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Low-flow toilets are now a requirement for building permits in additions or alterations to residential and commercial properties.(Ashley Gebb/Staff Photo)

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CHICO -- Most people appreciate a little privacy in the bathroom, but a new state law now requires those doing remodels or additions to invite building officials right on in.

The passage of Senate Bill 407 in 2009 requires water-conserving plumbing fixtures in any property built before 1994 that undergoes additions, alterations or improvements.

The code change, which requires the work prior to final building permit approval, took effect Jan. 1.

The code change essentially means toilets, showerheads and faucets must be converted to low-flow fixtures for projects such as kitchen remodels and room additions. Noncompliant fixtures are toilets that use more than 1.6 gallons per flush, urinals that use more than 1 gallon per flush, showerheads that flow more than 2.5 gallons per minute, and interior faucets that emit more than 2.2 gallons per minute.

The mandated conversion has building officials, contractors and those pondering potential home projects worried about potential implications.

"Was it the best of intentions? Absolutely. The problem is that things are just more complicated," said Kate Leyden, executive director of Valley Contractors Exchange.

Inevitable impacts

While goals for water conservation are admirable, the law may have unintended consequences, Leyden said.

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Low-flow water fixtures now linked to building permits; Butte County residents react

Clarke County Hospital is renovating the north side of the hospital facility to house the new Materials Management Department. Construction will be completed February.

The materials management department is responsible for all supplies and medical inventory throughout the hospital. By moving the department from its current location on the basement floor to the main floor, many challenges will be resolved.

We will be closer to the medical departments once we move to the main floor, so we will be able to distribute the supplies efficiently, said Deb Mathes, materials manager at Clarke County Hospital. Moving our receiving area to the north end of the building will also allow supply trucks easier access to our loading dock, improving the flow of street traffic.

Other facility improvements include a new emergency generator, new water piping in the kitchen area and new air handler for heating and cooling on the north side of the facility.

Just like our medical equipment, we keep our facility equipment up to date in order to provide patients best care possible, said Brian Evans, chief-executive officer of Clarke County Hospital. The new emergency generator, for example, will produce nearly three times as much power in the case of an outage. In disasters, we will be the place of refuge for anyone needing emergency medical assistance.

These renovations at Clarke County Hospital are the start of a five-year facility expansion. Funding for the $24 million project will come from hospital savings, hospital revenue bonds, general-obligation bonds and other identified sources. The financial forecasting of debt repayment does not include tax increases.

We are dedicated to the people of Clarke County and therefore feel that it is important to keep our commitment of not asking the Clarke County tax payers for additional tax dollars, Evans said.

Clarke County Hospital has reduced its ask for county taxes the past nine consecutive years. Savings to Clarke County taxpayers equal over $1.7 million to date.

About Clarke County Hospital

Clarke County Hospital is a 25-bed, critical access hospital with advanced diagnostic and telemedicine technology.

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Clarke County Hospital remodels facility’s north end

Kitchen remodels creative design kitchen interior
Smart kitchen cabinets, convenient and modern housewives #39;ll really comfortable and inspiring in the kitchen. pictures:furniture.trendzona.com see more inspir...

By: Beautiful Kitchen Design Ideas

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Kitchen remodels creative design kitchen interior - Video

Neil Kelly Cabinets in Portland, Ore., reports that homeowners are continuing to have an interest in environmentally friendly or green cabinetry options for their kitchen remodels and home renovations. According to a company rep, this information is based on anecdotal evidence from the companys 20+ designers.

But while the interest is there, as seen in an uptick in dealers looking for cabinetry options for chemically sensitive clients, there is some confusion about what constitutes a sustainable kitchen cabinet.

The sheer number of cabinets on the market can be daunting for consumers, states Mark Smith, president of Neil Kelly Cabinets. But new labeling programs, such as the Declare label, which acts as a nutrition label for building products, makes it easier for consumers to choose healthier products for their home.

With Declare, dealers, builders and consumers can use its product database and label to find manufacturers that have declared their product ingredients, source and manufacturing locations and determine which are free of Red List chemicals and materials. Imperative 11, Red List, is part of the Living Building Challenge certification program

Smith advises homeowners to also ask these questions when evaluating cabinet options:

1. Will it contribute to a healthier home?Chemical sensitivity is a serious and growing public health problem that affects people of all ages, races and economic backgrounds. Consumers struggling with chemical sensitivity should use less toxic everyday cleaning products and also select kitchen cabinetry with lower VOC finishes.Cabinets that optimize indoor air quality and healthful living feature: - No formaldehyde panels - Regional responsible solid wood and wood veneers - No formaldehyde and low VOC adhesives and finishes - Certified woods

2. Is it healthy for the planet?Many consumers want to minimize their environmental footprint, yet maximize a rooms style and design. One way to do so is to learn about a companys manufacturing process. Selecting U.S.-made cabinets also helps reduce a products overall carbon footprint.

3. Does it integrate well into a homes style?Consumers who want to make a responsible choice dont have to sacrifice style. There are many earth-friendly cabinetry options that let discerning homeowners create a truly original look and to feel good doing so. Homeowners should select a cabinet style that reflects the overall design of a space such as mid-century modern, craftsman, transitional or eclectic.

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Declare Label Helps Clients Choose the Best Cabinetry for Their Kitchens and the Planet

Annual Cost vs. Value Survey Finds Curb Appeal Improvements Deliver Best Returns

DALLAS Amidst a continually evolving residential real estate market, a national home improvement study has found that there is at least one constant homeowners can still bank on improving a homes exterior is money well spent.

For the third year running, Remodeling magazines annual Cost vs. Value survey has found that eight of the top 10 remodeling projects for return on investment (ROI) at resale are those that enhance curb appeal. Among those projects, garage door replacement again ranks high, whether homeowners choose a mid-level or high-end upgrade.

Regardless of whether a homeowner decides to replace their entry-level garage door with a mid-grade door, or change out their mid-level door for one at a higher price point, garage door replacement takes two of the top three spots for improvements that cost less than $5,000, said Joe Dachowicz, vice president of marketing at Overhead Door Corporation, one of the nations largest manufacturers of overhead doors and openers for residential and commercial applications.

At 75.7 percent on average, mid-range garage door replacement is the second-best ranked project for returning value when spending less than $5,000, the 2012-2013 Cost vs. Value survey found. Its also the fourth-highest rated project out of more than 35 projects evaluated, ahead of both bathroom and kitchen remodels. Meanwhile, an upscale garage door replacement delivers a 75.2 percent ROI, making it the third-highest ranked project under $5,000 and the sixth-highest rated home improvement project overall.

The surveys results confirm what industry insiders have known for years, Dachowicz says.

Many homes incorporate a design that places the garage at the front and center of a homes view from the curb, said Dachowicz. This is why garage door replacement is, and always has been, a great investment; its a relatively low-cost improvement that makes a dramatic impact on curb appeal.

As in past years, this years survey determined the ROI for garage door replacement by evaluating the typical $1,500 cost to replace a basic garage door with a mid-range door model. The survey found the value of that replacement at home sale to be $1,132, or 75.7 percent ROI. Meanwhile, the roughly $2,700 cost to replace a mid-range garage door model with an upscale one delivered an estimated value at sale of $2,046, equating to a 75.2 percent return.

Picking out the perfect garage door to match a homes style and the homeowners budget is as easy as going online, Dachowicz said, thanks to Overhead Doors DoorView Design Center. An online tool, DoorView allows homeowners to upload a photo of their home to Overhead Doors website and then test various Overhead Door garage doors to see how their homes curb appeal will improve.

Most busy families use their garage door as the homes primary entrance, Dachowicz said. Given that, garage door replacement is not only a great way to welcome yourself home every day, but a terrific way to make your home stand apart from your neighbors.

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Three Years and Counting, Garage Door Upgrades Return High Home Renovation Values

Every year we look around for Northwest-y gifts to send across the country to a relative, or wrap for a local friend. Seven food-related books made the list this year.

Wed, Dec 11, 5:27 p.m.

Any one of these spots would be enough good news for a month, but this season three celebrated Seattle chefs are all opening restaurants downtown.

Tue, Dec 3, 5 a.m.

A local community kitchen high school program is betting on it. And they've got a prominent national food activist cheering them on.

Fri, Nov 22, 5 a.m.

Great food, strong community, small margins. Eat for Equity remodels philanthropy without the black tie.

Kurt Timmermeister's new book, Growing a Feast (WW Norton, $24.95), tells the story of food itself.

His first book, after selling his Capitol Hill restaurant, Septieme, was called Growing a Farmer. Not always mouthwatering, either, with chapters on killing chickens and slaughtering pigs. Farming, he learns quickly, isn't just about deracinating vegetables or tugging at udders, it's about slitting throats, too, as his Facebook page shows this week.

We may buy pork chops on Styrofoam trays wrapped in plastic, but Timmermeister knows better. "I feel that food is intrinsically good, he wrote in Growing a Farmer. Food is from the earth. It provides us with nutrition to live. It is the source of all life, it has the power to make us healthy."

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Foodie Gift Ideas: 7 books to make your mouth water

Any one of these spots would be enough good news for a month, but this season three celebrated Seattle chefs are all opening restaurants downtown.

Fri, Dec 13, 5 a.m.

Every year we look around for Northwest-y gifts to send across the country to a relative, or wrap for a local friend. A selection of food-related books that make the cut this year.

Tue, Dec 3, 5 a.m.

A local community kitchen high school program is betting on it. And they've got a prominent national food activist cheering them on.

Fri, Nov 22, 5 a.m.

Great food, strong community, small margins. Eat for Equity remodels philanthropy without the black tie.

One of the Joey's test-kitchen products, making its debut this week, is a $14 veggie burger, a dish that will change the way you feel about vegetarian "substitutes." The patty itself is made with brown rice, kidney beans, almonds, and chopped shiitake mushrooms marinated in a miso-based mayonnaise. The tomato is on the bottom, below the patty, while a layer of jack cheese, plus arugula, cucumber, bread & butter pickle, sprouts and avocado are on the top. The whole thing is served pre-cut and held together with skewers.

It feels and tastes like a real burger, with a warm and toasty bun studded with oats. There's plenty of crunch in the lettuce-cucumber top of the burger (the part the incisors go through first), followed by the cheese-covered, savory "meat" of the patty and the juiciness of the tomato slice. "It eats better like that, with the tomato on the bottom," says the burger's creator, John Clark, the company's director of product development for Joey's, who found every other veggie burger far too dry. "At Joey's, it's still messy, but we decided that we'd just live with it."

First, Loulay Kitchen & Bar, in the 6th & Union corner of the Sheraton Hotel. This is Thierry Rautureau's eagerly awaited new venue, successor to the upscale Madison Valley spot, Rover's, that he closed earlier this year. It's named for the village where he grew up, St. Hilaire de Loulay, in southwestern France.

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Thierry, Stratton AND Wilson? Downtown Seattle's holiday restaurant heist

Ceres resident Pete Elliott admires the Christmas tree decorated for him as part of a home makeover by employees from VIP Management on Tuesday December 10, 2013. Elliott who worked at VIP for 25 years was diagnosed with ALS two years ago and is unstable on his feet and must use a walker and wheelchair so his former co-workers came to his home to build wheelchair ramps, modify his bathroom, remodel his kitchen, deep clean the interior and decorate for the holidays. ANDYALFAROaalfaro@modbee.com|BuyPhoto

CERES The day began with the whirring of power tools. Drills, saws, nail guns tools of the trade for Pete Elliott through 25 years of building maintenance, and music to his ears this day.

Elliott, 52, was the go-to guy to get things fixed at VIP Management apartment complexes, an eager participant in the companys home makeovers for the less fortunate. Tuesday, however, the building crew came to his house. About 25 former co-workers pitched in to get the Elliott home ready for a power wheelchair, a symbol of the changes in his life since being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as Lou Gehrigs disease.

I used to be the one helping others, Elliott said, his speech slowed and slurred by the disease. Trouble talking was his first symptom about two years ago. His hands were next. One day I was able to hold my drill, and the next day I couldnt. It happened real fast, he said. Its a real ugly disease.

Since then, he has lost much of the use of his arms, and his balance is shaky. Over the past few weeks, hes fallen frequently, even with his walker, and its become clear he needs a wheelchair, said wife Veronica Elliott.

Its a sad reality to see that has to be done, because then you realize the disease has progressed. Were at this next stage, she said.

But a wheelchair brings mobility only across the flat and open. Pete Elliotts childhood home, bought from his parents 15 years ago, had steps leading outside and a sunken living room. Bathrooms and doors were too small for a four-wheeling traveler.

These ramps to me are freedom. You get isolated in the house and these ramps will let me get outside, Elliott said.

The VIP crew, labor donated for the day by the company and materials supplied by an anonymous benefactor, built ramps to the front yard and backyard and a small slope into the living room. Granite countertops and a new sink grace the kitchen. Motion-activated faucets are on order for his bathroom, which now stands open to his bedroom for easy access. Raleys, where Veronica Elliott works, sent doughnuts, coffee and lunch.

Project manager Brian Stacey said planning this remodel took a little extra time. We wanted to make this one count, he said.

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Crew of 25 remodels Ceres home for former longtime co-worker with Lou Gehrig’s disease

Perhaps not quite as extreme as some of the remodeling shows on TV.

But if you had to live with this kitchen for a few years, you'd probably feel as excited we did when the kitchen remodeling project finally began. We decided to remodel the kitchen using granite and cabinet refacing. New kitchen cabinet doors, drawers, and drawer tubs, kitchen lighting, ceiling fan, and each kitchen appliance was replaced - the works.

You will find here in Kitchen Remodeling Pictures, a detailed description of everything before, during and after the project. A daily breakdown of the progress with kitchen pictures, commentary and speculation on the next days episode.

We had talked to some other turnkey companies that wouldn't waiter you a glass of water for less than 100k - well, that's an exaggeration, but you get the idea. That would be money down the drain - we're not talking about a luxury home in Blackhawk after all.

Since the cabinets will be refaced instead of replaced, the cost of this project will easily pay off in property value. Since this is an early sixties home, the cabinets are made of solid wood instead of particle board or plywood. But the cabinets, although structurally sound, were surface tired with old coatings, ancient knob rings, lame hinges barely hung the door, let alone provide a positive closing force. And then there was there's those useless detents that are supposed to hold a door closed - Pffft!

A kitchen island whas highly desierable, but but due to the limited space in a galley floor plan, the island idea would have required expensive major construction, and a wall moved. So a kitchen island would have to wait.

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Kitchen Remodeling Pictures

Rent A Man, Durango, CO
Rent A Man in Durango, CO is a team of professional contractors ready to help you with your home remodel or renovation. Specializing in contractor services, ...

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Rent A Man, Durango, CO - Video