Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

I live in St. louis, MO in a 2 story atrium home with the atrium windows on the north side of the home.

Due to a lighting strike earlier in the year I need to replace my two 14 year old York furnaces.

My installer installed two new Lennox AC units in 2012.

My installer is not as sold on Lennox furnaces these days so he is recommending two Amana furnaces as replacements. Specifically, he has given me bids for the higher end Amana models; i.e. Model AMVC950905DX or Model AMVM960805CX.

Can you offer any information on the quality and sound levels of these Amana models versus say the Carrier Infinity line? I know Carrier markets their Infinity line as the quietest on the market. I have read complaints about Amana being too noisy, but I don't know if those complaints were for all of Amana models or just their lower end models. I am looking for a quality system that is quiet. Also, are these Amana models true variable speed like the Carrier infinity Line and Greenspeed models?

Thank you for your help.

Due to a lighting strike earlier in the year I need to replace my two 14 year old York furnaces.

My installer installed two new Lennox AC units in 2012.

My installer is not as sold on Lennox furnaces these days so he is recommending two Amana furnaces as replacements. Specifically, he has given me bids for the higher end Amana models; i.e. Model AMVC950905DX or Model AMVM960805CX.

Can you offer any information on the quality and sound levels of these Amana models versus say the Carrier Infinity line? I know Carrier markets their Infinity line as the quietest on the market. I have read complaints about Amana being too noisy, but I don't know if those complaints were for all of Amana models or just their lower end models. I am looking for a quality system that is quiet. Also, are these Amana models true variable speed like the Carrier infinity Line and Greenspeed models?

Originally posted here:
Furnace replacement Amana vs. Carrier

Childrens Garden

At its Dec. 9 meeting, the Cape Elizabeth Town Council accepted a $529,735 plan to construct a childrens garden at Fort Williams Park as part of the Fort Williams Foundations ongoing arboretum project.

The site, designed by Mitchell & Associates Landscape Architects of Portland, is scheduled to be built behind the tennis courts on Farnsworth Road in 2015, using private donations. In addition to a pond and stream, the site will include a stone seating circle for presentations, a meadow maze, a birch tree fort and a fairy house building.

Foundation calculations show the garden will require almost $20,000 in annual maintenance costs. Town Council Chairman Jessica Sullivan said the council will take up the garden plans in a workshop session to be scheduled in February.

Canopy grant

With the 50th anniversary of Fort Williams Park on tap for 2014, the Cape Elizabeth Town Council has applied for a $32,759 Project Canopy grant from the USDA Forest Service.

If awarded, the money will be used to clear invasive species and plant some 240 native trees and shrubs at the entrance to the Cliff Walk, a shorefront area cleared in 2012 thanks to $324,000 in private fundraising, $113,000 in in-kind donations, and hundreds of hours of volunteer labor and part of an ongoing arboretum project. If funded, the work will take place through the spring and summer of 2014.

Rules change

The Cape Elizabeth Town Council has amended its rules to allow for some voting when in a workshop setting. Ordinarily, a public body is barred from casting votes when operating in a workshop setting. However, the new rules assert the councils right to conduct some procedural votes, such as whether or not to recuse a member from debate, or to enter executive session.

The need for the change arose during a September workshop on the Spurwink Rod & Gun Club, at which the council was temporarily stymied on how it might vote to recuse Councilor Jamie Wagner, an attorney who represented a Cross Hill resident in a dispute with the club prior to his tenure on the council. Although a vote on recusal did take place, there was considerable debate at the time over whether the workshop would have to be scuttled until a recusal vote could be made at a regular council meeting.

Read more here:
Cape Elizabeth Notes

Installation of rooftop solar energy systems is expected to get a boost as the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) will soon start implementing the Generation-Based Incentive Scheme announced in the Tamil Nadu Solar Energy Policy.

The scheme envisages installation of 50MW under it. Domestic consumers will get Rs. 2 a unit for solar energy supplied to the grid during the first two years.

An official of the Tangedco here told The Hindu that suggestions were recently sought from the local officials on installation of solar energy systems by domestic and commercial consumers and for common purpose (such as street lights). Solar connections in an area will be 30 per cent of a transformers capacity.

The consumers will have to buy two meters.

One will be installed near the solar panels to assess the energy generated.

Another one will be to assess the solar energy supplied to the grid from a house or commercial building and energy consumed from the grid.

The official said that working instructions were expected soon so that they could start implementing the scheme.

Consumers will have to bear the cost of meters and the wiring for installing these. Since the Government has announced incentive for solar energy supplied to the grid, more consumers may go in for it, the official said.

A. D. Thirumoorthy, energy consultant and a former official of the Tangedco, said that the scheme is only for those who use the solar energy generated without storing it or supply the energy generated to the grid.

The consumers should be permitted to use store the solar energy generated. Only then would it encourage installations, he said.

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Incentives for installing solar energy systems

Carpet Cleaning Frisco and Plano Texas
""Our window and carpet cleaning services firm offers residential and commercial window and carpet washing services throughout Plano, Frisco, Allen, McKinney...

By: WickClean Window Cleaning

See the article here:
Carpet Cleaning Frisco and Plano Texas - Video

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) offers these tips to minimize the risk of over-stressing a building roof due to accumulated or drifting snow:

Be on the alert for large accumulating snow build-up or snowdrifts on your roofs.

If roof snow can be removed, from the ground, with the use of a snow rake (available at most hardware stores), do so. Use caution, as metal snow rakes conduct electricity if they come into contact with a power line.

Try to avoid working from ladders, as ladder rungs tend to ice up. Snow and ice collect on boot soles, and metal ladders.

Flat roofs can be shoveled clear, but only if it is determined that the roof is safe to stand upon. Exercise care when on the roof to avoid potentially dangerous falls.

Flat roof drainage systems should be kept clear to minimize the risk of excess roof ponding in the event of subsequent heavy rainfall or melting.

Large icicles can form on roof overhangs, but do not necessarily mean ice damming is occurring. Icicles overhanging doorways and walkways can be dangerous and should be carefully removed.

All of the mentioned actions should only be performed by able-bodied adults, as the snow is heavy, and roofs and other surfaces may be slippery. Protective headgear and eye protection is recommended.

For additional information about MEMA and Winter Preparedness, go to http://www.mass.gov/mema.

Here is the original post:
Take steps to avoid roof hazards

Longwood, FL (PRWEB) December 19, 2013

With the Christmas holiday just around the corner, Teachers Insurance Specialists offers advice on how to safely remove a Christmas tree to prevent fires and damage to Florida residents homes and cars. Many homeowners dont realize what a hazard a Christmas tree can be, and so its important to not only take care of it, but to also properly dispose of it as well, says Simone Baldwin, owner/operator of Teachers Insurance Specialists.

After the holidays, not only should homeowners take down their tree, but also it is important that it does not remain in your home for more than one month. The longer a Christmas tree stays up, the more hazardous it becomes. The general rule of thumb is that a tree should be disposed of when it begins to drop its needles. Additionally, homeowners should not store a Christmas tree in their garage because a dry tree can start burning out of control within only 30 seconds of being ignited.

Another important guideline is to never burn a Christmas tree in a fireplace or wood-burning stove. Fir and Pine trees contain a good amount of sap and turpentine oils, which can ignite explosively because they are highly flammable. They can also create buildup in your chimney and therefore increase a chance for a chimney fire.

By following the steps below, homeowners can properly dispose of their Christmas Tree and help reduce the number of home insurance claims due to fire and injury. Christmas Trees are one of the favorite traditions this time of year, so it is important to take the proper precautions to prevent accident or injury from occurring and subsequently, pesky insurance claims, emphasizes Baldwin.

How to Remove A Christmas Tree:

Remove the tree skirt.

Use a turkey baster and siphon out the remaining water in the stand.

Set the tree down on its side on top of a sheet, stand and all and then remove the stand. Homeowners can also clip off the branches and bag them. Sweep up as many needles as possible and vacuum any dirt. Needles can damage a vacuum cleaner.

If using a plastic tree bag, envelope the tree and stand, then take them outside. Once outside remove the plastic and stand.

See the article here:
Teachers Insurance Specialists Provide Tips On How to Safely Remove a Christmas Tree

Mistletoe is a parasite that attaches itself to trees.

FRANK ANDERSON KRT

Mistletoe comes to the holiday season with thousands of years of tradition behind it. It appears in Norse myths. The Druids thought it was magical and brought it into pagan rituals and it was used for its medicinal attributes.

Kissing under the mistletoe, probably for reasons relating to fertility, grew out of 16th-century England.

Some forms of these traditions are still active today. Mistletoe is used around the world for medicinal purposes. We incorporate it in our holiday decorations and have fun stealing an opportunistic kiss where it hangs.

American mistletoe, Phoradendren leucarpum, with its leathery green leaves and white berries, is native throughout the Southeast, north to New York and Illinois and west to New Mexico. Others species grow in the western U.S., Europe, the tropics, Africa and Australia.

The evergreen plant grows in shrub-like balls one to three feet in diameter suspended high up on the branches of hardwood trees. It is particularly visible in December when trees have dropped their leaves. The green ball-like growth is quite pretty as it decorates seasonally barren branches.

That does not mean you necessarily want mistletoe growing in your backyard pecan or oak tree.

Mistletoe produces tiny, inconspicuous yellow flowers in fall. Plants are either male or female. Male flowers produce pollen which insects and wind transport to female flowers.

After pollination, small whitish berries develop in early to mid winter. Certain birds are fond of eating the berries, after which they excrete the sticky seeds. Some of the seeds affix to the bark on tree branches.

See more here:
Gardening | Mistletoe has tradition, but it’s also a parasite

Mumbai, Dec 18: Veteran actor Jeetendra, whose hand imprint tile was unveiled today at the Walk of the Stars here, said finding true friends in life is rare and he "treasures" them.

"One may get everything in life but to find true and good friends is difficult. I genuinely treasure my friends, they are my real support... What I get from them is big support, relief and relaxation as we meet every day to play cards," Jeetendra said.

He was speaking on the sidelines of a ceremony held here this evening to unveil his hand impression as a tribute to his contribution to Bollywood. Taking the audience down the memory lane, the 71-year-old said his humble background did not come in between his journey to stardom.

"In our times, we used to work in three shifts from 7 am to 11 pm. Lot of actors used to do that. I am from the middle class background. Actors used to sign 30 to 40 films and we were not aware about when the film would get over," he said.

Jeetendra said the change has come with time as today's actors devote their time and energy to one film per year. The function was organised by UTV Stars under 'Walk of the Stars' initiative.

Jeetendra's family members, including his wife Shobha, film producer daughter Ekta and actor son Tusshar, were present on the occasion along with his actor friends like Rakesh Roshan, Prem Chopra and others.

"I am glad to be honoured. I am happy that UTV stars have taken this initiative of honouring the work of those who have contributed to the film industry. It will mark the remembrance of senior actors in industry," the actor said. 'Walk of the Stars' is recognition of the invaluable contribution made to the Indian cinema by legendary actors.

Jeetendra's film career spanned from the 1960s to 1990s and his hits include 'Mawaali', 'Parichay', 'Dharam Veer', 'Caravan', 'Khushboo', 'Himmatwala', 'Geet Gaaya Patharon Ne' and others.

His children, Ekta and Tusshar were all praises for their actor father.

"The fan following that actors like dad has is larger than even Hollywood stars. Fans don't get a chance to feel their idols and this idea is awesome. His friendships are legendary. I don't think anybody in the industry in field of acting, especially a hero, has such good friends like dad has. Rakesh Roshan, Prem Chopra and others are his friends for many years. It is an achievement," Tusshar said.

See the rest here:
Actor Jeetendra's hand imprint tile unveiled

KINGMAN Contractors are needed to fix up low- to medium-income homes in Mohave County using federal and state grants.

The countys procurement department is accepting bids on an ongoing basis for contractors to repair single-family, owner occupied residences throughout the county. The repairs would be funded through federal and state grants used by the countys community services departments housing rehabilitation program. The grants are through the Arizona Department of Housing.

The project would include repairs, removing or demolishing buildings and new construction projects. The repairs would include roofing, cabinetry, plumbing, drywall, tile work and electrical and concrete work. Other projects would be solar installations, septic systems, heating and air conditioning work and compliance with the American Disability Act. Contractors would also demolish and replace mobile homes.

The procurement department will keep a list of qualified contractors who are licensed with the state of Arizona. Construction services would not exceed $50,000. Contractors can contact the procurement department for more information.

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Read more from the original source:
Contractors sought for home repairs

Fonterra is investigating damage to its Clandeboye plant near Timaru this morning after high winds lifted panels on a coolstore, setting off the sprinkler system.

Clandeboye operations manager Steve McKnight said the damage was estimated to cost ''a couple of hundred'' dollars.

''It's pretty much a very minor sort of thing that's gone on. The biggest thing was the product that got wet when the sprinkler went off.''

The store contained cheese at the time.

''We will be able to recover this product as the cheese is vacuum packed in a plastic liner and then boxed into cardboard. It is just the cardboard that got wet. The rest was protected.

"We have not been able to get into this part of the store yet as the wet floors make it dangerous for forklifts to work in there, so I don't know how much product was impacted.''

He said flashings were ripped off one of the coolstores and several cladding panels were loosened, although they did not come off.

The panel triggered the sprinkler system in the coolstore, setting off one or two sprinklers, he said.

See more here:
Winds damage Fonterra coolstore at Clandeboye