Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

CAPE CORAL, Fla. - If you want to build a shed in Cape Coral, you might have an easier time after Monday's city council meeting. The city is considering letting people build sheds on the sides of homes, something, that's not previously allowed unless you ask for a special exception.

"Obviously there's a lack of storage space in Florida," laughed William Orsine.

He installed a shed in 2006, following proper permitting processes. But hearing that the city could allow people to sheds on the sides of homes has him worried it might cause clutter.

"I don think they should. Cape Coral is tight for a reason. It's a pretty residential neighborhood," he said.

It's required in the city that you place a shed in the back. But WINK News found out a majority of the homeowners who requested to build a shed on the side of the home, were allowed to build it after a lengthy process.

The request for sheds on the sides of houses is one of the most commonly requested variances in the city, which is why they're now reconsidering the rules.

"Provided (the shed on the side of the home) meets side setback requirements and provided that there's screening in place in the form of a wall, landscaping, or a combination of the two," explained Planning Team Coordinator Mike Struve, with the City of Cape Coral.

WINK News found mixed reactions on Facebook.

One resident tells us, "We wanted to build one, to many rules and regulations for nothing, we need a permit to breath in this town, so we gave it up."

Another says,"I think it is good you need a permit. Our neighbor has multiple things outside including sheds and other junk. No one does anything about it. He doesn't have any permits."

See the rest here:
Cape Coral considers easing its shed regulations

Photographer: Kevin Anderson/Bloomberg

Ford Motor Co. F-150 trucks move along the assembly line as employees work at the... Read More

Ford Motor Co. F-150 trucks move along the assembly line as employees work at the company's Kansas City Assembly Plant in Claycomo, Missouri. Close

Close

Ford Motor Co. F-150 trucks move along the assembly line as employees work at the company's Kansas City Assembly Plant in Claycomo, Missouri.

The buzz entering the Detroit auto show that began today was that Ford Motor Co. (F) would deliver one of the events most important introductions, an F-150 destined to be the first high-production vehicle with an aluminum body.

While Ford didnt disappoint, its official presentation was almost absent any mention of the word aluminum.

In prepared remarks as a series of new F-150s burst through paper walls onto the floor of Detroits Joe Louis Arena, Ford executives used tough to describe their newest pickup at least eight times. Raj Nair, the automakers product chief, underscored that the new vehicles frame is made of steel -- stronger, he said, than the steel the companys competitors use in their heavy-duty models. Only after that was the word aluminum uttered, and those in the stands heard it once.

Its a sensitive subject, said Kevin Tynan, an auto analyst for Bloomberg Industries. With any such change in direction, there will be doubts and incessant questions about whether it was the right move, the right time, and whether the execution is progressing according to plan.

The F-150 represents a big gamble for Ford. The Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker is taking risks with its top-selling and most profitable model to shed as much as 700 pounds (318 kilograms) and close in on 30 miles (48 kilometers) per gallon in highway driving, people familiar with the trucks performance have said.

Read more here:
Ford F-150 Sheds 700 Pounds in Gamble for Industry Heavyweight

Eversenses add-on to their existing thermostats uses Apples Bluetooth iBeacon technology to intelligently regulate room temperature.

Jan 13 2014, 8:16am CST | by Bijon Kumar Pramanik

Auras are small iBeacons that will soon become an addition to the EverSense smart thermostat. It will allow iBeacons to sense nearby iOS devices and adjust the room temperature accordingly. After the setup, the house owner will be able to control any room temperature with an Aura by entering that room.

Thermostats are normally placed in hallways and similar places. The temperature in out of the way places such as hallway is often different from the temperature in other rooms. A temperature in the kitchen is very different from the temperature in the living room or hallway. With Aura, EverSense takes care of this problem. The user can add more Aura iBeacon sensors any time. Since they use NFC and Bluetooth Low Energy, they can last about two years.

iBeacons can be any small devices with Bluetooth, or iOS devices. They allow businesses to send any type of information to iOS devices near an iBeacon. Apple is currently using the iBeacons to send to their customers in-store notifications. MLB, Macys and InMarket are also using iBeacons, and CES is using them for the scavenger hunt event.

EverSense expects the new Aura iBeacon to be available to the owners of their thermostats sometime this year.

Source: 9to5mac

See the rest here:
EverSense introduced at CES its new ‘Aura’ iBeacons for room temperature control

The saga of former Cardinals outfielder Jim Edmonds' proposed Clayton restaurant has taken another turn.

Edmonds and business partner Mark Winfield announced in August of last year that they would open Edmonds Parkside Grill in Clayton on the Park, a residential building at Brentwood Boulevard and Bonhomme Avenue.

On Jan. 2, however, Winfield told the Post-Dispatch, "The deal is dead."

Winfield explained that negotiations between the partners and the Koman Group, which owns Clayton on the Park, had hit a snag.

"It financially didn't make sense," he said.

The Koman Group didn't respond to a request for comment. However, the Post-Dispatch has obtained what appears to be a letter written by Koman Group managing director Jason Braidwood on Clayton on the Park letterhead and addressed to the building's residents.

In the letter, dated Jan. 3, Braidwood writes, "We were aware that there was some negative press on the subject [of the Clayton on the Park restaurant] as our phones started ringing on the morning of January 2. Note that we declined to respond for a variety of reasons. In sum, there is little to report despite the statements made within the articles. We continue to work with our tenant toward opening the restaurant as quickly as possible."

The letter identifies the tenant in question as Jim Edmonds and Mark Winfield, doing business as "Edwin."

The letter continues, "The plans that Edwin believes work best for the space (inside and out) have resulted in an unanticipated high construction budget. We are therefore working together to value engineer the plans and budget to make it work for both parties. This process has been collaborative with shared goals. Both landlord and tenant very much want the building as soon as possible. ..."

Asked this morning about this "collaborative" process to "value engineer" the Edmonds Parkside Grill proposal, Winfield said, "As of right now, we are not involved."

See the original post:
Jim Edmonds' Clayton restaurant dead? Landlord disputes status

Wendys opened the doors to its second Hamilton restaurant in Te Rapa yesterday (Monday 13 January).

Hamiltonians have already taken to the chains old fashioned burgers, with Wendys first Hamilton store setting a new world record when it opened in Frankton six months ago.

The new restaurant on Te Rapa Road has cost Wendys more than $4 million and taken a total of 17 weeks to build, with Auckland company Dominion Construction putting the finishing touches on the fit out over the holiday period.

Wendys CEO Danielle Lendich says a total of 30 new crew have been employed as a result of the opening, with some of the Frankton crew moving to Te Rapa and new recruits taking their place at the Frankton outlet.

"The management team have all been employed since April last year and completed their initial training in Auckland with the majority then honing their skills at the Frankton store.

"Some have also helped with the opening of our new Christchurch restaurant, and a few have now been promoted to more senior positions with crew stepping up into management."

Lendich says local support has been huge with the Frankton restaurant doing the most sales in its first week of any Wendys anywhere in the world and breaking the weekly record by 6.7 percent.

Busy staff made more than 20,000 burgers, and menu items unique to Wendys like its baked potatoes and chili were also top sellers says Lendich. Customers ate their way through more than 200kg of potatoes and 150kg of chili, with extra sacks of potatoes driven in on opening day to keep up with demand.

She says a dedicated Facebook page set up by Waikato supporters had been a big motivator, as had Wendys own Facebook page which had been "going nuts".

"Were proud of both Hamilton stores and the combined team we have in place," says Lendich. "All up weve created 70 new jobs for the local community which I think anyone would acknolwedge is significant."

Read more from the original source:
Wendy's opens second Hamilton store in Te Rapa

Lake Forest, CA (PRWEB) January 13, 2014

Grand opening on February 8, 2014 is the first village at Baker Ranch, a new recreational and open space-oriented 2,380-home community on the largest undeveloped site in the scenic Orange County city of Lake Forest, CA.

Created through a partnership between Shea Homes and Toll Brothers, Baker Ranch is planned to encompass nearly 375 acres atop a broad mesa bordered by roughly 900 acres of open space and situated along the foothills of Lake Forest, CA. At build-out, the new community is envisioned to offer three villages encompassing nearly 2,380 residential units within neighborhoods of single-family detached homes, townhomes and other attached living residences as well as apartment homes. Plus, more than 30 acres of parks and recreational facilities are planned; and Baker Ranch residents will pay NO Mello-Roos taxes.

Village One at Baker Ranch will officially grand open on February 8, 2014 with six residential neighborhoods and an impressive offering of parks, pools and other recreational and social amenities making it the first and only new master-planned community to open in Orange County in 2014, said Seth Ring, President of Toll Brothers Southern California Division. And, since Baker Ranch residents will not have to pay any Mello-Roos taxes, theyll benefit from a lower cost of living as compared to other Orange County planned communities.

In addition to the homes by Shea Homes and Toll Brothers, Baker Ranch is envisioned to include a wide range of recreational facilities including a Central Linear Park in the heart of the community, the sport-oriented Baker Ranch Community Park, The Grove clubhouse with resort-style lagoon pool/spa, cabanas, and separate quiet pool and spa area, as well as several additional neighborhood parks. Plus, Baker Ranch has been planned to include Borrego Linear Park, highlighted by a multi-user trail system which runs along a portion of the Borrego Wash and connects with the County of Orange regional trails network, leading to thousands of acres of open space at nearby Limestone Canyon and Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park.

Baker Ranch also is central to key highways including the Foothill Transportation Corridor (241 tollroad), the I-5 and I-405 as well as major employment centers, shopping, dining and entertainment, and miles of beaches along the Pacific Ocean.

The combination of Baker Ranchs view-oriented setting and its many recreational/ social amenities combined with its proximity to open space, recreation, quick and easy access to employment, the beach, and all sorts of additional Orange County destinations, makes Baker Ranch the most highly anticipated new planned community to debut in Orange County in 2014, said Bob Yoder, President of Shea Homes - Southern California Division. In fact, more than 5,000 prospective homebuyers have already registered on the Baker Ranch Information List found at our new community website, http://www.LiveatBakerRanch.com. And, we just launched our Baker Ranch Facebook page as well.

The new Baker Ranch website offers engaging videos from the Baker Ranch planning team and even local community leaders, details on the collection of Village One homes by Shea Homes and Toll Brothers, facts and figures about local schools and open space parks, as well as illustrations of the many on-site recreational amenities now preparing for Baker Ranchs early 2014 grand opening. Additional content is expected to be added to the Baker Ranch website and Facebook page as the grand opening approaches.

Baker Ranch is within the acclaimed Saddleback Valley Unified School District, which is ranked among Orange Countys Top 5 Best School Districts. The Saddleback Valley Unified School District features more California Distinguished Schools than any other in the state, including its award-winning El Toro High School which is ranked in the Top 10% in the nation. _____________________________________________________________________________ Baker Ranch is being created through a partnership between Shea Homes and Toll Brothers.

Shea Homes Southern California is a division of Shea Homes Limited Partnership, one of Americas largest privately held homebuilders. As a member of the Shea family of companies, which is celebrating its 132nd anniversary in 2013, Shea Homes has won numerous prestigious awards for quality, integrity, innovation and customer satisfaction. Shea Homes pursuit of excellence is typified by Shea Superiology, the art and science of designing and constructing homes that offer homeowners superior value by maximizing their quality of life, minimizing their costs and making a positive contribution to the environment. For more information, please visit the company's website at http://www.SheaHomes.com.

More here:
New 2,380-home Baker Ranch Community Prepares for February 8, 2014 Debut by Shea Homes and Toll Brothers on The ...

ORB the Plumber
Came into the bathroom to find ORB plunging. Good thing the toilet was already clean 🙂 ORB is going to have many different job paths in his future the way h...

By: For The ORB

Read the rest here:
ORB the Plumber - Video

Jan. 13 (UPI) -- When Oprah Winfrey isn't interviewing celebrities or receiving the Medal of Freedom from the President of the United States, she can be found at her other job, being a plumber.

Winfrey's good friend and CBS anchor Gayle King shared a hilarious picture of the talk show host "at her other job" on Sunday.

The Instagram shot shows the 59-year-old star casually fixing a toilet in her Maui home.

"Stars they are just like us," King captioned the pic. "@Oprah at her other job plumber ....who knows how to fix the toilet .."

In addition to being a a co-anchor of CBS's This Morning, King is the editor-at-large for O, The Oprah Magazine, and is a close friend and business associate of the acclaimed actress, producer, and philanthropist.

[Instagram]

Recommended Stories

Lindsay Lohan planning tell-all memoir

Dec 16, 2013

Oprah Winfrey explains why she never had children

Read this article:
Gayle King shares picture of Oprah Winfrey fixing her toilet

Ilminster man gives up booze for cancer charity

8:00am Monday 13th January 2014 in News

A RETIRED plumber is going teetotal to inject much-needed cash into cancer research.

Michael Drayton, 64, said he decided to take on the month-long Dryathlon challenge, both to fund the charitys lifesaving work and in memory of his brother-in-law, who lost his battle with cancer in March last year.

Michael, of Listers Hill, Ilminster, said the hardest part is going to be cutting out the temptation to pick up a glass of his favourite red wine.

He told the News: I just thought I would give it a go because all the money goes towards research and my daughter, who works for the charity, said there are lots of promising things coming through.

My friends would tell you that I am partial to a drop of red wine so giving that up will be a bit of a wrench for me.

Every hour, more than three people are diagnosed with cancer in the South-West, according to Cancer Research UK.

Last year, across our region, 2,000 people signed up to the challenge, helping too raise 155,561.

Dryathlon challenges those with enough willpower to drop the drink and people can get sponsored by family, friends and work colleagues or simply donate the money they save by going dry during January.

See the rest here:
Ilminster man gives up booze for cancer charity

Natural Organic Pest Control!
So you can eat the veg you grow and not poison yourself 🙂

By: Victoria Melia

Read more here:
Natural Organic Pest Control! - Video