SANTA BARBARA, CA / DUPLEX RESIDENTIAL This urban infill, artist loft duplex was located in an overlooked, but well-located, light-commercial zone. It was also the first new residential construction built in the area for decades, the project is located within a 10-square-block area zoned for light-commercial and affectionately dubbed the “Funk Zone” by resident artists and city planners. Only two blocks walking distance to the beach, and a similar distance to the downtown commercial district, this pedestrian-oriented project ideally suits the lifestyles of the owners. Although the two units share equal footprints, the southerly unit features a double-height, north-facing living space. The northerly unit supplants this volume with additional living space. The siting also allows for secure private courtyard entries, maximization of natural light and view-swept, rooftop living space. The design incorporates a raised plinth required by flood zone restrictions to create a peaceful, intimate environment within the somewhat chaotic surrounding context. The disciplined and restrained approach towards the building’s image was intended to make reference to the much-loved Meridian Studios by George Washington Smith. Two roof-decks with outdoor fireplaces and shade trellises extend outdoor living space, contribute ocean and mountain views and provide both refuge and release. Cost-effective materials were selected in order to adhere to the strict budget and to relate to the industrial surroundings. Over-sized pivot doors, “industrial” staircases and cabinetry were constructed on-site by the owners to conserve design integrity within the extremely limited budget. 2000 AIA Santa Barbara Chapter Honor Award

The Top-Down/Bottom-Up feature offers a more versatile approach to light control. Open from the top, from the bottom, or find somewhere in-between–for the perfect balance of privacy and light. Protect your furniture, flooring and artwork from fading with at least 75% protection from harmful UV rays.

Jake Steward
Inspiration for a large contemporary backyard brick patio remodel in Detroit with a pergola

Set on conservation land in Wayland, Massachusetts, this residence became an exercise in continuity — a home where the boundary between inside and outside simply dissolves. The original mid-century bones of the house guided every design decision. Rather than erasing its character, we honored it and pushed it forward: warm white oak cabinetry echoes the birch and maple of the surrounding woodland; a deep forest-green herringbone tile backsplash mirrors the mineral hues of the river that runs alongside the property; sage green banquette upholstery nods to the lichen on old New England stone walls. Even the amber hand-blown pendant lights were chosen to cast the same honey warmth as the conservation land in late October. The result is a home that feels rooted — not in a passing trend, but in its own specific place on this earth. Modern in its sensibility, warm in its materials, and unmistakably shaped by the New England landscape that surrounds it. Design by Dominique, DFI Interiors — a Boston-based studio specializing in luxury residential design with a European white-glove approach.

FINISH: PRIMED The advantages of this approach – of this type of interior door finish – are fairly obvious. Pick a color, any color that suits your projects best. Mix and apply. Re- coat whenever you feel it is necessary to do so. Touch it up. It gives you, the proud owner of these interior doors, complete freedom of choice, and the significant savings, especially where it comes to bulk orders, can be a true source of joy. As Kurt Vonnegut mentions in one of his novels (Bluebeard, unless I’m mistaken … check it out when you get a chance), the thrill of laying on colors is a large part of the artist’s professional satisfaction. In other words, a keen pleasure. When back in the remote past visual arts became a field dominated by professionals rather than hobbyists, the main problem of “just laying on paint” became obvious: you can’t. The medium of choice back then was egg tempera, a permanent, fast-drying substance consisting of colored pigments mixed with a water-soluble binder medium, usually glutinous material such as egg yolk. Portraits and ornaments were executed in this medium, and the wood panel was the surface of choice. One of tempera’s interesting features is that it is not as easily absorbed by wood as other mediums. Some sort of primer was necessary, of course, but pretty much any substance that dried evenly could be used. The drawbacks of tempera, or pintura al temple, as the Spanish call it, only became obvious with the advent of the Renaissance, when the leading representatives of the trade turned to oil (and interior doors suddenly became a great deal less crude, but that’s a story for another day). Oil painting is the process of “painting with pigments with a medium of drying oil as the binder.” Commonly used types include linseed (highly preferable in art, though not necessarily in interior doors, mind you), poppy seed, walnut, and safflower. Today, five hundred years later, it is safe to say that oil is more versatile than pintura al temple – by orders of magnitude. Specifically, the contrasts achieved through the former are much greater, the darks are far deeper, and three- dimensional, highly realistic images are much easier to achieve. Next time you visit a museum, take a closer look at pintura al temple portraits. All of them, without exception, come off as a bit “flat” as opposed to their latter-day counterparts. Also, where glazing is concerned … Glazing: a painting technique in which a transparent layer, with just a touch of pigment, is laid over a previously painted surface, allowing light to travel through the glaze and be reflected back off of the opaque layer below. Gentle shadows, subtle changes of color, smooth transitions – all these can be achieved through glazing, which was used by all artists up until the middle of the Nineteenth Century, when artist tubes were invented, revolutionizing the field, and other techniques began to be explored. Tempera enthusiasts (it takes all kinds to make a world) will assure you that glazing is not just possible in pintura al temple but is actually the basis of the whole enterprise. Well, what are you going to do? They’re enthusiasts. Anyway, la peinture à l'huile, as the French call it, re-introduced the ancient problem of most surface’s propensity to absorb dipingere, as the Italians call the stuff. Wood or canvas, it is all the same: you’re not going to get very far without a good primer. Experiments were conducted, and soon rabbit skin glue emerged as the least expensive and most effective solution. It was easy to apply. It dried evenly. It made the application of the l’huile stuff on top of it a walk in the park. There were drawbacks. Today, rabbit skin glue is considered to be a major cause of cracking by most modern conservators. (Remember, when you visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art – and did you see those interior doors? … some of them are quite something … - most “old masters” pictures are completely covered with a cobweb of cracks? There you go). Because the glue is hygroscopic, it continually absorbs moisture from the atmosphere, causing the glue to swell and shrink as ambient humidity levels change. Over many humidity cycles, this repeated flexing causes the brittle oily layers to crack. To combat this problem, modern primers are made of acrylic materials which are guaranteed not to cause any damage to the dipingere. No bubbling, no cracks. Your interior doors are safe.

Inspiration for a mediterranean gravel landscaping in San Francisco.

Photo by Mike Casey Cramped, uncomfortable, and out of date: when the owners of this home approached us about renovating their kitchen and adjoining sunroom, these were high on their list of complaints. OPENING UP THE KITCHEN Our plan kept the kitchen in the same location but took down the walls between both the dining room and the sunroom to create an expansive multi-purpose space with spectacular views to conservation land along the back of the property. We removed the powder room and in its place created a window-lined hallway to the living room—opening up direct access between these two previously disconnected spaces. We then built a new half bath between these two rooms, with a door along the back hallway. The result is a more private powder room that is easier to access than before. Significantly improved cabinetry provides ample storage for both human and canine needs. An island countertop is functional and pleasant, enabling the owners to prep for and clean up from dinner all while enjoying the view of the woods behind their house. CREATING COMFORT We also completely rebuilt the sunroom, thickening the framing to allow for extra insulation and raising the roof to accommodate a higher ceiling and tall windows that let in as much natural light as the skylights they replaced, but much less of the solar gain that had made the room so intolerable in the summer. We improved visual connections between spaces and admitted more natural light by converting the framing of the main stairway from full to half walls. We also insulated the attic and replaced an aging, inefficient central air conditioning system with ductless minisplit heat pumps, which can also be used as supplemental heat. All in all, this was our kind of project: we made the home more attractive, more comfortable, and more energy-efficient—all over the course of a single, well-integrated project.

Photo by Mike Casey Cramped, uncomfortable, and out of date: when the owners of this home approached us about renovating their kitchen and adjoining sunroom, these were high on their list of complaints. OPENING UP THE KITCHEN Our plan kept the kitchen in the same location but took down the walls between both the dining room and the sunroom to create an expansive multi-purpose space with spectacular views to conservation land along the back of the property. We removed the powder room and in its place created a window-lined hallway to the living room—opening up direct access between these two previously disconnected spaces. We then built a new half bath between these two rooms, with a door along the back hallway. The result is a more private powder room that is easier to access than before. Significantly improved cabinetry provides ample storage for both human and canine needs. An island countertop is functional and pleasant, enabling the owners to prep for and clean up from dinner all while enjoying the view of the woods behind their house. CREATING COMFORT We also completely rebuilt the sunroom, thickening the framing to allow for extra insulation and raising the roof to accommodate a higher ceiling and tall windows that let in as much natural light as the skylights they replaced, but much less of the solar gain that had made the room so intolerable in the summer. We improved visual connections between spaces and admitted more natural light by converting the framing of the main stairway from full to half walls. We also insulated the attic and replaced an aging, inefficient central air conditioning system with ductless minisplit heat pumps, which can also be used as supplemental heat. All in all, this was our kind of project: we made the home more attractive, more comfortable, and more energy-efficient—all over the course of a single, well-integrated project.

Photo by Mike Casey Cramped, uncomfortable, and out of date: when the owners of this home approached us about renovating their kitchen and adjoining sunroom, these were high on their list of complaints. OPENING UP THE KITCHEN Our plan kept the kitchen in the same location but took down the walls between both the dining room and the sunroom to create an expansive multi-purpose space with spectacular views to conservation land along the back of the property. We removed the powder room and in its place created a window-lined hallway to the living room—opening up direct access between these two previously disconnected spaces. We then built a new half bath between these two rooms, with a door along the back hallway. The result is a more private powder room that is easier to access than before. Significantly improved cabinetry provides ample storage for both human and canine needs. An island countertop is functional and pleasant, enabling the owners to prep for and clean up from dinner all while enjoying the view of the woods behind their house. CREATING COMFORT We also completely rebuilt the sunroom, thickening the framing to allow for extra insulation and raising the roof to accommodate a higher ceiling and tall windows that let in as much natural light as the skylights they replaced, but much less of the solar gain that had made the room so intolerable in the summer. We improved visual connections between spaces and admitted more natural light by converting the framing of the main stairway from full to half walls. We also insulated the attic and replaced an aging, inefficient central air conditioning system with ductless minisplit heat pumps, which can also be used as supplemental heat. All in all, this was our kind of project: we made the home more attractive, more comfortable, and more energy-efficient—all over the course of a single, well-integrated project.

SANTA BARBARA, CA / DUPLEX RESIDENTIAL This urban infill, artist loft duplex was located in an overlooked, but well-located, light-commercial zone. It was also the first new residential construction built in the area for decades, the project is located within a 10-square-block area zoned for light-commercial and affectionately dubbed the “Funk Zone” by resident artists and city planners. Only two blocks walking distance to the beach, and a similar distance to the downtown commercial district, this pedestrian-oriented project ideally suits the lifestyles of the owners. Although the two units share equal footprints, the southerly unit features a double-height, north-facing living space. The northerly unit supplants this volume with additional living space. The siting also allows for secure private courtyard entries, maximization of natural light and view-swept, rooftop living space. The design incorporates a raised plinth required by flood zone restrictions to create a peaceful, intimate environment within the somewhat chaotic surrounding context. The disciplined and restrained approach towards the building’s image was intended to make reference to the much-loved Meridian Studios by George Washington Smith. Two roof-decks with outdoor fireplaces and shade trellises extend outdoor living space, contribute ocean and mountain views and provide both refuge and release. Cost-effective materials were selected in order to adhere to the strict budget and to relate to the industrial surroundings. Over-sized pivot doors, “industrial” staircases and cabinetry were constructed on-site by the owners to conserve design integrity within the extremely limited budget. 2000 AIA Santa Barbara Chapter Honor Award

We are thrilled to present our recently completed landscape remodel project in the vibrant city of Orange, California. This modern and stunning transformation perfectly marries contemporary aesthetics with functional outdoor living. With a price range of $35,000 - $40,000, our team has orchestrated an impressive array of features that have revitalized the entire space. Project Highlights: 1. Comprehensive Demolition and Site Preparation: The project began with the meticulous removal of existing concrete and decomposed granite, setting the stage for a fresh canvas. Clearing the site was a crucial step to lay the foundation for the envisioned modern oasis. 2. Thoughtful Irrigation System: We designed and installed a state-of-the-art irrigation system that not only ensures the lushness of the landscape but also conserves water through efficient distribution methods. This sustainable approach aligns with the modern ethos of the project. 3. Contemporary Concrete Walkways and Driveway: The landscape now boasts brand-new poured concrete walkways and a driveway, exuding modern elegance. The sleek lines and minimalistic design of the concrete elements harmonize seamlessly with the overall aesthetic. 4. Luxurious Synthetic Turf: To introduce a touch of verdant luxury without the maintenance requirements, we installed high-quality synthetic turf. Its evergreen allure adds a refreshing contrast against the hardscape elements. 5. Bountiful Flora and Fauna: Carefully curated plants and trees have been strategically placed to add depth, color, and texture to the landscape. This selection of vegetation creates a dynamic environment that evolves with the changing seasons. 6. Reimagined Decomposed Granite Areas: The introduction of new decomposed granite areas not only complements the modern design but also adds a natural element to the landscape. This material harmonizes beautifully with the surroundings, enhancing the overall aesthetic appeal. 7. Subtle Landscape Lighting: Landscape lighting has been thoughtfully incorporated to illuminate the space during the evening hours. This subtle and strategic lighting transforms the landscape into a captivating visual delight after sunset. 8. Refreshed Wood Fence: To frame the space with a touch of warmth, the wood fence has been sanded and re-stained. This careful restoration preserves the natural charm of the fence while seamlessly aligning it with the contemporary redesign. In conclusion, our recently completed landscape remodel in Orange, CA stands as a testament to the harmonious fusion of modern design, functionality, and natural beauty. With a budget of $35,000 - $40,000, we've transformed an ordinary outdoor area into an extraordinary modern sanctuary. This project showcases our commitment to crafting outdoor spaces that not only reflect our clients' vision but also elevate their quality of life.

Architect: Michelle Penn, AIA This barn home is modeled after an existing Nebraska barn in Lancaster County. Because fresh water is not available from a well nor county water, water will be provided by rainwater harvesting. The water will be collected from a gutter system, go into a series of nine holding tanks and then go through a water filtration system to provide drinking water for the home. A greywater system will then recycle water from the sinks and showers to be reused in the toilets. Low-flow fixtures will be used throughout the home to conserve water. The paint is Calypso Blue 727 by Benjamin Moore. Photo Credits: Jackson Studios

We are thrilled to present our recently completed landscape remodel project in the vibrant city of Orange, California. This modern and stunning transformation perfectly marries contemporary aesthetics with functional outdoor living. With a price range of $35,000 - $40,000, our team has orchestrated an impressive array of features that have revitalized the entire space. Project Highlights: 1. Comprehensive Demolition and Site Preparation: The project began with the meticulous removal of existing concrete and decomposed granite, setting the stage for a fresh canvas. Clearing the site was a crucial step to lay the foundation for the envisioned modern oasis. 2. Thoughtful Irrigation System: We designed and installed a state-of-the-art irrigation system that not only ensures the lushness of the landscape but also conserves water through efficient distribution methods. This sustainable approach aligns with the modern ethos of the project. 3. Contemporary Concrete Walkways and Driveway: The landscape now boasts brand-new poured concrete walkways and a driveway, exuding modern elegance. The sleek lines and minimalistic design of the concrete elements harmonize seamlessly with the overall aesthetic. 4. Luxurious Synthetic Turf: To introduce a touch of verdant luxury without the maintenance requirements, we installed high-quality synthetic turf. Its evergreen allure adds a refreshing contrast against the hardscape elements. 5. Bountiful Flora and Fauna: Carefully curated plants and trees have been strategically placed to add depth, color, and texture to the landscape. This selection of vegetation creates a dynamic environment that evolves with the changing seasons. 6. Reimagined Decomposed Granite Areas: The introduction of new decomposed granite areas not only complements the modern design but also adds a natural element to the landscape. This material harmonizes beautifully with the surroundings, enhancing the overall aesthetic appeal. 7. Subtle Landscape Lighting: Landscape lighting has been thoughtfully incorporated to illuminate the space during the evening hours. This subtle and strategic lighting transforms the landscape into a captivating visual delight after sunset. 8. Refreshed Wood Fence: To frame the space with a touch of warmth, the wood fence has been sanded and re-stained. This careful restoration preserves the natural charm of the fence while seamlessly aligning it with the contemporary redesign. In conclusion, our recently completed landscape remodel in Orange, CA stands as a testament to the harmonious fusion of modern design, functionality, and natural beauty. With a budget of $35,000 - $40,000, we've transformed an ordinary outdoor area into an extraordinary modern sanctuary. This project showcases our commitment to crafting outdoor spaces that not only reflect our clients' vision but also elevate their quality of life.

STEWARDS OF NATURAL BEAUTY Your flooring is the foundation of your home. So, we craft our products with artisan hands to bring the beauty and warmth of nature to your space. BUILT TO MAKE A LASTING IMPRESSION For every step, dance, crawl, or stumble taken on your floors—Mullican is there, for life. Our precision milling, advanced kiln-drying techniques, and the most demanding inspectors available result in a lifetime of value. SUSTAINABILITY WITHOUT COMPROMISE The tree is a symbol of life, virtue, and renewal. It is also our greatest resource, and one we will always protect. Since our founding, we’ve incorporated conservation and sustainability practices into our approach. INSPIRED BY OUR ROOTS Our history is founded in the Appalachian Mountains, where beautiful, slow-growing hardwoods flourish. These hardwoods emerge from a land of rich heritage and tradition—a testimony to a proud way of life.

Set on conservation land in Wayland, Massachusetts, this residence became an exercise in continuity — a home where the boundary between inside and outside simply dissolves. The original mid-century bones of the house guided every design decision. Rather than erasing its character, we honored it and pushed it forward: warm white oak cabinetry echoes the birch and maple of the surrounding woodland; a deep forest-green herringbone tile backsplash mirrors the mineral hues of the river that runs alongside the property; sage green banquette upholstery nods to the lichen on old New England stone walls. Even the amber hand-blown pendant lights were chosen to cast the same honey warmth as the conservation land in late October. The result is a home that feels rooted — not in a passing trend, but in its own specific place on this earth. Modern in its sensibility, warm in its materials, and unmistakably shaped by the New England landscape that surrounds it. Design by Dominique, DFI Interiors — a Boston-based studio specializing in luxury residential design with a European white-glove approach.

SANTA BARBARA, CA / DUPLEX RESIDENTIAL This urban infill, artist loft duplex was located in an overlooked, but well-located, light-commercial zone. It was also the first new residential construction built in the area for decades, the project is located within a 10-square-block area zoned for light-commercial and affectionately dubbed the “Funk Zone” by resident artists and city planners. Only two blocks walking distance to the beach, and a similar distance to the downtown commercial district, this pedestrian-oriented project ideally suits the lifestyles of the owners. Although the two units share equal footprints, the southerly unit features a double-height, north-facing living space. The northerly unit supplants this volume with additional living space. The siting also allows for secure private courtyard entries, maximization of natural light and view-swept, rooftop living space. The design incorporates a raised plinth required by flood zone restrictions to create a peaceful, intimate environment within the somewhat chaotic surrounding context. The disciplined and restrained approach towards the building’s image was intended to make reference to the much-loved Meridian Studios by George Washington Smith. Two roof-decks with outdoor fireplaces and shade trellises extend outdoor living space, contribute ocean and mountain views and provide both refuge and release. Cost-effective materials were selected in order to adhere to the strict budget and to relate to the industrial surroundings. Over-sized pivot doors, “industrial” staircases and cabinetry were constructed on-site by the owners to conserve design integrity within the extremely limited budget. 2000 AIA Santa Barbara Chapter Honor Award

Stephanie is obsessed with plants, and her background in wedding stationery, botanical illustration, and fine art infuse with her love of the wild world in her approach to garden design. A lifelong guest on Ohlone Land, Stephanie has grown up with a deep appreciation for California landscapes and ecosystems, and she enjoys deepening her knowledge of local watersheds, native plant communities, and the beings who depend on them. Stephanie has a BFA in Graphic Design from California College of the Arts, and is currently completing an AA in Landscape Architecture at Merritt Community College. She also holds additional training in ecological restoration, fire resilience, permaculture, herbalism, and spiritual ecology, and is very passionate about environmental and social justice. In her free time she loves working with her hands - stewarding her North Oakland garden, knitting, and learning to weave. She also volunteers with the East Bay California Native Plant Society, helping to conserve California’s native ecosystems.

Every year, the same thing happens. The first real snowfall arrives, demand for de-icing materials spikes overnight, and the businesses that waited too long find themselves scrambling for supply at the worst possible moment. Facility managers, property owners, contractors, and municipalities all depend on a steady supply of salt and ice melt to keep their properties safe and operational through winter. The ones who plan ahead sail through. The ones who don't pay more, wait longer, and take on real risk. Sourcing de-icing materials well is not complicated, but it does require thinking ahead and understanding the options. The choices you make about what to buy, how to buy it, and who to buy it from have a direct effect on your costs, your reliability, and your ability to keep people safe when conditions turn dangerous. This article lays out what matters. Why Your Choice of Supplier Matters More Than You Think It is easy to treat de-icing material as a commodity, something you grab whenever you need it without much thought about where it comes from. That works fine until the moment it doesn't, usually in the middle of a storm when everyone needs supply at once and the casual sources have run dry. At that point, the relationships you built before the season become the difference between staying stocked and being stuck. Reliable supply is the whole game in winter operations. A property that runs out of ice melt during a storm faces safety hazards, liability exposure, and disruption, none of which can wait for a back-ordered shipment. This is why establishing relationships with dependable rock salt suppliers before the season starts is one of the smartest moves a facility manager or contractor can make. It locks in supply, often locks in better pricing, and removes a major source of mid-winter stress. The lesson here is to treat sourcing as a planning decision rather than a last-minute errand. The businesses that come through winter smoothly are almost always the ones that secured their supply chain early, chose suppliers who could actually deliver when it counted, and never had to gamble on finding material during a shortage. Reliability bought in advance is far cheaper than scarcity paid for in a crisis. Bagged or Bulk: Matching the Material to the Job One of the first practical decisions is whether to buy de-icing material in bags or in bulk, and the right answer depends entirely on the operation. Each format has clear advantages, and many operations end up using both for different purposes. Bagged material offers convenience, control, and easy storage. It is simple to handle, easy to distribute to different locations or crews, straightforward to store without special equipment, and convenient for spot application by hand. It suits smaller properties, businesses without bulk storage, and situations where portion control and tidiness matter. Bulk material, on the other hand, tends to make sense for large operations that go through high volumes, where buying in quantity lowers the per-unit cost and the operation has the equipment and space to store and handle it. The tradeoff is between the convenience and flexibility of bags and the volume economics of bulk. For many operations, the right approach is a mix: bulk for the high-volume core of the work and bags for flexibility, spot treatment, and locations where bulk handling is impractical. The key is to match the format to how the material will actually be stored, moved, and applied, rather than defaulting to one or the other out of habit. Thinking this through in advance avoids both the waste of over-buying bulk you can't handle and the expense of relying entirely on bags for a large operation. Rock Salt Is Not Your Only Option Rock salt, or sodium chloride, is the workhorse of winter de-icing for good reason. It is effective, widely available, and cost-efficient, which makes it the default choice for most operations most of the time. But it has limits, and understanding the alternatives helps you choose the right material for the conditions you actually face. The most important limitation is temperature. Rock salt becomes less effective as temperatures drop, and in genuinely cold conditions it can struggle to do the job at all. This is where alternatives come in. Calcium chloride, for instance, works at much lower temperatures than rock salt and acts quickly, which makes it valuable when conditions are severe or when fast melting matters. Operations that face hard freezes or need dependable performance in extreme cold often keep calcium chloride for sale on hand for exactly those situations, using it alongside rock salt rather than instead of it. The practical approach is to understand the conditions your property faces and stock accordingly. For many operations, rock salt handles the bulk of the work while a faster, colder-rated material like calcium chloride covers the extreme days when ordinary salt falls short. Matching the material to the temperature and the urgency of the situation is what separates an operation that stays ahead of winter from one that is constantly reacting to it. Securing Your Supply Before the Season Knowing what to buy is only half the equation. The other half is making sure you can actually get it when you need it, which means securing your supply before winter arrives rather than after it has already started. Timing is one of the most underrated factors in winter operations. The logic is simple. Demand for de-icing materials is highly seasonal and spikes sharply during storms, when everyone needs supply simultaneously. Prices and availability both move against the buyer at exactly those moments. By contrast, planning ahead, estimating your needs and arranging supply before the season, puts you in a far stronger position. Working with established rock salt suppliers ahead of time means your material is accounted for before the rush, often at better pricing and with the confidence that it will be there when the first storm hits. This kind of planning also lets you think clearly rather than react under pressure. You can estimate your seasonal needs based on your property and past winters, decide on the right mix of materials and formats, and arrange storage in advance. Operations that do this consistently spend less, worry less, and never find themselves making frantic calls during a storm. The effort of planning ahead is modest, and the payoff in reliability and cost savings is substantial. Storing and Handling What You Buy Securing supply is not much use if the material degrades before you can use it, which makes proper storage and handling an important and often overlooked part of the equation. De-icing materials are sensitive to moisture, and poor storage can turn a good supply into a clumped, hardened mess that is difficult to apply. The fundamentals are straightforward. Keep material dry and protected from moisture, since salt and ice melt readily absorb water and can harden if exposed. Store it in a way that suits the format, whether that means a proper bulk storage area or a dry space for stacked bags. Keep it accessible, so crews can get to it quickly when a storm hits and time is short. And handle it with the right equipment for the format and volume, which protects both the material and the people working with it. None of this is complicated, but neglecting it can undermine even a well-planned supply. Good storage practices protect the investment you made in securing supply early. There is little point in arranging your materials ahead of the season only to have them degrade before use. Treating storage and handling as part of the overall plan, rather than an afterthought, ensures that the material you secured is actually usable when the moment comes. It is the final link in a supply chain built to perform under winter conditions. Estimating How Much You Actually Need One question trips up operations of every size: how much de-icing material to buy. Order too little and you risk running short during a storm. Order too much and you tie up money and storage space in material you may not use. Getting the estimate reasonably right is a meaningful part of sourcing well. Several factors shape the answer. The size and type of the areas you treat, sidewalks, lots, entrances, and drive lanes, set the baseline for how much material each application consumes. The local climate matters too, since colder regions and those with frequent snowfall go through far more material than milder ones. Application frequency depends on how often storms hit and how quickly surfaces need to be cleared, which varies with the kind of property and the expectations of the people who use it. And the type of material plays a role, since different products are applied at different rates. Past experience is often the best guide. Operations that track what they used in previous winters, adjusted for the size of the property and the severity of the season, can estimate their needs with reasonable confidence. For newer operations without that history, it helps to plan conservatively and to work with a supplier who can replenish stock reliably, so that a low estimate does not turn into a mid-storm shortage. The goal is not perfect precision but a sound, slightly cautious estimate paired with a dependable supply relationship. That combination lets an operation keep enough material on hand to handle the season without over-committing to volume it cannot store or use. Thinking this through before winter, rather than guessing during it, is one more way that planning ahead pays off when the snow starts to fall. The Bottom Line Sourcing de-icing materials well comes down to a few straightforward principles: plan ahead, choose reliable suppliers before the season, match your materials and formats to your actual needs and conditions, and store what you buy properly. The operations that follow these principles move through winter with confidence, while those that improvise pay more and take on needless risk. Winter is predictable in one respect: it arrives every year, and demand for de-icing material spikes the moment it does. The businesses that prepare for that reality, rather than being surprised by it, are the ones that keep their properties safe, their costs controlled, and their operations running no matter what the season throws at them. A little foresight before the first snowfall pays off through every storm that follows.

Derseni Landings is heritage revitalization to original Derseni House and urban townhome development in Historic Maillardville, Coquitlam BC. This unique development offers sixteen 3, 4 and 5 bedroom townhomes ranging from 1,475 sf to 1,845 sf and features an executive 2,100 sf detached heritage house with a full basement suite. Spacious and functional floor plans complemented by premium finishes include high end appliances, quartz countertops, wood cabinetry, European wide plank laminate, lush carpets, and single or side by side double car garages. Situated on a quiet street in the heart of Coquitlam, with convenient access to all major transportation, it is within walking distance to a great mix of schools, parks, shopping, and community centers. Heritage values: The Derceni Residence is located at 686 Gauthier Avenue in the Cariboo neighbourhood of Coquitlam. The house was constructed in 1942 and has retained its overall appearance and many original building materials, which contribute to its heritage character and value. The house may be relocated as part of the proposed redevelopment of the subject property and adjacent lots. This Heritage Conservation Plan details the overall conservation approach for the historic building, the treatment of its extant original fabric and the appropriate restoration of materials that have been lost or damaged over time.