Fire investigators determined that the damaging fire started due to an electrical problem. Bad wiring in addition to the home's age led to the fire.

Damage is estimated to be $150,000 to the structure and $25,000 to the contents of the house.

Missoula Rural Fire District battled an early morning fireMonday. The call came in just before 5 am of reports of a house on fire on S 7th Street W and Como Drive.

MRFD Battalion Chief Dan Merritt says arriving unitsnoticed very visible smoke and flames on three quarters of the house, a single family home with a wood frame. There was also a live power line down in the front yard.

Two people were home at the time. One of the residents, Cody Stocker, says hegot up to go the bathroomwhen he smelledsmoke. He woke up his uncle and they evacuated. Stocker says once outside, theysaw flames in the add-onof the home. He says hetried to put the flames out himself, but could only do so much and called 911.

Two bedrooms were destroyed, one of them being Stocker's. He says he losthiscloths, his bed, his television and called the house unlivable. His truck was parked in the driveway and the front end of itis also gone.

One engine truck, oneladder truck, and fourwater towers responded to the scene with12 personnel. MRFD received mutual aide from Missoula City Fire, Frenchtown Rural Fire, Florence Rural Fire,East Missoula Rural Fire, Northwestern Energy and the Sheriff's Office.

Stocker says it hasbeen a rough morning and thathe'sstill talking it all in.

Merritt says the house had no visible or working smoke detectors.

No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Read more:
Bad wiring causes major Missoula house fire - KULR-TV

A home was destroyed by fire over the weekend while its owners, Brady and Jessie Sidwell, were camping. Located at 185 N. 400 West, the home was old enough that it still had adobe bricks in the walls.

Old wiring, called knob and tube wiring, caused the blaze, said fire marshall Scott Martin. This type of wiring was installed before the World Warr II era, he said. It was intended to be cooled by air, and was never designed to handle the electricity loads required by modern appliances, he said.

That type of wiring has largely been replaced in older homes. Martin said hes covered many fires caused by the old wiring, but less in recent years as people have had it replaced.

The fire in the Sidwell home was reported to the fire department first at 4:15 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. They were recalled later that night, then again early Sunday morning.

According to Martin, despite the fire departments use of heat censors, the fire was able to escape detection between the adobe bricks and other nooks and crannies common in older homes that have been remodeled.

Because there was no insurance on the home, Martin said he referred the family to the Red Cross for assistance.

See the article here:
Fire destroys Sidwell home over weekend - The Preston Citizen

We want to help you to be sure you have a pool house that will meet your needs today and tomorrow!

Homestead Structures offers a full line of distinctive pool houses and cabanas.We can create and develop plansfor any pool house or cabana from standardized styles and sizes to designing something specific and unique for your backyard or pool area. See our extensiveOptions Pageand be sure to ask us for any Custom Options you are looking for!

In the summer there is nothing more luxurious than lounging by a turquoise pool, and a Homestead Collection Pool House will enhance your pool experience by giving you convenient space for storing pool supplies or a discreet changing room to keep wet footprints out of the house.

Our pool house has added a new dimension to our backyard, by adding additional outdoor living space for the whole family. We have really enjoyed sitting in the shade and watching a show or video by the pool and are very happy with it. The price was right, and we are telling a lot of people about you. We enjoy having people over and they have fun with our pool house. It ties in really nicely with our backyard and landscaping, and by adding additional space it created a new room for the whole family...

- Chip and Kim Chapman

Planning to put in a new pool? We can work with you or your pool contractor to have your project completed in a timely and an efficient manner. A lot of the work is done off site, requiring much less time for installation, and taking minimal time to set up and completely finish a project.

Our pool houses are the hallmark of all of our collections, here at Homestead. And our passion is to help you build the pool house you've been looking for.

Don't have a vision yet? Get some fresh ideas by browsing through our gallery. You can also give us a call. Merv, our head designer here at Homestead Structures is our expert at making your pool house dreams a reality.

Continued here:
Pool Houses, Cabanas, Pool Sheds & Pool Side Bars ...

Have Summerwood on your "pool side"!

Just think of us as a member of your home project team. We're here to help you from this moment on, until the final nails nailed and the drinks are being served. For more than 15 years, we've been helping people like you build pool cabanas throughout Canada, North America and beyond. Choose from loads of pool house styles, sizes, and decorative options. Your choices are pretty much unlimited and your odds for getting the exact pool design you're looking for near perfect!

Our process works well. Since we began, hundreds and hundreds of "home projecteers" like you have forwarded photographs of their dream Summerwood pool cabana at the completion of the project. That makes us feel really good.

Summerwood offers many styles of pool sheds, all of which you can modify with details to suit your needs. Or design your pool house from the ground up in our pool cabanas design center. Your final design will be a mix of the practical and decorative. For instance, you may want to complement your surroundings and home. (Then again maybe not. Have some fun. Be different.) Do I want bar windows for entertaining, partitions for changing, an outdoor shower? You'll also need to think about the seasons it's not in use. Do you insulate? What about plumbing and wiring to code? These all affect your design choices.

If you want, send us drawings of your dream pool house and we will work with you to create a design that fits the bill for your style and tastes.

Here is the original post:
Modern and Classic Pool House Kits - Get One Today

HIALEAH, FL - BBX Capital Real Estate, a division of BBX Capital Corporation, announced that the first three buildings of apartment homes at Altis at Bonterra have been completed and the first residents have moved in.

In January 2016 BBX Capital Real Estate entered into a joint venture with The Altman Companies to develop Altis at Bonterra. Located within BBX Capital Real Estates Master-Planned community of Bonterra in Hialeah, Florida, Altis at Bonterra will comprise of 314 apartment homes on approximately 14 acres.

Altis at Bonterra features a mix of one, two and three bedroom apartment homes averaging approximately 1,063 square feet. Units feature gourmet kitchens, energy star appliances, granite counters, contemporary espresso cabinets as well as spa-inspired baths with raised vessel sinks, marble counters and spacious linen closets. The development offers a community garden, dog agility park and membership in a resort style 6,245 square foot clubhouse which includes a beach entry pool, pool pavilion, outdoor kitchen, pool-side cabanas, full circuit fitness center, movie entertainment area, game room, and a kids play n study area.

We are pleased to announce our continued progress with Bonterra, said Seth Wise, President of BBX Capital Real Estate. Bonterra is a desirable location and is easily accessible to Miami, the proposed American Dream mega mall and nearby employment opportunities. Interest in the community remains strong and we are excited to be working with The Altman Companies to bring a luxury apartment community to the city of Hialeah.

Including Altis at Bonterra, when completed the master-planned Bonterra community will comprise of approximately 128 acres of land and feature 1,171 highly stylized single-family homes, villas, town homes, and apartments, along with several parks and a 15 acre lake.

BBX Capital Real Estate is also in a joint venture with CC Homes - a Codina-Carr Company, to develop approximately 394 single-family homes at Bonterra, and sold an approximate 36-acre parcel of land in Bonterra to Lennar Corporation, on which Lennar is building approximately 463 single-family homes, villas and townhomes.

Read more from the original source:
BBX Capital Real Estate Announces Completion of First Apartment Homes at 314-Unit Altis at Bonterra - MultifamilyBiz.com

SEEK for a meaningful journey to a sanctified place and you shall find it in the countrys pilgrimage capitalAntipolo City. There situates the shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage which is enthroned as the sacred place for spiritual devotion.

This tradition which started as early as the Spanish Colonial era, still stands up to this day but aside from its religious connotation, Antipolo is also widely known for its Hinulugang Taktak National Park, mystical cave and delicacies such as suman and kasoy. Not to mention the elevated topography that provides good weather and sights of the magnificent horizons and landscapes.

Ultimately, these aspects are the main reasons why Antipolo City is still one of the ideal locations for suburban living considering its accessibility to major cities in the Metro. But for leading property developer Megaworld, its about going beyond these aspects by introducing the first-ever integrated lifestyle community concept of its newest developmentthe Eastland Heights. Also considered as the first in the industry, the idea is to set aside the work part from the usual townships and focus more on the residential homes and amenities, as well as the commercial developments and institutions relevant to the community.

Eastland Heights head of sales and marketing Karen Arcilla believes that this is where the project sets apart from the rest. Through the Megaworld brand alone, Eastland Heights is already unique from other properties in Antipolo given our track record in building communities that offer convenience, world-class amenities, and prime residential homes, she said. For this project, we are aiming to preserve the bounty of nature in the property. Preserving as much of the natural landscapes is one of our top priorities as we are offering the best of nature as an extended amenity for the Eastland community. Our goal is to create a balanced environment where the community is also encouraged to enjoy and appreciate nature, she added.

Currently accessible via Marcos Highway, this acquired property expands approximately 640 hectares with four new phases currently being developed by Megaworld. The entire land is so expansive that it covers three different barangays in the area. Whats more fascinating is that the property itself sits in one of the elevated ranges in Antipolo, which is approximately 1,000 feet above sea level.

As soon as you pass the main gate, youll notice how impressive the whole road network is. The main road, which stretches as much as seven kilometers, has four lanes and while every path is a rolling terrain, its not too steep for any vehicle to traverse.

Up north and in one of the highest points is where an existing clubhouse is located. It will feature an event pavilion, fitness gym, basketball and tennis courts. Best part is that the entire facility takes you to the front seat to witness the splendid view of picturesque backdrops such as the Sierra Madre range, urban skylines, and everything nature has to offer. Theres also a 36-hole exclusive golf course which comprises 20 percent of the entire land. Soon to rise near the main gate is the approximately 6,000-sq.m commercial complex. And perhaps, one of the forthcoming main attractions expected to be completed in the next two years is the aqua park near the main entrance. Dubbed as Springs, it will offer expansive pools of natural spring water for adults and kids; landscaped pool with cabanas and beach chairs; pool decks; pool slides; pool bars; and spa concessionaire.

When it comes to the residential areas, lot sizes ranges from 300 to as big as 2,000 sq.m with plenty of cul-de-sac sections. Currently, the pre-selling price per sq.m is at P15,000, which is equivalent to average lot prices ranging from P4.5 to P34.1 million. As Megaworld offers the most flexible payment schemes plus no down payment, Eastland Heights would be an ideal investment even for the working professionals.

Through the development of the commercial area and the entry of the institutions we will be bringing in, land values at Eastland Heights will definitely increase as construction progresses. Megaworld is also the only developer of exclusive villages in the area which offers flexible terms that can be tailor-fitted for your cash flow. We want our clients to take advantage of the pre-launch selling prices so they can maximize the return on their investment, Arcilla explained.

Meanwhile, wide and open spaces including the true essence of living in nature are very rare in metro exclusive villages these days. So being true to its center of development and tagline The best of nature, Megaworld considers environment as its extended amenity to offer a nature-inspired lifestyle community for future homeowners. Likewise, more greeneries will be retained and other open spaces as well will be converted to leisure parks with playground for future settlers to enjoy. Interestingly, Megaworld is planning for a transit system to offer eco-coasters, battery-operated/solar-powered vehicles and the likes in order to transport people within the community.

While the next five to seven years is the target project completion, significant developments particularly from the primary attractions and facilities will materialize in a couple of years. And once everything is up and running, future homeowners will absolutely relish the fact that theyre inside a vast secluded settlement where they can have their own countryside sojourn. Eastland Heights will become a landmark in Antipolo for its unique residential and lifestyle experience. We see this as a thriving, established community that prides itself on prestige and exclusivity, convenience, and wellness that families living here will be proud of. We want Eastland Heights to be the community everyone aspires to be part of, said Arcilla.

Image Credits: Alysa Salen

Go here to see the original:
Megaworld introduces first-ever integrated lifestyle community - Business Mirror

Posted: Jul. 2, 2017 12:01 am Updated: Jul. 3, 2017 1:55 pm

QUINCY Preserves has stepped forward to help homeowners do exterior restoration on properties in any of Quincy's seven historic districts.

A new Private Home Facade Renovation Funding Program will provide a $1,000 matching grant for exterior restoration other than roofing. It serves as an option for homeowners who previously did not have any local support programs to access.

Quincy Preserves President Vicki Ebbing hopes the restoration grants will help homeowners maintain historically significant homes. Grant applicants must have been members of Quincy Preserves for at least 12 months, and homes must have been built between 1830 and 1950.

Quincy Preserves was formed in the mid-1970s as an outgrowth of the Quincy Society of Fine Arts. The organization has encouraged owners of historically and architecturally significant structures to restore and maintain the buildings in their original condition.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Quincy Preserves first facade restoration project at the former Pix Photo building at Seventh and Maine. Other properties that have benefitted from the facade program are at 111 Jail Alley, 833 Kentucky and 117 Hampshire.

A donation program also has helped nonprofit organizations maintain the History Museum at 332 Maine, the Quincy Museum at 1601 Maine and Villa Kathrine at 532 Gardner Expressway. Other restoration work has helped the Washington Theater, Woodland Cemetery and the Dr. Richard Eells House.

In addition, the Quincy Preserves Plaquing Program has presented bronze plaques to the owners of more than 100 homes, churches and other significant structures.

Clearly, Quincy is blessed with many historic sites and architectural treasurers, and Quincy Preserves has played a significant role in helping to safeguard those resources.

Moreover, the grant program for private homes will expand the group's outreach into historic neighborhoods. It also will boost the local economy by matching owner investments in exterior restoration projects -- doubling the work that might be possible for property owners with a tight budget.

Quincy Preserves continues to seek out new ways to help preserve architectural gems. This latest partnership with residential owners should pay dividends for years to come.

Read more:
Private home restoration the latest Quincy Preserves effort - Herald-Whig

The homestead recently became the subject of a lawsuit filed against the historical society for its care of the home.

The Danvers Historical Societyrecently began an exterior restoration process of the Gen. Israel Putnam House restoration the family is calling "long overdue."

The restoration, which includes clearing the land, replacing an old fence and painting the homesteads exterior, was made possible by a $90,000 claim the society made to Liberty Mutual for damages to a fence that surrounds the property, according to President Thomas Page.

These plansfollownews of thenearly 370-year-old homestead becoming thesubject of a lawsuit filed by the Gen. Israel Homestead Trust against the Danvers Historical Society.

In the suit, the Trust alleges a breach of written contract to preserve the historical site on Maple Street. The claim, which was filed June 15 in Essex Superior Court, asks the house be conveyed back to the family and the trust be awarded for damages totaling more than $25,000.

"Thefamily taking the house back is the only way to ensure its survival," said Eric Emerson, a member of the family who grew up in the home. In 1991, the family gifted the house to the society for preservation.

Emersonsaid he would like for both the society and the house to "survive and thrive," but he doesn't thinkthe twocan do that if they remain together.

A hearing has been set for July 6, according to court records.

With so many unknownsfor the future of the homestead, Page said the society wants to focus its efforts on the home's condition in any way it can.

We know that [the suit is] going to be a heavy, heavy, heavy burden on the Danvers Historical Society and we are laying the groundwork to do extensive fundraising for the home, if need be, he said.

Page said prior to crews arriving to the homestead June 26, the Historical Society reached outto the Emersonsto let the family know theyd be on the property and to inquire if they had any concerns.

On Friday, Emersonstopped by the homestead to see how the restoration was progressing.

He said the property looked better, but the restoration was long overdue.

"It's a little like turning in your homework four semesters late,"Emerson said, describingthe workas "window dressing."

The homestead hasn't been open for scholarly reasons since 2004.He saida long history of of financial mismanagementwithin the society resulted in the deterioration of his family's home.

The care for the property requires financial and motivational resources, Emerson said.

"The family hasboth of those,"he said. "The society may have the intention, but it doesn't have the money."

Although he expressed frustration with management of the society, Emersonacknowledged the significance of the society to Danvers.

"I'd love to see the society straighten itself out,"Emerson said."I think they can doa lot of good for the town of Danvers, which does a mediocre job at publicizing its history, at best."

Read more:
Danvers Historical Society begins exterior restoration of Putnam House - Wicked Local Danvers

For years, Jude Plum had kept tabs on the tiny old house next to his childhood home near Bryn Mawr Hospital. He remembered the hermit with the long, gray beard who died in the backyard. And how Plum had once read a line in a local history book that suggested the dilapidated little parcel on Haverford Road had once been special.

Advertisment

of

But when the Main Line cosmetologist bought the squat eyesore out of pre-foreclosure four years ago, and removed five layers of exterior, he was shocked by what he found: a log house, formed by two stories worth of oak logs notched together at the corners all rotting, but otherwise untouched since it was built in 1704.

This oddity adjacent to the far more ordinary house where Plum grew up was, he would soon realize, among the oldest surviving houses in Pennsylvania and one of the two oldest extant homes in Lower Merion Township. He embarked on a staggering restoration odyssey, creating a showpiece so out-of-sync with its surroundings on a bustling Main Line thoroughfare, its left passersby mystified by the sight of it among the concrete clutter of modern life.

This is the beginning of our country, Plum said last week inside the refashioned abode, whose two original stone fireplaces connect like a wishbone, and whose smoky brown log walls with white chinking resemble a chocolate layer cake. I want to put it on the National Register.

The structure was taken apart and rebuilt from scratch, each log hand-hewn using a 200-year-old broad ax to chisel the flat sides to perfection. Aside from a splashy kitchen, a motion sensor-activated toilet bowl, and a few other deliberately modern touches, Plum adorned the interior with period furniture, paintings, pewter, and other accoutrements, making it feel like the museum he hopes it will one day become.

He seems to have done it right, saidJerry Francis, president of theLower Merion Historical Society, whose group, uncharacteristically, had no say over the restoration because the house had been covered for centuries. Preservationists hope to add it to the local register.

How much it all cost, Plum wont say. But the end result is impressive.

Its a restoration thats substantial, Francis said, and should last a long, long time.

The mystery and history of this house has enchanted its 71-year-old Main Line cosmetologist owner, as well as strangers who have passed it.

The house pokes onto Haverford Road (County Line Road, officially) at Mondella Avenue from an odd corner lot across a multistory hospital parking garage. Of late, it also sits in the shadow of a towering crane thats been lifting steel for a glitzy hospital expansion project.

Since the log house was unmasked, motorists have done double-takes past the corner that, for decades prior, had been little more than the peripheral vision equivalent of white noise on a daily commute.

People were calling the township, me, the [Lower Merion] Conservancy, Francis said. Its skin was removed and suddenly, this log house appeared out of nowhere.

Plum, too, was tantalized by what he didnt know. He still isnt entirely clear on the propertys history and is cobbling it together with local historians and others, he said.

Although the few historic cabins in southeastern Pennsylvania were built by Swedes, with the oldest a few miles away in nearby Upper Darby, this one appears to have been built by aWelsh Quaker, Rees Thomas, their research suggests. It was among hundreds of acres of land he bought from William Penn in 1682 on what today areLower Merion and Haverford Townships in Montgomery and Delaware Counties.

The log facade was covered in clapboard around the time of the American Revolution, in the late 1700s, said Roland Cadle, who did the restoration through his Altoona-area business, Village Restorations & Consulting Inc.

In 1894, it was bought by Horace Cornog, whom Plum knew as a quiet recluse next door to where he and his siblings grew up in the 1950s. One day in 1954, Plum said, his mother found Cornogs dead body in the garden, put a blanket over him, and called police.

The Plum family home has remained in the family, providing Plum added incentive to buy the eyesore. A Monsignor Bonner graduate, hed already built a business from scratch, starting with a hair salon for some of the Main Lines wealthiest matrons, and adding through the years high-end wigs for women with cancer. Along the way, hed refurbished homes, too. Perhaps he could turn Cornogs old house into a cottage.

I thought it would be a challenge, Plum said.

Then came the glorious and inglorious discovery. The logs beneath its facade were sodamagedfrom water and insects, it would have been reasonable to put a match to it, recalled Cadle, the Blair County expert who ultimately rebuilt it for Plum.

Im a very visual person, said Plum. I just thought, Im gonna make this work.

Cadle, an artisan himself, also believed it had potential. If it were me, the 67-year-old told told Plum, I would jack up your roof and I would start down at the first log, and I would replace everything thats bad.

Lets go for it, was Plums response, as Cadle remembered it.

Cadle bought an 18th-century log cabin from elsewhere in Pennsylvania because its white oak was of similar vintage and wear. He trucked down the logs to replace those beyond repair in Bryn Mawr. Period window panes also were tracked down and installed. Plum, meanwhile, scavenged salvaged wood from an 18th-century Maine farmhouse to throw into the mix. He topped off the project by designing a landscaped garden and stone parking area. Cadle spent something like a year working on it, he said.

My goal, said Cadle, was that when Im done it will look like its always been there.

Plum hopes to one day donate the house to Lower Merion Township so that it can live on as a childrens museum.

Cadle thinks its mere presence amid the concrete jungle is a powerful history lesson in and of itself.

This, he said,is the house that all that came from.

Published: July 3, 2017 3:01 AM EDT | Updated: July 3, 2017 1:50 PM EDT

We recently asked you to support our journalism. The response, in a word, is heartening. You have encouraged us in our mission to provide quality news and watchdog journalism. Some of you have even followed through with subscriptions, which is especially gratifying. Our role as an independent, fact-based news organization has never been clearer. And our promise to you is that we will always strive to provide indispensable journalism to our community. Subscriptions are available for home delivery of the print edition and for a digital replica viewable on your mobile device or computer. Subscriptions start as low as 25 per day. We're thankful for your support in every way.

Read more:
Bryn Mawr man finds 300-year-old log house beneath stucco facade - Philly.com

Mies van der Rohe's Other Illinois Home, the McCormick House, to Undergo Restoration

As Mies van der Rohes adopted city, Chicago and its surrounding area are home to more of the Modernist architects projects than anywhere else in the world, from Crown Hallto Federal Centerto the Farnsworth House. Perhaps for that very reason, the McCormick House, located in the Chicago suburb of Elmhurst, is one of the lesser known projects in the architect's oeuvre despite being one of just three single-family homes in the United States completed by Mies.

Built in 1952 for Robert McCormick Jr. the owner of the land where Mies' 860-880 N. Lake Shore Drive was constructed the house was moved down the street in 1994, where it was attached to the newly built Elmhurst Museum of Art via a 15-foot-long corridor. While its relocation allowed the building to remain in good care over the next 23 years, it also obscured the homes front facade, camouflaging one of the most prized objects in the museum's collection.

But thats all about to change, thanks to an upcoming restoration that will remove the offending corridor, allowing the original architecture to shine once again.

Unlike the custom, site-specific Farnsworth House, the McCormick house was envisioned as a prototype for the suburban home, repurposing details first designed for 860-880 N. Lake Shore Drive for a single-family setting. The restoration project will highlight these elements, as the house will again be able to be approached from its original entrance. The original carport will be reconstructed, and complementary landscaping will replace existing hardscaped areas. Previously used as the museums administrative wing, the restored house will be transformed into flexible exhibition space.

Led by Elmhurst-based Heritage Architecture Studio and Berglund Construction, the project is estimated to cost between $350,000 to $400,000, and is scheduled to complete later this year.

Check out the video belowto learn more about the history of the McCormick House.

News via Chicago Tribune. H/T Curbed.

One of architecture's greatest tales - the commission of Mies van der Rohe's seminal Farnsworth House - is set to receive the Hollywood treatment. As reported by Showbiz 411's Roger Friedman, the story of the home's construction will be taken on by actors Jeff Bridges (as the architect) and Maggie Gyllenhaal (as Dr. Edith Farnsworth), who last teamed up for 2009's acclaimed Crazy Heart.

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (27 March 1886 - 17 August 1969) is one of the most influential architects of the 20th century, known for his role in the development of the most enduring architectural style of the era: modernism.

Read the original post:
Mies van der Rohe's Other Illinois Home, the McCormick House, to ... - ArchDaily