The problems she brings up in this video are real for us all. After you have seen this, I will tell you what we are doing to remedy these problems and how you, as the consumer, can help.
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
The Story of Stuff
This short whiteboard documentary makes me so Proud I work at Ultra Aluminum Mfg., Inc. and I will tell you why, but please, watch this first .
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Does a fence reduce or add to a home's value?
"Good fences make good neighbors." - Robert Frost
From the perspective of a second generation fence man that has over 40 years in the fence industry and having owned a fence and deck construction company for half of that time, I can say definitively that a great and appropriate fence will add value while a cheap and/or inappropriate fence will reduce value.
Just like rims on a car or the frame for a painting, a fence can be the one thing that ties the entire package (home, landscaping, hardscaping, etc.) together or what detracts from it entirely.
Surely no buyer would see this old wood fence as anything but a negative.
The old industry standard of Chain Link fencing is no longer seen as a plus, unless you are in a neighborhood that is predominantly installing this utilitarian approach. Even if this is the case, know that most standards on chain link such as wire gauge, post wall thickness and the amount of zinc applied during galvanization has gotten cheaper and cheaper each year. To buy the quality of chain link that was the norm in the 50's and 60's one could afford a much nicer fence without spending more.
A fence style that is appropriate with many finer old or historic homes is the predecessor to chain link, wrought iron. However most ornamental iron is now hollow and is NOT wrought iron. The biggest risk with going this route today is that most, if not all ornamental iron is not hot-dipped galvanized prior to painting or powder coating. This allows for the inevitable oxidation (rust) from the inside-out. In some climates this will take a matter of decades while others only a matter of years. Why not get the same or similar look with ornamental aluminum and get a lifetime warranty.
Ultra Aluminum Fencing Railing Gates
The best value in fence can often times be the one that lasts the longest and is even a green or Earth-friendly product like this ornamental aluminum fence. Another Earth friendly feature is that it promotes great landscaping and is appropriate with so many styles of architecture because there is an endless variety of styles, colors, grades, heights and textures.
For privacy, security and beauty a composite fence can offer many advantages over a stick built wooden fence. Lower maintenance and longer durability are the two primary advantages that justify the premium price.
An Ultra Aluminum Eclipse Privacy Fence is by far the most durable, cost effective and low maintenance privacy fence you can buy. It is available in many heights, colors, styles and textures. The gates for these are awesome and have the highest strength to weight ratio of any fence product known to mankind.
While the traditional white picket fence may not be appropriate for all types of architecture and every price level of homes, it does have a broad based appeal. Few things can return such a return on investment if it is paired with the appropriate home, lot and landscape.
Appropriateness of fence design and materials to it's setting and intended use is crucial to getting your money's worth. For this use and setting even this rusty old wire fence and gate may actually be what is called for. This is likely one of the last fence designs I would want around my residence though.
With the right house and setting, you can even get quite artistic with your fence or gate. The key is an appropriate design. Ultra Fence cares so much about getting you the appropriate fence for your house they sell through a verified and trained Ultra Dealer Network. The Ultra Trained Sales Representative can guide you through using the Design Studio to Visualize Ultra Fencing, Railing & Gates on your home before you buy.
Upload a photo or two of your home and then stretch and place the fence and gate over its proposed location. Then change the height, grade, style, color and accessories to get the image of the most appropriate fence for your home. Then download it and print it and get a price on exactly what you want and need.
After all, Life is short and you worked hard to get that home. Don't cut corners and buy something that will drain your pocketbook later with annual maintenance or worse yet, detract from the home. Get a fence that is 100% Made in the USA that comes with the best warranty in the business. Truly appropriate designed fences that are built to last decades instead of years will end up being a "Good Fence that is a Good Neighbor".
From the perspective of a second generation fence man that has over 40 years in the fence industry and having owned a fence and deck construction company for half of that time, I can say definitively that a great and appropriate fence will add value while a cheap and/or inappropriate fence will reduce value.
Just like rims on a car or the frame for a painting, a fence can be the one thing that ties the entire package (home, landscaping, hardscaping, etc.) together or what detracts from it entirely.
The old industry standard of Chain Link fencing is no longer seen as a plus, unless you are in a neighborhood that is predominantly installing this utilitarian approach. Even if this is the case, know that most standards on chain link such as wire gauge, post wall thickness and the amount of zinc applied during galvanization has gotten cheaper and cheaper each year. To buy the quality of chain link that was the norm in the 50's and 60's one could afford a much nicer fence without spending more.
A fence style that is appropriate with many finer old or historic homes is the predecessor to chain link, wrought iron. However most ornamental iron is now hollow and is NOT wrought iron. The biggest risk with going this route today is that most, if not all ornamental iron is not hot-dipped galvanized prior to painting or powder coating. This allows for the inevitable oxidation (rust) from the inside-out. In some climates this will take a matter of decades while others only a matter of years. Why not get the same or similar look with ornamental aluminum and get a lifetime warranty.
Ultra Aluminum Fencing Railing Gates
The best value in fence can often times be the one that lasts the longest and is even a green or Earth-friendly product like this ornamental aluminum fence. Another Earth friendly feature is that it promotes great landscaping and is appropriate with so many styles of architecture because there is an endless variety of styles, colors, grades, heights and textures.
For privacy, security and beauty a composite fence can offer many advantages over a stick built wooden fence. Lower maintenance and longer durability are the two primary advantages that justify the premium price.
An Ultra Aluminum Eclipse Privacy Fence is by far the most durable, cost effective and low maintenance privacy fence you can buy. It is available in many heights, colors, styles and textures. The gates for these are awesome and have the highest strength to weight ratio of any fence product known to mankind.
While the traditional white picket fence may not be appropriate for all types of architecture and every price level of homes, it does have a broad based appeal. Few things can return such a return on investment if it is paired with the appropriate home, lot and landscape.
Appropriateness of fence design and materials to it's setting and intended use is crucial to getting your money's worth. For this use and setting even this rusty old wire fence and gate may actually be what is called for. This is likely one of the last fence designs I would want around my residence though.
With the right house and setting, you can even get quite artistic with your fence or gate. The key is an appropriate design. Ultra Fence cares so much about getting you the appropriate fence for your house they sell through a verified and trained Ultra Dealer Network. The Ultra Trained Sales Representative can guide you through using the Design Studio to Visualize Ultra Fencing, Railing & Gates on your home before you buy.
Upload a photo or two of your home and then stretch and place the fence and gate over its proposed location. Then change the height, grade, style, color and accessories to get the image of the most appropriate fence for your home. Then download it and print it and get a price on exactly what you want and need.
After all, Life is short and you worked hard to get that home. Don't cut corners and buy something that will drain your pocketbook later with annual maintenance or worse yet, detract from the home. Get a fence that is 100% Made in the USA that comes with the best warranty in the business. Truly appropriate designed fences that are built to last decades instead of years will end up being a "Good Fence that is a Good Neighbor".
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Ways to mount a Gate to Columns or Walls
Please let me introduce myself. I am Darrin Jones, the RSM for the
Caribbean, the Pacific and Latin America. In the past I worked as an
installer and have an engineering background. Often when attaching any
hinge, including the Ultra Hinge to a column or wall, there are
potential problems that may arise.
you may notice on this 10 year old Ultra Hinge located on the Gulf Coast in Alabama, The attachment is to a post. Imagine attaching to a masonry substrate. You have four very specific locations for masonry screws to attach a flat plat (that must be vertical, or it throws gate alignment off) 1/16th of an inch out of plumb magnifies on a gate to be a major problem. Plus, if a fastener is ever so slightly over tightened, it loses its strength. In most installations you have little to no choice as to the specific location of these plates that are part of the "male" side of the hinge component.
Many dealers use the following approach for this reason....
Getting a full post as close to column or wall requires calculation to be deducted before ordering gates... This can be challenging since it is sometimes difficult to precisely judge how close the post will be due to wall/column irregularities, out of plumb walls or columns, or footer locations.
As shown here, the top detail of a set of columns was modified to allow posts to be set far enough apart to make the gate dimensions that were used during ordering work. This still leaves the posts to do all the "heavy lifting" and does not take advantage of the residual strength of the columns or walls for gate support.
I prefer the following installation technique:
This allows for the Ultra Hinge Plate on the "male" side to be attached metal to metal and can even be through bolted with lock washer and nut or nylock nut on the back side of "C" post that is integrated into the wall/column and has multiple, strategically located masonry attachment creating what I refer to as the "piano hinge approach", many screw taking the place of just a few.
Notice how the top portion of this column/wall is a smooth CMU block while the lower third is a decorative CMU block with no flat surface to mount the plate to. Plus the column mounting of the plates would create attachment points on different planes. This can be adjusted with our adjustable Ultra Hinges, but will limit future adjustability and still not be as pleasing to the eye as an integrated "C" post.
The next question I get is - "Isn't this a lot more work?"
Actually it is far quicker and less expensive than setting a post next to a column, which usually means busting through part of the footer for the column (which will weaken the column).
It is FAR, FAR easier than trying to make these plates mount precisely where they have to be. Sometimes folks that mount the plate to the wall/column get lucky and everything works out, but more often than not, it becomes an arduous task.
With a carpenters pencil and level you can mark the column where it needs to be.
Identify the best locations for masonry screws, (usually two near bottom, two near top and two every two-three feet in between). Then locate you Ultra Hinge Mounting Plate location and verify by matching with gates welded female side of hinges.
Note/Tip: I like to use a Stainless Steel Machine Bolt and cut washer with a Nylock type nut and through bolt.
Then I use a $15 diamond imbedded blade (used by tile installers) to cut a trench 1/4-1/2" deep where I made my marks for the "C" post to column/wall interface. Try to make depth fairly uniform.
Then I pay out/apply bituminous (roofing) caulk into the grooves I have cut (sparingly).
Note/Tip: silicone, lexel or even latex will work in a pinch.
Then, as a final step you attach masonry screws through the holes you drilled to mark your column/wall for hammer drilling, and tighten by hand with socket to prevent over-tightening.
Note/Tip: Order touch-up paint to match gate and pre-paint SS plate machine bolts and masonry fasteners so they will blend in seamlessly.
I like the Tapcon brand and always use the hex-head variety, so I can use a socket to tighten by hand and not strip-out the hole in masonry.
These would NOT be recommended for attaching the mounting plate directly to the masonry substrate. They are more than sufficient when used with "C" posts and cost a fraction of larger masonry fasteners (shown below).
I hope this is helpful. I believe it is the fastest, easiest, strongest, most durable and best looking way to hang a gate from a column or wall.
Darrin Jones
Regional Sales Manager Southwest USA
and all of Latin America and Caribbean
Ultra Aluminum Mfg., Inc. and
Ultra Access Controls, Inc.
(256) 214-0633 cell
(951) I M ULTRA or 468-5872 Google Voice
ultraaluminum@gmail.com
www.ultrafence.com
you may notice on this 10 year old Ultra Hinge located on the Gulf Coast in Alabama, The attachment is to a post. Imagine attaching to a masonry substrate. You have four very specific locations for masonry screws to attach a flat plat (that must be vertical, or it throws gate alignment off) 1/16th of an inch out of plumb magnifies on a gate to be a major problem. Plus, if a fastener is ever so slightly over tightened, it loses its strength. In most installations you have little to no choice as to the specific location of these plates that are part of the "male" side of the hinge component.
Many dealers use the following approach for this reason....
Getting a full post as close to column or wall requires calculation to be deducted before ordering gates... This can be challenging since it is sometimes difficult to precisely judge how close the post will be due to wall/column irregularities, out of plumb walls or columns, or footer locations.
As shown here, the top detail of a set of columns was modified to allow posts to be set far enough apart to make the gate dimensions that were used during ordering work. This still leaves the posts to do all the "heavy lifting" and does not take advantage of the residual strength of the columns or walls for gate support.
I prefer the following installation technique:
This allows for the Ultra Hinge Plate on the "male" side to be attached metal to metal and can even be through bolted with lock washer and nut or nylock nut on the back side of "C" post that is integrated into the wall/column and has multiple, strategically located masonry attachment creating what I refer to as the "piano hinge approach", many screw taking the place of just a few.
Notice how the top portion of this column/wall is a smooth CMU block while the lower third is a decorative CMU block with no flat surface to mount the plate to. Plus the column mounting of the plates would create attachment points on different planes. This can be adjusted with our adjustable Ultra Hinges, but will limit future adjustability and still not be as pleasing to the eye as an integrated "C" post.
The next question I get is - "Isn't this a lot more work?"
Actually it is far quicker and less expensive than setting a post next to a column, which usually means busting through part of the footer for the column (which will weaken the column).
It is FAR, FAR easier than trying to make these plates mount precisely where they have to be. Sometimes folks that mount the plate to the wall/column get lucky and everything works out, but more often than not, it becomes an arduous task.
With a carpenters pencil and level you can mark the column where it needs to be.
Identify the best locations for masonry screws, (usually two near bottom, two near top and two every two-three feet in between). Then locate you Ultra Hinge Mounting Plate location and verify by matching with gates welded female side of hinges.
Note/Tip: I like to use a Stainless Steel Machine Bolt and cut washer with a Nylock type nut and through bolt.
Then I use a $15 diamond imbedded blade (used by tile installers) to cut a trench 1/4-1/2" deep where I made my marks for the "C" post to column/wall interface. Try to make depth fairly uniform.
Then I pay out/apply bituminous (roofing) caulk into the grooves I have cut (sparingly).
Note/Tip: silicone, lexel or even latex will work in a pinch.
Then, as a final step you attach masonry screws through the holes you drilled to mark your column/wall for hammer drilling, and tighten by hand with socket to prevent over-tightening.
Note/Tip: Order touch-up paint to match gate and pre-paint SS plate machine bolts and masonry fasteners so they will blend in seamlessly.
I like the Tapcon brand and always use the hex-head variety, so I can use a socket to tighten by hand and not strip-out the hole in masonry.
These would NOT be recommended for attaching the mounting plate directly to the masonry substrate. They are more than sufficient when used with "C" posts and cost a fraction of larger masonry fasteners (shown below).
I hope this is helpful. I believe it is the fastest, easiest, strongest, most durable and best looking way to hang a gate from a column or wall.
Darrin Jones
Regional Sales Manager Southwest USA
and all of Latin America and Caribbean
Ultra Aluminum Mfg., Inc. and
Ultra Access Controls, Inc.
(256) 214-0633 cell
(951) I M ULTRA or 468-5872 Google Voice
| 1-619-374-7064 eFax |
www.ultrafence.com
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About Me
- Darrin Jones
- Regional Sales Manager for Ultra Aluminum in the South West Region. Of course I am willing to help Ultra Dealers and customers wherever they are. I grew up in the fence industry, a second generation fence guy. Also during the 90's I ran my own Deck Company.