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The annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is considered one of the world’s biggest showcases of innovative technology. Each year brings a new batch of breakthroughs into the limelight, and 2019 show was no exception.

The CEDIA Technology Council is group of volunteers who stay abreast of tech trends to help those who are responsible for integrating that technology into the home know what’s on the horizon. Here are some of the latest trends and inventive solutions the council noticed at CES earlier this month that could soon have an impact on the construction trades.

Make room for even bigger TVs. You’ve heard of 4K. Get ready for 8K. This higher-resolution format is coming, according to Gordon van Zuiden owner of integration firm cyberManor in Los Gatos, Calif.

“The logic behind it is that the average size of televisions sold in the U.S. this year is around 47, 48 inches,” van Zuiden said. “That’s compared to about eight years ago when it was 36 inches, and very soon we expect the average size will be between 50 to 55 inches. When TVs get to be that size, 8K makes a lot of sense.”

Homes will have a greater number and variety of sensors. More devices continue to be introduced into the home to monitor everything – not only what we say, but also our daily routines, body gestures and health.

Peter Aylett of Archimedia in Dubai noted that one of the firms on the show floor, Korea’s UMAIN, was demonstrating sensors that utilized – of all things – radar: “If you’re within about two meters, a radar can detect your heart rate and your respiration rate,” Aylett said. “So in terms of monitoring kids in nurseries, monitoring the elderly, the vulnerable, the sick – this is a fantastic, non-invasive method. There are no cameras, no microphones – you can hold a conversation and this thing isn’t picking it up. It’s picking up respiration, heartbeats, physical activity, security monitoring – all through radar.”

Tools are getting a lot smarter. From motion-based measuring tools, to drills that let you know what distance into material the bit has traveled (and the precise angle of the drill bit, too), clever construction tools were on full display at CES.

Rich Green, a Palo Alto integrator who owns Rich Green Designs, was impressed by a measurement product from a company called Moasure. “If you wanted to measure the total fabric requirements for an acoustical space,” Green said, “you can take this little puck, move it around the room, and it’ll tell you with incredible accuracy precisely how much fabric you need.”

This guest post is from Ed Wenck, content director for CEDIA, the industry association representing those professionals who manufacture, design and integrate goods and services for the connected home. Additional insights of The CEDIA Technology Council’s observations from CES will soon be shared on NAHBNow. 

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Leon Capital Group has broken ground on Society, a Class A multifamily project in Austin. Preleasing is scheduled to start in summer 2019 and first units are slated for completion by fall 2019. 

Located at 6001 S. Congress Ave., the community will comprise a four- and five-story building made with glass, wood and metal. The 6.1-acre Society will offer 262 units featuring 10-foot ceilings, oversized kitchen islands, walk-in showers, washer/dryers, soaking tubs and views of downtown Austin. The project will have a heavy focus on technology, pulling inspiration from Austin’s reputation as a technology destination. Common areas will promote social connectivity through the use of design and technology. Amenities at Society will include: 

• creative office space
• a tech lounge and individual offices
• a state-of-the-art fitness center
• a multi-leveled resort-style pool
• an outdoor TV lounge

“Leon Capital is very excited to provide residents the opportunity to live along the historic South Congress Avenue,” said Blake Schroeder, director of Multifamily Development for Leon Capital, in a prepared statement. “This area is quintessential Austin. South Congress boasts so many unique and popular shopping and dining establishments, plus year-round live music at entertainment venues and bars up and down the street.” 

Society is located within close proximity to the upcoming Saint Elmo Public Market development, which will feature creative office space and an indoor-outdoor market and music venue. Also in the area is The Yard, a mix of retail and manufacturing housed in a 150,000-square-foot revitalized warehouse. 

Rhode Partners is serving as Society’s project architect, while LG Wade Construction is serving as the general contractor. 

Earlier this month, Leon Capital Group sold Hillstone on the Trail and Hillstone Trinity Oaks, two multifamily communities in Benrook, Texas, to Madera Residential. 

Rendering courtesy of Leon Capital 

Looking for the next place to hang your hat, but don’t know the difference between a condo and an apartment?

We’re breaking down what sets both apart to help you decide which one best fits your preferred lifestyle.

Ownership

The main difference between a condo and an apartment is ownership. Condos are usually managed by a Homeowners’ Association (HOA), but each individual unit has a separate owner. You have the option to purchase a condo, as you would a house. If you choose to rent a condo, your landlord would be the owner of the unit.

On the other hand, individual apartment units cannot be purchased. Instead, apartments typically have one owner, most likely a corporation, and are leased to individual tenants. So your landlord would be a management company.

Rules

The rules governing a condo and an apartment are different based on the owner.

For instance, in an apartment, the property management company enforces rules, and those same rules apply to all of the units.

Rules can be more tricky with condos. Aside from guidelines set by the HOA for areas outside of the units, restrictions for condos may vary per unit, with owners setting their own regulations.

The rules set by the HOA include fees – which help pay for maintenance of common areas and building exteriors. But in some cases, HOAs have restrictions on the number of units that can be rented. This is something to keep in mind when thinking about purchasing a condo with the intention of renting it.

Costs

Rent for an apartment is a fixed amount for the extent of the lease and can increase when it’s time for you to renew. Some apartments offer month-to-month or short-term leases, but the contracts are usually for a year. Payments for an apartment depend on the market rate and unit availability. Also, some apartments will require you to have renter’s insurance. Utilities are often not included in your rent, so that would be an additional cost.

If you are renting a condo, your payments will also be a fixed amount for the rental period unless your agreement states otherwise. Rental payments for a condo are decided by the landlord. Some owners include HOA fees and utilities as part of the rent for a flat fee rather than based on usage, which is found with most apartments.

Amenities

Units in apartment complexes have pretty standard features that are the same across the community. Sometimes there are different floor plans available and options for standard or upgraded appliances if the landlord is investing in the property.

Amenities can include free parking, an on-site laundry facility, pool, gym, community room available to rent for events, a business office, a park, playground, car wash and other conveniences that make a property appealing. The more luxury the apartment, the wider the range of available niceties.

Condo community amenities are pretty much the same found in an apartment complex. Inside the units, the features are sometimes more unique and upscale (granite countertops, hardwood floors, vaulted ceilings) than apartments because quality amenities can create higher property value for the owners.

One key difference is that you are not allowed to renovate an apartment and usually cannot make renovations to a rental condo unless the owner gives you permission.

Maintenance

Free maintenance is a perk of renting an apartment. Some complexes offer services that include submitting work orders online and 24-hour on-call emergency maintenance so you are still able to receive service after hours. Issues are usually resolved in a timely manner and can be fixed even if you are not home.

In a condo, you or the property owner are typically responsible for the maintenance of the unit, which could mean more out-of-pocket costs to you in the long run. It is important to discuss and get these terms in writing before you move into the unit. If you have issues with your rental condo, you have to contact the owner who may not be available at your convenience, which could mean a longer wait time for repairs to be completed. Usually, the HOA covers the maintenance of common areas including the outside of buildings.

Which is the better choice for you?

Renting an apartment typically offers a more professional experience. Renting a condo can be a more laid back arrangement with fewer services than an apartment.

Knowing your preferences and needs can help you find the home that is best for you when choosing based on the difference between a condo and an apartment. The decision is really about what you are seeking as an individual in terms of short-term versus long-term goals and desired standard of living.

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The red brick facade, arched entry and mansard roof of the freestanding Second Empire mansion at 489 Washington Avenue in Clinton Hill, once a spot for civil war veterans, have vanished. In their place are off-center neo-Classical columns and a pediment fronting a dark modern apartment building.

The scaffolding recently came down, revealing the design of the facade has had some design tweaks since the rendering was made public. The Corinthian columns now stop at the third floor, rather than extending to the full height of the building, and the balustrade of the rendering is nowhere in sight.

While the windows are in and the address is already on the front door, the facade is not quite done. The columns don’t reach the ground floor and the stoop and landing are not complete.

Few neighborhood residents had kind words for the design when the rendering appeared this past spring.

The designer told the Brooklyn Eagle back in April that “The client literally said, ‘I want the White House,'”

Walter J. Hollien Architects is the architect of record, and Beam Group, also known as J. Goldman Design, designed the exterior, the name on the rendering shows. The owner is listed as Ryan Garbo of Brooklyn-based GB Properties, who purchased the building in 2015 for $2.7 million.

An application for an alt-1 permit for the mansion was filed in 2014 — rather than demolition and new-building permits — which technically means some of the structure still survives. The revamped property will include 21 units.

The original house, “a survivor with a storied past,” as Brownstoner columnist Suzanne Spellen put it, was likely built as the home for stockbroker Lascelles E. Maxwell and his wife, Grace Maxwell, in the early 1870s. In 1906, the house was transformed into a new home for the U.S. Grant Post 327 of the Grand Army of the Republic, later became a dance studio named Weber Studios, and was most recently owned by the Evergreen Church of God in Christ.

The house was not included within the boundaries of the Clinton Hill Historic District when it was designated in 1981.

[Photos by Susan De Vries unless noted otherwise]

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