Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

(PRWEB) July 27, 2012

The company is seeking remodeling contractors or finish carpenters who are interested in becoming certified Refacing & More contractors. "The home construction and remodeling sectors have been hit hard during the recession and many skilled workers haven't been able to stay busy with the same work they've always done," suggests Scott Korsten, Showplace director of marketing. "A good trim carpenter can quickly and easily learn refacing as an additional skill, providing another source of income in a field that is familiar."

Refacing & More was developed by Showplace to address the increasing demand by homeowners for cabinet refacing, while also providing new business opportunities to small remodeling contractors throughout the country. Refacing & More is an entry point into the family of Showplace quality and selection, specially tailored for independent refacing contractors. Refacing products from Showplace are of the same quality in every way, and are manufactured right along with other Showplace products.

Refacing & More is much like a franchise, but without the fees or royalties adds Jon Bour director of refacing sales and development at Showplace. Showplace supports participating contractors with things like training, bid and labor estimation programs and marketing support, allowing them to expand their business opportunities in a tough housing market.

What makes the Refacing & More process from Showplace different from that of other refacing providers is that, while certified contractors update the look of their clients existing cabinetry, homeowners also have the creative freedom to add entirely new elements, using top-quality Showplace components, that simply werent necessary or available when their existing kitchen was first designed a blending of new and refaced cabinetry.

According to Bour, things like custom hoods or islands can be easily integrated into the project using products that are visually the same as the refaced cabinetry. Once a project is completed, youd be hard pressed to tell which cabinets are new and which were refaced, he said.

With Refacing & More, homeowners are able to keep their existing structurally-sound cabinets, while transforming them with a fresh, new face using the styles, wood species, and finishes that are popular today.

Refacing can typically be completed in two or three days, which makes it an ideal solution for homeowners happy with their existing kitchen or bath layout and simply looking for a quick make-over with little disruption to their home life.

For many traditional kitchen and bath dealers, refacing is unknown territory and may be someplace that theyd rather not go. Its understandable that many highly-trained and creative designers at these dealerships prefer starting with a blank sheet and creating completely new living space for their clients. But theres also a market for cabinet refacing that has been a force in remodeling for some time and has strong appeal to increasingly cost-conscious homeowners.

Independent contractors interested in more information on becoming a certified Refacing & More contractor are encouraged to contact Jon Bour at info@RefacingAndMore.com or 1.877.581.1413.

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Cabinet Leader Showplace Wood Products Creates New Business Opportunity for Remodeling Contractors - Cabinet Refacing ...

LONDON, July 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

KnowledgeView, of London and Beirut, has introduced a state of the art iPad App that allows architects, interior designers, project developers, systems integrators and others to publish their complete portfolio with photos and video galleries on the Apple iPad, with geo-information and related Web-mobile views. KnowledgeView will customize the App according to clients' brand and host it. As part of the package, the 'EasyPublish' authoring tool allows these companies to communicate with their target audience, publish content to the iPad as well as to Twitter and Facebook, all linked together with one click.

The 'Portfolio App' helps companies with projects maximize visibility, engage their target audience. The iPad app enables companies' audience base to browse through the cached portfolio of projects and brochures offline. In addition, the geo-information on Google map for each showcased project will have a description, making a vast majority of information available at hand.

KnowledgeView has gained a thorough experience of the project based industry objectives and requirements through a close collaboration with the 'Dewan Architects and Engineers', UAE-based Architecture firm, to deliver a powerful, feature-rich iPad app with customized friendly user interfaces.

"The 'Dewan Architects and Engineers' iPad App is the newest platform launched by Dewan to help us communicate with our clients and partners globally by using the latest platforms linked to social media. The App is intuitive, aesthetically attractive and allows our visitors to store information about our projects onto their devices, locate our projects on Google map, and learn more about our corporate news as they occur. The great work done by the KnowledgeView team who developed the app has made the presentation of our architectural work appealing and helps us to further broaden our market reach.", Mohamemd Al Assam, Chairman and Managing Director, Dewan Architects and Engineers, said.

Having their iPad app available now on the Apple store, 'Dewan Architects and Engineers' will enjoy a consistency of its identity with the color and branding feature on the new digital destination. The company's content and projects will be organized in different categories and sub categories in various formats ranging from text to audio and video.

The full app is hosted on KnowledgeView servers so that the 'Dewan Architects and Engineers' and their peers are spared from investing in IT infrastructure.

-Ends-

About KnowledgeView

KnowledgeView Ltd is a UK-based company with headquarters in London and offices in the Middle East. The company was founded in 1995 to develop cross-media publishing, news management and editorial sharing systems.

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The 'Portfolio App' for Projects: Optimal Digital Platform to Engage With Your Clients

Landmarks Illinois, rendering from reuse proposal for Bertrand Goldberg's old Prentice Hospital, 2011.

Photo: Courtesy of Landmarks Illinois

Mayor Emanuel received a letter Wednesday from more than 60 architects, academics and historic preservationists urging him to grant the Prentice Womens Hospital landmark status. Northwestern University owns the Streeterville building and intends to tear it down to construct a new research facility. The signees, who include Jeanne Gang and Frank Gehry, stressed a report by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which found that the building exceeds the criteria for Chicago landmark designation.

Bertrand Goldberg (19131997), the buildings architect and a Chicago native, is best known for Marina City. But Jonathan Fine, executive director of Preservation Chicago, says, The engineering significance of Prentice is far greater than Marina City. The building is designed like a tree, as seven concrete floors cantilever off the towers core like branches, hovering 45 feet above the towers base. This leaves the inside free of interior columns, which allowed Goldberg to avoid long hallways. Instead of being arrayed in rows, patient rooms are laid out in circular hubs centered on a nurses station. Fine says this approach represents the humanistic side of modernism and reflects Goldbergs desire to improve the hospital experience. Furthermore, Fine claims the lack of columns would make adapting the building to another use quite easy.

Besides drawing the attention of major Chicago and American architects, support for Prentices preservation came from around the world, with international signees from Europe, Australia and Asia. While the letter highlighted the global significance of Prentice, it also focused on the local risk posed by tearing down the tower. According to the letter, Chicagos global reputation as a nurturer of bold and innovative architecture will wither if the city cannot preserve its most important achievements.

Original post:
Architects call on Rahm to save Prentice

More than 60 architects, educators and historic preservationists are betting their famous names might help prevent demolition of the old Prentice Womens Hospital.

Northwestern University owns the building and plans to tear it down for a research facility. Prominent architects, like Jeanne Gang and Frank Gehry, intervened on Wednesday and submitted a letter to Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

The architects called the clover-shaped building by Bertrand Goldberg a breakthrough in structural engineering and asked for landmark status.

Goldberg is a Chicago native who spent much of his career here and is best known for his Marina City towers. He studied under Mies van der Rohe at the Bauhaus in Berlin.

The legacy of Bertrand Goldbergs Prentice Womens Hospital is unmistakable, the letter says. Chicagos reputation as a nurturer of bold innovation and architecture will wither if the city cannot preserve its most important achievements.

But on Thursday, Northwestern said it has not changed its plans to demolish the building. A spokesperson said that its unsuitable for the kind of modern biomedical research building the University needs to build on the site.

The university says a feasibility study showed the Prentice wouldnt be adequate as research space and would cost too much to convert.

One of the well-known architects who signed the letter asking for landmark status, Dirk Lohan, doesnt buy that argument.

Hes the grandson of Mies van der Rohe. Lohans legacy in Chicago involves the restructuring of classic old buildings like Adler Planetarium, Shedd Aquarium and his controversial addition to Soldier Field. Hes a fan of Goldbergs building.

These are the kinds of things that I think our city needs to think about, to rejuvenate older buildings that may not meet their original functions exactly the way they were meant to be, Lohan said. And I have a hard time believing that another use cannot be found to work within that structure.

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Famous architects step in to save the Prentice building

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The unfinished roof on the Mud Lake Road home of Richard Overland, one of Mr. Perry's disgruntled customers.

A Glen St. Mary roofing contractor paid thousands of dollars for jobs that reportedly never got off the ground or remained unfinished after months and months is facing 14 counts of fraud for his lack of liability insurance.

Darrell G. Perry, Jr., 32, has pulled 14 permits at the county building department since September, 2011 using documents allegedly forged to show he had liability coverage, according to police.

The latest permit was issued to reroof a mobile home owned by Donnie Jacobs on Woodrow Raulerson Road and enlarge the roof to accommodate a patio and porch.

Mr. Jacobs, 58, said he paid Mr. Perry $4,000 in June to start the job on July 1, but it wasnt until July 12 that the contractor sunk 14 posts that have since begun to warp in the sun.

Mr. Jacobs is recovering from a heart transplant in January and takes a host of medications. He said his only income is from disability and his wifes salary at Northeast Florida State Hospital.

I get up every morning and take beaucoup medicines. Ive been through quite an ordeal. I might of died at Shands if I hadnt gotten a new heart, he said. Im certain I dont need all this stress right now.

He said Mr. Perry has not made any more progress on his new roof, other than to park a trailer at his property.

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Roofing contractor faces 14 fraud counts for lack of insurance

25-07-2012 07:21 215-249-1236 Landscaping Hardscaping: Ponds: Waterfalls: Retaining Walls: Design: Installation: Maintenance: Lawns: Snow Removal: Leaf Clean Up: Full Service Landscaper: 1864 S Easton Rd. Doylestown, PA 18901

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Boulder Retaining Wall Construct.Bucks County, PA Doylestown, PA Area: orserlandscaping.com - Video

With an agreement between the town and Wildlands Trust of Southeastern Massachusetts in place, a retaining wall at the new school construction site wont be needed.

A temporary easement provides access to the site of the new middle and high school. Selectmen approved a license agreement Monday night that allows the town to work on a specific area of Wildlands Trust property in order to build the school and reslope a portion of the Wildlands Trust property.

Selectman Shawn Dahlen said the plan to cut down some trees, reslope part of the property and do some landscaping is the preferred alternative to building a retaining wall.

It will be a preferable long-term solution, he said.

According to School Building Committee Chairman Elizabeth Lewis, the site contractor has installed erosion control in the form of hay bales, silt fencing and construction fencing around the work areas.Work is underway to install temporary parking at the high school site along the front and west side of the property. Tree cutting is complete and gravel will be placed in these areas.

Behind Alden elementary, a portion of the fields area has been cleared and graveled to provide an area for the contractor trailers and parking, and an access road has been installed from Alden Street near the tennis courts to the contractors staging area. The existing paved roads behind the middle school have been reclaimed (removed and pulverized) for the contractor access roads.

Shortly, the storage shed and concessions buildings behind the middle school will be demolished. Work on the building pad will begin this week.The soil below the building foundations has to be removed and recompacted, which will take place over the course of the next month.

The official groundbreaking ceremony for the co-located middle and high school was held in June. The school is expected to be completed in two years and be ready for its first students in the fall of 2014.

The towns share of the $128 million model school building project is $77 million, with the Massachusetts School Building Authority contributing more than $51 million, or approximately 44 percent, of the cost.

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Property use agreement in place helps with Duxbury school building project

ON THE TURKEY-SYRIA BORDER Come nightfall, a bucolic farming village begins to buzz with unusual activity. Shadowy figures emerge from olive groves, clutching small suitcases. Cars crowd the winding rural road collecting and discharging passengers. Farmers step onto their porches, ready to offer a bed for the night to Syrians who have hiked across one of the countless illegal crossing points along Turkeys 550-mile border with their country.

On Wednesday, Turkey closed all of its legal border posts after Syrian rebels seized control of several crossings on the Syrian side. The move was prompted in part by concerns that Islamic extremists may have overrun at least one of the Syrian posts, at Bab al-Hawa, after a video posted online showed jihadi fighters there declaring they had established an Islamic state.

Turkish officials said that the closure would affect only Turks traveling to Syria and that Syrian refugees would still be allowed into Turkey.

But refugees do not use the official crossings. Nor do the rebels, arms smugglers, defectors and war wounded who have swarmed into southern Turkey in recent months, transforming one of the sleepiest parts of the country into a nerve center for the Syrian revolution.

Syrias other borders, with Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan, are witnessing similar activity on a lesser scale. But it is in Turkey, whose government long ago embraced calls for the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, that the Syrian rebels have found the warmest welcome.

We must take care of them because they are our brothers and sisters, said Suphi Atan, a spokesman for Turkeys Foreign Ministry in the south, referring to the 43,000 Syrian refugees who are being housed in refugee camps dotting the border.

Far deeper role

Turkeys role in the revolt goes far deeper than helping refugees, though to what extent it is actively aiding a war that has spun beyond the reach of world diplomacy is unclear. Turkey seems to be groping for a strategy to address the unfolding chaos on its doorstep, said Hugh Pope of the International Crisis Group in Istanbul.

Turkey wants to have a say in what happens in Syria, he said. But Im not sure its got any easy answers to what is going on. This is all new and unexpected for Turkey.

What is clear is that the Syrian conflict has already reached deep into Turkey. The quaint and ancient city of Antakya, the preferred destination for most Syrians crossing the border, pulses with the intrigue and gossip of the war next door.

Originally posted here:
Turkey a hub for Syria revolution as illegal border crossing points abound

24-07-2012 23:17 The Mendi and Bengua Ethiopia Seventh-day Adventist Churches desperately need new churches.

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Mendi

Q: My wife and I can't decide on what type of kitchen sink to get for our new stone countertops. We're down to choosing an under-mount or a drop-in. The big advantage so far is that our contractor told us that a drop-in will cost less to install. But the under-mount looks cool. Other than price, are there advantages if we install a drop-in style sink instead of an under-mount? -- Bill, Illinois A: Let's start with some basic information about under-mounts. They are usually installed on solid-surface or stone countertops because the counter edges of the sink opening are exposed. On top of looking "cool," under-mount sinks have no raised sink edges, so crumbs can be wiped directly into the sink bowl. But a drop-in sink does have some advantages as well. As you mentioned, installation can cost less because it's a less complicated process. Usually, all you need is the correct size of hole cut into the countertop, and then you drop in the new sink. Also, because drop-ins are considered the standard type of sink, you may have more colors and styles to choose from. Finally, and this is a big one if you ever want to change your sink, a drop-in sink can usually be easily removed and a new one installed in its place without disturbing the countertop.

The choice will be yours, but here's one more "under and over" bit of advice: Come in "under budget" and be "overjoyed" with your new kitchen sink! Master plumber Ed Del Grande is the author of "Ed Del Grande's House Call," the host of TV and Internet shows, and a LEED green associate. Visit eddelgrande.com or write eadelg@cs.com. Always consult local contractors and codes.

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Ask The Plumber: A drop-in versus an under-mount sink