With dimensional lumber predicted to experience continuing shortages and rising prices—thanks to increasing marketplace demand—industry observers are encouraging dealers to keep enough inventory on hand for jobs sold over the next quarter.
Sound issues tend to take a back seat to architectural design when a building is on the drawing board. At least that's what you'll hear from acoustical consultants who work with multifamily developers. “When it's time to think about economy and the value of the building, control of sound gets kicked to the side too often,” says Steve Haas, president of SH Acoustics, a Milford, Conn., company that specializes in luxury residential projects. It's easy to do; acoustic design and performance happens behind the scenes, making it easy to discount or ignore compared to other must-have features that you can actually see.
Apartment building safety has improved steadily over the years, but those improvements–particularly regarding fires–have been won at the cost of many lost lives. "If you look at the fire code,, you can see [a number of] things that were put in place after major disasters, when people were more accepting of changes," says Dan Jones, the fire chief in Chapel Hill, N.C. He even has a name for such disasters: "teachable moments."
It was 5:20 a.m. on July 24, 2005, when CEO Bill Donges got the phone call: The Lane Co. condominium project under way in downtown Atlanta's bustling Atlantic Station community was on fire. The news got worse when the four-alarm fire spread to Lane's already-built Art Foundry community nearby.
Rehabbing a multifamily property frequently includes deciding whether or not to replace the HVAC equipment–and with what. It's a big decision, and one that has become more difficult lately, thanks to evolving technologies and volatile energy prices.
