Karl Strauss Brewerys Sorrento Valley site is undergoing a remodel, triggering the layoff of 67 employees last month.

The brewery plans to rehire the laid off employees once the remodel is finished in late April. Its also looking to add an additional 30 to 40 workers to bring the total at the site to about 100, says Melody Daversa.

To fill those spots, the brewery is holding a series of job fairs Feb. 27-28 and March 3-4 at the nearby San Diego Tech Center Tenant Conference Room, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day.

The $1.5 million project will leave the koi pond and gardens intact, and the new design will be similar to what the company has done at its newer locations in 4S Ranch, Temecula, and the tasting room at the main brewery in Pacific Beach, says a spokeswoman.

For more information, go to http://www.karlstrauss.com/aboutus/jobs/SMHF14.html.

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Karl Strauss Holding Job Fairs as Remodeling Changes Staffing Needs

Washington - Washington Community High School's Babcook Field will be covered in turf, not grass come next fall.

Five out of seven District 308 board member approved the installation of artificial turf and a new long-jump runway.

Proposals to construct new tennis courts, a new wrestling and physical education room and an air-conditioning system also passed.

The total cost of the renovations will be $2.8 million with $2.5 million coming from a bond.

Dr. James Dunnan says the additions are a step in the right direction.

Our bonding rate is really good which meanswe were able to borrow the money at a really good rate for our taxpayers. We are just excited to get this going and move forward."

Construction of these projects will begin near the end of the school year. The football fields, tennis courts and air conditioning system are expected to be finished by fall.

Original post:
Washington Community High School Remodeling

Friday, February 21, 2014 2:14 am Friday, October 23, 1998 12:00 am

Locker room theft continues Editor's note : This is the third story in a weekly series about personal property crimes in the area. Last week: Valuables stolen from cars

When students use locker rooms in an athletic facility, the belongings left in the locker might not be there when they come back. They can be victims of theft from locker rooms because the rooms are often empty and clothing and valuables left behind are good bait for thieves.

"With all of the (belongings) left behind in locker rooms, it's like walking into a candy store for a thief," said Rich Lorenzo, building coordinator for Rec Hall.

A Macbook Pro laptop and a necklace worth $1,650 combined were stolen from a locker Tuesday at the YMCA, 677 W. Whitehall Rd., the State College Police Department said.

While the temperature outside may be getting warmer, students using Rec Hall's gym facilities may find themselves out in the cold.

Personal possessions, including coats and gloves, are being stolen from both locked and unlocked lockers in Rec Hall on a weekly basis, said Karl Stine, athletic equipment and facility worker at Rec Hall.

Lockers at Rec Hall are provided free of charge in the locker rooms. Students, however, must provide a lock.

Some accounts have Bo Schembechler distributing stacks of newspapers with instructions for his assistants to cover the walls of Iowa's visiting team locker room.

Others attest Schembechler used butcher's paper to shield his players from the walls, slathered in a color dubbed "innocence pink." Either way, the legendary Michigan coach hated the locker room and the psychological effects it had on his players.

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Friday, October 23, 1998 12:00 am

Art needs space. A house with low ceilings, dark rooms and expanses of windows and mirrors limits your options. Where can you hang a large canvas?

Ask architect Stephen Korbich that question and you may find yourself looking at a 1950s ranch-style house in northeast Portland that he transformed into a modern gallery-esque residence. Now the owner, a physician and lifelong art collector, can be in almost any room and see modern paintings on the walls.

Spotlighting art

True white paints are better than off whites if you want to create a clean gallery look.

That said, colored walls, both light and dark, could help set the mood of a piece of art. Dark backgrounds work well to draw attention to art.

Fir veneer panels with a clear oil stain are a type of tight-grain wood that adds warmth and complements artwork. Avoid complex patterns that distracts the eye from the art.

A simple color palette and restrained materials unstained fir wall panels and red oak floors serve as appropriate backdrops to the colorful paintings, prints, drawings and sculptures.

But that's not to say the house is dull.

Korbich installed dramatic architectural features that contribute to the overall sense of spaciousness. The once flat ceiling in the main living area has been remade into one that soars at an angle up to a 16-foot-high point.

A new fireplace is framed by black honed marble tile that rises to reach the ceiling's pitch.

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From ranch to modern art repertory: Remodeling for better light, wall space

Parlier Unified will ask voters in the school district to approve a bond measure in June to pay for a locker-shower-weight room at the new high school gym. The $5.5-$6 million bond measure also would pay for the remodeling of existing cafeterias or construction of new ones at Brletic, Cesar Chavez and Martinez elementary schools.

It will take a 55 percent yes vote for the measure to pass, said Parlier Unified Superintendent Gerardo Alvarez.

Parlier Unified board members voted last week to put the bond measure on the ballot for the June 3, 2014 primary election. Board member Melissa Cano cast the only no vote.

She said in an interview after the board meeting on Feb. 11 that she believes the current school board mismanaged a previous bond that paid for the new Parlier High gym, and she believes the same thing could happen with a new bond.

Alvarez said in an interview that Cano had not requested information from him about the bond measure. All I know is that she voted no and didnt give an explanation for that decision at the meeting, Alvarez said.

Building the locker-shower-weight room with money from the proposed bond is about Parlier Unified keeping a promise to district voters, Alvarez said.

Those voters approved another bond measure 10 years ago to build a new high school gym that included the locker-shower-weight room, Alvarez said.

However, delays in building the gym resulted in cost increases, which the 10-year-old bond measure could not cover, Alvarez said.

He said the estimated cost of the locker-shower-weight room is $2-$2.5 million. State money for school buildings with safety or hazard problems might pay for half of the $2-$2.5 million, Alvarez said. State officials might feel the old showers are unusable, he explained.

Meanwhile, the cafeterias at the three elementary schools are outdated and busting at the seams, Alvarez said. Martinez Elementary, for example, schedules three 15-minute lunch periods to accommodate its students.

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School board sets June bond vote

Rockford-Milton Clarks ceilings in his laundry room are heavily damaged due to ice melting from his roof leaking into the walls.

Clark says I woke up a little after 12, I come downstairs and immediately I heard a dripping.

Clark isnt the only Stateliner hearing that dreaded dripping noise. Crews at Instant Roofing and Remodeling were busy working on rooftops removing ice so water can flow down the roof. Its to help prevent Ice Dams.

Marty Hayes from Instant Roofing and Remodeling says Ice Damming forms after so many layers of ice that dont get a chance to melt off the roof because it was so cold for so long. And then when we have extreme warm temperatures like this where all the snow is melting at once, it ponds up behind the ice where it doesnt flow off the roof. And it pushes its way underneath the shingles.

This winters persistent sub-zero temperatures have not given ice much time to melt. Hayes adds in recent years it usually warms up every other week, so the ice doesnt build up as high. This year Ive seen ice build up four to five feet up the roof line.

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Warm Weather Wreaking Havoc on Local Rooftops

New York, NY (PRWEB) February 18, 2014

Paula McDonald PMD Development LLC of New York, NY, has been awarded Best of 2014 by Houzz, the leading platform for interior design and home renovation in New York City. The relative newcomer to the New York community (not quite 7 years old) was chosen by more than 16 million monthly users that comprise the Houzz community.

The Best of Houzz 2014 is awarded in two categories: Customer Satisfaction and Design. Customer Satisfaction honors are determined by a variety of factors, including the number and quality of client reviews a professional received in 2013. Where the Design category is based on the award winners popularity among the more than 16 million monthly users on Houzz, known as Houzzers, who saved more than 230 million professional images of home interiors and exteriors to their personal ideabooks via the Houzz site, iPad/iPhone app and Android app.

Winners will receive a Best of Houzz 2014 badge on their profiles, showing the Houzz community their commitment to excellence. These badges help homeowners identify popular and top-rated home professionals in every metro area on Houzz.

I am thrilled that we won this award and are recognized as one of the Best of Houzz 2014 remodeling and design professionals for customer satisfaction, said Paula McDonald, owner and managing director for PMD Development. I think our success begins with treating each project as if it were my own home and providing extraordinary attention to detail from start to finish. Houzz is a proven new business resource for us, and this award raises the bar for both our credentials in this profession and our differentiation from our competitors in this market. With the business underway, we hope to add to it in 2014.

To see an introductory video about the business, visit the Paula McDonald Design Build Youtube Trailer.

Houzz provides homeowners with the most comprehensive view of home building, remodeling and design professionals, empowering them to find and hire the right professional to execute their vision, said Liza Hausman, vice president of community for Houzz. Were delighted to recognize Paula McDonald PMD Development LLC among our Best of professionals for customer satisfaction as judged by our community of homeowners and design enthusiasts who are actively remodeling and decorating their homes.

With Houzz, homeowners can identify not only top-rated professionals like Paula McDonald, but also those whose work matches their own aspirations for their home. Homeowners can also evaluate professionals by contacting them directly on the Houzz platform, asking questions about their work and reviewing their responses to questions from others in the Houzz community.

Follow the Paula McDonald Design Build Profile on Houzz.

About Paula McDonald PMD Development LLC The Paula McDonald Design Build practice has been bringing New York City homeowners visions to life through its ultimate full service Residential Construction firm since 2008. This one-stop shop enables a faster, seamless and easier way for homeowners to approach remodeling any type of residential space. From the first meeting to final finished project, Paulas approach to delivering each clients dream residence is through innovation in design and a holistic delivery of each clients vision and lifestyle. This award-winning firm, recognized in prestigious design and consumer venues, is located in the heart of NoMad on 220 Fifth Ave, 4th floor, New York, NY. For more information, visit Paula McDonald Design Build.

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Paula McDonald PMD Development LLC, a New York City Design Build and Renovation Firm Receives Best of Houzz 2014 Award

MINNEAPOLIS - At the end of the day, it's easy for two Minneapolis couples to retreat to a quiet sanctuary. All they have to do is climb stairs that lead to the attic.

The couples' well-designed attic conversions transformed uncomfortably hot - and cold - sloped-wall rooms into appealing sleeping and living spaces.

Nancy and Dan Griffin live in a traditional Tudor with coved ceilings and chopped-up rooms, but upstairs they've created a master suite that boasts open and uncluttered Asian-influenced spaces where Dan can meditate each morning.

Linda and Gerry Berglin's remodeled attic in their Craftsman bungalow feels like it was always part of the house, yet it features a luxury bathroom, 10-foot ceilings and a closet as big as their kitchen.

"We've been getting a lot more inquiries about converting attics into usable space," said Dan Hayes of Plekkenpol Builders in Bloomington. "Creating a bedroom and bathroom by far are the most popular."

Many homeowners want to stay in their neighborhoods rather than move, and are exploring ways to expand, said Hayes. They might not have yard space for an addition, so they're heading upstairs. "The appeal is you can create a nice getaway with its own modern bathroom and big walk-in closet," said Hayes. "Typical old-house closets are only 3-by-3 feet."

Here's an inside look at two attic conversions:

Zen experience

Owners Dan and Nancy Griffin bought their 1930s classic story-and a-half Tudor in the Nokomis neighborhood in 2001. The slanted-wall attic had been used for a kids' room, but with only newspaper for insulation, it was chilly in the winter and sweltering in the summer. The home had only two bedrooms on the main floor and one tiny bathroom. The couple were planning to start a family and also needed a guest bedroom for visiting relatives. So five years after buying, they converted their 450-square-foot attic space into a master suite.

To open up the attic to create a bedroom, sitting area and bathroom, they gutted the existing space. The demolition included removing a cedar closet and knocking down a wall next to the stairs. Now the Griffins are greeted by a nice wide hallway and a light-filtering, wrought-iron railing at the top of the stairs.

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Attic remodeling grows in appeal for homeowners staying put

Building a life together as a couple often means building - or rebuilding - a home together.

But nothing can test a relationship or pull at its foundation more, according to a 2013 remodeling and relationships survey conducted by Houzz, a home improvement and interior design website. The survey reports that 12 percent of couples acknowledge considering separation or divorce mid-remodel. Now that's a reason to keep those avocado kitchen appliances for another year.

Issues arise when she likes French country and he likes contemporary. He wants to keep his old album covers framed on the wall, but she's already visualizing their move to the trash bin. Maybe one spouse makes a decision, or many decisions, without the other. Even couples who agree on everything could be driven to tears - and take it out on each other - just by the fact that their home, in its current state, is hardly a haven.

Onetime Queen Village resident Julie Davis, director of content and marketing for TotalHousehold, a Connecticut-based website for people looking for home improvement professionals, recently completed her own kitchen remodel. Even for someone whose work life is dedicated to the subject, she said, it wasn't easy.

Like many couples, she and her husband's design tastes differed. But things heated up when she immediately took the project into her own hands.

"My M.O. was to start a bit on the clandestine side," said Davis. She changed 45 cabinet knobs without her husband's knowledge. Once the shock of spending $300 for a box of knobs wore off, her husband agreed to go along with the project as long as she agreed to replace their old refrigerator with one that he wanted.

As the remodeling progressed, they learned to negotiate - or at least try.

"You have to go very gingerly with someone. You have to find the middle ground," said Davis. "The problem with any compromise is it's not really a compromise. It's who's going to win the argument."

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In remodeling, couples need to keep respect, communication in their toolbox

By Sol Quintana Wagoner, Special to the U-T 3 p.m.Feb. 14, 2014

The remodeled bathroom has bamboo cabinetry and lights that resemble paper lanterns.

A sense of simple, light-filled luxury was created in this guest bathroom remodel by harmonizing tranquil colors, the visuals of flowing waterfalls, and the serenity of clean, Asian-inspired lines.

Our team selected an innovative Shoji screen-style door that opens in three widths for varying degrees of privacy. This creative solution makes it possible for one guest to use the shower or toilet while another uses the sink.

Throughout the room, simple horizontal lines subtly express an Asian influence. Colors are muted and calm in earth tones of sage and brown. Streamlined bamboo cabinetry with simple horizontal fixtures provides organized storage with an uncluttered effect. The selection of floating cabinetry and the decision to set the mirror just slightly back from the backsplash contribute to a feeling of openness in the room.

A quartet of lights at the vanity was selected for its resemblance to a string of paper lanterns. The sink faucets are designed to flow like delicate waterfalls, further emphasizing the theme of calm simplicity.

A Shoji screen-style door opens in three widths for varying degrees of privacy.

In the shower, the waterfall theme is repeated in the niche of glass tile and the flowing lines of tile on the floor. The niche was deliberately designed to evoke a window with an extra wide span to expand the space visually. The tile was selected in a slightly uneven composition to give the sense of water and movement.

The showers linear tile insets are repeated into the rest of the room, establishing a clean, sophisticated sense of continuity. The showerhead flows from a linear position, which aligns with the rooms aesthetic while also providing a powerful spray. A rustic ladder serving as a towel rack is a functional piece of art.

This peaceful oasis now communicates our clients passion for Asian themes while providing their guests with a calm, private space for relaxation and reinvigoration.

Originally posted here:
New bathroom has Asian style