The arrival of warmer weather renews homeowners' vigor for various home improvement projects, and many have grand plans for interior and exterior renovations as they prep their living spaces for comfort, beauty and entertaining opportunities. While there are many worthy projects to pursue, adding outdoor lighting to a home can help increase its value and make the home safer and more attractive in the evening hours.

According to the American Lighting Association, with a few updates to outside lighting, families can make even better use of their homes at night. Adding outdoor lighting is easier and less expensive than many homeowners may know, allowing them to transform an existing patio, deck or pool area into an enjoyable nighttime retreat. Pool parties, dinners on the patio or barbecues with neighbors become even more memorable when outdoor lighting is added or improved. But homeowners who want to install or upgrade their outdoor lighting should consider the following tips, courtesy of ALA.

* Improve navigation. Lighting is typically layered into a room or outdoor space in three ways: overhead, task and ambient. Even outdoors, where there are no typical boundaries and borders, those three layers are necessary. Outdoor overhead lighting should improve visibility on steps, paths and walking surfaces, especially where there's a bend or an intersection. Task lighting can be used around cooking or gardening areas. Ambient light will cast a comforting glow around any outdoor space.

* Enhance security. To improve visibility and security, combine a motion detector with a sconce to illuminate dark corners or entryways. Be sure to aim lights away from the door to improve visibility. Lanterns on either side of the door can give a home a warm, welcoming appearance and improve the safety of entryways.

* Create outdoor rooms. Outdoor lighting at the borders of a space is a great way to create barriers, both vertically and horizontally. Lights in a tree create something akin to a chandelier hung in the middle of the sky, and even accent lights in the general area of the edge of a patio, deck or porch will shine across the space and provide enough of a comfort level for people to understand where things are.

* Reduce glare. Outdoor lighting that casts a glare can be blinding, as can light that's too bright. Lighting along paths should be cast downward, with fixtures that are hooded. A variety of lighting options will create layers, allowing you to add or subtract as necessary. Exterior-safe dimmers also can provide flexible control over the level of light, as can movable fixtures added to a patio or porch.

* Add decorative elements. Just as arbors, pergolas, patios and other outdoor elements help to enhance the style of an outdoor space, so, too, can lighting contribute to a well-designed landscape. Lighting should play up decorative features of a yard and add the ambience that homeowners desire. Step lights make passage safe while also highlighting molding or trim details. An outdoor chandelier can make for a wonderful accent during dinnertime on the deck or under a pergola. Patio lights provide atmosphere as well as illumination for cooking outside.

* Enhance views from inside. Outdoor lighting can make the view from inside pleasant and enjoyable. Use a variety of lights, including spotlights on trees, lights dotted along pathways and accent lights on unique landscape features, to create an idyllic landscape visible from inside the home.

Outdoor lighting enhances functionality of yards and landscapes while making such areas safer for homeowners and their guests once the sun has gone down.

-- Metro Creative Services

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Lighting can transform and enhance outdoor space

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) March 27, 2014

Residents of San Francisco, who strive for flawless homes from top to bottom, will certainly be interested in AmericanHouseCleaning.coms new service area announcement that launches their maid services in San Francisco. Now, their knowledgeable and committed cleaning crew will clean homes and buildings in the San Francisco area.

AmericanHouseCleaning.com takes pride in their customers reliance and gratitude for their services. They believe in presenting services with comprehensive accountability, which makes residents of San Francisco extremely pleased with the companys entry into their area. The CEO of AmericanHouseCleaning.com is sure that his staff will uphold the same reputation and high standard that they always have had. He firmly believes that San Francisco residents will be completely satisfied with their dedicated home cleaning services.

We have been preparing for this launch for the past several months. We have appointed a completely dedicated team for house cleaning and each team member has been provided with proper training to carry out their tasks with efficiency and integrity, the CEO states.

Living in a hygienic and sanitary house is very important, not only to appear clean, but also for healthy and nontoxic living. In todays hectic society, a company like AmericanHouseCleaning.com may be the best solution to maintain a cleanly and healthy home. With their flawless reputation and a commitment to being the best they can be, residents of San Francisco can expect top notch cleaning for a healthy living.

AmericanHouseCleaning.com maintains a methodical cleaning process that puts emphasis on sanitation, and filth removal in every corner of the home. They not only wash floors and walls, but also clean glass surfaces, photo frames, home accessories, furnishes, etc. to help provide flawless cleaning to please the homeowners. Now, people in San Francisco will enjoy the same spotless cleaning. To learn more about their maid services please visit: http://americanhousecleaning.com.

About American Housecleaning American Housecleaning Co. Inc. is a locally owned and operated full-service cleaning company. They have served a number of satisfied clients throughout the Bay Area since 1986. The company believes in delivering consistently superior results to individuals and businesses, real estate agents, property managers and office complexes.

PR Contact Jimena Cortes 949-861-8414 info(at)WizardMedia(dot)net

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New Expansion of Maid Services Into the San Francisco Area Announced by AmericanHouseCleaning.com

Charlotte, NC (PRWEB) March 27, 2014

Husband and wife team Kyle and Tania Price recently invested in Maid Right, a leading residential cleaning franchise, and are now open for business.Their plan is to use Maid Right as a vehicle to empower people who want to build their own residential cleaning unit franchises. They also plan on offering top-notch cleaning services to homeowners who are too busy with lifes demands to spend their free time cleaning their house.

Were trying to set up partnerships with people in our community who have business aspirations like ours, Tania says. Community support has always been important to us and continues even now that we are business owners ourselves.

For the past month, the Prices have campaigned across the Charlotte area seeking those who want to be their own boss and achieve financial freedom. They have paired with Charlottes Spanish language newspapers and radio stations as well as other community newspapers and inspiration stations to help spread the word.

The Prices believe that establishing a strong community presence will not only enhance Maid Rights brand, but it will also help create growth in Charlottes small business sector. Maid Right allows Kyle and Tania to share their years of corporate business experience with others. Both recently left successful corporate careers to pursue their entrepreneurial dream of building a family business of their own.

Tania and I were attracted to Maid Right because the master franchising concept fits our skills and experiences and we get to work with people who would also like to build a business of their own, Kyle says. The benefit of this owner-operator model is that it also allows customers to have somebody they can count on to be there and deliver consistent quality work time after time because their business growth depends on it.

Kyle and Tanias goal for 2014 is for Maid Right to become a top-tier service provider and add unit franchisees to their team. If we do that the right way, we have the potential to be around for a long time, Tania says.

Maid Right cleans using professional-grade chemicals and their exclusive EnviroShield technology. EnviroShield is the brands exclusive total disinfecting spray process that kills up to 99% of bacteria and viruses like MRSA and H1N1. Maid Right also provides multiple touch points of communication between the customer and the owner-operator. In addition to phone and email, Maid Right customers are provided with an at-home logbook, which helps them communicate their unique cleaning needs to their Maid Right team.

Kyle and Tania have two sons, Tyler and A.J. Outside the office, Kyle helps coach their boys basketball teams and Tania helps coach girls basketball teams in their area. When they arent coaching, the Prices are still cheering their sons on and attending all their games.

Maid Right of Greater Charlotte is located in North Charlotte and currently services Charlotte, Concord, Lake Norman area, Ballantyne, Waxsaw, China Grove, Gastonia, and Fort Mill (SC). They can be reached at (704) 879-2176, emailed at tania.price(at)maidright(dot)com, or online via their Facebook page and website.

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New Maid Right Owners Help Strengthen Small Business in Greater Charlotte

Boston, MA (PRWEB) March 25, 2014

MaidPro has, once again, bested its competitors by being the only maid services franchise to be named to Franchise Business Reviews annual top 50 ranking for 2014. MaidPro earns the highest ranking of any maid service overall in a comparative ranking that considers direct survey input from nearly 26,000 franchisees across 350+ brands for the second consecutive year. The results were announced recently at the International Franchise Associations 54th Annual Convention in New Orleans.

MaidPro also earned a call-out in FBRs Top Franchises 2014 Report for its recent introduction of a lower cost franchising option the MaidPro Select Model for entrepreneurs with less than $50,000 to invest. Generally speaking, we find lower-cost concepts tend to score a little better on the quality of life areas of our survey, FBR noted. MaidPros Vice President of Planning and Development Chuck Lynch said: Weve seen that lowering the minimum investment and offering additional financing has really helped potential franchisees to start a cleaning business, when in the past they would not have been able to do so.

For big trends, FBR noted that, By all accounts, 2014 is a great time to buy a franchise. Many franchise companies are coming off of their best years since 2007, franchise operators are seeing increased profitability and many economic experts have forecasted a much-improved economy.

To be named at all in FBRs annual Top Franchises Report, brands must score above a minimum benchmark for franchisee satisfaction, which is measured comprehensively across 33 different metrics, ranging everywhere from financial opportunity to the perceived honesty and integrity of franchisor. The higher the score, the higher rank.

One of the best ways to know if a franchise opportunity is really as good as it appears is to look at the companys franchisee satisfaction data, said FBR. Not all brands survey their franchisees, but those who do offer a wealth of information on the systems leadership, culture, training and support, financial outlook and franchise community.

We love winning in our industry and earning consistently high scores among the many hundreds of franchise opportunities available, said Lynch. But the real reason we participate every year in FBRs franchisee satisfaction survey is to gain objective insights into how we are performing and to give our franchisees opportunities to provide 100% open and honest feedback to us through a third party. We are a fast-growing brand, but do not want to grow at the expense of the things that have made us successful our personalized support and continuous investments in brand building, processes and systems that give our franchisees a competitive advantage. FBRs annual satisfaction survey helps us to gauge whether or not we are continuing to achieve that desired balance between growth and successful, happy franchisees.

To learn more about MaidPro franchise opportunities, visit: maidprofranchise.com/.

For Franchise Business Review's 2014 Top Franchises report, visit http://www.franchisebusinessreview.com/content/Top-Franchises-2014.

For Franchise Business Review's Top 50 Report, visit http://fbr50.com.

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MaidPro Continues Winning Streak with Top Franchisee Satisfaction Rank

Mar 28 2014 UAE'S Arabtec to establish USD40 b development in Egypt ,MENAFN (MENAFN) UAE-based Arabtec Holding plans to establish a new joint stock company to implement multi-billion dollar project in Egypt, according to the Emirates 24/7. The company is in negotiations ... Mar 28 2014 Gulf General Investment profit reaches USD29 m in 2013 ,MENAFN (MENAFN) Gulf General Investment Co. (GGICO) posted a USD2994 million net profit in 2013 compared to USD7921 million net loss in 2012, according to the Emirates 24/7. Also the company could ... Mar 28 2014 Taiwan, Saudi to strengthen trade, business ties ,MENAFN (MENAFN) A number of Taiwanese companies have shown their interest in making deals with Saudi counterparts, according to Arab News. The announcement was revealed in a visit of an 18-member ... 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Kuwait - Maid detained for 'killing' her sponsor's toddler boy

Pregnant Irma Lopez, 29, and her husband - both ethnic Mazatec - walked October 2 to clinic in Oaxaca, but were turned away by nurses Photo of grimacing Lopez kneeling on patch of grass outside clinic with her newborn son still attached by umbilical cord set off firestorm online Clinic director Dr Adrian Cruz was suspended pending state and federal investigations Nurses at health clinic blamed 'misunderstanding' on language barrier and being short-staffed Lopez and her baby, Sabino, made full recoveries Her story has inspired women's health advocates to push for reforms that will prevent this sort of thing from happening again Advocates say it is common for pregnant women to be turned away from medical clinics in Mexico

By Daily Mail Reporter and Ap

PUBLISHED: 20:51 EST, 27 March 2014 | UPDATED: 07:49 EST, 28 March 2014

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The woman featured in a photograph that shocked the world last year - that shows her giving birth on the lawn of a medical clinic after she was refused treatment by health officials - has made a full recovery and is in perfect health, as is her five-month-old son, Sabino.

Additionally, the attention her shocking photo received has inspired women's rights activists across the globe to end what they call a pattern of poor indigenous Mexican women being turned away from hospitals while in labor, forcing them to give birth on lawns, patios or parking lots.

The shocking image, taken in October by a passerby, shows 29-year-old Irma Lopez , who is of Mazatec ethnicity, squatting after giving birth, her face contorted in pain and her tiny newborn son still bound by the umbilical cord and lying on the ground.

Healthy: Irma Lopez and her son Sabino went through labor on the lawn of a medical clinic that turned her away

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Mom forced to give birth to baby on clinic lawn and son have recovered

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SPECIAL TO THE WHIG

A flatbed tractor-trailer carrying hundreds of bags of top soil rolled over off Route 213 late Wednesday morning.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CECIL COUNTY FIRE BLOG

A tractor-trailer overturned south of Elkton spilling its contents Wednesday morning.

CECIL WHIG PHOTO BY ADELMA GREGORY-BUNNELL

A tractor-trailer hauling lawn care products collided with a minivan, causing the flatbed to overturn, on Wednesday morning.

CECIL WHIG PHOTO BY ADELMA GREGORY-BUNNELL

A tractor-trailer hauling lawn care products collided with a minivan, causing the flatbed to overturn, on Wednesday morning. Both drivers refused treatment, police said.

CECIL WHIG PHOTO BY ADELMA GREGORY-BUNNELL

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Tractor-trailer overturns on Route 213 south of Elkton

Lawn Mowing Services - (518)882-8746 - Latham, Colonie, Niskayuna, New York
Bryk City Landscaping provides a regular lawn and landscape maintenance service to our Upstate New York customers. We can visit your property on a 7 / 10 / 1...

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The Tudors
Renowned designer Nate Berkus hosts NBC #39;s bold new one-hour reality-competition series "American Dream Builders." Showcasing the talents of the most accompli...

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The Tudors - Video

Landscape Samples by George McNair Landscape Architect
George McNair - Oregon Landscape Architect shares a sample of some finished landscapes. call 541-267-7400.

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