Photo by Catharine Hamm

photos by Catharine Hamm/Los Angeles Times Entertainers perform at the door to the Highclere library, where Hugh Bonneville, the fictional Earl of Grantham in Downton Abbey, often has serious discussion with members of the Crawley family.

Photo by Catharine Hamm

Lady Fiona Carnarvon discusses her newest book, Lady Catherine, the Earl and the Real Downton Abbey which follows Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey. Both focus on the countesses who presided over Highclere until death (Almina) or divorce (Catherine).

NEWBURY, England He is a farmer, she says, and she is a farmers wife. They are active in their community. She writes a bit on the side, her writing room only recently having been wired for electricity.

On my recent visit to her home, she was warm and welcoming. Her yellow Lab, Bella, followed her closely as her mistress ushered visitors into the house.

And oh my. What a house. Two hundred rooms. Forty bedrooms. Silk wallcoverings in one room, 16th century Spanish leather wallcoverings in another. An original Van Dyck.

Hundreds of other treasures make it abundantly clear that you are not in Kansas anymore.

You are, instead, on the set of Downton Abbey, but its not a set at all. It is Highclere Castle, and for viewers of the popular PBS show, it is this magnificent home they see, outside and partly inside too.

The farmers wife, as she called herself the Countess of Carnarvon has tried hard to keep it a home, she says, rather than a museum, although she and her husband, the Eighth Earl of Carnarvon, and their son often live elsewhere.

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'Downton Abbey' enchants in real life as well

The Corvallis Economic Development Commission will discuss its priorities for 2014 and hear an update on the Regional Accelerator Innovation Network from Mayor Julie Manning at its 3 p.m. Monday meeting at the Madison Avenue Meeting Room.

In other public meetings:

Monday

The Corvallis School Board will meet at 6:30 p.m. in the district office, 1555 S.W. 35th St. The agenda includes a presentation on a potential expansion to the teen center at the Boys & Girls Club of Corvallis, which is located on property the district is leasing to the club.

The Corvallis Public Participation Task Force will hold a special outreach session at 6:30 p.m. at the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, 645 N.W. Monroe Ave. The task force hopes to hear suggestions for improvements from members of city boards and commissions and neighborhood associations.

The Philomath City Council meets at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 980 Applegate St. and will discuss appointments to the Planning Commission and Budget Committee and a contract offer for the Philomath Police Personnel Association.

The Monroe School Board meets at 7 p.m. in the library at Monroe High School, 365 N. Fifth St. The boards agenda includes finalizing appointments to a special committee that will screen potential candidates for the new superintendent of the district.

Tuesday

The Corvallis Citizens Advisory Commission on Transit meets at 8:20 a.m. in the Madison Avenue Meeting Room, 500 S.W. Madison Ave.

The Corvallis Commission for Martin Luther King Jr., meets at 5:15 p.m. at the Osborn Aquatic Center, 1940 N.W. Highland Drive.

Originally posted here:
Economic Development Commission to discuss priorities for 2014

I usually dont trust those fun fact statistics that sound too cool to be true. Like the whole second to death, the thing that scares people most is public speaking nonsense. So, youre telling me if I gave you the option of either spending an hour in a room with a bunch of drunken IRS auditors with three years of returns and ax handles or giving a short talk on the history of crochet, youre going with Crazy Carl the Deduction Denier?

So when I heard that remodeling is one of the biggest causes of divorce, I didnt give it much credence. Cmon, how bad it can be. I have no opinion whatsoever on dcor, layout or samples of flooring, paints, trims or any other thing that comes in various colors or textures. I dont have a favorite color, a fact some people (my children) find unacceptable for some reason. And when it comes to nooks, alcoves and atrium talk, I always assumed those were assorted Asian fruits and nuts, not rooms.

So, once we locked in the cost, signed the paperwork and had my panic attack about how long it was going to take me to pay it off, I figured I was through with it until it was time to move in. Sometimes even Im shocked at my naivet and general lack of life knowledge.

We were adding on entire rooms and a garage, so someone had to actually do the building. It doesnt just magically appear because you decide to do it. Who knew? So we had to find a contractor who could and would do our addition. But when you ask people about contractors, its like asking mothers about their experience with labor. The stories are always horrible, long and detailed, and end with someone crying.

Im not kidding. Ask someone about his contractor and youll hear about the greatest schemes, scams, crimes, lies, broken promises and then you end up with shoddy construction and one of your children inexplicably missing. So I did a lot of asking around.

After getting a few names from folks whose homes seemed fairly well constructed and who still had all their children, I talked to a few contractors. After visiting with a couple (one who laughed at weird times, like after a declarative sentence that was just stating non-humorous facts and one who kept talking about his boat), we found one who seemed trustworthy. Im going to call him Maurice Graber with First Rate Construction, which makes sense since that is his name.

Actually, I now call him Job. I dont know why anyone, honest or not, would want to be a contractor. His usual morning begins with 14 texts from me with the myriad of concerns the wife has about the previous days work. After flooding his inbox with questions about paint, trim, shower doors, tile-no wood-no tile, ceiling fan placement and lots of words I have to write down and refer to when texting because I dont know what they are, Im thinking a nice little plague with lots of boils and suffering would be preferable.

This whole thing has made me recalibrate my reactions to the wifes reactions. For most of our marriage, I could meet her freak out level, spasm to spasm. House flooding or burning, were both running in pound sign and star patterns unproductively. Kid shows up at the edge of the bed at 3 a.m. with a my tummy hurts, were both doing shoulder rolls to get out of the projectile puke zone. String theory documentary comes on the TV, were both doing that of course head nod and hoping theres not a quiz afterwards.

But in remodeling, theres a total loss of the we both construction in our familial sentences.

Ill be standing there, minding my own business not really doing much of anything, and the wife will burst through the door in lugubrious panic, so I have to determine if it is because: 1) the children have been eaten by wolves; 2) the Rapture has occurred and my theory that the Good Lord has a soft spot for the goofy has fallen through; or 3) the windows in the garage door arent rounded enough. Thus far, its been the garage window thing.

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STUMBLING FORWARD: Happiness subtraction by addition

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Matt Dixon

Project superintendent for Lacey Construction Tim Jensen cuts lumber as Capt. William Mealy gives a tour to media Wednesday at Salvation Army. The downtown facility is undergoing a major renovation that includes the dining room, kitchen, old storefront and exterior. (Independent/Matt Dixon)

Matt Dixon

Bryan Smith of Jerry's Sheet Metal hangs air ducts Wednesday in what used to be the storefront at the Salvation Army in Grand Island. The space is being transformed into an improved chapel and classroom area. The downtown facility is undergoing a major renovation that includes the dining room, kitchen, old storefront and exterior. (Independent/Matt Dixon)

Matt Dixon

Lumber and other building supplies fill what was once the dining room Wednesday at the Salvation Army in Grand Island. The downtown facility is undergoing a major renovation that includes the dining room, kitchen, old storefront and exterior. (Independent/Matt Dixon)

Posted: Wednesday, January 8, 2014 11:14 pm

Remodeling underway at Salvation Army By Sarah Schulz sarah.schulz@theindependent.com theindependent.com

Posted on January 8, 2014

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Remodeling underway at Salvation Army

(BPT) - Americans are renovating again. In fact, the remodeling market hasnt been this robust since 2004, according to the National Association of Home Builders Remodeling Market Index. Yet even the most enthusiastic homeowners-turned-renovators may hesitate when faced with certain common challenges be it adding a bathroom in a problematic location or figuring out how to bring natural light into an interior room.

But virtually every renovation challenge is solvable, and sometimes the answers are surprisingly simple and cost-effective. Here are three common issues you may encounter while renovating, and the astoundingly simple ways to overcome the obstacles:

The challenge: Adding a bathroom over concrete flooring or in a tight spot where traditional plumbing doesnt work well.

The simple solution: Up-flush plumbing. Bathroom renovations or additions offer a high return on investment as much as 56 percent of the initial investment when you resell, according to Remodeling Magazines Cost vs. Value Report. But conventional plumbing can be costly and time-consuming, even in the best circumstances. If you want to add a bathroom in a basement where the floor is concrete or in a smaller space with no room for traditional piping, an up-flush, or macerating, toilet is a simple, cost-effective solution.

Systems like Saniflos macerating toilet and plumbing technology eliminate the need to cut through a floor to install new drainage. And the systems fit easily into areas as small as a closet or dead space beneath a stairway. A macerating pump reduces waste and paper from the toilet and sends it under high pressure through piping directly into the septic or sewer system. No waste is stored, and the systems are comparatively low-cost compared to traditional plumbing. Visit http://www.saniflo.com to learn more.

The challenge: Introducing natural light in a room with no space for windows.

The simple solution: Skylights. The benefits of natural light are well-documented, from improving mood to reducing dependence on artificial lights. Yet some spaces, such as interior powder rooms or walk-in closets, dont lend themselves to windows. When you want natural light in a room where a lack of wall space precludes a window, or in which privacy is an issue, a skylight can be a great solution. Tubular skylights even allow you to bring natural light into ground floor rooms.

The cost of installing a skylight is comparable to adding quality windows in a room. Choose energy-efficient skylights and you may also reduce home cooling costs in spring and summer, and lighting costs in winter, too.

The challenge: Privacy in a doorway where a swinging door doesnt make sense.

The simple solution: Pocket doors. A swinging door may not be right for a space for many reasons. Perhaps you need to close a door in a spot so infrequently that a swinging door isnt needed. Or, maybe the space around the doorway is too tight to accommodate a swinging door, such as in a laundry space tucked into a hallway. Or, perhaps a traditional door will ruin the aesthetic of a space. In all those situations, a pocket door is a great way to achieve privacy without compromise. Because pocket doors tuck away inside the wall, you dont need to worry about having enough space to open or close a traditional door. Plus, when left open, pocket doors are hidden inside the wall so their visual impact on decor is minimal.

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Three astoundingly simple solutions for big renovation challenges

More than $12 million in renovations of operating room suites and waiting areas are included in a multiphase remodeling program at St. Luke's Hospital, in Chesterfield.

The program will increase efficiency through better location of services and improve clinical quality with technology enhancements and redesigned clinician space, a hospital spokeswoman said today.

Renovations are scheduled to begin in February on the hospital's second floor, said the spokeswoman, Rebecca Largent. Relocated and expanded lab services will be part of the work.

Construction will be phased over three years to allow uninterrupted services and to maintain patient capacity.

Projects covering 38,000 square feet will cover work on the entire second floor of St. Luke's West Medical Office Building and part of the second floor of the main hospital.

Archimages Inc., of St. Louis, is the architect. McCarthy Building Cos. is the contractor.

The primary goal of this project is to continually focus on increasing comfort and privacy for patients and their families, while enhancing operational efficiencies, Don Miller, St. Luke's vice president of operations, said in a statement.

Tim Bryant covers commercial real estate, development and other business stories for the Post-Dispatch. He blogs at Building Blocks, the Post-Dispatch development blog.

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Renovation projects set to begin at St. Luike's

Houston, TX (PRWEB) January 01, 2014

MW Design is ready to help homeowners in their remodeling projects for the new year and points to an example of a custom home they recently completed.

Situated on almost a full acre of land, the home features a stainless steel pivoting door, coffered ceilings and vistas, a covered terrace, and a lap pool. The space contains low-profile furniture in order to maintain its openness. Theres also a free-standing horizontal fireplace and surrounding stone slab wall. The circular dining room serves as the heart of the home, as food is at the center of all celebrations. The semi-private kitchen is surrounded by large sliding windows which overlook the pool and waterfall spa.

On the houses opposite side, the family room features custom art created by family members and is surrounded by favorite photos, books and keepsakes on the wall-to-wall, built-in library. The west wing contains a gym and the bedrooms.

The best part of the home is its design with the latest energy-saving materials, equipment, and LEED construction practices. Therefore, its carbon footprint is small, and it uses the electricity of a house half its size. It is dynamic, peaceful, exciting, chic, grand, and cozy all at the same time.

MW Design delivers distinctive designs, dependable service, durable and green construction, and the best value for the money invested. They believe all projects deserve only the best, and delivers nothing but the best to all their clients. The business is located at 1211 Antoine Drive in Houston. For more information, please visit their website at http://www.mwdesigngroup.com, or call 713-622-0990.

About the Company: As a Houston custom home builder, MW Design's attention to detail begins at the outset. Through the oversight of a group of skillful contractors, MW Design & Construction brings beautiful, high-quality architecture to life when building a custom home. They also offer design solutions for more efficient, green home construction.

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MW Design Recommends Remodeling for the New Year

ST. CHARLES When the Kane County Forest Preserve District bought the property which is now the Creek Bend Nature Center within LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve, the district spent $2.5 million to remodel and add on to the 1930s house.

Four adults attended a program there Sunday on "The Nature Network: Make a Green Resolution."

Naturalist Ben Katzen said the district put in upgraded energy efficient windows, motion detector lights and room-by-room climate controll. All work together to keep the older building's energy costs down.

Katzen led the group through the older parts of the house that are available for rentals. He also took them on a tour the upstairs where bedrooms were converted to offices, work and conference rooms and in the basement, where nature program supplies are stored.

One of the things done to the older building during the remodeling was to add a supplemental heating system to the existing boiler and radiators, Katzen said.

"People have told me they love the heat from radiators versus forced air heating," Katzen said. "But the problem is there's a lot of hot and cold spots. This side of the house designated for rentals and parties and things. You want to have a lot more control over the climate."

The supplemental climate pads allow for heating and cooling of each individual room, in addition to the radiator heat, he said.

The district rents out various rooms for private parties such as for weddings, showers, graduations and various banquets.

The basement is the nature education headquarters, Katzen said, where a donated insect collection is kept, along with animal and wood artifacts and craft supplies.

Because the district renovated the 80-year-old house, some aspects were more expensive than building new, he said. These include adding an elevator so it would be handicapped accessible, putting in new water heaters, water filtration and sprinkler systems.

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Tour of 'this old house' gives some green remodeling ideas

One thing is clear from a trip down memory lane at Beech High Schools Archive and Museum: school was different back in the day. Girls played sports in pleated skirts and hats and boys drove their younger classmates to school in horse-drawn buggies. Students wrote with pens and ink wells, coal was used for heat, and whoever got to school first was responsible for starting the fire.

For Beech High School alumni, now theres a place where that past meets the present thanks to the preservation efforts of two enterprising students.

Corey White and Paige Likes, both seniors, spent much of their spare time this fall semester after school and on weekends reorganizing, remodeling and archiving documents and memorabilia at the schools in-house museum and archive. Although the archive room was established when the current Beech High School opened in 1980, it had not been maintained for several years, said Coach Darrin Joines, who teaches marketing at the school. White and Likes voluntarily took on the project as part of a DECA Club campaign for Joines class.

Everything was all scattered, White said. There was junk, chairs, some podiums and other furniture just everywhere.

Now open to the public by appointment, the exhibit celebrates the schools storied, more than 100-year history in the Shackle Island community.

Named for the numerous Beech trees nearby, the original Beech School was built in 1910 on land donated by Montgomery Hutchison, according to records on file at the Sumner County Board of Education Archives. Because little county funding was available, Shackle Island community members pooled resources and donated time to build the school, records show.

The school originally served students in grades 1-8, but was expanded in 1914 to include the first Beech High School.

Until White and Likes took on the project, both admit they knew little about their schools history, they said. They enlisted the help of their classmates and received advice from Kay Hurt, archivist for the Sumner County Board of Education.

We didnt know what anything was or what to do with it; we were really overwhelmed at first, Likes said. Both were surprised by how much detail goes into archiving and preserving important records, they said.

We learned so much from (Hurt), White said. She explained the significance of everything in (the archive) and gave us a lot of ideas about how we should organize it.

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Beech High students give new life to archive room of history long forgotten

Locker rooms at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh in Scott will be closed for renovations in the first three months of the New Year, but the swimming room, gymnasium and all other wellness and fitness facilities will remain open and operating.

The $500,000 project is funded by a county grant and with donations from supporters of the JCC.

A grant from the Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County will be administered by Allegheny County Economic Development.

Improvements to the mens and womens locker rooms include replacing the floors with slip-resistant green tile. There will be new walls, ceilings, lighting, lockers and benches as well as plumbing upgrades. Drains will be added to the locker room area. Safety bars and bathing suit spinners will also be added.

The JCC applied for the county grant and qualified "because of the size of the community we serve," said Dan Garfinkel, director of the JCC South Hills branch. "We try to never turn away anyone because of need. Last year we provided over $2 million" in assistance.

Renovations are expected to begin Jan. 6 and continue for 12 weeks through the end of March.

About 1,000 members regularly use the wellness and fitness facilities, plus 2,500 members of the Silver Sneakers senior fitness program for people 65 years old and older.

Because of the locker room renovations, a shower has been installed at the 25-yard, six-lane indoor heated pool, which is used by JCC members as well as 40 members of the Tidal Waves Swim Team, for students in grade school through high school, Mr. Garfinkel said.

Members working out in other facilities can use the regular restroom for changing, or are welcome to use the JCC in Squirrel Hill.

Built in 1999, the Jewish Community Center "houses comprehensive fitness and wellness facilities," the news release says. In addition to the swimming pool, there is a double-court gym and an accessible outdoor playground.

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Locker rooms at JCC South Hills closed for remodeling