Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

TACOMA, Wash. Thomas Edisons first public demonstration of the incandescent light bulb happened 134 years ago Tuesday.

But on Wednesday, the lights dimmed for the incandescent because of federal energy efficiency standards approved in 2007.

As of Jan. 1, companies no longer can import or make 60- and 40-watt incandescent light bulbs the most popular bulb for indoor lighting. Instead, LED (light-emitting diode) and CFL (compact fluorescent) will replace incandescents as the dominant home fixture.

The new light bulbs reduce energy use and save consumers money. Experts say 90 percent of the electricity used by traditional incandescent light bulbs is radiated in the form of heat, rather than light.

While the bulb ban prevents the manufacture or import of incandescents, shoppers still can find the bulbs on the shelves. Since people have known the ban was coming for some time, there were no last-minute crowds shopping for incandescents Tuesday, Fred Meyer spokeswoman Melinda Merrill said.

Traditional 75- and 100-watt incandescent bulbs were to be phased out at the beginning of 2013. Home Depot stores in some areas of the country have a six-month supply of incandescent bulbs. Merrill said Fred Meyer has a two-month supply of various incandescent bulbs.

The CFLs have become more popular and LEDs have become more popular, she said.

Lighting is no minor matter at the Tacoma Art Museum, where three galleries are lit with ceramic metal halide lamps. That has allowed the museum to reduce the number of fixtures it has and save money at the same time.

One gallery, which houses the museums collection of Chihuly glass, still uses incandescent lighting at Dale Chihulys request, said museum director Stephanie Stebich.

He prefers a warmer, hotter light and it makes the vessels glow, she said.

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With advent of 2014, lights go out on incandescent bulb

REG Architects, founded byRick Gonzalez Jr., received two merit awards in December from the Palm Beach Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. REG was cited for its work in renovating the Cultural Council of Palm Beach Countys headquarters at 601 Lake Ave., Lake Worth.

The building opened in 1940 as a movie theater and later was used to house a contemporary-art collection, a disco and a restaurant. Palm Beach philanthropist Mary Montgomery donated the building to the cultural council. Said Gonzalez, Its a classic example of adaptive reuse.

The work was financed with a $700,000 grant from the Lake Worth Community Redevelopment Agency.

The other merit prize awarded to REG is for a private equestrian center on 60 acres in Wellington. Hedrick Brothers Construction received the Builder of the Year Award for the project.

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Making merry IberiaBank and Arnstein & Lehr LLP partnered for a fourth year to hold the Heartfelt Holiday Toy Drive to benefit children served by the Achievement Centers for Children & Families. More than 700 toys were donated by employees and the public.

Some were distributed on Dec. 18 at the South Florida Science Center and Aquarium. Santa Claus appeared and handed a toy to each of the 60 children in attendance. They also were treated to a tour of the museum and planetarium.

The toy drive is held in collaboration with the National Arts Institutes Kids Rule the Arts. I wish everyone could see the huge smiles on the childrens faces, said Jennifer Brancaccio, market president for IberiaBank. Steven Daniels, managing partner at Arnstein & Lehr, said the firm is happy to continue the partnership, which ensures that underprivileged children have a memorable holiday.

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PR awards The Gold Coast PR Council, which honors excellence by local public relations and marketing professionals, will host the 10th annual Bernays Awards Luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Jan. 24 at Boca Dunes Golf & Country Club, 1400 Country Club Drive, Boca Raton.

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Architects honored for Cultural Council renovations

PHOENIX - Right in the heart of the hustle and bustle of downtown Phoenix sits a majestic ruin: Phoenix's historic First Baptist Church.

On the outside it appears to be in great shape, but looks are deceiving. One you walk inside you realize it's just a shell.

"This was finished in 1929, just before the depression. It was a big church; 1,400 or more people were here for services. It was designed for chorale singing and mass choirs," said Terry Goddard, former Arizona Attorney General and the self-proclaimed protector of the church.

After 40 glorious years, hymns were silenced as the congregation packed up and moved out, leaving the structure abandoned. To make matters worse, on a cold February day in 1984 tragedy struck the church: a fire broke out inside the sanctuary. The fire continued to burn for two days, causing the roof to collapse.

Although the charred remains act as a scar of it's dark days, the ruins give off a romantic and charming vibe making the future still very bright.

It was former congregation members and a few notable names that have seen the charming potential contained within the church and halted the demolition.

For the past 20 years, this 40,000-square-foot building has transformed into an open-air sanctuary for thousands of birds and nearly 50,000 honey bees who've made camp within the old rose windows. However, a few local architects have drafted plans to renovate the old building.

For the main sanctuary, architects envision a beautiful garden amongst the angelic ruins or an open-air concert venue beneath the starry Arizona sky.

The hallways are dark and tattered, but there are dozens of abandoned rooms that have the potential to be renovated into office space, high-end residential living or even the addition of a black box theater. These are just a couple ideas that have been suggested.

Deep within the basement sits an abandoned boiler, however, could you imagine turning it into a giant pizza oven?

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Architects seek to renovate PHX church

NEW YORK (AP) Art Garfunkel answered the door to his Manhattan apartment holding a framed black-and-white picture of two smiling men. It was a test.

Correctly identifying Phil and Don Everly in the picture would reveal me as a journalist knowledgeable about music and the roots of Garfunkel's career. Flustered, I failed. It should have been obvious.

The Everly Brothers, who will blend their voices no more following Phil's death at 74 Friday from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, were the architects of rock 'n' roll harmony. Simon & Garfunkel were unimaginable without them. John Lennon and Paul McCartney took their cues, too. Their harmonies (and don't forget George Harrison) formed the bedrock of the Beatles' sound.

Like Garfunkel, Phil sang the high notes. He had the lighter colored hair. He would step away from the microphone, like on "Cathy's Clown," to let older brother Don sing a few lines alone and you noticed how unremarkable Don's voice was unadorned. Only when that voice merged with his brother's as a single, new voice did it become special.

Sweet as they sounded, their hits resonated because they taught a huge post-World War II generation as it was growing up that love wasn't all roses, blue skies and candy. "Bye bye love," they sang. "Bye bye happiness. Hello loneliness. I think I'm a-gonna cry."

In the sumptuous "All I Have to Do is Dream," the romance is frustratingly unrequited. "I need you so, that I could die," they sang. "When Will I Be Loved," they wondered. Even success was fraught with worry: the couple in "Wake Up Little Susie" fretted over whether anyone would believe their excuses when they fell asleep watching a movie.

With their two acoustic guitars and a sound that referenced rock and country, the Everlys would be categorized today and be mostly on the country music charts. Thankfully, things were freer when they were young and their music was heard by everyone.

Phil and Don Everly pioneered another rock staple: feuding partners, often brothers, who were never as compelling apart as they were together. Phil famously threw down his guitar and walked offstage during a 1973 gig in California, prompting Don to tell the crowd, "The Everly Brothers died 10 years ago." Ray and Dave Davies of the Kinks carried on that fractious tradition, as did Noel and Liam Gallagher of Oasis.

Simon & Garfunkel invited the Everly Brothers to be their opening act for a 2003 tour. Paul Simon, often exasperated by his on-again, off-again partner and quite accomplished on his own, couldn't help but be amused by the irony of two partnerships where real-life harmony didn't match what was onstage. Phil and Don hadn't seen each other for three years before meeting in the parking lot before the first show.

Famous fans paid their debts. Simon and Garfunkel could have invited anyone for that 2003 tour. McCartney opened the door for "Phil and Don" in his 1976 hit "Let 'Em In" and wrote the single "On the Wings of a Nightingale" for their 1984 reunion. Rockpile partners Dave Edmunds and Nick Lowe recorded an EP of Everly covers and Edmunds produced the "EB 84" album.

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Phil Everly and brother Don were architects of rock 'n' roll harmony

Home Restoration Video

By: Video My Story HD Productions

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Home Restoration Video - Video

Outfitting a play space for children might consist of nothing more than setting up a few old furniture pieces, plastic storage bins and the extra TV.

But some parents want the play space to reflect their design aesthetic. Does the rest of the home read more Eero Saarinen than Superman? More Verner Panton than Pokemon? Is the vibe less Nickelodeon, more George Nelson? If so, youll want to try balancing kid-friendly with cool.

Some options:

Mod Mad

Lots of decor from the 60s and 70s works well in a play space: mod lamps, modular furniture, pop art, and fun, space-age prints for wallpaper and textiles. Hues popular back then orange, yellow, teal, green, white add energy to furniture, cushions and rugs.

New York-based designer Amanda Nisbet used a Roy Lichtenstein print and a chrome-trimmed bubble chair in one of her childrens space projects. Victoria Sanchez, a designer in Washington, D.C., used colorful Missoni fabrics to liven up a teen lounge.

Check out Modshop1.com and Designpublic.com for pieces many of them kid-size that fit the style.

Hip, retro-style robot, typography and animal patterns designed by New Yorker Nancy Wolff are at AllModern.com.

And chocolate, tangerine or red knitted poufs and flat weave rugs with zingy geometric graphics are part of the signature line at Fab.com. For a low-key look that still fits the aesthetic, think smooth-edged Danish modern wood furniture. Armless upholstered club chairs look smart and are perfect for lounging; find new ones at Overstock.com and vintage ones on Etsy.com. Or take a cue from Australian designer Anna Williams and use mid-century credenzas for toy storage check out ThriveFurniture.com and OneKingsLane.com for options at various prices.

Accent with Mad Men -era posters or toy ads, and add floor pillows covered in patterns drawn from the era. Soothing hues like umber, avocado, mustard and sky blue keep the energy relaxed.

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At Home: Cool but kid-friendly playrooms

How to Choose a Sparks NV Roofing Contractor 9 Steps True Green Roofing
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By: Audrey Smith

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How to Choose a Sparks NV Roofing Contractor 9 Steps True Green Roofing - Video

RALEIGH--As the bitter cold blasts across North Carolina, it's posing threats to many homeowners to keep houses warm.

Prolonged cold also puts a strain on older heating systems, like 95-year-old Minnie Shores' furnace.

"As cold as it is, working outside, and I feel for them...but there's not much I can do, I just hope they get through the job quick," she said.

Her heating system broke down on Friday, leaving the temperature in her home at 45 degrees for two days.

"It's been awfully cold....I believe we could keep frozen food in here," she said.

Luckily for Shores, Michael & Son Services, Inc. provided her with a space heater for her home, but technicians said the problem can be avoided with service checks twice a year.

"The most important thing to do is service the unit often, at least twice a year...one time before you are turning on the air conditioning and once before you are turning on the heat," said Jason Litvak, with Michael & Son Services, Inc.

Shores' heating system was 12-years-old, which is about the average life expectancy of a heating and cooling system in North Carolina.

"Here in North Carolina, the units run really hard, since we have both extremes, we get the heat in the summer and we get cold like we are having here in the winter, so a typical life expectancy of heating and cooling equipment here in this state is about anywhere between 12 and 18 years, so most people are replacing that often," said Litvak.

Cooler temperatures also bring a greater plumbing demand, as water heaters are working harder and pipes can burst.

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Furnace repairs heat up during winter season

By Alex Quintana

aquintana@alamogordonews.com

@LX_Quintana on Twitter

The search for water and the need to improve aging infrastructure are top priorities of three Otero County communities as officials sought state funding during the annual Otero County Legislative Capital Outlay Hearing on Friday at the county administration building.

State Reps. Yvette Herrell, William Gray and Zach Cook, and state Sen. Bill Burt, heard several priority projects in need of state funding from Cloudcroft, La Luz and Tularosa. State Sens. Ron Griggs and Cliff Pirtle, and state Rep. Nate Cote, were not present at the meeting.

Mayor Ray Cordova presented the village's top five projects he feels are in dire need of state funding. Cordova said the top priority for the village include improvements to the current water system. The village is asking for about $120,000 in matching funds from the state to support the project.

Cordova said the project itself cost much more. The village, he said, is receiving additional funds from the Colonias Infrastructure Project Fund and the Community Development Block Grant, but matching funds are needed.

"We have water, but we don't have a place to store it, or a means for storage," he said. "We store 3 million gallons of water. That is all we have capacity for. That's about three to four days of water and we are always a little worried."

He said the village needs to upgrade its plumbing infrastructure, which he said was about 60 years old. The project will need $429,000 for the wastewater improvements.

The village is also requesting about $200,000 to building restrooms in four parks; $40,000 to reroof the police department building; and $60,000 to install a central heating and cooling system, as well as renovate exterior walls and windows, of the Tularosa Historical Museum.

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Tularosa, Cloudcroft seek capital outlay funds for water priorities

Published: Saturday, Jan. 4, 2014, 9:00p.m. Updated 18 hours ago

Stainless steel appliances continue to gleam in kitchen remodeling despite some common smudges.

Rob Johnson recently finished decorating a multi-story condo in the North Side. He went the stainless route with some reluctance.

I don't even like stainless, he said with a little sigh. I don't like the fingerprints or the cleaning that is required, but I guess I just went with the crowd.

Lawrenceville architect Ben Maguire said he and his wife are redoing their kitchen and will use stainless steel appliances even though they really do not like the look.

Where are you going to go? he said.

Many options exist for kitchen jobs: black, colors, panels that make appliances blend with cabinetry. Every so often, a bold kitchen designer will predict the demise of stainless steel. But for decades, it has been a clear-cut favorite for homeowners who want to proclaim the seriousness of their kitchen design, said Jeff Martin, head of Primrose Homes, a construction firm, and Heart of the Home, a design and cabinetry company. They are headquartered in Cranberry.

It is the status symbol of what you are doing in your kitchen, he said.

Johnson said equipment availability is one of the main reasons for the popularity of stainless. It guided his choice.

I wanted to get a Viking range; and if you want one of those, you just have to go stainless, he said.

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Stainless steel remains king in choice of kitchen appliances