The post Why Barndominiums Are So Popular appeared first on Baltimore News Journal.
]]>Ever heard the expression, “Were you raised in a barn?” Maybe someday your kids can say they were! The term barndominium is self-explanatory: condominiums or living areas are built as part of a larger barn-like space that can be utilized in a wide variety of ways. The concept is similar to the live/work housing more often associated with artists’ spaces. While the idea has been around for a while, it gained greater national attention when Chip and Joanna Gaines of the popular HGTV Fixer Upper television show converted a Texas barn into a home with a large entertainment space.
Barndominiums, aka barndos, can be made of metal or wood construction and are also extremely versatile in design, but they do share one thing in common. They are built with a wide-open interior, much more like a warehouse than a typical single-family home.
Many aspects involved in the building of a home like clearing land, pouring a foundation, or installing a septic system will cost about the same whether one goes the traditional home route or with a barndominium. However, the time involved in building a barndo is typically three to six months. Compare that with up to a year with a traditional home. This is largely because metal construction barndos can be purchased as kits or as a pre-fab construction. As a result, work that might take weeks with a traditional wood frame home can be reduced to days.
Barndos are exemplary from a construction standpoint, particularly those made with metal roofs and siding. These days, with the cost of lumber through the roof, steel buildings are much more cost-effective to build. Metal roofs are more durable and longer lasting, stand up better to the elements, and, if cared for properly, can last decades longer than their asphalt shingle counterparts. Metal doesn’t fall prey to mold, mildew, and termites like wood can. And because metal is more energy efficient, you should also enjoy lower utility bills.
If a metal construction building has you screwing up your eyes, think again. Metal buildings have come a long way in recent years, and with so many sleek designs and colors to choose from, you’ll never have to settle for an “industrial” appearance.
And inside? Vaulted ceilings are beautiful and open up all kinds of opportunities for showcasing your favorite things. Are you an artist with large, beautiful pieces you’d like to hang? Have at it! Have you ever wondered how a 14-foot Christmas tree might look all lit up in your living room? You can do that when your home is in a barn.
That’s hard to answer. Much of it comes down to what part of the country you’re building in–the cost of labor and materials there–the size of your home, and whether you want just the basics or a turnkey construction.
Barndominiums are an exciting new trend offering a plethora of opportunities. But like with any great new idea, it always pays to do your homework first.
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]]>The post Miami Safety 101: Guide for Safe Travel appeared first on Baltimore News Journal.
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Rideshares make getting around Miami easier, and you may prefer letting a local maneuver the car through heavy traffic in an unfamiliar area. Most Uber drivers are safe, but you are still at risk of getting into an accident on the road. Always make sure that the car that arrives matches the license plate number and driver description that the app provides. You’ll also want to follow all of the steps that you would take in any other vehicle accident if the worst should happen. Filing a police report, contacting an attorney, and seeking medical attention are all important things to do in a ride-share accident.
Tourists are naturally considered targets by criminals who take advantage of people being distracted. Try to walk with a sense of purpose by already knowing your route, which you can look up before you leave your hotel. You’ll also want to leave any valuables behind in a safe and carry your essentials in a secure place on your body. Since purse snatching is a risk in crowds, it may be best to only carry what you can put in your pockets.
Enjoying a drink at one of the local Miami bars or restaurants is a common activity in the city. But, you’ll want to keep your drinking to a minimum. Only having one or two drinks helps you stay alert and avoid alcohol poisoning which could lower your defenses. Sun poisoning is also a concern, whether you are at the beach or meandering through the city. Wear sunscreen and make sure to sit in shaded areas whenever it’s possible.
A trip to Miami wouldn’t be complete without a dip in the pool or swim along the beach. Never go in the water when you’ve been consuming alcohol, and remember that it is best to use the buddy system. You’ll also want to swim in locations where there are lifeguards present, and follow the flag guidelines. If the authorities say it is unsafe to swim, then trust their judgment. There are plenty of pools available in the city where you can dive into until the beaches are safe again.
Miami is known for having a diverse culture that adds to the beauty of the city, but it can lead to some tricky situations regarding language barriers. To avoid making a mistake, such as going in the wrong direction, try to clarify what someone says by repeating it back to them. You may also opt to learn a few key phrases in different languages before your trip. Translation apps are also an amazing tool that can keep you safer when you need to have a serious conversation.
Staying alert is essential during any trip to a major city, and you’ll find that paying attention to your surroundings also means noticing the little things that make Miami so special. Whether you’re riding in an Uber downtown or walking along the beach, make sure to soak up each moment of your trip.
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]]>The post Securing the Digital Highway appeared first on Baltimore News Journal.
]]>There are various ways that a trucking business can be met with a cyber attack. One example is social engineering: a criminal can concoct an email or other such message that may appear legitimate to a worker, but in fact, is the ticket they need to breach a business’ system. Hackers can just as well break into a company’s records without even the use of social engineering, holding sensitive information for ransom. Internally speaking, an employee can make a mistake while executing a task that could lead to the corruption of data or a network that the business depends on to function could experience a system failure. The logging device a driver uses could also be attacked by a virus, forcing them to stop in their tracks in the midst of an important or time-sensitive delivery.
In order to stay vigilant against these attacks, one of the most important things is to keep employees informed. Often, an attack can start from the bottom up. This can be maintained via the use of training programs: train them on how to spot a phishing attempt, how to tell when activity on their devices is potentially malicious, and what to keep in mind to avoid a data leakage due to employee negligence. A company should make sure that it is insured in case an attack does happen: a policy could cover anything from a business interruption to network failure. In addition, it is important to make sure data is properly protected via the use of firewalls, and that there is sufficient physical security in the form of key cards and biometrics. It is also important to keep all important information regularly backed up.
From a compliance standpoint, an employee should be aware not to use any device that is not company-provided to fulfill business needs. The same password should not be used for more than one purpose, and they need to be changed on a regular basis. Employees should know not to leave their logging device lying around unsupervised, and multi-factor authentication should be implemented if it has not already.
It is often best to learn from history. Provide truckers a look at what an incident of data theft looks like, and why things like VPNs or two-factor authentication are needed. Keep employees aware through announcements or newsletters, and direct them to resources that they can use to educate themselves on cyber security in the trucking industry. Make them aware of current exploits or malware incidents impacting different businesses, and stay aware of any risks pertaining to vendors. Make sure systems and software are up to date, and consider running network stress tests.
The post Securing the Digital Highway appeared first on Baltimore News Journal.
]]>The post Aligning Environmental Responsibility With Business Success appeared first on Baltimore News Journal.
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Modular laboratory equipment and office furniture are efficient. A new project may take a huge amount of space and desktop real estate until you’ve got the product proofed and it’s ready to go from development to production. Once an item goes from testing to manufacturing, you can reconfigure the lab for the next product development.
The more flexible and durable your current lab working tools are, the longer you can keep them and not have to deal with the expense of disposal and replacement. The choice to buy modular components also reduces the cost of upgrades. If you need to replace just a few tops of your laboratory tables because you’re working with a new class of chemicals, you may be able to simply address the work surface and not replace the whole cabinet. More flexible components mean fewer pieces in the landfill.
When it’s time to recruit new employees, your modular lab will catch the eye of up-and-coming scientists. The students of today grew up with a focus on reducing waste and environmental sustainability. By catching the attention of the best and brightest of today’s students, your business opportunities will easily expand.
Your modular and sustainable lab choices will also make your business more nimble. If you need to upgrade safety equipment such as air handlers, your lab can quickly be cleared, rearranged, updated, and back in business. Laboratory components that might have been damaged in a tear-down and reassemble project can quickly be adjusted for any necessary changes and put back in place almost effortlessly.
Hiring new employees is not easy for any industry and the market in the sciences is tight. By demonstrating your commitment to environmental protection with business practices and purchases that prove your organization to be focused on social and environmental responsibility, you can increase loyalty among your employees.
Loyal employees are a boon to any community. Your leaders and employees have the chance to boost the visibility of your company even more by participating in projects that benefit your local environment. During such events, your commitment to sustainability can stand out even more.
Ingenuity and flexibility go hand in hand. If your lab equipment is in need of replacement, look for ways to improve the working conditions of your professionals with modular equipment. Your team can offer you terrific input on new ways to configure your lab setup to improve your testing process.
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]]>The post Top 3 Tips for Choosing the Best Car for Cold Climates appeared first on Baltimore News Journal.
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There are many factors to take into consideration when purchasing a car that’s best for the environment you live in. Here are the top three tips for choosing the best car for cold climates.
If you live in an area where your seasons tend to have colder temperatures and more weather, your daily driver needs to be versatile enough to handle what Mother Nature throws at you. Regardless of which car you choose to drive in cold weather, a few rules of thumb is to look for a car that sits higher on the ground, and a car with all-wheel drive to provide more traction which creates the grip the wheels need to avoid slipping on the road (ideal if you’re driving in the rain or on wet roads). As a general category, SUV’s make for great all-weather cars because they tick all these boxes, plus the extra room of a larger vehicle gives you space for larger items like skis and snowboards.
When determining the best cars to drive in snow and ice, a major consideration is ground clearance. Ground clearance is the amount of distance from the bottom of the car to the road which ultimately determines if you can drive through snow. Most of the nation’s roads are in snow and ice environments, so it’s important for almost all cars across the country to take ground clearance into consideration when choosing a car. If you’re shopping for the best cars for snow and ice conditions, look into cars by Subaru (specifically their Outback, Ascent, and Forester models), Jeep (models such as their Grand Cherokee), and Ford (Broncos).
All-wheel drive is the best option for cars when driving in constant rain and wet roads because all-wheel drive provides the most amount of traction to keep the wheels of the car from slipping, and this feature is always turned on (so you never have to worry about forgetting to turn on this feature, compared to a Four-Wheel Drive car where you have to remember to turn this on). The more traction your wheels have to the ground, the lower the chance of losing control of your car when it’s wet outside. The best all-wheel drive cars for rain and wet roads include the Audi (A4 and A5 models), Tesla (Model 3), Porsche (911 model), and Mercedes-Benz (S-Class and EQS models).
Making sure to choose a car that can withstand the elements is important as most of the country encounters snow, ice, rain, and wet roads at some point every year. Keep you and your family safe by choosing a car specifically designed for cold climates and extreme conditions so you’ll be prepared for anything on the road. Do your research using sites like Edmunds to find cars with the best features for you.
The post Top 3 Tips for Choosing the Best Car for Cold Climates appeared first on Baltimore News Journal.
]]>The post How to Relocate On A Budget appeared first on Baltimore News Journal.
]]>It is important to choose a house that is within your budget. Not only does it help you save money on a move, but it can also help you save money for the years to come. You may want to talk to a realtor. A realtor can ensure that you find a home that you can afford and has the features that you want. Additionally, your realtor can help you find a home in a neighborhood that you want.
If you have a lot of things to pack, then packing materials can really cut into your budget. You can save money by using your own packing materials. Casual clothing, towels, and linen can be used to wrap fragile items. If you need moving boxes, then you may be able to get them for free. Places like bookstores, grocery stores, and restaurants often give away boxes for free.
If you have friends and family members in the area, then you can ask them to help you with the move. Not only can this help you stay within your budget, but it can also cut down on your stress. Allowing people to help will allow you to get packed up and moved in less time. However, it is a good idea to give people something for helping you move. For example, you can offer them a meal.
If you do not have to move by a certain time, then you may want to move during the off-season. The time of the year when most people move is between the months of May and September. Moving companies typically charge less during the off-season because the demand is lower. You may also have an easier time scheduling a moving time.
An easy way to save money on moving is to get rid of what you do not need. Go through all of your belongings and see what you can live without. You probably do not need an item if you have not used it within the past year. You may want to sell the items that you do not need. You can use the money that you make from the sales for your move. If you are unable to sell your items, then you can donate them to a charity.
A moving company can help you save time and stress. They will also ensure that everything is packed up properly and safely transported to your new place. However, it is important to find affordable movers. You can ensure that you are able to find an affordable company by getting multiple quotes.
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