WATERLOO | The cost of remodeling the City Hall meeting room jumped this week.

City Council members voted 4-2 Monday to approve a nearly $25,000 increase in the original $194,500 contract to renovate the council chambers on the second floor of City Hall.

Councilmen Steve Schmitt and Tom Lind voted against the increase. Both had voted Feb. 3 against the original contract, saying it was not a good time to spend the money. Councilwoman Carolyn Cole was absent.

Failor-Hurley Construction is putting new carpeting, window treatments and furnishings in the council chambers and adjacent Mollenhoff Room.

New electronic equipment to improve meeting broadcasts and presentations is being added, while the room will become wheelchair accessible.

Resident Forest Dillavou questioned the need for additional improvements.

"I have a problem with change orders whenever I see them," he said. "Did we get softer chairs?"

Building Official Craig Clark said the key reason for the change order was a new desk where council members will sit and a rebuilding of the raised platform in the room, which was found to be improperly constructed when the renovation started.

Mayor Buck Clark said he also doesn't like change orders but contends the additions are necessary.

"The desk was just a flat oversight," he said.

Excerpt from:
Waterloo council chambers renovation project cost rises

TERRE HAUTE For the first time since the dedication of its corporate headquarters downtown in 1988, First Financial Bank will begin next month to use the entire building, after a remodeling of a long-vacant, previously unfinished fourth floor.

The move will impact 69 employees, 19 of which will be moved into the downtown office building from the banks operations center at 1401 S. Third St., said bank President/CEO Norman L. Lowery.

The bank is moving all of its commercial, mortgage and installment loan employees and loan administration to the more than 16,000-square-foot fourth floor.

The move also will relocate 50 people to the fourth floor from the second floor. That vacated second-floor space will allow for additional personnel moves from the operations center to the downtown, possibly legal and auditing personnel, Lowery said.

The fourth floor relocation is scheduled for April 21.

This will improve our lending service and allow us to do some things such as cross train some of our personnel who had been in separate buildings, Lowery said.

This building was built and furnished in 1988. This is our corporate office, and we are the only publicly traded corporation headquartered in Vigo County. This is our corporate office, and I want to start seeing it in that light. I think this is probably the first step in some things that we will do here and in some other facilities, too, Lowery said.

Banking has changed so much since this building was built, with some things that made sense in 1988, but now everything it electronic. We have 15 teller lines [inside the building] and we probably use five, Lowery said.

Is there a better way to do that, and should we be installing some electronic means of banking? Lowery said. I think we need to look at what we do and try to improve on it down here.

Lowery said the banks operations center had people elbow to elbow, requiring the relocation.

More here:
Room to grow: Downtown bank remodeling, expanding headquarters

Published: Tuesday, March 18, 2014, 12:01a.m.

A patient no longer will have to ask for a private room at any of the three hospitals operated by Excela Health.

On Saturday, Excela officials converted the last of its hospitals Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg to all private rooms, health system officials said.

Private rooms are the norm in new construction, said Maryann Singley, vice president of patient care services at Westmoreland Hospital.

The concept is wellness-oriented and promotes rest and recovery by removing the added distractions of another person sharing the room.

Latrobe Hospital converted all its rooms to single-patient in 2011. Frick Hospital in Mt. Pleasant changed its rooms as part of remodeling done in 2012-13, a spokeswoman said.

I don't think it's a question of competitiveness as much as it is patient preference and the trends nationally in admissions, Excela spokeswoman Robin Jennings said.

Hospital admissions are down nationwide, in part because of more surgeries being done via outpatient procedures, she explained. The outpatient surgeries have freed more spaces in hospital rooms.

A patient in a private room has fewer people entering each day, reducing the patient's perception about noise and busyness, Singley said.

One patient to a room further enhances the ability to have face-to-face conversations about diagnosis, prognosis and treatment, Excela officials said.

Read more here:
Excela finishes switching Westmoreland Hospital to all private rooms

Lets hope William Shatners negotiator skills work at Home Depot.

The TV legend and Priceline pitchman will next star in a home-renovation reality show for DIY Network.

The channel has started production on The Shatner Project which will follow Shatner (Star Trek, Boston Legal) and his wife, Liz, as they enlist the help of a construction team to gut their 1970s-style California home including the kitchen, living room and dining room and remodel Shatners favorite hangout spot, the media room.

The couple also plans to renovate the front patio to create a space for big family parties (he has three children from his first marriage and five grandchildren).

I am embracing change, said Shatner in the announcement. Our home will be unfamiliar territory for a while but I am excited by all of it. The series will premiere later this year.

Continued here:
Shatner at the helm of new remodeling reality show

Published: Tuesday, March 18, 2014, 12:01a.m. Updated 2 hours ago

A patient no longer will have to ask for a private room at any of the three hospitals operated by Excela Health.

On Saturday, Excela officials converted the last of its hospitals Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg to all private rooms, health system officials said.

Private rooms are the norm in new construction, said Maryann Singley, vice president of patient care services at Westmoreland Hospital.

The concept is wellness-oriented and promotes rest and recovery by removing the added distractions of another person sharing the room.

Latrobe Hospital converted all its rooms to single-patient in 2011. Frick Hospital in Mt. Pleasant changed its rooms as part of remodeling done in 2012-13, a spokeswoman said.

I don't think it's a question of competitiveness as much as it is patient preference and the trends nationally in admissions, Excela spokeswoman Robin Jennings said.

Hospital admissions are down nationwide, in part because of more surgeries being done via outpatient procedures, she explained. The outpatient surgeries have freed more spaces in hospital rooms.

A patient in a private room has fewer people entering each day, reducing the patient's perception about noise and busyness, Singley said.

One patient to a room further enhances the ability to have face-to-face conversations about diagnosis, prognosis and treatment, Excela officials said.

More:
Excela rooms solely private

HACKENSACK, N.J. -- Vikki Ruisch had a fireplace in her house, but it was in a room her family barely used. So during a remodeling project last year, she had a fireplace built in her heavily trafficked living room, where everyone could enjoy it.

Ruisch figured it would add value to her Woodcliff Lake, N.J., house, but that wasn't really an incentive. She grew up having a fireplace in her home and just wanted one, or two. She also had one put in the master bedroom.

"I don't know anyone who doesn't like a fireplace," she said. "We use ours, especially this winter. My husband puts the one on in the bedroom when he gets up about an hour before me, and then it's nice and toasty by the time I get up."

Ruisch is one of many home and business owners installing fireplaces to add ambience, warmth and financial value to where they live and work. A fireplace can increase a home's value by 6 to 12 percent, according to the National Center for Real Estate Research of Littleton, Colo.

In addition to the standard stone or brick fireplaces found in typical settings like single-family homes and ski lodges, temporary hearths can be installed in the tiniest of apartments and the most intimate of restaurants.

Ventless fireplaces are a swiftly growing segment of the market, targeted for apartments or other buildings where permanent changes can't be made. Those that run on electricity can, with the flip of a switch, heat a space up to about 400 square feet, or, in hot weather operate with no warming element.

One manufacturer, HearthCabinet Ventless Fireplaces in New York City, offers products that use alcohol gel cartridges instead of electricity, said Sara Check, marketing and sales manager for the company.

"Lots of people wanted a fireplace and didn't have a chimney, gas line or vent," Check said. "So we are filling a void in a niche market. The cartridges work like a sterno canister works. You can replace the top and then use it again."

One of the drawbacks to ventless fireplaces, specifically because there is no way to send gases outside the building, is that they often emit an odor, similar to the smell from an oven when it is on. But Check said HearthCabinet throws off little, if any odor, because of the gel cartridges it uses.

"Since our cartridges use isopropyl alcohol, our emissions don't really have an odor," she said.

Original post:
Fireplaces add ambiance, value

remodeling my room part one

By: unicorn power

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remodeling my room part one - Video

Photo by Lori Hamilton

Lori Hamilton Photography The grand salon in the Bay Colony condominium remodeled by BCB Homes now offers a casual elegance perfectly suited to a luxurious beachfront lifestyle.

For homebuyers intent on having Southwest Floridas renowned beaches just outside their door, two realities may be cause for pause. First, available prime beachfront properties are in short supply. Second, because the overwhelming majority of the areas true beachfront communities were built-out 15 years ago or more, that dream home on the beach may require serious updating that can in some cases involve stripping things down, moving walls, and essentially starting over.

When the areas most desirable beach-front residences were originally built, they reflected the luxury architectural and interior design styles of the time, said Greg Brisson, vice president of BCB Homes Renovations, Alterations & Service Maintenance Division. Obviously, those styles have evolved tremendously over the past 15-20 years. Todays homebuyer wants an open, flexible floor plan rather than the smaller rooms of the past that were limited to specific functions. They also want the finishes and conveniences that reflect their personal vision of what beach-front living can be like. Remodeling a dated residence can bring that vision to life and create an environment that better reflects the homeowners lifestyle.

BCB Homes recently completed the total remodeling of a condominium in a beach-front high-rise in Pelican Bays Bay Colony neighborhood. Working in tandem with Collins & DuPont Interior Design, BCBs remodeling specialists transformed the 3,645-square-foot, three bedroom, three-and-a-half bath residence into an elegantly appointed, flowing environment that is suited to the casual, beach-front lifestyle preferred by the owners and their children.

The condominium was built 15-18 years ago and had not been updated, said Brisson. The existing finishes were 80s vanilla and included whitewashed oak flooring that dated to 1984. We started the transformation by literally removing almost everything the flooring, the bathrooms, the kitchen, over half of the walls and ceilings. We worked with Collins & DuPont to create an entirely new floor plan. Once the demolition work was completed, we started to put the interior structure back together per the new plan. We touched every room in the home. The air conditioning, electrical and lighting systems were also completely replaced.

The impact of the remodeling is evident the moment one enters the residence. The old flooring has been replaced by marble flooring in the foyer and medium-toned walnut hardwood in the living areas. The new color palette mixes neutral creams and light sea foam green. Custom, multicolored LED lightening panels flank the entry to a grand salon that features a teardrop shaped full wet bar in a dark cherry tone. A ceiling detail directly above the bar matches the teardrop shape and is presented with the same dark cherry finish. The bar and back-bar counter tops are finished with granite. A large rectangular mirror on the back-bar wall is accented with glass tiles and surrounded by a tall cherry built-in with shelves for displaying sculptures and glass art pieces.

The built-in cabinetry extends into the living area of the grand salon and incorporates a flush-mounted large screen television. Dark wood moldings are used to create niches on the television wall for displaying large art pieces. Below the niches, inset panels offer a bit of contrast to the dark wood. Per the newly designed floor plan, the wall covers what had been an entrance to an outdoor terrace, thereby creating a private terrace off the master bedroom. The salon and breakfast area open to a separate outdoor terrace overlooking the Gulf.

Dark-toned cherry island, peninsula, and perimeter cabinetry contrasts beautifully with the kitchens new light-colored marble flooring and white granite counter tops. The peninsulas counter top features a deep waterfall edge. New lighting has been installed in the ceiling, over the island, over the perimeter counter tops, and around the cook tops glass tile backsplash. The appliances are fully built-in and faced with wood matching the cabinetry. A newly designed recessed coffered ceiling was re-proportioned to suit the new kitchen plan. Storage is provided by a large hidden pantry that includes an ice machine.

A formal dining space incorporated into the grand salon features a tall wraparound banquette, an oval glass dining table, and three arm chairs in a neutral fabric with nail head trim. A mirrored ceiling detail with a decorative lighting fixture is positioned above the table. The sea foam wall tones of the dining space are accented by a glass art piece.

Continue reading here:
Create a new beach retreat by remodeling

RemodelDC.com TV Tiny Powder Room Remodeling - former closet!
Fabulous designer Leslie King hosts the conversion of an ugly closet to a gorgeous powder room in a older Cape Cod style home in Arlington, Virginia, just ou...

By: Jim Gardiner

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RemodelDC.com TV Tiny Powder Room Remodeling - former closet! - Video

Before: This true split-level home has some shortcomings in curb appeal, but nothing an exterior remodel couldn't fix.

Daniel Barton

Owners of split-level homes often have a love/hate relationship with their house. They love the amount of living space provided and the privacy the house design offers.

They appreciate that teens can be alone in their bedrooms on the top level of the house or in their lower-level family room, while Mom and Dad can relax in the main-level living room.

Owners also love how they get the feel of a multilevel house without having to trudge up full flights of stairs.

On the flip side, this type of layout divides a home into several distinct "boxes" or areas that make it difficult to connect spaces to each other. In addition, the entries are often cramped and challenging for today's modern homeowners.

Split-level homes actually had a prestigious origin historians credit Frank Lloyd Wright as the inventor of this style around the turn of the 20th century. He believed split-level homes could be an affordable option for the average American family. However, it was not until the housing boom following World War II that this style began to be built in virtually every area of the nation and became the mainstay of mid-level residential marketing through most of the 1950s and 60s.

A split-level home is essentially a non-traditional multistory home. These homes are often modest and always efficient in their use of space. There are two types of splits: The classic split-level home generally includes a one-story side and a two-story side. You enter into the single story, where you will typically find a living room, kitchen and dining area. On the two-story side, you usually have bedrooms and bathrooms upstairs and a family room, laundry room and garage downstairs. Half-flights of stairs connect each level. This is the true split-level house.

All true split-levels have at least three levels, but many have a fourth level below the formal living room/entry level.

The other type of split-level design is the split entry. This is basically a two-story house with an entry located halfway between the upper and lower floors. When you enter a split-entry house, you walk onto a landing between two half-flights of stairs. You have to go up or down to get to any part of the house.

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Renovation Solutions: 3 common problems and tips to remodeling the split-level home