MEMPHIS, TN -

(WMC-TV) The renovation of the Vasco Smith Administration Building downtown is projected to cost Shelby County some $20 million.

But officials claim they're not trying to outfit it like a Cadillac.

"No sir," said County Engineer Tom Needham. "Not like a Cadillac at all."

Needham showed Action News 5 the plans and said added expense will be spared.

"Let's say more like a Chevrolet with leather," said Needham.

But one man familiar with the project e-mailed us his concerns about the costly countertops specified in the plans. They're to be made of a sustainable recycled glass material called Icestone. The architect calls for a pattern known as "snow flurry" to top reception counters in the lobby areas on all 11 floors.

"It could run from $85 to $150 dollars a square foot," said Needham.

That is significantly more than the quartz or granite countertops on display at Premier Countertops in Olive Branch.

"I would say your average pricing for granite is gonna be anywhere from $60 to $70 a square foot," said Carol Jameson. "And that's nice granite."

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Expensive countertops on taxpayers dime

Washington DC (PRWEB) April 28, 2012

Maryland Granite Countertops has made some significant changes to the way customers interact with the leading fabricator of granite countertops in the Washington DC metropolitan areas website. In addition to upgrading their photo galleries to increase your imagination when exploring different designs, they have added a news and blogs page which is constantly being updated with news and trends relevant to the granite countertops industry.

Customers want more ideas; more variety; better quality; excellent service; and of course the inevitable special one on one attention and we want to give this to our clients says owner of Maryland Granite Countertops.

With the economy the way it is still hurting people are taking advantage of housing prices and investing in their new homes. Houses are very affordable right now, and you can find a home for up to 50% or more of its original value. This leaves home owners with plenty of money to spend remodeling and tweaking their new homes to the way they dreamed of, and we want to help them imagine the perfect home to live in through our online tools says chief marketing officer at Maryland Granite.

Kitchen countertops are one of the most common remodeling jobs for new and especially first time home owners. I dont know why the phenomenon laughs Rick from Maryland Granite but this is just how it works; people just want to have a beautiful looking kitchen this may prove that house wives are after all in charge in the house smiles Rick

Maryland Granite is located in Beltsville Maryland right outside the 495 Beltway that surrounds our capital city. Leaders in the natural stone industry with over 15 years of solid strong reputation, they have been able to gain an edge on the manufacturing and fabrication of countertops. You can reach them at 301-605-1168 ###

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Maryland Granite Announces Major Revamp

HONOLULU -

Granite countertops, energy star appliances and an organic rooftop farm. Sounds like a new high rise development? No. It's a low-income housing apartment in Kalihi. And an example of future affordable housing projects done with private and public partnerships. Ceremonies today marked what could become a template for the future of affordable housing in the islands.

Seattle-based Vitus Group bought the Banyan Street Manor Apartments last May for $8.5 million and spent just over $3 million dollars to renovate the units.

"We didn't spend a ton of money, but what we did was work things wisely," said Makani Maeva, Director of Vitus Group.

And the result is a dream come true for 20-year resident Oceana Falaniko.

"My new refrigertor, that can hold more food." said Falaniko about her new appliances. "My new vanity mirror, when I open the lights it makes me feel like I'm in Hollywood."

Each of the 55 units now has energy saving appliances, solid wood kitchen cabinets and granite counters. On the outside the largest "living walls" in the state. Reducing building temperatures by up to 10-degrees. And the building built in 1976 is now the first affordable housing project to have a USDA certified organic rooftop farm. It also has a protected urban play area just for kids. Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle says he hopes to see more of this type of result from private and public partnerships.

"What happens when you have something like this is it comes into a community that had some problems in the past. It revitalizes it," said Mayor Peter Carlisle. "It takes into account the kind of halo effect of this type of investment can create."

And for Oceana, the improvements have changed her life.

" It's made this place more of a place that we can take pride in." Oceana commented. "Where it's not just a dwelling place or an apartment where you rent a hotel room. There's no meaning to it, this is my home."

Excerpt from:
Public housing getting modern renovations with private help

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. (WJBK) -- Kitchen upgrades are a popular home improvement project and many people want granite countertops. However, when those countertops are made, a lot of granite actually goes to waste. A local business owner has found a way to recycle it.

A typical work day for David Popp involves stamping tons of solid stone. He's the owner of EcoGranite in Farmington Hills, the first stone recycling business in metro Detroit and one of the first in the country.

Popp turns leftover granite from home construction projects into pavers, thin stone veneer and even gravel.

"It's stones brought from all over the world for its natural beauty to the United States, and then it's made into a countertop," he said. "About 40 percent of it just on a countertop production goes back to a landfill."

However, Popp figured out how to recycle it and reuse it instead. He said he couldn't stand to all this beautiful stone going to waste. It took him eight years to develop the right technique using heavy machinery to cut the granite into various perfect shapes.

His pavers start at $3.85 a square foot.

The company even recycles very small pieces. They grind them up into different grades of gravel.

"Everything that comes into the shop we try to make into a useable product," Popp explained.

So, where does all the heavy granite come from? Popp hauls tons and tons of it away for local companies free of charge in exchange for the use of the material.

He said granite is about three times stronger than a standard brick paver. The natural stone doesn't degrade and should last forever.

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Local Company Recycles Granite Waste

Q: My husband is building me a special room exclusively for laundry. This may sound crazy, but I always wanted a laundry area that looks like a showplace! I'm planning on nice cabinets, big windows and even a flat-screen TV. With all this going on, I don't want to install a plastic tub for my laundry sink. What's the latest trend in nice laundry sinks? -- Joanne, New York state

A: Laundry rooms are quickly becoming "second kitchens" in many homes. From the new colorful and stylish washer/dryer units to custom granite countertops, the true "laundry room" has arrived!

Included in such rooms are places for folding clothes, air-drying racks and large sinks for soaking delicate clothes. These new-style cast-iron laundry sinks are commonly called "utility sinks" and can be wall-mounted or self-rimming countertop sinks. Either way, they offer a classic design with an integrated back splash and/or apron to help control splashing. Because they are of enameled cast iron, these sinks also resist scratching and staining for years of beauty.

The faucet you choose will also enhance the beauty of your utility sink. Utility faucets are available in many different finishes, and feature ergonomic handles. So your new laundry sink and faucet will not only look nice, but it will feel nice as well. Master plumber Ed Del Grande is the author of "Ed Del Grande's House Call," the host of TV and Internet shows, and a LEED green associate. Visit eddelgrande.com or write eadelg@cs.com. Always consult local contractors and codes.

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Ask the Plumber: Going upscale with a laundry sink

The Hamilton Beach 3-in-1 Grill/Griddle features two reversible cooking plates with independent temperature controls.

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner how you want it.

Appliances don't always cooperate with what's on the menu.

Kitchen countertops have become landscapes populated by quick and easy meal-makers that can provide an almost endless variety of food options. Still, despite the great abundance of options to choose from, that doesn't mean a particular appliance knows how to adjust to the situation. Unless, of course, it is adjustable.

The Hamilton Beach 3-in-1 Grill/Griddle (model number 38546) eliminates either/or choices by being able to be configured into exactly what is required for the meal. Featuring two separately reversible plates, the countertop appliance is capable of being all grill, all griddle, or a little of both.

Each half of the appliance has its own temperature control. The 180 square inches of cooking area are delineated by a center channel that collects grease into a tray underneath. Suitable for breakfast, lunch, and dinner operation, the versatile cooker makes it easy to prepare all ingredients with a minimum of hassle, from pancakes in the morning to grilled burgers at night. When it's all said and done, the nonstick cooking grids pop out and can be cleaned in the dishwasher, making it easy to get the grill and griddle combo ready to do it all again the next day.

See the article here:
Grill, griddle or both

Paint. Flooring. Household cleaners. Even cabinetry and countertops. We have learned how a lot of the things in your home can be made greener and more environmentally friendly. In this edition of Your Home we explore a few burgeoning developments in the green industry. First, we start with where you spend a good chunk of your night.

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Karen Totino, Green Conscience Owner said, We have a great selection of organic beds that are made from organic latex, cotton and wool. The difference is the natural materials but also that they are not treated with any chemicals.

If you're in the market for a new place to lay your head at night and want to do your small part for the environment, you can invest in green bedding and still get a mattress that is comfortable for you.

It's built with three layers and each layer can be soft, medium or firm so it is fully customizable and it also can be split on each side so each person can customize their bed.

While you may not have thought about using green and organic materials for your bedding, but you may have thought of re-doing your walls in a greener way. Well, here is a new product called clay plaster.

Totino said, It's a beautiful wall finish. A lot of people are struck by the aesthetic, the texture, but it's actually doing something for you while it is on the wall. It's absorbing moisture, it is constantly interacting with the environment, buffering the humidity. By stabilizing the humidity, we improve our indoor air quality, we're controlling mold and mildew.

Besides coming in a variety of colors, the clay plaster can also be uninstalled and easily fixed.

Most other plasters like lime plasters or gypsum plasters are very difficult to repair once you have a crack or is damaged. This is very simple to repair and very easy to clean, said Totino.

As with any home improvement product, you'll want to do your research to see what the best choice for your home is. For more information about green products, visit http://www.green-conscience.com, americanclay.com, and http://www.savvyrest.com.

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Your Home: Organic, green bedrooms

Is this sandwich worth $1 million? (Pillsbury.com) When you imagine whats entailed for a Pillsbury Bake-Off contestant to make it to the final round of 100, do countertops strewn with blue paper curlicues from crescent dinner roll packaging come to mind? Hours or years of testing, friends focus groups and lots of scribbling to determine the most delicious-sounding recipe title? Maybe a gingham apron?

Springfield resident Samantha Miller cops to none of that. Shes our hometown pick to root for this weekend, when shell make her Chicken Cacciatore-Cheese Bread Sandwiches at the 45th annual event, held again this year in Orlando, Fla. More than $1 million in cash and GE appliances are at stake.

Samantha Miller of Springfield, representing the Washington area in this years Pillsbury Bake-Off. (Pillsbury.com) Puerto Rican-born Miller, 43, is an Army wife and mother of two children, ages 9 and 11. She teaches in Fairfax Countys adult community education program and puts a meal on the table just about every night; convenience items are a regular part of her repertoire.

Shed watched a TV show about the famous cooking competition, which went into biennial mode after 1978. So it was in her head as she scanned her pantry and fridge for dinner ingredients one night last April, grabbing a tube of refrigerated French bread dough, a store-bought rotisserie chicken, canned tomatoes and chicken broth. Contest rules require at least one Pillsbury product (from a list of 11) and one product from a contest co-sponsor brand (10 to choose from; its not just about the giggling Doughboy any more).

I had planned to make a Mexican dish, she says, but I thought Italian might work better with the bread.

She topped the bread dough with mozzarella cheese and dried basil before it went in the oven, then made a sofrito and stirred in shredded chicken, Italian seasoning and thyme. She split the just-baked loaf lengthwise, spooned the filling over one half, then topped it with the half smothered in melty cheesy and cut the thing into portions. Served it with a fruit salad.

Her family liked it, so she uploaded it into the Dinner Made Easy category. Miller made the cut. It was the first time shed entered any kind of cooking contest. Since then, shes only made the recipe probably three or four times, she says. Once submitted, it cant be tweaked. Finalists have been kept in the loop via a Pillsbury portal online so they know what to expect in terms of setup.

Shes headed to Florida this weekend, flying solo, as it were, without family to cheer her on. Itll be like a little vacation for me, Miller says.

Whats her game plan for Sunday, the big cooking day, with cameras and interviews and Martha Stewart on hand to emcee? Ill make my dish two times for the judges, then one more time, maybe, Miller says. It tastes pretty good. But I worry that by the time the judges taste it, it might be cold. Most people are worried about that, I think. If she wins her category alone, she could receive $8,000 in cash and prizes.

Even sprinkled with first-timers fairy dust and facing a potential, pre-tax $50,000 for the next 20 years (which is how the winners $1 million gets allotted), Miller remains level-headed about her prospects. Last years winner was sweet: Mini Ice Cream Cookie Cups. Finalists recipes have been on the Pillsbury Web site for a while, and hers has thus far earned a rating of 2.5 stars (out of 5), with the following comment: An easy and delicious sandwich! It came together quickly and we all went back for seconds. I will definitely make this recipe again.

See the article here:
D.C. area finalist heads to Pillsbury Bake-Off

Cosentino Group, a Spanish-based producer of natural and manufactured countertop material, has seen its product used in such high-profile projects as the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins football stadiums, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and the "Extreme Home Makeover" television show.

The family owned company, which employs 200 people at its North American headquarters in the Houston area, expects to reach a broader group this year. U.S. sales were up 8 percent last year and the latest effort is projected to boost those sales as high as 18 percent a year, to $365 million in 2013.

"We're under big expansion," said Lorenzo Marquez, vice president of marketing for Cosentino North America.

Last year, Cosentino established the Port of Houston as its first North American logistical hub to handle the expected sales increase. North American sales already account for nearly half of the company's revenues.

Cosentino also plans this year to almost double the number of display centers nationwide, at a cost of $31 million. The company already has 12 of these showrooms for builders, trade professionals and other commercial customers in place. Ten more, including one expected to open in Houston in October, are planned this year.

Company officials say these centers are more than distribution facilities. They also feature classrooms and exhibition areas, including fully functioning kitchens that give designers a place to bring in clients for real-world demonstrations.

"We hope to see people doing business in our centers like they do at Starbucks," Marquez said. "More U.S. shops give customers quicker access to product."

He said geography was a primary factor in the company's decision to make Houston home to its logistics office.

"We selected Houston as the location for our first hub because geographically we can coordinate our shipments to fill several locations directly from here and plan our delivery routes better," Marquez said.

In addition to its natural stone products, Cosentino manufactures Silestone and newer products such as Silestone Natural Quartz, with antimicrobial protection, and the Eco line made from 75 percent recycled ceramic, glass and mirror.

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More counter space: Material maker is growing

A decade ago, artisan Mark Melonas was piecing together a living teaching sculpture at the Baltimore School for the Arts, doing some freelance graphic design and staging exhibitions at the Baltimore Museum of Industry.

And he was fooling around with concrete.

A friend was looking for a small sink for a tricky spot in a Canton rehab, and Melonas asked if he could give the project a try.

"I actually made it in my Bolton Hill apartment, carrying bags of cement up the steps," said Melonas. He hand-carved a mold and cast the sink in his kitchen.

One concrete sink led to another and another, and Melonas moved all that dust to the basement of his parents' home in Columbia.

"And it kind of got a life of its own," said the founder of Luke Works, now located in an old warehouse in Waverly. "That has defined a lot of what we do, but that's not all we do."

Melonas and a small team of craftsmen now create sleek and exotic pieces for the home in concrete and wood.

Much of their work is still sinks and countertops for kitchens and bathrooms, but they also coax fireplace mantles, free-standing bars and waterfalls out of their cement mixers, much of it sparkling with bits of glass or tinted in very un-concretelike colors.

"Customers come for the concrete, but they stay for the cabinet work," said Melonas, who has a degree in design and sculpture from the University of Maryland and a master's in furniture artisanry from the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth.

His designs, and the work of Jacob Ulrich, his concrete specialist, and Seth Scott, his lead furniture maker, have a decidedly Scandinavian quality, a contemporary look with clean lines and voluptuous curves.

Excerpt from:
Artisans show off concrete style at Luke Works in Baltimore