Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Recently, I undertook a room remodeling project for my twins on their 18th birthday. And this is part of my continuing efforts to remodel my house, one room at a time. Although it's easy to manage an ambitious remodeling project when you have an unlimited budget, it's a little bit more difficult when you are living on a budget. I learned this the hard way. So if your next room remodeling desire doesn't include the benefits of an unlimited budget -- mine didn't -- check out some economical changes that can make an immense difference in the look and feel of your home, without breaking your bank.

Remodel Your Bathroom for $900

Bathroom remodeling projects are often known to be nothing short of a complete hassle. However, remodeling your bathroom doesn't have to be that expensive. When I made a plan to remodel mine, I looked at some of the most basic do-it-yourself costs.

Paint walls and trim: $75

Replace bathroom accessories: $100

Install a new sink faucet: $100

Replace sink and vanity: $400

Tile floor: $225

Total: $900

Helpful room remodeling tip: When tiling a floor, buy 10 to 15 percent more tile than your square footage requires to account for waste and mistakes. This helps you ensure that you'll have plenty of tiles with which to finish the job.

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First Person: My $1,000 Room Remodel

Article updated: 9/4/2012 1:43 PM

The president of an Elgin-based roofing company, wanted on federal fraud charges, has been caught after two weeks on the lam, prosecutors said.

Authorities said Robert Durchslag, 56, of Aurora, fled arrest Aug. 17, a day after being charged with wire fraud. The charge alleges that his company, Singles Roofing Company, did not pay for more than $1.8 million worth of roofing supplies and equipment it received from an out-of-state vendor in 2009.

Prosecutors said Durchslag was located at a Michigan Avenue hotel last week and taken into custody. He is scheduled for a detention hearing Thursday.

According to court papers, Durchslag is accused of falsifying his companys bank records and depositing bad checks into the companys account in order to receive roofing materials on credit from a New Jersey-based supplier. When asked for payment, he told the vendor that his company had been the victim of an embezzlement, authorities said. They also accuse Durchslag of fabricating a letter from a bank investigator purporting that Singles had been the victim of a $17.8 million embezzlement.

Durchslag faces a maximum of 20 years in prison if convicted and a $250,000 fine. The indictment is seeking forfeiture of more than $2.5 million.

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Elgin roofing company president arrested after fleeing

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --It is often a difficult task to find a Los Angeles appliance repair company that not only offers decent prices, but will carry out same day services with the highest quality of factory parts. Many individuals are simply unsure of where to turn, and this can lead to an entire home coming to an immediate halt when essential kitchen appliances are no longer working properly. In order to get these devices and customers' lives back to running smoothly, one Los Angeles appliance services company, AM PM, is now providing factory parts for all of the leading brands of kitchen appliances as well as same day repairs.

Kitchen appliances are now more advanced than ever, and many owners will enjoy some of the leading features that will save them time and energy. These new devices also reduce the amount of energy that is required for their use, saving individuals money with every single energy bill that they receive. When they do fall into disrepair though, it will be important to find an affordable GE, Wolf, or Kitchen Aid appliance service company to get these gadgets back to operating flawlessly.

AM PM has remained a leading appliance repair company for nearly 15 years as they provide same day service and some of the leading factory parts for all of the most popular brands of kitchen appliances. Their KitchenAid, Panasonic, and Amana appliance service specialists are thoroughly trained in order to keep these devices working perfectly for years on end.

About AM PM Appliance Repair

Going all the way back to 1994, this appliance repair company has been providing locals with affordable service and maintenance for all of their favorite devices. AM PM's team of dedicated Haier, Electrolux, and Speed Queen appliance repair specialists use only the leading replacement parts that keep these machines running smoothly and efficiently for years on end.

Visit http://www.ampmappliancerepair.com or call (800) 343-6011 for more information about the services provided by AM PM.

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Los Angeles Appliance Repair Company, AM PM, is Now Providing Customers with Factory Parts and Same Day Services on ...

LAS VEGAS, NV--(Marketwire -09/04/12)- Private and investment bankers, developers, architects, designers, contractors, golf developers, hotel senior executives, attorneys, resort planners, accounting firms, tourism boards, and casino executives are making plans to gather in Las Vegas (Henderson), NV for the Asia Resort Development Conference from October 22-24 to learn the latest and most vital issues confronting the industry today. This is the only conference in the United States that focuses exclusively on educating professionals on the needs and requirements of investing, building and constructing a first class resort in Asia.

"We have a terrific line up of speakers ready to share their insight and case studies on successfully building and doing business in Asia," said Brian Sullivan, President of Great American Exhibitions, producers of the conference. "We are thrilled to announce the addition of a focused session on Vietnam where a panel of experts will share their insights and drill down on the details of developing in this region."

"Getting a group with so much Vietnam HRT and property experience together in North America may be unprecedented. This is a good chance to hear a new kind of 'war story' from Vietnam, this time about the opportunities and challenges in its dynamic resort sector," said Fred Burke, Partner, Baker McKenzie.

Vietnam is one of the top growth areas in Asia for resort development. The session to be held on Tuesday, October 23 at 4:15 pm pulls together the top experts that understand the challenges and success of developing luxury resorts in Vietnam and all of Asia. Open conversation will be presented from these gentleman that bring world class resorts to this area of the world. They offer frank commentary about planning and construction including the new 5 star MGM Grand Ho Tram resort scheduled to open in 2013. Speakers include Lloyd Nathan, CEO, Asian Coast Development; Peter Ryder, CEO, Indochina Capital Corporation; Marc Townsend, Managing Director, CB Richard Ellis - Vietnam and Fred Burke, Partner, Baker McKenzie.

"We are also happy to announce the additions of John Strawn, President and CEO, Hills and Forest International Golf Course Architects; Bo J. Bernhard, Ph.D., Executive Director, International Gaming Institute; Chris Moore, Principal/CEO of DTJ Design and Paul Mattimoe, President of Perspective Magazine to the 2012 Asia Resort Development Conference speaker faculty," added Sullivan. For the most up to date list of speakers visit: http://asiaresortdevelopment.com/speakers/

About the Asia Resort Development ConferenceThe Asia Resort Development Conference will be held Monday, October 22 through Wednesday, October 24 at the Green Valley Ranch Hotel Resort in Henderson, NV. The conference is produced and managed by Great American Exhibition, producers of several events including the very successful Mexico Resort Development Conference. To register for the conference and learn more information about sponsorship or speaking opportunities visit, http://www.asiaresortdevelopment.com.

The rest is here:
Exciting New Session Added to the Asia Resort Development Conference to Focus on Vietnam

WAYNE, NJ--(Marketwire -09/04/12)- GAF, North America's largest roofing manufacturer, together with leading exterior building products manufacturer Ply Gem, recently announced the GAF Homeliest Home Contest winners. The three winners selected for the exterior home makeover contest included the Peek family from Camillus, NY, the Phipps family from Baltic, CT and the Kurtz family from Blue Springs, MO.

The three winning families were selected from the categories of (a) if you or someone living with you suffers from an illness, (b) if you are or were recently in the military, or (c) if you suffered a weather-related event. The Peeks were awarded for the illness category, the Kurtz family for military service and the Phipps family for the weather related damage. Runner ups in the three categories were Lance Sanders from Minneapolis, MN, Leigh Harper from Terryville, CT and Kathryn Barnard from Ashland, OH, whom were each given a full lifetime roofing system from GAF.

"We were thrilled to surprise the three families as winners in the illness, weather and military categories," said Alyssa Hall, Marketing Communications Manager at GAF. "There were so many deserving families in need of this giveaway making it a very difficult decision and the reason why we chose to give the runner ups a surprise gift as well. We were honored to give three homes an exterior makeover with Ply Gem and Fox & Friends."

The three families received a full exterior home makeover including a GAF Lifetime Roofing System and The Designed Exterior by Ply Gem with windows, siding, stone veneer, railing and designer accents. In addition to receiving product, the family had the opportunity to help design their new exterior by selecting color schemes and materials on The Designed Exterior Studio by Ply Gem visualizer at http://www.plygem.com. The total product prize package for the home is valued at up to $60,000. The family and the resulting exterior makeover appeared on Fox & Friends.

"Ply Gem is honored to take part in giving the families a beautifully updated home exterior," said John Stephenson, senior vice president, corporate marketing of leading building products manufacturer Ply Gem. "Application of The Designed Exterior by Ply Gem, combined with roofing from GAF, completely transforms the look, energy efficiency and maintenance level for all the homes."

About GAF: Founded in 1886, GAF has become the largest roofing manufacturer in North America. The company's products include a comprehensive portfolio of steep-slope and commercial roofing systems, which are supported by an extensive national network of factory-certified contractors. Its success is driven by its commitment to Advanced Quality, Industry Expertise, and Solutions Made Simple for contractors, specifiers, and property owners alike. In 2011, GAF was the first roofing manufacturer to offer a Lifetime limited warranty on all of its laminated shingles and, in 2012, it introduced the GAF Lifetime Roofing System.

With a focus on social responsibility, GAF has developed Advanced Protection Shingle Technology, which provides superior durability and wind resistance while reducing the use of scarce natural resources. The company has also developed single-ply and asphaltic membranes with superior durability and high reflectivity to meet the most rigorous industry standards while helping commercial property owners and designers reduce energy consumption.

GAF also supports the roofing industry through CARE, the Center for the Advancement of Roofing Excellence, which has provided education to over 125,000 professionals. CARE's mission is to help professional contractors and distributors build their businesses through sales and management education, and to provide product and installation training to contractors, distributors, architects, property owners, and related industry personnel. For more information about GAF, visit http://www.gaf.com.

For more information, visit http://www.facebook.com/GAFRoofing and http://www.facebook.com/PlyGem.

About The Designed Exterior by Ply Gem:The Designed Exterior by Ply Gem is a complete exterior home solution from a single manufacturer -- including windows, siding, stone veneer, fence, rail, accessories and accents -- that helps customers realize the possibilities in designing the exterior of their homes. New, free tools, including The Designed Exterior Studio by Ply Gem visualizer and a Remodeling Field Guide, are available on plygem.com and can be accessed and used on mobile devices and tablets.

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GAF and Ply Gem Selected Three National Winners for GAF "Homeliest Home" Contest

Saturday, September 1, 2012

MAYOR Mauricio Domogan on Wednesday expressed confidence that the city can beat the 20-month deadline set the by the court to rehabilitate and convert the Irisan dump facility into an eco-park.

This as the city continues to face setbacks on the implementation of the project to rehabilitate the collapsed retaining wall to stabilize the area.

Check our new look and tell us what you think.

The mayor assured that the city will do its best to comply with the terms of the consent decree that settled the Writ of Kalikasan to stop the use of waste facility.

As I see it, we can beat the deadline, he assured.

The mayor said they are closely monitoring the retaining wall project which remained unimplemented due to issues on the program of works.

He said procedures require every plan and specifications to be checked and approved by the national office of the Dept. of Public Works and Highways and this has been causing the delay.

A recent setback, he disclosed, was that when the approved documents arrived from the DPWH, the technical working committee formed by the mayor to formulate the structural plans and which includes experts from the universities in the city discovered that a project component deemed vital to the stability of the supposed all-weather structure was removed.

This he said caused Saint Louis University dean Bonifacio Dela Pena, a member of the committee, to refuse to sign the program of work saying that without the said component, he cannot assure the safety of the structure.

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Mayor: City will beat deadline for dump rehab

IT WAS Friday the 13th, this past April, when 28 decks of playing cards left a manufacturing plant in Kansas City allegedly carrying a simple, fateful flaw.

That minute mistake in Missouri grew into a giant mess more than 1,000 miles away at the Golden Nugget, one of Atlantic City's newest casinos. The saga includes almost a million bucks in uncashed casino chips, accusations of racism and allegations that patrons were held against their will by some clandestine security force. At one point, one of the patrons was allegedly put in a headlock at a noodle bar and dragged away.

In an unprecedented play, the casino filed a lawsuit to recoup money it lost to gamblers who thought they'd hit the jackpot. After a contentious hearing Friday in Atlantic City, the Texas billionaire who owns the Golden Nugget appeared to have had a change of heart, and the whole bizarre story had a happy ending.

But a lawyer who represents nine defendants sued by the Golden Nugget says that Friday wasn't what it seemed.

"It's really almost too outrageous to believe it all," said Alan Feldman, the defense attorney.

The decks from Gemaco, the Kansas City-based playing-card manufacturer, were dealt on April 30 at 7:42 p.m. during mini-baccarat game No. 802. According to the Golden Nugget's lawsuit, casino employees quickly realized something was wrong, at least for the casino.

It was as if lady luck had changed her fickle ways and graced the gamblers at game 802, hand after hand, for two hours and 36 minutes. The players won a whopping 41 straight hands and the casino, according to the lawsuit, figured a "criminal conspiracy of swindling and cheating was under way." Floor managers, pit bosses and surveillance teams descended upon the table.

No one at the Nugget could decipher why the players were so lucky, though, and the casino let the game go on till 10:18 p.m. When it ended, the house had lost a little more than $1.5 million.

There was no complex scheme, but it wasn't lady luck, either. Someone in Kansas City allegedly had forgotten to turn on the automatic shuffler before the cards got shipped out. Since the cards were never shuffled at the plant - the casino doesn't shuffle them again - the same patterns kept repeating in game 802. The players noticed, kept on betting and upped their wagers.

"They saw a pattern and didn't know how long it would last," said Feldman, whose clients are Asian and speak little or no English.

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A.C.'s Golden Nugget in legal war with $1.5 million winners

St Louis, MO (PRWEB) September 04, 2012

Due to mold, the opening date of two New Jersey schools was moved. As reported in phillyburbs.com, the start of their classes has been rescheduled to a week later than the original date. Meanwhile, to help school official safely solve the mold problem, Molderizer suggested the use of an organic mold remover.

Get a Sample of the Best Non-Toxic Mold Removal Product Today

According to the report, those two schools with re-scheduled opening were Holly Hills Elementary School and Westampton Middle School. It detailed that classes in them will start on September 11 instead of September 04.

Actually, mold was discovered only in Holly Hills, the report said. In seven of its classrooms, mold was confirmed present. However, to ensure the safety of the students the school district decided to temporarily shut down both schools.

To address the mold problem, the school district solicited quotes for the remediation process. However, Molderizer said that for a safe, effective and yet inexpensive mold treatment, authorities should opt the use of a non-toxic mold spray. More specifically, it recommended to the school officials the application of Molderizer.

Discover All the Benefits Molderizer Can Give

Unlike most of the conventional mold sprays, a company representative said the Molderizer contains no harsh chemical ingredients. And so, the use of it leaves no harmful gases that could jeopardize a person's health, he explained. Because of that, it asserted that it's best to use in the said mold-infested classrooms as it spares the students from health risks. Among those health risks are poisoning and breathing difficulties.

Given that Molderizer prevents many health risks, the rep added that it also saves its users from unnecessary medical finances. And to anybody, that is a big help as the amount could be used in other important expenses.

However, despite the fact that Molderizer is confident that its non-toxic mold solution can deliver a truly effective, safe and inexpensive mold removal process, it understands that some consumers might still doubt the product. So to prove its claims, it decided to give out samples of the solutions.

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Mold Delays Two Westampton Schools' Opening; Molderizer Urges School Officials to Use Organic Solutions for Safe Mold ...

The roofing company owned by Winnebago County Board Chairman Scott Christiansen will shutter its doors amid financial woes.

The commercial and residential roofing company incorporated with the state in 1988, according to Illinois Secretary of State records. It employed more than 100 people at one time, but has struggled financially for about a decade. It was down to about 10 employees at the time Christiansen made the decision to close. Most others had moved on because there wasnt enough work for the company, he said.

The economy has just been so tough. Its the worst weve ever seen it and thats construction in general, Christiansen said. Were just not able to continue.

For his part, Christiansen said he hasnt managed the day-to-day aspects of the business since he was elected as county chairman in 2004 and dedicated himself full time to the county role. Professional managers were hired to run the company. He said his employees did a good job, but the businesses financial struggles are a symptom of a poor economy one thats been especially hard on construction.

Its been especially hard on mid-sized contractors like Christiansens company because they havent been able to sustain the amount of work needed to stay afloat through the downturn, said Glen Turpoff, executive director of the Northern Illinois Building Contractors Association. Residential roof remodeling has some recent peaks, Turpoff said.

But as far as commercial new roofing entities, there hasnt been new roofs to build. And people are putting off maintenance as long as they can possibly put it off, Turpoff said. Therefore, the squeeze has been enormous.

Christiansens company primarily focused on industrial and commercial customers. He said the state of Illinois still owes the company money for work done at the University of Illinois in Champaign.

Ive put a good share of my life into it and so has my wife, Christiansen said. Theres just nothing out there and the work you do youre concerned about being able to get paid on it because its like everybodys hanging by a thread.

Christiansen hasnt filed for bankruptcy or other financial protection yet. He said its not needed at this point, but may be in the future.

The works not there and we put every dime weve got back into the business, Christiansen said. We hoped the economy would turn around and its just not turning around quick enough here.

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Christiansen Roofing collapses under poor economy

Susan Harrison Wolffis' column, "Porches, true windows on the world," shared her nostalgia for the front porch of her Grandmother Harrison's house. For her the front porch was a place where imagination took root as well as a place to meet the neighbors.

Harrison Wolffis wrote:

When I think of my grandmothers house -- never pretentious, never fancy, never the best house on the block but a good neighbor nonetheless -- it was always a beehive of activity: a swarm of grandchildren, and a few favorite cousins added in.

Then we came along, the grandchildren.

We took up where our fathers left off. We played in the same backyard. We climbed the same trees. We chased each other and made up games with no rules, or rules too complicated to follow, so there was inevitable anarchy.

My girl-cousins and I dressed up in our grandmothers clothes, transforming ourselves into ladies-in-waiting and other elaborate characters, and then because we felt the need to share, we left the boys to whatever they were doing, and we walked up and down the sidewalk in our get-ups -- theres no other word for it -- showing off.

And when we needed a break, we landed on the porch.

That porch was both our window on the world and our safe haven, all in one.

birchtree11 thinks some people ignore their front porches because of danger:

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Front porches have different meanings now, reader tells Susan Harrison Wolffis