La Hacienda

La Hacienda – Light Fixtures & Ceiling Fans

Posted on by kworkman

Light Fixtures & Ceiling Fans

Various light fixtures and ceiling fans throughout La Hacienda

Light fixtures for La Hacienda were chosen from multiple companies, including Kichler, Quoizel, and Troy Lighting.  Troy Lighting is the youngest of the companies, founded in 1963.  Kichler and Quoizel were both founded in the 1930s and are still family owned and operated!  Troy Lighting is part of the Littman family of companies, started and still owned by David Littman.  All companies are known for exceptional lighting fixtures, and excellent customer service.

 

 

La Hacienda – Nest Learning Thermostats

Posted on by kworkman

Nest Learning Thermostats

All thermostats are Nest Learning Thermostats

All of the thermostats in La Hacienda are Nest Learning Thermostats.  Working together throughout the house, these thermostats can help you save money on your energy bill by learning your schedule, and adjusting the heating and cooling of the home according to it.  Each thermostat (there are four) controls a separate zone in the house, and each will learn the normal schedule for its zone.  If you want to change the schedule, you can use your phone, laptop, or tablet to adjust the temperature from wherever you have a WiFi signal!

 

La Hacienda – Rastra Brick

Posted on by kworkman

Rastra Bricks

The exterior walls of La Hacienda are built with RASTRA, an Insulated Concrete Form (IFC) building system.  Made of 15% concrete and 85% recycled expanded polystyrene (Styrofoam), these concrete forms are left in place after the concrete is poured.  The reinforcing steel and concrete, with the RASTRA brick, form a wall that is not combustible and is rodent, insect, and mold resistant!  The combination of concrete and RASTRA brick also provides excellent insulation and can decrease energy use in a house up to 50%.

In these photos you can also see the metal studs and wood bracing that were installed inside.  The bracing is for mounting cabinets, lights, and other items on the walls.

 

La Hacienda – Rumford Fireplaces

Posted on by kworkman

Rumford Fireplaces

Rumford fireplaces were designed by Count Rumford in the 1790s.  With modern technology, it has been proved that Rumford was ahead of his time when it came to fireplace design.  Not only do Rumford fireplaces heat homes more efficiently, due to the air flow they also burn more cleanly than a standard fireplace.

There are five Rumford fireplaces in La Hacienda: one in the master bedroom, one in the great room, one in the dining room, one on the exterior patio, and one in the guest house.

For more information, see the article Rumford: Like it Used to Be, by Jim Buckley

 

La Hacienda – SteelCrest Registers

Posted on by kworkman

SteelCrest Registers

Here are just a few of the registers found throughout the house

The registers that were put into La Hacienda were all custom made by SteelCrest.  SteelCrest makes all of their registers here in the United States, with United States Steel.  Dedicated to producing excellent products, they combine both new and old methods to produce the registers.  Computer aided design and laser cutting are used at the beginning, while finishing touches, such as removing small flaws and smoothing rough edges, are done with a hand file.

 

 

La Hacienda – Steel Windows & Doors

Posted on by kworkman

Steel Windows & Doors

Photos of the window manufacturing courtesy of Bliss Nor-Am.

The metal frames, along with the sloped glazing bead, gives the frames of the steel windows and doors of La Hacienda a historical look.  The windows and doors were purchased from Bliss Nor-Am, a premiere steel window and door manufacturing company based in Toronto, Canada.  They get hot rolled steel from Switzerland and custom make every frame in their plant behind their office building.  Once the frames are built, they are put through a hot dipped galvanizing process, which prevents the steel from deteriorating.  Once the galvanized coating is applied, the frames are painted and the paint is baked onto the frames.

 

 

La Hacienda – Tile

Posted on by kworkman

Tile

The tile that is going in the kitchen, breakfast nook, dining room, great room, laundry room, and entryway comes from Mexico.  There were 17 cases of tile, with 600 tiles per case, ordered for the house, for a total of 10,200 tiles!  There are four different designs on the tiles.

Every piece of tile has to be washed by hand, twice, before installation.  The first time it is washed and lightly scrubbed with sand paper to remove the calcification and dirt.  Then it is washed again and scrubbed with a sponge.

After the tile is set in place, a sealant is then applied before the grout.