Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

CTVNews.ca Staff Published Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2012 8:54AM EDT Last Updated Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2012 10:17PM EDT

A drop in the number of condominium and apartment building construction projects in Toronto slowed the pace of Canadian house starts last month, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. said on Tuesday.

In its monthly report, the CMHC pointed to a dip in urban multiples starts in Ontario, specifically Toronto, as a primary reason why fewer homes were built in September.

The CMHC says there were 19,750 starts across the country last month, setting a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 220,215 a 3 per cent dip from last month.

Mathieu Laberge, deputy chief economist at CMHC, said in a statement that Septembers housing construction numbers were largely in line with the latest figures, save for an anticipated dip in multiple-home buildings.

As expected, the number of multiples starts in Ontario, particularly in Toronto, reverted back to a level more in line with the average pace of activity over the last six months, Laberge said..

Following a period of elevated housing starts activity due to strong volumes of multi-family unit pre-sales in 2010 and 2011, the pace of housing starts is expected to moderate.

The CMHC uses a seasonally adjusted annual rate calculation to account for swings in monthly estimates. The number is calculated by taking a monthly figure and extrapolating it over a 12-month period, adjusting it for seasonal variations.

In September, the seasonally adjusted annual rate of housing starts was 220,215, down from 225,328 in August.

The seasonally adjusted annual rate of construction starts in urban centres decreased by 3 per cent in September to 203,731 units. Construction starts in rural areas stayed relatively constant at 16,484 units.

Originally posted here:
Drop in Ontario housing starts spurs national dip

CTVNews.ca Staff Published Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2012 8:54AM EDT Last Updated Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2012 10:17PM EDT

A drop in the number of condominium and apartment building construction projects in Toronto slowed the pace of Canadian house starts last month, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. said on Tuesday.

In its monthly report, the CMHC pointed to a dip in urban multiples starts in Ontario, specifically Toronto, as a primary reason why fewer homes were built in September.

The CMHC says there were 19,750 starts across the country last month, setting a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 220,215 a 3 per cent dip from last month.

Mathieu Laberge, deputy chief economist at CMHC, said in a statement that Septembers housing construction numbers were largely in line with the latest figures, save for an anticipated dip in multiple-home buildings.

As expected, the number of multiples starts in Ontario, particularly in Toronto, reverted back to a level more in line with the average pace of activity over the last six months, Laberge said..

Following a period of elevated housing starts activity due to strong volumes of multi-family unit pre-sales in 2010 and 2011, the pace of housing starts is expected to moderate.

The CMHC uses a seasonally adjusted annual rate calculation to account for swings in monthly estimates. The number is calculated by taking a monthly figure and extrapolating it over a 12-month period, adjusting it for seasonal variations.

In September, the seasonally adjusted annual rate of housing starts was 220,215, down from 225,328 in August.

The seasonally adjusted annual rate of construction starts in urban centres decreased by 3 per cent in September to 203,731 units. Construction starts in rural areas stayed relatively constant at 16,484 units.

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Drop in Ontario housing spurs national dip

WATERLOO, Iowa --- Strong winds fueled a two-building construction fire and threatened an occupied apartment building downwind before being contained Monday afternoon.

Waterloo firefighters were called to blaze at a partially constructed apartment building near Mount Olivet Cemetery on West Fourth Street shortly after 5 p.m.

When they arrived, crews were unable to stop flames from jumping to the other apartment building also under construction, according to part-owner of the buildings, DuWayne Wessels.

As the wind grew, there was no way they could contain it, Wessels said, watching firefighters continue to spray the blackened remains of both buildings.

Aided by the bare timber and wind, flames shot hundreds of feet in the air for more than half an hour. It also snaked along about 100 yards down a treeline, threatening an occupied apartment building and a garage further downwind.

No injuries were reported as of Monday night, and the cause hasnt been determined.

Pat Treloar, director of fire services for Waterloo, said crews will stay on the scene overnight to keep embers in check and protect the scene until morning when the investigation resumes.

Holly Markovic, who lives in an upstairs apartment at 3844 W. Fourth St., said her son came to her complaining that the apartment smelled like smoke.

Then I looked out the window and saw black smoke, she said.

She heard from a neighbor that someone had already called the fire department, so she went and knocked on her neighbors doors before evacuating the building.

Continued here:
UPDATE: 2 under-construction apartment buildings burn in Waterloo

Over my 24 years as a career butler, I have been very fortunate to have seen some of the most fabulous residences in the world, and worked on behalf of my employers with exceptional decorators, interior designers, luxury builders and architects.

These great homes include, but are not limited to, the former New York residence of Jackie Kennedy Onassis, the Park Avenue apartment belonging to J.D. Rockefeller and a castle in the United Kingdom that is still owned and lived in by an actual duke and duchess. As well, I have worked with numerous industrialists and television personalities and have been privy to their private homes, secluded islands and ski chalets, ranging in size from a 2,500-square-foot pied--terre to an 80,000-sq.-ft. private residence.

As a butler, I get to go into every nook and cranny of a residence to make them as comfortable and enjoyable for the owners as possible. But remember, as a professional butler, I always keep their private-life secrets private.

Why is a butler writing a column in a homes section? Given my experience working in these most magnificent homes, I have learned what works and what doesnt. By this, I am referring to both the space and the function of a room. For example, will it work based on both the physical space and furniture layouts? Will it work for cocktail parties, intimate dinners and/or large-scale fundraisers? It is all about form vs. function. This introductory column is all about what you need to consider before moving into a luxury condominium, where you will perhaps for the first time live in close proximity to your neighbours, and how to make that transition successful.

Each and every one of the professionals that I have worked with have taught me something unique, but I still think after all of these years the most important lesson I have learned is that no matter what you are designing whether a single room, an exquisite apartment or an entire household the most important element is scale. If you have that down, the space looks normal and feels comfortable. However, when the scale of a room or the furniture is off, the space just doesnt feel right and, in fact, it just never works. When you successfully achieve the right scale of any room, it then becomes a matter of personal taste when you begin to consider the furniture style, colours, textures, etc.

Whether you are moving to a new home or remodelling a luxury condominium, you need to think about how you are going to entertain. Are you going to invite your family, friends and/or business colleagues? Do you entertain in a formal fashion thus a formal living and dining room are needed or is your personal style casual, and is a casual environment appropriate for your needs? Do you need a butlers pantry, and if so how should it be organized? (A butlers pantry, incidentally, is a service and storage room traditionally located between the kitchen and the dining room.)

How many sets of dishes, china and stemware do you have and should they be stored in the butlers pantry or the kitchen? What is your closet/storage space going to be like? How much storage do you need, and how much stuff should you be getting rid of? Do you need a large linen cupboard? What are you doing with your luggage, golf clubs, hunting equipment and off-season clothing?

Often when we are moving into a new residence, we are overwhelmed by the builder asking us to make a plethora of decisions with many options, and yet if we could only have the luxury of living in the space for a year to see how it really feels, it would then be easier to decide how to ideally finish the space. However, this is often not a luxury we have and decisions have to be made prior to the move-in date in order to finish the space on budget and on time.

An architect might be needed to help review space and scale and this architect is a great liaison with the builder about what can and cannot be done, but then a decorator and designer should be consulted to assist in the completion of your new space.

While recommendations from colleagues and friends are important, it is ultimately your decision who to chose and this matter should not be taken lightly. Just like any trade, a minimum of three decorators/designers should be interviewed and the choice should be given to the individual who understands your requirements regarding scale, style, colour, lighting and budget. You should always feel comfortable being able to question and veto any suggestions that you do not feel comfortable with.

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What the butler saw: Discerning household tips

Twice a week, The Chronicle features a local home on the market that caught our eye for its architecture, history or character. See more photos at http://www.sfgate.com/columns/walkthrough.

Address: 107 Prospect Ave., Sausalito.

Asking price: $2.15 million.

Description: This three-story Sausalito home, 3 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge, features new additions including Swisspearl exterior siding, a cement fiberboard rain-screen system and a two-car garage. The house opens to a spacious living room with a custom-designed fireplace. A sliding NanaWall expands the living room to 1,400 square feet of indoor/outdoor space on a deck built atop the new garage. The main level also includes a dining room, kitchen and full bathroom. A stairway enclosed in glass and decorated with modern lighting leads down to a media room, a playroom, a bedroom, a full bathroom and the garage. The top floor features three bedrooms and an additional two full bathrooms.

Don't miss: The views of Angel Island, San Francisco and the water spanning Belvedere to Alcatraz from the deck and several of the bedrooms.

Built: 1935.

Size: Four bedrooms, four bathrooms in 2,519 square feet of living space.

For more information: Helen Luttemo, Marin Modern Real Estate, (415) 244-4414, 107prospect.com.

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Sausalito home with vast views

Includes brand new, original content on Cloud Standards, Orchestration Platforms, and Cloud Assurance.

McLean, VA (PRWEB) October 08, 2012

The two-day Cloud Computing for Architects course is the only architect-focused course on Cloud Computing available on the market today. ZapThink aggressively updates the curriculum to address the rapidly emerging Cloud Computing marketplace.

ZapThink has successfully run earlier versions of this course in McLean VA, London, Singapore, Australia, and India. Cloud Computing for Architects will be offered October 18 19, 2012 in London (in partnership with IRM UK), December 3 - 4, 2012 in McLean, VA, and December 10 - 11, 2012 in San Diego, CA.

The instructor for the course is Jason Bloomberg, President of ZapThink. Mr. Bloomberg is a globally recognized SOA and Cloud thought leader, and creator of the popular Licensed ZapThink Architect SOA course and certification.

The Cloud Computing for Architects course covers virtualization, workloads, Cloud service models (IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS), enterprise architecture and the Cloud, Cloud configuration, RESTful Clouds, Cloud Standards, Cloud security and governance, and big data and the Cloud. The course has no prerequisites. It is designed for architects, but is appropriate for people with different roles and levels of expertise. This course is valuable for anyone who wants in-depth knowledge about how to succeed with Cloud Computing.

Cloud computing is far more than simply outsourcing your data center, said Jason Bloomberg, President of ZapThink. In many organizations, architecture is the missing piece of their Cloud strategy. To take advantage of the promise of the Cloud, getting the architecture right is critically important.

The Cloud Computing for Architects course an intensive, two day fire hose of information that prepares you to leverage the Cloud to achieve real business value. We cut through the hype and separate what really works from the noise. For more information and to register for an upcoming course, visit http://www.zapthink.com/cca.

About ZapThink

As a recognized authority and master of Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA), Enterprise Architecture, and architectural approaches to Cloud Computing, ZapThink (http://www.zapthink.com) provides its global audience of public and private sector enterprises with practical advice, guidance, and education, to assist in creating an architecture that meets business needs. ZapThink offers a clear roadmap for standards-based, loosely coupled distributed computing a vision of IT meeting the needs of the agile business.

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ZapThink Announces Expansion of Cloud Computing for Architects Course

Large-scale architectonic installations by Cuban architect Yoandy Rizo Fiallo

Credit: Courtesy Omi International Arts Center

While thearchitecture community waits to see how the National Art Schools controversy will be resolved, one of the architects of the National Art Schools is co-curating an exhibition to focus our attention on the next wave of Cuban architects.Skyline Adrift: Cuban Art and Architecture atNew York'sOmi International Arts Center highlights the work of architects Yilena Lourdes Fiet Echarri and Yoandy Rizo Fiallo and visual artists Alexandre Arrechea and Armando Mario Calzado. The two architects recently left Cuba for the first time for a six-week residency in Vemont, the results of which are installations specific to the site at the Arts Center: 300 acres in New York's Hudson Valley. Other co-curators are Rachel Perera Weingeist of the Shelley and Donald Rubin Private Collection, and Peter Franck, directorof Architecture Omi, part of the Arts Center. Porro of their work: "I do believe that an architect should be a painter and a sculptor and this, in essence is what this show is asking these young architects to be." Through May 2013. artomi.org

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Architects Leave Cuba for First Time, New York Exhibit

OWENSBORO, KY (WFIE) -

Larry and Rosemary Conder recently began work on their newest building at the corner of Second and St. Ann Streets.

Once construction is complete, Court Place will be what's called a mixed use building with retail space on the first floor and condos on the upper floors.

That construction means that the time capsule wall facing St. Ann Street will soon be covered up.

Kera McFadden is a manager at Bee Bop's where the wall is located on the outside of the building, and she says this newest building has already helped its neighbor, even in the earliest stages of construction.

"They heard the music outside, they came in, and they never knew we was here. We had a lot of first-time customers that came in, so it's helped our business a lot," McFadden said.

Unlike most projects the Conders take on, Court Place is being built from the ground up instead of the usual restoration.

Economic development leaders feel that this mold breaking will be good for the area.

"I'm hoping that this will signal a trend in the private market that, you know, from the ground up projects can work and can draw new people in," Joe Berry with Owensboro EDC said.

And that time capsule wall adds to the uniqueness of the project.

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Owensboro's downtown development continues to move forward

BOISE, Idaho, Oct. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --The Healthy House Institute (http://www.healthyhouseinstitute.com) wants to ensure that everyone's home is a clean, safe place, not just a habitation. With that in mind, the institute is making available four of its popular books as no obligation, free downloads to website visitors. These books provide a strong foundation for making home a safe, clean, sustainable place.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121010/PH89721LOGO )

The following Healthy House Institute books are available immediately:

Many homes today provide a refuge for hidden dangers and problems: dust, mold, allergens, bad air, bad water and wasted energy. The Healthy House Institute offers solutions for identifying and reducing these dangers. Home allergens and poor indoor air quality represent one of the biggest problems, particularly in fall and winter, when air becomes trapped within the home. Tainted water is another serious concern, and the institute offers suggestions for treatment and filtering methods when drinking water becomes too heavy or laden with minerals or other contaminants.

As part of its mission, the Healthy House Institute promotes green living and sustainable energy practices. These practices include energy-efficient windows, doors, insulation, lighting and appliances. With a moderate up-front investment, energy efficiency quickly pays for itself. Green living includes making product choices that reduce one's carbon footprint and create fewer, or no, toxic waste materials.

"People spend 65 percent of their time in their homes," said Healthy House Institute President Allen P. Rathey. "The health and safety of indoor environments, especially homes, cannot be overstated. Our vision of a healthy home is one that positively impacts every facet of society, including public health to environmental stewardship. From new home construction to remodeling and restoration, the Healthy House Institute provides resources and guidance for each stage in a home's life cycle."

The Healthy House Institute offers articles, blogs and links that touch on every aspect of healthy living spaces. The library of information is conveniently organized by category and type, while a search box offers quick sorting by keyword. Users can receive updates regarding new content of interest via RSS feeds.

About the Healthy House Institute

The Healthy House Institute provides information to consumers as part of its mission to make home a healthier, more ecologically friendly place. The institute endeavors to be the most complete educational resource on healthy home environments. The institute's website brings together information on topics including air and water quality, home building, remodeling, furnishings, ventilation, cleaning, health and safety, and energy efficiency.

Contact:

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The Healthy House Institute (HHI) Provides a Wealth of Information to Encourage Safer, Healthier Home Environments

Roofing contractor in Gainesville, FL company is now expanding in North Florida. The Roofing Emporium company now has a larger database of contractors available for residential and commercial roofing work in the Gainesville, FL area.

Gainesville, FL (PRWEB) October 10, 2012

Roofing services can be one of the most difficult to find. There are hundreds of listings for roofing companies and few of these listings provide background information. Some companies have started to offer online quotes to help make the process of hiring a roofing company much easier. The Roofing Emporium company has upgraded its website technologies to include an easy way to receive quotes online. An easy quote form is now available for use that helps remove the offline processing usually required for a homeowner or business owner to receive an accurate quote for pricing.

Most homeowners have insurance policies that are underwritten to help provide damage protection, cleanup and restoration services. Homeowners that do not have insurance providers to call when damage happens can be at a disadvantage. The rates between companies often fluctuate in the roofing industry especially in states like Florida. To help provide easier ways to obtain roofing services, the Roofing Emporium company now has access to contractors that works even days a week. This is helping to improve the speed of response and is helping homeowners without insurance get affordable rates.

Part of the new expansion of services offered by Roofing Emporium in North Florida includes upgraded materials. Companies like Owens Corning that supply hurricane proof shingles are helping contractors at Roofing Emporium. The new and improved shingle and material offerings are designed to protect against high wind damage and water damage equally. These materials are designed to provide an extension of the natural lifespan of a residential or commercial roof covering.

The new contractor expansion by Roofing Emporium that has taken place in and around the Gainesville, FL area is expected to help thousands of homeowners and business owners. Expedited services and new and improved materials are now available to help homeowners after the hurricane season ends and the home improvement season begins.

About Roofing Emporium

The Roofing Emporium website is an online resource center used by homeowners and business owners. The roofing contractors that are supplied through this helpful website are Florida state licensed to repair and to install new roofs. With lower than competitive pricing and a trained roofing staff, Roofing Emporium has been able to grow rapidly in the North Florida area. High tech roofing supplies and materials are always used by the contractors working through Roofing Emporium to help keep homeowners and business owners safe. Roofing Emporium is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida.

Garrett Wadford Roofing Emporium 904-900-2801 Email Information

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Roofing Contractor in Gainesville, FL Company Expands in North Florida