An Ode to Dennis Oppenheim

On August 8 through the 11th, the village of Arts and Humanities celebrated the life of Dennis Oppenheim through their teen workshop. The teens and local residents recreated a smaller version of Oppenheim's well known sculpture entitled Device to Root Out Evil (1997) located in Vancouver, Canada. Woodland helped to provide some of the lumber for the project and is excited to share their work with you.....

Bathroom Renovation

Woodland does Design......Take a look at our newest design rehab. Woodland had a client who was looking to update their outdated master bath. The original bathroom was functional but lacked a lot of the things they were looking for in their new home. They wanted a bathroom with clean lines, but that also felt fresh and inviting. We worked out  a budget and prioritized which items would be essential to making their dream master bath.

Before and After Vanity

 First on the list was the vanity. Their current vanity was older, and starting to loose it's lackluster and crowned with a shell shaped double sink top, definitely not out client's style.We went with something that was warm in color and provided a clean French country look. The new vanity also has 4 center drawers for organizing brushes, toothpaste, ect.


The second "must have" was new tile. We only tiled in the original areas that had tile to reserve our budget for other important items. We decided on a honed Travertine for the floor, as Travertine adds a level of sophistication and longevity. We
went with a porcelain tile for the walls and around the drop in tub, as it more inexpensive than Travertine and requires less maintenance. To break the wall tile we added 3 rows of glass and tumbled linear stone.

The third item on the list was a new tub. The old tub was bone color, which our clients were not crazy about. In running theme with the fresh look, we went with white. We chose a soaking tub that was much larger and deeper than the previous tub. We also added a tiled ledge that had been missing from the previous layout, and removed an awkward step that was in front of the tub.

The other items on the list fell into place as we made figured on the three major items. We talked about removing the wall in the shower area, replacing the door to add more light to the space. Instead we left it and the large mirrors that were already inplace and in tact. We add all new fixtures that coordinated with one another. We removed an old large mirror with very little storage behind it and replaced it 2 large cameo mirror with full storage behind them.

This project served as a good example of how you don't always need to gut a bathroom to give your space an entirely new feeling. At the end of this projects our clients were overjoyed how well their new bathroom turned out and that they stayed in budget.

Below are some "Before and After" pictures. Enjoy!


........ BEFORE

........ AFTER

Pervious Concrete

Photo by Crag.org

Last summer the Philadelphia Water Department changed the way it bills commercial customers, separating stormwater charges from sewer bills and basing charges on the amount of impervious surface in a parcel. While the changes will help to reduce stormwater runoff, pollution to our water system, flooding and drought, they have also caused businesses to rethink the material used in designing roofs, pathways, sidewalks, parking lots and other normally impervious surfaces.

Because impervious surfaces do not allow water to soak into the ground as nature intends, this reduces the amount of water available for wells and springs and increases the amount of water above ground and the potential for flooding. Another downside is when water sits on a surface it collects pollutants from the air and cars, and during storms excess water that could not seep into the ground, flows across impervious surfaces and sweeps these pollutants into surrounding waters and farther downstream.

The Philadelphia's implementation of stormwater charges is hoped to serve in a catalyst for further green design, and acheive the city's goals laid out in Mayor Nutter's plan for sustainability, Greenworks, which began in 2009.


Here is the way the city calculates stormwater charges:

Stormwater Charge = (Gross Area Rate * Gross Area of Property) +

                                    (Impervious Area Rate * Impervious Area of Property)

By reducing the area of impervious property, business can see a reduction of their water bill, as well as reduction in overflow and flooding. Ways to reduce stormwater include impervious surfaces, such as using products like Empire Blended Pervious Concrete, a pre-blended permeable paving product. It looks just like concrete yet through small voids allow water and air to pass through. Another avenue to stormwater reduction, is installing a green roof. Colbond Enkadrain Mats and Rooflite lightweight.

For further information, check out the Stormwater Basic Information page.

ABC Show Recap

ABC SHOW RECAP

This year's Atlantic City Builder's show proved to have a good turn out of local builders and other industry professionals. Woodland showcased quite a few products, but the two that received the most interest were our Atlantis Rail System and Thermally Modified Wood. The Atlantis Rail System is a stainless steel tension system that allows for visible horizons and cool breezes while providing up to code safety precautions. The thermally modified wood by EcoPrem is naturally treated wood that is fire kilned to prevent rotting, mold and provide dimensional stability.  Check out our links for more information on these products.

Storm Chasers comes to Woodland.

Yesterday, Woodland had a pleasant surprise from one of the Discovery Channel's Storm Chaser teams, TIV (Tornado Intercept Vehicle). The team featured on the show stopped in to say hello (and fix their trailer). We got a glimpse inside this amazing machine, hand built by Sean Casey.  The 16,000-pound armored tank is outfitted with wind-resistant flaps and anchor spikes to keep him safe while filming inside a twister. The vehicle was en route to Pittsburgh where it is on display in conjunction with the IMAX film, Tornado Alley. The vehicle was also on display at the  Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, before making its debut at Woodland.

 

UltraTouch Launches Perforated Denim Insulation

 

Watch Bonded Logic's video on the latest innovation in their recycled denim insulation line, Ultra Touch. Woodland currently stocks the original unperforated Ultra Touch to the Philadelphia and Delaware Valley Region. For more information on available sizes and prices, call 215-727-533. Look for updates to find out when our stock will change to PERFORATED!

Atlantic City Builder's Convention 2011

Woodland Building Supply is proud to announce our participation at this year's Atlantic City Builder's Convention from April 6-8, 2011 at the Atlantic City Convention Center. Have a look at our newest products at our booth, #1504 and we will also popping up in this year's Green Zone, so keep an eye out for our Ultratouch recycled denim wall and mini booth featuring all of our green products. For more information on the show visit: http://www.abconvention.com/index.php

FSC OSB OMG!

Woodland will now be stocking FSC OSB (4x8x7/16"). Here is a little breakdown of how FSC works for those of you who are not familiar with the FSC system. Each FSC order receives a unique identification number that provides a chain of custody from the tree that was cut down to the end user. The FSC label provides assurance to the end user that the material they are purchasing comes from the certified managed forest it claims and that it has not been switched for a non-FSC material. Woodland is a part of that chain of custody and has received training on how to properly inventory and manage FSC material by a third party accreditation party. Stop in and check it out.

FSC OSB is available for $12.99/sheet.

Wood Spotlight:: Ash Wood

Plain sliced American Ash

Sometimes the best place to find what you are looking for is to look in your own backyard. Today lets take a look at a local and ashamedly underutilized North American Hardwood - Ash.  When speaking in terms of green woods, we often think of Bamboo and other rapidly renewable sources, but this however overlooks the most important aspect to green design - locality! Buying local reduces the carbon footprint size and additionally it helps the local economy to grow (which we could all use these days). The first step is to look at what is around you, and see how you can benefit from the resources closest to you.

Ash Wood can be found in plethora in Northeastern USA, making it a great wood for the Philly building community. Many times it grows in moist and swampy areas and flowers in the spring time. Ash is a very strong, flexible, durable, and heavy wood. It comes in 3 basic varieties: Black, Green (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) and White Ash.  Ash is a wood most notably known for being used in baseball bats, because of it's shock absorption and high strength-to-weight ratio. If you are not familiar with Ash, it has the basic look and durability of Oak and is typically an inexpensive hardwood. Ash has a lighter graining than Oak and comes plain sliced, quarter sawn or rift cut; each of which will render very different looks, from traditional to modern.

Ash wood is also available in FSC and thermally modified (great for decking). Here are some good links for the Ash-lover in you!


http://www.hardwoodinfo.com/species_guide/index.php
http://www.lewislp.com/woodchar.asp#Basswood
http://www.thewoodbox.com/data/wood/ashinfo.htm


  

Update on the American Sardine Bar Project.....

 ................AMERICAN SARDINE PROJECT (update)

            About 2 months ago we blogged about the American Sardine bar in Point Breeze, and the green aspects of the work being done. Well today, we have an update shot of the installed awning. The weathered corrugated steel is originally installed as a typical corrugated silver colored metal. But as time passes and inclement weather ensues, the metal begins it's transformation. We took this shot to show one of the metal's color stages. Right now it is a bright orange but in a few weeks or months it will begin to change to a darker more rusty color. What happens in that time is that the steel's chemical composition begins to form a protective layer on its surface under the influence of the weather thus changing the color of the metal.