By Deborah Neyens, correspondent

Ask professional remodelers, and theyll tell you an exterior replacement project is one of the most valuable improvements a homeowner can complete on a home.

Not only do new exterior siding, windows and doors add to a homes curb appeal and make a favorable first impression on visitors, they have a solid return on investment.

According to a 2014 cost-versus-value report published in Remodeling magazine, more than 70 percent of the cost to replace siding, on average, is recovered when the home is sold. Nationwide, a new steel entry door has an average payback of more than 96 percent of cost, while the cost-value ratio for new windows approaches 80 percent.

Brian Zumhof, owner-operator of Ideal Window, Siding and Doors in Marion, said many of his customers want all three of these projects done at the same time.

A typical exterior home renovation project may include a mixture of siding, natural or cultured stone, and shingles or shakes.

Designers and architects will tell you that three different textures and three different colors make for an attractive home, Zumhof said. Well create a palette for the house that is appealing to the eye.

Zumhof started Ideal in 1991 as a building materials supplier. Over the years, the company evolved into construction and remodeling, with installations now making up 60 percent of the business.

With the exception of stone installation, which is subcontracted to a mason, the company generally handles all the work on a project.

R&P Construction of Cedar Rapids also handles complete home exterior renovations, including siding, windows, doors and decks. Other than some gutter work that is subcontracted, R&P also performs all its own work, co-owner Paul Kaune said.

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Price, less maintenance is key for siding customers

FPV250 micro quadcopter Farmyard proximity FPV trees sheds and doorways - with a few mishaps
Went to a friends barbecue at the weekend, but was raining all day so didn #39;t get a chance to fly and garden/area looked perfect, so yesterday weather was calm and dry, so went round for a rain...

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FPV250 micro quadcopter Farmyard proximity FPV trees sheds and doorways - with a few mishaps - Video

10x12 Garden/Storage Shed - Stout Sheds LLC
This is a 10x12 Shed in Abita Springs, Louisiana. It has a treated ramp, 18x24 window, metal roof, double barn doors and 52 sqft of shelving. http://www.stou...

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10x12 Garden/Storage Shed - Stout Sheds LLC - Video

THE untold stories of the people of Inverclyde are to be brought to life by a team of 200 volunteers along with professional artists and performers at an event in Greenock's historic Sugar Sheds.

Site-specific performance White Gold will feature drama, movement, music and aerial performance, inviting the audience to walk through the events and immerse themselves in the experience, part of the 2014 cultural programme.

The multi-art form production is being overseen by Mark Murphy and will feature arts organsations Iron Oxide, All or Nothing Aerial Dance Theatre, Tigerstyle and the Beacon Arts Centre.

Personal stories have been gathered from local people by Inverclyde Community Development Trust, finding memories and anecdotes - old and new - that have affected the lives of the storytellers. The idea is that, echoing their past industrial use, the Sugar Sheds will be a store for stories and a refinery for their production.

"Our team has collected lots of stories over the years, but this was something quite different," said Paul Bristow of Inverclyde Community Development Trust. "White Gold asked us to look at a series of 10 questions, such as 'who do you wish you'd told you loved?', 'which song means most to you and why?' and 'tell us the story of a door you wished you had never opened' and our volunteers sat down with folk to see where those conversations would take us."

Anyone aged 16 years or over can take part by emailing laura@ beaconartscentre.co.uk

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Sugar Sheds will showcase personal stories

Georgina Baird, 26, from Southampton, weighed 17st 8lb and was a size 20 Simon Clayton, 56, offered to pay for a boob job to help her lose weight Full time mother-of-three is now a slender size eight and weighs just 8st Reveals operation was the motivation she needed to shed the pounds Says Mr Clayton, a chemical plant manager, is 'the best dad in the world'

By Daily Mail Reporter

Published: 06:08 EST, 2 June 2014 | Updated: 10:06 EST, 2 June 2014

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From slipping into a bikini to pulling on your dream wedding dress, losing weight is easy when you've got a goal in mind.

But for full-time mother, Georgina Baird, 26, from Southampton, it was the promise of a boob job that helped her shed more than half her body weight.

5ft 1" Mrs Baird, who had been a morbidly obese 17st 8lb and a size 20, is now a svelte size 8 and weighs just 8st.

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Woman sheds HALF her weight after father promised to pay for boob job if she reached target

A three-decade music teacher at the Riverdale School, Michele Szwed, will be the namesake of the music room where she dedicated so much time to students.

Szwed served as the school's music teacher from 1976 until she retired in 2012. She died on Jan. 31 of this year.

Upon Szwed's retirement, the Board of Education honored her with a special dedication. The board recently decided it would be fitting to honor her again.

"She was a long-tenured, well-respected music teacher who did wonderful things with our program, both the chorus and the band, winning many awards over the years," said school board President Shawn Dougherty.

Szwed won silver awards from the North Jersey School Music Association and National Band Association Region I in 1998, 1999, and 2002.

She received recognition at the North Jersey Music Educators Association Festival in 2003 and 2007.

In addition, she received awards in 1989, 1993, and 1995 at the North Jersey School Music Association, Concert, and Band Festival.

Szwed was credited for bringing music to district and community events over the years, such as graduations, school concerts, the holiday tree lighting ceremonies, and Veterans Day ceremonies.

"She was dedicated to her students and dedicated to her profession. She turned many nights of performances and concerts at the Riverdale School into nights of pure pleasure and enjoyment for everyone who attended," said Riverdale Councilman Steve Revis, a former school board president.

"When the music room was built with the referendum, she had a lot of input into it as well. So the music room should reflect her long-standing history in the district," said Dougherty.

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BOE memorializes beloved music teacher

Officials said construction on the 23,969 square foot space would start later this summer.

H&M will have both interior and exterior entrances to the mall.

The store, along with the states first American Girl, will be located in the redevelopment of the former Sears Store. The plans for that location include creating 160,000-square feet of new retail space with a newly created mall entrance. More top retailers were expected to be announced as the project progresses.

We are excited to bring H&M to CoolSprings Galleria to further solidify its status as the premier shopping destination in the region and demonstrate our commitment to investing in the malls continued growth, commented CBLs President and Chief Executive Officer, Stephen Lebovitz. H&M is an international fashion leader that will bring its fashion-forward styles for men and women to many excited CoolSprings Galleria shoppers.

Other plans for CoolSprings Galleria include a $12.6 million expansion and renovation of Belk this fall, along with the Cheesecake Factory set to open near Belk on the Mallory Lane side in November.

H&M opened its first store in Tennessee at Opry Mills Mall in June 2013.

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H&M To Open At CoolSprings Galleria In May 2015

An Osceola County restaurant's grand opening will be delayed because of a two-alarm fire Sunday morning.

The fire ignited shortly before 11 a.m. at the Tres Amigos restaurant, at 2250 East U.S. Highway 192, near Shady Lane.

The restaurant was under construction when the fire broke out.

Osceola County firefighters found flames and smoke pouring from the building when they arrived.

Firefighters worked about an hour to extinguish the fire, which caused extensive damage.

Top video: Woman arrested for licking sandwiches

The other businesses in the strip mall where Tres Amigos is located are expected to open Monday after the structures and utilities are inspected to ensure that they were not damaged.

No one was injured in the blaze, but the cause of the fire has not been determined.

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Osceola restaurant heavily damaged by fire

Now under construction, the Ivy Hotel will include a modern American restaurant named Magdalena. (Rendering courtesy Ziger/Snead / December 7, 2012)

The Ivy Hotel, the boutique urban resort under development in Mid-Town Belvedere, will have a modern American restaurant named Magdalena.

The Ivy will occupy the massive Gilded Age brownstone at Calvert and Biddle streets that was built as a private residence and was most recently known as the Inn at Government House.

Magdalena will be the public face of the 18-unit hotel, which otherwise will operate in the manner of a resort, with lounge areas and spa services available for guests only.

The restaurants chef will be Mark Levy, who formerly worked at The Point, an Adirondacks resort created by Garrett Hotel Consultants, the Charlotte, Vt.-based firm that has been hired to design The Ivy.

The hotels owners include Martin Azola and Tony Azola, the father-and-son principals in Azola, a Baltimore-based construction firm specializing in adaptive reuse, and the philanthropists Sylvia and Eddie C. Brown.

The Ivy is scheduled to open in early 2015, according to a spokeswoman for the hotel.

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Boutique hotel The Ivy to have modern American restaurant

Einstein #39;s Box House Remodeling
Einstein has very creative ideas for her box and enjoys the remodeling process. She #39;s also very welcoming and does a lot of waving! (This is not the "Einstein" that was featured on the TV...

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Einstein's Box House Remodeling - Video