Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

On Monday morning Sheri Hebdons power came back, restored by Toronto Hydro after the ice storm left power lines strewn across the lawn of the familys east-end home.

Hebdon, her wife, their three young children and their dog joyfully returned home.

But the next day, Christmas Eve, the power line was disconnected by Toronto Hydro because it was unsafe due to a damaged electrical mast attaching the wires to their house.

They would have to pay for a licensed electrician to come out and fix it before a hydro crew could reconnect them.

So, once again, just as the Star reported Sunday , the Maatta-Hebdon family packed a suitcase and moved to a friends place, just in time for Christmas.

On Boxing Day, an electrician came by and repaired the mast at a cost of $2,000 but by the end of the week, power still had not been switched on.

I dont mind waiting a week, I dont even mind waiting a month, says Hebdon. What she does mind is that she has no idea when Toronto Hydro is going to reconnect her home, leaving her exhausted family in limbo. All she has been told is that she is on a list.

You can only live with uncertainty for so long, she says.

On a Leslieville street, the area around 87-year-old Con ONeills home was blocked off by caution tape Friday morning. The power line to his house snaked from a pole across the street and through snow drifts and branches to the mast hanging precariously off his house.

Its been like that since the storm, when tree branches came crashing down around 4 a.m., taking the wire with it.

The rest is here:
Ice storm aftermath: The dark spot in a power-restored neighbourhood

28 December 2013| last updated at 10:57PM

TNB senior general manager Kamaliah Abdul Kadir had said much about it in a newspaper column recently and as a consumer advocate, I appreciate her advice.

She said all electrical installations must be carried out by competent individuals who have the knowledge, skill and experience.

TNB has advised consumers not to carry out electrical wiring themselves as it is not only dangerous, but can be fatal, too. It wants consumers to get a TNB-registered wiring contractor as it is not a do-it-yourself job.

I was also informed of a consumer who nearly got electrocuted when working with some wires. This must be avoided.

If you know nothing about electricity, keep away. Let the qualified handle it. It can be dangerous and fatal, too. So beware.

Much care and caution must be exercised here or else things can get out of hand. Some of the things to take heed are:

WHEN installing approved receptacles in the bathroom, kitchen or outside, make sure only normal plugs are used;

DON'T use any extension cord or appliance cord that is cut or frayed. Don't allow electrical cords to come in contact with water;

HAVE a qualified electrician regularly check the household's electrical systems, extension leads and appliances, particularly, electric blankets and those appliances with metal cases;

Follow this link:
ELECTRICITY CARE: Take heed of life-saving tips

Old Hurricane Deck Bridge Demolition - South Span
Demolition explosion on the old Hurricane Deck Bridge #39;s South Span on 12-21-2013 at the Lake of the Ozarks near Sunrise Beach, Mo.

By: MoDOTCentral

Original post:
Old Hurricane Deck Bridge Demolition - South Span - Video

A demolition crew member who was killed in a Thursday night worksite accident in Vernon Hills has been identified as 25-year-old Patrick OReilly, who grew up in southwest suburban Palos Park.

OReilly, who was a graduate of Stagg High School and the University of Illinois, his family said, was killed when he was struck by falling concrete when part of a wall collapsed at a demolition site late Thursday at Westfield Hawthorn Mall in the northern suburb.

OReilly had earned a degree from U of I in agricultural and consumer economics in 2010 but, unable to find a job in his field, had been working in demolition, said his uncle, Dr. William OReilly.

His family is devastated by the tragedy, the uncle said.

He loved life, Dr. OReilly said. He liked to make people laugh.

The accident occurred at about 11 p.m. Thursday as a work crew was knocking down an exterior wall of a former Ruby Tuesday restaurant to make way for a new Maggianos Little Italy.

Workers were removing an outer layer of brick when concrete pieces fell from the top of the wall and hit three workers.

Countryside Fire Protection District ambulances arrived in three minutes, and workers had already removed the debris from the victims, Deputy Chief Chuck Smith said.

Paramedics took two of the workers, including OReilly, to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville.

At this point there is no indication that this is other than a tragic accident, Vernon Hills Village Manger Michael Allison said in a press release. Our deepest condolences and prayers go out to the family of the deceased.

View post:
Palos Park native, 25, dies in mall demolition mishap

WATERLOO | Downtown boosters say they're concerned about the ongoing demolition of older buildings adjacent to the city's center.

Plans for a recently demolished Expo High School building site are still up in the air. For the Peoples Community Health Clinic, which owned the building, the demolition is a divestment of a potential liability a neglected building too expensive to bring up to modern code.

"By getting the building down, it's safer," saidChris Kemp, chief operating officer of Peoples Clinic. "It's no longer a deteriorating building."

For historic preservationists, the demolition at 927 Franklin is just another example of planning missteps that has hollowed out the city's core.

"We've already lost a significant number of historic buildings,"said Jeff Kurtz, executive director of Main Street Waterloo. Main Street Waterloo is affiliated with the national Main Street program, which emphasizes economic development through historic preservation.

The site will likely be vacant for some time.

"At this time, we don't have any plans with the property," said Kemp.

The demolition came a few months on the heels of demolition of the former WBM Marine building at 401-409 Franklin St. That site is home to a strip mall.

The Fourth Street corridor in downtown has rejuvenated mostly due to a stock of remaining historic buildings along the street, Kurtz said. That success hasn't spread to surrounding blocks mostly because the area has seen decades of demolition, he said.

"If you level too much of it, you're left with a smaller downtown surrounded by a doughnut of vacant lots," said David Deeds, controller for JSA Development. "I have yet to be shown a city that demolished its way to prosperity."

Read the original post:
Preservationists decry Expo demolition

MICHIGAN CITY Demolition of the former Eastport school building is well underway. The site of the building, located on Michigan Boulevard, will be the location of the future Michigan City Police Department.

Mayor Ron Meer estimates the school building will be completely demolished by the end of January or during the first week or two of February.

Funding for this $220,000 demolition project, performed and overseen by Actin/TRI and Amereco Engineering, was approved by the Michigan City Common Council in November. At the mayors request, the agenda item was pushed ahead in the council due to break-ins and crime at the abandoned school.

Construction of the new police department has not yet been scheduled as the city is still looking into various funding options.

He added the city has been methodically moving through the process, which has been in the works for some time.

The first step the city accomplished was acquiring the school building from the MCAS district.

By state law, school districts have to keep abandoned buildings available for charter schools for four years, Meer said.

He credited local legislators Karen Tallian, Jim Arnold, Tom Dermody and Scott Pelath with getting involved to help get special legislation pushed through to transfer the school property to the city.

The project is now in phase two building demolition. The next step is to obtain funding for the new police facility, which will start with an architectural and design process.

However, the funding process will likely move slowly, according to the mayor, due to financial set-backs in the city stemming from county tax issues.

Visit link:
Demolition starts at Eastport school

Article updated: 12/27/2013 5:26 PM

Demolition crew member Patrick J. O'Reilly died after concrete fell on him and two colleagues Thursday night while they worked outside Westfield Hawthorn shopping center in Vernon Hills, authorities said. O'Reilly and the others were working for Wheeling-based P.S. Demolition Inc. at the mall's southwest entrance, where Maggiano's Little Italy is replacing Ruby Tuesday.

Paul Valade | Staff Photographer

A man working as part of a demolition crew died hours after he was hit by concrete falling from a facade at Westfield Hawthorn shopping center in Vernon Hills, authorities said.

Lake County Coroner Thomas Rudd said Patrick J. O'Reilly, 25, of Palos Park, died from multiple crush injuries Friday morning at Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville. O'Reilly suffered a crushed pelvis and internal bleeding in the late Thursday mishap, he said.

Vernon Hills police said O'Reilly and two co-workers were showered with concrete outside the former Ruby Tuesday restaurant. Late-night work has been occurring at the mall for extensive renovations.

Rescue personnel from the Countryside Fire Protection District were summoned at 11 p.m. and arrived in roughly three minutes, Deputy Chief Chuck Smith said. Ambulances brought O'Reilly and another worker, who sustained minor injuries, to nearby Condell.

In a statement, Vernon Hills Village Manager Michael Allison conveyed condolences and prayers to O'Reilly's family.

"At this point there is no indication that this is (anything) other than a tragic accident," Allison said.

Police said an initial investigation shows the demolition crew had been removing an outer layer of brick from an exterior wall of the mall when the concrete pieces fell from the roof line. Several sections of concrete struck the three workers at the construction site where Maggiano's Little Italy is replacing Ruby Tuesday at the mall's southwest entrance.

Read this article:
Worker dies from injuries at Vernon Hills mall

THE Bacolod City Government has scheduled the demolition of illegal market stalls at the downtown area and the three main public markets in the city on January 2.

Senior Superintendent Edgardo Ordaniel, acting director of Bacolod City Police Office, said Friday that this was agreed during the meeting with Mayor Monico Puentevella and the members of the Task Force Maninlo Kita para sa Kaayohan that sought to address the problem of illegal vendors.

Ordaniel said that before the demolition will proceed, they will conduct a dialogue with the affected vendors at the downtown area and at the Central Market, Burgos North Market and Libertad South Market.

He said the vendors will be given 10 days to vacate the area, and if they failed to do so, the police will enforce the order of the city mayor.

Ordaniel said the program aims to clean the downtown area and the public markets of obstructions.

The illegal vendors also cause traffic congestion and are bad for the image of Bacolod City, he added. (MAP)

Published in the Sun.Star Bacolod newspaper on December 28, 2013.

Here is the original post:
Demolition of illegal market stalls set

Posted: Friday, December 27, 2013 6:09 pm

House of the Week 12/28/13 By Landmark Designs Leader-Telegram |

Contemporary with accents of brick and wood, the Ogden house plan is a spacious three-bedroom design.

That includes its three-car garage, which has a workbench and an adjacent workshop.

The house has three bathrooms - two that have a shower stall and a master bath complete that has an oversized tub.

Ceiling fans are intended for installation in all bedrooms, the home office, living room and shop.

On the rear of the house is a covered sun deck with skylights.

House ofthe Week

For a study plan of this home, send $25 to Landmark Designs, P.O. Box 5625 Eugene, OR 97405. Specify Ogden, plan 408-04 LT54. Allow two weeks for delivery. For faster service, call 800-562-1151 or go to landmarkdesigns.com.

Dimensions: 68' by 72'

View original post here:
House of the Week 12/28/13

Retaining wall, Loudoud County VA, A Cut Above
Installing a small but very practical retaining wall to allow our client to have a larger patio space and prevent the hill side from washing out. http://acut...

By: A Cut Above

Link:
Retaining wall, Loudoud County VA, A Cut Above - Video