Real Estate, Design & Construction

There’s no doubt about it, we rely on our air conditioning systems to keep our home’s cool and comfortable during the hotter months of the year. But in order to rely on it, your air conditioning unit requires routine maintenance for it to work properly when you need it most.

Just like your furnace or any other home appliance, it’s expected that you’re A/C unit will experience some wear and tear from being used regularly, which could lead to mechanical problems if left unchecked.

That’s why it’s important to do maintenance checks and service your air conditioner regularly to make sure that all of its components are in good working order. And not only does this keep your air conditioner working properly, it will also save you a lot of money and headaches from your unit breaking down unexpectedly. You can find more information about air conditioner service and maintenance at sites like FurnaceUSA.com

[Read more…] about Air Conditioning Repair and Maintenance Tips

If you’re looking to hire a contractor to paint either the interior or exterior of your home, it’s important that you hire someone who is experienced, knowledgeable, and understands how to get the job done right so that your new paint job will last for years to come.

But when it comes to hiring a contractor, you can’t simply rely on the opinions of others to make your decision. Just because a friend of yours had a good experience with a contractor doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re right for your painting job.

Furthermore, choosing a contractor based solely on the cheapest bid is never recommended because this often leads you to unqualified and not-so-trustworthy painters.

[Read more…] about 7 Important Questions to Ask Before Finding the Right House Painters

By Dan Scher

When it comes to design, pediatric healthcare units are different. The tiny patients they care for in these spaces not only require special care, but they require special design choices, too.

However, there’s a fine line between child-friendly and childish. Pediatric healthcare units should incite playfulness and provide hope for all the young patients they serve, without seeming ostentatious. They should also provide adequate space for the parents, guardians and loved ones who will be by these patients’ sides.

These unique units may come at a higher price for facilities to design and construct, but research shows it’s well worth the investment. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, nearly 6 million hospital stays involve adolescents. Not to mention, nearly 3 million of those are neonatal stays. Planning and design doesn’t have to break the bank, though – pediatric healthcare units can be developed in a cost-effective and thoughtful manner to ensure sublime patient care and economical design.

Consider the four following design elements when creating a well-planned pediatric unit:  [Read more…] about 4 Considerations When Designing Pediatric Healthcare Units

By: Lindsey Burghgraef

Palos Health, a private healthcare group, re-developed and expanded an existing outpatient campus in the growing Chicago suburb of Orland Park in conjunction with healthcare partner Loyola University Medical Center,. The campus housed a mix of medical offices built over the last 30 years, in three different buildings, disjointed with separate entrances for each building.  A campus master plan, crafted by the design team at Harley Ellis Devereaux (HED), unified the campus by adjusting clinics into an academic health center model and organized services to increase collaboration and patient ease.  

The overall project is a 5-year, $80 million campus development that includes a new 83,000 square foot Ambulatory Care Center, 40,000 square feet of renovated space in the existing buildings and the construction of a 316-car parking deck.  The project was completed under a design-build project delivery model, led by Walsh Construction with HED serving as the architect of record.

The project was a unique undertaking in many ways, the most challenging aspect being that Palos owns the building, but Loyola University Medical Center, through a mix of leased spaces, joint ventures, and related partnerships, has now become a tenant of various parts within it. With two different institutions and sets of expectations to satisfy, the endeavor quickly became an effort to balance the expectations and brands of two distinct medical organizations.

[Read more…] about The Joint Institutional Facility: How Design Can Bring Healthcare Systems Together to Provide Shared Costs While Maintaining Institutional Identity

When you hear of waterproof boots, I bet the image that comes to your head is that of a bulky, unfashionable pair of boots people only use when there’s a flood, a landslide, or some other form of catastrophe happening outside. Well, not all waterproof boots have to look that way – especially in this day and age when fashion is somewhat a major concern for all people.

For our article today, we are going to discuss whether it is possible for waterproof boots to be fashionable and if it is, where on earth can you find them?  First things first, let’s discuss the major upsides and downsides of wearing boots in general.

The Upsides of Wearing Boots

People generally love boots. They’re easy to wear and they come handy when the outside environment changes. When it’s too sandy, it prevents dirt from getting to your feet. When it gets snowy, it helps keep your feet warm. There are many reasons why people love boots and the fact that they are still largely used today is proof of how versatile and adaptable boots are to the changing times. [Read more…] about Do Stylish Waterproof Men’s Boots Even Exist?

You might not think about it all that often, however, industrial adhesives, sealants, and tapes have a wide range of different applications and are used in almost every industrial sector. From insulating high-voltage electrical cables to other, simpler applications such as packaging, there’s practically nothing that tape can’t do in the industrial world.

If you search online, there are literally hundreds of different types of tape to choose from. And, not only do you have to decide on the type of tape that you’re looking for, but you’ll also need to choose a supplier, such as adhesive tape manufacturer Advance Tapes, to buy your adhesives and sealants from.

Therefore, it’s important to fully understand what sort of applications are suitable for different types of tape, as well as what to consider when choosing a type of tape to purchase.

Below, we’ve put together a comprehensive guide on choosing the best adhesive tape products to meet your individual needs. [Read more…] about Choosing Industrial Adhesives and Sealants—Adhesive Tape Products for Industry

By Eli Schultz

There is a growing interest in medical real estate among real estate investors. The medical sector is an Amazon resilient, stable investment area the offers attractive low-risk yields and reliable income streams. These investment grade income properties make excellent additions to a retirement portfolio.

We are going to take a few minutes today to review why investment grade real estate should be part of a retirement portfolio and specifically why medical real estate should be at the top of the investing short list. We are also going to share some quick pointers on how you can find, fund, acquire, and exchange medical real estate investments.

Why You Should Include Investment Grade Real Estate in Your Retirement Portfolio?

All investment portfolios should have real estate as a core asset – but not all real estate investments are well suited for a retirement account. The goal here is to create a retirement portfolio that will create a stable income stream with no daily involvement. Management-intensive income properties (such as apartment complexes, strip malls, and office buildings) are not well suited as a stable passive retirement investment. Investors should consider the single tenant net lease sector instead.

[Read more…] about How Medical Real Estate will Pay for Your Retirement