Mike O'Toole

  Annandale  Roofing Company From  Annandale  Acres to Holmes Run Heights,  Feazel  is an  Annandale  roofing company you can trust. Established in 1988,  Feazel  has a track record that is second to none, serving communities across Fairfax County and beyond, from Columbus to Raleigh. A leaking roof always appears at the worst possible time, during a storm or heavy rain, and you need to find a solution quickly. Don’t waste time with other  Annandale  roofers, call  Feazel  for an accurate assessment of the work required with a guaranteed price – no hidden extras. Most of our new customers come to us through recommendations from those we have served in the past and you can’t have a better endorsement than that. Roof Inspections Using satellite pictures and digital photography, we develop a 3D model of your home. We use drones fitted with HD cameras to take detailed pictures of your roof so we don’t even need ...

  Whether you travel alone or with friends and family, when you fly you are sharing a tiny space with maybe hundreds of strangers for what could be six hours or more. It used to be said, one person sneezes, everyone gets the flu. But how true is that? How much are you at risk on a plane, as opposed to other forms of transport? This is more important now than at any time in the history of aviation, and with international flights extending further afield and to more exotic places, is there a clear and present danger from infectious diseases on a plane? The dangers of flying There are known side effects of flying that everyone should be aware of, such as deep vein thrombosis, hypertension, earache, and dehydration. These are caused by limited mobility, changes in cabin pressure, altitude, and oxygen levels which, in most people cause only minor stress, but those with underlying health conditions may be more susceptible. Getting up and moving around when it is safe to do so, av...

  The construction industry is notoriously slow at taking on board new ideas and methodologies. This may sound strange as the great constructors of the past have been at the forefront of innovation and finding new ways to build bigger, more elegant structures. However, the industry has been left behind somewhat in the digital world we live in, and only now are we seeing advances in the use of technology to visualise and create buildings that excite and push the boundaries. From new start-ups to established architectural, engineering and construction companies, everybody is looking at ways to adopt new ideas to solve age-old problems, which is a challenge for many who may lack the expertise in digitisation. So, what innovations in digital construction can we expect in this third decade of the 21st Century?   Innovations in the measurement of the site and buildings When measurements were made using traditional methods and then drawn onto paper by hand, surveys were p...

  From point cloud to 3D model and BIM Point cloud technology has been fundamental to the development of 3D modeling. A point defines an object in terms of its shape and position in space (X, Y, Z coordinates) but more can be added to this such as color, texture and pattern. By collecting data from aerial surveys and photogrammetry and storing these as points in a cloud, it is then possible to take the step from point cloud to 3D model using specially developed software such as that produced by PointFuse . With the PointFuse software, 3D models are intelligently optimized so that only the information you need at that time is shown, making the process extremely fast. This facilitates better collaboration between designers and through this, it is possible to quickly see where clashes occur and where changes need to be made. When used with Building Information Modeling (BIM), point cloud data is enhanced by providing further information on each building component to deliver a ...

Kick start 2020 with a stylish house revamp. If you are looking for some renovation ideas for your house, read on. No sooner has the last of the Christmas turkey gone, on come the adverts for holidays and as well as thinking about where to spend the summer, our minds turn to more immediate things, like home improvements.  From fixing that leaking gutter to a complete kitchen makeover, there are many projects that need our attention and now is a good time to start planning.   Where to start Nothing lifts the spirits more than a revamp of your home, particularly after Christmas.  The decorations have been taken down, the tree cast aside in the garden awaiting a trip to the rubbish dump and without the lights, the whole house is looking very sorry for itself. Whether you have a one-bed apartment or a five-bed detached house, you can’t do everything at once, so you need to prioritize.   How about a Kitchen Makeover? In any home, this is often the hub of act...

 A virtual learning environment provides a means for students to access curriculum mapped content and other learning material, but for it to be effective it must be relevant and up to date. It must also be accessible to all students if it is to work for everyone. In recent months, many schools and colleges have had to teach remotely because of closures and this has shown up certain issues with regards to distance learning materials and teaching methods. In this article, we look at how all educational facilities can access digital resources and share them effectively with their students, keeping them engaged as well as educated.   What are digital resources? Digital resources in education are made up of video, audio, text and images. The material is often interactive, allowing students to take part in tests that can then be assessed by the teacher, marked and commented upon. Podcasts are also used by teachers to interact with students, allowing them to ask questio...

  If you or one of your family has developed a rash after using your hot tub, you could have a problem with folliculitis, and if that is the case, you will want to know how to get folliculitis out of your hot tub. Folliculitis is an infection of the hair follicles, which can be brought on by bathing in a hot tub that hasn’t been properly maintained, but before you treat it as such, you need to be certain that this is the cause of the rash. There are a number of things that can cause itchiness and a rash, from a chemical imbalance to just sitting around in a wet costume after a soak, so I decided to do a little research, and this is what I found out.   How do you test for folliculitis in a hot tub? Hot tub folliculitis – or pseudomonas folliculitis to give it its scientific name – is a type of bacteria that thrives in the warm water of a hot tub that isn’t properly sanitized. There is no simple test for this, but if you get a rash after soaking in your hot tub for a...

What is the best exterior door for your home? meta-description: The exterior door is the gateway to your home. There is a huge choice of styles and materials out there so if you want to pick the right one for you, read on.   PVC and aluminum exterior joinery is a growing trend in the domestic market ( click here ). One reason for this is the precision engineering that goes into the manufacture of the units and the long, maintenance-free life. When it comes to choosing the best type of door, you should weigh up the pros and cons of the types available. The advantages of an aluminum entrance door Aluminum is lightweight, it doesn’t rust, and it is 100% recyclable—great news for the environmentalists. For use in building elements such as doors and windows, the aluminum is alloyed with other metals such as silicon and magnesium to give it extra strength. To make a door, the aluminum alloy is extruded into hollow sections, which are then powder coated and fixed together to fo...

Outdoor Living Whether you have a large suburban garden or a small backyard in the City, your outdoor space is vital to the enjoyment of your home. More than ever, people are turning their outdoor spaces into living areas where they can eat, drink or just relax. It is a place where you invite friends for a party and a barbeque. Furniture is a vital element to outdoor living, just as it is to living indoors but the big difference is that outside your furniture is open to the weather, and whilst wood and ironwork can be protected, special consideration needs to be given to the soft furnishings Spring is in the air With the onset of Spring our minds begin to turn to work that needs to be done in the garden, and often a substantial part of that work is the maintenance and/or possible replacement of garden furniture, which can prove quite expensive if we’re looking to replace items such as garden benches, dining chairs and table, loungers, garden swings, etc. Budget is a big consi...

Back in the days before COVID-19, the biggest threat to the future of the planet was Climate Change. It still is, we just don’t talk about it anymore, but the day will come when we will all turn our attention back to the threat of global warming and what we, as individuals, can do to improve our carbon footprint.   Is there such a thing as an Eco-friendly heating device? It is generally considered that the most eco-friendly form of heating is geo-thermal, where the heat source is the Earth itself. Water is pumped through tubes buried deep in the ground where the temperature is a constant 7 to 24 degrees Celsius and then brought to a surface mounted heat exchanger, which works like a refrigerator in reverse, providing heat to your home for free! Sounds great doesn’t it, but there are two big issues with this. First you need the land to install the pipes and then there is the cost of installation. It is this that puts most people off, as the pay-back period can be as much as 20...