 412-7048 > Greg Kreinbrook

If you have any questions about who to use for a project or how to find the right contractor for a job let me know – I am happy to help!   Also please feel free to check back in from time to time as we are always updating the list as a local resource.

Best Regards – Chris Voglund

Our good friends at KJG Architecture put out this great “building bulletin” every month.  I finally got around to asking the owner if I could use the letter in our blog – he warmly agreed.  If you are even casually interested in the local building community, real estate or local business I think you will find a lot of the information presented interesting and useful.

January 2010 Published by KJG Architecture, Inc.           Volume 2 No. 1 Highlights & Hot Spots A roundup of local construction activity, real estate information and projects designed by various firms, including KJG Architecture: New Commercial Construction Purdue University completed $107 million in construction in 2009, including First Street Towers, Discovery Learning Center and Niswonger Aviation Technology Academic Building. Underway: $224.6 million in projects, among them Mackey Arena and Hockmeyer and Hanley Halls. Hicksgas is building in Park 52 Ground was broken for the $1.3 million Purdue Crew Boathouse New funeral home and crematorium announced for two-acre site at Schuyler and Colfax Residential Building Permits through December 31, 2009: 405 homes; 85 in Lafayette; 72 in West Lafayette; and 248 in Tippecanoe County. Commercial Sales 1307 Tower Drive, fraternity, $4 million, Reef & Michael LLC to Roger and Kathleen Bauer 122 W. Wood, apartments, $2.6 million, F2M Capital to Brett Gutwein, Beograd 3215 S. 18th, retail, $700,000, to KANB LLC 220 S. Salisbury, apartments, $500,000, Greg Sutter to John and Connie Basham 3131 Concord Road, warehouse, $400,000, Jamac Corp. to Henry Ebershoff 138 S. Chauncey, apartments, $400,000, F2M Capital to Beograd Residential Sales All of 2009: 1,774 homes, $245.5 million On the Market Downtown: buildings at 124 and 216 N. Fourth St., 120 N. Second St., and 529 Main St. Retail: 3600 S.R. 38 East Commercial: 725 Sagamore Parkway North; Elmwood Plaza, 1904 Elmwood; 811 Earl Ave. Industrial: 3150 Bencyn Court Office: 3504 Morehouse Road For more, visit www.tippecanoeprospector.com Warm Up with This Winterizing Checklist Implemeting energy- and cost-saving measures can make winter much more comfortable. As snow falls and winter winds roar, these winterizing tips can warm up your home or office. Stop Drafts Everyone knows to caulk windows. Less obvious spots to check for drafts: – Outlets on outside walls: preformed insulation kits easily curb heat loss. – Baseboards: seal those up. – Mail slots: use an outdoor mailbox. – Doors: install weather stripping. – Pipes and vents: fill any gaps. Interior Ideas Inside your home, also consider: – Furniture: Place it away from outside walls to increase air flow and keep people further from cold spots. – Fireplaces: Cover with a glass screen or door and close the damper when not in use. – Insulation: Add additional to your attic and crawl space. – Sunshine: Open window coverings to let the sun in; close at sundown. Consider skylights for more sunshine. Some equipment tips: – Fans: Turn off or reverse room fans to counter-clockwise to push hot air down. – Humidifier: Get one—moist air retains heat better. – Heating: Clean heat registers, change furnace filters and install a programmable thermostat. Make sure all heat ducts are insulated and connected; use metal-backed tape or an aerosol sealant to reconnect them. Spring Landscaping Take a look at your yard in the winter and note wind patterns and where snow drifts accumulate. In the spring, do some landscaping with shrubs, trees, walls and fences to lower wind speed and chill. Plan Ahead If you’re going to remodel, add on or build new, consider every opportunity for energy-saving tips.  Take note and evaluate all new materials and equipment coming on the market, keeping up with advancements that could make a significant energy and cost difference.  An architect can provide valuabe insight when designing a new home, addition or renovation and provide guidance on all options to help make your home more energy efficient.  When hiring an architect, it is important to verify that the designer is knowledgeable on new energy efficient technologies and can creatively incorporate these feautures into the owners’ existing home or new dream home. Spotlight:  Snow Drifts The size and geometry of a building and the proximity of its neighbors affect the size and location of snow drifts on the roof. Remember the childhood fun of playing or sledding on a huge snow drift?  With the right direction and magnitude of wind, just a few inches of snow on the ground could shape drifts several feet high, providing countless opportunities for fun. Snow Can Damage Roofs Few realize, though, the harm snow drifts can cause to buildings.  The Indiana Building Code stipulates how designers must account for the loads snow and drifts will place on a structure. Tippecanoe County and most of Indiana must be designed for 20-pounds-per-square-foot of ground snow load—about 14 inches of average-density snow. In northern Indiana, loads exceed 30 pounds per square foot, approximately 20 inches of snow. The code also specifies how to calculate potential snow drift loads on roofs. That involves the height of any roof projections where snow can collect and the area of roof upwind where snow can be blown from to create drifts. Aerodynamic Shade Important to Consider Building owners often overlook the impact of constructing a new, higher building near a lower one. Neighboring buildings with different roof heights create aerodynamic shade, where snow from the higher roof blows onto the lower roof. This can be extremely dangerous, particularly if the lower roof was not designed to accommodate a higher neighboring building. The Indiana Code requires that buildings within 20 feet or less of each other be investigated for aerodynamic shade effects.  Structural engineers and architects are a valuable resource when planning or designing new structures to ensure the roof is properly supported for those loads. With winter in full swing, the fun—and dangers—of snow are here. With the aid of a structural engineer or achitect, an initial assessment of your roof structure can be the first step toward assuring that your property can withstand the weight of Mother Nature. Take a Look:  Rick Davis Rick Davis, Graduate Architect at KJG Architecture, Inc. enjoys the company of some friendly tigers in Tibet. The pyramids in Egypt, The Parthenon in Greece and Frank Lloyd Wright homes all around the U.S. are among many stops on Rick Davis’ travels. “That’s what our professors told us—visit the great architectural achievements,” says the Graduate Architect at KJG. He’s been to Bali, Cambodia, Turkey and many European locales—39 countries in all—and 45 of the U.S. states. Still on his to-see list: Portugal, Beijing and the Galápagos Islands. A Crawfordsville native who still calls the tree-filled city home, Davis earned a Bachelor’s degree in Building Construction and Contracting from Purdue University in 1976, spent several years as a carpenter, then earned his Bachelor of Architecture Degree and Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Design from Ball State University in 1999. After graduation, Davis worked with C. Thomas Walgamuth & Associates until joining KJG Architecture in 2008 where he primarily works in the residential division, while often helping out in the commercial building division as well. This diversity has afforded Davis the experience to design several vacation lake homes and many other high-end homes throughout Indiana.  His work with KJG’s residential department includes a wide variety of clients including restaurant owners, military generals, teachers, retired couples, and lakefront homeowners. Architecture appeals to him, Davis says, because “it combines building and a lot of different disciplines, from math to art and everything in between.”  Davis enjoys home remodeling projects, and he waves pennants for Purdue basketball, the Green Bay Packers and the San Francisco Giants. ARCHITECTURE ENGINEERING RESIDENTIAL KJG Architecture, Inc. 527 Sagamore Parkway West, Suite 101 West Lafayette, IN 47906 Tel: (765) 497-4598 www.kjgarchitecture.com INTERIORS CODE RESEARCH SITE PLANNING