Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Visiting Loganville officials got an earful from the Walton County Board of Education at the Tuesday worksession as the two sides continue to try to negotiate sewer for the planned replacement campus for Loganville Middle School.

After talks seemingly stalled last month when Loganville officials seemed to ask the board to pay to install the gray water line to the campus, Superintendent Gary Hobbs said such a result was unacceptable.

Right now they want us to pay for the project, turn it over to them and then pay them a monthly fee for sewer, Hobbs said. I dont think we should have to pay to run the gray water line out and then pay for the gray water as well.

Complaining of long, fruitless negotiations with the city, Hobbs said the system could move back to a plan for septic on site without unduly pushing back the completion date of the project, but hoped to reach an accord with the city yet.

City manager Bill Jones visited the worksession to weigh in on the matter and said they were still willing to work with the system.

Well pay for the pipe, Jones said. Were willing to do the work, we just want to have someone from the school system overseeing it on your end.

Hobbs said any such person would most likely be a hired contractor, as no one in the system has experience with sewer.

Were not in the sewer business, Hobbs said. Thats not what we need to do.

But both felt an agreement could still be reached in the coming weeks, though Hobbs told the board no action would be taken yet.

I wont come to you and ask you to consider it without good figures, Hobbs said.

Read the original here:
Walton Board of Ed., Loganville still at odds over sewer

To the people that keep complaining that police cruisers keep hitting porches and cars. It's an unfortunate thing but the city doesn't pay because that's the law. It's not an ordinance, it's the law. Besides, all the time and all the miles these police cruisers are putting in in a day, they're subject to accidents. That's why the law is there. Otherwise, our taxes would be outrageous. They're just protecting the taxpayers.

About time

I just saw on the TV that they arrested 10 people for welfare fraud. It's about time. Sick of going to the market and scrimping and saving and working hard, these people go up to the register with food stamps, dressed to the hilt with all their gold and earrings.

Birds know

I would like to respond to the sound off on Oct. 4. Same sex marriage is for the birds. That's not so, even the birds know the difference and they don't go for same sex birds.

Best yet

John, your column on Oct. 3 is the best yet. And yes, most of them are out of gum. They don't know what they're talking about or who they're voting for.

What about us

Gee thanks, giving everybody in your office raises left and right. Yet, you won't sit down and talk to us about our contracts that are ten months late. Thanks.

We cant win Continued...

More:
Sound Off: Protecting the taxpayers

Pate Appliance Services began like many other family owned and operated businesses.

Joe Pate was a handyman who worked for several other places before setting out on his own in 1954. He repaired everything from furnaces to toasters, according to his son Mike, who began working for his father in 1973.

Mike eventually took ownership in 1978 and now runs the family business with his sons, Tom and Adam. The business began on High Street and has been at its current location at 780 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. for 13 years.

He was mechanically gifted, Mike Pate said of his father. He had a thorough knowledge of anything electrical, heating and plumbing. He could just fix anything.

As soon as he could walk, Mike Pate was going along on service calls with his father. When Tom and Adam were old enough, they too went on calls with their father.

I always remember that everyone knew dad, Tom Pate said of his ride-alongs. Ive always liked the mechanical side of things. We took things apart when we were little and dad would put them back together.

But it isnt just about repairs. Its about the customer, Adam Pate said.

When I came on, I got to go on every service call with my father for several years, he said. I was able to see how all the repair work was done, but I also got to see how to deal with the customer in the best way possible and thats the way we are going to continue to do business.

Tom Pate said he worked several other jobs before coming to the family business. No matter what he was hired to do, however, he always ended up fixing things.

This is a good business to be in if you like people, he said. And we just really love what we do.

Continue reading here:
Pate Appliance family-owned for 58 years

A wrong set of keys unintentionally led Greg and Mary Berzinsky to their beloved home.

Transplants from Johnstown, Pa. (him), and Leonia, N.J. (her), Greg and Mary found their way to Philadelphia separately and adopted the city as their own. They met at a party and decided to buy a house after getting engaged in February 1992.

But costs at the time kept them from buying in the heart of the city. A friend mentioned that the eclectic neighborhood of Spruce Hill, a pocket within University City and at the time a more affordable option, might interest them. Two months later, the couple went to see a graceful home shaded by century-old trees.

"But when the Realtor went to open the doors, she realized she had the wrong keys. They were for the house across the street, which was also for sale," recalls Greg, 49. The Realtor suggested they take a look.

Only two other families had owned the house with the wide porch, built in 1900 by William S. Kimball, a developer who designed many of the houses in Spruce Hill. The semidetached dwelling was outdated and needed work, but details such as pine and oak flooring and thick, wide chestnut moldings captivated the couple, who share a passion for period architecture.

Adds Mary, 46, chuckling: "And then there were some things we didn't expect" - such as the cracked plumbing stack missed during a home inspection.

Even so, Greg and Mary, an architect and interior decorator, respectively, easily imagined this grande dame being restored to its original splendor, but with features for their modern family, which includes Victor, 15, and Ava, 13, as well as Streak, a rescued greyhound, and a languid kitty named Tim.

After purchasing the 3,700-square-foot Colonial Revival house, the Berzinskys, with the help of experts, started the task of installing new electrical, plumbing, heating, and central air conditioning systems. Then the kitchen and adjacent sunroom got an extensive overhaul.

Greg and Mary rolled up their sleeves and did a lot of the dirty work: framing, flooring, siding, and installing doors and windows.

"As the renovations were winding down, we had my sister's wedding in the house," says Greg, whose firm, Berzinsky Architects, is within walking distance. "It all worked out . . . although we did make everyone promise to stay only on the first floor."

Go here to read the rest:
Glitch led to dream house

TORONTO, Oct. 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- In the city where it all began, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts now comes full circle with the opening of its new flagship in Toronto, Canada.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121005/CG87497)

"This is a proud moment for everyone at Four Seasons at the new Hotel, at our corporate offices, and certainly at all our locations around the world," says Katie Taylor, president and CEO of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. "The future is here now, in this new flagship, and in the thousands of employees around the world committed to raising the bar for luxury hospitality."

The new Four Seasons Hotel Toronto rises above its prime Yorkville Avenue address at the corner of Bay Street. Sweeping into the drive (heated for Canadian winters, of course) past Claude Cormier's visionary roseless rose garden, guests circle the grand fountain designed exclusively for this space. Alighting on a 12-colour mosaic with a floral overlay from the etched glass canopy above, the urban "carpet" is the creation of Cormier and Hotel interior designer Yabu Pushelberg, inspired by the Persian rugs popular in the Victorian era as a nod to Yorkville's more traditional architecture.

Inside, a dandelion motif carries visitors through a series of grand spaces and dimensional screens, with the most striking installation at the reception desk and centrepiece table by artist Alissa Coe. Rich book-matched wood panelling, hand-painted walls, precision-cut stone floors and bespoke carpet inlays form a gallery for more than 1,700 works commissioned from Canadian artists displayed throughout the Hotel. The collection expresses contemporary Canadian culture subtly through the art of Attila Richard Lukacs, Daniel Hutchinson and others in paintings, ceramics, wood installations and sculptures.

The property, owned by HRH Prince Al Waleed bin Talal's Kingdom Holding Company, was designed by architectsAlliance, and built by Menkes Construction Ltd with interior design by Yabu Pushelberg.

State of the Art: Four Seasons Guest Rooms, Suites and Residences

Four Seasons continues its tradition of leading-edge hospitality with recent introductions including the 15-Minute Room Service menu, complimentary in-room wireless internet, WiFi in hotel cars and a dedicated Guest Experience Manager, responsible for making sure every stay is memorable. Before guests lay their heads down on their signature Four Seasons bed in one of the 259 rooms and suites at Four Seasons Hotel Toronto, they might pull up an ergonomically-designed chair to an oversized des with ample outlets close at hand, and grab a cuppa from the in-room Nespresso machine. Or, they might use one of the iPads provided in every room to order room service, book a Spa treatment or shop online.

In the guest bathrooms, indulgence is the order of the day with the signature Vicolo Fiori scent by Etro of Milan toiletries, custom-made fast-filling bathtubs, silent-close toilet seats, and tv screens hidden in mirrors.

"Over the years, the desire to actually live at Four Seasons was often heard from our guests," says Regional Director of Residences Valerie Faivre. "For a lucky few, that wish is coming true at the adjacent Four Seasons Private Residences built by Menkes Construction Ltd. and designed by Canadian star Brian Gluckstein, with full access to all our Hotel amenities and services."

See more here:
Welcome Back: The New Four Seasons Hotel Toronto Soars as the Canadian Brand's New Flagship

Oct 7, 2012 - 11:00

Image Caption: Herzog & de Meuron built this football stadium in Munich. (AFP)

byGhania Adamo, swissinfo.ch

Le Corbusier, Herzog & De Meuron, Mario Botta and Peter Zumthor - to mention only the most prominent names - have put Swiss architecture on the world map. The younger generation has not yet achieved the same celebrity, but it is striking out in new directions of its own. For the 125th anniversary of the birth of Le Corbusier, swissinfo.ch talked to art historian Lorette Coen about current trends in Swiss architecture.

Lorette Coen: Making that kind of distinction is the last thing I would do. Because unlike in the past, the exchanges between the linguistic regions of Switzerland today are quite intense. It used to be the case that French Swiss architects were not interested in the work of their German-speaking counterparts, and vice versa; and the Italian Swiss looked towards Milan. But times have changed. The French speakers now go off to work for a year in Zurich or Berlin, and German-speaking architects come and establish themselves in western Switzerland. Even better, several architecture buros of the younger generation are spanning the regions. So there is a lot of movement among Swiss architects.

L.C.: I would say no. In point of fact, you find similar tendencies everywhere. For example, the growing interest in a more modest architecture. Let me explain. The younger people today do not use luxury materials like stone. They go for compressed wood, concrete, sheet metal, and so on. There is a concern with economy, to which is added a concern for the environment. All our architects conform to this trend, but in different degrees. Let us say that some of them are more sparing of energy costs than others.

L.C. Yes, housing. But let me just go back for a moment. The Second World War put all architectural projects on hold throughout Europe, including Switzerland. In the post-war years (1950-1960), they started to build housing at a frenetic pace. Then this flurry of activity cooled down. Today, we see a new growth of interest in housing. Except that the young architects have learned to think about space differently the way it is occupied and lived in.

L.C. Le Corbusier certainly remains a key figure for young architects. But that does not mean that they imitate him by building towers. What counts in their work is much more the social parameters than the height of buildings. Their thinking revolves around these questions: what kind of cities do we want? what sort of mobility? what sort of accessibility? So relevance is the key element. Formerly it was virtuosity, the kind that was so typical of artists like Le Corbusier or his French counterpart Jean Nouvel, wanting to produce the perfect architectural object. If the heritage of Le Corbusier lives on, I think it remains in the art of thinking out a design project.

L.C.: One that springs to mind is the small villa built of glass and metal at Chardonne (canton Vaud) by the Geneva practice Made in Srl. It stands on a hillside in Lavaux, and reflects the terraces of the vineyards going down to the lake. Another type would be the barn (for 30 cows) at Lignires in canton Neuchtel, built by Localarchitecture, Lausanne. This same firm is also responsible for the Chapelle de Saint-Loup (Vaud), an architectural wonder designed like a work of origami and build in the grounds of a religious institution of Protestant nuns. Those would be a few examples of experimental architecture.

L.C.: Partnership between young architects from different countries is not really a new trend. If you go to Herzog & De Meuron, you will hear people speaking about 20 languages. Another example would be the team of Richter and Dahl Rocha, based in Lausanne. One is Swiss, the other an Argentinian. So working with people from abroad is a well-established practice. It has perhaps been stepped up now, because with the economic crisis, a lot of young European architects have started to enter competitions in Switzerland. Recently a Catalan firm, Estudio Barozzi Veiga, won the competition for the new cantonal fine arts museum in Lausanne. So as to have a base in Switzerland during the construction, they have linked up with Fruehauf Henry & Viladoms, who come originally from Basel but are based in Lausanne. As I said, there is a lot of movement in all directions, both within Switzerland, and between Switzerland and other countries.

Continue reading here:
“For young Swiss architects, Le Corbusier is still a key figure”

Oct 7, 2012 - 11:00

Image Caption: Herzog & de Meuron built this football stadium in Munich. (AFP)

byGhania Adamo, swissinfo.ch

Le Corbusier, Herzog & De Meuron, Mario Botta and Peter Zumthor - to mention only the most prominent names - have put Swiss architecture on the world map. The younger generation has not yet achieved the same celebrity, but it is striking out in new directions of its own. For the 125th anniversary of the birth of Le Corbusier, swissinfo.ch talked to art historian Lorette Coen about current trends in Swiss architecture.

Lorette Coen: Making that kind of distinction is the last thing I would do. Because unlike in the past, the exchanges between the linguistic regions of Switzerland today are quite intense. It used to be the case that French Swiss architects were not interested in the work of their German-speaking counterparts, and vice versa; and the Italian Swiss looked towards Milan. But times have changed. The French speakers now go off to work for a year in Zurich or Berlin, and German-speaking architects come and establish themselves in western Switzerland. Even better, several architecture buros of the younger generation are spanning the regions. So there is a lot of movement among Swiss architects.

L.C.: I would say no. In point of fact, you find similar tendencies everywhere. For example, the growing interest in a more modest architecture. Let me explain. The younger people today do not use luxury materials like stone. They go for compressed wood, concrete, sheet metal, and so on. There is a concern with economy, to which is added a concern for the environment. All our architects conform to this trend, but in different degrees. Let us say that some of them are more sparing of energy costs than others.

L.C. Yes, housing. But let me just go back for a moment. The Second World War put all architectural projects on hold throughout Europe, including Switzerland. In the post-war years (1950-1960), they started to build housing at a frenetic pace. Then this flurry of activity cooled down. Today, we see a new growth of interest in housing. Except that the young architects have learned to think about space differently the way it is occupied and lived in.

L.C. Le Corbusier certainly remains a key figure for young architects. But that does not mean that they imitate him by building towers. What counts in their work is much more the social parameters than the height of buildings. Their thinking revolves around these questions: what kind of cities do we want? what sort of mobility? what sort of accessibility? So relevance is the key element. Formerly it was virtuosity, the kind that was so typical of artists like Le Corbusier or his French counterpart Jean Nouvel, wanting to produce the perfect architectural object. If the heritage of Le Corbusier lives on, I think it remains in the art of thinking out a design project.

L.C.: One that springs to mind is the small villa built of glass and metal at Chardonne (canton Vaud) by the Geneva practice Made in Srl. It stands on a hillside in Lavaux, and reflects the terraces of the vineyards going down to the lake. Another type would be the barn (for 30 cows) at Lignires in canton Neuchtel, built by Localarchitecture, Lausanne. This same firm is also responsible for the Chapelle de Saint-Loup (Vaud), an architectural wonder designed like a work of origami and build in the grounds of a religious institution of Protestant nuns. Those would be a few examples of experimental architecture.

L.C.: Partnership between young architects from different countries is not really a new trend. If you go to Herzog & De Meuron, you will hear people speaking about 20 languages. Another example would be the team of Richter and Dahl Rocha, based in Lausanne. One is Swiss, the other an Argentinian. So working with people from abroad is a well-established practice. It has perhaps been stepped up now, because with the economic crisis, a lot of young European architects have started to enter competitions in Switzerland. Recently a Catalan firm, Estudio Barozzi Veiga, won the competition for the new cantonal fine arts museum in Lausanne. So as to have a base in Switzerland during the construction, they have linked up with Fruehauf Henry & Viladoms, who come originally from Basel but are based in Lausanne. As I said, there is a lot of movement in all directions, both within Switzerland, and between Switzerland and other countries.

Original post:
Le Corbusier still a key figure for young architects

Libya's parliament has passed a no-confidence vote in the new prime minister, removing him from his post, in the latest blow to stability in the war-ravaged country.

Mustafa Abushagur was Libya's first elected prime minister after last year's overthrow of dictator Muammar Gaddafi that ended eight months of civil war.

He had 25 days from his appointment to form a cabinet approved by parliament, but that deadline expired on Sunday as legislators moved to unseat him. The General National Congress voted 125 to 44 in favour of removing him as prime minister, with 19 abstaining.

Until a replacement can be nominated, management of Libya's government is in the hands of the legislature.

Abushagur represented an offshoot of the country's oldest anti-Gaddafi opposition movement, and was considered a compromise candidate acceptable to both liberals and Islamists.

But he failed to produce a list of ministers that could win the approval of enough legislators. After 40 years of Gaddafi's divide-and-rule tactics and the 2011 war, Libya's towns, tribes and regions are highly polarised. Many feel entitled to high government positions because of their losses in the war against Gaddafi, and are wary of any power wielded by their rivals.

In an indication of the charged atmosphere, Abushagur withdrew his line-up for government after the parliamentary chamber was stormed on Thursday by protesters from the city of Zawiya - one of several cities that took the brunt of Gaddafi's attacks during the war - demanding representation. Lawmakers left the General National Congress floor, saying they would not vote under pressure.

Before the vote of no-confidence, Abushagur said he was aiming to create a government of national unity that did not appoint minister according to "quotas".

"The government I proposed is not perfect and was marred by some mistakes, so I changed it for the purpose of national unity," he said.

He had submitted 10 names for key posts for parliament's approval, saying the remaining 19 posts would be managed by his proposed deputy prime minister. But congress instead voted to remove him.

Continued here:
Libya parliament ousts Prime Minister

NEW YORK - Glenn Bridges can tell that the market for home remodeling is picking up - when he's hanging cabinets or laying a floor in a customer's house, a next-door neighbor is bound to knock on the door and ask if he's available for a project.

They'll look at his handiwork and then say, "We have something we're interested in doing," Mr. Bridges says. "It's quite uplifting."

The collapse of the housing market decimated business for contractors like Mr. Bridges, most of whom are small businesses with just a handful of employees. But many are seeing business improve as home sales slowly recover and homeowners who had put off projects during the recession are feeling better about the economy. Still, the improvement is gradual and projects aren't typically as lucrative as they were back when homeowners were able borrow against a large amount of equity in their houses.

Mr. Bridges was so optimistic about the remodeling market that in February he restarted the contracting business he was forced to shut down in 2007. When he closed, he had to lay off his three full-time workers. But at the start of 2012, things began to change.

"I had people that needed work done and all in one weekend they said to me, 'Why don't you help me ... why don't you get active again?"' says Mr. Bridges, owner of Eagle Ridge Contractor Services in Naples, Fla.

He's worked steadily since February, installing new kitchens and bathrooms that range from $10,000 to $25,000, depending on the size of the room and the quality of the cabinets and appliances. He hired one full-time worker when he started his business again and says he may take on as many as three more if business is good enough. And he's optimistic that it will be, because he's getting more requests for bids on projects. "Where I was pricing one or two (projects) a month, I might now price five or six a month. And I think I'm not unusual - for our market, there's more optimism."

Sales of previously occupied homes are up more than 9 percent this year, and spending on residential construction has risen 16 percent. People who track housing trends see signs that remodeling is on the rise - and that the improvement will continue. Harvard University's Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity suggests that annual homeowner improvement spending could rise 12.2 percent in the first quarter of 2013, up from levels reached in the first three months of 2012.

Some of the uptick is coming from new homeowners fixing up and some is coming from people who put off work during the recession.

"Even though it's a down market, homeowners are always having to do certain projects - roofing, siding, heating systems," says Abbe Will a research analyst with Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies. "When we're moving into a recovery phase, we're going to be looking to the discretionary projects, like kitchen and bath remodeling. We're expecting to see lots more of that as the housing market stabilizes."

But while the upturn is encouraging, it hasn't yet turned into the boom that some had hoped for. After rising from a low reached at the end of 2008, remodeling activity rose sharply but then fluctuated since the end of 2009, according to the National Association of Home Builders' index of remodeling activity. It's "improving, but not as much as we thought it had been earlier," says Steve Millman, director of economic services at the NAHB.

Follow this link:
Resurgence in remodeling boosts sales for contractors

LP will provide product information and an interactive demonstration of how to install LP SmartSide siding at the national 2012 Remodeling Show at the Baltimore Convention Center October 9-12, 2012.

Baltimore, MD (PRWEB) October 07, 2012

Visit the LP SmartSide booth 6122 for information about training and business building and across an aisle see LP product training by Greg Burnett of Toolbelt Productions. Take just a minute or two to enter a drawing at the booth for a new power tool.

The Remodeling Show and LP SmartSide Trim and Siding provide exceptional learning that remodelers can use to grow their businesses, said Jennifer Jenkins, product manager for LP SmartSide Trim and Siding.

Remodeling Show exhibitor hours are Wed., Oct. 10, and Thurs., Oct. 11, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Fri., Oct. 12, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

LP SmartSide products feature the look and beauty of natural cedar clapboard while being impact resistant and easy to maintain. They are backed by a five-year, 100 percent labor and replacement feature and a 50-year prorated, limited warranty on the substrate. LP SmartSide is currently one of the fastest-growing brands of exterior siding in the United States.

Later in the fall, LP will conduct hands-on training in the Baltimore area on how to handle and install LP SmartSide Trim and Siding as a part of our popular BuildSmart Preferred Remodeler program. Remodelers will have the opportunity to learn quality installation of LP SmartSide engineered wood products and competitive advantages for business growth.

For more information about the BuildSmart Preferred Remodeler Program and Gold Level Training, please visit http://www.lpbuildsmart.com or stop by our booth in Baltimore at the Remodeling Show.

About LP Building Products

Louisiana-Pacific Corporation is a leading manufacturer of quality engineered wood building materials including OSB, structural framing products and exterior siding for use in residential, industrial and light commercial construction. From manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Canada, Chile and Brazil, LP products are sold to builders and homeowners through building materials distributors and dealers and retail home centers. Founded in 1973, LP is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, and traded on the New York Stock Exchange under LPX. For more information, visit http://www.lpcorp.com.

See the article here:
LP SmartSide Siding Helps Remodelers Grow Their Businesses at National Remodeling Show