By Lydia Slater

PUBLISHED: 18:01 EST, 21 June 2014 | UPDATED: 19:10 EST, 21 June 2014

54 shares

82

View comments

She may be married to a football legend, but interior designer Fiona Barratt-Campbell is far from a stereotypical wag. Here she tells Lydia Slater how the strong work ethic she inherited from her grandfather the founder of Barratt homes has helped her build her own empire

Fiona at home in Chelsea

A couple of years ago, the interior designer Fiona Barratt-Campbell was on safari in South Africa when she spotted something incredible. Not the nearby herd of grazing rhino but a patch of dried mud. Heedless of the potential danger, she leapt from the jeep to take a photograph. That mud inspired the layered bronze top of her drawing-room coffee table, around which she and I are chatting today. Inspiration comes from everywhere, she says. It might be a piece of rubbish in the street or paint peeling off a wall. I wont sleep during a design process until its done to my satisfaction. So I have many sleepless nights. Its difficult to switch off.

Fiona is an intriguing character. She comes from a wealthy family and is married to Sol Campbell, the former Tottenham, Arsenal and England defender. A life of leisure is surely hers for the asking. Yet she works obsessively, hates taking holidays and shies away from the red-carpet lifestyle. Call her a wag at your peril in fact, sitting opposite me, barefoot in her serviceable grey tracksuit, she looks anything but. The wag scene doesnt sit well with me, she confesses. I find it uncomfortable, actually. When Sol and I go to events together, I feel invisible. Sol makes a point of introducing me, and people will say, Hi, but then theyre straight back to Sol. She shrugs. At least if somebody does speak to me, I have something to talk about! she says with a wry chuckle.

Fiona with Sol at their 2010 wedding

Here is the original post:
In a league of her own: Fiona Barratt-Campbell on building her own empire and never becoming a stereotypical WAG

Jane #39;s Story
Calling on the Government to better protect private tenants. Six years ago Jane #39;s daughter Thirza moved to Cornwall to start an exciting new life with her husband and their two young children....

By: Electrical Safety First

Read this article:
Jane's Story - Video

ROANOKE This is how Holly McDuffie describes her home: The crappiest house in Roanoke.

Its got mold, exposed wiring and plumbing problems. The air conditioning doesnt work. Bricks are separating from the house.

Camille Maxwell is concerned about her daughters safety, fearing that her house may simply collapse around them because the master support beam is broken in three places.

Her master bathroom caved in last fall.

As you can see, there is no frame underneath this side of house anymore, she said, pointing to the massive hole where her bathtub and hot water heater once sat in the Collin County home.

McDuffie and Maxwell dont know each other. But they do have something in common: Khosrow Sadeghian.

Hes the landlord News 8 recently told you about who specializes in renting to people with no credit or bad credit. Sadeghian owns in excess of a 1,000 properties throughout North Texas in Denton, Collin, Dallas and Johnson counties.

He had rented a house in the Sanger area to Jim and Debra Bowers. He promised that fixes would be made to the property. When the repairs werent made, the Bowers couldnt move into the property.

That left the Bowers living with their three children in a motel, paying rent there in addition to paying for the mobile home they couldn't live in.

The plumbing was in disrepair. The toilets didnt work. The air conditioning system was malfunctioning. There were holes in the floor throughout, letting rodents and other creatures into the home. There was evidence of mold under the sink and elsewhere.

See more here:
Landlord facing more tenant complaints

By Simon Perry

06/23/2014 at 09:30 AM EDT

Kate and William (inset), Kensington Palace

Andrew Holt/Getty; Inset: REX USA

The price, after $1.6 million was spent last year, has increased by another $5 million, it has been claimed, bringing the total so far to $6.6 million. An official report will be announced Wednesday.

Shouldering the bill is the U.K. taxpayer, via what is known as the Sovereign Grant, though the family, and in large part Prince Charles, were responsible for the fixtures and furnishings in the living section of the compound.

The apartment itself is, in fact, a four-story home, with up to 30 rooms, including nine bathrooms furnishings for which Kate shopped for personally, it is believed.

The royal family is also privately paying for the improvements being carried out at the couple's country home, Anmer Hall on Queen Elizabeth's Sandringham estate. The 10-bedroom country mansion, complete with tennis court and swimming pool, was a gift from the Queen, 88.

Constructing new internal areas, including the kitchen and Prince George's nursery (requiring the ripping out of asbestos, installing a new roof and modernizing the wiring and plumbing), has increased the cost at Kensington Palace. Because it is a historic building, stringent guidelines must be adhered to in the renovations.

Aides stress that Apartment 1a will be their official home for many years to come and had to be converted from offices into a suitable home. Moreover, it had not been renovated for at least 50 years, the last extensive update being in 1963.

Go here to read the rest:
William and Kate's Home Refurbishment Approaches $6.6 Million

365 Home Warranty provides the ultimate peace of mind.
Warranty Solutions and Home Protection by 365 Home Warranty. We guarantee protection against expensive repairs, with exceptional customer service.

By: Harry Bailey

See more here:
365 Home Warranty provides the ultimate peace of mind. - Video

Your grill (and what's on it) may be the star of your next barbecue, but your house and deck could get less-than-rave reviews if their finishes have faded, notes Consumer Reports.

More manufacturers are promising greater longevity with long warranties that cover the cracking and dirt most homeowners gripe about. Paints that brush on without priming first and a stain you can roll over wet wood are time-savers, whether you hire a pro or do the job yourself. Roughly 25 percent of homeowners paint their own house, and 75 percent do the deck.

Ace Hardware's Royal Exteriors now rivals Home Depot's Behr and Lowe's Valspar, two of Consumer Reports' top satin and semigloss paints. As with the Behr and Valspar, both Ace paints have a lifetime warranty and endured the equivalent of nine years outdoors without cracks. And at less than $30 per gallon, they cost up to $11 less. But the home center brands proved to be better at fending off dirt and mildew.

Home Depot is also facing tougher competition among the solid color deck stains that last longest and sell best at stores. Benjamin Moore's Arborcoat Solid Deck and Siding, $46, looked better than Behr's Solid Color Waterproofing Wood Stain after two years of tests, and it fared just as well after three. But the Behr still wins in the war against dirt and mildew, and it costs almost $20 less.

Consumer Reports' relentless outdoor tests under broiling sun and freezing snow also confirm that even top-performing brands could leave you cold if you buy the wrong line or shop at the wrong store. Some time-savings claims didn't deliver.

And if you think you're fully covered by lifetime and other paint and stain warranties, think again. Outdoor testing shows that some paints and stains with similar warranties perform very differently. These tests are especially tough, but they suggest that some finishes could let you down quickly, regardless of warranty coverage.

HOW TO CHOOSE

Pick a paint based on your project. Flat and satin are what most people choose for siding, and semigloss adds sheen and contrast for trim. Among stains, solids hide the beauty of the grain in exchange for longer life; clear finishes show it all, but usually last no longer than a year. A smart compromise: Semitransparent stains, which show some of the grain and can still look good after two years. Here's what else to keep in mind as you're shopping:

-- Consider the store. Most of the best paints and stains that Consumer Reports tested still come from Behr, making Home Depot your one-stop shopping destination if you're doing your house and deck. Its tests also found that the Glidden Premium Satin sold at Home Depot is generally a better bet than the Glidden Endurance Plus at Wal-Mart, though the Wal-Mart product is self-priming.

-- Plan around promos and sales. Holiday weekends such as Memorial Day and Father's Day can bring storewide discounts of 30 percent or more. You'll also save year-round by buying 5-gallon containers instead of the usual gallon cans.

Originally posted here:
Consumer Reports: Spruce up your home, deck

Home Security System - How To Get Free Equipment and Installation
http://home-security-system.savemedollars.net Home Security System - How To Get Free Equipment and Installation The home security system experts at Protect America are committed to excellence...

By: George Breedlove

See more here:
Home Security System - How To Get Free Equipment and Installation - Video

Google Inc. ( GOOGL ) owned Nest Labs, a home automation company, recently entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Dropcam, a video-monitoring and Internet home security camera maker for $555 million in cash, as reported by Recode and The Wall Street Journal .

Following the deal, Nest will integrate Dropcam's business into its existing portfolio of smart-home products, which at present includes Internet-connected thermostats and smoke detectors. Moreover, Dropcam's staff will join Nest's office. Nest will also gain access to the customer database for Dropcam's products.

This move will extend Nest's footprint into home security and video monitoring, thereby helping it to accelerate its push into web connected homes. This adds to Google's existing efforts in the consumer appliances industry and that too at a time when consumer appliances and Internet services are getting interconnected. It is also expected to provide a boost to Google's profitability going forward.

The home monitoring market is a very attractive segment and technology companies are swarming to it. Apple ( AAPL ) recently launched its own HomeKit development tool to allow users to wirelessly manage devices at home with the help of a single app. Moreover, iPhone users can also manage lighting, door locks, garage door openers, heating and air conditioning.

Dropcam, founded in 2009, sells web connected cameras that provide home monitoring services as well as an optional cloud recording service. It allows users to track their home activity through motion sensors and live video streaming. The service also sends notifications to users' smart phones while they are away from home.

However, the acquisition will likely raise privacy concerns, considering that Nest is now owned by Google. Nest has assured that Dropcam's data will be kept separate from Google.

Google acquired Nest Labs for $3.2 billion in cash earlier this year, in a bid to get a foothold in the home market. Nest Labs designs and manufactures sensor-driven, Wi-Fi-enabled, self-learning, programmable thermostats and smoke detectors. It was co-founded by former Appleengineers Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers in 2010. Nest Labs was the second largest deal in Google's history after the 2012 acquisition of Motorola.

Google has been exploring various ways to diversify its revenue base and counter competition from the likes of Facebook ( FB ) and Yahoo ( YHOO ). The company has been extending its foothold in new areas ranging from high-speed Internet access to advanced research on self-driving cars and robotics. Acquisitions have been a key tool to accomplish its goal of increasing the demand for its web features.

Some of its recent acquisitions include MDialog Corp., a video-advertising company, to bolster its advertising business and wireless-communications startup Alpental Technologies Inc. to enhance its wireless business.

Google currently holds a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Continue reading here:
Google's Nest Labs Offers $555M to Acquire Dropcam - Analyst Blog

by Warren Trent

Video report by Gary Harper

Posted on June 10, 2014 at 10:12 PM

Updated Tuesday, Jun 10 at 10:12 PM

GILBERT, Ariz -- A Gilbert woman says she and her husband were talked into a home alarm when they already had a home security system. 3 On Your Side has talked about this problem before and just recently, the Arizona alarm association issued a warning, telling consumers to use caution when a salesperson knocks on your door.

"Im thinking his life was cut just way too short." Janice Sederholm has a heavy heart. "He just died two weeks ago."

She's talking about her husband Jim, to whom she was married for 24 years. But as Janice struggles with her husband's death she's also struggling with another issue. "The bill I recently got from them the other day was $4,400,"she says.

Janice says that bill is from a collection agency, an agency that claims she owes all that money to a home security company called Vision Security. Why? Well, she says it all stems back to a salesperson who knocked on their door back in October. Janice says she remembers asking her husband about the sales pitch.

"I asked him when this person came to the door, did they say what company they were representing or anything? He said no. He just looked at me and said they could upgrade our security system for free," she recalls.

Janice says her husband was led to believe that the salesperson was from their current security provider, and was there to simply upgrade the equipment. But instead, the salesperson was with a competing company called Vision Security. And according to Janice, he tricked them into a five-year contract, even though they were still contractually obligated to their current security company. As a result Janice says; "We have a contract with two companies."

Here is the original post:
3OYS: Gilbert woman upset with home security company

Toronto, Canada (PRWEB) June 23, 2014

City Air Conditioning and Heating (http://www.CityHeatAir.com), Toronto and Mississaugas premier provider of HVAC maintenance, installation and repair services, is announcing its top reasons to schedule routine air conditioning maintenance or repairs before the hot Toronto summer rolls in.

Household hydro bills in the Greater Toronto Area are soaring, says Sunny Dwarika, owner and operator of City Air Conditioning and Heating. According to the provincial government, electricity bills are forecast to increase 33% over the next three years, 42% within five years, and a staggering 54% over the next decade.

Dwarika explains that most people usually only consider how much it costs to heat their homes during the cold winter months, but the fact of the matter is that as much as 60% of annual electricity costs go toward both heating and cooling a home. Being proactive and scheduling regular maintenance and repairs can have a big impact on hydro bills.

While the Greater Toronto Area is supposed to experience normal summer weather in 2014, its important to remember that we continue to get hit with a large number of unbearable extreme weather alerts, he adds. In 2013, Torontos Medical Officer of Health issued seven heat alerts and six heat extreme alerts, while in 2012, they issued 12 heat alerts and nine heat extreme alerts. With the hot Toronto summer weather just around the corner, now is the perfect time to schedule routine maintenance or repairs on air conditioners. (Source: Heat Alerts and Extreme Heat Alerts, City of Toronto web site; http://app.toronto.ca/tpha/heatStats.html, last accessed June 16, 2014.)

Dwarika notes that there are a number of telltale signs that indicate whether its time to repair or replace an air conditioning unit . For example, if an air conditioner is more than 10 years old and isnt keeping a room or home cool, it might be time to have it evaluated by a professional air conditioning contractor. And if the unit does need to be replaced, he says to look for one that has the Energy Star rating; Energy Stars certified residential and condominium ductless air conditioners use about 15% less energy than conventional ones.

Another sign an air conditioner needs to be looked at by a professional, according to Dwarika, is if the indoor air is too humid in the summer: this can mean the air conditioner isnt working optimally, is inadequate for the space requirement, or even suffers from leaky ductwork. Further, if the air conditioner is noisy, it could be a result of an issue with the indoor coil of the cooling equipment.

Our technicians understand that maintaining your air conditioner is essential to keeping a home comfortable during the hot, humid Toronto summers, Dwarika concludes. Thats why we advise our customers to set up a regular maintenance plan to ensure that their unit lasts and saves them money by avoiding costly repairs and service calls.

Toronto and Mississauga area homeowners and businesses have trusted City Air Conditioning and Heating with all their heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) needs since 1989. Offering reliable 24-hour emergency response, City Air Conditioning and Heating has the expertise to help clients find the solution that fits their needs and budget, whether its for routine service and maintenance or complex repairs and installations. City Air Conditioning and Heating is a member of the Technical Safety and Standards Authority (TSSA) and the Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada (HRAI). To learn more about City Air Conditioning and Heating, visit the web site at http://www.CityHeatAir.com / http://www.cityairtoronto.com or contact the company at info(at)cityheatair(dot)com or 416-531-5585. You can also follow City Air Conditioning and Heating on Twitter at @cityairtoronto or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/City-Air-Conditioning-Heating/591853854246421.

See more here:
City Air Conditioning and Heating Provides Top Reasons to Schedule Routine Air Conditioning Maintenance or Repairs ...