Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Posted: Wednesday, February 29, 2012 5:32 pm | Updated: 12:32 pm, Wed Feb 29, 2012.

Johns Flooring and Welcome Home Furniture, previously Johns Flooring, opened its new, 11,000-square-foot showroom Monday, Feb. 27, at 7436 Highway 47 in Union.

The new location is located directly next to its old facility which was 8,000 square feet.

The Washington and Union locations have been consolidated into one store, according to John Moss, owner. The Washington showroom closed mid-February.

Weve been talking about expanding (with the addition of furniture) for several years, said Moss told The Missourian. We just got the opportunity.

Perhaps the biggest change is the addition of furniture.

Flooring and furniture just go hand in hand, said Moss, adding that he will have brands such as Simmons, Serta, La-Z-Boy, Ashley and others. Additionally, he will carry complete bedroom outfits, kitchenettes, mattresses and box springs.

Were looking forward to the furniture aspect of the business really enhancing the floor business, he said, noting furniture can be delivered.

Moss will continue to offer many flooring options including carpeting, ceramic, porcelain, laminate and wood with brands like Shaw, Mohawk, Columbia, Armstrong Mannington, Somerset among others.

Additionally, the store offers a lifetime warranty on flooring installation and has financing options for both flooring and furniture.

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John’s Flooring Opens New Showroom

Two businesses are poised to open in the retail space left vacant by the closure of Borders in Sand City.

A third business, yet to be identified, is expected to round out the new establishments.

The marketing coordinator for Tilly's, an Irvine-based surf and skate apparel retailer, confirmed Wednesday the company is opening a store in a portion of the empty space.

The marketing coordinator, William Marquis, said the store is slated to open July 3, and the company is opening stores in a number of other new markets this year as well. The company has 120 stores in 11 states.

"We are really excited to be opening in Sand City," he said.

Tilly's, a privately held company that says it caters to "the ever-evolving generation of active lifestyles," also has a new store at Harden Ranch in Salinas, which opened last November.

The Orosco Group is the Monterey company that bought the 25,000 square-foot site in the Edgewater Center after the Borders chain shut down last year.

Patrick Orosco, a vice president, said construction on the site began several weeks ago. He said he couldn't name or confirm the identities of the retailers his company is negotiating with.

"There'll be three tenants, each well suited to the local trade area," he said.

Ulta Beauty is a second business set to open in the old Borders building, said Steve Matarazzo, city administrator of Sand City. The company's website says it was founded as a discount beauty retailer in 1990.

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Sand City to get a skate apparel retailer in former Borders' store

Glasswerks Inc., a leader in commercial and architectural glass fabrication, is pleased to announce the opening of its newest tempering facility at 4111 Kesslersville Road in Easton, PA. This new plant is the fifth in Glasswerks Catalina Tempering family and expands the companys Eastern US offerings.

South Gate, CA (PRWEB) February 29, 2012

As the third Eastern US location of Catalina Tempering, the Easton plant officially opened for business on February 20, 2012. This development adds tempered products for residential use to the already diverse line of products and services offered nationally by Glasswerks and its subsidiaries.

The location enables Catalina to expand our growing footprint in order to better serve our national customers, as well as provide a robust contingency interruption program that allows Catalina to service any eastern customer from any location and still meet all of the customer-specific needs and requirements, says Todd French, Catalina Temperings Eastern Regional Manager.

Rob Schilling has been appointed general manager of the PA plant. Schilling has an extensive glass manufacturing background, with more than 18 years of experience in both float and residential markets.

Founded in 2005, by Glasswerks Inc. of South Gate, CA, Catalina Tempering quickly became the premier tempered glass provider of southern California and Irving, TX. In the last three years, Glasswerks has opened additional Catalina Tempering plants in Ohio, North Carolina and, now, Pennsylvania.

Learn more about Catalina Tempering at http://www.catalinatempering.com.

About Glasswerks Inc.

Glasswerks Inc. is a leading commercial and architectural glass fabricator headquartered in South Gate, California. Glasswerks Inc. produces architectural glazing products, glass furniture, mirrors and decorative glass; specializing in the production and fabrication of laminated, tempered, insulated, bullet-resistant, hurricane-resistant, and high performance low-e glass products. Born out of the competitive construction landscape of Los Angeles in 1979, Glasswerks Inc. operates from eight U.S. facilities located in Southern California, Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. Catalina Tempering and Avalon Glass & Mirror are subsidiaries of Glasswerks Inc. Visit http://www.glasswerks.com for more information.

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Glasswerks Inc. Opens New Tempering Plant in Easton, Pennsylvania

MANCHESTER

For the past several days, a crew has been stripping plaster and lath inside the John Olds house, revealing oak and chestnut framing and the enduring art of 18th-century craftsmen.

With its fluted pilasters, varying cornices and elegant fireplace mantels, the house is a statement and an investment by a citizen of the new Republic.

"You walk in there and you're impressed," says Steven Bielitz, an old-home restoration specialist overseeing deconstruction of the Tolland Turnpike house. "It was well-thought-out."

Bielitz, owner of The Glastonbury Restoration Co., has a permit to dismantle the home, which sits on property of TGM Associates, owner of the adjacent Waterford Commons apartment complex. TGM has wanted the vacant house gone for several years, to be replaced with a small park for apartment residents. Local preservationists and town leaders have delayed demolition, but their efforts to save the home in place have come to naught.

"We regret the fact that there was nobody in town, or the town itself was not interested in preserving this important historic house in Manchester," historical society President John Dormer said Wednesday.

Revolutionary War veteran John Olds built the house in the late 18th century, possibly in 1776, but Bielitz says more likely in the 1780s. The Yankee farmer is known as the father of Manchester for leading the movement to separate what was then known as Orford Parish from the town of East Hartford. He and other settlers succeeded, and Manchester was founded in 1823.

TGM Associates bought the property in June 2008 and announced plans later that year to tear down the farmhouse. Town leaders scrambled to save it, but rejected TGM's offer to sell the property for $500,000.

Bielitz said he has started advertising the house and hopes to get $120,000 for it. He and his crew are labeling each post and beam, mantel and moulding. The pieces will be loaded on trailers and carted away.

Bieliz said Wednesday that he hopes to finish the job by May 1. He said he would like to find a buyer in Connecticut, better yet in Hartford County. Dormer said he still hopes the home can be reconstructed somewhere in Manchester.

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Old Manchester House Coming Down, Piece By Piece

More than 70 years ago, five physicians founded Monroe Clinic. Doctors Nation Bear, W.G. Bear, Leurner Creasy, W.B. Gnagi and John Schinder opened their doors Jan. 1, 1939 on the second floor of an office building in Monroe, Wis.

It was not long before these same physicians approached the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Agnes, inviting them to Monroe to build a hospital. St. Clare Hospital, now known as Monroe Clinic, was built soon after. Additions followed in the 1950s and 1970s, but as time and technology changed, the mission of Monroe Clinic to focus on patient needs and care needed to change. The quality of care would remain the same, but patients needs, and to incorporate the changes in technology, forced Monroe Clinic to look at their options

In June 2009, Monroe Clinic unveiled construction plans for its new hospital. A groundbreaking ceremony for the $83 million, 225,000 square-foot, four-story facility followed on December 2009. Despite uncertain economic times, plans continued for a new hospital that is designed to support modern health care and efficient employee and patient flow while accommodating for the environment.

Growth For The Future

The new hospital is set to open for business on March 24. The mission for Monroe Clinic in building this new hospital was to create a healthier environment for patient care. Wednesday, officials from Monroe Clinic hosted a press day to unveil the new hospital, which adds to the existing campus that includes the clinic and what will be the St. Clare Center, which will be created at the old hospital.

Talking to the crowd and giving the tour was Mike Sanders, president and CEO of Monroe Clinic; Dr. Mark Thompson, chief medical officer; Steve Borowski, director of facility services and Paula Elmer, vice president clinical operations and chief nursing officer.

Sanders said they are in the final stages to ready the hospital for the opening date. He said the objective in building the new hospital was to keep up with changes in health care, look at growth and create a campus to meet the health care needs of the community it serves.

The last addition of the existing hospital took place more than 40 years ago, and a lot has changed in health care since then, Sanders said. We had great support for the 28-month $83 million project, which was financed through savings and investments. We set for a spring 2012 opening, and we are pleased that the project has gone smooth, on time and on budget.

Healing Environment

The new hospital is designed with the healing environment in mind. The tour unveiled a nature-inspired atmosphere, built around the latest innovations in health care. Green technology and sustainability was a primary focus. There is an expanded emergency department, with a helipad and heated ambulance garage. There is convenient lobby level access to surgery and a procedure center with a private exit. The chapel has a meditation garden, there is an expanded family birth and womans center, updated cardiology and imaging services, a cafe with sweeping views and outdoor seating, and most importantly, there are all-private inpatients rooms, which Monroe Clinic had before.

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Monroe Clinic unveils new hospital

Last month, IGN's Ryan Clements reviewed Final Fantasy XIII-2 and awarded it an 8.0. Editors at IGN and 1UP have had the opportunity to spend some time with the game since then and have a wide range of opinions. Here are their thoughts on Final Fantasy XIII-2's positives, negatives and everything in between.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 is easily among the shortest numbered Final Fantasy games, and the story is definitely lacking any kind of cohesive vision. There are some great story beats, but the game is all over the map; I often lost sight of exactly what my ultimate goal was, and felt very "meh" about the lack of closure in the end.

XIII-2 is far more accessible than XIII was, and I've enjoyed all of my time with it. Still, it's frustrating that it could have been so much more.

Yet for all these improvements, the game still has major issues. Namely, the script. It's bad. Not laughably bad, just bad. It's a real testament to voice actors Laura Bailey and Jason Marsden that they managed to turn what would have been CRINGINGLY bad dialogue into something likable.

So do I hate Final Fantasy XIII-2? No, in fact I'm quite enjoying it. It's much better than XIII or X-2. It's just a shame that character development (of which there is almost none) and a sensible storyline got shoved out of the way in favor of QTEs and a weirdly convoluted attempt to avoid linearity.

Sadly, the thread begins to unravel the moment you leave the battlefield. The open-ended time travel conceit that the game is built upon presents itself with the promise of freedom, and yet too often treats the player as a pawn, forcing you to travel down the linear path that the game wants you to. Had FFXIII-2 treated the grandiose concept of time as the player's personal toy, the game may have been something truly special. So when the curtain raised after the much discussed cliffhanger ending, I was left feeling nothing. The story I had just experienced was told with a lack of confidence that just never quite allowed me to engage with the world beyond a superficial level.

What I found most enjoyable about XIII-2 is that, like the similarly minded X-2, it approaches series gameplay conventions with a sense of experimentation and whimsy. The Hystoria Crux interface provides a fun twist on traditional exploration with seamless jumps into the timeline and the ability to rewind time. Additions like monster raising, coliseum battles, and a variety of uses for your moogle provide plenty of content for those wishing to really dig in. Also, the CG cutscenes are still absolutely stunning. This is top class animation, whether talking movies or games. It's a shame, then, that Final Fantasy XIII-2 never really comes together as a sum of these parts.

If you enjoyed Final Fantasy XIII even somewhat, you deserve to give XIII-2 a go. For those who left XIII with a bitter taste in their mouths, this could still be that much needed palate cleanser. However, for many like me who grew up with Final Fantasy in our blood, this will likely be another reminder that the series isn't really geared towards us anymore. However, if it means that a new audience gets to discover the gameplay and fantasy that hooked us years ago, then maybe that's okay.

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Final Fantasy XIII-2 Second Opinions

Instead of addressing the real issues with the current wild-card system, Bud Selig and MLB are electing to double down.

AP

Back in October 2010, in the wake of a Yankees/Rays "race" for the AL East title that both teams treated with little care, the idea of a second wild-card slot in each league was floated. After a CBA negotiation and lots of waiting, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported Wednesday that the plan will be put in place for the upcoming season. An additional wild-card team will be added to each league, and the two wild cards will play a single game to advance to the Division Series. At the time of the original idea, this is what I wrote in my newsletter. Nothing has changed.

* * *

Maybe the Padres had their run a few years too early. In the wake of the Yankees/Rays non-race in the AL East, in which both teams made it perfectly clear that the division title meant little versus getting ready for the postseason, there's a movement afoot to implement a rule change that would force teams in similar positions to value the division title more than it was valued this year. The most popular of these involves allowing a second wild-card team from each league, and having the two wild-card teams meet in a very short playoff, either one game or a best-of-three, to advance.

I called this idea "unimaginably stupid" on Twitter, and trust me, I was underselling its problems. The idea is to make winning a division more valuable than winning the wild card, so much so that a team will have to try to win its division. What it effectively does, though, is make winning a bad division valuable. To use the 2010 AL season as an example, the Twins and the Rangers, both inferior to the Yankees and Rays, would have been free to rest their regulars and set their rotations, because their divisions couldn't produce a viable challenger. Meanwhile, the Rays and Yankees would be fighting for a division title to stay out of the Coin Flip Game. Despite being objectively better teams -- both of them -- they would both be disadvantaged relative to worse teams. A system that metes out punishment and reward in inverse proportion to quality is a bad system.

Let's play it out, though. The Yankees and Rays bust their humps all month, win a few extra games, maybe 99 for the Rays, 98 for the Yankees. With a "second wild card" to play for, the Red Sox make a couple of small additions, pick up some wins in September and get to 91. One of those extra wins comes at the expense of the White Sox, who fade a bit faster, enabling the Red Sox to lock up their spot in the Coin Flip Game heading into their last series of the year.

Now, the No. 3 seed and the No. 4 seed are preparing for the playoffs, while the two best teams in the league are playing for the right to not be dropped into this unimaginably stupid Coin Flip Game against a team that, because the sixth-best team in the league is far enough behind the fifth-best, is itself resting! Moreover, after proving itself to be eight or so games better than than its divisional partner over a full season of play, the second-place team is now, after losing its run at the division title, forced to beat that inferior team one more time despite being disadvantaged in the run-up to the game.

The second-best team in baseball could go from fighting for a division title and the best record in its league to a one-game playoff against a team it was miles ahead of for six months. It may sound far-fetched, but it is not that far removed from what we would have had this year had the rule been in place. It's pretty much what you would have gotten in the AL in 2005, where the Yankees and Red Sox tied for first place while the "second wild card" would have been the Indians, five games clear of the A's for the #5 seed.

This is a really bad idea. It's one thing to throw away September because you're looking for easy cash on the heels of being tagged for $280 million in CBA violations. It's another to set up a system that has the ability to turn your regular season results into a bad joke because you didn't listen the first time. The scenario that people want to avoid, the September we just watched? It happens when two great teams play in one division together. If you force one of them into a Coin Flip Game, you will always be invalidating a great six-month season in a single afternoon, which is no way -- no way at all -- to run a sports league. The Coin Flip Game isn't "making the playoffs" any more than the play-in game in the NCAA's is "making the tournament." No one confuses Tuesday in Dayton with Friday in Charlotte, and no one will confuse Monday afternoon at Suncoast Dome on MLB Network with Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium on TBS.

Continued here:
Joe Sheehan: Additional wild cards won't solve problems; they'll compound them

NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C., Feb. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Window World, Inc., America's largest replacement window and home remodeling company, has announced the 2012 launch of its 'One More Day' campaign, a fundraising plan dedicated to providing St. Jude Children's Research Hospital with a full day of operating expenses. The initiative is headed by Window World Cares, the charitable foundation of Window World.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120229/CL62250 )

The initiative was developed by a Window World store owner and embraced by Tammy Whitworth, chairman and CEO of Window World and co-founder of Window World Cares, to cover the additional costs that leap day will bring to St. Jude this year.

"One more day could mean the chance of a lifetime for these children," said Whitworth. "St. Jude ensures that no family ever pays for their child's care. We at Window World are honored to help make this possible."

Beginning in 2008, Window World set a goal of providing funding for one full day of operations $1.7 million for St. Jude. In 2011, Window World exceeded that goal by donating $2.3 million. In 2010, Window World Cares was named New Corporate Partner of the Year because of its ongoing involvement with St. Jude.

More than 200 Window World stores nationwide will donate toward a second day of funding for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Window World plans to execute a number of activities during the year to help meet the goal. One of the biggest events will be the Window World Family Reunion, an annual gathering that brings all of Window World together. The last two Family Reunions each raised more than $500,000 for Window World Cares. This year's reunion is scheduled to take place August 1 5, 2012.

Additionally, Window World raises funds through 'the Stinger,' a 2011 concept show car and tribute to the first ever winning Indianapolis 500 car, the 1911 Marmon Wasp. The Stinger showcases the signatures of more than 190 former Indy 500 starters. For each signature received, Window World makes a donation of $189 the price of a Window World replacement window to Window World Cares. To date, signatures on the Stinger have resulted in donations totaling more than $36,000.

To learn more about Window World Cares and its relationship with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or to make a donation, please visit http://www.WindowWorldCares.com.

About Window World, Inc.:

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Window World Launches 'One More Day' Campaign to Support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

WESTBROOK The Westbrook School Departments central office building could play a new role City Hall.

As the city explores options for selling or leasing the building that now houses City Hall, the subsequent move would also involve combining city and school offices under one roof. The frontrunner for a new City Hall is the Fred C. Wescott Building at 426 Bridge St., but the central office is a building that deserves consideration, according to School Superintendent Marc Gousse.

Gousse said this week that old plans for the initial construction of the districts central office, located next door to the high school at 125 Stroudwater St., called for a larger building than was actually constructed. The city could simply add onto the present building and make that City Halls new location, he said.

Gousse stressed, however, that no one had made any decisions yet, and he was not trying to talk anyone into or out of anything.

Its just another opportunity to take a look at, he said.

The City Council recently voted to solicit proposals from commercial brokers, in order to determine the real market value of 2 York St. were the city to sell off the property. The move is the opening act of vacating of the York Street building, which has been anticipated since Wescott Junior High School closed in 2010.

Westbrook officials have a plan to fund renovations of the Wescott building to make it suitable for use as a municipal and school department building, and even have a rough sketch of where new offices would be located, should the move become reality.

The idea, officials have said, is to consolidate unused space the city has, and sell or lease any empty buildings. The need for consolidation has only become more apparent, officials have said, since the School Committee made an initial vote last month to close Prides Corner Elementary School, built in 1950.

The committee is expected to vote to confirm the closure at its next meeting, March 14. Other buildings throughout the city that house public services equipment could also become vacant if the city builds a new, larger complex for that department on Saco Street.

City officials added the consolidation of the schools central offices to its plans to move City Hall after Mayor Colleen Hilton, in a series of high-profile decisions following her inauguration in 2010, combined previously separated school and municipal finance departments, followed by similar consolidations of human resources offices.

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Westbrook School Department central office emerges as a City Hall alternative

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

That old adage should be a warning for homeowners. What you do to a home -- in terms of renovations, furnishings and additions -- is all well and good while you sleep under its roof. But if you plan to sell, your efforts could diminish rather than boost its selling price.

A miniature backyard skate park, indoor basketball court or basement lounge complete with a stripper pole and smoke machine are the sorts of extravagances that may not directly push down your home value, but could nevertheless drive away prospective buyers or provide room for them to haggle down the price. A bright pink paint job and lawn cluttered with gnomes and flamingos is going to offer little in the way of curb appeal. That koi pond you love so much may be just a headache for a new owner.

"Swimming pools and landscaping can both backfire," says Brendon DeSimone, a Realtor in California and New York and blog contributor for online real estate database Zillow(Z) who has been featured on the HGTV television shows Curb Appeal, Bang for Your Buck and My House is Worth What?

[See also: Homes Built Out of Strange and Usual Materials]

"They are nice to have because they show really well and will lure buyers in," he explains. "But when buyers are assessing pros and cons of the home or comparing it to other homes, the upkeep -- or safety, in the case of the pool -- will factor in. Some people just may not want to sign up for having to do landscaping or pay the landscaper. So while a swimming pool or beautiful manicured lawn might reel in potential buyers, eventually those things could turn them off. Gardening and over-the-top landscaping is for a very specific buyer."

There are always exceptions to be had if the right buyer comes along. A pool in warm-weather Arizona or Southern California is certainly more attractive than one at a home in Maine where it gets only a fraction of the annual use.

Jacuzzis and whirlpools are other luxuries that can be a hit or a miss for sellers. A young couple may love the additions; a family with small children may see them as a waste of space and potential hazard.

Renovating your basement, attic or garage into an additional room? That man cave or spare bedroom may fit your lifestyle, but buyers may lament the lack of storage space and place to park their car. A basement or dormer apartment may run contrary to local zoning and be a red flag during a home inspection. Converting a bedroom into an office may appeal to a work-at-home buyer, but eliminating that bedroom in the eyes of local assessors will decrease your home's value.

External additions can be problematic if your bigger and better house is out of character with the surrounding neighborhood in size and style. It can be even worse if your do-it-yourself project lacks professional polish. Even more modest improvements -- such as doors, windows or awnings -- can hurt if they don't match your home's architectural style.

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Beware of Value-Killing Home Renovations