MONTEREY >> Your home may be your castle, but home-improvement vendors from all over the Central Coast lined up Saturday at the Monterey County Fair and Events Center to tell homeowners how they can turn that castle into a palace.

The Inspired Home Expo of Monterey, a free event that continues from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, features guest speakers on home-improvement topics such "Designing Rooms in Your Garden" by author/TV celebrity Steven Katkowsky, scheduled at 2:15 p.m. Sunday. Saturday's attendees heard Katkowsky on "Creating the Illusion of Size in Your 5x8 Bathroom," and Graniterock's Keith Severson, who conducted a "Patio Design" workshop.

"This is a product that is very unique it's called ICF block, and the ICF stands for insolating concrete forms," explained Brooke Lewis of Siesta Spas, a Carmel company that specializes in energy-efficient backyard hot tubs. "They build homes all over the world out of this product, but we use it to build hot tubs."

The idea, he says, is to build the hot tub using Styrofoam blocks separated by metal, then pour concrete between the Styrofoam blocks, creating "totally insulated concrete."

He then covers the insulated concrete with ornate rock and/or tile for a striking aesthetic.

"A rock and tile hot tub doesn't hold the heat, and it costs way too much energy to keep it hot," said Lewis, who sat surrounded by photos of picturesque backyard spas. "With this technology, we can now use the standard equipment that's used for every portable hot tub, and that equipment will keep big hot tubs hot. It's like putting coffee in a really good Thermos: At the end of the day you can open that Thermos and the coffee will still be piping hot."

Rows of vendors filling two indoor buildings and an outdoor corridor pitched water-conservation methods, home security systems, decorative windows, bamboo privacy hedges, landscaping, custom bathrooms and space-saving technology such as a modern-day Murphy bed that electronically lowers from a wall.

"We started our business after we built our own house because we knew we would end up looking after my parents, and also my wife's mom. We knew our little tract home wasn't going to do it," said Richard Muench, who, with his wife, Ann, started an East Bay company called Residential Elevators.

Muench figured out that building a home with vertical space costs far less in California than purchasing enough property for a spacious, one-story house.

"Because of the cost of land in California, it's cheaper to go up than out," Richard Muench said.

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From castle to palace, Inspired Home Expo has answers

Friday October 17, 2014 10:58 AM UPDATED: Saturday October 18, 2014 10:18 PM

Rebecca Berte is a busy mother of two small children, but she says she and her husband occasionally enjoy a weekend getaway and leave the kids at home with the grandparents.

"Whenever we went, we didn't feel like we were getting the full story. Everything's fine, always but that's not always the case, laughed Berte.

The family invested in a small security camera and downloaded a free mobile app called Dropcam. And now big brother, or in this case, mother, can use her smart phone to check in with home.

I'll just take a peek and see what they're doing, how they're behaving, if they're eating dinner.

Chuck Groezinger's home security company, Advanced Wiring Services, is also incorporating an app called Total Connect to help homeowners feel secure.

Groezinger says wherever you are, you can use your smart phone to arm (or disarm) the alarm, change the temperature in the house, or even turn on a light before you get home. Groezinger says he doesn't believe the apps can replace a traditional home security system.

"You need the police to be on their way. Of course, I think everybody should have a security system.

Motion or "glass break" detectors alert an alarm company to call the police, but if in-home security cameras detect motion, the app also alerts the homeowner, who can use their phone to record the images.

Groezinger says clients tell him its a terrible feeling when someone has violated the sanctity of your home.

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Homeowners Can Now Monitor Their Belongings Through A Number Of Apps

Q uestion: How do we get rid of a large area of lawn and convert it to a natural woodsy planting area with a few perennial plants and shrubs?

Answer: Beginning a garden from scratch can be quite a challenge, especially when the site is covered with turf. But, there are a handful of techniques to help with this process all of which I have performed myself at one time or another.

For sites like yours that are covered in turf, the sod needs to be killed or stripped and a few inches of organic matter rototilled into the site before planting. Getting rid of the grass is the hardest part of making a new planting bed, especially if you want to avoid using chemical herbicides.

The easiest way to remove sod is to rent a gas-powered sod-cutter. The first time my husband and I used a sod-cutter to start a new planting bed, I thought we might end the project with a divorce, or at the very least, with a matching pair of broken backs. It's hard work, but it is certainly easier than digging up the sod by hand. If you have any reservations about your physical ability to use such a machine and then haul away large strips of sod, you may want to consider hiring someone to do this part for you.

If this is a task you prefer to do by hand, rather than with a machine, use a short, flat-bladed shovel with a D-handle to cut the sod into strips. Then use the shovel to slice underneath each sod strip, lifting and rolling it up in a thin sheet. To ensure you remove enough of the grass roots to prevent it from re-growing, be sure each sheet of sod is about 2 inches thick. Toss the sod rolls into the compost pile.

Once the sod is completely removed, till the area or turn it over with a shovel. Then add 3 to 4 inches of compost or leaf mould and till the area again. Now it is ready for planting.

With a little patience, a new bed can be created via the pile-it-on-and-wait method. The it that gets piled on is organic matter and lots of it. Various types of organic materials are placed in layers over the area to essentially smother the turf and, over time, amend the soil. One to 2 feet (yes, feet!) of well-aged animal manure, shredded leaves, grass clippings, compost and even newspaper and unwaxed corrugated cardboard should cover the planting area.

The big downside to this method is the amount of time it takes for the organic matter to break down and make the area plantable. Though some of the sites I have prepared this way were ready for planting in as little as six months, others have taken a full year. Patient gardeners love this technique.

If this bed is underneath large, established trees, be extremely careful not to till into the tree's roots or smother them with excessive amounts of organic matter and mulch. If this is the case, carefully remove the sod by hand before planting, and then cover the area with no more than 2 inches of mulch.

Horticulturist Jessica Walliser co-hosts The Organic Gardeners at 7 a.m. Sundays on KDKA Radio. She is the author of several gardening books, including Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden: A Natural Approach to Pest Control. Her website is http://www.jessicawalliser.com.

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Garden Q&A: Remove sod to create garden space

By Sharnie Kim October 19, 2014, 2:27 pm

Hundreds of Torres Strait Islanders have converged on Thursday Island for the biggest event on the region's sporting calendar.

The Zenadth Kes or Torres Strait Cup draws teams from several island communities each year, with some players arriving on dinghies to take part.

Seven men and three women teams have been battling through the ferocious heat of the day and into the night at the Ken Brown Memorial Oval since Friday.

Each tackle threw up plumes of dust and the relentless wind buffeted the the palm trees along the waterfront and gazebos around the field, where fans took shelter.

The fierce contest has seen local councillors pit their strength and skill against current and former NRL players including Timana Tahu and Travis Waddell.

So far two players have been taken from the field by ambulance suffering ankle and neck injuries.

But every match has ended with both sides forming a circle, interlocking arms, cheering for their opponent and celebrating unity and islander culture.

James Livok Ronson, 26, has travelled from Sydney to play for the Badu Island side Kulpiyam.

"It's good to see all the islands come in as one and this is our culture so this is what we do, we come here for football and have big family gatherings. It's just a privilege. Makes you feel good to be a Torres Strait Islander," he said.

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Torres Strait islanders battle it out in annual league cup on Thursday Island

Clark County residents are debating the future of the former Snyder Park golf course and their ideas on how to re-use the space in one of the oldest and largest parks in Springfield have ranged from an educational center to international gardens.

Local officials see the former golf course as an anchor that can tie many of the regions recreational assets together in the long run, said Pam Bennett, OSU Extension director.

The National Trail Parks and Recreation District is seeking input on what to do with the site, including holding meetings with residents and key stakeholders last week.

Much of those discussions focused on the potential of a roughly five-acre area near the former clubhouse. The Ohio State University Extension and Master Gardeners of Clark County plan to move their horticulture education gardens to the site from the current location on Gateway Boulevard, Bennett said.

The gardens on Gateway Boulevard already draw more than 1,500 people on guided tours to the site and have contributed about $4 million in economic impact since the late 1990s, Bennett said.

The five-acre area, which will be maintained by the Master Gardeners, will be manicured and ideally will eventually offer a variety of activities to draw residents from all over the region to the park, she said.

Were going to have a beautiful, pastoral site to host our gardens, Bennett said.

The golf course closed earlier this year as National Trail sought to make its golf operations financially sound.

Residents have suggested new uses for the area ranging from maintaining a single hole of golf at the site to nature trails to gardens featuring traditional farming methods from the 1700s. Several residents on hand also asked that the site be accessible for residents with disabilities, as well as offer items like park benches and gazebos for shade and rest.

Other suggestions included a beer garden, cooking classes, an educational center or meditation area.

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Ideas debated for re-use of Snyder Park golf course in Springfield

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