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According to Peter Walsh, author of several bestsellers on decluttering and organization, “clutter is not just the stuff in your closet. It’s anything that gets between you and the life you want to be living.” How does your stuff get between you and the life you envision? There are several telltale signs:
The science of construction product development, which is already proceeding at a blinding rate, has shifted into an even higher gear. Consider the DuPont™ ArmorWall™ System which promises to deliver a “5-in-1 exterior wall solution,” and is now offered to commercial builders by Acme Brick, a company that has supplied premium construction products for more than 130 years.
Acme Brick Company re-introduced its newly updated Bennett Plant to employees on Nov. 15. A multimillion-dollar program, which began in June, will increase the plant’s efficiency by 35 percent.
The plant, built at the site of Acme’s founding, in 1891, is in Parker County, near the town of Millsap, approximately 40 minutes’ drive from Fort Worth. It is named, fittingly, for Acme’s founder, George Bennett.
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Acme Brick Company was recognized as one of 20 Texas companies committed to environmental conservation at an Oct. 23 summit in Dallas.
Texan by Nature (TxN), an organization founded in 2011, honored the “TxN 20” at its annual Conservation Summit, at the George W. Bush Presidential Center.
Recent research notes that more than 70% of market professionals agree that an updated, usable outdoor living space has a big impact on home value. Residential real estate specialists were not surprised. The best outdoor living spaces are designed to elevate a home’s appeal and increase its value. Another insight is also revealing: Homeowners are willing to spend a quarter of their home improvement budget on creating outdoor living spaces.
Surveys suggest that most people see the COVID pandemic as something (very scary) in the rearview mirror. However, public health officials and physicians who treat populations that are at risk for this respiratory disease are still on alert about new variants of this condition which could make for ominous headlines as the weather turns colder.
Once Henry Ford’s Model T made automobile ownership commonplace, architects began designing homes with garages. According to this source “In the 1920s, garage design began to evolve and become more specialized. Garages began to be built with specific features such as windows, workbenches, and storage cabinets.”
Not-so-coincidentally, this was about the time problems started out in the garage.
For almost a decade, the annual Acme Brick What’s Hot and What’s Not in home design makes an educated guess about the trends homeowners can expect in the coming year. Looking back on these articles, the predictions have proven to be amazingly accurate. However, it should be noted that this has almost nothing to do with the training or artistic sensibility of the author.
It’s no coincidence that most, if not all, fire training facilities and fire houses are constructed of brick. Why? Safety. The men and women who fight fires for a living know how quickly buildings constructed of synthetic siding or wood can be consumed and destroyed when a fire is ignited. These professionals have first-hand, and often tragic, experience with the ferocious speed of fire.
The legendary co-founder of Anheuser-Busch, Adolphus Busch, needed cross-country rail service to move his beer, and during his travels, he became convinced of the opportunities for great wealth possible from investing in real estate in Dallas, Texas. The former German immigrant’s business instincts proved to be as good as his skills as a brew master.
Feature image credit: Erin McCormack, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
The “Beyhive” is buzzing like it has never buzzed before. Why? The last few days have seen some big news about arguably THE power couple of the entertainment industry.
Architects and builders have first-hand experience with the importance of exterior cladding for both aesthetics and energy conservation of a structure. Poor-quality materials and inefficient or even confusing installation requirements can wreak havoc on both short- and long-term performance of the building, its tenants or residents, and the reputations of the professionals who designed it.
Buying an existing home or building a new one is one of life’s big decisions, primarily because of the amount of money required to participate in the process. Both sides of the purchase transaction — the builder/seller and the buyer — struggle with the cyclical nature of mortgage interest rates and the supply and demand of available homes.
Maybe there’s something in the water, or perhaps the clay.
In this job-hopping era, where no one seems to stay in one place very long, Acme Brick Company stands out. Nearly every Acme workplace has at least one employee with 20 or more years of experience.
And on June 13 of this year, the ranks of the 40-year men and women increased by one – as Ed Watson, Acme’s President and CEO, celebrated his 40th anniversary with Acme.
In a world where everything seems “virtual” and often superficial, two things have remained solid and strong, day after day for 131 years. These are Acme Brick products and its leadership. For the past 40 years, the team managing the iconic products and the people who make them has included Dennis Knautz, the company’s President and CEO. Now he is preparing for a new chapter in his life.
Founded in 1962 by 13 students of nearby Texas Southern University, Wheeler Avenue Baptist is a landmark in Houston's historic Third Ward and a beacon for the entire city. So when this rapidly growing church was ready to expand, it turned to Perkins&Will – which then turned to Acme Brick.
To help keep this project on track in an unusually challenging construction season, Acme sourced brick from three different plants – including an affiliate’s – in norman size.
Every year the annual Acme Brick What’s Hot and What’s Not in Home Design list is released to eagerly awaiting homeowners everywhere. The suspense is palpable! And why not?
During the years of being homebound due to COVID, American homeowners discovered something that societies in the Far East have known for centuries: Outdoor spaces such as patios, designed in a way that is consistent with nature, can enhance tranquility and peace of mind.
The summer of 2022 was one for the record books. Between the unmitigated heat and the dry-as-a-bone drought conditions, even metaphors that are blithely dispensed by TV meteorologists were inadequate. Was it a “scorcher,” a “sizzling cauldron,” or something much hotter and dryer? Whatever it was, it was miserable.
Shortly after World War II, optimism that resulted from economic prosperity permeated American society. Business was booming. After being stifled by the sacrifices necessary for the “war effort,” consumption of goods and services reached levels that many had never seen before. While not everyone shared in this “embarrassment of riches,” the number of middle-income families was growing rapidly, and this group purchased and used a lot of “stuff.”
Look around your own organization. The times are certainly different from what they were 40 years ago. That’s when Melissa Matter, then a student at Oklahoma State University, was hired as a temp at Acme Brick in Oklahoma City. Almost immediately, she realized that she had found a place that challenged and rewarded her so much that she never left.
Fort Worth, TX – On Tuesday, Sept. 6., Acme Brick Company welcomed U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sergeant Benjamin Dugan as its first Corporate Fellow in the Hiring Our Heroes program.
Following a welcoming orientation, Sgt. Dugan began a twelve-week fellowship at Acme’s historic Bennett, Texas plant.
Acme President and CEO, Dennis Knautz, said, “We are delighted to welcome Ben Dugan to Acme and are looking forward to participating with many more members of America’s armed forces through this important program.”
Coming off the greatest disruption in a century, in 2022 almost everything on planet Earth - from hobbies to homebuilding - will be prefaced by the effects of the COVID pandemic. For builders and homebuyers, one trend is certain. Uncertainty will rule.
In surprisingly large numbers, many young families are moving back to the small communities they left when they went away to college. Call it another effect of the pandemic, a search for a simpler lifestyle or any number of other reasons, young people who have the flexibility to work from anywhere are deciding that there’s no place like their hometown.
Each year, Acme Brick compiles an annual What’s Hot and What’s Not trends list outlining the top 10 home design trends and 10 trends that have become outdated. Despite the record setting year we have had, the show must go on - in other words, let the trends begin!
How would you feel about having complete strangers show up at your home, planning to spend the night, about 20 times each month? For more than 4 million homeowners, they would be overjoyed!
Do you love a good challenge? Try building not just a home, but a “dream home” - from the ground up - in the middle of the most devastating pandemic in a century and complete the job in just four months.
Would there be any product and transit delays, any material costs shifting weekly and constant shortages of skilled labor? As the German settlers of Fredericksburg, Texas, where this charming home sits, would say:
Ja natürlich (yes, of course)!
For all the industries that have been hurt by the recent health concerns and suffered declines in popularity, there are a few that are glowing like the hot coals in an outdoor grill. Outdoor entertainment equipment and cooking outside, while being surrounded by fresh air, sweet smoke and good friends, have become a positive “obsession” for millions of people.
Why do so many homeowners insist on having hardwood floors in their homes? They love the rich, warm look of hardwood and they feel the timeless solidity when walking on it. The story of hardwood – how it’s made and the many varieties – is fascinating.
For several, post-World War II generations of families, owning a home has been an important part of the “American Dream.” Unfortunately, a “perfect storm” of factors has caused the American Dream to feel more like a nightmare for homebuyers. These include historically low mortgage rates; the largest population cohort in history - those born after 1980 - starting families; a pandemic that fundamentally changed how families worked and educated their children; and low yields in traditional investments that propelled investment in residential real estate.
While there has always been an influx of seasonal products, the pandemic has dramatically inspired a new trend that has affected demand like never before: Cooking and entertaining at home and outside has never been as popular as it is now.
As it was in the latter part of 2020, working, learning, entertaining and living will be laser-focused on our homes in the coming year. The “once-in-a-hundred-years” health and economic explosion has assured this. As many may have predicted, all the design trends in 2021 will be based on this reality.
Don’t look now, but the largest demographic group in history - those under 40 years old - is leading the charge for change in homeownership. The grandchildren of the fabled “baby boomers” are now married with children of their own and are redefining what “luxury” living is all about. For many reasons, including the effects of the pandemic, historically low mortgage interest rates, and their goal of having quality education for their young children, these young families are “so over” urban living or long commutes to sleepy suburbs.
The weather might be chilly, but for many, the outdoor grilling must go on!
One of the unintended consequences of social distancing, which occurred in response to concerns about the COVID virus, is decidedly positive. More people than ever before have discovered that cooking at home, rather than going out, might be a safer, healthier, and more delicious alternative. Not only that, but many of these DIY chefs have found that entertaining, cooking, and dining outside is even more fun.
The effects of the COVID pandemic have dramatically changed - perhaps forever - the building, buying, and selling of homes. When these are combined with some of the lowest mortgage interest rates in modern history, it makes the opening lines from the classic novel by Charles Dickens -“A Tale of Two Cities”- more relevant than ever before.
While there is nothing more durable than brick for home construction, some homeowners are considering steel siding for their homes. This can be due to several factors, including the lower cost of siding versus that of brick. Acme Brick is proud to be one of the distributors of what many builders consider to be one of the best steel siding products - MAC Metal Siding.
While there are no known records of this, it is entirely possible that arguments about grilling have been ongoing since the time of cavemen and women. Everyone, it seems, had an opinion on how to grill the perfect brontosaurus burger! These spirited discussions continue today.
Although no one could have predicted the COVID pandemic, many think that it will have long-term effects in future decisions, including buying or building a home. The “new normal” has led potential home buyers to rethink their priorities for future homes. As a trusted partner for architects, builders and homeowners across the nation for more than a century, Acme Brick has been considered a reliable predictor when it comes to changes within the housing market.
