Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

After years of delays, the long-abandoned Victoria Theater site is close to getting financing for construction and redevelopment.

The Victoria Theater, a Harlem icon on 125th Street between Frederick Douglass and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. boulevards, has been vacant since it closed in 1989. Its now slated for redevelopment by Danforth Development Partners, LLC and Exact Capital.

According to Harlem Community Development Corporation President Curtis Archer, the 26-story, 360,000-square-foot complex will feature a 210-room hotel with a ballroom, mixed-income rental housing, a cultural arts center with a 199-seat theater, retail space, a restaurant and jazz club, and an underground parking lot.

Weve made tremendous progress and are, right now, in the throes of locking up a bank for a construction loan, Exact Capital co-president Michael Callaghan said. Were looking to close on financing in the first quarter of 2013. Well have a 24-month build schedule, so the building should be complete by the first quarter of 2015.

Some of the theaters architectural features, including the front exterior, the lobby, and the staircase, will be preserved, while the original marquee and blade sign will be replicated. Danforth President Steve Williams said his company is collaborating with the State Historic Preservation Office on the project.

They have inspected the site and they have come to meetings. We talked with them, and we have gotten their tentative approval on the project, Williams said.

The Harlem CDC, which has owned the building since 1977, chose Danforth to redevelop the site in 2007. The newly developed space, which Archer said will cost $143 million, is also slated to include four arts organizations: the Harlem Arts Alliance, JazzMobile, the Classical Theater of Harlem, and the Apollo Theater Foundation, Inc.

A number of institutions who had been advocates for Harlem, celebrating the history and culture, were getting displaced by increasing rental rates, Williams said. I felt that people who had been advocating for Harlem should be rewarded and be a part of the largest development project in Harlem, maybe even in its history. So we put together a team of a broad spectrum of great groups.

Michael Unthank, a consultant for the Harlem Arts Alliance, said the organization is working to create a collaborative cultural space with other arts organizations.

Right now, the consortium of arts organizations is working with the architects to organize the space, Unthank said. Because of HAAs nature as a service organization, we will serve as the link to the grassroots Harlem art community.

Continued here:
Victoria Theater redevelopment getting financing

Apogee Enterprises, Inc. (APOG) climbed to a new 52-week high on September 20, 2012 after reporting its forecast-topping second quarter results. This industrial glass maker raised its earnings guidance for fiscal 2013, sparking upward revisions from analysts that boosted the Zacks Consensus Estimate. This Zacks #2 Rank ("Buy") fits the bill for aggressive growth investors, given its rising estimates, solid double-digit earnings growth projection for this year, favorable building industry trends, strong architectural backlog and the healthy performance of its framing glass and acrylic business. Sixth Straight Beat Apogee Enterprises reported solid second-quarter fiscal 2013 results on September 19, including earnings per share of 17 cents that reversed a loss of 6 cents a year ago. The result comfortably beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 9 cents by nearly 90%, marking the sixth positive surprise over the last seven quarters. Revenues rose 6% year over year to $175.9 million, driven by growth across the board. Gross margin improved to 20.5% from 15.7% a year ago. Revenues from the core Architectural Products and Services segment rose 5% year over year to $156.4 million, fueled by share gains in the storefront and installation businesses. The segment returned to profit in the quarter. Moreover, the division's backlog climbed 32% and reached its highest level in twelve quarters. Sales from the Large-Scale Optical Technologies division surged 19% to $19.6 million. The improvement stemmed from higher value-added glass and acrylic mix across picture framing sectors. Apogee raised its earnings guidance for fiscal 2013 to between 56 cents and 64 cents per share from the previous guidance of 48 cents to 58 cents. It expects revenue growth in the mid single-digits, driven by share gains in the architectural businesses. Earnings Estimates Shoot Higher For fiscal 2013, all three estimates have been revised higher in the last 30 days, pushing the Zacks Consensus Estimate upward by 18% to 66 cents a share. This reflects an estimated annualized growth of roughly 198.5%. All three estimates have moved higher for fiscal 2014 as well, sending the Zacks Consensus Estimate up by 20% to 95 cents per share. This represents an estimated year over year growth of 44.7%. Valuation: Stretched but Justified Apogee's valuation appears expensive on a P/E basis. Its trailing twelve months P/E of 36.39x is much higher than the peer group average of 6.56x. Moreover, the stock is currently trading at a forward P/E of 29.92x, which is well above the peer group average of 12.45x. The price-to-book of 1.72x is in line with the peer group average. Given the robust earnings trajectory, the premium valuation should not scare investors away. Bullish Technicals Technical indicators show that Apogee has been above its 200-day moving average since late 2011. Moreover, after a series of peaks and troughs, the stock is trading above its 50-day moving average of late. Notably, following a golden crossover in early 2012, the 50-day moving average continues to read higher than the 200-day moving average, manifesting the bullish trend. Founded in 1949, Apogee Enterprises Inc. is a leader in technologies for the design and development of value-added glass products, services and systems. The company's larger Architectural segment is engaged in designing, engineering, fabricating, installing and renovating windows and walls of glass that make up the outside of the commercial buildings. The smaller Large-Scale Optical Technologies segment makes value-added glass and acrylic products for the custom framing market as well as optical thin film coatings for consumer electronic displays. Apogee, which has a market cap of roughly $549 million, markets its products directly as well as through independent distributors and retailers. Want More of Our Best Recommendations? Zacks' Executive VP, Steve Reitmeister, knows when key trades are about to be triggered and which of our experts has the hottest hand. Then each week he hand-selects the most compelling trades and serves them up to you in a new program called Zacks Confidential. Learn More>>

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Apogee Enterprises - Aggressive Growth

Advocates for the disabled on Monday sued the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, demanding the restoration of the state's cash assistance program.

The lawsuit, filed in Commonwealth Court, was filed on behalf of three former recipients of General Assistance, which had paid $205 a month to poor disabled people. Gov. Corbett and the legislature eliminated the program in June to save $150 million a year.

In the filing, Billie Washington, the lead plaintiff, said she had been receiving General Assistance since last fall because rheumatoid arthritis and other illnesses had left her unable to continue working as a home health care attendant.

She lost those benefits when General Assistance ended Aug. 1. She has been applying for Social Security disability, but that process typically takes two years, and the state's program had served as a stopgap for many people while they waited to qualify for federal help.

In a news release by Community Legal Services, which filed the suit along with Young Ricchiuti Caldwell & Heller and the Disability Rights Network of Pennsylvania, Washington said she did not know where to turn.

"I don't want to end up in a homeless shelter," she said.

The suit argues that general assistance had allowed the 68,000 Pennsylvanians who had received it to pay for basic needs, such as food and housing.

Anne Bale, a spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare, said she could not comment because agency officials had not seen the suit.

The plaintiffs also want to overturn a change to state funding for social services that allowed some counties to shift money out of health and intellectual disability services. Corbett administration officials have said that change was meant to give local governments greater flexibility combining various funding streams into a single block grant.

The suit argues that the legislature got rid of General Assistance and implemented the block grants without following proper procedure.

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Lawsuit seeks restoration of Pennsylvania's General Assistance for the disabled

EPHRATA - Grant County Emergency Management is moving to the fairgrounds to make room for a new district court judge.

Fairgrounds Manager Jerry Gingrich and Emergency Management Director Robert Schneider met with the Grant County commissioners recently to discuss moving from the Moses Lake building on Wheeler Road.

The county plans to expand district court into the space Emergency Management is presently using to make room for a second courtroom and several other changes. The remodel is intended to make room for a third district court judge.

Gingrich and Schneider discussed three options, including remodeling the Huck Fuller building, building a new structure and remodeling the old fair office and a conference room.

The commissioners agreed to move emergency management offices into the former fair office building and use the conference room as a emergency operations center for now.

"There are probably more than three. That was just the three that came to mind," Gingrich said. "Obviously the least expensive would be (the) conference room."

Schneider said the conference room is the same size as the present emergency operations center.

"If we needed to be out tomorrow and needed to be in another emergency operations space, this space would work," he said. "We'll leave all the walls up (in the old fair office) in the middle. We'll leave all the walls up except for some of the temporary walls ... so we have a public space because we do the signs, we do the ID cards."

Gingrich said the department plans to start moving onto the fairgrounds on Oct. 29.

"Short term we can go back to our original plan and go into the block building. Get that gutted on the 29th," Schneider said. "Get that gutted, clean it and start going through our punch list of what we need to do."

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Emergency division moves to fairgrounds

CONCORD A Derry man is accused of bilking 15 people out of more than $70,000 in a roofing and home repair scam in which police say he took customers deposits and never completed or did the repairs.

Timothy J. Currier, 30, of 125 Windham Road, was indicted by a Merrimack County grand jury on a felony charge of theft by unauthorized taking or transfer.

Currier operated a roofing company, Green Home Energy Systems, LLC, in Bow, which also did other home repairs, such as installing replacement windows and doors.

According to the indictment, Stephen Benoit gave Currier $10,000 as a down payment on a new roof, but Currier never did the work and never returned the money. Connie Belliveau paid $1,572 to have the fascia soffit on her roof repaired, but the work was never done and Currier allegedly kept the money.

Others bilked out of their deposits in the scam, according to the indictment, included Richard and Erica Buteau, $9,000 for new windows and a door; Gary Durand, $8,425 for a new roof; Bruce Ingalls, $8,200, new roof; William Ingalls, $5,500, new roof; Glen and Lorri Kimball, $6,000, new roof; Barbara Levasseur, $300 , new roof; Karen McCarthy, $1,190, new roof; Thomas Michaud and Virginia Eastman, $5,000, new roof; Michele Moreau, $3,000, new roof; Ruth Roche, $12,000, roof and replacement of fascia boards.

In August, the Attorney Generals Office filed suit in Merrimack County Superior Court and obtained attachments against Currier and his company after the office received numerous consumer complaints about the business.

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Roofing contractor in Bow accused of bilking customers out of 70,000

Roofing contractor in Jacksonville, FL services are now available from Roofing Emporium. Both residential and commercial contracting services are now offered by Roofing Emporium in the Jacksonville, FL area.

Jacksonville, FL (PRWEB) October 02, 2012

The installation of asphalt shingles is widely performed across the U.S. This roofing type started mass production after WWII and many of the homes constructed between 1950 and 1980 used this popular format. The materials that bond the asphalt to shingles have been improved through the years although some homeowners have not yet upgraded their roof. New roof materials have been added for installation in states like Florida that has higher damage estimates during and after the hurricane season. The Roofing Emporium website provides access to contractors in North Florida that use the latest advancements in roofing technology as an alternative safety measure to protect homes from wind, hail and solar damage.

Insurance regulators in high hurricane states help produce annual estimates that insurance companies use to determine rates of premiums for home and business owners. Since the weather patterns are hard to predict, most insurance policies include basic coverage for severe weather that is the most common in certain hurricane zones. A recent survey of homeowners in the U.S. by a leading market research company revealed that less than 20 percent of homeowners know and understand their current insurance policy.

The contractors that are available for hire through the Roofing Emporium website meet frequently with insurance adjusters when damage is reported to ensure that all signs of damage are properly reported and assessed.

A typical roofing contractor can make an assessment and make recommendations based on experience and weather patterns. Homeowners that require roof repair or replacement often must make a sole decision on the type of roof covering that is best for their home. Some roofing companies deal exclusively in asphalt shingle coverings and others are now repairing and installing alternative roof styles. Part of the contracting services now offering from Roofing Emporium include flat roof, metal roof, rubber roof and turf roof repair and replacement.

Homeowners or business owners in the North Florida area can now receive an online estimate for any roof related work entirely online at the Roofing Emporium website.

About Roofing Emporium

As state licensed roofing contractors, the Roofing Emporium company has assembled a huge team of contractors that work in and around the North Florida area. This team of experts is among the first group of contractors that respond to the majority of roof repair or roof replacement requests in the Jacksonville, FL neighborhoods. By offering affordable prices and meeting with insurance adjusters, the Roofing Emporium contractors have been able to build a reputation in the local community for prompt service and quality of work performed. Contractors that are dispatched by Roofing Emporium now include Owens Corning Platinum Preferred contractors.

Garrett Wadford Roofing Emporium 904-900-2801 Email Information

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Roofing Contractor in Jacksonville, FL Services Now Available from Roofing Emporium

Experts at Simonton Windows offer timely tips for homeowners to enhance the energy efficiency of their windows and doors during Octobers National Energy Awareness Month.

Columbus, OH (PRWEB) October 02, 2012

Virtually every building component in a home needs to be replaced at some point, and windows are no exception, says Gary Pember of Simonton Windows. Wed like to think that our roof, siding and windows will last forever, but they wont.

Marking your calendar each October to routinely check your windows and patio doors helps ensure they are performing the way they were designed to perform. These checks also help determine when its time to consider a window replacement project that can offer you long-term energy savingsespecially if you live in an older home.

Pember recommends the following do-it-yourself tips to gain an initial impression of how well your current windows and patio doors are functioning:

Tip #1 - Examine the inside of your windows and patio doors for hot and cold drafty spots (or drafty areas). This indicates air infiltration which can lead to reduced energy efficiency.

Tip #2 - Check every window and door to make sure there is adequate weatherstripping and caulking around the units. This helps eliminate air infiltration and ensure a weather tight, secure seal.

Tip #3 Look for burnt out or faded areas on your furnishings and carpeting. This could indicate harmful, damaging UV rays are entering your home through your windows or doors. You may want to consider replacement with more energy efficient units containing Low E coatings on the glass.

Tip #4 If your windows no longer open or close easily--or if they need to be propped open--it could mean key components within the units are damaged or need adjustment. It could also mean the unit needs to be replaced entirely.

Tip #5 Check the fit of your current windows or patio doors by having someone stand outside the units at night. With a small flashlight, stand inside and travel around the edge of the units. If the person outside sees light coming through the edges, this indicates a poor installation and is resulting in energy loss.

See the article here:
Schedule a Window Check-up During October’s National Energy Awareness Month

Lanham, MD (PRWEB) October 02, 2012

Thompson Creek Window Company, the mid-Atlantics leading home improvement replacement products company, today announced they have been named #8 on Remodeling Magazines annual list of the top 550 replacement contractors in the United States.

Methodology The magazine leverages residential remodeling revenue data gathered from a web-based survey conducted jointly by Remodeling Magazine and its sister publication Replacement Contractor. Specpan, a third-party data collection provider, hosted the survey and compiled the data. Additional information was gathered via mailings, phone calls and public information sources.

Thompson Creek Window Company is proud to be one of the few regional replacement companies that make this esteemed list year after year..

Rick Wuest, president of Thompson Creek, said I very excited to be recognized as one of the top remodelers in the country. Sustainability in our business requires a dedication to 100% customer satisfaction. Total customer satisfaction has always been our focus. This achievement is a direct result of the relationships we have developed with satisfied customers and the feedback and recommendations they share with their friends and neighbors. Our inclusion in this list is true validation that we are continuing to succeed in our mission.

About Thompson Creek The Thompson Creek Window Company is a privately owned and family-operated manufacturer and installer of energy-efficient home improvement replacement products. Founded in 1980, Thompson Creek Window Company began as a manufacturer of energy-efficient, maintenance-free vinyl windows. Since that time, Thompson Creek Window Company has evolved into one of the leading specialty home improvement contracting companies in the nation. The companys product mix includes replacement windows and doors, vinyl siding and a clog-free gutter system. Thompson Creek Window Company is headquartered in Lanham, MD with an 80,000 square-foot manufacturing facility in Landover, MD.

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Thompson Creek Windows Ranked #8 on 2012 Remodeling 550

Preservation Green Lab's report offers affordable alternatives for homeowners seeking to save money and help the environment

WASHINGTON, Oct. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new study released today offers welcome insight for homeowners weighing the financial and energy tradeoffs between replacing or repairing older, less efficient windows. The report, "Saving Windows, Saving Money: Evaluating the Energy Performance of Window Retrofit and Replacement," was commissioned by the Preservation Green Lab and funded by The National Park Service's National Center for Preservation Technology and Training.

It analyzes decades of research about the performance of double hung windows, comparing the relative energy, carbon and cost savings of various choices in multiple cities across the United States. The report concludes that upgrading windows (specifically older, single-pane models) with exterior storm windows and insulating shades can result in substantial energy savings across a variety of climate zones.

"A number of existing window retrofit strategies come very close to delivering the energy benefits of high-performance replacement windows at a fraction of the cost," said Mark Huppert, technical director of the Preservation Green Lab. "From weather stripping and sealing, to installing exterior storm windows or interior cellular shades, almost every retrofit option offers a better return on investment than outright replacement."

These findings have important environmental and economic ramifications for consumers. Residential buildings are responsible for approximately 20 percent of total U.S. energy use and carbon dioxide emissions. Many of these buildings are single-family homes where heating and cooling represents the largest uses of energy, and where windows are an important factor in home energy efficiency. Americans spend over $17 billion annually on heating and cooling.

"Homeowners and designers who want to upgrade existing windows have many choices: from simple low cost, do-it-yourself solutions to complete replacement, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars," said David J. Brown, executive vice president and chief preservation officer of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. "This report provides the context and data to help budget conscious consumers make sound decisions."

Whether you live in Boston, Chicago or Phoenix, the conclusions are nearly identical," said Kirk Cordell, the executive director of the National Center for Preservation Training and Technology. "With careful planning, it's possible to affordably increase the energy efficiency of a home or residential building without compromising its design quality or historic character."

Research support for the study was provided by Cascadia Green Building Council and Ecotope, a consultancy focused on energy efficiency and sustainability.

The full report is at http://www.preservationnation.org/saving-windows-saving-money.

About the Preservation Green Lab The Preservation Green Lab is a sustainability think tank and national leader in efforts to advance the reuse and retrofit of older and historic buildings. A project of the National Trust for Historic Preservation (www.preservationnation.org), the Green Lab was launched in 2009 and is based in Seattle, Wash.

Read more:
New Study Shows Window Retrofits Provide Significant Energy Savings at Less Cost than Full Window Replacement

Last April, Nest Labs released the second version of the Nest Learning Thermostat. The update included some tweaks to the unit itself that made it easier to install--small, helpful changes that reflected the lessons founder Tony Fadell learned while overseeing the iPod division at Apple in the late aughts. (See an interview with him and his co-founder at Fast Company.) That update also added of a number of features to Nests companion software that seemed to signal a shift in the devices focus towards a broader energy-management role in the household. But, as the company explains it, that version was actually something closer to Nest 1.5. Today, the company announced the real Nest 2.0, and its focus is perfectly clear: even more efficient heating and cooling available to an even greater number of homes. Its Nest, same as it ever was, just better.

The new Nest looks pretty much the same as its predecessor, but the hardware has been updated in a few places. Nest 2.0 is 20% thinner than the older model, which is nice when youre talking about a device that spends its life clinging to your wall somewhere around eye-level. The other change comes to the units control ring, the central mechanism for adjusting temperature. Where the older version was controlled by twisting a centimeter-wide metal band near the front face of the device, Nest 2.0 has a stainless steel ring that circles the entire side of the thermostat, from the front face all the way back to the wall. Basically, it turns Nest into one big metal knob, and as we well know from our old stereo receivers, there are few experiences in consumer electronics as innately satisfying as twisting big metal knobs.

Further updates are found on the backplate of the device, where you connect Nest to the mess of heating and cooling wires that stick out from your wall. Nest 1.5 had a redesigned backplate that made the hook-up process easier by giving the installers fingers a bit more space to work. Nest 2.0 takes another stab at it, introducing a circular clip configuration that provides even more room for fingers to work--and makes space for two new connectors. The first new clip accommodates second-stage cooling found in some newer, high-end systems. The other is a "wildcard" connector, designed to accept wires for less common features like third-stage and emergency heat and whole-home humidifiers and dehumidifiers.

Basically, the new connectors are Nests way of expanding its potential user base; their inclusion brings the units compatibility up from 75% of U.S. homes with low-voltage systems to roughly 95%. Maxime Veron, a senior product manager at Nest, told me that the new connections, while not terribly exciting for most, are a "really big deal" for the company. "The goal for this launch is to make sure that the people who wanted to get Nest and couldnt can now take it home."

But if one part of the Nest 2.0 strategy is to accommodate more heating and cooling systems, the other aim is to work even better with the systems its been supporting from the start. To this end, version 3.0 of the Nest software comes with System Match, a trio of features designed to make Nest work more efficiently with forced air, heat pump, and radiant systems--three of the most commonly found in the U.S. Mainly, the features enable some combination of pre-heating and pre-cooling specific to the system in your home, ensuring that when you tell Nest you want it to be 75 degrees at 7 a.m., thats exactly what youll get.

In other words, what System Match does is eliminate the startup and shutdown time from the thermostat experience. Its something you probably account for without even realizing it--you turn on the heat before you leave the house so itll be warm when you come back. And thats a user experience quirk thats hardly limited to your thermostat. You know it takes a minute or so for your computer to start up in the morning, so you hit the power button, go brush your teeth, and come back just around the time its ready to go. System Match eliminates the need for that little routine when it comes to heating and cooling your home. Carrying forward my example, Veron said, "Imagine you go to your desk, and your computer is already on, because it knows you need it at that time." Its sort of like Apples "it just works" mantra, as it applies to the world of air conditioning.

Aside from another small upgrade here and there, thats mostly what Nest 2.0 brings to the table. No bold new energy management software, no striking redesign. Even though Fadell served as the product manager for the iPod division at Apple, in terms of design iteration, the new Nest seems to be more akin to another recently updated Apple product line: the iPhone. While iPods have changed drastically over the years, transforming from simple music-based devices to work-out gizmos, portable gaming machines, and all-purpose mini computers, the iPhones upgrades, especially the last few, have been more measured. Nest, too, seems to be sticking to what it knows. Like the iPhone 5, the design of Nest 2.0 is mostly the same as the one that came before it, except for some improved materials and a thinner profile (20% thinner, in fact!) And both products have been updated to work with the latest systems on the market--4G LTE in the iPhones case, and, in Nests, all of the high-end setups it can now accomodate thanks to its new connectors. Both updates operate on the same principles: You dont change a good product for no reason, and you dont try to make it into something its not.

There is one key place where the products diverge: while Apple counts on you wanting a new iPhone a year or two down the line, Nest knows that planned obsolescence is a bit harder to pull off when youre dealing with thermostats. So theyre updating all the web-connected Nests that are already out there with the new software, including System Match, automatically and free of charge.

You can pre-order the new Nest on the companys site for $250.

Kyle VanHemert is a writer based in Birmingham, Alabama. Formerly a reporter at Gizmodo, he has contributed to WIRED, Complex, The Wirecutter, and more. Continued

Originally posted here:
Nest Learning Thermostat 2.0: The Old Nest, Just Better