Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Jan. 7, 2014, 2:08 p.m.

SEE inside Debra and Geoff Dickson's energy smart home in Black Hill.

DEBRA and Geoff Dickson only moved into their Esmond Street house in February, but it's already one of the most important of their lives.

They started plans for the house soon after buying the Black Hill property with a cottage on it seven or eight years ago.

Their daughter, who was studying architecture at the time, designed the original layout before they worked with a local architect to perfect the details.

While the house was built, Debra and Geoff moved into the cottage. It was only meant to take two years, but ended up taking longer.

The home is the Dickson family's first build, although they have renovated several houses before.

"My husband has always been interested in building this was a dream for him," said Ms Dickson.

"It's nice to live in a brand new home that's fresh and clean."

The Dicksons last year enjoyed watching their son get married in the house with an intimate group of 24.

Go here to read the rest:
Ballarat at Home: Building a home at Black Hill

Paula Shipley with her cat Mittens outside her Cherryville home that was destroyed in a Sunday fire.

Friends of a Cherryville woman who lost everything she owns in a house fire Sunday morning have set up a fund for others to provide help.

Paula Shipley was asleep about 12:30 a.m. when her kitten woke her up, alerting her to a fire that was consuming her mobile home. She and the cat escaped, but two of her other pets died and the home was a total loss.

Fire investigators say the cause is undetermined, but believe faulty wiring may have been to blame.

Anyone who wants to help can make a donation to the Paula Shipley Fire Fund at any Woodforest National Bank, which has branches inside the Wal-Mart stores in Cherryville, Shelby and Belmont.

Shipley is sleeping on the couch at her nephew and nieces home in Kings Mountain but said she is still in need of clothes and other basic necessities. She had to cut off much of her hair because it was burned while she was escaping her home.

She had insurance, but said shes learned shell only receive a nominal amount to replace all the things she lost.

Im very optimistic, said Shipley, who has a history of helping others and of fostering abused animals. I look at the fact that Im just blessed to have the kitten and blessed that Im alive.

Shipley can also be reached directly at 704-802-4004.

Reach Michael Barrett at 704-869-1826 or twitter.com/GazetteMike.

Read more here:
Fund to help woman who lost home in fire

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (PRWEB) January 07, 2014

Waking up to a blanket of snow can be a beautiful sight but, as winter storms affect states throughout the country, not being prepared can put your home and your pocketbook at risk. Its not too late to keep your home safe and warm this winter season with these 10 tips from TotalProtect Home Warranty, a nationwide leader in home maintenance and protection plans.

When a cold snap hits, the last thing homeowners need is the worry of a broken furnace or frozen pipes, said Sandra Finn, president of TotalProtect. In 2012, the National Weather Service reported $15.6 million dollars in property damage during extreme cold temperatures. That is 181 percent more than during the hot months. Peace of mind is a powerful thing and a little upfront preparation can mean the difference between a stress-free or stress-filled winter.

Tune Up the Furnace: Fire up the furnace to ensure it is working properly. Licensed heating contractors can perform a routine maintenance check-up and make any necessary repairs to reduce breakdowns during a cold spell.

Dont Get Burned: Keep anything flammable three feet from portable or stationary heaters, and make sure to turn off space heaters when going to sleep or leaving a room. Always plug a space heater directly into the outlet, not into an extension cord or power strip.

Keep Water Moving Through Your Pipes: Keeping the temperature inside a home at least 65 degrees Fahrenheit will help keep pipes from freezing; frozen pipes can cause cracks and severe water damage. Should a storm hit and there is power loss, homeowners should turn faucets on to a slight drip; this will keep water moving through the pipes and prevent them from freezing.

Check Safety Alarms: Test carbon monoxide and fire safety alarms and install fresh batteries.

Add or Upgrade Insulation: Homeowners can keep the cold out by professionally insulating their home and caulking window cracks, as well as upgrading to storm windows, which help reduce heat loss up to 50 percent.

Prevent Ice Dams: Keeping an attic well ventilated is essential in preventing ice dams from forming on the roof. A warm attic will melt the snow on the roof, run down to the roofs edge and refreeze where it is much cooler. Ice that has built up and melted could force itself under the roof covering and down the walls, causing serious water damage.

Trim Those Trees: Pruning nearby trees will help prevent ice buildup, which can crack branches, clog gutters and damage the roof.

Read the rest here:
Don’t Get Left in the Cold as Severe Weather Approaches This Winter

Home Security Infographic
Statistics from the FBI Crime Statistics about home security and home break ins.

By: medecolocks

Here is the original post:
Home Security Infographic - Video

Home Mail News Sports Finance Weather Games Groups Answers Screen Flickr Mobile More Celebrity Shine Movies Music TV Health Shopping Travel Autos Homes Yahoo News Search News Search Web Sign In Mail Help Account Info Help Suggestions Yahoo News Home Video Photos GMA Year in Review Odd Comics Travel Opinion Trending Now Who Knew? Weather U.S. GMA Local World World Video Middle East Europe Latin America Africa Asia Canada Australia/Antarctica Business Video Exclusives Today's Markets Stocks Personal Finance Entertainment Video Clinton Concert Celebrity TV Movies Music Fashion Books Arts Theater Dear Abby Comics Odd News Sports Video NFL MLB NBA NCAAF NCAAB Soccer Cycling NHL Tennis Golf Boxing Motor Sports MMA Olympics Tech This Could Be Big Upgrade Your Life Politics Remake America The Issues Women and Politics Press Releases Video Science Science Video Weather News Space / Astronomy Pets Dinosaurs / Fossils Biotech Energy Green Health Video Weight Loss Cancer Sexual Health Medications/Drugs Parenting/Kids Seniors/Aging Diseases/Conditions Blogs The Sideshow Katie's Take Power Players This Could Be Big Newsmakers Trending Now The Upbeat Who Knew? Nightline Fix Beyond the Headline Local Opinion Picture Of The Day Search Keyword News Search

The rest is here:
Urban Home Monitoring System Learns your Behavior

Amid a flood of new competitors, the venerable security giant is offering users a bounty of new features.

These days, consumers interested in protecting their homes have more options than ever before, thanks to security-minded home automation services like SimpliSafe and fee-free, crowd-funded DIY upstarts like Piper and iSmartAlarm that continue to improve. That spells trouble for established industry leaders like ADT, as an increasing number of consumers are finding better value with the little guys.

Today, ADT answered back, announcing a sweeping list of upgrades to ADT Pulse, its premier home security package. Chief among these is the ADT Pulse Voice app, which will enable users to manage their home security and automation needs by way of simple voice commands. In addition, ADT announced Canopy, an app-based security system that promises to keep you covered (get it?) while on the go, providing live monitoring-based "Chaperone" service for situations like entering a dark parking garage or walking across campus at night. There are also additional remote controls for things like garage doors and ceiling fans, along with a new wireless touch-screen control panel -- perhaps a bit of a nod to the popularity of unobtrusive DIY setups that can be installed quickly and don't need to be hard-wired into your home.

The "Chaperone" feature in ADT's new Canopy app will offer live monitoring-based protection while you're on the go.

On top of these upgrades, ADT announced multiple strategic partnerships to help expand the scope of its service. Thanks to a new deal with McAfee, ADT will now offer its users in-depth digital security for their data and devices. A partnership with Ford will put ADT's new voice controls into vehicles equipped with Ford Sync AppLink. A continued relationship between ADT and Ideal Life will allow for focused health and care-giving support.

Beyond those partnerships, ADT is also making a surprising move for an entrenched leader in what some might have called a mature industry. ADT will be offering Canopy integration to third-party hardware manufacturers. That means smaller security device makers will be able to make use of Canopy, and ADT's monitoring service, in their own products.

By offering that monitoring to others, ADT capitalizes on its successful service side, while also strengthening the security offerings and easing the burden of a service overhead from any hardware partner that wants in. That's a savvy move by ADT, and not one we expected.

As strategic shifts go, this one seems to come at a good time for ADT, as the industry bar is definitely rising. Multiyear contracts and significant monthly fees are getting tougher and tougher to justify in light of the competition, and short of reworking its entire business model, the most obvious way for ADT to remain competitive is beefing up its offerings. There's no word yet on how the new services will affect pricing, but you can expect more information closer to the planned rollout this spring.

Excerpt from:
The ADT home security empire strikes back at CES

KUCHING: An in-depth study and referral involving those in the construction industry should be conducted before coming up with measures to prohibit new housing projects from installing rainwater gutters on the roof.

Assistant Minister of Housing Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said he personally did not see the rationale of the proposal to prohibit the installation of rainwater gutters on the roof for newly constructed houses.

I believe the requirement for gutters comes within building by-laws. I am puzzled how the Ministry of Health suddenly came up with this idea of doing away with gutters in new building laws merely because he (deputy minister) thought that it could retain water and thus a breeding ground for aedes mosquitoes, he said when contacted yesterday.

Abdul Karim, who is also Assistant Minister of Youth Development, was commenting on the Health Ministrys proposal that new housing projects be prohibited from installing rainwater gutters on the roof to curb the rising number of dengue cases.

Deputy Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahya said the move was necessary as Malaysians were still unaware that gutters that were not properly maintained could become breeding grounds of aedes mosquitoes.

The Health Ministry also proposed that the Ministry of Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government amend its existing regulations so that all rainwater gutters in existing houses would be removed for effective eradication of aedes mosquitoes.

I personally feel that there is no necessity to do away with gutters. If the problem is the breeding of aedes mosquitoes, then find ways to eradicate the mosquitoes. It is very unlikely that aedes will breed in a gutter unless it is a faulty gutter, said Abdul Karim, who is also Asajaya assemblyman.

He said tropical Malaysia experiences quite heavy rain throughout the year and that houses were fixed with gutters to allow for proper discharge of rain water to the drain.

To enable your comment to be published, please refrain from vulgar language, insidious, seditious or slanderous remarks. This includes vulgar user names.

Originally posted here:
Study needed before prohibiting roof gutters — Abdul Karim

This is the time of the year when we are cleaning up the yard because the leaves have fallen. But sometimes we forget the gutters, and when they are full of leaves and dirt it can be a real mess.

If you dont have gutter guards and you want to have a company install them, hang on to your wallet because its a big ticket item. That happened to me a few years ago, needed a gutter guard in just a small area, and was shocked at the price for installation.

Thats when I found a item that I like to call Not in My Gutter. I know its a silly name but let me tell you its a great gutter guard and is easy to install yourself and talk about reasonable. This is one of those items that I like to start the year with because you can easily Do This Yourself. The NIMG (not in my gutter) comes in a three-foot piece and one edge just slips under the shingle and the other snaps onto the gutter. The NIMG comes in a white or brown made of high quality rigid PVC and will last for years. The price is less than $3. I cant believe what some companies get for installing their own brand.

Another money saving idea that you can do yourself. And 100 foot of gutter guards will cost you just under $100, for a long lasting great gutter guard.

Question: I have a stainless steel sink and at the bottom, by the drain the stainless steel is discolored. I dont want to buy a new sink. So is there a paint, or some product that can color this with? Also what is a good cleaner for stainless steel. I have yet to really find a good one. What do you recommend?

Answer: There is a product that will completely cover up that area on the sink. Its called a Sinktastic. And its a drain cover and strainer all in one. It comes in a stainless steel look and will blend in with the sink. They also make it in white, and black. To clean the sink use a product called Sheila Shine. It works the best. It will clean off those water marks and polish up the sink.

Question: I have a gas log in my fire place that need cleaning and some cracks in the mortar between the bricks. Also the outside of the fireplace has some soot on the bricks. I have a hard time cleaning those bricks. What is a easy way to clean?

Answer: Meeco Red Devil makes a gas log cleaner that you just spray on the hot gas logs. The same product will clean the bricks on the inside of the fire box. Just spray on the bricks and use a stiff brush and rinse off. They also make a fire place mortar that comes in a caulking tube. Clean off the area and then fill the crack. To clean the outside of the fireplace ... TSP and hot water is the best cleaner for brick and stone. Use gloves and mix up the TSP granules and scrub the brick or stone and then rinse and dry off.

Question: I can feel cold air coming around the front door. What is the best product to seal it with? There is a larger gap at the top than at the bottom. I need something easy, not complicated.

Answer: Nothing is easier than the V strip from MD. All you need is a pair of scissors. The V strip comes with adhesive on one side so just measure what you need and cut to fit. It will flex up to of a inch and so if the door is 1/8 gap at the bottom and gap at the top the V strip will take care of it. It will last for up to million door openings and closings. It also works around windows.

More:
‘Not in My Gutter’ a money saving DIY project

This is the time of the year when we are cleaning up the yard because the leaves have fallen. But sometimes we forget the gutters, and when they are full of leaves and dirt it can be a real mess.

If you dont have gutter guards and you want to have a company install them, hang on to your wallet because its a big ticket item. That happened to me a few years ago, needed a gutter guard in just a small area, and was shocked at the price for installation. Thats when I found a item that I like to call Not in My Gutter. I know its a silly name but let me tell you its a great gutter guard and is easy to install yourself and talk about reasonable. This is one of those items that I like to start the year with because you can easily Do This Yourself. The NIMG (not in my gutter) comes in a three-foot piece and one edge just slips under the shingle and the other snaps onto the gutter. The NIMG comes in a white or brown made of high quality rigid PVC and will last for years. The price is less than $3. I cant believe what some companies get for installing their own brand. Another money saving idea that you can do yourself. And 100 foot of gutter guards will cost you just under $100, for a long lasting great gutter guard.

Now to the email ...

Question: I have a stainless steel sink and at the bottom, by the drain the stainless steel is discolored. I dont want to buy a new sink. So is there a paint, or some product that can color this with? Also what is a good cleaner for stainless steel. I have yet to really find a good one. What do you recommend?

Answer: There is a product that will completely cover up that area on the sink. Its called a Sinktastic. And its a drain cover and strainer all in one. It comes in a stainless steel look and will blend in with the sink. They also make it in white, and black. To clean the sink use a product called Sheila Shine. It works the best. It will clean off those water marks and polish up the sink.

Question: I have a gas log in my fire place that need cleaning and some cracks in the mortar between the bricks. Also the outside of the fireplace has some soot on the bricks. I have a hard time cleaning those bricks. What is a easy way to clean?

Answer: Meeco Red Devil makes a gas log cleaner that you just spray on the hot gas logs. The same product will clean the bricks on the inside of the fire box. Just spray on the bricks and use a stiff brush and rinse off. They also make a fire place mortar that comes in a caulking tube. Clean off the area and then fill the crack. To clean the outside of the fireplace ... TSP and hot water is the best cleaner for brick and stone. Use gloves and mix up the TSP granules and scrub the brick or stone and then rinse and dry off.

Question: I can feel cold air coming around the front door. What is the best product to seal it with? There is a larger gap at the top than at the bottom. I need something easy, not complicated.

Answer: Nothing is easier than the V strip from MD. All you need is a pair of scissors. The V strip comes with adhesive on one side so just measure what you need and cut to fit. It will flex up to of a inch and so if the door is 1/8 gap at the bottom and gap at the top the V strip will take care of it. It will last for up to million door openings and closings. It also works around windows.

Question: My padlock that we use on the fence and gate are real hard to turn. What is the best product to use to lubricate them?

Read this article:
HAPPY HANDYMAN: ‘Not in My Gutter’ a money saving DIY project

Posted January 06, 2014

Sammie Coates (18) is key to Auburn establishing some semblance of a passing game. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Its finally here. No. 1 Florida State is set to clash with No. 2 Auburn in Mondays BCS championship game, a matchup that pits a dominating Seminoles squad against a Tigers team that has mounted an improbable one-year turnaround from SEC doormat to conference champions.

The Xs and Os have been dissected for a month now, but what are the under-the-radar keys for each team? Martin Rickman and Zac Ellis provide five X-factors for Florida State and Auburn heading into the game in Pasadena.

1. Jeremy Pruitt and the Florida State defense: Entering the season, it wouldve been crazy to suggest that the Seminoles defense would somehow be better than last years unit. Seven defensive starters were selected in the 2013 NFL draft, and Florida State brought in a new defensive coordinator in Pruitt. The groups success this year is a testament to Pruitts philosophy, which helped the Noles become the nations best defense (according to Football Outsiders S&P+ ratings). The brilliance of Pruitts schemes are in their simplicity. As defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. told SI.com before the the Seminoles 41-14 win over Miami on Nov. 2, He just lets us go and be ball players.

THAMEL: Auburns Lashlees path from running magazine to Tigers offense

2. Nick OLeary: Lets get it out of the way now. Yes, OLeary is Jack Nicklaus grandson, and you should probably already know this if youve watched or read anything about college football this year. Youll certainly hear about it at least once during the broadcast. And yes, OLeary survived a crazy motorcycle wreck, of which Tomahawk Nation has the video. Whats more important to the game on Monday night, however, is OLearys role in Florida States offense. The tight end has been a safety valve for quarterback Jameis Winston all season, and with defenses keying in on the rest of the Seminoles stars, OLeary (33 catches, 557 yards, seven touchdowns) has had his chances to make plays like this:

STAPLES: Florida States receiving corps pose matchup nightmare

3. Sod Cemetery: If the Seminoles beat Auburn, theyll earn the BCS trophy and crystal makes for a nice centerpiece. But Florida State will also be able to bury another incredibly important piece of turf in its Sod Cemetery. For more than 50 years (since 1962, to be exact), the Seminoles have been bringing back some sod from big road victories. This includes turf from games in which they were underdogs, as well as from conference championship games and bowl games. Grass is grass is grass, but sod from Pasadena would be pretty special.

4. Florida State Twitter: The backbone of any successful program lies in its fan base, and its hard to find a more lively and productive group than the Seminoles supporters on everyones favorite 140-character soapbox. Florida State Twitter is a living, breathing entity drunk on recruiting stars and advanced metrics. No other bunch has taken as fervently to the #goacc hashtag that I sired (and continue to love like my own child). Although the hive mentality can get nasty at times, there are some truly great people out there. This has to be good for a point or two in the spread, right?

See the rest here:
BCS title: X-factors for each team