Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Dee Ryan

Sun staff photos can be ordered by visiting our MyCapture site.

LOWELL -- A kitchen redo or bathroom remodeling is no laughing matter -- unless you're someone like Dee Ryan, who can poke fun at herself and make others laugh.

That's the Tewksbury native's goal in DeeConstruction, a one-woman comedy she'll show off in a staged reading at 7 p.m. Monday, March 26, at Merrimack Repertory Theatre.

"I got addicted to home repair -- electrical rewired, plumbing re-pipes, French-door upgrades and landscaping makeovers -- when we were living in L.A. and I started writing these short pieces about it as part of my comic ladies support group," Ryan said recently by phone.

Over several years and varying stages, it has evolved into the show she brings to Lowell.

"It's been done in a bunch of theaters in L.A. and also at a theater in Reston, Va., and the Pittsburgh Public Theater," she said. "It's been about eight years and the thing about the piece is that it's very personal and a lot of people will recognize themselves in it."

It chronicles her odyssey across the turbulent waters of tyrannical contractors, siren architects, monster neighbors and clueless husbands.

Bringing it to Lowell came about after her husband, Austin Tichenor -- co-creator, director and performer of the Reduced Shakespeare Company -- brought it to the attention of MRT artistic director Charles Towers when RSC was in Lowell this season for its Christmas show.

"Charles loved it, but said he already was planning a one-person show, so

Continue reading here:
'DeeConstruction' a woman's comic take on renovation

Having a baby sure changes things.

Just ask Jersey Shores Nicole Snooki Polizzi, the hellion-turned-homebody who, after weeks of speculation and denial, finally admitted that she is expecting a bundle of joy.

No more peeing on porches. Those days are over, said Polizzi, who is in her 15th week of pregnancy.

The pint-sized, pouf-haired party girl, known for her wild reality TV antics, tells Us Weekly magazine she is a changed woman now that motherhood is around the corner.

Though shes excited now about the prospect of being parents with fianc Jionni LaValle, bliss wasnt exactly her first reaction.

Getty Images

WITH CHILD: Dad-to-be Jionni LaValle lives it up with then-immature Snooki last summer, before the pregnancy.

S--t, she said to herself at the time. Ive been drinking. I was worried. It was New Years Eve and we were in Vegas, so I did go crazy.

Viewers know that crazy is practically Polizzis middle name. Her antics include a 2010 arrest for creating a public nuisance and an all-out brawl with roommate Angelina Pivarnick over a guy.

And, of course, theres that whole peeing on the porch thing.

Read more:
Snooki’s baby talk

By JOY BROWN

STAFF WRITER

Demolition of the Argyle apartment building in downtown Findlay is expected to finally begin this morning.

Officials initially hoped the razing would happen shortly after a Feb. 23 fire tore through the building. The damaged, structurally unsound building forced city officials to close off the 500 block of South Main Street.

But the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency determined that asbestos present in the building will require extensive cleanup, a decision which has slowed the demolition process.

Agency spokeswoman Dina Pierce said that because materials containing asbestos caught fire, the asbestos fiber became airborne and contaminated the rest of the building.

"A survey done after the fire found friable (broken) material in the roofing and some of the floor tile," Pierce said.

"It's very hazardous if it's airborne," Pierce said of asbestos. "It can cause some very serious health problems."

The finding changed the scope of the project. Instead of removing the asbestos first and then tearing down the building, which is what typically happens with most demolition projects, the entire Argyle must be treated as a toxic structure, Pierce said, because the asbestos can't be separated from the rest of the material.

Officials and building owners had been urging the EPA to agree to quick demolition of the building. The city declared the site a public emergency in order to expedite the project, and the owners hired Charles Construction Services of Findlay as the general contractor for the razing.

Read the original here:
Argyle razing to start

By Catherine Kavanaugh, cathy.kavanaugh@dailytribune.com @catherinekav

David Dalton/Daily Tribune Regenia Paige, a massage therapist with Health Source, works on Paul Anderson of Royal Oak during Wednesday's South Oakland Business Expo.

ROYAL OAK Dry ice isn't just for storing cold food and making faux fog on Halloween.

The solid form of carbon dioxide packs a punch as a cleaning agent for everything from greasy machines to mold in attics, soot in fire-damaged homes and tartar build-up in hardwood barrels, which explains why Dry Ice Works counts Traverse City-area wineries among its clients.

Gordon Mahrle, co-owner of the Southfield-based business, introduced his services to more potential customers Wednesday at the South Oakland Business Expo at Club Venetian.

The cleaning process blasts dry ice pellets through a nozzle at dirt and grime. As the pellets strike the surface, they instantaneously turn to gas in an explosive state of charge that lifts away the contaminants and leaves behind no residue.

"Dry ice blasting is green, fast and doesn't create any secondary waste," Mahrle said. "It's relatively new and the equipment is expensive. It's

not like you can go to Home Depot, spend $500 on a power washer and be in business."

That's how some competitors on the power-washing side of his cleaning business started. In response, Mahrle diversified into dry ice blasting about a year ago. He joined the seventh annual expo for his first time to spread the word.

Read the original here:
South Oakland Business Expo a good introduction to businesses

Posted at 6:02 pm March 08, 2012

Tags: Entrepreneurship, Handicrafts

By Nikka Garriga

MAKATI CITY, METRO MANILA Within a year of being an interior decorator, Madonna Liza Cruz thought about doing handcrafted accessories out of her fascination for pieces made of beads.

I was really into beadwork until eventually, I realized it didnt give that much room for me to create more unique designs, Donna says.

She then started researching about other materials, which led her to discover polymer clay, a kneadable material that hardens its form when exposed to high heat.

It was through this that Donna also stumbled upon workshops on making crafts out of polymer clay offered by Angeli Sobrepea, who is famously referred to as the The Beadlady.

With P5,000 as start-up capital plus everything she learned after attending a beginners course, Donna came up with Crazy Notions accessories combining beads, clay and other materials.

Her designs would vary from mini-cupcakes to flowers and other cutesy stuff as she herself describes her creations.

Read the original post:
Pinoy art inspires this entrepreneur’s handmade accessories

Talk about pressure. Apple launches have always had an element of Willy Wonka-esque hype about them, but Wednesday's launch of the new iPad had more of an element of suspense than many before it. How successful would Apple be in presenting its iconic tablet to the world, for the first time not overseen by Steve Jobs? And would the new device be impressive enough to stand up to the smorgasbord of new tablet devices expected to be launched on Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system? Some were even willing to stake money on what could be unveiled: a betting firm removed the wagers it was offering on the tablet after an immediate run of money.

Although most of us had predicted that Apple's new tablet would be called the iPad 3, the company has decided to shy away from its usual numbering system and just call it the new iPad'. Not surprising, considering that apart from becoming slightly thicker and heavier, there aren't any major changes to the look and feel of the tablet. Those who were after a new look iPad will be disappointed: it's the same 9.7-inch tablet as its predecessor. There are neither new slots, nor the revamped magnetic cover that many had hoped for. But inside, there was a different story.

Apple does seem to have addressed some of the gripes that users had with the iPad 2. Topping that list was the camera, something Apple has clearly spent a lot of time on. The iPad 2 was endowed with a measly 0.7-megapixel, fixed focus camera at the rear, but the new iSight camera has a 5-megapixel sensor, auto focus, auto face detection and auto exposure lock, and lets you record video in 1080 p Full HD. There's also helpful backlighting to assist you in dimly lit surroundings. There are also small details I appreciated, such as when you hold the iPad up to take a picture a little camera icon appears on the right hand side of the screen, which allows you to click more easily on the screen than having to fumble for the bottom button. A feature I didn't try was the image stabilisation when you film a movie, but which Apple demonstrated during the presentation.

The new 3.1-million pixel Retina Display does make photos look fantastic: I contrasted it with an iPad 2 and sure enough those once clear-looking iPad 2 photos had a distinctly fuzzy feel to them in comparison. Compare it to the old 1,024x768 resolution on the iPad 2, the 2,046x1,536 pixel density is miles ahead of the competition. With nearly 50 per cent more colour saturation, the pinks and reds of images I saw were particularly vivid on the new tablet. Opening up the iBook app I zoomed further and further into a page but each letter looked just as distinct no matter how far you zoomed in or out.

They've also introduce iPhoto to the tablet for the first time, with lots of nifty editing features, which you can bring up in the form of a palette at the touch of a corner of the screen. There's something called edge detecting which allows you to brighten the colour of for example a red bridge by roughly moving your finger over it, without adjusting the colour of things surrounding it. Its also got the ability to help you select similar pictures and pick the best one, and has little tweaks that allow you to adjust it to suit a right or left-handed person.

The new iPad includes an upgrade to its processing unit. The dual-core A5 chip has been replaced with an A5X processor and a quad-core graphics processor and will run on an updated operating system, iOS 5.1. Existing iOS 5 users can upgrade to version 5.1 as of now.

Some of Apple's games partners have produced games to show off the new HD screen technology, and I had a go at a new one called Sky Gamblers Air Supremacy, a simulated dogfight. So clear were the images that as my aircraft lurched and swerved as I moved it around, I almost feel a bit giddy.

There were other welcome tweaks to existing software: for example Garage Brand, which impressed me a lot on the iPad2 (I must admit I have never used it since!) has a new Jam session feature which allows up to four tablets on the same network to play and record together as a band. iMovies also has a new feature that helps you create trailers using standardized format options.

There were additions I found less impressive the voice dictation for starters. You can use it when you want to send an email or write in the Notes section, or even Tweet. It seemed to suffer the same weakness as Siri, the personal assistant, on the iPhone 4s, struggling to recognise some accents or function in a noisy room. It had issues recognising and typing even my simple question: What time is it? though I must admit it was somewhat better when I used the speaker on the headphones to command it.

Other aspects I was more neutral about. The new A5-Z processor, introduced to let the device keep up with its new graphics capabilities, didn't speed things up. I timed how long it took me to open up the Photos and iBooks apps on the new iPad and the iPad 2 and it took just as long. There's also no improvement on battery life you get the same 10 hours.

Originally posted here:
Hands on with the new iPad

March 08, 2012 12:00 AM

SAN ANDREAS - Calaveras County officials are considering code changes that would make it easier to build a cozy cottage for grandma behind the main house.

Right now, county rules in some cases ban construction of additions or accessory dwellings that could provide a relatively low-cost way to house an aging relative, a college student who needs a studio, or a young couple.

"In the areas where we have sewer and water and you can walk to the store and walk to the school, we don't allow it," said Rebecca Willis, the county's planning director.

Calaveras County code bans accessory dwellings on lots of one acre or less. Willis said second units are built only in rural areas, typically those with 5-, 10-, 20- and 40-acre lots, or exactly where officials have sought to prevent housing sprawl.

A state law enacted in 2003 requires local jurisdictions to make it easier for property owners to build so-called "mother-in-law" units. Calaveras County officials in 2005 adopted a housing element "implementation program" that made it the county's goal to lift the ban on accessory dwellings on lots of less than an acre. That same plan also called on the county to revise its code on accessory dwellings to make that code consistent with state law.

Seven years later, neither goal has been met. Willis said county planners are at work on the task. One first step happened Feb. 23 when the Planning Commission held a public hearing on the county's accessory dwelling rules.

Calaveras County's code conflicts with state law in several ways. For example, Calaveras code provides for a public hearing and notification of adjoining property owners before permits are issued for an accessory dwelling. But state law bans any such requirements if they are more restrictive than the local rules for getting the permit to build the first home on a lot.

The goal of the state law is to make getting permits for a second unit just as easy as getting them for the first home.

Willis said county officials issue about 10 permits a year for accessory dwellings. She expects that to grow once the rules are revised.

Read more:
Calaveras County Restrictions on so-called mother-in-law quarters may be loosened

Posted: Mar. 8, 2012 | 2:03 a.m.

Want to know what the "next big thing" in home ownership will be? No one can predict the future with absolute certainty, but there are no safer predictions than these: Nonrenewable energy sources will become increasingly scarce, energy costs will rise over time and people will continue to desire comfortable homes that are affordable to maintain. Wrap it all up in a solution that makes sense for the vast majority of existing homes and, voil: The next big thing is ... drum roll please ... the energy efficient retrofit.

It may not seem very sexy, but no one can deny that slashing home-energy bills is an attractive goal. Did you ever wonder why they are so high in the first place? Don't blame the power company. There is no free lunch. We pay a lot because we use a lot, and we use a lot because most of our existing buildings are, I will say this as delicately as possible, gross energy hogs.

In fact, suburban America was mostly built using a flawed strategy of resource extraction, depletion, externalized costs and the short-term availability of cheap fossil fuels. James Howard Kunstler, author of "The Geography of Nowhere: The Rise and Decline of America's Man-Made Landscape," has called it "the greatest misallocation of resources in history."

Our economic system is designed to maximize profit (referred to as "shareholder value") while minimizing long-term value for the end user.

Rather than wring their hands and wish for a magic solution that will never come, some people are actually dealing with this issue head on, developing practical approaches that incorporate state-of-the-art science, materials and techniques. The results are often spectacular.

I recently attended an open house event that showcased two home-energy remodeling projects. Turning decrepit old energy hogs into beautiful, affordable, power-sipping homes requires some effort, but the results are so worthwhile.

The process involved four basic steps:

1. Energy assessment: Test the current performance level and diagnose the best opportunities for an energy-efficient remodel.

2. Develop the plan: Determine the specific items and tasks to provide optimum performance in energy, comfort and health.

Follow this link:
Retrofit Energy Hog Homes Into Power Sippers

An announcement today from Empire Today, a full-service provider of quality flooring, carpet and window treatment products for the commercial and residential segments, is now serving the Kansas City area. Empire, commonly known as Empire Carpet, services over 50 metropolitan markets across the United States.

Northlake, IL (PRWEB) March 08, 2012

We are excited to begin providing service in the Kansas City area with our quality flooring, carpet and window treatment products, said Steve Silvers chief executive officer for Empire Today. Empire makes updating our customers homes or businesses convenient by offering free estimates, shop at-home or on-site consultations, quality products at great prices and professional, next day installation on many of our products.

Empire Today also offers quality products from leading manufacturers, a Low Price Guarantee and one year financing options with approved credit. All of Empires products come with a manufacturer product warranty and an Empire service warranty.

In 2011 and 2010, Empire Today was a finalist for the prestigious national awards for Best Customer Service Organization and Best Overall Company from the American Business Awards. As a Better Business Bureau accredited organization, Empire has an A+ rating.

About Empire Today

Empire Today, LLC, also commonly known as Empire Carpet, has been a leading provider of installed home improvements and home furnishings for Over 50 Years. Empire provides services to residential and business customers with a wide selection of products suitable for homes, small businesses, organizations and commercial applications. Our line of quality, name-brand products includes: Carpet, Hardwood, Laminate, Ceramic, Vinyl Flooring and Window Treatments. The company provides shop-at-home or on-site consultations, next day professional installation on many products, quality products at great prices and world-class service to more than 50 metropolitan areas in the United States. Empire Today for a greener tomorrow a leader in floor covering recycling. For more information, call 800-588-2300, visit empiretoday.com or follow us: @Empire Today twitter.

Also, visit the following sites for more information:

Empire Carpet Man

Empire Carpet Stories

See the rest here:
Empire Today® Expands Next Day, Carpet, Flooring and Window Treatments Service in the Midwest.

By Alana Kansaku-sarmiento

The Times, Mar 8, 2012

Jaime Valdez / The Times

Tualatin Indoor Soccer owner Monty Hawkins said he expects to see a complete payoff of his investment of energy- efficient lights in less than three years.

ADVERTISEMENTS

Tualatin Indoor Soccer made a move toward big energy savings with the installation of new, energy-efficient lighting.

With a big assist from a $9,371 cash incentive from Energy Trust of Oregon, business owner Monty Hawkins is already reaping the fiscal benefits.

Its good to be responsible and invest (in energy-efficient solutions), said Hawkins, who opened Tualatin Indoor Soccer on Southwest Itel Street in 2003. If you think about it, its going to be a responsible business-owner thats looking out for the environment, whos fortunate enough to have an energy savings through the investment, and ends up with a great product delivered.

Thats all it is, isnt it? Its kind of a no-brainer. The hurdles are being able to afford it and to take the gamble, so to speak, about recouping the savings in your energy usage. But, you see those savings, and you feel good about your decision.

Energy Trust is an Oregon-based nonprofit dedicated to providing energy-saving alternatives for utility customers. Hawkins was approached by the organization multiple times in the past several years, but had turned down previous incentives to the installation of energy-efficient fluorescent lighting in his arena.

See the original post:
Tualatin soccer club lightens up