Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

By Jamie Gold Special to the U-T 2 p.m.Jan. 17, 2014

Backsplash systems offer lighting and electronics charging.

Theres a saying in fitness circles that great abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym. Essentially, it doesnt matter how many crunches and sit-ups you do if your pantry, fridge and stomach are filled with junk food. You may get a fantastic six pack, but no one will see it, notes Chula Vista-based registered dietitian Elisha Daigneault.

This is not an article about eating right or working out, though doing both has helped me lose 100 pounds and keep the weight off for the past two years. This is about remaking your kitchen so it supports your health and fitness resolutions for 2014 and beyond.

I always start a remodeling plan by asking clients whats remaining in the space, if anything. If your New Years resolution is to lose weight and get fit, whats remaining in your kitchen is a crucial question. Donate or store away the ice cream maker and deep fryer. They dont need to occupy visual, mental or counter space. Consider replacing them with a slow cooker, juicer, indoor grill and steam oven, all of which can help you make healthier food.

Slow cookers add convenience to healthy meal prep.

Small appliances like a slow cooker or grill are great for making cooking more convenient, Daigneault notes. But she adds that their lack should not be a hindrance to eating well. For example, if you dont have an indoor electric grill, a grill pan that sits on a stove or cooktop burner can certainly suffice, and a steamer insert can substitute for a countertop or built-in steam oven. Your schedule, space and budget will dictate which options work best for your kitchen. The point is to optimize your ability to make healthy meals at home.

If youre planning a kitchen remodel or appliance upgrade, consider a combination convection-steam ovens as a microwave replacement. Theyll do everything the micro will, except make popcorn and thats frankly no loss to your health goal.

Another remodeling must-have is adequate cooking ventilation. So many cooks dont use their hoods because theyre noisy and inefficient. Pair a good, quiet vent hood with a new induction cooktop or range and youll have a high-performance cooking zone.

I recommend induction ranges and cooktops over gas or electric whenever possible because theyre safer (using no flame); easier to clean, so youll cook more often; more energy efficient, saving you money for organic food and workout gear; and faster, so youll get dinner on the table quicker.

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Kitchen conditioning

By Meghan Moravcik Walbert, Special to The Morning Call

10:21 p.m. EST, January 16, 2014

Forks supervisors approved a plan Thursday night to bring a new medical office building, fast-food restaurant and bank to the township next year.

Developer Dennis Benner said he does not yet have tenants lined up for the two-story, 20,000-square-foot medical office building, the fast-food restaurant with drive-thru, or the bank.

"There is always a hesitancy [to seek tenants] before plan approval," Benner said. "Now, that effort will start in earnest."

Benner said he hopes to break ground on the site at Sullivan Trail and Rensselaer Avenue this spring or summer and complete construction by the same time next year.

The board gave unanimous preliminary approval. Final approval is still expected in the coming months.

"The crux of the layout is complete, it's just the nitty-gritty details now," township engineer Scott Muller said. "This plan is not going to change land layout-wise between preliminary approval and the final approval."

The complex will be accessible to vehicles from both Sullivan Trail and Rensselaer Avenue.

Supervisor John O'Neil raised concerns over traffic backing into the intersection as northbound vehicles line up on Sullivan Trail to turn right into the complex. But Muller said he doesn't foresee that issue.

See the article here:
Forks Township OKs new medical office building

Eurozone construction output shrunk for the third consecutive month in November, data released by the statistical office Eurostat showed on Friday.

Total construction declined 0.6 percent month-on-month, following a 1.1 percent fall in October, which was revised from a 1.2 percent fall reported initially.

Building construction decreased 1.1 percent, while civil engineering output rose 1 percent.

In EU 28, construction output fell 1.1 percent monthly, after a 0.3 percent decline in the previous month. Output decreased for the third successive month.

The biggest monthly declines were noted in the Czech Republic, Romania and the U.K. The largest increases were witnessed in Slovenia, Poland and Hungary.

Year-on-year, euro area construction output shrunk 1.7 percent in November, after a 2.3 percent slump in October, revised from a 2.4 percent fall.

In EU 28, output dropped 1.6 percent, following a 1 percent decrease in October, which was revised from a 0.8 percent decline.

by RTT Staff Writer

For comments and feedback: editorial@rttnews.com

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Eurozone Construction Output Declines For Third Month

A developer says neighbouring residents and office workers shouldn't fear the steady "thump, thump" noise emitting from the worksite of a new seven-storey residential/commercial building at the intersection of Sydney and Second streets.

JC Godard, president of Tri-Star Living, said Thursday that ongoing pile driving won't be powerful enough to damage nearby buildings.

Tri-Star began construction of the seven-storey Knox City Centre on Monday.

In addition to some neighbouring residences/offices on Sydney Street, there is the Service Ontario-Chamber of Commerce building on the north side of Second and the First Cornwall Place multi-office building to the east.

"We had a monitoring device placed on a building," Godard said.

Godard explained the force of the pile driving has only reached about 25% of the allowable limit.

He added that inspections were made on surrounding buildings to give a clear picture of their condition before pile driving began.

Pile driving was required because the soil "was too soft" to support a large building, unlike his nearly completed Kings Landing apartment building on Montreal Road East.

The pile driving is expected to finish in about three weeks.

Godard said there is an added construction cost when piles are needed, and he is grateful to the city's Heart of the City funding program for providing about $1.3 million in property tax relief.

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'Thump, thump' of new Cornwall development

Road construction at the intersection is Saluda Street and Black Street in Rock Hill. DANO'MARA

Ongoing construction in and around downtown Rock Hill means more detours and road closures over the next few months.

Next week, city officials expect extensive utility work around the site where a new park, office building and parking garage are under construction near the corner of East Main Street and Elizabeth Lane.

Workers will begin pipe installation and patching road cuts along Elizabeth Lane between East Black and East Main streets. Lane closures will be in effect along parts of several downtown streets, including East Main, East Black and Saluda streets and Elizabeth Lane.

Access to the Comporium Communications drive-thru window and the rear employee parking lot will remain open for the next two weeks. Currently, customers and employees can access those areas from Elizabeth Lane. By the end of the month, that access will switch to East Black Street.

The parking garage, office building and new Fountain Park are part of the city and Comporiums Old Town East redevelopment project to revitalize the east end of downtown Rock Hill.

Various road closures and detours are also expected next week in the Knowledge Park redevelopment area along West White and Laurel streets, just west of the downtown area.

Waterline construction along Laurel Street, from Peachtree to West White streets, is expected to continue. The intersection of Laurel and West White streets is expected to be closed during the day and reopened overnight.

For the next two weeks, West White Street, from Laurel Street to Stewart Avenue, is expected to be closed.

Property owners and residents will still have access to their properties in this area, city officials say.

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Road closures, detours planned next week in Rock Hill

St. Petersburg Tribune

CLEARWATER Bruce Bartlett, the second in command under Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney Bernie McCabe since McCabe was elected 22 years ago, has retired.

The 59-year-old litigator, long considered McCabes heir apparent, prosecuted or took part in the prosecutions of some of Pinellas most notorious criminals, including Nick Lindsey, who killed a police officer, and Oba Chandler, the aluminum siding contractor who killed an Ohio woman and her two daughters before dumping their bodies into Tampa Bay.

McCabe described Bartletts role in his office as extremely important, even invaluable. Bartlett, he said, was his right-hand man. He contributed an awful lot to the stability we enjoy, McCabe said. We have to move on without him at this point.

Bartlett said he decided in 2008 to participate in the states Deferred Retirement Option Program, where a state employee can park pension contributions in an interest-bearing account for a designated period, with the understanding the employee then retires.

At the time, the economy was performing poorly and there was talk of eliminating DROP or reducing its benefits, Bartlett said. Another uncertainty was how long McCabe would remain in office, he said.

McCabe said Wednesday he intends to seek re-election in 2016.

Bartlett was in the DROP program from January 2009 through December 2013 and retired after 30 years of public service, said a spokesman with the Florida Department of Management Services.

The lump sum he received from DROP was $449,085. Bartlett also has a gross monthly pension of $6,884, or $82,609 a year. As the chief assistant state attorney, he earned $151,324 a year, according to the office.

After Bartlett decided to participate in the DROP program, the Legislature passed a law prohibiting state employees from being re-employed by a state agency for six months.

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Pinellas-Pasco prosecutor’s office loses No. 2 person

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The Home Depot handpicks installers and home service professionals who meet the highest standards for experience, know-how and customer service to get your HVAC replacement done right. We screen and perform background checks on all of our service providers before we send them out on any HVAC services job to ensure they have all applicable licenses and insurance.

During our FREE in-home consultation, we'll determine the proper equipment needed and work with you to find the ideal solution that fits within your budget should your HVAC system be out-dated or too expensive to repair. If you do need to replace your HVAC unit, The Home Depot has credit and extended service agreements for 5, 10 or 12 years. We can replace air conditioners, central air systems, evaporative coolers, furnaces, forced air furnaces, heat pumps, hot water/hydronic heating systems, ductless mini-splits, gas boilers and air quality systems such as whole-home humidifiers, central humidifiers, central dehumidifiers, central air cleaners and ultraviolet systems.

When you hire The Home Depot for your furnace and air conditioner replacement, you know we'll get the job done right and stand behind our work.

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Certified HVAC System Installation and Replacement at The Home ...

Reputation: 1862

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I have an HVAC system that dates to 1993. The gas furnace part is clearly in bad shape, was when I bought the house, and I knew I'd need to replace eventually. I want to get this thing fixed now, before the cold comes (I'm in Texas). I had a free inspection by an HVAC person who only tried to push total system replacement. After seasonal discounts, this comes to between 5-6K. I don't want to pay that much if I don't have to and the outside unit seems to be OK. Can I just replace the gas furnace part, or will this just cause compatibility or other problems?

Location: On the plateau, TN

Reputation: 8428

You can change just the gas furnace part as long as the outside dimensions are close to what you have now. The A/C coils probably set on top. Not an easy job, but can be done.

Location: WA

Originally posted here:
HVAC: Total system replacement? (furnace, AC, heater ...

Certain telltale signs indicate it's time to consider replacing heating and cooling equipment, or improving the performance of your overall system. It may be time to call a professional contractor to help you make a change if:

Consider replacing it with a unit that has earned the ENERGY STAR label. Installed correctly, these high-efficiency units can save up to 20 percent on heating and cooling costs.

Consider replacing with an ENERGY STAR qualified furnace, which is 15% more efficient than a conventional furnace. If you have a boiler, consider replacing with an ENERGY STAR qualified boiler that is 5% more efficient than a new, standard model.

Your cooling or heating equipment my have become less efficient.

Improper equipment operation, duct problems or inadequate insulation could be the cause.

Install a programmable thermostat or have a good contractor install one and instruct you on its use to start saving energy and money while they're away or sleeping.

Poor equipment operation, inadequate equipment, and leaky ductwork can cause the air to be too dry in the winter or too humid in the summer.

Leaky ducts can pull particles and air from attics, crawl spaces and basements and distribute them throughout your house. Sealing your ducts may be a solution.

You could have an undersized duct system or a problem with the indoor coil of your cooling equipment.

That means your energy use at home is above average and you're probably paying more than you need to on energy bills.

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When is it time to replace? : ENERGY STAR