Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

The annual Tour of Architects, which showcases some of the top residential design work in the Pacific Northwest (including the house pictured here), is Saturday (March 17) and Sunday (March 18), and March 24 and 25.

The architects and their clients offer an opportunity for the public to visit custom homes and architecturally designed spaces, and to meet the architects who designed them.

The event, sponsored by AIA Seattle and AIA Southwest Washington, offers four tours on four different days. Tour One (Saturday) features projects in the Tacoma, Gig Harbor and Port Orchard areas. Tour Two (Sunday) features projects on Bainbridge Island. Tour Three (March 24) features projects in Seattle. Tour Four (March 25) features projects in Seattle and on the Eastside.

Tickets are $20 per tour, $35 for a weekend pass, or $50 for two-weekend pass. Profits will be donated to Wild Fish Conservancy.

Tickets and info at http://www.TourofArchitects.com; email Liz@TourofArchitects.com or call 206-819-3618.

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Annual tour of custom homes in the area coming up

The tour covered the 550-acre waterfront property that will include a mix of hotel, conference, commercial, residential, industrial, retail, parkland, open space and recreational uses. A land exchange shifts development away from protected refuge areas toward the active harbor area and acquired 62 additional acres of land for parks, open space and lower-impact future development.

Chula Vista, Calif. (PRWEB) March 09, 2012

While the Chula Vista Bayfront Master Plan was not on the Coastal Commission's agenda during its monthly meeting held March 7, 8 and 9 in Chula Vista, the tour familiarized commissioners and staff with the site's geography, as they look to have the project on the agenda for consideration of approval in the coming months.

When approved, the Port of San Diego will prepare and issue a Request for Qualifications from developers.

"The future of the Port of San Diego is in the South Bay," said Ann Moore, Vice Chair of the Board of Port Commissioners, who participated in the tour. "I want to thank the California Coastal Commission for taking the time to tour an area that holds tremendous opportunity for the San Diego region and the city of Chula Vista."

The tour covered the 550-acre waterfront property that will include a mix of hotel, conference, commercial, residential, industrial, retail, parkland, open space and recreational uses. A land exchange between the Port and Pacifica Companies, a development company, shifts development away from protected refuge areas toward the active harbor area. It also allowed the Port to acquire 62 additional acres of land for parks, open space and lower-impact future development.

The project is anticipated to create more than 2,200 permanent jobs, nearly 7,000 construction jobs and numerous indirect jobs in Chula Vista and the San Diego region.

Its promising economic impact was noted by Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox following her comments to the Coastal Commission during the public comment period at the March 7 meeting.

"Given its scale, this project, in many ways, is the first of its kind, balancing business investment and environmental preservation," said Cox of the plan that aims for a resort feel while implementing buffers for protection of adjacent habitat areas. "To me, it also means jobs and the generation of $1.3 billion for the regional economy over the next 20 years, including more than $11.5 million in annual tax revenues."

During her comments, Cox recognized the supporters from environmental groups, business and government who helped develop the Chula Vista Bayfront Master Plan. In attendance were elected officials and regional leaders, including Lou Smith, Chairman of the Board of Port Commissioners, Vice Chair Ann Moore, Port President and CEO Wayne Darbeau, City of Imperial Beach Mayor Jim Janney, City of Coronado Councilmember Mike Woiwode, Chula Vista Councilmember Pamela Bensoussan and Chula Vista City Manager Jim Sandoval. Also present were representatives from Goodrich Aerostructures, the Environmental Health Coalition, the Chula Vista Nature Center, the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Building Industry Association.

Continue reading here:
Development Opportunity Approaches After Coastal Commission Site Visit Along San Diego Bay

Carrboro's first hotel and parking deck will soon be under construction downtown.

The first phase of the 300 East Main project includes a 142-room Hampton Inn & Suites with 18,100 square feet of retail and restaurant space located on the ground floor.

A 500-space parking deck will sit behind the hotel and will provide free public parking.

Construction of this phase will take about 14 months.

The first work will be demolition of existing buildings at 304 and 404 E. Main St. and two empty houses on Padgett Lane and Boyd Street.

Developers will hold a groundbreaking ceremony later this month after demolition is complete.

Main Street Properties of Chapel Hill LLC, whose partners include Kevin Benedict and Laura Van Sant, is the developer of 300 East Main and will own and manage the six to nine retail and restaurant spaces in the new building.

The Atma Hotel Group out of Chapel Hill is a partner in the first phase and will own and operate the Hampton Inn & Suites.

Future phases of 300 East Main will bring additional retail, restaurant, office and cultural space.

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Work begins on Carrboro project

Date: Saturday Mar. 10, 2012 6:26 AM ET

OTTAWA National Defence was close to getting a green light from cabinet to buy new fixed-wing search-and-rescue planes three times since 2007, but the $3.1-billion plan has been shot down by objections from other departments, say senior defence sources.

Frustration among senior defence and military officials over the Conservative government's inability to move forward with the project to replace nearly 50-year-old C-115 Buffalos and three-decade-old C-130-H Hercules transports was palpable Friday.

Potential bidders were informed this week that a formal tender call has been put off until next year, raising questions about whether the continued delays could potentially cost lives.

The Buffalos reach their end of their service life in less than three years and face severe parts shortages.

Defence sources said Industry Canada has raised concern about the regional industrial benefits, and Public Works questioned the process for selecting the new search plane.

"It's been close three times, but it's been pulled back three times," said one senior official.

The program, originally announced by the Martin government, has been stuck for nearly a decade.

The Harper government had been hoping for an announcement this summer to highlight the plan. But information released Friday shows the project will still be deep in the consultation and discussion phase.

Public Works released a notice, asking prospective bidders to come forward with letters of interest and said that the first in a series on information workshops on the program will take place on April 11.

More here:
Frustration mounts amid search plane replacement delays

OTTAWA - National Defence was close to getting a green light from cabinet to buy new fixed-wing search-and-rescue planes three times since 2007, but the $3.1-billion plan has been shot down by objections from other departments, say senior defence sources.

Frustration among senior defence and military officials over the Conservative government's inability to move forward with the project to replace nearly 50-year-old C-115 Buffalos and three-decade-old C-130-H Hercules transports was palpable Friday.

Potential bidders were informed this week that a formal tender call has been put off until next year, raising questions about whether the continued delays could potentially cost lives.

The Buffalos reach their end of their service life in less than three years and face severe parts shortages.

Defence sources said Industry Canada has raised concern about the regional industrial benefits, and Public Works questioned the process for selecting the new search plane.

"It's been close three times, but it's been pulled back three times," said one senior official.

The program, originally announced by the Martin government, has been stuck for nearly a decade.

The Harper government had been hoping for an announcement this summer to highlight the plan. But information released Friday shows the project will still be deep in the consultation and discussion phase.

Public Works released a notice, asking prospective bidders to come forward with letters of interest and said that the first in a series on information workshops on the program will take place on April 11.

Lt.-Gen. Andre Deschamps, chief of the air staff, said in a recent interview with The Canadian Press that once formal proposals are received they'll face further review against the air force's "criteria for mission success."

See the original post here:
Search plane replacement vexes Tories, as more industry consultations announced

The enclosed porch, above left, was removed and replaced with a library/music room on the main level, above right. This allowed for the installation of French doors in the library that lead to a new terrace, the focal point of the backyard. The terrace also connects to the kitchen/family room.

Annie Schwemmer,

Is it spring yet?

Well, the technical answer is no, but psychologically some of us need to push the issue a bit.

One way to endure the winter doldrums is to focus on spring gardening. We'll bet some of you are spending time with your Burpee catalog or wandering around your favorite garden center, watching workers set out the spring inventory.

So, what do architects know about gardening?

Just this: Houses and gardens together create the environment we call home, and they should "speak" with each other.

When we look at a remodeling project, our main concern in this regard is the connection between the indoor and outdoor space.

Traditional homes, especially those built before 1950, express little interest in this symbiotic relationship. Many of the modest tract homes built in the valley in the pre- and post-war boom period have the bedrooms and bathroom at the rear of the house; getting to the back yard involves using a side door and walking down the driveway to even find useable outdoor space.

Today's lifestyle embraces both inside and outside space. Especially with our favorable climate, outdoor areas can act as an additional living space from spring through fall.

Read more here:
Tips to designing seamless outdoor spaces

Light and bright. That's the look Gigi and Kyle Graffagnini went for when remodeling and redecorating their State Street home, and it is precisely what they created.

And the rooms do. Walls throughout the home are painted a soft neutral color that Gigi Graffagnini settled on after many trials and errors.

Oushak carpets -- in muted colors -- cover the floors in rooms both downstairs and up, enhancing the continuity of the dcor. Crystal chandeliers, sconces and candelabra reflect and refract the light that pours in through floor-to-ceiling windows and glass French doors.

Creamy silk draperies dress the windows, and Belgian linen cover the sofa and chairs in one room. To complete the palette, many pieces of furniture are painted wood -- rather than natural -- be they of French, Italian or Swedish heritage.

If it sounds sumptuous, it is. But Gigi Graffagnini said it is also livable.

"With three young daughters, we needed to use upholstery fabric that wouldn't suffer much from regular wear and tear," she said. "The girls will come running into the family room and jump on the sofa, and it doesn't matter."

Gentle but thorough update

The 1892 vintage Victorian grande dame that the Graffagninis now live in -- which will be on the Academy of the Sacred Heart alumnae association's inaugural home tour Friday -- wasn't always the splendid showplace it is today.

When they bought it in late 2007, its systems had become outmoded and its interior -- especially the baths and kitchen -- dated. The house had been on the market for nine months when the Graffagninis decided it had all the natural ingredients to become a lovely and comfortable family home.

"I think some people may have been daunted when they realized everything would need to be rewired and re-plumbed -- it's a lot of work," Gigi Graffagnini said. "But we could see what it could look like when all of the improvements were made and the rooms painted. One thing that really attracted us was the fact that all of the original features were still here."

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The doors to beautiful Uptown houses open for Sacred Heart Academy's first home-tour fundraiser

This article was published July 31, 2002.

Suddenly, Georges Perrier is tableside, filleting the decor of his own restaurant - the familiar raspberry-walled, Louis XVI preciousness that is Le Bec-Fin.

It has been the gold standard for French formality in Philadelphia, a room he describes in his 1997 cookbook as conferring instant chaleur, "the warmth of ambience" - a flattering, intimate, welcoming space.

But that was then. This is now: "I'm changing everything," Perrier announces, his arm sweeping dismissively past marble busts and faux-marble mantles, towering mirrors, and flocked wall coverings, now referred to not as "warm" by his architect but, impatiently, "pink."

The Faberge egg on Walnut Street has been declared unfit. Frumpy. Outta here.

Ten days from now - at midnight, Aug. 10 - Le Bec will cease to exist as we know it: Two shifts of tradesmen working nonstop will strip the place down to the plaster, then recast the room in muted gold, milled chestnut woodwork, silk panels, and elaborate cornices molded by techniques nearly lost to history.

In the end, in early September, designer David Schultz says, the Louis XVI look will give way to the lighter, airier - but still formal - styling of a late-19th-century Paris salon.

It is tricky business, dismantling a legend: You don't want to alienate the loyalists who have given Le Bec an enviable 20-year run on Walnut Street. Then again, how to generate excitement?

The classic French food already has lightened up. The rigid two-seating policy is on the skids. Music will be added. But without a dining room overhaul, would anyone care?

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The tricky remodeling of a legend: Le Bec-Fin (2002)

The owner of a Texas roofing company faces 17 felony theft charges in Westmoreland County for allegedly failing to pay a supplier for materials and leaving property owners facing liens.

Steven Kyle Hunt, 36, of 109 Spring Creek Drive, Waxahachie, Texas, was charged this week in Hempfield District Judge Mark Mansour's office with 17 counts of theft by failure to make required disposition of funds received.

In court papers, county Detectives William Brown and Frank Galilei allege Hunt and his company, Prime Roofing Systems, received $64,534.62 in payments for materials from 17 property owners but failed to pay ABC Supply Inc. for the shingles and other supplies that were delivered to each residence.

The detectives began investigating Hunt and Prime Roofing in January after they were contacted by some of the property owners who had found mechanics' liens had been filed against their properties in county court.

The liens, filed by Wisconsin-based ABC Supply, alleged that Prime Roofing failed to pay for materials provided at the 17 job sites. The unpaid bills range from $2,184.71 to $10,974.65, according to court papers. Eleven of the properties are in Hempfield, two are in Greensburg, and one each is in South Greensburg, North Huntingdon, Scottdale and Unity.

Prime Roofing was one of many contractors who arrived in Westmoreland County last March after a tornado and hailstorm ripped through the area.

Brown and Galilei allege that Hunt, who also is known as Kyle Hunt, was listed as the contact person for Prime Roofing when the company registered to do business in Pennsylvania after the tornado. In at least one case, a homeowner was told to write a check for payment for labor and materials directly to "Kyle Hunt" because he needed to pay his workers, according to court papers.

The detectives allege that Hunt cashed the check by using his Texas driver's license at a bank in Pennsylvania. They said he identified himself as the owner of Prime Roofing on several occasions while doing business, including obtaining and returning materials, to an ABC Supply location in North Huntingdon.

Brown said on Friday that police in Texas were provided the arrest warrant for Hunt, and detectives are waiting for a response. Brown said Hunt will be extradited to Westmoreland County once he is in custody.

Brown said the state Attorney General's office plans to pursue civil litigation against Prime Roofing.

Read more from the original source:
Owner of Texas roofing company faces theft charges

March 9, 2012 - Major League Soccer (MLS) Vancouver Whitecaps FC VANCOUVER, BC - Starting their second season in Major League Soccer, Vancouver Whitecaps FC (6W-18L-10D in 2011) raise the curtain on their 2012 campaign by hosting Canadian arch-rivals and MLS expansion club Montreal Impact (9W-8L-11D in the 2011 North American Soccer League) in First Kick on Saturday afternoon.

This weekend's season opener provides a number of firsts for both clubs. For Whitecaps FC, Saturday's match is the start of the club's first full season on Bell Pitch at BC Place after playing the majority of their inaugural MLS campaign at Empire Field last year. The season-opening contest is also Martin Rennie's first as an MLS head coach after the Scotsman took charge of the Blue and White last November. For Montreal, March 10, 2012, will be remembered as the day the Quebec-based outfit made their MLS bow as the 19th team in the league.

Saturday's match is also Vancouver's 37th home opener since the club's first season in 1974 and the second time they have hosted Montreal in a home opener. The first time both clubs met to open the season was during the 2008 United Soccer Leagues First Division campaign when Whitecaps FC defeated the Impact 1-0 through a goal by current Montreal striker Eduardo Sebrango at Swangard Stadium on April 12, 2008. Whitecaps FC have an all-time record of 19W-13L-4D in home openers and have not lost a home opener since 2001.

Saturday's MLS season opener between Whitecaps FC and Montreal Impact on Bell Pitch at BC Place kicks off at 3 p.m. PT. Individual match tickets start at $20, plus applicable service charges, and are available at all Ticketmaster Ticket Centres, online at ticketmaster.ca, and Charge-by-Phone at 1.855.6.GO-CAPS (1.855.646.2277). CLICK HERE for more information on Whitecaps FC tickets.

Whitecaps FC's season opener versus Montreal Impact can also be seen live across Canada on TSN and RDS at 3 p.m. PT. 'Caps fans can also listen to Saturday's season opener live on TEAM 1410 radio and teamradio.ca, starting with the pre-game show at 1 p.m. PT. TEAM 1410 will also have a two-hour post-game show, which will begin following the match at around 5 p.m. PT.

WHITECAPS FC

A new season means new beginnings, and that phrase certainly holds true for Whitecaps FC, as changes were expected after a challenging first MLS season in 2011. What resulted was a very busy and fascinating off-season on Canada's west coast, as Rennie went about shaping his team. This resulted in new faces in every area of the "Caps squad, including three notable acquisitions for 2012. In December, the "Caps added South Korean World Cup star Young-Pyo Lee to their defensive backline, while at the end of January, Vancouver landed top MLS striker Sebastien Le Toux in a trade from Philadelphia Union. In mid-February, the club announced that Scottish international midfielder Barry Robson would join the "Caps in the summer following the conclusion of the current English League Championship season with Middlesbrough FC.

Over a dozen new faces have arrived in Vancouver this winter, and those additions have added more depth to the Whitecaps FC squad. Players to keep an eye on include Argentine centre back Martin Bonjour, who looked a steady presence alongside Jay DeMerit in preseason. Japanese-born Jun Marques Davidson and Englishman Matt Watson played for Rennie at Carolina RailHawks and bring added qualities to Vancouver's midfield. Whitecaps FC's highly-rated attack also includes 2012 MLS SuperDraft second overall pick Darren Mattocks. The Jamaican's speed and nose for goal may prove essential during the campaign.

Whitecaps FC are without goalkeeper Brian Sylvestre (knee), midfielder John Thorrington (quad), and striker Etienne Barbara (groin) for First Kick. Striker Atiba Harris (knee) and midfielder Michael Nanchoff (heel) is doubtful for Saturday's match, while newest signing Floyd Franks (lower back) is listed as questionable.

IMPACT

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Whitecaps FC Start Round 2 Versus Canadian Arch-Rivals Montreal Impact