Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

By Alex Fees

Foley, MO (KSDK) - From a distance, the limestone retaining wall looks strong, sturdy.

Will Reichert thought so when he had it put behind his house about four years ago.

"I was pleased. It looked great," he said.

But a closer look tells you the wall meant to keep runoff from flooding his yard and house is falling apart.

It started first with cracks and chipping, but soon big chunks of the wall started to fall off. It's a concern for Will who has small dogs.

"The work that we had done isn't holding up to the expectation that it's going to be here forever," said Reichert.

5 on Your Side called the man who installed the wall and Ed Mullens with New Castle Custom Builders met Mike Rush at the home in Foley.

The problem, says Mullens, is the quarry gave him limestone boulders that were too porous.

"Over time some of the rock will absorb water and freeze and break apart," said Mullens.

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5 on Your Side: Retaining wall not retaining shape

Drivers who use County Road 77, also known as Sinclair Avenue in Steubenville, could be facing some big delays in the near future. The retaining wall along the side of the road is starting to fall, and that has officials concerned.

The road, the busiest in Jefferson County, looks fine now, but engineers said it could begin to crumble.

"The retaining wall in this section is old and failing. And inadvertently, the private bridge has failed, as well," County Bridge Engineer Jeff Oinonen said.

Fortunately, Oinonen said no one lives there. What has him worried is the fact that this is happening at several spots along the road.

"We will excavate 65 feet of this wall section, replace it with a gabion retaining wall, which is caged rocks, and pour concrete cap in for the bridge to be put back on top of it," Oinonen explained.

He said it will cost the county about $50,000. During the repairs, the road will likely be closed despite the fact about 8,000 cars drive on it each day.

However, without the fix, Oinonen said even bigger problems could arise, like a road slip.

"With the retaining wall failing, it retains the hillside and the road and even utilities under it. There is a buried gas line, as well," said Oinonen.

With the debris still left in the creek, he said there could be a flood threat as well if the county sees any heavy rain before the repairs are made.

Oinonen said work should begin in about a month.

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Retaining wall collapsing, engineers concerned

Pryor & Morrow Architects and Engineers, P.A. announce the recent architectural registration of two staff members.

Michael Taylor has been with Pryor & Morrow since 2003 and completed his professional degree in 2009. He is originally from Central Arkansas and currently resides in Caledonia. He joined Pryor & Morrow in 2003 while pursuing his degree. Taylor has been project manager for various projects including: The Wise Center Exterior Renovation, Necropsy Renovation and Verner G. Hurt Research and Extension Building for Mississippi State University, and The Tennessee Williams Home Renovation located in downtown Columbus for the Columbus Convention and Visitor's Bureau. He graduated from Mississippi State University's School of Architecture.

Stephens Daniel has been on staff at Pryor & Morrow since 2010 and completed his professional degree in June 2005. He is originally from Petal and a current resident of Tupelo. He joined Pryor & Morrow Architects and Engineers' in 2010 and specializes in financial, residential, educational building design, and manages projects for BancorpSouth.

Registered architects are responsible for accommodating client needs, following building and life-safety codes and administrating the construction process. Local building departments often require that buildings of a certain size or complexity be designed by a registered architect. He graduated from Mississippi State University's School of Architecture.

A person seeking to become a registered architect in Mississippi must obtain a professional degree from an accredited institution of higher learning, must complete the three-year Intern Development Program (IDP) and must pass all seven components of the Architect Registration Examination (ARE).

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Business brief: Architects registered

OKLAHOMA CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Architectural firm Elliott + Associates Architects announced today that it has won three 2012 American Architecture Awards. Awarded annually by the European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies and the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design, the awards honor Americas top new contemporary architecture projects. The 2012 Jury for Awards was organized by the Federation of Korean Architects in Seoul, and 87 projects were selected by a distinguished group of Korean architects and educators.

The highest and most prestigious distinguished building awards honoring new and cutting-edge design, the American Architectural Awards have grown to become the most significant and most comprehensive distinguished awards in the United States.

Of the 87 winning entries in 2012, three were from Elliott + Associates: the 9,400 square-foot Kirkpatrick Oil Field Office in Hennessey, Okla., which became the centerpiece of the towns Main Street revitalization effort; Chesapeake Energy Car Park Two, a five-level structure that uses light and color to turn a utilitarian building into a destination on the Chesapeake Energy campus in Oklahoma City; and the 54,570 square-foot, $13 million Stuart Wing and Adkins Gallery at the University of Oklahomas Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art in Norman, Okla. Other winners included major infrastructure projects such as airport terminals and museum galleries by the top echelon of American architecture firms.

We believe architecture can complement the natural beauty of the landscape from rural Hennessey to the urban core of Oklahoma City, from car parks to art galleries, said Rand Elliott, FAIA, principal of Elliott + Associates. To be recognized with Americas top firms is humbling, and we are grateful to be listed among them.

In October 2012, The Chicago Athenaeum, together with The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies, will present a special exhibition of all awarded American buildings at its annual symposium, The City and the World in Istanbul, Turkey, in conjunction with the Istanbul Biennial contemporary art show.

About Elliott + Associates Architects

Since the firms opening in 1976, Oklahoma City-based Elliott + Associates Architects has received 272 international, national, regional and local awards including ten National AIA Honor Awards. The firms work has been featured in more than 70 books and 350 periodicals published in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Japan, Italy, France, Australia, Hong Kong, China, Turkey, The Netherlands, Portugal and Russia. Proudly, Elliott + Associates Architects is the only architectural firm in the history of the state of Oklahoma to win a National AIA Honor Award. Elliott + Associates Architects is among the top nine most honored firms since the inception of the National AIA Honor Awards program in 1949.

To download high-res photos of each of the projects, click here.

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Elliott + Associates Architects Wins Three 2012 American Architecture Awards

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Sep 21, 2012) - The Government of Canada is making it easier for internationally trained architects to find jobs in their fields through support for a newly launched program. Speaking at the International Interior Design (IIDEX) Canada Expo and Conference today, the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, helped to launch the federally funded Broadly Experienced Foreign Architects (BEFA) Program and underscored the importance of helping skilled newcomers succeed in the Canadian job market.

"Our government''s top priorities are job creation, economic growth and long-term prosperity, and we recognize that internationally trained professionals help fill skills shortages in key occupations," said Minister Finley. "This is why we are working with partners like Architecture Canada so that newcomers can find meaningful work in their fields faster and help to contribute to Canada''s economy."

The BEFA Program was created through over $1.9 million in federal funding, announced by MinisterFinley in September 2010. This program will streamline the licensing process for internationally trained architects through a national online assessment tool and standard interview process.Internationally trained architects will be able to find out sooner whether their qualifications meet Canadian standards of practice, or if they need to undergo further training and skills upgrading.

"The architectural community sees great benefits from having internationally trainedarchitectslicensedasprofessionals in Canada. With it comes new connections, ideas and perspectives that can only enrich our profession, said Sheena Sharp, President, Ontario Association of Architects. "Wewould like to thank Minister Finley and her officials at Human Resources and Skill Development Canada for their financial support in the creation of the BEFA program. We believe that this program offers foreign trained architectsa fair and effective process to presenttheirwork experience and competenciesto be assessed againstpan-Canadian standards of competency for practice in Canada."

Under the Pan-Canadian Framework for the Assessment and Recognition of Foreign Qualifications, the Government of Canada is working with the provinces and territories and other partners, such as regulatory bodies, to improve foreign credential recognition.

The BEFA Program is an example of how the Framework is bringing meaningful change to the way that newcomers'' qualifications are assessed in Canada. Through pilot versions of this program, several candidates were successful in becoming certified architects in Canada.

To learn more about Canada''s Economic Action Plan, visit http://www.actionplan.gc.ca.

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IF THERE IS A DISCREPANCY BETWEEN ANY PRINTED VERSION AND THE ELECTRONIC VERSION OF THIS NEWS RELEASE, THE ELECTRONIC VERSION WILL PREVAIL.

This news release is available online at: http://www.actionplan.gc.ca.

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Government of Canada Helps Internationally Trained Architects Build a Better Future

Georgella Rothacker Ray (nee Deck), 93, of Elyria, formerly of Cincinnati, passed away peacefully Wednesday, September 19, 2012, in her home. She was born March 23, 1919 in Cincinnati, and has been a resident of Elyria since 2000.

She was formerly employed as an interior decorator with Callico Corners in Cincinnati. She enjoyed playing bridge, golf and painting with watercolors and spending time with her grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Georgella is survived by a daughter, Ruth L. (Larry) Russ of Elyria; grandchildren, Scott (Shelly) Russ, Jason (Ginger) Russ, April (Stephan) Schlegelmilch, Rob (Deanne) and Mike (Marcie) Fitzpatrick; and 15 great grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her first husband, Ralph Rothacker in 1996; second husband, James Ray; brother, William B. (Sylvia) Deck in 1991; and parents, William H. and Eva May (nee Fisher) Deck.

A funeral service will be 11:30 A.M., Friday, September 21, 2012 at Epiphany United Methodist Church, 6635 Loveland-Miamiville Rd., Loveland, with Pastors Scott and Jason Russ officiating. Burial will be in Rest Haven Memorial Park, Cincinnati.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Heartland Hospice, P.O. Box 10086, Toledo, OH 43699-0086. Dicken Funeral Home, Elyria, handled arrangements.

For online condolences, visit http://www.dickenfuneralhome.com.

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Georgella Rothacker Ray

OLNEY -

Mary Russell feels victimized after she says a roofing job on her rowhome ended with a mess left behind.

"They didn't do the work," she said. "They left trash on my roof."

Russell hired a Kensington roofing company to remove and replace her roof shingles.

The price: $2000.

According to the paperwork for the job, the contractor was also supposed to remove all of the trash. But when a neighbor recently checked his own roof, he saw shingles left on the 63-year-old's roof.

"It says remove all trash," Russell said. "They did not do that."

Russell called the contractor and demanded the materials be cleaned up. He said he would do it, but it would cost her.

"They told me they went bankrupt the same day they did the work," she explained.

Finally, Russell hired another contractor to remove the trash from her roof. That cost her $500 more.

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Olney Woman Angry Over Unfinished Roofing Job

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It's not quite a return to Norman Rockwell's Americana, but the rise in the number of new homes with porches hints at a shift in the way more Americans want to live: in smaller houses and dense neighborhoods that promote walking and social interaction.

Two-thirds of new homes built in 2011 had a porch, a trend that has been on a steady rise for almost 10 years, according to a Census survey of construction. The pace of new homes with decks and patios -- more expensive construction that takes up more space, usually behind homes -- has flattened.

The share of new homes with front or rear porches has grown from 42 percent in 1992 to 65 percent in 2011, Census data show.

The data also show that the percentage of homes built without a garage or carport remains at its highest since the late 1990s. At the peak of the housing boom in 2004, 8 percent of new homes had no car shelter. It hit 13 percent in 2010 and 2011.

"It says something about density and something very positive about public transportation," says Stephen Melman, director of economic services for the National Association of Homebuilders, "if new construction is starting to be built closer to employment centers or transit."

"That's what the market wants," says Christopher Leinberger, a developer and a George Washington University professor.

A partner in Arcadia Land Co. outside Philadelphia, Leinberger says the firm is building mostly townhouses with porches in Sadsbury, Pa., because that's what buyers want.

"The front porch acts as a social mechanism," says Leinberger, also president of Smart Growth America's LOCUS, a national coalition of developers and investors who promote walking over driving. "You sit on the porch and talk to people walking by without having to invite them in. It's outdoor space without taking up too much space."

The desire for a more urban lifestyle is mounting as Baby Boomers become empty-nesters and Millennials, entering their late teens to early 30s, are sensitive to saving the environment and money.

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IT'S OFFICIAL: Nobody Wants A Home With A Garage Anymore

Not only is an outdated kitchen aesthetically unpleasing, but it can also make cooing a real chore. But kitchen remodeling projects usually come with a big price tag. Angie Hicks of Angie's List says, "Your kitchen is the heart of your home. The great news is you can get a good return on your investment when you remodel your kitchen. You can see up to an 85 percent return on your investment on a good remodel job." There are some ways homeowners can update their kitchens without breaking the bank. Hicks says, "Remodeling your kitchen can seem overwhelming, but you can do little things on a budget that can update the kitchen without breaking your wallet. Doing things like replacing the sink and the faucet, depending on the type/materials you use, you can do that for $150, or alternatively, replacing your countertops for around $500" Instead of buying new, try re-facing your kitchen cabinets and shelves. Kevin Jones is a Contractor. He explains, "This was a honey oak kitchen cabinet. The customer wanted to update it. So, what we have done is taken if from a honey oak and went to a white. It's still giving them the quality of the wood cabinets that they have had, but changing the color from a honey oak to a white, which makes it look a lot more modern." Installing new lighting can make your kitchen look larger. And adding a trash compactor can make your clean-up easier. Finally, just adding a few new appliances can make your kitchen appear much more modern.

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Angie's List Report: Easy Kitchen Updates

For years, bucolic Edgemont Memorial Park has been slated for improvement, with bids put out for the dredging of the park's pond and the construction of a new retaining wall to replace the current crumbling wall.

STAFF PHOTO BY ADAM ANIK

The project isn't going anywhere except south now.

Montclair's Township Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to reject bids received for the project because they exceeded the budget of $800,000.

"It's been going on for quite some time now, probably years, and it's a little disappointing," said Second Ward Councilwoman Robin Schlager. "But in being fair, we want to do the right thing and get the right bid."

However, the project is not dead yet.

"We are going to begin negotiations with the contractor in an attempt to provide a contract for the council to approve on October 2 [the next regular council meeting]," said Dashield.

The four bids ranged from a low of $965,261 to a high of $1,263,011, according to a document on the Montclair Township website.

In January of 2010, Montclair was awarded $800,000 in state Green Acres grants to dredge and rehabilitate the pond.

Contact Diane Herbst at herbst@montclairtimes.com

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Montclair township council rejects bids to fix Edgemont Park