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Brad Sveinson (seated) of the Manitoba Home Builders' Association with Andrew Stibbard, whose home is being renovated. (PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS)

Home-renovation fever is showing no signs of abating in Manitoba, even though homeowners are scaling back their reno plans in other parts of the country, a new survey shows.

The survey for the Bank of Montreal found 67 per cent of Manitoba/Saskatchewan homeowners plan to renovate their homes this year. That's virtually unchanged from a year earlier, when it was 68 per cent.

But it's a much different story nationally and in most other regions of the country, where the number of homeowners planning to renovate this year is down substantially. For Canada, it's 51 per cent versus 62 per cent in 2011.

The chairman of the 40-member Manitoba Home Builders' Association-Renomark Renovators Council said he's not surprised by the Manitoba results.

"None of our members are seeing any slowdown at all," said Brad Sveinson, co-owner of Character Homes Ltd. "Some of us are already taking bookings for next year."

"Manitoba has always been the Canadian leader in home renovations," added MHBA president Mike Moore. "We may not spend as much as they do in some other regions, but we do more renovating."

A case in point are Winnipeggers Andrew and Stephanie Stibbard. They're in the midst of doubling the size of their 1,330-square-foot bungalow on Churchill Drive by adding a second storey and a four-season sunroom.

"We've got three kids and we were running out of space," Andrew Stibbard said Monday. "So we had a choice to make: move out of our community or renovate and stay in our community. And we love our community... so we decided it was a no-brainer (to renovate)."

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Manitoba Canada's leader in home renovations

At times I felt like I had wandered into the 19th century, a character out of place in a Currier and Ives greeting card as I drove the rolling hills and picturesque towns of New England.

It was early May 2011, and spring in the Northeast was just starting to show itself from trees in bud to daffodils and tulips in bloom. I drove past wild lilac bushes that promised fragrant purple flowers. The scenery was everything I had imagined. My monthlong New Hampshire adventure had begun.

Earlier in the year, I had joined a website that matches people like me (wannabe travelers with a mean case of wanderlust) with people who need a temporary caretaker for their home and/or pets. Two months later, I got my first job. All I had to do was get from Texas to New Hampshire. It was time for a road trip.

After several days and 2,000 miles on the road, I was ready to unpack and stay put for a while.

The two-lane country road twisted and turned as it cut through thick New Hampshire woods, and I relaxed into a leisurely drive through the countryside. Tall pines stood like sentries along the road. I thought about New England at the holidays when these Christmas trees might be laden with snow.

Eventually, I saw a blinking caution light and the sign that announced Lyndeborough NH.

My destination.

Small town, long history

Founded in 1756, Lyndeborough has more people buried in its two cemeteries, some locals say, than the town's living population of about 2,000. A post office, library, town hall, general store, elementary school and village square make up the center of town. I barely blinked and I had passed through it.

My final turn was only a couple of miles down Highway 31. I began looking for my location markers; several mailboxes posted near a stone driveway that goes over a small hill, leading to a green Cape on the right. It couldn't be seen from the road and I loved that.

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A memorable month in Lyndeborough culminates with Memorial Day

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Features such as a health club and security and concierge services may be expected at upscale condominium residences in the Washington, D.C., area, but few reach the heights of including an on-site car and driver for residents private use.

The oldest working quarry in the region is about to become one of the areas most luxurious condominium communities, known as Quarry Springs at Stoneyhurst. At 8101 River Road in Bethesda, this exclusive community of 97 homes in four buildings will rest on a 13-acre site.

While the services and amenities of the homes at Quarry Springs will be stellar, the attractions of the community itself also are part of the draw. A 50-foot, three-level waterfall will provide a dramatic focal point for the neighborhood as it splashes past a gazebo and terrace into a landscaped stream that meanders throughout the community. Hiking and biking trails will lead from the community to Cabin John Regional Park and trails and paths leading all the way to the Mall.

The grounds at Quarry Springs will include a formal lawn, perfect for a wedding, croquet or cricket, and a casual lawn for picnics. Residents will enjoy a community garden, a swimming pool with an outdoor spa, a fire pit and a grilling area with views of the waterfall and stream.

Residents will be able to gather with their friends and neighbors in the 10,000-square-foot clubhouse, which will have a health and fitness club and lounges with pool tables, pinball machines, table tennis and a large TV, as well as a business center, a library, a kitchen and a bar. A cafe and coffee shop also will be on the premises.

Homeowners will enjoy concierge services six days a week, site maintenance five days a week and a daily on-site manager. In addition to 24-hour monitoring, the community will have backup generators to protect residents from power outages.

The individual homes at Quarry Springs, each with two or three bedrooms, will have 2,200 to more than 4,000 finished square feet. Each home will have direct access into the home from a private elevator from the lobby or underground garage. The private garage for some homes can accommodate up to three cars. Each home will have a terrace, and the buildings have been designed so that most residences have a view from windows on one side straight through to the other.

Base prices for the homes range from $1,800,000 to $4,000,000. Condominium fees have yet to be determined.

Buyers can customize their homes with a choice of walnut, cherry or oak flooring in different finishes, as well as 10 styles and colors of kitchen cabinets. Each home has hardwood flooring throughout, granite counters in the kitchen, a Sub-Zero refrigerator, a Wolf gas range, two walk-in closets in the master suite, a gas fireplace and gas heat. The homes have ceiling heights of 10to 11 feet.

Continued here:
Luxury home: Pampered lifestyle in Bethesda condo

GUNTERSVILLE The Marshall County Commission agreed to add a sunroom porch at the rear of the new Douglas Senior Center, currently under construction.

The addition adds an estimated $66,600 to the project and pushes the total cost to nearly $335,000.

The original budget for the project was $372,500, which included $250,000 of community development block grant funding from the state and $122,500 in matching funds from the county.

Even with the addition of the sunroom, were still under budget, said County Engineer Bob Pirando.

The center is under budget because of three factors, outlined in a project summary distributed at a public hearing Monday.

No. 1, officials anticipated higher construction bids when they started the grant application in 2009.

Secondly, the original application included the cost of the buildings concrete pad, but the county ended up doing the work.

Finally, the original project design included a sunroom porch, but officials inadvertently left it off the 2011 bid drawings.

The new center on Stadium Circle is four times larger than the old facility and should be completed later this year.

The Commission had to hold a public hearing on the proposed amendment Monday because the state requires one if the change costs more than 10 percent of the projects budget.

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Douglas Senior Center gets sunroom

HENDERSON, Ky. Anyone who spends any time driving North Main Street in downtown Henderson no doubt has noticed the home tucked into the corner lot at Fifth Street.

With a well-tended rose garden and a gazebo, the home developed in phases over the years had a colorful history in the years before it finally became a family residence in the late 1940s. It holds a world of memories for the family of the late Raymond B. and Hattie Preston, who lived there for 55 years starting in 1953.

The home, now owned by Kent and Jennifer Preston, experienced a 13-month renovation before they moved in last November with their 4-year-old daughter, Sophia. It will be one of six on this year's Ohio Valley Art League's annual Kitchen Tour Saturday.

It took the ice storm of dramatic proportions in January 2009 to inspire Kent and Jennifer to make the move, however.

The ice falling over the region, knocked out electricity and shut down public services.

The house at 520 N. Main St. was sitting vacant while the Preston estate decided what to do with it, but it had electricity and other amenities during that natural disaster, which Kent discovered during a foray to town to check on business interests.

"I called Jennifer and said '520 has power,'" so they packed up baby Sophia and temporarily moved to town from their home on Tscharner Road.

Eventually they would gather about 20 other storm-stressed powerless visitors, including fellow church members who needed refuge. They had a ball sharing meals and watching a DVD of one of the United Way pantomime shows over and over.

"We realized then how much it felt like home," Jennifer said. "Sophia loved it here, so we knew we belonged here."

As sister Viki Brigham puts it in a memoir of 520 N. Main St., "in 2010, Kent took a gulp and asked to buy the house from the estate."

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Ohio Valley Art League's kitchen tour includes North Main Street home in Henderson

Douglas seniors will now have a place to sit and bask in the sun and do a little quilting.

The Marshall County Commission approved the addition of a sunroom for the new senior center that is currently under construction.

According to District 3 Commissioner Richard Kilgore, the addition is estimated to cost $62,000, which falls well within the remaining funds the county had left for the senior center.

Kilgore said if they didnt use the funds for the center, then they would have to return them to the state.

We dont want to send any more back than we have to, Kilgore said.

According to the commissioner, the original cost of the senior center came in at around $260,000, which left about $100,000 left on the grant used to fund the project.

In other business, on a split vote, the commission approved a payment for cost relating to returning a child to Guatemala.

According to Clint Maze, the countys attorney, the commission was ordered to pay for the cost of returning the small child home with his mother because of a state statute.

Maze said the statute requires any expense incurred by foster parents, which is not compensated by the Department of Human Resources, falls to the county treasury.

We understand from the juvenile court that this is a rather isolated incident. The Guardian Ad Litem and court felt this was in the childs best interest, Maze said.

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Senior Center to get sunroom

Decks and patios are ideal for spending time in the warmth and sunshine. Sometimes, though, the weather may not cooperate. Or you may want the comforts of indoor living while enjoying the great outdoors.

LEISURE LIVING, INC.

An all-season sunroom, like this design from Leisure Living, Inc., usually can be constructed right on top of an existing porch or deck.

Adding a sunroom or converting an existing space may be the perfect solution.

Where to Start

Most added sunrooms are constructed on existing patios or decks, noted Mark Swanson, owner with his wife Linda of the sunroom company Leisure Living, Inc., Fairfield (leisurelivingnj.com),

"Folks have a deck built and then a few years later they realize, Hey, Id like to be out there more than just in summer," Swanson said.

The key to bringing the outdoors in, he said, is to maximize glass and screen, and minimize the solid area. This lets you better enjoy the beauty of nature while being protected from the elements.

Some customers start out by adding an awning or pergola to provide shade on their deck or patio, but end up enclosing the entire area, said Chris Canto, owner of Canto Corp. Construction, Maywood (cantoconstruction.com).

"You cant enjoy a deck if its raining or if it gets too hot or buggy, so we close it up," Canto said.

More:
Sunrooms provide months of pleasure

Photo by Travis Pratt

Tuscan Blue Design junior designer Heather O'Connell works at her computer on a kitchen design Wednesday morning in Frederick.

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The 2006 graduate of Gov. Thomas Johnson High School is working three jobs, all connected to interior design in one way or another.

O'Connell is junior designer at Tuscan Blue Design on North Market Street, a position she has held for about six months.

She also works for Kitchen Gallery in Urbana and has just started at Salvage, a downtown Frederick firm that gives new life to antique furniture.

"I worked with a design firm in Mount Airy while I was in high school," O'Connell said, "and I fell in love with it."

Working at three different businesses gives her multiple perspectives on interior design, O'Connell said.

She graduated with a degree in interior design and marketing from High Point University in North Carolina.

Her technical skills blend well with the creativity of Meredith Ericksen, owner of Tuscan Blue Design.

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Interior design more than just colors and fabrics for TJ grad

Toll Bros. is building 13 town homes at Shady Grove Crossing in Derwood, near the Grove shopping center, Olde Towne Gaithersburg, Lake Forest Mall and the Washingtonian Center. The community includes a park with a multipurpose court and a playground. It is near the Inter-County Connector, Interstate 270, and MARC and Metro train stations.

Each home in this Montgomery County community will include a brick front, beaded vinyl siding, professional landscaping and a two-car garage. Individual lawn care is provided by the homeowners association.

Inside, both models feature three bedrooms, 2baths, hardwood flooring in the foyer, 9-foot ceilings on the main and lower levels, vaulted ceilings on the second level, crown and chair-rail molding, a gas fireplace with a marble surround, 42-inch cabinets and recessed lighting in the kitchen, ceramic tile flooring in the baths, a luxury master bath with a soaking tub and separate shower, a pedestal sink in the powder room, a security system, and two-zone gas heat.

The homes have 2,439 to 2,500 finished square feet, with base prices from $496,995 to $519,995. Homeowner association fees are $100 per month.

The Easton model, with 2,439 square feet, is priced from $516,995 to $519,995. This end-unit home features a side entrance into a foyer with a step up into the open living room and dining room, which have multiple windows on two sides.

The main level has a butlers pantry linking the dining room and kitchen and an open floor plan with a family room and breakfast area. This level also has a powder room and a pantry.

Upstairs, the master suite has a double-size walk-in closet and a luxury bath. Two more bedrooms, a second full bath and a laundry room complete this level.

The lower level has a finished recreation room.

Buyers can add a third-floor loft and an addition with a sunroom and a sitting room. An alternate second-floor layout with two master suites is available.

For more information or directions, call sales manager Julie Beahm at 301/330-9677 or visit http://www.ShadyGroveCrossing.com.

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New in Maryland: Shady Grove Crossing

After 26 happy years in the Bartlett home where they'd raised their family, Mary and Keith Daniel were ready to make a change.

"We didn't need more room," said Mary, a lifelong Memphian. "In fact, we thought we might go to a smaller home."

The couple bought 9 acres in Rosemark and prepared to build their ideal home.

Christopher Blank/Special to The Commercial Appeal

"I took one look at it and said, 'I like this house,'" Mary Daniel said of their new home in Bartlett's Hampton Grove subdivision.

Christopher Blank/Special to The Commercial Appeal

In the kitchen, the Daniels replaced the countertops with granite. They also installed plantation shutters.

Christopher Blank/Special to The Commercial Appeal

A fireplace flanked by built-in bookshelves serves as the focal point of the family room in Keith and Mary Daniel's 3,100-square-foot home. After a six-week search, they bought the four-bedroom, three-bath house in August for $226,000.

Christopher Blank/Special to The Commercial Appeal

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My New Home: After finding a just-right house, Bartlett couple is thankful they never compromised