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10.30.2012

Stone Foundation Repair-Benton Gut Rehab

 The First Set of Pictures from the 

Green Build - Gut Rehab of a 4 Family Masonry Building

 Repairing the Stone Foundation



If you can see daylight through the cracks in your rock foundation it is time for some maintenance
Scotts Contracting Home Repair Services



Remove and Replace all loose mortar in small sections

Stone Foundation Repair for St Louis Missouri


The Buildings Foundation  will be ready for the next couple hundred years!

Waterproofing would be the next step after the foundation is repaired.


See More of the 
Benton Gut Rehab Green Blog Series
Additional information about Waterproofing a Stone Foundation can be found on my sister website- Scotts Contracting


Thank you for stopping by St Louis Renewable Energy. Feel free to comment in the section below or contact Scotty for any Home Improvement Projects or Energy Reducing Needs and Scotty, Scotts Contracting will respond ASAP. Company Web Address: http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.com

 

10.28.2012

Series-Green Blog Posts covering:

Green Build - Gut Rehab of a 4 Family Masonry Building


But first I'll give you a little background on the Building
                              

Building History

  
There were many clues for determining the age of the building.  

First Clue was the type of Bricks used.  When St Louis hosted the Worlds Fair.  The city planners realized that housing was going to be needed for everyone and started building many of the brick homes that are still being utilized all over the city today.  It has to do with either the type of clay used to make the bricks or the way they 'fired' the bricks.  Either way when you have the type of brick as the ones in this building you have a building using bricks that were made in the Late 1800s or early 1900s. 

 

Lumber: We have found that Douglas Fir was used 80% of the time.  True Dimensional Rough Sawn Lumber.

 

Nails: Hand Made Square various sizes 

 

Plaster and Lathe

 

Tube and Knob Wiring

 

Water Cistern / Hand Pump

 

Gas Lighting

 

Rock Foundation

and more


Complete Rehabb of a 4 Family Building with Garage and Warehouse
home was built in the late 1800s or early 1900s

  1. Basement Foundation Rock Foundation Repair
    1. Hint: If you can see daylight  coming thru the mortar  cracks as the building did in these pictures (you have problems and need to tuckpoint your rock foundation).
    2. See other rock foundation repair at Green Blog
  2. Removing the water damaged deck and back room addition
  3. Roofing
  4. Extensive Tuckpointing
  5. Rebuilding the back room
    1. Supporting the 2nd Floor and Roof (we used a total of 5 Support Posts in a 6 Foot Area)
    2. While Digging in the Pier Footings we found an old water tank/cistern that was used to supply water to a kitchen sink in the hand pump days.  
      1. Water Collection for re-use is/was a normal part of everyday living in the days gone past.  The water was collected by the buildings eve troughs, gutters, and patio area because: 
      2. in the old days-they didn't call it green building- It was called survival.

  6. Refinishing the Flooring
  7. Remodel of Kitchen/Bath
  8. Adding a Laundry Room
  9. Weather Proofing and more

Stay Tuned for Photos and Details on the Green Build Four Family Flat- perfect example on why Building Green is not only affordable but can be profitable as well.



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7.07.2012

Moving Business Location

Blog was Restarted See the New Series:

Benton Gut Rehab Green Blog Series
 Part 1: History

I am in the process of moving my business to a new location.  I will be up and running in a few days.

Build Green,
Scotty


Thank you for stopping by St Louis Renewable Energy. Feel free to comment in the section below or contact Scotty for any Home Improvement Projects or Energy Reducing Needs and Scotty, Scotts Contracting will respond ASAP. Company Web Address: http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.com

6.14.2012

Res 37 Toxic Air Bill by Sen J.Inhofe


I am writing you today in vehement opposition to the toxic air bill offered by Senator James Inhofe, S.J. Res 37.

The Online Petition I signed via the Environment Defense Action Fund is listed to follow and emailed to Sen R.Blunt and Sen C.McCaskill.


  • My notes to Dirty Oil Roy Blunt are at the bottom of the Post.


This bill would use the obscure Congressional Review Act to block EPA's new emission standards for hazardous mercury and other toxic air pollution from coal- and oil-fired power plants. If enacted, this bill would also forever prohibit the EPA from adopting substantially similar clean air standards in the future.

These standards, which the 1990 Clean Air Act specifically authorizes, have been in the works for more than two decades. They will prevent up to 11,000 premature deaths every year and protect our kids from dangerous exposure to toxic mercury pollution, which can cause brain damage in infants and young children.

They will also save the American economy tens of billions of dollars in avoided health costs while likely leading to the creation of 117,000 jobs installing pollution control technologies between now and 2015.

Last year, more than 800,000 Americans submitted public comments in support of this rule. But now, a few of America's largest corporate utilities have launched an aggressive campaign to block these standards. And Sen. Inhofe's toxic air bill would do just that.

Please stand up for the health and safety of our kids and communities and reject the Inhofe bill.

Please take action today. Help us stop the Inhofe toxic air bill, which would wipe the EPA's life-saving Mercury and Air Toxics Standards off the books and punch a huge hole through our clean air protections.

My Notes:

Mr Blunt in an email I received yesterday from you.  You wrote:
"Job creators in Missouri tell me that overreaching new regulations coming out of the Environmental Protection Agency are one of the biggest obstacles to getting our economy back on track.  Regulations like these threaten to make the cost of electric power skyrocket for most Americans and will sack families and workers with new costs, reducing their disposal income and ultimately threatening their standard of living."  

I'd like to point out the simple fact that-
"All the jobs in the world won't help when Pollution kills the world."  

As you know here in St Louis- Ameren UE (Union Electric) uses Coal for producing our Electricity.  This pollution from Coal Fired Power Plants is a leading cause of Asthma and Cancer.  WebMD just reported last week that St Louis is Number 7 on the list  of leading cities with Asthma Problems.
"The study also points out that recent statistics indicate asthma causes more than 3,300 deaths annually in the U.S. and is a factor in another 7,000."  
It  would seem to me the more healthy people there are working equals more people paying taxes- ie: Income for the US Government.

If you are serious about creating jobs consider this: Energy Efficiency and Renewable "Non Polluting" Energy.

Steve Kidwell, Ameren Missouri Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, said:

"If we went after the potential that we've seen in our own study,  we wouldn't have to build another power plant for 20 years, and we could retire Meramec, and we'd be OK.  But we'd lose  $30 million a year. And we just can't do that. It's that simple."
 (This was a St Louis Post Dispatch Article that talked about making homes energy efficient through weatherization.)

On another note about Energy Efficiency and Nuclear Energy- I'd like to share this info:
"For 1/2 the cost of replacing one nuclear power plant, we can retrofit 1,600,000 homes for "Energy Efficiency" and create 220,000 new jobs- which is 90 times more jobs than you'd get from a power plant replacement."  
ie: how much taxes that are needed for the USA would come from the 220,000 employees?

So basically I'm asking you to do the right thing and leave the EPA alone as the USA is making strides to curb its energy use which reduces the Pollutants in the Air, Land, and Water.

Through the various reporting agencies on Political Contributions. (1 & 2) I know you receive the bulk of your money from Big Oil, Big Coal, and Big Business.  In the future who will be left to buy their products if the population is killed off from Fossil Fuel Pollution.  I'm not even going to mention the fact that we can reduce our reliance on Foreign Oil (which is the root cause of the ongoing wars in the Middle East.  ie: if they don't have any money they cant fight us).

Thank you, looking forward to your Reply.

Sincerely,
Scotty

Help us stop the Inhofe toxic air bill, which would wipe the EPA's life-saving Mercury and Air Toxics Standards off the books and punch a huge hole through our clean air protections.

Thank you for stopping by St Louis Renewable Energy. Feel free to comment in the section below or contact Scotty for any Home Improvement Projects or Energy Reducing Needs and Scotty, Scotts Contracting will respond ASAP. Company Web Address: http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.com


6.12.2012

10 Most Asthmatic Cities | 2012-06-12 | ED C Magazine


Why is St Louis Ranked Number 7?  Dirty Coal Emissions such as Ameren UEs 'coal fired electric plants' has been linked to Asthma related problems.  I would also like to point out that these same Dirty Coal Emissions have been linked to Cancer- (in case you are wondering why there is so many people that have developed Cancer in St Louis.)


WebMD, an online medical news source, recently released a list of the ten U.S. cities with the most frequent cases of asthma — a disease that affects the lungs, often causing repeated episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness and coughing.
To create the list, researchers used the following criteria:
  • air pollution levels
  • pollen levels
  • number of reported asthma attacks and cases
  • whether bans on smoking in public locations are in place
  • reported use of “rescue inhalers” to treat asthma attacks
  • poverty rates (asthma rates are invariably correlated with high poverty rates)
“Early on, we found that many conventional cleaning chemicals can trigger asthma attacks among school children,” says Stephen Ashkin, President ofThe Ashkin Group, who is known as the “father of Green Cleaning” in the professional cleaning industry. “This is why so many schools were early pioneers in [adopting] Green Cleaning products and practices.”
According to WebMD, these 10 cities have the most prevalent asthma rates:

No. 10: Allentown, Pa.

No. 9: McAllen, Texas

No. 8: Oklahoma City, Okla.

No. 7: St. Louis, Mo.

No. 6: Hartford, Conn.

No. 5: Chattanooga, Tenn.

No 4: Pittsburgh, Penn.

No. 3: Knoxville, Tenn.

No 2. New Haven, Conn.

No 1: Memphis, Tenn.

The study also points out that recent statistics indicate asthma causes more than 3,300 deaths annually in the U.S. and is a factor in another 7,000.

“And it is still themost common health reason for repeated absences from schools,” adds Ashkin, “which tells me we still have a ways to go in cleaning and maintaining our schools in a healthier, more environmentally preferable manner.” 


10 Most Asthmatic Cities | 2012-06-12 | ED C Magazine


 Thank you for stopping by St Louis Renewable Energy. Feel free to comment in the section below or contact Scotty for any Home Improvement Projects or Energy Reducing Needs and Scotty, Scotts Contracting will respond ASAP. Company Web Address: http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.com

6.08.2012

Little Green Thumb Recycling Adventure

Gratitude of Thanks to Southern Metal Processing. 

For all my readers who have been reading about my Back-Yard City Garden.  I'm sure you have noticed that I've had some great help from little green thumbs this year.
Little Green Thumbs helping in the Garden
Little Green Thumbs-Inspecting the Corn Silk on
the Sweet Corn Plants that they helped plant.

I try to 'Lead by Example' with the Girls and have been attempting to teach them the benefits of Recycling and becoming a Steward for the Environment.  They are already aware of the Blue Recycling Dumpsters in the Alleys and the Recycling Trash Can here at the house.  The youngest calls the trips to the Blue Dumpster-"Cycling".  


Yesterday while cleaning out the Garage I compiled all the scrap metal left over from previous projects, loaded it up and headed to Southern Metal Processing on S Broadway in St Louis, MO.   


After we were weighed in and unloaded our Scrap Treasures.  We were standing in the office receiving our compensation.  Unexpectedly Girls were given some Kool toys from the Reward Case.  (I personally think the girls have enough toys, especially when I trip over them or am forced to clean them up.)  But to a little girl I guess they can never have enough Barbies or Little Pony toys.


And the nice lady that gave the girls the toys must understand that there can never be enough toys.  She vetoed my suggestion that 1 toy was enough and gave the girls 2 toys each (to the delight of the girls).  Thank you's and hug's were exchanged and the now very happy girls had Treasures of their own to play with. 


I think this is just what is needed from a Business in support of the Green and Sustainable efforts to reduce Global Warming - Climate Change.  I can think of no better way to teach the next generation the importance of recycling.  And  by actions such as these by Southern Metal Processing, (listed SMP on their Trucks). I will bet that the Younger Generations will become better Stewards of our Earth-If this Generation doesn't kill the Earth first.    



 



Gratitude of thanks to Southern Metal Processing.


Thank you for stopping by St Louis Renewable Energy. Feel free to comment in the section below or contact Scotty for any Home Improvement Projects or Energy Reducing Needs and Scotty, Scotts Contracting will respond ASAP. Company Web Address: St Louis Renewable Energy

6.07.2012

Climate Change Heat Deaths in Top U.S. Cities


Climate change is literally killing us: In America's 40 largest cities, it's estimated that more than 150,000 Americans could die by the end of this century due to the excessive heat caused by climate change. Find out more about killer heat and how many more heat-related deaths climate change could cause in U.S. cities by exploring our interactive map. Then, help fight climate change by sending a letter supporting carbon pollution limits.
June 2012
Heat Deaths Map
Climate Change Heat Deaths in Top U.S. Cities

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