Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

By Matthew Strozier

The housing collapse cut short plenty of elaborate home renovation projects, but a new report says Americans might be slowly returning to a long-time favorite target for redesign: the kitchen.

The American Institute of Architects most recent design-trends survey found that Americans are emphasizing the kitchen in their home projects, eager to open-up the traditionally closed-off room. They are also frequently adding computer areas and recharging stations to their cooking spaces, another sign of our relentlessly plugged-in world.

There were hints that the size of these kitchen projects is growing. Some 89% of architects reported that kitchen projects were either stable or increasing in size in the last quarter of 2011, compared with 84% in the same quarter of 2010. (Of course, the bulk reported in both years that the size was stable.)

The AIA says that its notable to see that number move up after heading in the other direction for several years. Those numbers are not startling, but there is a little movement toward it turning around, said Kermit Baker, AIAs chief economist.

But renovation is the really the only game in town for architects looking for work, the AIA survey showed. Only two construction segments were reported to be growing: additions and alterations and kitchen and bath remodeling. Other categories like condos and second homes offer little promise these days, architects reported. Unable to move-up to a new home, it seems some people are opting to renovate.

The AIA Home Design Trends Survey is done quarterly with a panel of more than 500 architecture firms that focus on the residential sector. The fourth-quarter survey dealt with kitchens and bathrooms.

Architects say its not surprising to see homeowners with renewed interest in kitchen renovations. Its not one that people struggle over since there is so much pleasure to be gained from it, said Leonard Kady, an architect in New York City.

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Architects Find Work in the Kitchen

Published: Friday, March 9, 2012 at 2:32 p.m. Last Modified: Friday, March 9, 2012 at 2:32 p.m.

A couple is crediting the Silver Valley Volunteer Fire Department and passers-by with saving their home after a building behind it caught on fire Thursday night.

At 7:51 p.m., firefighters with the Silver Valley Volunteer Fire Department were dispatched to 2128 Old N.C. Highway 109 near Jolly Road in regard to a house fire. They arrived to find the building fully involved and a sunroom attached to the rear of the home on fire, said Chris Hedrick, chief of the Silver Valley Volunteer Fire Department.

Once firefighters arrived, the fire was contained in eight minutes, Hedrick said.

Hedrick said the fire department prevented the fire from penetrating the one-story wood-frame house. However, smoke and heat damage caused fire officials to deem the house unlivable, and the power was disconnected.

The building and the sunroom attached to the home were completely destroyed, the chief said. Two vehicles located in a carport near the building also received damage, and about one-half of an acre of woods on the property caught on fire.

Hedrick said the house could be repaired. He said the fire originated in the building that was only four or five feet from the home. Hedrick said the fire marshal has ruled the cause of the fire as undetermined.

Lynda and "Crow" Nichols were inside the home when the fire occurred, Hedrick said. He said the husband was asleep, and Lynda was working on the computer. The Nichols escaped injury.

"They saved the house," Lynda said Friday afternoon. "That's the bottom line."

She also didn't know the exact cause of the fire. Lynda said, in addition to the fire department, about 15 to 20 passers-by stopped at the home to assist with trying to put out the fire

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Couple credits Silver Valley Fire Department, passers-by with saving home

A Texas jury has cleared the way for US authorities to go after $330m in stolen investor funds sitting in frozen foreign bank accounts controlled by Allen Stanford, the convicted pyramid schemer.

The jury found on Thursday there was sufficient evidence the money in 29 accounts in Switzerland, Britain and Canada was some of the more than $7bn he stole from investors over 20 years.

Stanford, 61,was found guilty by the jury on Tuesday on 13 of 14 fraud-related counts, including swindling $7bn from about 30,000 investors around the world.

Stanford is due to be sentenced in his home state on Texas on June 14. Hecould face up to 20 years in prison on the most serious charges but could be looking at a life behind bars if the judge orders the sentences to run consecutively.

Stanford has spent the past three years in jail after being deemed a flight risk shortly after his February 2009 arrest.

Hisattorneys, Robert Scardino and Ali Fazel, said they plan to appeal his conviction after he is sentenced.

"Our client spent almost nine months in a mental facility in North Carolina before the trial. We had 30 days with a competent client,"Scardino said.

The trial was delayed after Stanford was declared incompetent in January 2011 due to an anti-anxiety drug addiction he developed in jail.

Prosecutors say Stanford ran a Ponzi scheme for 20 years in which he used the money from investors who bought certificates of deposit, or CDs, from his bank in the Caribbean island nation of Antigua to fund a string of failed businesses, bribe regulators and support his personal spending habits.

As a dual citizen of the US and the Caribbean country of Antigua and Barbuda, Stanford was known for his largesse, especially on the two paradise islands.

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US can go after stolen investor funds

New Valley development usually translates to a sea of red tile roofs and cul-de-sacs, but Mesa has drawn a line in the sand against bland suburbia in one emerging part of the city.

Mesa leaders are demanding an urban approach that was typical a century ago, with front porches and neighborhood amenities close enough to encourage walking instead of driving. The anti-suburban sentiment even applies to gas stations, as officials dont want prime intersections dominated by a field of fuel pumps.

This urban push is taking place by the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, where developers are reviving plans that went on hold during the recession. The latest proposal is from Pacific Proving LLC, which is preparing to build homes and some commercial development on 484 acres on the southeast corner of Ellsworth and Ray roads.

Pacific Proving plans to build a downtown-like development at the communitys entrance and avoid the typical suburban design. Zoning attorney Paul Gilbert said much of the work will be done by Harvard Investments, a Canadian firm that built much of the downtown skyline in Regina, the capitol city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan.

Mesa wants the area around Gateway to become one of the Valleys largest employment centers, with mid-rise buildings in an urban setting.

Vice Mayor Scott Somers represents the area and said he envisions something like Phoenixs Willow Historic District or the more modern Agritopia in Gilbert. He liked much of the plan but questioned whether it went far enough.

How are you going to make housing stock that is not only complementary to the airport, but doesnt have that suburban design, suburban feel, suburban sameness that weve had up until now? he said. Some of this looks pretty good but some elements of this plan still feel a little suburban to me.

He also wants the developer to look at other urban developments to see how gas stations can have a more attractive appearance.

The development will be defined by a formal street grid system with short blocks and tree-lined streets to encourage walking, zoning attorney Susan Demmitt said. All homes would be within 300 feet of a park, open space or trail. And Pacific Proving will work to blend different areas into each other by avoiding walls around shopping centers or neighborhoods.

Were really trying to encourage, in the architecture and design, things like front porches, houses closer to the street, so that you have an engaged and lively street scene, Demmitt said.

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Mesa says bland suburbia not welcome by Gateway airport

Greg and Susan Humm were getting sick of their drab, mauve master bathroom and beat-up cabinetry in the kitchen. With their kids out of college, freeing up some cash, the couple decided it might be time to upgrade their Lake Oswego home.

"It was something we had put off for several years," Greg Humm said. "We thought the timing was right, both from a perspective of our personal life and the market."

Remodel spending in the Portland area has been in a steady decline since a 2007 peak of $304 million, according to building data aggregator Construction Monitor. Last year, homeowners spent $210 million on home improvement projects.

But as the economy turns around, remodeling contractors are taking aim at the homeowners who might have sold and moved up in the boom days. Today's homeowners, with more confidence in their job security but less equity in their homes, are more likely to stay put.

The Humms' home is one of 12 to be featured in the Tour of Remodeled Homes this weekend, a showcase for local remodelers' best work. Contractors in the showcase will make the pitch that investing in the extras makes their stay a little more comfortable.

If you go

Tour of Remodeled Homes

When: Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

While remodel spending has fallen, the number of permits issued have stayed near their 2009 peak, ending just under 4,500 last year.

But in 2009 and 2010, most of the jobs were low-cost maintenance projects, said Mitch Stanley, the owner of Stanley Renovation & Design. The painting, replacing windows and improving energy efficiency that kept permit numbers high didn't fetch the high price tag of the whole-home remodels of years past.

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Portland-area remodelers expect stronger year, bigger projects

PALM CITY One of the earliest institutions in Palm City was the Bible Union Congregational Church. Only the Palm City Woman's Club, built in 1915, was older.

The church, located on the riverfront on land donated by Charles C. Chillingworth in 1921, had two claims to historical record in its early days: It was the first in the state to have a school bus to pick up children for Sunday School, and it as the second church in the state to be headed by a woman, founder, the Rev. Lucy Ayres.

The church owed its existence to Ayres, a graduate of Bible Teachers' Training School and daughter of a minister, who came to Palm City for her health in 1920. Although she was recovering from a serious illness, she saw a need for spiritual support in the community of about 150 residents and organized a prayer circle, Bible study class and Sunday School.

The first prayer circle was conducted in the home of Amelia Hall. By January 1921, Ayres was having church services in the Woman's Club although she was not yet an ordained minister. She persuaded residents to raise money for construction of a church. Her first collection for that purpose was $1 but in time she had $725, enough to start the building.

Palm City residents referred to her affectionately as the "Little Minister," and it did not seem to disturb them that a woman was leading their church.

Chillingworth, the developer of Palm City, donated the land for the church on the west bank of the South Fork of the St. Lucie River and construction of the church soon began.

When it was ready to be dedicated in April 1921, Ayres was not yet ordained and an ordained clergymen would have to open the church. Community leaders settled on the Rev. Mabel Guam Stevens of St. Augustine, the first woman to be ordained as a minister in Florida, to formally open the church. Ayres was ordained and given full control of the spiritual aspects of the church a year later.

Mabel Witham, whose father, John Blasko, made the first pews and communion table for the church, remembers it as a place of joy and peace.

"The two places I feel at home in Palm City," she told an interviewer in 1970, "are the woods and that old chapel."

The church is still on the riverfront but is now part of the United Church of Christ. It can be seen from the top of the Palm City Bridge to the south and west on the riverfront.

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Bible Union Congregational Church gave Palm City its spiritual roots

By Joe Schoenmann (contact)

Thursday, March 8, 2012 | 3:06 p.m.

Plans to build factory producing helium-filled boats didn't pan out for the business arm of the Unification Church, instead the organization led by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon plans a convention center and dormitory at its location near McCarran International Airport.

With some revisions to plans, the Clark County Commission approved a use permit this week allowing the church to begin construction, which is expected to be completed by the January 2013. In January 2014, church organizers must return for a review to see how the development worked with industrial businesses nearby.

Neighboring businesses argued that the project would cause traffic problems, as large semi-trailer trucks go in and out of a relatively small entry to a parking lot between the businesses and the proposed convention center. Their concerns stemmed from statements made in August, after a ribbon-cutting ceremony to dedicate the Won Mo Boats manufacturing facility. The church's website said the facility would contain a marble-inlaid "Peace Palace," a "state-of-the-art training facility for education and worship."

To businesses nearby, that sounded like it was going to be a church. The traffic associated with church events, they said, would impede their ability to get trucks in and out and do business.

"I want conditions (that this) is not a house of worship," said Commissioner Steve Sisolak, whose district includes the building.

But consultant Jennifer Lazovich, of Kaempfer Crowell law firm and representing the church, promised the location would not be used as a church. Instead, the church anticipated it would be used for a variety of conventions, including those advocating world peace and women's rights.

She estimated training seminars would be held twice a month at the facility for 350 to 500 people, quarterly meetings of 250 people, twice-a-year conferences with 250 people and a few other conventions.

She said 50 temporary construction jobs will be created to demolish the building. Then 200 workers will be hired to build the $12-$14 million structure. When completed, fewer than a dozen people would work there full-time.

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Unification Church will hold seminars, not build boats near airport

A new downtown Akron apartment building is taking shape and soon its roof will take shape, too.

The upscale apartment complex, named 401 Lofts, is being built on 2.2 acres at Main and Cedar streets on property that formerly housed the Parrish McIntyre auto repair store.

The lofts are being built by Middleburgh Heights-based Richland Communities the same development company that built the neighboring 22 Exchange.

But unlike 22 Exchange, which requires residents to be students at an accredited university, 401 Lofts will be geared toward students and young professionals.

These are upscale, high-end apartments located in downtown that we think will attract not only students, but young professionals and others who have that desire to live in downtown Akron, said Michael Weiss, project manager for 401 Lofts and 22 Exchange.

401 Lofts will include amenities such as a full fitness center, computer lab, printing stations, free tanning beds, a resort-style heated pool, on-site parking, conference rooms, a yoga studio and a 15-person movie screening room.

Theres a little bit of everything, Weiss said.

Construction is on pace to open the building for occupancy by August 2013, Weiss said. The J-shaped building has been framed and part of the building will be under roof shortly, he said.

The $12 million complex will be similarly priced to 22 Exchange, which rents by the bedroom, starting at $600 a month. Rents havent been set yet for 401 Lofts, but will mostly likely be around $700 a month, Weiss said.

Units at 401 Lofts also will be rented by the bedroom, each of which includes a bathroom. There are 189 units and 323 beds. The project also will have some studio apartments, which are not available at 22 Exchange.

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New downtown Akron lofts taking shape

ABU DHABI -- In 2008, Jane Strachan and her husband, Andrew, bought an apartment in the Empire Tower, a 230-meter building that was still under construction. Tired of paying Abu Dhabi's notoriously high rents, the South African expatriates wanted to make the apartment their home.

Four years later they are still waiting for their apartment, which was marketed at 3.5 million dirhams, or about $953,000. Construction on the project has stalled and they have been unable to get a refund of the 1 million dirhams they paid to the developer, who is not returning calls.

"We feel robbed," Ms. Strachan said. "We feel exploited and absolutely helpless."

Stories like Ms. Strachan's are common in Dubai, the neighboring emirate. After one of the biggest construction booms in history, there is a glut of luxury apartments in Dubai, prices have fallen more than 50 percent and thousands of people who paid for homes before construction are stuck with investments in half-built developments.

Now Abu Dhabi, the oil-rich capital of the United Arab Emirates, is experiencing many of the same problems.

"You would have thought Abu Dhabi would have paid attention to what happened in Dubai," said Paul Preston, managing director of Elysian Real Estate, a U.A.E. property company. "But that is not the case."

Abu Dhabi's ruling family did not open the market to international buyers until 2005, three years after Dubai. In the wake of the decision, the government announced plans to spend billions of dollars on new developments, generating a surge in buying.

"Frenzy is a good way to put it," said Craig Plumb, head of research in the U.A.E. for Jones Lang LaSalle, the property consulting firm. "People were paying more for projects that weren't built than projects that were built."

Developers were offering attractive deals with low down payments to entice buyers. Some projects sold out in one day, primarily to investors.

"Instead of just buying one apartment and putting 50 percent down, they were buying five apartments and putting 10 percent down on each," Mr. Plumb said.

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Once Sky High, Abu Dhabi's Prices Tumble to Earth

By JOY BROWN

STAFF WRITER

Demolition of the Argyle apartment building began Thursday, two weeks after a fire made it structurally unsound.

Organized by general contractor Charles Construction Services of Findlay, crews began using aerial equipment to start tearing down the four-story downtown building. Work had been delayed Wednesday by high winds.

Findlay Service-Safety Director Paul Schmelzer said demolition and subsequent containment of debris will take about a week. The 500 block of South Main Street then can be reopened.

Razing is expected to be done carefully to protect adjacent buildings, particularly one that houses the Wine Merchant. Those two buildings share a common wall, Schmelzer said.

Picking apart most of the Argyle building in relatively small pieces is also necessary for asbestos containment. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has deemed the whole building contaminated because some of the building materials, containing asbestos, caught fire. The asbestos became "friable" or broke into pieces, investigators determined, which enabled the fibers to become airborne and travel to other areas of the building.

Asbestos cleanup at a demolition project typically requires spraying water to ensure containment, and bagging debris in plastic. The materials are then hauled to state-approved landfills that can dispose of them properly.

"The whole building is a hazardous waste product that has to get abated," Schmelzer said. Asbestos handling alone will cost $1 million, he said.

Demolition of the front of the Argyle can be viewed live at http://www.livestream.com/argylebuilding, thanks to TCM Architects, which placed a camera on the Blackford Building across the street.

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Argyle demolition under way