Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Ive always been resistant to making New Year'sresolutions. Im not really sure why. Maybe it seems clich; maybe Im annoyed that my yoga classes are now swamped withpeople who have made resolutions to be more healthy, balanced and zen in the new year. But this year, I am making a new years resolution of a professional nature. Arecent studyfoundthat you are 42 percent more likely to achieve your goals by writing them down, so here...

USGBC has started exploring how to clearly link the market transformation that the green building movement has inspired to its opportunity to create an equallytransformationalimpact on human health. InHealth is a Human Right. Green Building Can Help, a report from USGBCs Green Building & Human Health Summit in early 2013, we examine ways to promote and protect human health in relation to the built environment. Additionally, we have put forth a set of...

In case you missed the Greenbuild excitement, AZURE magazine has you covered. Here were their biggest takeaways from the show: The Speakers Alongside the two big political stars who delivered keynote addresses former Secretary of StateHillary Clintonand statisticianNate Silver Greenbuilds Master Series of lectures featured architect Edward Mazria, who announced the official launch of2030palette.org. The new website provides a wealth of...

This fall, the Center for Green Schools received another wave of impressive applications from around the country for our Trailblazing Teacher Awards - a small grant that we give out to deserving teachers to use toward an environmental initiative in their classroom. The creativity and dedication that shows through each of the educators applications is humbling and inspiring (its no secret that our staff love to be picked as the review committee for these awards). For the second...

Heres our weekly collection of green building clips: Achieving sustainability, Grocery Headquarters. USGBC Vice President of Product Management Lisa Stanley discussed how grocery stores are finding value using LEED, but more work needs to be done. My Green Policy Wish List for 2014, Building Green. Enhanced building codes to heighten resilience in the built environment are high on Alex Wilsons list. Record-Breaking Land Deal Completed in Central L.A., Set to Become the Site of New...

January 1st quarterly addenda to the LEED rating systems and reference guides are now available. Use the credit library to access the new LEED Interpretations. Access LEED Interpretations INTERPRETATIONS There are 71 new LEED Interpretations (10292, 1029810367), including 65 for Homes and Multifamily Midrise (100310367). Here are some highlights: Demonstrating compliance for LEED O+M: Existing Buildings SSc8: Light Pollution Reduction by following values listed in LEED BD...

In regions where words like sustainable and green have difficulty gaining traction, supporters of green building look to alternative methods of getting the message out. TheUSGBC Georgia Chapters 2013High Performance Healthy Schools Summitlooked to a broad audience of parents, students, and educators to address a growing need for healthier learning spaces for the states children. The 2013 summit attracted well over 200...

I experienced my first Greenbuild this year and had no idea what to expect. As the manager of our international marketing and communication efforts, I found it to be an exhilarating experience. A whirlwind of passion, activity and commitment. At USGBC we often speak about how LEED is global language. A language that allows us to distribute intelligence throughout the world. A language that allows us to compare how a LEED-certified building in Beijing is performing with one in Dubai, or Chicago...

Greenbuild 2013 meets Greenbuild 2014 when the Philadelphia Eagles meet the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the NFL playoffs this weekend, and much of the green building community will be cheering for the team in green. Were not partial to the disruptive offense of rookie coach Chip Kelly. And we certainly have no gripes with the Saints, who had a strong presence at this years Green Sports Alliance Summit. Its that Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field, home of...

With only a few short weeks before the New Year, the House and Senate completed a series of important legislative milestones including the bipartisan budget deal. With this budget deal in place, the House and Senate Appropriations Committeewill begin to formally negotiate over the holiday recess by dividing up some $498.1 billion in domestic discretionary spending. They will have until January 15th to negotiate aspendingpackage to replace the expiring continuing resolution...

Follow this link:
U.S. Green Building Council - Official Site

by Jaime Cerreta

azfamily.com

Posted on January 8, 2014 at 8:19 PM

Updated today at 8:28 PM

TEMPE, Ariz. -- For 24 years, Chili's restaurant has anchored the southeast corner of Mill Avenue and University Drive.

But Wednesday at 2 p.m., Chili's served its last meal and closed its doors for good.

"We used to get beers and have fantasy football stuff here," said Anthony Pappas, one of countless Arizona State University students who have dined at the restaurant.

One of the few remaining businesses in the once booming strip mall owned by ASU, Chili's closed to make way for the construction of a $350 million development.

The development will include a basketball arena where Olympic athletes will train, a conference center, and the city's first AAA Four Diamond hotel.

Nancy Hormann, Executive Director and President of the Downtown Tempe Community nonprofit organization, said the development is a much-needed addition to the Mill Avenue area.

See the article here:
Tempe Chili's closes doors after 24 years

Courtesy Madison Water Utility

Plumbers say now is the time to be on the lookout for frozen pipes that will start to thaw and might cause problems.

Korey Ace has been working in plumbing for about 17 years. He and other plumbing repair technicians with Sheldon Plumbing, in Verona, had a busy Wednesday.

News 3 followed along as Ace tackled a job at a condo on Madison's west side.

He said the job started off as a complaint of no hot water. The pipes in the home's utility room were cold to the touch -- something he said is a bad sign.

"This type of weather is not only hard on the plumbers but the plumbing," Ace said.

Ace said now is the time for homeowners to be on the lookout for frozen pipes.

"When things thaw out, then sooner or later that chunk of ice is going to come flying out and water is going to follow it, and that's when the flood damage occurs -- when things warm back up," Ace said.

If you have pipes on an outside wall, try to push some warm air on them, Ace said. If they are frozen, the heat could help residents avoid a break.

"If you have an opportunity to open up the service door to the area and let some heat out in there, it doesn't take very long to thaw things back out if they haven't gone to the extent of freezing so hard the pipes burst," Ace said.

Here is the original post:
Plumber: Warm-up is time to watch for frozen pipe issues

EAST GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - The deep freeze had plumbers all over West Michigan busy with calls of burst pipes and frozen water lines -- but the coming rising temperatures could mean the calls will continue to rise. Before Saturday, it had been years since Sommerdyke Plumbing's Darrin Ackerman fixed a pipe that had burst due to the cold. Starting this past weekend, he said he has fixed about a dozen. "This is just, what is it, a thousand year freeze or something," said Ackerman."I haven't had any in a couple years now -- two or three years -- so this is actually pretty nice 'cause we're busy.But it's kind of nice to be home, [too]." At one East Grand Rapids home Tuesday, there was no water coming to the bathroom faucets. The problem was a burst pipe in the bathroom.

Though it had never burst in the 27 years the homeowner lived there, the water had leaked through the floor and frozen down the outside of the house.The large amount of water created a small ice rink on the porch under the bathroom. When the thaw comes, the plumber told 24 Hour News 8, he may get even busier. Frozen pipes will then thaw, and previously undetected breaks will become clear. When and if that happens to you, Ackerman said it's important to make sure you call a reputable plumber -- not just an unknown person off Craigslist who claims to have plumbing expertise.

The plumber should be licensed with the state, have a history in the area, experience and insurance for the worst-case scenarios. "If we did something wrong, we're insured," he said. "But hopefully that wouldn't happen."

You can check to see if your plumber is licensed here on the State of Michigan website.

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Inside woodtv.com:

Tips to keep your pipes from freezing

Here is the original post:
Make sure your plumber is licensed

If your pipes should freeze, would you know how to defrost them the safe way?

One Northampton County couple said their home caught fire when a plumber went about it the wrong way, using a torch and a heater, but the couple wouldn't go into more detail because of possible litigation.

Firefighters responded to the home on Ahern Drive in Upper Mount Bethel Township on Tuesday.

For the last week, R.J. Walker Plumbing Supply has been selling a lot of material to plumbers fixing frozen pipes, said Luis Acevado, the branch manager.

Weve been getting plumbers throughout the day, especially in the morning," said Acevado. "Many of them coming in looking for fittings and pipe. A lot of frozen pipe out there.

There are preventative measures homeowners can take, like wrapping pipes, but if the pipe does freeze, the American Red Cross has a few tips.

Apply heat to the frozen pipe using an electric heating pad, a hair dryer, a portable space heater, or towels soaked in hot water.

Do not try to correct the problem with a blowtorch, kerosene or propane heater. Also don't use a charcoal stove or any other open-flame device.

Another item flying off the shelves is a pipe warming system.

You want this before it freezes, added Acevado.

Read the original:
Red Cross urges people to thaw frozen water pipes the right way

Frozen water pipes are popping as Southwestern Ontario climbs out of the deep freeze, swamping area plumbers.

Weve had 50 calls in the last 24 hours from homeowners needing help with frozen or fractured pipes, said Perry Smink, a co-owner of Best Plumbing and Drainage in London,

Last winter, the company fielded only a few such emergency calls.

There are people whose whole houses have no water, Smink said.

But the next few days temperatures are forecast to climb to 1C on Friday will either be a relief, or a headache, to area residents battling frozen pipes, he said.

After pipes begin to thaw, any cracks caused by freezing might turn into ruptures and send water cascading through the house.

Frozen pipes shouldnt be put off as a problem that will solve itself, Smink said.

The worst thing would be knowing your pipes are frozen and walking away and saying, Oh, theyll thaw out eventually.

Thats when people return home to basements with half a metre of water in them and drywall sagging off the studs.

It doesnt take much to tip the balance between flowing and frozen, said Bill Salmon, president of Salmon Plumbing in London.

See original here:
Don’t just leave it, plumber warns

ABC Rural Trojan force: researchers say Trojan females look like normal females, but their male offspring are infertile.

Scientists in Australia and New Zealand are working on a new approach in the battle against insect and animal pests, inspired by a fighting tactic from Greek mythology; the Trojan horse.

Pests can eat through crops, wipe out native flora and fauna, and sicken or kill animals and humans.

The New Zealand government estimates that pests cost its primary industries $2 billion per year, in money spent on control measures and loss of earnings due to lost production.

But Professor Neil Gemmell from the Anatomy Department of Dunedin's Otago University believes a new approach to pest eradication using "Trojan females" may ease the pain.

"The Trojan female idea is that, like the Trojan horse in the Troy war, it looks good but it contains something intrinsically bad for that population," he said.

"Our Trojan females look fine, they're normal fertile females, but they produce sons who are infertile which is bad news for the population."

Trojan females are not created through genetic modification, he says, but through a naturally occurring mutation in mitochondrial DNA.

"We could be looking for mutations which occur with the frequency of somewhere around one in 200, one in 300, may be one in 1,000," he said.

"And if we can find them in large populations, which pest populations often are, identify those individuals, bring them into captive situations, breed the females up, then we have a tool potentially we could use for eradication."

See the rest here:
Researchers turn to Greek mythology for 'Trojan female' pest control solution

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At Antonakos Painting, we pride ourselves on delivering the best results to any residential or commercial painting project throughout New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, no matter what the size. No job is too big or too small. From bedrooms to office buildings, Antonakos Painting is committed to you and your ideas. All interior and exterior painting projects are professionally supervised to guarantee they are completed in a timely manner and with the highest level of workmanship, something our clients expect and deserve. At New Jersey painting contractor Antonakos Painting, quality and customer service always come first.

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New Jersey Painting Contractors | Antonakos Painting ...

A long-running billing dispute between the CEO of Pittsburgh insurer Highmark Inc. and the general contractor that remodeled his $2.7 million mansion in Sewickley Heights could be coming to a resolution in the next few weeks.

William Winkenwerder Jr. has been sued by contractor Mark A. LaBella, president of Century Interiors Inc. Mr. LaBella claims that Dr. Winkenwerder and his wife, Mary Pride, stiffed Century Interiors to the tune of $147,274, plus interest.

The total bill for the renovations was about $892,000.

The lawsuit claims the Winkenwerders made regular payments from August 2012, when the massive rehab began, to January 2013. But invoices submitted by the contractor between Jan. 25 and March 3, 2013, have gone unpaid.

The Winkenwerders are claiming that the contractors went overbudget without clearly authorized change orders, and that the final cost of the project was not included in the original contract proposal, a purported violation of the state's Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act.

But, according to Mr. LaBella's attorney, Francis McTiernan Jr. of Wayman, Irvin, & McAuley, the provision of a precise price estimate would have been impossible because the scope of the job and the materials included in the remodeling changed as the rehabilitation was carried out.

The civil complaint, filed in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court, says the Winkenwerders have yet to pay up for substantial carpentry and painting work, the installation of a security system, plumbing work, a new vanity mirror in the master bath, chandelier removal, improvements in the butler's pantry and flower-cutting room, and several jobs carried out by subcontractors.

Century Interiors filed a mechanic's lien in May, and filed the civil complaint in the same month. A conciliation conference has been scheduled between the two parties for Jan. 30, although that could be postponed. If the settlement talks are not fruitful, the litigation would proceed. The Winkenwerders are asking that the suit be tossed.

One of the Winkenwerders' attorneys, Matthew Burger of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, said, "We believe [the] plaintiff's claims are without merit, and have no further comment at this time."

Disputes between contractors and homeowners are common, Mr. McTiernan said, but this one is noteworthy because of the size of the tab and the residence. "You get into more craftsman-type work, the expenses build up very quickly," he said.

Read the original post:
Highmark CEO faces suit over renovation

Midtown Sacramentos long-awaited outdoor beer garden has local beer lovers waiting a little longer.

Construction continues this week at Der Biergarten, located at 24th and K streets. On the beer gardens official Facebook page, co-owners Thomas Roth and Sean Derfield posted photos this past weekend of its near-completion with outdoor lighting, landscaping and bar now in place.

To all my friends, it has been a long year and a half since we started on our newest drinking/dining place here in Sacramento, posted Derfield, who also owns Old Sacramentos River City Saloon. We hope you come down and experience it. I look forward to some of our South City friends visiting and letting me buy you a beer this Spring/Summer.

Hopefully, Der Biergarten will be pouring long before that seasonal change. Expected to open Jan. 2, the beer garden now is looking at an opening sometime later this month. (Stay tuned.)

Billed as Sacramentos first outdoor beer garden, the establishment will feature two dozen beer hall-style tables and about 30 brews on tap. Der Biergarten also holds another distinction: Recycled industrial shipping containers were used for the construction.

For more updates and a look at Der Biergartens growing beer list, visit its official website, beergardensacramento.com.

Call The Bees Debbie Arrington, (916) 321-1075. Follow her on Twitter @debarrington.

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Midtown’s Der Biergarten nearing completion