Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

The challenge is that often, the existing lamps are recessed in the canopy, and modifying the canopy to accept a new fixture can be both difficult and expensive.

Thats exactly why we developed the QCF, a low-profile LED fixture thats a direct replacement for 400W MH or 320W HPS lamps. The energy-efficient fixture is designed with a remote driver, which makes it easy to install, flush-mounted in many gas canopies without any modification to the canopy itself.

The high-pressure, washdown-rated QCF delivers between 103 and 108 lumens per watt. A 141W QCF will provide a 69% energy savings over a typical 458W MH, and a 62% energy savings over a 368W HPS fixture. Using a 141W QCF to retrofit a single canopy with 24 existing 458W MH fixtures can save over $6,800 per year in energy costs.

With fuel canopy lighting, sometimes the quality of the light can be even more valuable to station owners than efficiency. The QCF delivers even lighting that will attract drivers going past on the highway. Thanks to the fixtures low-glare design, those same drivers will experience pleasant, attractive lighting when theyre at the fuel pump as well.

Designed primarily for petroleum canopies at gas stations and truck stops, the QCF is a multi-purpose fixture thats also a good choice for other outdoor canopy lighting applications, like retail and campus walkways.

The QCF is available in a range of configurations in both flush-mount and surface-mount boxes and in a variety of optics. To learn more, download the QCF cut sheet or contact a [P2 energy-efficient lighting professional near you.

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LED Gas Canopy Fixture delivers 103-108 lm/W.

Mold Removal Products There are several products you can use to kill and remove mold. Some of the most effective mold removal products include: The How to Kill Mold on Drywall, Wood, Carpet, Tiles and Grout page also provides instructions for removing mold from specific materials.

The Mold Remediation page gives a step by step guide to remediating large mold problems. It covers protective equipment, spore containment, killing the mold, preventing the mold's return, mold disposal and final clean up.

Unfortunately, however, using bleach is only effective if the mold is growing on non-porous materials such as tiles, bathtubs, glass and countertops. Bleach cannot penetrate into porous materials and so it does not come into contact with mold growing beneath the surface of materials such as wood and drywall. Using bleach on these materials will kill the mold above the surface but the roots within the material will remain and the mold will soon return.

One reason is that bleach cannot completely kill mold growing in porous materials. The chlorine in bleach cannot penetrate into porous surfaces such as drywall or wood. The chlorine is left on the surface of porous materials and only the water component of the bleach is absorbed into the material, providing more moisture for the mold to feed on.

Some of the mold on the surface might be killed but the roots of the mold are left intact meaning the mold soon returns, leaving you in a cycle of repeated bleaching. Perhaps this is why some people believe that spraying bleach on mold doesn't affect it but instead just bleaches its color so you can no longer see it.

Another disadvantage of bleach is that it can damage the materials it's used on as it is a harsh, corrosive chemical. Chlorine bleach also gives off harsh fumes and it even produces toxic gas when mixed with ammonia. There are safer alternatives such as borax or vinegar which don't produce dangerous fumes or leave behind toxic residue. For these reasons try to avoid using bleach and if you must use it, only use it on non-porous surfaces.

Borax is commonly used as a deodorizer as well as for cleaning toilets and drains. Borax is also used as an insecticide, herbicide and fungicide and it can be mixed with water in a solution to kill and remove mold as it is a natural mold inhibitor. You can buy borax in supermarkets for a few dollars from the laundry section.

Another disadvantage of using ammonia is that it is a harsh, toxic chemical. Make sure you never mix ammonia with bleach because the gas they create when combined is toxic. Chlorine mixed with ammonia was even used as a chemical weapon during World War 2.

Additionally, although ammonia can kill surface mold, dead mold and dead mold spores are still allergenic so you will need to make sure to remove them afterwards.

Hydrogen peroxide kills mold effectively on many materials such as clothes, floors, bathroom fixtures, walls and items such as kitchen appliances. Since hydrogen peroxide is a bleaching agent it may also help fade the stain mold leaves behind. Spot test hydrogen peroxide on the material you're going to be cleaning to make sure it won't fade the material's colors.

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Mold Removal, How to Kill Mold with Bleach, Borax, Vinegar

Maid Services, House Cleaning Services and Office Cleaning Service in NYC

Are you looking for excellent maid services for your home, office or property in New York?. Book online our eco friendly cleaning services by professional NYC Maids. Our main focus is to give you the best eco friendly, spotless, clean space as you want. We understand your time so save time with us and leave your maid services needs to our professional and skilled staff.

Your search for maid services has finished with Maid Services NYC! We provide the best and most cost effective maid services in New York City, Manhattan, Astoria, Brooklyn, New Jersey, etc. With every maid service we include the corners, bathrooms, kitchens, living rooms, wash dishes, scour sinks, clean counters, polish furniture, change linens and wash and fold laundry. We custom each NY cleaning services to meet the needs of every clients home. Please complete our online cleaning service estimate form to receive your free cleaning quote.

House Cleaning

Office Cleaning

Carpet Cleaning

Green Cleaning

Maid Services NYC

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Maid Services NYC - House, Office Cleaning Services NYC

(credit: ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images)

What is your New Years resolution? Is one of your resolutions to keep a cleaner house? Lets face it, you are busy and you have a lot of obligations to keep which makes housecleaning one of the most easily neglected chores. Why not save yourself the time and hire a professional team to do the job for you? You can hire a maid service to come in and clean just once for that big spring cleaning job or you can schedule regular service and enjoy coming home to a freshly cleaned house every single week. No matter what you need, youll find a cleaning service that is right for you.

Miracle Maids of Denver (303) 329-9670 http://www.miraclemaidsofdenver.com

For more than 20 years, Miracle Maids of Denver has kept homes clean. This locally owned business is licensed, bonded and insured with no hidden fees, making scheduling a cleaning super easy. The customized maid service is great for those who are a bit picky about how they want their home cleaned, and the flexible scheduling and options are quite affordable. Youll also get the same person every time, ensuring that personalized touch and careful attention. If you just need a one-time cleaning for those days when you have a big party coming up or you need to clean before a move, then this is the cleaning company to call.

Mile High Maids 2253 Downing St. Denver, CO 80205 (303) 969-6243 http://www.milehighmaids.com

With Mile High Maids, youll get careful attention to detail. From dusting those hard-to-reach places to even emptying and cleaning your trash cans, youll be thrilled to come home to your clean home. There are many additional services you can order as well. Mile High Maids will clean the inside of your appliances, apply Scotchgard or Rotovac your carpets. You can also order customized maid services to include everything from laundry to organization.

Related: Top Home Decor Stores In Denver

Denver Cleaning Service (303) 536-5989 http://www.denverscleaningservice.com

Whether you need a move-in/move-out service, a deep cleaning or a recurring weekly cleaning option, Denver Cleaning Service has got you covered. For nine years, this local company has cleaned both residences and businesses all over the Denver area. Every cleaner has passed a background check and is fully insured and bonded, giving you that peace of mind needed when letting a stranger into your home. The pricing structure is also flexible, depending on the size of your home and the estimated number of hours needed to clean. Plus, if you want the job to go faster, you can have three or more maids in one visit.

The Maids in Denver 2505 W. 2ndAve. #10 Denver, CO 80219 (303) 282-0141 http://www.themaidsdenver.com

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Top House Cleaning Services In Denver

Gary Hershorn / Reuters

Aereo picks up TV signals broadcast from the tower atop the Empire State Building in New York.

In 2014, Apple, Aereo and big telecom mergers will generate headlines, along with important legal rulings about net neutrality and U.S. surveillance, oversight and transparency. Upstart companies like Uber, Airbnb, and Square will enjoy dramatic growth, and some will announce plans to go public. Smartphones and tablets will continue to spread worldwide as cities and countries race to boost broadband speeds. Here are six tech stories to watch in 2014.

1. Apple will sell more than 30 million iPhones on China Mobile, at the high-end of Wall Street expectations. Its hard to overstate what a coup Apples recently announced pact with China Mobile to sell the iPhone is for CEO Tim Cook. Without question, this is the biggest business deal of Cooks two-and-a-half year tenure, and the consummation of years of negotiations overseen by his late mentor, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.China Mobile is the worlds largest wireless carrier with 760 million subscribers.

After years of meteoric gains fueled by category-busting product launches like the iPod, iPhone and iPad, Apples revenue growth has slowed.Apples stock price was essentially flat for 2013, although the shares soared 33% in the second half of the year, reversing steep losses in the first six months. Some Apple analysts and shareholders have expressed concern about Apples vaunted innovation machine, but those fears are overblown. The latest iPhone and iPad models are huge hits, and Apple will soon report the highest quarterly sales in the companys 30-year history. New international markets will help re-accelerate Apples growth and theres no bigger emerging consumer technology market than China.

(MORE:Apples China Mobile Pact Opens Massive New iPhone Market)

2.The United States Open Internet Rules will suffer a serious defeat in federal court early this year. Telecom giant Verizon hassuedthe Federal Communications Commission, arguing the agency lacks the authority to enforce the principle of net neutrality which is designed to prevent Internet service providers like Comcast, Verizon, and AT&T from favoring their own services in order to disadvantage rivals. In practice, that means that the broadband providers are prohibited from blocking or slowing down services like Skype or Netflix on their wired networks.

A losing verdict in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit will be a setback for the Obama administrations technology policy, and will present a thorny challenge for new FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. If the court rules the FCC lacks the authority to enforce the Open Internet Rules, Wheeler could move to reclassify broadband service under existing telecommunications law, restoring the agencys regulatory authority. That, however, would trigger a major showdown between the FCC and broadband giants like AT&T and Verizon, which are extremely powerful on Capitol Hill. More likely: the court asks the FCC to change its rules and reach an agreement with the industry.

(MORE:Landmark Verizon Net Neutrality Case Tests Open Internet Rules)

3.The U.S. Supreme Court will agree to hear the major TV broadcasterscaseagainst Aereo,the upstart online video company that has been giving ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX fits. This prediction is a very close call, because the Supreme Court declines to grantcertiorariin most cases. However, given that the broadcasters and Aereo haveboth askedthe high court to hear the case, I believe that will tip the scale, along with the fact that there is a looming U.S. circuitsplit, where federal courts in different jurisdictions disagree on the legality of Aereos technology.

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The 6 Most Important Tech Bombshells Coming This year

Matt Blashaw, host of DIY Networks Yard Crashers, wants to give a racing-themed backyard makeover to an area fan and homeowner.

Blashaw, a licensed landscape contractor, and crew will meet with fans from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, 400 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

Homeowners must bring a picture of their current backyard and be ready to convince Blashaw why they are the worthy fan to receive a free backyard makeover.

Blashaw will select the yard, which will appear in a future episode of Yard Crashers, which will be filmed in early 2014.

There is no charge to participate in the casting call, parking is available in the halls Brevard Street garage for $3 for the first 30 minutes, $1 for each additional 30 minutes, up to $15 maximum. Details: twitter.com/nascarhall.

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'Yard Crashers' casting call Sunday at NASCAR Hall of Fame

January might be the most important month in the garden calendar; it is the time when we can stop fussing and start thinking.

Perhaps you have just moved to a place where the garden is nonexistent or old and tired, and in either case needs a fresh start. Perhaps you have a part of the yard that needs redoing, or you are simply pondering how you set about crafting a garden.

From the safe tether of a soft chair, you can soar to the heady heights of landscape design, which is the most important but least considered aspect of garden-making.

Plants bring life, sculpture, texture, color and more to the garden, but they need a framework. I've known plant geeks whose entire yards are random collections of favored flora. They are places that are wholly enthralling to their creators, but to no one else.

Every garden needs a coherent structure. Design is pragmatic it creates safe steps instead of muddy slopes but it also drives scale, sets the mood and establishes a spirit of the place.

In the 1960s, Geoffrey Jellicoe, a giant of 20th-century landscape architecture, wrote a book with his wife, Susan, that described the two essential elements as "form" and "content."

Form "is the disposition of space," they wrote in "Modern Private Gardens." The photos in the book, of mid-century modern houses and gardens, are in black and white and not particularly flattering, but they reveal a real paucity of plantings that, to my eye, actually deflates the central argument. There is too much form and not enough content.

Since the 1960s, we have enjoyed a horticultural revolution; far more ornamental plants are at hand along with an accepted need to use them in more natural ways. But this surfeit requires a keener sense of restraint to avoid a formless jumble.

Jellicoe, for a while, had formed a design partnership with another great modernist, Russell Page. Whenever I want to be recharged, I read Page's classic "The Education of a Gardener" for his masterful insights and his gift of taking visual concepts and putting them into words.

Page's fundamental approach to garden design was forged when, as an art student, he was told: "Know what it is you want to say, then try and express it as simply as you can."

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The Gardener In January: A Blueprint For Green Dreams

Searching through our online gallery you can find some of the best pictures and ideas for pool landscaping in 2014. With every New Year come new design trends for both interior and exterior dcor, and landscaping around pools is no exception. Decorating the area around a swimming pool is a very important aspect of your backyard landscape because you will want to make the space as beautiful as possible. There are many outdoor pool decorating ideas that you can choose from to help you find the perfect design for your space. You can plant trees and bushes around your deck, have potted flowers, or design a colorful garden behind your pool. If you live in a tropical environment planting exotic poolside palm trees will make your backyard an outdoor oasis. No matter the size of your property, with the right landscaping you can create beautiful backyards with a pool inground to enjoy year round. Choosing between swimming pool landscaping plants may seem difficult, but there are many DIY home design ideas that we can help with to create your dream home.

There are many online resources to make you landscaping plans easier. You can find many photo galleries that can show you different nautical poolside dcor trends in both plants and patio furniture. You can also find luxury swimming pool ideas and pictures to make your backyard a look like a designer home. These trends include planting tropical vegetation such as palm trees or even installing premier pools with waterfalls in your yard. Looking through dream pool landscape photos can help you to plan a beautiful sanctuary for you to relax in during the warm months of the year. If you are in the market for a house and wish to have a place to swim, you can even find new home pool landscape pics online so that you choose the perfect place. The landscaping element of pool design is a very important feature. Choosing the proper plants for the area is vital so that you get the look you want. By looking through pictures of pools with landscaping you can find design inspiration to get an idea of where to place your plants as well as what types to have.

In addition to looking at pictures for ideas for you pool and landscape design, there are tools online that can help you diagram your plan. 3D software programs that allow you to design your own pool online complete with landscaping tools to get the full effect. With these tools you can create a blueprint of your entire backyard and then add different plants and trees to design your landscaping. A great idea for 2014 pool designs for small backyards is to build a fence out of bushes or hedges. Holly bushes or Green Giant trees are great to plant around your perimeter to build a natural privacy fence because they are fast growing and reach tall heights. When you have a swimming space in your yard you will want to have privacy from the rest of the neighborhood so you will want a fence. But instead of installing a wood or metal one you can use plants to create a privacy fence. You can search backyard pool landscaping photos to get ideas on how to build a natural fence around your swimming area.

The type of plants that you choose to have around your pool is important. Luxury pool enclosures can produce a lot of humidity that can harm plants, in addition to intense sunlight that can also damage your landscaping. Therefore you will want to choose vegetation that can withstand humidity sunlight, and the chemicals from pool water splashing on them. Adding ornamental grasses or some broad-leafed evergreens are great simple landscaping ideas for a pool area. Trees surrounding your pool can add beauty to your yard while also providing shade during the hot sunny summer months. If you live in a warm environment that does not have frost during the winter you can plant Banana trees around your small fiberglass pools to create a tropical feel. These have beautiful long broad leaves that can create the atmosphere of an island escape. Adding flowers to you landscaping are great colorful options for small pool ideas. One great flower is the Hibiscus; its a beautiful white and pink flowered plant that has a nice tropical feel to it.

Flowers can add a beautiful touch to any type of landscaping for traditional or modern pool shapes. Whether you are decorating above or semi inground pools, the key to flower arrangements is the placement. You want your pool to be the main focal point with the garden accenting it. Adding bouquets of Aeonium Rosettes to your pool landscape is a great option because not only does this plant add vibrant color, but it is also very low maintenance. This plant is drought-tolerant by storing water in its leaves and roots, it also requires very little grooming. The rosettes come in a variety of shapes and sizes making for great landscaping ideas for small yards. Colorful plants can also be a great accent to ceramic pool tile or lining in your pool. Popular colors for the insides of pools are blues, greys, and greens. So adding trees with deep greens or flowers with dark pinks or red tones to them can be great accents to your swimming pool tiles.

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Photos of Swimming Pool Landscaping Designs Ideas Plans

WHO BUT AN author would base the design of her garden on a poem? When J.A. Jance and her husband, Bill Schlib, bought a home in Bridle Trails nearly a decade ago, they consulted Alan Burke of Classic Nursery and Landscape Co. When Burke suggested using words in the garden, Jances first thought was Are you kidding? I write murder mysteries.

Then she remembered hearing Cecil Day-Lewis read his poem Baucis and Philemon, when she was a student at the University of Arizona. Jance kept that love poem, based on an ancient Greek myth, in her heart all these years. Now words from it are engraved here and there throughout the garden, creating both a literary atmosphere and also the feel of a treasure hunt.

I havent had the good fortune to work with as many writers as Id like, says Burke, who has used literature as a theme in his award-winning gardens at the Northwest Flower & Garden Show. In Jances garden he was encouraged to use words as the cornerstone of the design.

Burke started out with a mess of a property that included the remains of an asphalt go-cart track, a leaky fish pond and broken waterfall. Over the years, hes worked with Jance and Schlib to transform the place into a mirror of their interests and tastes. The house is golden-colored stucco, and grandly scaled with generous porches and terraces. The outdoor kitchen and cabana are large enough to entertain the couples extended family. We can seat all 17 kids and grandkids for dinner, says Jance. This covered area by the pool is the spot-of-choice for rainy-day barbecues and marshmallow roasts with the grandchildren. The fountain, hot tub, swimming pool and warm desert colors remind Jance of her history and second home in Arizona.

In 2002, Schlib and Jance tried downsizing to a Seattle condo. That didnt work out very well, and they moved to the Eastside to be close to their daughter and grandchildren. Now Bella, their rescue dachshund, has the run of a full acre of gardens.

How does this prolific writer, with 20 million copies of her books in print, find a moment to get outdoors and enjoy her garden? She writes in a comfy chair overlooking the pool, sheltered by the homes extended roofline and warmed by a heat lamp. This is where she recently finished her 48th novel.

From Jances writing perch, she can look down a stone pathway and steps to the restored fish pond, which is all too often visited by heron in search of a snack. The fan palms, rhododendrons and azaleas around the pond were original to the garden. Burke brought in stone, laid terraces, installed a fountain that creates enough water sound to muffle traffic noise, and planted dark red Japanese maples, as well as ornamental grasses and perennials, around the swimming pool.

To flank the pond, he added gunnera, their vast leaves lending a tropical feel to the garden. Behind the pond is a stone circle with a linden tree and an oak, just as in the poem that inspired the garden. Over in a sunny corner are raised beds thick with herbs and vegetables. Bills the cook, says Jance, although she takes obvious pleasure in the kitchen garden.

When I came to Seattle from Phoenix in 1981, a refugee from a bad marriage and a worse divorce, driving a used car I hadnt paid for yet, I never envisioned this, says Jance of her word-filled paradise on a hilltop.

Valerie Easton is a Seattle freelance writer. Check out her blog at http://www.valeaston.com. Mike Siegel is a Seattle Times staff photographer.

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Author J.A. Jance’s garden brims with beauty and thoughts that inspire

Thursdays snowfall closed schools around the area and postponed the vast majority of after school athletics activities for Friday night.

Heres a list of the games that have already been rescheduled from Friday night. If you know of a game that has been rescheduled and is not included in the list below, please e-mail hss@washpost.com with the schools, gender and new date and time.

Boys Basketball

Arundel at Annapolis postponed to Jan. 7, 6:45 p.m.

Atholton at Mount Hebron postponed to Jan. 7, 5:30 p.m.

Battlefield at Robinson postponed to Jan. 4, 7:30 p.m.

Bethesda-Chevy Chase at Richard Montgomery postponed to Jan. 4, 6:15 p.m.

Blake at Springbrook postponed to Jan. 4, 2 p.m.

Briar Woods at Kettle Run postponed to Jan. 17, 7 p.m.

Champe at Loudoun Valley postponed to Jan. 8, 7:15 p.m.

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Postponements and rescheduled basketball games from Friday, Jan. 3