Star Spray Foam Systems, LLC has been awarded the opportunity to spray foam on the sub-floor of the oldest home in St. Tammany Parish by Axcess Construction Group, Inc. Jason Van Haelen contacted Brad Harris in regards to the proper way for installing spray foam insulation to the sub-floor of the home previously owned by Francois Cousins, a French Naval Admiral commissioned to oversee the Louisiana Purchase. Records note that the house dates back to 1726 and was part of a land grant given to Admiral Cousins for his role in over-seeing the transition of power from Spanish to French rule. It has been discovered that during this transitional period, Admiral Cousins discovered by way of the local indians how to make bricks with the local clay in the area. It has also been discovered that after the French Quarter had a second massive fire in 1794, that Admiral Cousins recommended that all partitioning walls in the quarter separating buildings be rebuilt with brick. So goes the story of how Francois Cousins then built three large schooners that traveled along the bayou liberty to lake ponchartrain and then through bayou St. John all the way to Basin street canal, now known as Canal Street to off load the bricks. His brick company was sold after his death to Peter W. Schneider who in turn founded St. Joe Brick company in 1891. Pictures have been placed in the gallery for your enjoyment. Some pictures still show the ponds, which are actually clay pits from which the original brick clay was dug by local indians. Also, on the site today, remains the kiln mounds where bricks older than 200 years can be seen protruding through the ground. The site is private and not open for public viewing. History record: According to records, Peter W. Schneider acquired a small hand-operated plant. St. Joe Brick Works, Inc. has been under continuous family operations for 106 years. This plant located 40 miles north of New Orleans is the oldest family brick manufacturers east of the Mississippi River making colonial moulded face brick using wood moulds. St. Joe Brick Works, Inc. is one of only a very few brick plants that uses the soft-mud process of making brick in which the clay is formed into individual bricks in a wooden mould as was done in the early colonial period. It is so unique in its color and texture characteristics that architects have specified its use in many areas as distant as Massachusetts, New York, Northern Michigan, and Minnesota. It has been used extensively by the Bell Telephone System, Rice University of Houston, and Texas Instruments of Dallas. Many churches and architectually designed structures have been constructed with this material because of its characteristic aging qualities, although more modern buildings such as the Savannah Hilton in Georgia, The Hockaday School, Pan American University, St. Luke’s of Houston, Broward Mental Hospital, of Hallendale, Florida, the Heyman Oil Center in Lafayette, Louisiana, and the Botantical Gardens at Atlanta.

New Orleans Demolition Services Homebuilders, NODS) awards 39 new homes to Star Spray Foam Systems, LLC for it insulation needs. NODS is now upgrading to spray foam insulation recognizing the real cost-saving benefits of spray foam insulation. NODS Home Builders, llc is an extension of New Orleans Demolition Services which has helped more than one thousand homeowners on their journey home by removing the old and preparing for the new. Dwight Walker, managing partner of NODS Home Builders, has more than twenty successful years in the real estate industry. With having sold more than 1000 homes in the Greater New Orleans Metropolitan area, Mr. Walker is just the right person to guide NODS Home Builders and the city to recovery.

Your home reflects you, your lifestyle and values. The NODSHB team is trained in listening to the heart of each homeowner, ensuring that your home is built especially for you and will bring happiness for generations to come. Communication and planning are essential. A Project Manager and Coordinator will walk you through the selection of your new home, all its amenities, and even the financing; together along with the Licensed General Contractor your plans will be developed and implemented just as you envision. Each phase will be finely tuned to your specific needs and desires and your personality will resound through your new home for decades. We invite you to browse through the pages of our Collection and fi nd the home that best displays your values and lifestyle. Begin your journey home call NODS Home Builders …
“We’ll leave your WELCOME MAT at the door”

Star Spray Foam Systems, LLC wins proposal for insulating the Canal Street Furniture Warehouse located 4021 Tulane Avenue New Orleans. Star Foam was approached by the owner of the warehouse about ways to eliminate the excessive temperatures on the second floor of the warehouse. The owner had expressed that it was impossible to use as retail space in the extreme cold and hot temperatures and needed a solution. We recommended that they spray the roofing system with a minimum of 4” of 0.5lb open cell spray foam insulation to stabilize the building climate. It worked! Initial temperature readings were taken of the roofing system at mid-day and averaged 132 degrees with radiating heat adding approximately 15 degrees to the inside air. Upon completion, the radiating heat was eliminated making the warehouse temperature comparable to the rest of the warehouse. Total insulation installed exceeded 27,700 b.f. at 4”.

On March 6, 2010 Star Spray Foam Systems, LLC wins bid to provide spray foam insulation to Jackson Barracks oldest troop buildings. Buildings 2-6 and 12-15 were award to Star Spray Foam Systems, LLC for open cell spray foam insulation. The insulation will be installed on the roofing systems and sub-floors of the buildings providing better energy efficiency. The area to be sprayed is totaling over 173,800 b.f. and will be applied in layers at 3’ depths. Star Spray Foam Systems, LLC has teamed up with a leading spray foam insulation manufacturer named “LaPolla” and will use the Foam-Lok product.

Jackson Barracks is located down river from the French Quarter, Jackson Barracks houses the Louisiana National Guard Headquarters. This series of fine brick buildings with white columns were built in 1834-35 for troops who were stationed at the river forts. Reportedly Andrew Jackson planned the barracks to be as secure against attack from the city as from outside forces.

Maps prepared in the mid-1800s show that the area’s first development began in the 1820s. The Ursuline Nuns developed an 80-acre parcel for their convent in 1826. Sugar was a dominant crop, and the Louisiana Sugar Refinery, dated 1831, is shown along with several plantations. The complex known as Jackson Barracks is one of the earliest and most noteworthy institutions in the area. The U.S. government began assembling land in 1833 to provide a central garrison, medical and supply point for troops sent to several coastal forts built after the War of 1812. Although only one block wide at the river, the Barracks stretch 25 blocks lakeward, with only three streets crossing the complex-Dauphine, St. Claude and N. Claiborne.

On January 8, 1815, Major General Andrew Jackson led a small, poorly-equipped army to victory against eight thousand British troops at the Battle of New Orleans. The victory made Jackson a national hero. The anniversary of the Battle of New Orleans was widely celebrated with parties and dances during the nineteenth century, especially in the South. A traditional fiddle tune commemorating the event came to be known as “Jackson’s Victory” or “The Eighth of January.” Jackson went on to serve as the seventh president of the United States in 1829.

Jackson Barracks Military Museum is in the old powder magazine and in a new annex. It holds artifacts dating back to the War of 1812, and it includes items from as recently as the Gulf War. The 2000 NRA Shooting Sports Camp and Coaches School was held at Jackson Barracks June 28 – July 2, 2000

DEFY (Drug Education For Youth) operates annual Summer Camps and as well year-round monitoring through a cooperative effort between USAOEDLA, the U.S. Navy (Belle Chase Naval Air Station) and the Louisiana National Guard (Jackson Barracks). In the summer of 1998, a new military partner joined the DEFY Program. The Louisiana National Guard’s first residential DEFY Camp was held August 10-15 at Jackson Barracks, New Orleans and attracted approximately 33 students from the designated Weed and Seed area. The campers enjoyed a visit to the National Guard’s museum, and a trip to the Lakefront airport, where they climbed aboard many different kinds of military planes.