Two demons wait for unsuspecting homeowners, hoping for their chance to gobble up time and money on new home and remodeling projects: Ripple Effect and Project Creep.

The Ripple Effect lurks quietly in the background. Just like the movements on the pond surface for which its named, The Ripple Effect starts out small and grows, expanding until it engulfs the entire project.

Project Creep is a silent menace, staying out of sight until its too late to avoid and putting the whole job at risk.

Pebble In The Pond

The Ripple Effect is the remodeling budgets worst enemy and can wreak havoc on small and large projects alike.

A window replacement is a simple, isolated project, right? But the interior and exterior trim must be replaced and painted and the exterior siding may have to be reworked, especially if the new window isnt the same size as the old one.

And thats just the beginning. Once that window is replaced and the new window trim painted, the rest of the trim in the room looks bad by comparison and so you decide to paint that, too. A pebbles been dropped in the pond, and the ripples have begun to spread.

What started out as a simple window replacement ends up as the refinishing of an entire room.

In new home projects, the ripple effect is more pronounced in open plan designs. With fewer walls to separate spaces, its difficult to make flooring transitions from one room to another so more expensive floorings often cover more of the house. The lack of interior walls also requires a more expensive structural system and makes the placement of duct work and plumbing more difficult.

Dont Make Waves

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How to Avoid Ripple Effect and Project Creep When Remodeling Your Home

BETHESDA, Md., June 4, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Case Design/Remodeling, Inc., a leading DC Metro area home improvement company, announced that it has won a 2012 Chrysalis Award, which honors the finest remodeling projects in the nation reflecting the professional excellence of the residential remodeling industry.

Eighty-one US remodeling companies were named winners at the annual Chrysalis Awards for Remodeling Excellence, awards that began in 1994. Recognizing the Nation's best work in 16 general categories of residential and commercial remodeling, the winning projects were selected from 420 entries, which were judged on overall design, the creative use of space and materials, and the degree to which the project enhanced the original structure. Photographs of the 2012 award-winning projects can be seen on Chrysalis website http://www.chrysalisawards.com beginning in late June.

Now winning a total of 11 Chrysalis Awards since 2000, Case Design/Remodeling received the 2012 Kitchen Remodel ($50,000-$75,000) Regional Chrysalis Award with the team of Project Designer Allie Mann, Project Manager Tom Craze and Lead Craftsman Mike Rippeon, the same team that was selected to design a bathroom in the 2012 DC Design House. The main goal in this award-winning kitchen was to open the flow between the dining room and kitchen. This required eliminating a load-bearing wall and reinventing the kitchen's work triangle for better performance and also allowing space for two cooks in the kitchen. The result is a beautifully informal kitchen space that blends both spaces' functions, while giving the family of five a place to gather.

About CaseDesign/Remodeling, Inc.

Case Design/Remodeling, Inc. is the area's largest full service residential remodeling company. With a focus on excellence, Case has more certified remodelers, kitchen and bath designers, and lead carpenters on staff than any other remodeling organization. Case has been honored with more than 70 awards for design and craftsmanship during its more than 50 years in business, including a GuildQuality 2011 Guildmaster Award, two 2011 Chrysalis Awards, two 2011 Best of the Best Design Awards from Professional Remodeler magazine, and a 2011 Master Design Award by Qualified Remodeler magazine. Professional Remodeler previously named the company Remodeler of the Year. Case Cares initiatives include building a one-level home for an injured Iraq vet with Homes for Our Troops and remodeling kitchens for HomeStretch, which offers transitional housing for the homeless. It also recently won Ply Gem's 2011 Designed Exterior Giveaway and gifted the $50,000 prize of exterior products plus remodeling services to a deserving Virginia volunteer. To learn more about Case and fred, its home repair division, visit http://www.CaseDesign.com and http://www.schedulefred.com or call 800-513-2250.

For media inquiries, contact Sherry Moeller, MoKi Media, sherry.moeller@mokimedia.com or 301-807-0910 or Joaquin Erazo, Case Design/Remodeling, JErazo@casedesign.com or 301-229-9632.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://www.cisionwire.com

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Case Design/Remodeling Inc. Wins 2012 Chrysalis Award

LIHUE The LEED green building certification program, a nationally accepted benchmark for design, construction and operation of green buildings held its first Leadership for Energy and Environmental Design training workshop on Kauai in April with another planned for June.

Organized through the U.S. Green Building Council, the training was provided by Maui-based Green Building LLC in partnership with Unlimited Construction, the Kauai Workforce Investment Board and WorkWise Kauai.

The USGBC is a nonprofit membership organization whose vision is a sustainable built environment within a generation.

There were 15 participants from Kauai-based companies and organizations, including Kauai Island Utility Cooperative, the County of Kauai, Kauai Community College, Wilcox Memorial Hospital and local architecture firms.

With interactive classroom instruction and site visits, participants got a first-hand look certified buildings and high-performance green home design. The program is designed to create green building training opportunities with campus learning in partnership with certified green builders.

Scholarships for qualified applicants to attend the training were available through the State Energy Sector Partnership grant. This federal green jobs training initiative is administered by Hawaii Workforce Development Council and the county workforce investment boards.

The next LEED Green Building Basics & LEED Green Associate Exam Prep Workshop will be held June 26-27, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Kauai Community College, OCET 105. For information and to register, visit http://www.GreenBuildingHawaii.com/classes.html.

SESP scholarships are available to assist in covering the cost of attending the training and exams. Applications are available online at http://www.sesphawaii.com.

For information about the scholarships, contact Adele Manera at WorkWise Kauai, 274-3056 or adele.a.Manera@hawaii.gov. Or contact Tracy Hirano, KCC Office of Continuing Education & Training, 245-8351 or thirano@hawaii.edu.

For information about Green Building LLC and upcoming training, visit http://www.greenbuildinghawaii.com.

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Green building training comes to Kaua‘i

BAMBERG The Bamberg School District One Board of Trustees was updated on construction of the districts new $15 million elementary school and the renovations under way other schools during its May 28 meeting.

Dale Collier, president of Brownstone Construction, reported the elementary school construction was right on schedule.

The new 140,000-square-foot Richard Carroll Elementary School in Bamberg, which will house 4K through 6th grade, is expected to be completed in time for the 2012-13 school year.

HG Reynolds Construction (the contractor) continues to make steady progress towards a successful completion of the school. After gaining approvals during last months Office of School Facilities above-ceiling inspection, the contractor proceeded to install ceiling tiles throughout the school building, Collier said.

He said installation of other finished products was now well under way, including flooring in classrooms and corridors as well as wall and base cabinets.

... HVAC contractors are near completion with their work that included the successful startup of these systems, and fire alarm and fire sprinkler life safety systems were tested, Collier said.

Final paving and striping of both on-site and off-site roads is complete at the building exterior. Workers are also installing exterior lighting, fencing and play equipment. Final grassing and landscaping will (be completed) in the near future to give the new facility a finished appearance.

He said coordination with local utilities provider, the Bamberg Board of Public Works, had gone very well, getting gas, water, sewer, telephone and power connections to the building.

The board has saved us bundles of money and work(s) very well with us, he said of the BPW.

An OSF final occupancy approval inspection is scheduled for June 7 at the site, Collier said.

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Construction official says new school on schedule

TAINAN, Taiwan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Y.S. Sun Green Building Research Center at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), southern Taiwan, will receive the 2012 Outstanding Engineer Award from Chinese Institute of Engineers (CIE) on June 1 for its innovative and significant contribution to domestic construction in Taiwan.

Also known as Magic School of Green Technology, with an alias of Green Magic School, the center is the first energy-saving and zero-carbon building in Taiwan, using only 35 percent of the energy of a typical office building. It has gained domestic and international recognition for its ecological conception and efficacy since its inauguration in January 2011.

The three-story 4,800-square meter building, the first green architectural education center in the subtropical zone, serves as the university's international conference center and is used to showcase technological innovations in green buildings.

According to statistics compiled by the center, tourist arrivals at the center topped 13,800 from January through April 2012.

The Y.S. Sun Green Building Research Center has drawn attention from people who are interested in living a greener life in times of climate changes, with more than 3,000 people making visits every month.

The Green Magic School has won recognition not only for its exterior design resembling the Noahs Ark and innovative building materials, but also for its avant-garde designs that meet the need for energy conservation, carbon reduction, ecological awareness, waste reduction, and health care.

This year, seven buildings are being awarded by CIE, one of the most influential organizations in Chinese engineering community, aiming to advance engineering technology and techniques for both the engineer professions and the government.

The Green Magic School is the only educational facility in Taiwan to win the honor, as the other recipients are all government construction projects.

In 2011, the Magic School of Green Technology was also Asias first educational building to obtain the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, the recognized standard for measuring building sustainability in the United States and many other countries.

Prior to the LEED certification, the Y.S. Sun Green Building Research Center had gained the Taiwan Ecology, Energy, Waste Reduction and Health (EEWH) Diamond certification, the highest award given by the Ministry of the Interior for green buildings.

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NCKU Green Building To Receive 2012 Outstanding Engineer Award

Last Updated: June 4, 2012 08:17am ET

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A $94-million loan advances the project at 3001 Washington Blvd.

ARLINGTON, VA-Penzance has secured a $94-million non-recourse construction finance loan from SunTrust for its 280,000-square foot office project that it is building at 3001-3003 Washington Blvd., in the Clarendon submarket. Jones Lang LaSalles Wes Boatwright, Jon Goldstein and Mike Yavinsky helped secure the loan for the project.

The amount--$94 million--is eyebrow raising, especially in the current environment. Most construction finance lenders like to keep loans at $50 million, Boatwright tells GlobeSt.com. Needless to say, that limit makes it challenging for developers to do a deal of any size, he notes, especially in a market like DC. They wind up getting financing from more than one source.

This particular project, of course, is a strong one, with a 58% prelease, this to CNA. It also has a strong equity partner in Invesco.

Still, SunTrust is to be lauded for the financing it is providing, Boatwright says. Besides the unusually large size of the loan, the lender offered a streamlined approval process and terms with which the borrower felt comfortable. SunTrust was willing to underwrite the loan but reserved the right to sell part of it, he says. Other lenders said they would commit to the loan, but if they were unable to sell part of it, they would change the terms. The borrower found that to be unacceptable.

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Penzance Secures $94M Construction Finance Loan

03-06-2012 10:09 As construction of our enhanced facility progressed, and as the spaces had started to be identified, we thought a tour was in order. With Brian Smith as tour guide, we made a quick sweep of all the new classrooms and spaces. We had a lot of fun bringing this one together.

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We're Building for Life: This is So Cool! - Video

MALACCA: The Holy Light Church (English) received a cheque for RM500,000 from the Government for the construction of its building in Jalan Persiaran Ponderosa in Johor Baru.

It was good news for church members who were having their annual camp at Puteri Resort here when they received the cheque from congregation member and senior lawyer Roger Tan.

Tan said they were grateful that the cheque was received so soon after Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin approved the grant.

Tan, who is also a Commissioner in the National Water Services Commission, was at the signing of the Water Services Restructuring Water Agreement on May 23 in Putrajaya when he approached Muhyiddin about the church being in urgent need of funds to complete its RM4mil building.

The building, which houses a worship hall, a multi-purpose hall and meeting rooms, is due to be completed in October for the churchs 60th anniversary celebrations.

The generous gift from the Government is indeed a pleasant surprise and yet so timely, said senior pastor Dr Chuah Seong Peng.

Chuah voiced appreciation for Muhyiddins kind gesture, saying:

It is a commendable and magnanimous act that encourages Malaysians to work together to build a strong, united and prosperous country for the benefit of all.

The church also received a grant of RM200,000 from the Johor Government in August 2010.

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Johor Baru church rejoices over RM500,000 govt aid

Stevens Duval Apartments, the former Duval High School on Ocean Street downtown, has a new owner.

Mulligan Housing Group LLC, based in Massachusetts, bought the senior-living apartment building recently from the Ida M. Stevens Foundation for $1.82 million.

Stephen Schneider of Mulligan said as of Thursday, 50 of the 52 units were occupied. He said he simply intends to keep running the building as it is.

His company, under various names, has multifamily units in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, but the only other one in Florida is in Fort Pierce. This is his first building geared to seniors.

"It's a well-operated building, it's in great shape, so it's easy to take over," he said. "And it's small enough that we can learn as we go."

The center part of the building was completed in 1908 with annexes completed in 1920 and 22. In 1977, the School Board declared it a surplus and sold it to the Stevens Foundation for $85,000. Ted Pappas redesigned it as apartments and it was converted in 1980 for $1.7 million.

Peninsula near sellout

On the other end of history, the Peninsula at Southbank is getting awfully close to selling out. Paul Bobik of Palladium Realty Group, which has been marketing it for the past year, said as of Friday afternoon, 11 of the 334 condominium units are still unsold.

The price range: $200,000 to $1.5 million.

Bobik said the entire building had been presold in 2007. But when the bottom fell out of the market, a lot of those buyers walked away.

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Sunday notebook: New owner plans no changes with Stevens Duval Apartments

159 passengers may have died in a crash in the Iju Ishaga area of Lagos, Nigeria. It seems that the airplanefrom a company called Dana Aircrashed into a two-story apartment building just after taking off. Witnesses say it hit a power line, but there is no official cause yet. (WARNING: STRONG IMAGES)

According to tweets and local blogs, witnesses are reporting burned people on the ground. The imagescaptured by witnesses in the area using cellphonesshow some dead bodies on the ground.

The airplane was an old McDonnell Douglas MD-83 with about 152 people on board, including passengers and crew. The MD-83aka DC-9-83started to fly in 1984, finishing production in 1999. It could carry 155 passengers while keeping a range of 2,504 nautical miles (2,881 miles, 4,636 kilometers).

There are no official casualty figures yet, according to Lagos emergency manager Femi Oke-Osanyinpolu, but it could be pretty high if you add the passengers to the people on the ground.

Firefighterstwo firetrucksand emergency medical teams, including 50 rescue people, are already in the area trying to rescue potential survivors from the plane and on the ground.

An AP reporter says that there are seats scattered across the area. It seems the apartment building crumbled as the firefighters were trying to put down the fiery flames and thousands of people looked from a distance.

The fire is pretty bad, as the airplane had just taken off from Lagos' airport and it was full of fuel.

It was en route to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, Nigeria's capital in the center of the country. Like Braslia in Brazil, Abuja is a planned city built to hold the country's administrative center from scratch. It became the official capital of the country in 1991, after construction begun in the 1980s. Lagos is still the largest city in Nigeria.

There's no official cause for the crash yet, although witnesses say the plane hit a power line. If that's true, it must have been on its way down, since the runway is not close enough to that part of the town. The weather conditions were good and visibility was 10+ kilometers (more than 6.2 miles).

Nigeria received a Category 1 status by the Federal Aviation Administration in 2010. That's their top safety rating, awarded to countries that can fly airplanes directly into US airspace. [Tondan and Opeyemi Blog, HuffPo and USA Today]

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159-Passenger Airliner Crashes Into Apartment Building (WARNING: Strong Images) [Breaking]