PIECE BY PIECE: For decades, Lasco has offered one-piece, prefabricated ADA-compliant showers. Now the company has introduced a multi-piece sectional shower for easier installation. The shower features grab bars, a fold-up seat, a hand-held showerhead, and a low threshold for ease of entry. For more information, call 800-945-2726 or visit www.lascobathware.com.
HOLD ON: Tired of using plain-Jane white or stainless steel grab bars? A new collection of decorative grab bars features 14 designer finishes, including satin nickel and oil-rubbed bronze, in a selection of ornamental ends and lengths. The company also offers matching handles and pulls for glass shower doors and other doors throughout the unit. For more information, call 800-852-3906 or visit www.jaclo.com.
RUSTIC ROOTS: Add a touch of country to an apartment or condo unit with the architecturally inspired Ashfield collection of faucets, showerheads, door hardware, and bathroom accessories. Finishes are polished chrome, satin nickel, rustic pewter, rustic bronze, Tuscan bronze, and oil-rubbed bronze. Each finish carries a lifetime anti-tarnish warranty. For more information, call 800-732-8238 or visit www.PricePfister.com.
TOTAL PACKAGE: Get coordinated with the Capstone line of matching styles and finishes for kitchen and bath. The line features traditionally styled faucets with linear detailing. Kitchen finishes are chrome and stainless; for the bath, chrome and brushed nickel. In the kitchen, the choices are a single-handle pullout faucet and a two-handle high-arc version. For more information, call 800-289-6636 or visit www.moen.com.
GO FOR A WHIRL: The Evolution Whirlpool offers easy-to-clean ComfortJets that are engineered to push more water deeper into the tub, while a proprietary horizontal overflow drain safely permits maximum water depth for full-body submersion. The product comes in 5-foot and 6-foot lengths, plus a corner design. For more information, call 800-899-2614 or visit www.AmericanStandard-us.com.
Hot Product of the Month
STUCK ON STUCCO: Applying stucco can be a tedious process requiring several layers and days of drying time. Now you can speed up the process with Rapid Set Eisenwall, a hydraulic cement that can be applied in a single coat or by the conventional scratch and brown method with the final color coat completed in one day. The product, which the company says saves up to two weeks on a normal plastering construction schedule, can be applied by hand or machine and is suitable for both wood and steel frame construction. For more information, contact CTS Cement Manufacturing Corp. at 800-929-3030 or visit www.ctscement.com.
Q: How do you protect your properties against potential hurricanes?
A: At Signature Place, a 35-story condo tower being built in downtown St. Petersburg, Fla., we created a visually appealing building with a solid foundation and solid construction throughout. (Although Signature Place is located close to the water, it is actually 14 feet above sea level, out of the flood zone.)
For the exterior structure, the current Florida code requirements dictate that all wall assemblies need to withstand 130-mph winds. To ensure proper protection of the building, we created a small-scale model of the building and put it through wind tunnel testing. This gave us an idea of how the building would perform under hurricane strength winds and let us go back and modify our design.
The glass on the building will be laminated and tempered for extra strength. We’ve gone beyond the code requirements by using this special glass the entire height of the building. This way, owners won’t need to put up hurricane shutters, allowing us to maintain a consistent look on the building.
To prevent possible water intrusion, the architect and consultants are detailing the glazing assemblies.
–Joel Cantor is CEO of Cantor Development, the development division of Tampa-based Gulf Atlantic Real Estate, a privately owned real estate firm.