Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Living in Cleveland Park in Northwest Washington is a dream come true for residents who want to enjoy the charm of some of the citys most picturesque streets, where visitors exclaim over the Victorian, Cape Cod, Craftsman and Colonial-style homes with their old-fashioned front porches, fillips of architectural whimsy and lovely gardens.

The tree-lined side streets of Cleveland Park extend between Wisconsin and Connecticut avenues, where residents can enjoy the delights of city living, including shops, restaurants, movie theaters and such Washington treasures as the National Cathedral and the National Zoo. An abundance of bus and Metro service links Cleveland Park to Dupont Circle, downtown Washington and Georgetown.

While many of Cleveland Parks homes date back 80 to 100 years, a handful of newer homes have been designed for seamless incorporation into the neighborhood so homeowners can enjoy the full range of modern amenities along with an architectural nod to the past.

The home at 3517 Porter St. NW, on the market for $1,849,000, was designed and built in 2005 by an architect who opted to live in the property. This Craftsman-style cedar-shingle semidetached home has mature trees, professional landscaping and a side entrance with a porch with columns. An arched gate provides an entrance to the fully fenced backyard, which also is accessible from French doors off the family room.

The multilevel flagstone patio provides sitting and dining areas as well as garden beds. The owners even have tented the area for special events. A detached one-car garage leftover from the home that previously was on the site has been restored by the owners, who also added storage along one wall. An off-street parking space, accessible through a wide alley with two entrances, is adjacent to the garage.

The home, which looks deceptively small from the outside, fits easily into the surrounding community. Inside, it has four finished levels with more than 4,100 finished square feet. Each room has been beautifully finished with high-end materials, including hardwood flooring on all three upper levels, built-in cabinets and bookcases, and detailed crown molding. Each of the homes three fireplaces has a detailed mantel. Myriad windows on all four levels fill the home with natural light.

The front door opens into the foyer, which includes hardwood stairs to the upper levels and is flanked by the living room and dining room. The living room includes a gas fireplace and a triple window facing the front garden. On either side of the fireplace are built-in cabinets with both wood and glass doors.

Two columns frame the entrance from the foyer into the formal dining room, which also has columns flanking the entrance to the central hall. The dining room includes a double window facing the side garden and a third window that frames a view of the front porch. The dining room includes chair-rail molding in addition to the crown molding found throughout the home. Every room also has recessed lighting.

The hallway provides access to a coat closet, stairs to the lower level and a powder room with hardwood flooring and a pedestal sink. At the back of the house are an open center-island kitchen, breakfast area and family room. The kitchen has pendant lighting over the oversized island, which has a granite counter, a breakfast bar and plenty of additional storage.

The kitchen includes custom-made wood cabinets, granite counters and high-end stainless steel appliances, including a Viking range, double wall ovens, a built-in microwave, a dishwasher and a Viking refrigerator. The breakfast area has a chandelier and is open to the family room, which has a fireplace with a mantel and a built-in entertainment center as well as additional cabinets.

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Resale of the week: '05 home fits Cleveland Park

PROVO -- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced plans Thursday to construct a new state-of-the art building at the center of the Missionary Training Center campus. The new building will replace the Melvin J. Ballard Building, which will be demolished as part of the construction process.

The LDS Church has several major ongoing building projects in Utah County including a large multi-stake complex at 300 N. and 900 East, the $90 million science building at Brigham Young University, the Downtown Provo Temple and the Payson Temple among others.

MTC representative Richard Heaton indicated that the LDS Church had yet to file for a building permit Thursday. However, they will hold a neighborhood meeting at 6 p.m. March 22 at the Rock Canyon Elementary School gymnasium, 2405 N. 650 East.

"We want to be good neighbors," Heaton said. Church representatives will be on hand to discuss the project.

Neighborhood chairman R. Paul Evans encouraged residents to attend and give their opinion. He said some in the area are not thrilled with the nine-story building.

"We would like to see two five-story buildings rather than one nine-story," he said. "This will be the only meeting held on the matter."

According to a news release from the Church, the Melvin J. Ballard Building has served as home to the MTC bookstore, the MTC mailroom, the training resource center and four large-group meeting rooms. During the demolition and subsequent construction process, the bookstore and mailroom will be moving into the soon-to-be-completed east wing of the Jacob Hamblin Building.

While the existing Ballard Building has two floors above grade, the new building is designed to have several more floors above grade. The new building will house classrooms equipped with modern technological resources.

The ground on which the MTC sits is already zoned for the proposed building. Because the new building will be built in the center of the Missionary Training Center campus, no adverse impact is anticipated for the surrounding neighborhoods throughout the construction process.

However, Missionary Training Center representatives will be available to area residents to answer questions and address concerns as the changes take place.

Excerpt from:
LDS Church announces nine-story building at MTC

A developers plan to construct an 82-unit apartment building at Southeast Division Street and 37th Avenue has drawn the ire of nearby residents who say the project will clog streets and leave less parking.

The four-story building will include a small portion of retail space and three stories of apartments, with studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units.

The developer, Urban Development Group, wants to build small, affordable apartments for young people who dont need lots of space and who work in the service industry, said project manager David Mullens.

Unhappy Richmond neighborhood residents confronted Mullens during an open house Monday night at the Waverly Heights United Church of Christ. The neighbors focused on two concerns: parking and the effect on the Division Green Street/Main Street Plan, a project passed by the City Council.

Parking is an issue because construction of the building wont include new spaces. Mullens said the company would lease a lot across the street with 18 spaces that might fit 20 cars.

He also said the project will be marketed to those without cars and that incentives, including bus passes, are possible.

But some neighbors said that isnt enough.

Allowing an 82-unit building without parking is a dangerous precedent, said Jordan Lanz, who lives four blocks from the site.

Lanz said after the meeting that hes worried other developers will construct similar buildings on Division Street with little or no parking for tenants.

The city has encouraged high-density housing along public transportation corridors. Lanz acknowledged that but suggested such developments should be smaller or not clustered in the same neighborhoods.

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An apartment building proposed for Southeast Division and 37th concerns neighbors

A deck collapsed overnight at an apartment complex on Corby Avenue rendering two apartments uninhabitable, Thursday, March 15, 2012.

Two Santa Rosa families were evacuated from their Corby Avenue apartment building Thursday morning after an upstairs deck collapsed in the early morning hours, fire personnel said.

No one was injured, and the families were never at immediate risk.

But the wood-construction deck served as the only entrance and exit for one of the families, and their apartment has been red-tagged as uninhabitable by the Sonoma County building department, Santa Rosa Fire Battalion Chief Jack Piccinini said.

Those living in the apartment below them also were told evacuate because the damaged deck is right above their entry, he said.

Piccinini said he hoped the deck could be shored up quickly and the families permitted to return. The American Red Cross is providing emergency housing for a few days in the meantime, he said.

The roughly 10-by-15-foot deck apparently had been rotting out without anyone noticing until a large portion of it gave way around 4:30 a.m. Thursday, upsetting plants, a barbecue, a bicycle and the like, and creating a racket that awakened those sleeping inside, Piccinini said.

One point of the deck is collapsed, he said. It's still attached to the building, but it's sagging dramatically.

The residents were told to stay inside and stay safe until the morning, when firefighters returned to guide them out safely after they had collected enough belongings to get them through a couple of days.

Read more from the original source:
No one injured in deck collapse at Santa Rosa apartment building

Arlington, VA (PRWEB) March 15, 2012

Just off Route 50, within blocks of the Courthouse Metro station, Insight Property Group LLC has kicked off construction of Grayson Flats Arlington, a 67-unit luxury apartment building scheduled to deliver in October of 2012. Buvermo Investments of Bethesda, MD is the equity partner in the $25 million development.

The four-story Grayson Flats will be the first completed development project for Insight. Founded in 2009 by longtime multifamily industry veterans Richard Hausler and Michael Blum, the Tysons Corner, VA-based company has acquired over 500 existing apartments and has over 1,000 more multifamily units in its current development pipeline.

In addition to Grayson Flats, current Insight development projects include two buildings scheduled to break ground later this year: one in downtown Silver Spring, MD and one near the Huntington Metro station in Alexandria, VA. Two more projects -- another development in Arlington and one on H Street, NE in Washington, D.C. -- will follow shortly thereafter.

Grayson Flats is being built on a 1.67-acre site at 1200 North Rolfe Street, which Insight acquired in 2010. The company demolished an existing 55-year-old apartment complex and is replacing it with the new high-end Grayson Flats. The site abuts Fort Myer and has a park-like setting, yet is conveniently located just off the Route 50 ramp and a few blocks from Courthouse Metro. It also is near a variety of eclectic shops and restaurants on Wilson Boulevard.

Transportation and transit are key selling points for the project. Grayson Flats residents will enjoy quick and easy access to the entire Rosslyn-Ballston corridor, the Columbia Pike Corridor, Routes 50 and 66, the George Washington Parkway, Key Bridge, Georgetown, the Pentagon, and major employment centers throughout the Washington, D.C. region. Not only is Metro within walking distance, but there is Metrobus service next-door and bike-sharing stations nearby.

Grayson Flats is one of a handful of projects to break ground in the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor over the past year, said Sarah Davidson, Managing Director/Partner of Insight Property Group. As a smaller boutique project, its a contrast to the 150-plus unit developments prevalent in the area. It offers spacious floor plans, green space, courtyards, balconies and terraces, an ideal setting for dog owners, and a fantastic location.

Lessard Design, Inc. and Preston Partnership designed a modern, amenity-rich building that will offer apartments larger than typical Ballston/Rosslyn offerings. The homes will average 1,100 square feet; the largest units, with two bedrooms, two and a half baths, and a den, will offer over 1,450 SF of living space. Selected residences will have their own 400 SF rooftop terraces and all homes will have large transom windows that create light-filled spaces.

Grayson Flats will offer a variety of outdoor amenities including a courtyard with open cabanas, fire pit and bocce lawn, and a rooftop deck for residents with views towards downtown Washington. Other shared amenities will include garage parking under the building with elevator access to all levels, a fitness center, lounge with a kitchen, bar, cyber caf, Wi-Fi, and a billiards area. In addition to being pedestrian-friendly, the building will provide bike storage and an electric car charging station.

Each individual apartment will have a balcony or terrace, hardwood flooring, stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, and full-size washer and dryer, as well as high-end cabinets, fixtures, and lighting.

Read the original post:
Insight Property Group Starts Construction of 67-Unit Luxury Apartment Building in Arlington, VA

POULTNEY, Vt., March 15, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --Green Mountain College, located in Poultney, Vermont, reaffirmed its commitment to being a leader in sustainability by joining Casella Waste Systems Power of Three closed loop recycling initiative. The Power of Three is Casella's newest solution for its customers who are intent on bringing a new meaning to the term "zero-waste."

The Power of Three is premised off of picking up a customer's recycling, processing that recycling into new products, and then providing those products back to the customer in the form of new hand towels, tissue paper, and toiletry items. The Green Mountain College program is accomplished through a partnership among Casella, SCA Paper, Foley Distributing and UGL Services that redefines closed-loop recycling.

With Zero-Sort, all of Green Mountain College's paper, plastic, glass, and metal will be combined together in one single container. Casella's Zero-Sort processing facility located in Rutland, Vermont mechanically sorts all of the material. Once sorted, the baled paper will travel just 45 miles more to the SCA plant in Glens Falls, New York to be made into 100% recycled paper content products that will then be delivered back to Green Mountain College by Foley Distributing and UGL Services.

Businesses that have converted over to Zero-Sort typically see a 20-40% or more improvement in their recycling efforts, which typically saves them money on disposal costs, time in sorting, and streamlines their collection processes internally.

"The words 'reuse' and 'recycle' are a big part of our vocabulary, and we're always looking for ways to make campus operations more sustainable," states Green Mountain College President Paul Fonteyn. "This project is a great demonstration of how non-profit institutions and for-profit companies can work together to create a greener economy."

Casella is very hopeful for the future of this program and the positive impact it will have on the environment and its customers. "One of our goals as a company is to help our customers ensure that as few resources as possible are wasted," said John Casella, Chairman and CEO of Casella. "We are intent in our mission of taking the things our customers do not want and transforming them back into things that they do. Our partnership with SCA paper and Foley Distributing allows us to do just that."

About Green Mountain College:

Green Mountain College was founded in 1834 by the Troy Conference of the United Methodist Church. Throughout its history, strong teacher-student relationships have been the hallmark of a GMC education, a tradition that continues today.

Here is the original post:
Green Mountain College to Adopt Casella Waste System's Zero-Sort® Recycling Program and Power of Three™ Closed Loop ...

To: ENVIRONMENTAL AND NATIONAL EDITORS

POULTNEY, Vt., March 15, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Green Mountain College, located in Poultney, Vermont, reaffirmed its commitment to being a leader in sustainability by joining Casella Waste Systems Power of Three(TM) closed loop recycling initiative. The Power of Three is Casella's newest solution for its customers who are intent on bringing a new meaning to the term "zero-waste."

The Power of Three is premised off of picking up a customer's recycling, processing that recycling into new products, and then providing those products back to the customer in the form of new hand towels, tissue paper, and toiletry items. The Green Mountain College program is accomplished through a partnership among Casella, SCA Paper, Foley Distributing and UGL Services that redefines closed-loop recycling.

With Zero-Sort(R), all of Green Mountain College's paper, plastic, glass, and metal will be combined together in one single container. Casella's Zero-Sort processing facility located in Rutland, Vermont mechanically sorts all of the material. Once sorted, the baled paper will travel just 45 miles more to the SCA plant in Glens Falls, New York to be made into 100% recycled paper content products that will then be delivered back to Green Mountain College by Foley Distributing and UGL Services.

Businesses that have converted over to Zero-Sort typically see a 20-40% or more improvement in their recycling efforts, which typically saves them money on disposal costs, time in sorting, and streamlines their collection processes internally.

"The words 'reuse' and 'recycle' are a big part of our vocabulary, and we're always looking for ways to make campus operations more sustainable," states Green Mountain College President Paul Fonteyn. "This project is a great demonstration of how non-profit institutions and for-profit companies can work together to create a greener economy."

Casella is very hopeful for the future of this program and the positive impact it will have on the environment and its customers. "One of our goals as a company is to help our customers ensure that as few resources as possible are wasted," said John Casella, Chairman and CEO of Casella. "We are intent in our mission of taking the things our customers do not want and transforming them back into things that they do. Our partnership with SCA paper and Foley Distributing allows us to do just that."

About Green Mountain College:

Green Mountain College was founded in 1834 by the Troy Conference of the United Methodist Church. Throughout its history, strong teacher-student relationships have been the hallmark of a GMC education, a tradition that continues today.

Green Mountain College has a climate neutral campus and was named the second greenest school in the country in 2011 by Sierra magazine.

More:
Green Mountain College to Adopt Casella Waste System's Zero-Sort(R) Recycling Program and Power of Three(TM) Closed ...

A decade ago, artisan Mark Melonas was piecing together a living teaching sculpture at the Baltimore School for the Arts, doing some freelance graphic design and staging exhibitions at the Baltimore Museum of Industry.

And he was fooling around with concrete.

A friend was looking for a small sink for a tricky spot in a Canton rehab, and Melonas asked if he could give the project a try.

"I actually made it in my Bolton Hill apartment, carrying bags of cement up the steps," said Melonas. He hand-carved a mold and cast the sink in his kitchen.

One concrete sink led to another and another, and Melonas moved all that dust to the basement of his parents' home in Columbia.

"And it kind of got a life of its own," said the founder of Luke Works, now located in an old warehouse in Waverly. "That has defined a lot of what we do, but that's not all we do."

Melonas and a small team of craftsmen now create sleek and exotic pieces for the home in concrete and wood.

Much of their work is still sinks and countertops for kitchens and bathrooms, but they also coax fireplace mantles, free-standing bars and waterfalls out of their cement mixers, much of it sparkling with bits of glass or tinted in very un-concretelike colors.

"Customers come for the concrete, but they stay for the cabinet work," said Melonas, who has a degree in design and sculpture from the University of Maryland and a master's in furniture artisanry from the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth.

His designs, and the work of Jacob Ulrich, his concrete specialist, and Seth Scott, his lead furniture maker, have a decidedly Scandinavian quality, a contemporary look with clean lines and voluptuous curves.

Excerpt from:
Artisans show off concrete style at Luke Works in Baltimore

Creative Casino's Mojito Pointe project is taking on new ownership that plans to super-size the casino-resort development. Las Vegas-based Ameristar Casino, Inc. are set to acquire Creative Casinos, LLC for $32,500,000 and pick up where they left off with the proposed Mojito Pointe project.

"Well it's a great opportunity for growth. This definitely is an under-served market," said Troy Stremming, Ameristar Sr. VP of Government and Public Affairs.

Ameristar is looking to be the next premier gaming operator in Southwest Louisiana. The acquisition hinged on the approval of the Lake Charles Port Authority and the Louisiana Gaming Board. At a special Port Board meeting Wednesday night Ameristar had no problem getting the unanimous approval. With that support they are set to go before the Gaming Control Board on Thursday.

The mastermind behind Mojito Pointe, Creative Casinos CEO Dan Lee, said it was hard to walk away but that his decision to sell was the right one.

"I really like the Lake Charles market and think it deserves a first-class facility. I couldn't afford to build what was needed, "said Lee. "Basically we were going to incur $125,000,000 in interest fees during construction. Ameristar has a great credit facility that's much cheaper with only about $25,000,000 of interest during construction and that allows them to build it for the same price and build a bigger and better project."

The project includes several additions from the original proposal: 400 rooms will now go to 700, including 70 suites. They are also proposing a larger parking garage with at least 1,000 spaces and a parking lot to accommodate 2,000. They'll also have their own 18-hole golf course separate from L'auberge.

"Having two golf courses will be a nice option for patrons. It will really make us a destination for this region," said Stremming.

They say with the upgrades there will be a minimum investment of $500,000,000. As for the original Mojito Pointe theme, Stremming said the name and plan are subject to change.

"We want to make certain that is what the local community would like to see. We do not have a cookie cutter concept that we go into each market. We want to better understand the local culture and give them something here in the community that fits well and something that they will be very proud of," explained Stremming.

With the acquisition Ameristar will take on all commitments made by Creative Casinos and keep the same two-year construction timeline. According to Stremming they hope to break ground July 20th.

Read more:
Las Vegas group interested in Creative Casinos, Inc.

From the moldy windows to the leaky sinks to the taped carpet, Emily Kopecs experience in Buddig Hall has led her to desire an alternative place to live next semester.

Dust is everywhere, the ceiling is jumbled, the carpeting needs to be taped down and the water fountain pressure is low, said Kopec, a criminal justice sophomore. Many of Kopecs and other students concerns will be addressed with Buddigs upcoming renovations. According to Robert Reed, assistant vice president for Student Affairs, the renovations will consist of two phases and an estimated budget of $18 million to $19 million. Reed said that these renovations will change Buddig inside and out. Jan. 9 kicked off the spring semester and the first phase of Buddig Hall renovations. During the current phase, phase one, the installation of a new HVAC system and brick remodeling, among other exterior changes will be made, according to Reed. Ann Moss, director of facilities operations, adds, The HVAC system has deteriorated, and the window systems are failing. The finishes are in need of an upgrade. The last major renovations for Buddig Hall took place in the summer of 1998. These renovations provided residents with new carpeting, wallpaper and paint. According to Moss, the most recent change to Buddig Hall was the lobby, which was updated in 2010. Cissy Petty, vice president of Student Affairs and associate provost, said that the renovations will be complete by this upcoming fall semester. We may be tidying up some loose ends when school reopens, but generally the heavy lifting will be finished, she said. Although students have complained about the disruptiveness, the project will have to move forward, Reed said. Negotiations have been made for the contractors to begin at 9 a.m. instead of 7 a.m. to accommodate students and their concerns, Reed said. If the construction team had their way, theyd like to begin at 6 a.m., even though we negotiated a 9 a.m. start, Petty said. We will do the best we can to try and meet both needs. Buddig is the largest residence hall on campus, and this is the most effective way to complete the task, especially in regard to other projects, Reed said. He said he believes that not housing students is not an option. Phase two of the renovations consists of interior renovations, such as new furniture and flooring, according to Petty. The overall intended outcome of renovations is to create a building with improved and efficient facilities for students, said Sal Liberto, vice president for Enrollment Management and associate provost. I believe the students will understand a slight inconvenience to achieve a long term goal, he said. Kopec said she has been satisfied with the construction occurring while she is in class. After living unhappily in the same room for two years, Kopec said she is glad Buddig is being renovated. The construction is needed, she said.

Lucy Dieckhaus can be reached at ljdieckh@loyno.edu

Link:
Buddig gets a new look inside and out