Scotts Contracting St.Louis Design Build Sustainable Building Contractor-providing diversified quality service at a fair price. For all of your remodeling, repairs, and maintenance needs.
If you have any questions feel free to either email or use the Contact Form on Right.
Complete plans, Design-Build Assistance for adding a Safe Room to your Building contact Scotts Contracting at the Contact Form on the Right or the Web Page- click here to email and set up a time to discuss your project.
CAD Safe Room Design for an existing Basement-8in CMU, Steel Door, 6in Reinforced Concrete Ceiling
When Building a CMU structure it is highly advisable to add Steel Reinforcement- In the case of building for Tornado or Hurricane Save Rooms substitute No.4 Vertical Rebar for No.5 size rebar.
How a CMU Block Wall is Reinforced. Simple CAD Drawing showing the suggested Metal Reinforcement.
Building the Concrete Ceiling-Structural Reinforcement Suggestions.
Build Notes-Hurricane and Tornado-Safe Room Build Suggestions #5 Rebar at 12in MATT-Dowel Into Existing Concrete Wall, Attach MATT to Existing #5 Verticals in CMU Wall-, {For Added Reinforcement for this area ADD 2ft "L" Bar and Wire Tie to MATT and Verts, 4in Min Concrete Ceiling Suggested 6in Thick Ceiling, All CMU Voids filled with Mortar {Be Sure to ADD the "L" Bar before the Voids are filled with Mortar.
Build Notes-Hurricane and Tornado-Safe Room Build Suggestions
Added April 7, 2014
I'll be honest there has always been something that bothered me about the Tornado Safe Room design that FEMA suggested. I was never worried about the Structural Ability of the Safe Room Design to not withstand a Severe Storm-it is the fact of being trapped in a Safe Room- like Jodi Foster in Panic Room. Maybe I've watched too much tv? I'd rather be safe than sorry.
The fact that 2 exits are not available-as is required of almost any home/room design was the Red Flag going off in my mind and when I finally figured it out I made some notes and a quick sketch. When I got home this evening I sat down and made a couple of quick CAD drawings of the idea to help you get a better idea of what I'm talking about.
Maybe its just me, but; I'd hate to survive a storm only to die of starvation because I couldn't get out of a safe room in a basement of a home.
I've seen too many horror stories (Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans) of phones not working, emergency personnel too busy to respond to all the requests...scotty
There is also the added benefit in the building of the safe room with an exterior point to bring the building materials into the safe room. This will help keep the labor costs lower as it will speed up the job site production by reducing the man hours.
I now feel that I have a Safe Room Design Build Plan that I would build in my own home and am comfortable sharing and discussing the project in detail.
Feel free to email or call me for any design build assistance in building a Tornado shelter in your Home.
LIMIT OF LIABILITY: THE DESIGNS IN THIS BOOKLET ARE BASED ON EXTENSIVE RESEARCH OF THE CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF WINDSTORM DAMAGE TO BUILDINGS. SAFE ROOMS DESIGNED AND BUILT TO THESE DESIGNS SHOULD PROVIDE A HIGH DEGREE OF OCCUPANT PROTECTION DURING EXTREME WINDSTORMS (TORNADOES AND HURRICANES). ANY SUBSTITUTION OF EITHER MATERIALS OR DESIGN CONCEPTS MAY DECREASE THE LEVEL OF OCCUPANT PROTECTION AND/OR INCREASE THE POSSIBILITY OF PERSONAL INJURY DURING AN EXTREME WIND EVENT.
IMPORTANT LEGAL NOTICE
Because it is not possible to predict or test all conditions that may occur during extreme windstorms, or control the quality of construction, among other things, the designer does not warrant the design.
The designer neither manufactures nor sells safe rooms built from this design. The designers have not made and do not make any representation, warranty, or covenant, express or implied, with respect to the design, condition, quality, durability, operation, fitness for use, or suitability of the safe room in any respect whatsoever. Designers shall not be obligated or liable for actual, incidental, consequential, or other damages of or to users of safe rooms or any other person or entity arising out of or in connection with the use, condition, and/or performance of safe rooms from this design or from the maintenance thereof.
- See more at: http://stlouisrenewableenergy.blogspot.com/2013/05/tornado-safe-room-design.html#sthash.FTgJEhTc.dpuf
@StLHandyMan there is no danger and many children will be there including my 3 year old son.Tell them not to believe the media hype
— Gateway Garlic (@STLGarlicfest) August 13, 2014
Learn More about the #FarmedUpRising via the Facebook Page here: https://www.facebook.com/events/512970052180785/513028865508237/?comment_id=513036338840823¬if_t=like
Additional News about Mark Garlic founder of Carondelet Garlic
Gateway Garlic Urban Farm
Founder and Owner of the Gateway Garlic Urban Farm, Mark “Carondelet Garlic” Brown, who truly understands the importance of garlic!
St. Louis, Mo., is home to a recovered lost heirloom garlic that has been hiding out at an abandoned farm for over 70 years. The discovery was made by the founder and owner of the Gateway Garlic Urban Farm, Mark “Carondelet Garlic” Brown, who truly understands the importance of garlic.
Mark became intrigued after finding out that between 25 percent to 30 percent of heirlooms are recovered by individuals who have found them still growing at abandoned farmsteads. He immediately began his quest to find lost heirlooms in the river city region. In 2011, Mark found a series of farmsteads and went door to door asking if he could search for crop remnants on their land. He first located the original foundation and searched the perimeter. He searched many farmsteads and discovered nine separate garlic varieties. From those 9 varieties, he collected 50-100 samples of each and transplanted them into berms he built at the Gateway Garlic Urban Farm with the intention of saving the seed stock. He sent those nine separate varieties off to an organization in New Zealand to have them tested.
According to the tests, one of those varieties was said had its own genetic drift, which means that it meets the criteria to qualify as its own variety. This variety, merely scallion size, was found on an abandoned farmstead that had trees growing through the original farmhouse foundation. The garlic was growing around the foundation and even under the forest canopy. This land had not been farmed for over 70 years. This garlic variety recovered is a member of the Rocambole family with the origin being traced back to Eastern Central Europe. Mark says, “This makes since because it was found on a farm that was settled by German immigrants”. The recovered heirloom is a hardneck type of garlic that is closely related to the German Red Garlic variety.
After Mark discovered the importance of this lost variety, he went back to the site where it was found and asked permission to collect the remaining plants. He dug up over 40,000 garlic plants and transplanted them into the Gateway Garlic Urban Farm. He grew this variety in raised berms of pulverized clay with a top dressing of compost.
The first year, he saved most of the seed stock and planted it in the fall. He sorted through thousands of cloves, only selecting the largest ones to be planted so that the final outcome would be a larger bulb of garlic. He donated 40 lbs of the smaller cloves of garlic to Mutual Aid, a local food pantry.
Mark spent over 2 years reconditioning these plants. Mark stated that,
“Garlic becomes highly adapted to its environment, reseeding itself as the bulbils drop to the ground, meaning this garlic has been replicating itself for over 70 years”.
After 3 years of nurturing this resilient variety of garlic in historic Carondelet at the Gateway Garlic Urban Farm, he decided to name the garlic Carondelet. According to Mark,
the Carondelet variety of garlic is unique in that it is highly adaptable; it withstands the bitter cold winter temperatures in the Midwest and is also drought tolerant.
“the Carondelet variety of garlic endured this past winter like a champion compared to the Creole and Mediterranean varieties” The flavor is moderately tangy and spicy. It is fairly easy to peel, especially with the technique that requires shaking garlic between two metal bowls.
Mark comes from a long line of farmers in the Northern Illinois and Wisconsin regions. Some of his earliest childhood memories are of harvesting and eating raw sunflower seeds with his siblings and helping his parents harvest peas at the 2 lot urban farm he grew up on in Chicago.
His parents were victory gardeners. His paternal grandfather was a ploughman at the turn of the century. Growing food is a part of his heritage.
Mark Brown, a Saint Louis transplant has been farming in Missouri for 13 years and has been active in Urban Farming in St. Louis since 2005. In 2007, he founded the Gateway Garlic Urban Farm in the Carondelet Neighborhood, which now has 10 members and 15 allied growers.
Mark also spearheads The St. Louis Garlic Fest, which began as a private event with friends enjoying garlic dishes together over a decade ago. The St. Louis Garlic Fest is now in its 6th season and has drawn a crowd of over 3,500 individuals in recent years.
A Netwrok of Organic Growers
Mark Brown is a member of The Missouri Organic Association. Mark is passionate about building a network of allied farmers, sharing resources between organic growers, educating others including the youth about organic farming and sharing the harvest with local food banks.
He has helped start many urban farms in the St. Louis area including Tarry There Gardens, a small urban permaculture farm. Mark recently built a 12 x 40 ft poly tunnel using 100% recycled and reclaimed materials where he demonstrates bioponic, aquaponic and hydroponic growing methods. The poly-tunnel and the farm are used as an outdoor education center for the Oak Scouts.
Gateway Garlic Farm has open free plots for beginning urban farmers who wish to learn how to grow their own food or sell food at markets. The Gateway Garlic Urban Farm centers on community involvement, outreach and education. They work closely with local food banks such as Mutual Aid and Haven Street. They donate produce on a regular basis to these and other area food banks.
Mark owns and grows food on several lots throughout South St. Louis from Dutchtown to Carondelet. He sells produce to several restaurants in St. Louis and shares it with neighbors and friends.
In light of the recent tragedies in Ferguson, Mark and a group of friends, farmers, organic food activists, social activists and volunteers mobilized in Ferguson, Mo. bringing with them the harvest from their fields and donated non perishable food items.
According to Mark, “they created a mobile free food oasis to counter the food desert that was already existing there. They gave away free organic produce and taught healthy eating habits to Ferguson residents”
“It's small farmers who will help end hunger in our world while simultaneously teaching it to be more sustainable.” – Mark Brown
#Ferguson Stories and Videos from the StLouis Locals
Collection of news and information resulting out of the shooting of Mr Mike Brown by the Ferguson Police Department in Ferguson, MO 8-10-1-14
See the Activities, links, first hand accounts, videos, twitter, reddit, local news stations, youtube, anonymous, Family, Law Enforcement, NAACP, and anything else I could find before it gets removed, lost, or changed via the Internet Police and the Media Empire.
It all started when the Fam and I were sitting around eating an angel food birthday cake and this strange report comes over the News 4 KMOV.com broadcast- Ferguson Police Shoot Unarmed Man- RIOT Ensues-I immediately jumped online and went to Twitter.
I know from past emergencies that Twitter has reported the news before the tv stations get in their vans-@StLHandyMan
I'd also like to point out:
Just because a #Ferguson witness doesn't talk "white" enuff for you does not mean that they are Lying. Scotty
I've lived in the hoods and
understand a majority of the
slang terms for those that
don't try: BlackRefer or Ghetto Slang Dictionary
Here's where it all starts
@SLIKK_DARKO bruh, the news hella not here. Everybody trying to get them here tho
— Bruh. (@TheePharoah) August 9, 2014
Things went downhill from there as the Peaceful protest turned into a Riot which targeted the Quicktrip, Walmart, Walgreens, Zisser Tire, Autozone, and many local businesses.
In all of the protests I've been in in stl, I have never seen police use tear gas. Militarized crowd control. Insane.
— Colleen (@colleenkelly) August 11, 2014
I realized yesterday that I couldn't keep up with all the Ferguson activities. I'm changing my tactics to promote peace and will only be posting only positive messages and news from the Mike Brown incident.
It was advertised that the new leader is from and was raised in the Ferguson area. Everything I have seen from him makes me believe that he was the missing link that was needed to calm the community in this time of turmoil. He's done a few things differently check out how peaceful the protesters are now.
He boasted, at the news conference that there would be no tear gas used against the protesters.
With Ferguson No Longer Intimidated By Local Police, Unity And Peace Show Up Thursday http://t.co/OyeHEka29j
— Rick Cooley (@rcooley123) August 15, 2014
8/15/2014 - The new day brought the first un-eventful night of protests along with the Ferguson County Police Chief Jackson announcing that the Officer involved in the shooting of Mike Brown is Darren Wilson.
The Missouri Governor also gave a speech reflecting
8/15/14-Statement from Gov. Nixon on announcement by Ferguson Police Department | Governor Jay Nixon http://t.co/CRg5l6lN3z
— Scotts Contracting (@StLHandyMan) August 15, 2014
Video: StLouis Radio Station and College Law Professor discuss the technical aspects of the legality of the Officer who shoot Mike Brown.
The 4th Amendment Discussed In Regards To Police Force
8/15/14 New Video Added of what I believe is eyewitness testimony heard in the background of the video.
8/16/14 There were many positive actions in the community over night, three of which jump out to me as worthy of attention for the :
positive actions of the Residents of Ferguson, MO.
Non Violent Protesters attempt to keep Looters from pillaging the local store.
2 All the Haters: Just because a #Ferguson witness doesn't talk "white" enuff for you does not mean that they are Lying. #StandUp#MikeBrown
— Scotts Contracting (@StLHandyMan) August 20, 2014
@GloriaLloyd
Of all the people arrested by @stlcountypd in #Ferguson, 93% are not from Ferguson and 27% are not residents of Missouri.
— Gloria Lloyd (@glorialloyd) August 20, 2014
For those who aren't from the StLouis area who might not know about all the lack of jobs in the Area. There is finally some help or at least recognition for the unemployed. (This action was started by Mayor Slay who is the Mayor of StLouis which is not Furgeson, but to me all part of StLouis.)
Attorney General Statement on Latest Developments in Federal Civil Rights Investigation in Ferguson, MO
Attorney General Eric Holder released the following statement Monday following his briefing of President Obama on the latest developments in the federal civil rights investigation in Ferguson, Missouri:
“As I informed the President this afternoon, the full resources of the Department of Justice are being committed to our federal civil rights investigation into the death of Michael Brown.
“During the day today, more than 40 FBI agents continued their canvassing of the neighborhood where Michael Brown was shot. As a result of this investigative work, several new interviews have already been conducted.
“Moreover, at my direction, an additional medical examination is being performed on the body of Michael Brown. This autopsy is being performed today by one of the most experienced medical examiners in the United States military. I am confident this additional autopsy will be thorough and aid in our investigation.
“In addition to updating the President on these developments, I informed him of my plan to personally travel to Ferguson Wednesday. I intend to meet with FBI investigators, and prosecutors on the ground from the Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney’s Office officials about the ongoing investigation.
“I realize there is tremendous interest in the facts of the incident that led to Michael Brown’s death, but I ask for the public’s patience as we conduct this investigation. The selective release of sensitive information that we have seen in this case so far is troubling to me. No matter how others pursue their own separate inquiries, the Justice Department is resolved to preserve the integrity of its investigation. This is a critical step in restoring trust between law enforcement and the community, not just in Ferguson, but beyond.
“In order to truly begin the process of healing, we must also see an end to the acts of violence in the streets of Ferguson. Those who have been peacefully demonstrating should join with law enforcement in condemning the actions of looters and others seeking to enflame tensions.
“To assist on this front, the Department will be dispatching additional representatives from the Community Relations Service, including Director Grande Lum, to Ferguson. These officials will continue to convene stakeholders whose cooperation is critical to keeping the peace. Furthermore, as the President has announced, Ron Davis, our Director of the COPS office, will arrive on the ground in Ferguson Tuesday. Ron has been in touch with local and state officials since last week, providing technical assistance on crowd control techniques and facilitating communications between Missouri officials and other law enforcement officials whose communities have faced similar challenges in the past.”
14-873
Attorney General
8/19/2014 Peaceful Protest till about Midnight, Police arrest more people and it turns out that most of the agitators who are arrested are not from Ferguson and have motives that aren't necessarily what is best for the area.
When my girl seen this photo she asked, " Are they using Flame Throwers on the Protesters now" (This is a muzzle flash and not a flame thrower.)
10:49 am from Reddit StLouis Feed by the redditor http://www.reddit.com/user/jandrewweb (unbiased reporting of the events in Ferguson and the StLouis community)
Latest from prosecutor, Bob McCulloch's news conference:
Prosecutor McCulloch says NO info on Grand Jury specifics (race, gender, etc) will be released till after all evidence is presented.
Prosecutor Bob McColloch says timeline for evidence presented to grand jury could last through mid-October. #Ferguson #ksdk #MikeBrown
Here are some more of the Great things that the people of the Furgeson and Neighboring areas are doing for the Kids of Ferguson who were supposed to start school Monday or Tuesday 8/18-19/2014 originally shared by Ryan J. Reilly ✔@ryanjreilly
Additional Sound Footage added in the Mike Brown Case
The audio allegedly includes the gunshots fired during the shooting. A lawyer for a Ferguson resident said her client recorded the audio while video chatting with a friend. In the audio, you can hear a series of gunshots fired, then a brief pause, followed by another round of shots. "It's not just the number of gunshots but how they were fired that has a huge relevance on how this case might turn out," said attorney Lopa Blumenthal. Read More
Suspended St Louis officer part 1
Speaks out on the corruption of the StLouis County Police Department.
Remember when I posted the Feds are investigating the #Ferguson PD it has now morphed into an inquiry into 5 or 6 additional StLouis County Police Departments:
The investigation is being conducted by attorneys and staff from Civil Rights Division. They will be assisted by experienced law enforcement experts. The department encourages anyone wishing to provide relevant information to contact the department at 1-855-856-2132, or via email at
I'm from Missouri and I understand and partially live by the states slogan-Show Me. I am so confident that I can save you money on your utility bills. I will base the money I earn from the energy upgrade improvements I install in your home or business in StLouis will be based off of the savings of your future energy bills. Thats right you can pay me 'after-the-fact' on the proven performance for the work I do. If what I say doesn't work or the energy upgrades fail to deliver then you pay nothing for my labor.
How do I know Scotty's suggested Energy Efficient upgrades and Clean Energy Solar Systems will work to save me $Money$ you ask?
To put my actions and energy efficient suggestions to the test I will soon be offering a Paid by Performance option based on the Negawatt reduction in your utility bills.
My Definition of a Negawatt is: the energy that was previously need but is not needed for your building now. Wiki's definition of negawatt is:
Negawatt power is a theoretical unit of power representing an amount of energy (measured in watts) saved.
I'm calling for the naysayers and skeptics of energy efficiency and solar to accept my challenge. I can and will save you money and will base this on the negawatts you will not be buying from Ameren UE!
Because I know that: Adding Insulation and Air Sealing the drafts in your home will save energy.
Energy Efficient appliances use less energy than older appliances.
Most of the HVAC systems in our homes do not have adequate air vents which causes them to operate inefficiently and create cold and hot spots in the home.
Why would I go out on a limb and possibly lose money? For me its not completely about the $$$. I breathe the air in St Louis and since Ameren UE burns dirty coal which causes: Cancer, Asthma, Breathing problems, reduced life expectancy, etc from the CO2 emissions. {I am hedging my bets on my future health and the high costs of health care today.} So any energy efficient upgrades and clean energy solar systems installed for your Building in the StLouis area that eliminate the burning of Fossil Fuels- will help my health in the end and everyone else in stlouis would also receive cleaner air to breathe as the added benefit.
While I'm working out the details feel free to schedule a time that we can discuss how you can participate in the program drop me a line.
