7/25/2019 LIBI Playhouse Feature

1/2

house-magazine.net HOUSE, June/July 2016

Inside the Ghostbusters themed playhouse, complete withlockers and proton packs for fighting ghosts

108 HOUSE, June/July 2016 house-magazine.net

Characters of Ghostbusters entertaining visitors. You can almosthear them saying, I aint afraid of no ghosts.

Playhouse judges Stephen Fanuka and Tyler Wisler

The interior of Sports Town playhouse

Richie Belz, Sal Ferro and Seth Selesnowof Alure Home Improvement

The exterior of Sports TownHockey great Clark Gillies ofthe New York Islanders

Jay Ratto of J. Ratto Landscaping, Glen Cherveny of GRCHArchitecture and Nick Dalvano of All-Ways Elevator

Bram, Morty and Harry WeberClark Gillies of the New Islanders and Andrea Shof HOUSEmagazine

Childrens Playhouses

Whats in style for your kidsPHOTOS AND STORY BY ANDREA SHEAHAN

In the middle of March, the Long Island Builders Institute hosted its 26th

Annual EXPO at the Long Island Hilton. The event was more than a trade

show, this year the EXPO feat ured a childrens playhouse competition.

Teams were comprised of LIBI members showcasing the talents of Alure

Home Improvements, J. Ratto Landscaping with All Ways Elevators and

GRCH Architecture, Engel Burman Group and TRITEC Real Estate. All in all,

they created three childrens playhouses and one rocket ship.

The Rocket Ship, built by TRITEC, was donated to the famous Rocket

Ship Park in Port Jefferson. The proceeds of the raffle for Engel Burmans

Little Sunshine Playhouse were donated to Long Island Home Builders

Care, Inc., to help its feature charitable endeavors. The other two play-

houses, Ghostbusters and Sports Town, were donated to benefit childrens

charities: Clark Gillies Childrens Foundation and the Brookville Center for

Childrens Services.

And what is a competition without judges? Not any judges; 12 children

judged the playhouses based on appeal, safety, most creative and kid

friendly. A most hands-on group of judges.For the grown-up judges, LIBI got the best celebrity judges they could

wish for: the legendary Clark Gillies from the NY Islanders, Million Dollar

Contractor Stephen Fanuka and HG TV Design Star Tyler Wisler. What great

guys to talk to, mingle with and have fun with. Clark Gillies signed pucks

and hockey sticks and took pictures with his fans. Stephen and Tyler visited

the exhibitors booths and chit-chatted about the business. With cameras

flashing from every direction, they really gave a fresh breath and drew great

attention to the LIBI EXPO!

Alure Home Improvements initial idea was

to ensure their playhouse was not just ordi-

nary, but something functional that would

have a lasting impact on the children utilizing

it. Sal Ferro had an idea of doing a sports

theme as something that would resonate with

most kids and it morphed into incorporating

sports for unique functionality, (built in hockey

net, basketball hoop and soccer net) as well as

imagery depicting local professional

sports teams.

To match the sports theme, and thinking

inside the playhouse, Alure decided it

would be cool for the kids to feel like they

were walking into a real sports locker room,

which led to decorating the interior with lock-

ers, memorabilia and cubbies for sports gear.

The greatest reward was not winning the

award, but watching a few kids grab some

basketballs and actually use the playhouse!

The team at Alure knew right then, this play-

house was going to make a difference.

Thanks to the help, efforts and generosity of many p

ple, organizations and companies involved, a custom

handicap accessible, Ghostbusters themed playhouse

able to be donated to a not-for-profit charity in Glen H

NY. AHRC Nassau assists people with intellectual and

velopmental disabilities by offering services to help pr

mote independent living, and by advocating on their

behalf.

With the collaborative efforts of Jay Ratto of J. Ratto

Landscaping, Nick Dalvano of All Ways Elevators and

architectural assistance of Glen Cherveny of GRCH Arc

tecture, the theme of Ghostbusters was selected for n

merous reasons. Though originally released in 1984, th

movie is a timeless classic that continues to resonate w

both children and adults. With the production of the u

coming sequel underway, Jay, Nick and Glen felt the re

of the movie would only increase the appeal to the

children.Designing it after the firehouse exemplified in the m

the playhouse was sided using real brick stone veneer

a second floor with railing, a handicap ramp to allow a

children to have access and various Ghostbusters grap

throughout. The design encourages children to use th

imagination and engage in character role playing. Co

plete with proton packs, ghost traps, lockers, fire bell,

area and more, kids can re-enact their favorite momen

from the movie, all while enhancing their cognitive, ph

cal, social/emotional and language skills which aid in t

development of their individual skills.

The quality of this project is directly linked to the sup

and donations received from selfless colleagues; Impa

Graphics, Riverhead Building Supply, The Northridge

Group, S&H Building Supply, Ocean Stone & Fireplace

and Able Equipment Rental. Their assistance and effo

are immeasurable and the construction of this playhou

would not have been possible without them.

Sports Town

Ghostbusters Headquarters

7/25/2019 LIBI Playhouse Feature

2/2

The Little Sunshine playhouse

Children Alyssa and AmandaFricke judging the variousplayhouses

Stephen Fanuka

EB Constructions Brandon Solomon,Jon Weiss and Tom Craven

Alan and Louise Kennemerwith Tyler Wisler (center)

EB Construction created a childrens playhouse that

was just right for local charities. Calling it Perhaps one

of our most important projects. Jon Weiss, a partner in

EB Construction of Garden City, said the firm was proud

to have built a childrens playhouse that has been pre-

sented to the Long Island Builders Institute.

Made of sturdy materials and detailed with welcom-ing colors of yellow, blue and red, the playhouse is pro-

portioned to meet the needs of the most active

children. Stated Scott Burman, a fellow partner of EB

Construction. We would like to think that when they

open that bright red door, it is about much more than

simply walking into a child sized house, but into the lim-

itless world of their imagination.

The design made sure the playhouse had no sharp

edges or exposed nails. Durability and functionality

were key and, most important of all, whether it would be

fun to play in.

The playhouse included four windows to let in lots of

natural light, LED lighting for energy efficiency, air con-ditioning, detailed trim work inside, wood flooring with

a rubber floor on top, vinyl siding and cultured stone on

the outside, a custom made front door and it is also

wired for a television.

Port Jefferson Mayor Margot Garrant

TRITEC built this rocket ship that was do-

nated to Rocket Ship Park in Port Jefferson.

Contributors to the TRITEC Monument were

Central Outdoor Services, Kleet Lumber and

Procoat Painting.

Little Sunshine House

Rocket Ship Monument

110 HOUSE, June/July 2016Everyone involved with the LIBI EXPO