Bulletin Board

A calendar of events relating to homes and gardens.

Church Hill Secret Gardens Symphony Tour: Eight homes and gardens open to view, with Richmond Symphony chamber ensembles performing in two of the gardens and six other locations in the St. John's Historic District on Church Hill, 12:30-5 p.m. today. $35; includes wine and cheese tastings. http://www.churchhill.org.

Rose Society Meeting: Richmond Rose Society presents Diana Klassy in a talk on "Integrated Pest Management and Using Pesticides Safely" at 2 p.m. today at Children's Hospital, 2924 Brook Road. Free. http://www.richmondrosesociety.com or (804) 330-2404.

Historic Garden Week: Nearby tours include Richmond's Ampthill/Wilton area on Tuesday; The Boulevard in Richmond, Wednesday; and Petersburg and Richmond's Three Chopt/Westhampton area Thursday. Costs vary; proceeds benefit Garden Club of Virginia's historic landmark and garden restoration projects. http://www.VAGardenweek.org or (804) 644-7776.

Native Plant Sale: Nursery- or garden-propagated native plants for sale noon-3 p.m. today, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday and noon-3 p.m. April 29 at Virginia Living Museum, 524 J. Clyde Morris Blvd., Newport News. Free. http://www.thevlm.org or (757) 595-1900.

"Gardening Under Cover": Talk by Colonial Williamsburg's Historic Trades gardener Wesley Greene on time-tested methods of extending the growing season 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum, 326 W. Francis St., Williamsburg. Admission by Colonial Williamsburg ticket or CW museums pass. (800) 447-8679.

Spring Garden Fest: Classes (registration required; $10 in advance), gardening advice, displays and chats with experts, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, 1851 Dickinson Road, Goochland. http://www.gpmga.org or (804) 556-5841.

Herbs Galore & More: 28th annual herb festival, with more than 40 plant vendors and sellers of products, plant swap, speakers, classes and more, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday at Maymont,1800 Hampton St. $3, free to members; fees vary for classes, for which registration is required. http://www.maymont.org or 358-7166, ext. 310.

Electronics Recycling: Dispose of unwanted electronic items ($7 fee televisions, other items free) at Central Virginia Waste Management drop-off sites:

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Home and garden event calendar for April 22

31-03-2012 10:12 JD Esaijian from A&E's Flip This House is on site in San Diego taking you through one of CT Home's newest property restorations. JD discusses some layout changes that will take this property to the next level, without ruining its classic feel.

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Real Estate Renovation - Advanced Layout and Design - Video

31-03-2012 08:16 for photos .. Interior Design on decorating a home in 5 days by Interior Designer Rebecca Robeson. People often ask if Rebecca is available to do her design magic in other places besides Southern California... The answer is YES! In this video, a YouTube subscriber and fan of Robeson Design, hires Rebecca to fly out to Northern Virginia for 5 days .... just enough time to pull off a minor miracle and leaves the homeowner with a list of things to do to complete the transformation. Its fun, Its entertaining and it's exciting to see what can be done with Rebeccas eye for design and her drive and determination to get it done in 5 days! Join us for this the second of 2 videos on Rebeccas trip to Virginia! WATCH part 1 of this series: Like our Facebook page: Pin us on PINTREST: Follow Rebecca on Twitter: View our Website: View our YouTube channel: View us on HOUZZ: *Note THIS IS NOT A FREE SERVICE. All Robeson Design videos you see on youtube are real projects by real clients who have hired our professional services. Projects that require out of town travel require all expenses to be paid by the homeowner. If you are interested in having Rebecca magically transform your home in 5 days, Contact us at:

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Interior Design REVEAL for 5 days to decorate a home in Virginia - Video

31-03-2012 10:33 On Saturday August 27, 2011 Hurricane Irene blew an oak tree estimated at 75 years old onto the kitchen wing of our home. It could have been much worse. No one was injured and we did not have to move out of our home. A significant portion of our kitchen was destroyed, but we did not lose many personal possessions. This video contains some of the highlights from the five month saga of restoration with special focus on the most complicated room in any house, the kitchen.

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Hurricane Irene - Restoration Adventure - Video

01-04-2012 12:11 Ontario Home Renovators, finish basement renovations restoration. London, Ontario 519-668-7366

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Ontario Home Renovators - Install Drywall part1 - Video

"The Angkor Wat is a gem of human civilization and a valuable treasure of the Cambodian people," visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao Sunday told Chinese technicians working on a restoration project in the Angkor Archaeological Park in Cambodia.

Inspecting the China-assisted restoration project on the ruined Takeo temple in the famous Angkor complex in northwest Cambodia, Hu said the governments of both countries "have great faith in you when you were given the formidable job of restoring the Takeo temple."

"I hope you will overcome all the difficulties and accomplish the task with solid work," the president said.

The restoration project of the Takeo temple, which was built by King Jayavarman V and Suryavarman I from the late 10th century to the early 11th century, is the second phase of the Chinese government assistance in restoring Angkor activities.

The project kicked off in November 2010 and is expected to be completed in 2018.

At the working site, Hu talked with Chinese and Cambodian archaeologists, applauding their progress in restoring and conserving the Takeo temple, one of the most popular temples in the Angkor area, in harsh environments.

"I hope you will help revive the ancient civilization created by the Cambodian people by making persistent efforts and strengthening communication and coordination with your Cambodian colleagues," Hu said.

The Chinese president also asked the Chinese technicians about the difficulties in the restoration work.

"The biggest challenge here is the lack of professionals," one Chinese technician told Hu, explaining that the job requires skilled workers who are familia with Cambodia's history, art and architecture, in addition to the proficiency in foreign languages.

"The restoration work is just a project used to train such professionals and allow people to display their talent," Hu said.

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Chinese president inspects restoration work for Takeo in Angkor complex

U.S. Air Force photos

The Memphis Belle sits in the restoration hangar at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. Crews from the museum have been restoring the World War II B-17 Flying Fortress, aiming to have the plane back on display by 2014.

U.S. Air Force photo

The Memphis Belle first took flight in the summer of 1942. After the war, it wound up in an Oklahoma junkyard before being rescued and brought to Memphis.

For nearly seven years, the Memphis Belle has been hidden in Ohio, sitting in pieces after being disassembled and carted from her longtime home on Mud Island.

But the Belle hasn't been forgotten, left to rot away in some dank hangar on the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.

Instead, crews from the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force have been lovingly restoring the World War II B-17 Flying Fortress with an eye to having her back on display by 2014.

"We're going to do whatever is required for the airplane," said Greg Hassler, restoration supervisor for the museum, which is in Dayton.

Built at a Boeing factory in Seattle at a cost of about $314,000, the Belle first took to the skies in the summer of 1942.

She was given her name by pilot Robert Morgan, who at that time was the boyfriend of Memphian Margaret Polk.

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Memphis Belle taking shape again in restoration

All of the telltale features of a classic midcentury house were there: the clean, geometric lines; extensive use of clerestory windows and walls of glass; and tongue-and-groove wood ceilings, the planking of which extends seamlessly from interior to exterior.

Somewhat shrouded by years of neglect, those features and many more were nonetheless apparent to the pros at Bee Renovated, the firm that rehabbed the residence at 315 Vassar Ave. in Kensington. On the market for $1.185 million, the five-bedroom home just received a complete facelift from the company, which is known for its detailed renovations of vintage properties.

On the market for the first time, the home was built in 1953 for University of California Berkeley Professor Bernard Etcheverry. A civil engineer, Etcheverry was involved with the design of the Greek Theatre, and those familiar with the Berkeley campus will recognize his namesake building, Etcheverry Hall.

The Kensington property has remained in the hands of one Etcheverry family member or another since its completion. And why not? The large, comfortable residence is located on an expansive double lot, situated to allow Golden Gate and bay views through its banks of windows. Those windows, combined with multiple sliding glass doors, help create the indoor-outdoor aesthetic so key to midcentury home design.

In fact, along with the home's history, it was such details that initially attracted Bee Renovated to the project, the company's most recent. Bee Renovated is the innovation of interior designer Sean Gaston Steer and contractor Jim Jewell, who are partners in both business and life.

"The thing that really attracted us was the fact that the house had been built for Bernard Etcheverry, him being an engineer and his connection to Cal Berkeley," Gaston Steer said. "We knew it had to be an architecturally great home.

"Over the years it had gone into disrepair and was neglected. All of the original features were there, though, which is what we love to find. We were able to honor the original architecture and update it for modern lifestyles of today."

For example, Gaston Steer explained, kitchens back then were really functional as opposed to being part of the entertainment aspect of the house. In this case, the kitchen was closed off and located at the back of the home, completely isolated.

"That poor kitchen was hidden back there all by itself, and now it's just open and grand and bright," Gaston Steer said. "It's now part of the party."

Starting with great architecture makes their job easier, according to Gaston Steer. From there, a project's focus is preservation, restoration and updating while maintaining the historical integrity of the original design. To that end, Gaston Steer spent a lot of time finding vintage fixtures and trim pieces to stay true to the period.

Originally posted here:
Classic midcentury modern home receives an extensive makeover

ST. LOUIS It was the oldest dwelling in the city. Local tradition claimed the hot dog was invented within its limestone walls.

None of that was enough to save the Jean Baptiste Roy home, a crumbling and vacant two-story structure at 615-17 South Second Street that dated to 1829. Despite earnest efforts to preserve it, demolition began March 31, 1947. There was talk of reassembling it for a museum, but its building stones were scattered.

The building, two blocks south of the Gateway Arch grounds, probably would not have survived a lot longer anyway. The Poplar Street Bridge, running directly over the site, opened in 1967.

Roy, a fur trapper and explorer, had the home built on land he bought from Pierre Chouteau Jr. Whether he and his family lived there isn't clear. Nor is when he died, probably in 1847.

In 1874, a butcher named John Boepple bought the house from Roy's descendants and turned it into his meat shop. Boepple and his business partner, William Tamme, made sausage.

That's how St. Louis' claim to the hot dog evolved. The story has it that Anton L. Feuchtwanger, who peddled Boepple-Tamme sausages on city streets, suggested putting them between buttered buns.

Who knows? Other claimants hailed from Coney Island, N.Y., and Frankfurt, Germany. But the St. Louis version was catchy enough to spice up the effort to save the Roy house.

By 1946, the building was crumbling and empty. A homeless man who had spent a few nights there told a reporter, "Even the rats don't come 'round much."

Charles van Ravenswaay, director of the Missouri Historical Society, campaigned to save the building. The St. Louis Star-Times newspaper managed to delay demolition. A Harvard University professor, Kenneth J. Conant, who also was president of the American Society of Archaeological Historians, toured the home in January 1947 and declared it worthy.

"It is part of the birthright of the city," Conant said. "You will be surprised how elegant a restoration would be made of this building."

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A Look Back • 1829 building, said to be home of the hot dog, demolished in 1947

Click photo to enlarge

The Fall house at 801 Rio Grande St. came close to becoming a parking lot, according to its owner.

A.B. Fall's other El Paso home is getting new life because of the restoration efforts of a local attorney.

Work at the 120-year-old home at 801 Rio Grande St. is under way after the home came perilously close in the past decade to being bulldozed for a parking lot, said its owner, Terry W. Hammond.

"This is one of the only houses of its kind in El Paso," Hammond said Friday as he led a tour of the 2,200-square-foot house, which was built in the Victorian style downstairs and in Dutch Colonial upstairs.

As Hammond pointed out, many other historic buildings along that stretch just south of El Paso High School have disappeared and boxy, ugly structures have taken their place.

Making way for parking appears to have been the plan

It would have been a shame, Hammond said.

"This was the silk-stocking district of El Paso," Hammond said. "This was the heart of the city, and we want to keep it that way."

He would not say how much the restoration will cost.

Continued here:
A.B. Fall's other El Paso home gets new life