This is the gathering space that the Smiths added off their kitchen and previous informal dining area.

Kevin Bunnell, Renovation Design Group

Last week we discussed the common issues of remodeling a split-level or split-entry house. The Smiths found that common thread of a love/hate feeling toward their house and their situation. They loved the neighborhood, the lot and the view. Their split-level had appeal, and with a little tweaking of the floor plan, they knew they could stay there for a long time.

This is a good real life example of last weeks suggestions for addressing the common issues of a split-level house, which are the lack of details/curb appeal, the division of rooms and functions (i.e. lack of gathering space near the kitchen) and a tight, awkward entry and porch.

When the Smiths decided it was time to remodel, they knew they wanted a better gathering space. With their six children still at home, they understood that even when they eventually fly the coop, their family would grow again by way of future spouses and grandchildren. A comfortable and convenient gathering place would be useful both in the present and in the future.

When they created the master plan, they decided to divide the project into phases. Phase one was an addition to enlarge the family room, and phase two was to relocate and enlarge the kitchen. Phase three was to update the exterior curb appeal of the front of the house, and phase four involved renovating the master suite. They ended up blending phase one and phase two once they got into the construction process. "I couldn't imagine stopping and starting again down the road," Tiffany Smith said. "We just wanted that part of the house finished."

The addition created 400 additional square feet on the main floor, and they duplicated the space in the basement. On the main floor, they used the space to create a great room, which included relocating the original kitchen.

The old kitchen was a galley layout, but it unfortunately also served as the hallway, which was the only access to the family room that had been previously added onto the rear of the home. Any time the dishwasher or the refrigerator was open, there was a major road block.

"Now there is a dedicated pathway to the great room," Smith said. "We don't have to have the company come through the kitchen to get to the gathering area."

Prior to the remodel, the laundry room and the pantry were combined. "Before, the kids would throw all their dirty clothes on the washer, just inches away from all of our food," Smith said. "I didn't realize how weird that was until now that they are separated. I love it."

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Renovation Solutions: One family's experience with remodeling a split-level home

Letting your house slip behind your neighbors' could lower your home value and cost you when you sell.

(Money Magazine)

"You never want to exceed the neighborhood norm, but you definitely want to stay up with it," says John Bredemeyer, an appraiser in Omaha.

Must-haves and deal breakers

Home shoppers have strong opinions about what they do -- and don't -- want in a house.

Source: National Association of Home Builders, 2013.

Bringing your home up to speed doesn't have to mean a massive, six-figure renovation. Small-scale projects that address some typical flaws of older homes can do double duty: They'll make your home more attractive when it's time to sell, and turn it into a more comfortable place for you to live.

These three upgrades all cost $5,000 or less.

Expand your closets. Homes built before the mid-1970s often share a frustrating problem: nowhere to put stuff. Small, one-rod closets are a prime offender and a big turnoff for buyers, says Rockaway, N.J., realtor Ellen Klein. Make the most of these spaces by installing an organizing system equipped with additional rods, shelves, baskets, and more, available at big-box home stores (starting at $50 per closet). For those who would prefer to use a pro, firms like California Closets handle the installation, starting at $500 or so.

Calculator: Was my home a good investment?

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Your home: It pays to keep up with the Joneses

HACKENSACK, N.J. - Vikki Ruisch had a fireplace in her house, but it was in a room her family barely used. So during a remodeling project last year, she had a fireplace built in her heavily trafficked living room, where everyone could enjoy it.

Ruisch figured it would add value to her Woodcliff Lake, N.J., house, but that wasn't really an incentive. She grew up having a fireplace in her home and just wanted one, or two. She also had one put in the master bedroom.

"I don't know anyone who doesn't like a fireplace," she said. "We use ours, especially this winter. My husband puts the one on in the bedroom when he gets up about an hour before me, and then it's nice and toasty by the time I get up."

Ruisch is one of many home and business owners installing fireplaces to add ambience, warmth and financial value to where they live and work. A fireplace can increase a home's value by 6 to 12 percent, according to the National Center for Real Estate Research of Littleton, Colo.

In addition to the standard stone or brick fireplaces found in typical settings like single-family homes and ski lodges, temporary hearths can be installed in the tiniest of apartments and the most intimate of restaurants.

Ventless fireplaces are a swiftly growing segment of the market, targeted for apartments or other buildings where permanent changes can't be made. Those that run on electricity can, with the flip of a switch, heat a space up to about 400 square feet, or, in hot weather operate with no warming element.

One manufacturer, HearthCabinet Ventless Fireplaces in New York City, offers products that use alcohol gel cartridges instead of electricity, said Sara Check, marketing and sales manager for the company.

"Lots of people wanted a fireplace and didn't have a chimney, gas line or vent," Check said. "So we are filling a void in a niche market. The cartridges work like a sterno canister works. You can replace the top and then use it again."

One of the drawbacks to ventless fireplaces, specifically because there is no way to send gases outside the building, is that they often emit an odor, similar to the smell from an oven when it is on. But Check said HearthCabinet throws off little, if any odor, because of the gel cartridges it uses.

"Since our cartridges use isopropyl alcohol, our emissions don't really have an odor," she said.

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Fireplaces raise home values

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/21 March) The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) has allocated an initial P40 million for the development of its new regional office starting this year in nearby Koronadal City.

Arturo Valero, NEDA Region 12 director, said Friday such allocation will mainly fund the construction of a modern office building at the Region 12 government center in Barangay Carpenter Hill in Koronadal City that will house its various divisions and service units.

He said the NEDA central office included such funding in its budget for this year or under the 2014 General Appropriations Act.

Valero said the initial preparations are now underway for the projects implementation, which is being assisted by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Region 12.

The details of the buildings design are now being finalized by DPWH-12 architects and the construction will immediately begin as soon as it completes the bidding process, he said.

The official said they pushed last year for the inclusion of the budget for the construction of their new office building after securing a lot at the regional government center, which is around two kilometers away from the downtown area of Koronadal City.

He said they had forged a memorandum agreement (MOA) with the city government of Koronadal, which own and maintains the regional government center, for the lots donation.

NEDA Region 12 has been leasing a private building since moving to Koronadal City three years ago in compliance with Executive Order 304, which designated the area as the regions new government seat and center.

EO 304, which was issued in March 2004 by then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, also sets the immediate transfer of all regional line agencies from Cotabato City, the previous regional center, to Koronadal City.

Region 12, which is also known as the Soccsksargen Region, comprises the provinces of South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, North Cotabato and the cities of General Santos, Koronadal, Kidapawan and Cotabato.

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NEDA allots P40M for new office in Koronadal

Published: Friday, March 21, 2014, 3:42p.m. Updated 5 hours ago

ANH Refractories has signed a lease to occupy 42,000 square feet in the third office building now under construction in the Pittsburgh International Business Park near Pittsburgh International Airport.

The company, currently in the Cherrington Corporate Center in Moon, consists of A.P. Green Refractories Co., North American Refractories Co. and Harbison-Walker Refractories Co.

A.P. Green manufactures products for NARCO and Harbison-Walker, which service the steel, aluminum, glass, iron and non-steel-related industries.

We expect ANH to relocate this fall, said Jason Stewart of JLL, who was involved in the lease. We are in negotiation with a potential tenant for the remaining 11,000 square feet in the 53,000-square-foot, one-story building, he said.

Once the building is fully leased, the developers Continental Real Estate Companies and Chaska Property Advisors will start on a fourth building, Stewart said.

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ANH Refactories agrees to lease building near Pittsburgh International

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Spring is here, and for Storey Slone that means it's time to mix compost tea.

Slone works in organic lawn care for Dave Leonard Tree Specialists. Compost tea is a lawn application that contains plant growth compounds and beneficial microorganisms that condition soil without the use of man-made chemicals.

Leonard, a well-known Lexington arborist, said he was drawn to lawn care after seeing a cluster of red oaks with leaves curled up "just like a fist."

The culprit was the toxic turf chemicals being used in the area, he said.

"I asked, 'Which would you rather have, dandelions or red oaks?'" Leonard said.

Organic lawn care can be a little more expensive than the standard fertilizer with a sock of chemical weed and pest control, but it also has a different focus, Leonard said. A base price for the Leonard program is about $65 per thousand square feet per treatment, plus $55 for soil amendments (first year cost only). The number of visits varies according to the program selected.

While some Lexington-area lawn care companies offer an organic program as an option with or without add-in chemical weed control, at the Leonard company which offers two all-organic lawn care plans organic lawn care is the preferred route.

Organic lawns can take several years to fully establish, but the goal is to feed the soil for the long term, with probiotics that help aerate the lawn and reduce compacted soil. Nourishing the soil helps the lawn squeeze out pesky intruders such as nutsedge, the wide-bladed weed that seems to tower over grass immediately after mowing. Also, it helps give grass deeper roots so that it can withstand weather stresses, Leonard said.

Nutsedge thrives in poorly drained, compacted soils, Slone said.

"A lot of these yards are just sterile," Leonard said. "We know for longevity you want an organic lawn. ... If you improve the soil you get a better lawn. Spraying it with a quick-release fertilizer does not improve the soil."

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Compost tea can quench your lawn's thirst this spring

LIHUE At first sight, the group gathered under a monkeypod tree on the lawn of the Historic County Building on Wednesday appeared to be preparing for an appearance before the Kauai County Council.

Instead, the group centered around Frederick and Blanche Acoba, volunteers with the Mana Ohana Sober Support Services, who were processing paperwork for free bus passes.

We have been volunteering with Mana Ohana for about a couple of months, now, Frederick said. During that time, weve given out more than 300 free bus passes to people.

Kem French said Mana Ohana Sober Support Services has a contract with the state of Hawaii under the Federal Access to Recovery grant.

If an individual has experienced substance abuse, or alcoholism, the government has assistance to aid in recovery, said French, an assessor with Mana Ohana.

Mana Ohana is designed to provide clients with substance abuse clinical treatment and recovery support service providers, and increase the capacity of the recovery-oriented system of care.

The monthly bus passes are within the scope of the program it currently provides, French said.

Frederick Acoba said they picked the site of the lawn of the Historic County Building because he saw how many people had gathered there during the Bill 2491 hearing.

Weve also gone to bus stops, the beaches and other places where we see people who might need our help, Frederick said.

Junior Pardua of Lihue was one of the recipients, returning Wednesday before his current pass expires at the end of the month.

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Crowd gathers for free rides

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