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Bee-Line #40 bus driver Leroy Clarke, who has been delivering dozens of workers to Westchester Medical Center throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, in Mount Vernon May 13, 2020. Rockland/Westchester Journal News

The 40 bus ferries healthcare workers to Westchester hospitals so they can help saves lives, says the bus driver who delivers them.

Leroy Clarkes 84-year-old mother died in early April from the coronavirus. He was on his way to her apartment in Brooklyn from his home in Cortlandt Manor when he found out shed taken her last breath.

The sad part is that Saturday when she passed away my sister asked me to come help, Clarke said. I was 20 minutes away from the house when she passed away. I was so mad I didnt get to talk to her.

His mothers death confirmed for Clarke the risks posed by the deadly virus that has claimed the lives of thousands of other New Yorkers like Louise Clark, a mother of seven.

People board the 5:40 a.m. Bee-Line bus Route 40 on East Prospect Avenue in Mount Vernon, April 8, 2020. (Photo: Mark Vergari/The Journal News)

And it reminded him how critical it is that he continue going to work every day, driving a bus to hospitals and nursing care facilities in Westchester County so others can save lives.

It doesnt bother me because I tell you something, its my job and I love it, Clarke said. It makes me proud that I can take these people to work, you know.

Clarke, 61, has been driving for Westchester Countys Bee-Line for 23 years. On a typical day, before the pandemic hit, he would be driving the 60 bus, from the Bronx up into White Plains.

Thatchanged in March.

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Ridership on the Bee-Line has plummeted from around 83,000 riders on a typical weekday to 22,000 last week, a decrease of 73%. Saturday service is down nearly 60%, from 38,000 to 16,000 and Sunday ridership dipped 63%from 23,000 to 8,500.

Fares have been waived and theres a partition separating drivers from passengers. Routes have been rejiggered so essential workers can get to and from work on buses that provide enough room for social distancing.

So, as dawn breaks, Clarke finds himself at Petrillo Plaza in Mount Vernon, driving the 40 bus that ferries health care workers north to Westchester Medical Center, White Plains Hospital and nursing homes along the way.

Passengers are pictured on the 5:40 a.m. Bee-Line bus Route 40 on East Prospect Avenue in Mount Vernon, April 8, 2020. (Photo: Mark Vergari/The Journal News)

They enter through the rear door of an articulated bus that can hold 100 but most mornings about 20 get on. They are mostly nurses aides, kitchen workers and housekeeping employees sporting the logos of the places where they work.

With fewer stops to make, Clarke stays ahead of schedule most mornings. At the White Plains Metro-North station he waits a little longer so passengers heading north by train from the Bronx can get on for the last leg of their trip north.

The county, working with its bus operator, Liberty Lines, decided to switch to an enhanced Saturday schedule on April 1. That means hourly service, which is traditionally focused on a busy midday.

Hospital workers and others had raised concerns about overcrowded buses.

So buses were added as needed to a dozen lines that course through the Bronx, White Plains, Yonkers, Harrison and New Rochelle, county officials said. Many of those additions came in the morning peak hours. At the request of Westchester County Medical Center, extra buses were added to routes serving the hospital.

We knew we would get into a situation where we would have some overcrowding because in general the weekday service focuses on morning and afternoon peaks, said Michael Swee, the principal planner for the countys Department of Public Works and Transportation. Saturday service is focused on a midday peak. So we knew we were going to have some issues. We tried to figure out which routes would need more trips before we switched to an enhanced Saturday service.

Workers went out and counted passengers and drivers offered their input.

People wait for the 5:40 a.m. Bee-Line bus Route 40 on East Prospect Avenue in Mount Vernon, April 8, 2020. (Photo: Mark Vergari/The Journal News)

Were getting calls from passengers saying for instance the 6 a.m. Route 7 from Mount Vernon to New Rochelle is overcrowded, Swee said. We get that input and we work with our operator to add trips or adjust schedulesIts a dance were doing on a daily basis, as most everyone is.

Across the country, transportation officials are facing similar challenges.

In Boston, transit officials have been using automatic passenger counters to identify routes that serve large numbers of health care workers.

In San Francisco, transit officials are using the counts to identify ridership trends, which tells them where and when to add service.

Theyve noticed, for instance, that demand peaks earlier in the day but is less pronounced than it had been before the pandemic, according to research by the TransitCenter, a New York City-based research and advocacy group. And ridership tails off after 5 p.m.

Critical to the effort is listening to drivers, said David Bragdon, the TransitCenters executive director.

The drivers know whats going on, Bragdon said. The drivers know where people are. And its really important because you want to reduce the crowdingFor a while even New York was running buses in some wealthier parts of town where nobody is working. So the buses there are empty and theyre running buses elsewhere that are really crowded.

Bragdon says the Bee-Line should adopt a similar approach once the pandemic passes and redesign routes to fit demand, especially in low-income areas where buses play a critical role in getting people to work.

Clarkes union head, Carlos Bernabel of Transport Workers Union Local 100, said his drivers have been communicating what they see to managers to alleviate crowded conditions that existed weeks ago.

At the beginning we were crowded, Bernabel said. But the people who are taking the bus now, most of them are workers, they understandIts been a challenge.

Clarke, meanwhile, is adjusting to life on his new route.

Bee-Line #40 bus driver Leroy Clarke, who has been delivering dozens of workers to Westchester Medical Center throughout the pandemic, arrives at his first stop in Mount Vernon May 13, 2020. Clarke, 61, has been driving for Bee-Line for 23 years. His mother recently died from COVID-19 but he continues to drive because he feels he owes it to his riders to get them to work every day. (Photo: Tania Savayan/The Journal News)

Im not scared of anything because I try to keep myself healthy, he said. I wear the protective gear.I feel confident. I dont have a problem with it.

He still checks in with passengers from his old route, including the White Plains woman who regularly brought him home-cooked Indian meals.

Bee-Line #40 bus driver Leroy Clarke, who has been delivering dozens of workers to Westchester Medical Center throughout the pandemic, at his first stop in Mount Vernon on May 13, 2020.(Photo: Tania Savayan/The Journal News)

My regular passengers, I miss them, he said.They call to see how I am doing. They always bring me good things to eat. My wife is not quite happy with it, but you know.

At home, he tries to keep a safe distance from his wife and two daughters to prevent infecting them.

I sleep in a different room because Im on the buses every day, he said.

A few weeks back, Bernabel said a local nonprofit came by the garage where Bee-Line drivers start their day and delivered pizza and drinks as a way to say thank you to Clarke, fellow bus drivers and mechanics.

There would be no fight against COVID-19 if our bus operators werent getting nurses and other hospital workers to the front lines, said Tony Utano, the president of Local 100. They really are heroes.

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Bee-Line driver lost mom to coronavirus, makes sure others get to work saving lives - Lohud

In the month since Oakland began closing some neighborhood streets to through traffic, a move replicated by other cities across the country, a core truth of the slow streets movement has become clear the more exuberant claims for the program might be overstated, but its benefit to nearby residents is very, very real.

Nor will it vanish on the day next month? when shelter-in-place orders end. Instead, slow streets fit into a larger rethinking of the role that pavement can play in large American cities.

Weve opened a lot of Oaklanders to the idea that people can use streets in all sorts of ways, said Ryan Russo, director of the citys Department of Transportation. Where things go from here, well have to figure out.

Since Oakland put its first barriers up, similar initiatives have been launched in San Francisco, Alameda and Redwood City. San Mateo, Berkeley and San Jose are all exploring the idea of letting restaurants place seating on closed-off asphalt. Urban centers from New York to Seattle have restricted access to streets large and small.

Still, Oaklands initial move to provide protected space stands out.

The program launched on April 11 with the closure of 4.5 miles of streets around the clock to nearly all traffic except for people heading to or from their homes, emergency vehicles and delivery vans. Several expansions later, 20 miles of residential blocks are now tucked behind temporary barriers.

This is far short of the 74 miles announced as the citys overall plan a number so big it attracted nationwide attention at a time when people were being ordered to stay close to home. But that number was always a target, and the city expects to add more segments by the end of May.

In terms of providing a relief valve thinning out crowded official public spaces so people can exercise or seek fresh air with enough room to maintain social distancing theres a gap between reality and hype.

Last Saturday, on a pleasant spring afternoon, I rode my bicycle past Lake Merritt and saw no shortage of people filling portions of the sidewalk or dotting the lawns. But on Alice Street, a cordoned-off slow street within three compact blocks of the lakes western edge, I had the asphalt to myself. The same was true of a car-free corridor leading from Wayne Avenue to East 19th St. on the east side of the lake.

In terms of (counterbalancing) the popularity of the lake and parks, were realizing theres still work to be done, Russo admitted this week. In terms of people being able to go outside in their neighborhood and feel comfortable, feel safe in the roadbed, the slow streets are serving their purpose.

That was evident a few days later, when I revisited the streets set aside in North Oakland. The scenes werent festive so much as relaxed: couples walking hand in hand, parents with young children piloting bikes and scooters even smaller than they were. One couple was jogging the mother behind a baby stroller, the father gripping the leash of a large white dog.

I love it, grinned Yvonne McGrew, who has lived on Howe Street since 1973. Its a street that seems bucolic. Its also near enough to the Rockridge BART Station that impatient commuters would cut through the tangle of small blocks to shave a few moments off their drive.

You would never have seen that kids on bikes, McGrew said, pointing to one pair of helmeted adventurers. Youd see adults and their dogs, but not the kids. And Im catching up with neighbors Id hardly ever see.

There was a similar mood late Wednesday afternoon in San Francisco, which is trying out several slow streets as well.

Page Street was empty except for the stray passer-through, perhaps because Golden Gate Parks Panhandle is a block to the south. But Lake Street in the Richmond District was another story, a widely spaced promenade of families getting fresh air at the end of the day, joggers loping past mansions, even a pair of surfers on their bicycles, boards attached securely on the side.

On Kirkham Street in the Inner Sunset, meanwhile, theres now a basketball hoop outside one home near Funston Avenue. Kids from the neighborhood use the gently sloped blocks as an elongated chill-out zone.

Its kind of free-range out here, offered Sebastian Haas, a ninth-grader who lives near 15th Avenue. He had a skateboard; his younger brother had a go-cart the pair had built in their garage.

I asked if there was much traffic in this quiet-looking area before restrictions came down in March. Actually, yeah. This gives you a chance to get outside and not think about it.

Seattle has now gone so far as to announce that 20 miles of its streets will remain closed permanently to through traffic. Neither Oakland nor San Francisco are prepared to take such an emphatic step, at least not yet.

Before anything is made permanent, we need to have a conversation as a whole community, Russo said. As he points out, traffic diverted from one street in usual times is likely to head to others but we dont have that right now.

What we do have is a glum but growing awareness that the path ahead is murky. There wont be some magic day where every adult is back in the office and all the kids are at school.

Its becoming increasingly clear that crisis recovery is a slow road, said Jamie Parks, director of the Livable Streets program at San Franciscos Municipal Transportation Agency. In fact, he promised additions next week to the four protected street segments now in place: Slow streets will be in place for as long as theyre needed.

This is as it should be.

The impacts of the slow streets initiatives are modest, not sweeping. But they offer another alternative to neighborhoods that in recent years have come to feel increasingly constrained even before the pandemic arrived.

John King is The San Francisco Chronicles urban design critic. Email: jking@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @johnkingsfchron

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Oakland and SF's 'slow streets' aren't going away that's a good thing - msnNOW

I would pay $10 for someone to unload my dishwasher. I recognize this isnt a lot of money, but were running it two or three times a day lately, so there is an opportunity for a nice supplemental income. Im just so tired of doing it.

Then again, I could eliminate that need entirely, because I would pay $100 to be able to sit and eat at a restaurant. It doesnt even have to be a good restaurant. I just want to have someone bring me food, and when Im done, for someone else to collect the dirty plates.

That sounds nice, doesn't it?

I find myself putting a dollar figure on a lot of things that I wish I could have right now because of the coronavirus, and I cant imagine that Im the only one. We are finishing our second month of this lockdown, with no end in sight, grinding along in this sort of alternate reality.

Two months of this &#$*% already.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage

Some of the things we took for granted, every day of our lives, almost feel like mirages. Did we really go see movies in an actual movie theater? And fly on cramped airplanes for business or even -- gasp -- for pleasure?

Did we really fill stadiums and arenas to watch sporting events with thousands of other people, and do it like it was no big deal at all?

How was that even possible?

And so, from the confines of my quarantine, I decided to put a dollar figure on everything Im missing. Please feel free to send me your additions to the list. (Or, if you can sneak into our house, that deal with the dishwasher still stands.)

Here we go ....

I would pay $1 to walk my dog today without someone diving across the street to avoid me. Honestly, I feel like Im playing a game of coronavirus chicken, waiting to see if the other person will get off the sidewalk first.

I would pay $2 to shake someones hand without feeling like a social pariah. Can you imagine the look youd get right now if you even extended your hand towards a stranger? Theyd sooner call 9-1-1 than shake it.

I would pay $3 for every EMT, nurse, doctor or first responder I could safely hug.

I would pay $5 for my kids to have a playdate with their friends. If this playdate its taking place in another house, make it $50. Sleepover, $100. Weekend away -- hang on, Ill need to check the balance in our savings account.

I would pay $8 for an effective way to keep my glasses from fogging up when I wear a face mask. So I can either protect myself from the virus, or I can actually see where Im going? Is that how its going to be for the next few months?

I would pay $10 a month to support NJ Advance Medias team of journalists. Actually, I already do. Would you consider doing the same?

I would pay $20 to find a recipe online that I like and, without a hint of guilt or fear, head out to the supermarket that very minute to buy the ingredients.

I would pay $25 to sit at a bar, order a cold draft beer and strike up a conversation with a stranger or the bartender. Add a cheeseburger, and double that.

I would pay $30 an hour for a babysitter. This is twice the going rate. I know, I know, why bother if everything is closed anyway? Heres the plan: Wed go out the front door, sneak in through the garage and hide in the attic for four hours.

I would pay $40 for an hour at the gym. Of course, at this point, I would spend most of that hour wheezing on the floor.

I would pay $50 if (insert name of politician here) would just stop talking. Heres my daily update: Its the same as yesterday, and tomorrow isnt looking much better.

I would pay $75 for a good nights sleep.

I would pay $80 for one news cycle -- just one! -- that didnt make me wish I could throw the TV off the roof.

I would pay $100 to watch a live sporting event. I dont care whos playing, or what sport, or what level -- it can even be soccer! I dont need a seat. Ill bring a cooler and sit on that.

I would pay $150 for a well-prepared steak, served right as it comes off the grill, with a perfectly matched glass of red wine. Throw in some crispy fries, and ... great, now I need to wipe the drool off my keyboard.

I would pay $200 to have our teachers back in their classrooms where they belong.

I would pay $250, in a check made out to the charity of your choice, never to again have to hear or read the words, Its just the flu.

I would pay $500 to guarantee that our summer vacation go on as scheduled. We have a lovely rental a block off the beach in Long Beach Island. Its even a short walk from the amusement park called Fantasy Island, and yes, the idea that the rides and arcades will be open in early July does, indeed, feel like a fantasy.

I would pay $1 million for things to be normal for even a week. Yeah, I cant afford that. But Im guessing youd all chip in to make that happen.

Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Steve Politi may be reached at spoliti@njadvancemedia.com.

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Heres everything Id pay good money for as the coronavirus quarantines drag on - NJ.com

SINGAPORE - Property and infrastructure group Lendlease on Thursday (May 14) announced the appointment of Gan Chong Min as its Singapore-based managing director for investment management, Asia.

Mr Gan joins the Australia-based group's Singapore leadership team and reports directly to Ng Hsueh Ling, managing director for Singapore and chief investment officer for Asia.

In his new role, Mr Gan will drive global stakeholder management and the overall performance of Lendlease's assets at Paya Lebar Quarter, Jem, Parkway Parade and Setia City Mall under its various real estate private-equity funds and joint ventures.

He replaces Kelvin Chow, who has taken on a new role as the chief executive officer of Singapore-listed Lendlease Global Commercial Reit.

Mr Gan is an industry veteran, whose last held post as the Shanghai-based managing director of fund management at CapitaLand saw him undertake end-to-end responsibility in the formulation and execution of the group's fund strategy as well as its institutional investor relations across Asia, Europe, North America and the Middle East.

He also led a team of senior executives managing four large private-equity real estate funds with a portfolio of nine Raffles City-branded mixed-use commercial assets comprising retail malls, international grade A offices, hotels, serviced residences and residential apartments.

Said Mr Ng: "With a track record of managing high-value real estate funds and large-scale integrated mixed-use assets, Chong Min is well suited to lead our regional investment management business in its next phase of growth. His addition to our Asia investment management team and Singapore leadership team will no doubt be a key driver to the continued delivery of good outcomes to Lendlease and our investors."

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Lendlease names Singapore industry veteran to head Asia investment management business - The Straits Times

SINGAPORE - Application for the Direct School Admission (DSA) exercise for admission to secondary schools and junior colleges in 2021 will open on Tuesday (May 12), with the selection process moving online in the light of the Covid-19 situation.

In total, 146 secondary schools and 20 junior colleges (JCs) are participating this year in DSA, which gives students the opportunity to get into a secondary school or JC based on their achievements and talents, in addition to their academic performance.

The DSA scheme recognises talent in non-academic areas such as sports and the arts, and grants Primary 6 pupils places in secondary schools before they sit the Primary School Leaving Examination.

To ensure the safety of all students and school personnel in view of the coronavirus pandemic, DSA schools will not hold any physical trials or face-to-face interviews as part of their selection process, said the Ministry of Education (MOE) in a statement on Monday.

Instead, the interviews and selection process for shortlisted DSA candidates will be conducted via electronic modes (e-modes) at the applicants' primary school for secondary school DSA applications, and at the applicants' secondary school for JC applications.

This ensures there is no intermingling of students across schools, and that safe distancing measures are adhered to.

Students will be provided with access to video-conferencing capability, as well as standardised and suitable venues and equipment to ensure fairness in the selection process.

The DSA schools will use e-modeswhich the students are already familiar withso as to avoid creating additional workload for the students.

This includes conducting interviews through video conference and performance tasks, where the students may be asked to perform tasks, such as simple pencil sketches or musical performances, so as to demonstrate their attributes and potential in a specific talent area.

The format and task will depend on the student's area of talentas well as the school's selection criteria.

Ms Lo Yen Nie, principal of Haig Girls School, said the primary school will ensure that there are rooms for students to do their e-interviews and school personnel present to provide them with technical assistance if required.

Other forms of support also include the loan of musical instruments for audition purposes, if needed.

In addition, mock interviews, which are usually conducted by the school to help its students boost their confidence when speaking about their talents, will be moved virtually this year to ensure that they continue to receive the same level of support for their applications.

MOE recognises that there may be limitations in assessing students via e-modes for certain talent areas, such as team sports, but it reassures students that schools will adopt a holistic approach towards selection.

In addition to the interviews and selection via e-modes, schools will also consider other factors such as the student's co-curricular activity (CCA) records and their past achievements.

DSA schools may also seek additional inputs from the student's current school.

Principal of Raffles Institution (RI) Frederick Yeo said that 15 out of 21 of its selected talent areas are sports such as hockey, judo and track and field.

As such, students whose talents lie in sports would have to demonstrate their relevant skills set through the video interview, in lieu of physical trials.

In order to assess students holistically, he added that they will also be assessed for soft skills such as confidence and resilience which can be teased out from the way in which they share their experiences.

RI will be liaising closely with primary schools to schedule interview slots for the shortlisted applicants.

The selection period for the DSA secondary schools is from July 1 to Sept 14, while the period for DSA junior colleges is from June 29 to Sept 4.

Education Minister Ong Ye Kungsaid last week that the DSA scheme will try to take in as many students as it did last year. It had 3,500 students who successfully applied to secondary schools through DSA last year.

Housewife Diane Wee, 45, whose 12-year-old daughter is studying at St Hildas Primary School, will be applying for DSA to Tanjong Katong Girls School through sailing.

She is not worried about this years application going online as her two older children had gone through the same process. I will remind my daughter to relax and be herself when the time comes to prepare for the interview, which is a few months down the road.

Cedar Girls Secondary School student Althea Lim, 16, will use her strong academic results in subjects such as literature and history to apply to Hwa Chong Institutions Humanities Programme, and she prepared her portfolio of documents almost a month ago.

Im glad that the applications have shifted online in view of the Covid-19 situation, as this ensures that peoples health, safety and convenience are prioritised, she said.

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Coronavirus: Direct School Admission exercise to open on May 12, with selection process going virtual - The Straits Times

Bathroom remodel cost

Bathroom contractor pricing varies widely depending on the type and complexity of the bathroom remodeling project. Budgets are also impacted by complications, changing orders and increases in project scope, so homeowners need to completely understand pricing before any work begins.

Bathroom remodelers work on specific project deadlines, but their work speed is impacted by several factors.

Bathroom remodelers have different levels of expertise. General contractors and specialty contractors provide homeowners with different levels of service. When comparing brands like Bath Fitter vs. Re-Bath, its important to understand if they can do the type of remodel you need.

Most bathroom remodeling services can create any style of new bathroom, but some specialize in certain distinct styles. For example, some contractors might focus on modern designs, while others are experts on historical restorations.

Most states require licensing for bath remodeling general contractors, subcontractors, designers and other specialists. Avoid hiring unlicensed contractors.

Bathroom remodelers carry commercial or contractor insurance to cover any accidents and problems that may occur during the remodeling project.

To avoid any mistakes or misunderstandings, stay in communication with your bathroom remodeling contractor throughout the duration of the remodeling project.

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Best Bathroom Remodeling Contractors | ConsumerAffairs

Renovations of any kind are a daunting process. But when it comes to the batha space that needs to be both hyper-functional and serene, practical and, ideally, a little bit luxethe stakes somehow seem higher. There are a million decisions to be made along the way, from mirror to groutand the price tag can be surprising. What to know before you begin? Take our advice:

When youre functioning as the general contractoror even working with a general contractoryou have to spell out every part of the plan, and never assume everyone is up to speed, say the mother-daughter team behind Matriarchy Build inHow to Avoid Rookie Remodeling Mistakes. Someone we know had a contractor demo the wrong bath, they add.

Think of renovations like surgery: to avoid getting the wrong knee replaced, make surethen make sure again, then again, then one final timethat the proper knee (or bathroom) is marked and agreed upon.

Think you can remodel your bathroom head to toe for a couple thousand dollars? We hate to tell you: the average cost of a bathroom remodel was $11,364 in 2016, according to the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA). A basic, low-grade renovation with less expensive materials or smaller swaps could run from $1,500 to $5,000, while a top-of-the-line, tip-to-toe renovation could run up to $23,000.

NKBA estimates that, broken down, most of this cost comes from fixtures and plumbing (about 29 percent), followed by counters and surfaces (21 percent), labor (20 percent), and cabinetry and hardware (16 percent). Keep in mind: they advise that, all told, your bathroom project should cost no more than 5 to 10 percent of your homes value.

You may be tempted to upgrade your bathroom with a dramatic freestanding bath. But it might not be the most practical choice going forward, particularly if youre petite, hate cleaning, have an old rickety house, like to take long baths, or take more showers than baths. Read more about the merits of built-in baths (and showers) versus freestanding options in10 Things Nobody Tells You About Clawfoot Bathtubs, as well as inRemodeling 101: Romance in the Bath: Built-In vs. Freestanding Bathtubs.

Dont think you can install a few lights and call it a day: because bathrooms are sometimes small and/or dark and filled with mirrors (which complicates how light bounces around), lighting requires careful thought and placement. The simplest way to light a bath is a single diffuse light in the center of the ceiling. Have a bathroom thats already pretty bright? A pair of wall sconces should be sufficient. Thinking about ceiling-inset downlights? Place with care: avoid installing directly over light-colored countertops (since those will reflect the lights), and place close to the wall over a vanity to maximize light when looking in the mirror. And if you spend a lot of time applying makeup, consider vertical fluorescent light fixtures on either side of the mirror. For more pro tips, seeRemodeling 101: How to Install Flattering Lighting in the Bathroom.

You dont want to get to the end of a renovation and realize youve forgotten to consider the outlets. Think of these outlet errors: you have to plug your hairdryer in across the room, and cant see yourself in the mirror from there. Or, youd like to keep your electric toothbrush charging at all times, but neglected to install an outlet in the medicine cabinet. Or, you share your bathroom with your spouse, but only installed an outlet on one side of the vanity. To avoid these mistakes, readRemodeling 101: Where to Locate Electrical Outlets, Bath Edition.

Forget the endless stacks of tile samples your contractor will show you: you need only remember a few key varieties. The types of tile that are particularly hardy, long-wearing, and timeless in the bathin shower stalls, on floors, and on wallsare porcelain, glass, natural stone, cement, and, of course, subway tile (a type of ceramic tile so popular were counting it in its own category). The options become a lot simpler once you whittle down to these time-tested options; then choose a color and a shape and go from there.

(Need help sourcing subway tile? See7 Favorite Architect-Approved Sources for Subway Tile. And read more about timeless tile options inRemodeling 101: A Guide to the Only 7 Types of Tile You Need to Know.)

Grout may be an afterthought in the scheme of your whole remodel: its a small, andas Meredith points out in Remodeling 101: How to Choose the Right Tile Groutunsexy element of the bath. But, she adds, its hugely important: It seals out dirt and water, compensates for small size differences between individual tiles, and firms up the structural integrity of an installation.

How to choose the right grout for your bath? Answer this series of questions: Do you want the grout to stand out, or blend into the tile? Is the grout in a high splash zone, or a fairly dry place? (If itll be getting wet a lot, as in a shower stall, opt for synthetic grout; go for cementitious grout everywhere else). Will dirty grout drive you crazy? (If so, avoid white.)

See more considerations inRemodeling 101: How to Choose the Right Tile Grout; then learn how to keep it looking new inEverything You Always Wanted to Know About Grout and Caulk (but Were Afraid to Ask).

Toilets are not one size fits all: if you have a small space, consider a petite toilet (see 10 Easy Pieces: Compact Toilets). Or, opt for a traditional or modern floor-standing toilet, water-conserving toilet, or wall-mounted toilet.

So much of creating a bathroom that feels both serene and well-functioning comes down to good storage. Be sure to look for storage opportunitieseven small, simple oneswhen drawing up your plans, to make them feel integrated and not added-on. For example, architect Malcolm Davis says: I like to place a couple of tall shallow cabinets hidden in a stud bay. You dont need deep shelf storage; a shallow shelf can store a lot. I like to put a recess in the shower and I try and integrate towel bars to feel built in. Read more about his tips inExpert Advice: 10 Essential Tips for Designing the Bathroom, and see 10 Things Nobody Tells You About Bathroom Storage over on The Organized Home.

Maybe youve moved into a new house and cant stand the tile in the bathroom, but dont have the budget to replace it completely. Or maybe youre renting andcant remodel (if you want your security deposit back, that is). The good news is you might not have to demo everything and start fresh. If its the tile you want to upgrade, consider tile refinishing, like blogger Athena Calderone did inBefore/After: A Perfectionists $1,000 Bathroom Overhaul in Brooklyn. Or swap out a few basic fixtures (lights, faucets) for a big impact, as inExpert Advice: 10 Tips for Transforming a Rental Bath.

More inside intel on remodeling projects and materials, large and small:

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10 Things Nobody Tells You About Renovating Your Bathroom

Tom Acitelli -- Boston.com correspondent and Christopher Gavin --- Boston.com staff

May 12, 2020 10:39 am

Windson Honorato is the owner and operations manager for Tewksbury-based JC General Contracting & Cleaning. Honorato said his firm has been taking as many precautions as possible on home improvement jobs since the pandemic hit, including using personal protective equipment such as glasses, masks, and gloves and cleaning spaces and tools regularly.

It seems as though we cant protect ourselves enough, Honorato said via e-mail in early May. Well get phone calls almost every week from colleagues or friends in the business saying that they caught the virus or someone in their company did. Keeping the crew and the clients safe has never been a bigger priority, and its also never been so hard.

Still contractors have continued to take on home renovation and remodeling projects during the pandemic, but not without extensive precautions aimed at protecting their workers and clients and limiting their legal liability.

The City of Boston allows residential construction projects in dwellings with no more than three units, and the statehas issued guidelines encouraging social distancing and local authorities oversight of such projects.

On May 5, officials said the city will incrementally expand the categories of allowed construction projects in the coming weeks.

On May 18, essential construction may resume for permitted projects for hospitals and public schools, roads and utilities, and open-air and outdoor work that have filed a COVID-19 safety plan and are positioned to carry it out. Work on larger developments with safety plans will be allowed to recommence on May 26.

The precautionary steps contractors and subcontractors are taking are a necessary part of salvaging whatever business remains. As with so much else in the region, the pandemic disrupted the home improvement work that had flowed so steadily in a hot real estate market.

Spending on remodeling within the regions owner-occupied housing stock is projected to decline 1.1 percent overall through the end of 2020, according to the Remodeling Futures Program at Harvards Joint Center for Housing Studies. Thats due entirely to the pandemic; the center had predicted an increase in remodeling spending regionally by the same percentage before the novel coronavirus hit.

The workload has dropped dramatically, according to Ray Yehoshua, owner of Boston-based Bay State Refinishing and Remodeling. He said customers have asked to postpone jobs either because of changes in their personal finances, coronavirus concerns, or both.

Yehoshua said the precautions his firm takes now are aimed at easing those concerns and landing jobs and that those steps not only include personal protection equipment and social distancing on-site, but estimates via video when possible.

That is one of the main goals for contractors and subcontractors doing in-house work now: minimizing contact. Who can cross or climb where and when, and when should jobs start and wrap on a given day?

These are the things that people are thinking about in trying to minimize contact, said Glenn Kingsbury, executive manager ofthe Boston chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association, which includes more than 100 member firms. He said what little work there is for the associations members comes from smaller projects, as a lot of work on larger ones has ceased due to pandemic-related construction moratoriums.

Protecting themselves from legal action is also a factor.

Contractors have always been legally liable for things such as health and safety on the job, not the property owners, said David Fine, a partner at Mirick OConnell, a law firm with offices in Boston. The pandemic has heightened that responsibility.

The liability they face is more of the same, but its all exacerbated, Fine said.

It is easier to take precautions with some projects than others, the contractors said. Larger rooms as opposed to smaller ones bathrooms, for example make it easier to maintain that social distance. And basement work is even easier, because contact with clients is less likely.

Really, though, its a constant challenge, they said.

On-site, keeping away from one another is quite impossible because many tasks have to be done in twos, Honorato said.

In the end, though, its that falloff in business that may be the main threat to Boston-area contractors (and a boon to homeowners looking for a deal down the road). Honorato said that hes been asked to quote quite a few projects in the past few weeks, including residential elevator installations and basement and bathroom remodels but doing them is a different matter.

Well most likely reach a season where few people have the money to start and finish a construction project, so the companies that can hang on long enough until those opportunities come will get a chance to bid the job, Honorato said. With the demand so low, the prices will have to drop quite a bit to a point of little to no profit, so well be working to hopefully keep the company alive until the economy starts to rise again.

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Hurting, contractors are implementing coronavirus measures to protect their clients and themselves - Home Improvement, New Developments - Boston.com

Dublin, May 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "COVID-19 Economic Impact Report: Cabinets" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The US cabinets industry is facing a number of challenges as it deals with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. How has the macroeconomic environment changed and what does it mean for the cabinets industry going forward?

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Product types include kitchen, bathroom, and those installed in other parts of a structure (e.g., store fixture and laundry and mudroom cabinets).

Cabinet markets include new residential, residential remodeling, new commercial, commercial remodeling, and nonconstruction (such as transportation and recreational vehicles).

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Key Topics Covered:

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/xipo8z

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COVID-19 Economic Impact Report on the United States Cabinets Industry - Yahoo Finance UK

The front faade of an aged and historic structure on Water Avenue, beside the Selma Interpretive Center, collapsed recently, despite the city having paid an unlicensed contractor more than $130,000 to work on the structure, according to financial documents provided to the Selma City Council by Selma Mayor Darrio Melton.

Contractors taking on jobs over $50,000 must be licensed with the Alabama Licensing Board for General Contractors (ALBGC) and, according to ALBGC Investigator Rusty Mascari, the contractor paid for the work on Water Avenue has been called before the board on two occasions for working on projects without a license.

In April 2018, the unlicensed contractor was paid $88,000 for the demolition of the structure at 1119 Water Ave in two payments one for $38,000 on April 13, 2018 and another for $50,000 later in the month.

Additionally, the contractor was paid an additional $50,000 in July 2018 for stabilizing the front faade on the building.

According to the ALCGCs website, it is against the law for an entity to be hired for such work without a license and any contract becomes null and void if undertaken by an unlicensed business, which means that the city will have no recourse if the work is done improperly.

According to Mascari, the contractor that took on the Water Avenue project has never been licensed with the board and the city can be fined up to $5,000 for each instance in which his services were utilized.

Additionally, commercial properties being demolished are required to file a notice with the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) at least 10 days before demolition work begins so that an asbestos inspection can take place.

According to ADEMs Don Barrion, no such notice has been received by the department regarding the property on Water Avenue.

Selma City Council President Corey Bowie said any jobs of $50,000 or more are supposed to be brought before the council and bid out, though the council voted in 2017 to require all payments of $5,000 or more to come before the council.

In October 2018, a year after that vote, the council voted to require that all payments come before the council for approval.

Though Bowie does not recall the council signing off on any of the contractors projects, Councilwoman Miah Jackson said that at least one job was bid out and the contractor was awarded the job.

Jackson said that the council asked Selma Planning and Development Department Director Henry Thompson if the contractor had all of the appropriate paperwork, such as the proper licenses and insurance, and was assured that he did.

Afterward, Jackson contacted the ALBGC to verify that the contractor had the proper licenses and was told that he did not Jackson then informed the council and Thompson that the contractor did not have the proper licenses

But the work on Water Avenue is only a glimpse at the work that this unlicensed contractor has been hired to perform over the years, which comes close to $400,000 between November 2016 and November 2018.

The following payments, dictated in the citys general ledger, do not represent all of the payments the contractor received over the two-year period:

In December 2016, the contractor received two payments of $4,850 $9,700 total to clean and repair bike areas. The same month, the contractor was paid $2,125 for painting city hall and the mayors office;

In January 2017, the contractor was paid $5,000 for fixing a leak at Memorial Stadium;

In February 2017, the contractor received two payments of $5,500 only two weeks apart for installing oversized doors with locks at the Selma Welcome Center. That same month, the contractor was paid $2,250 to install a cabinet, sink and faucets and paint walls, as well as $2,500 to paint two offices;

In April 2017, the contractor received two payments of $8,950, each for welcome center equipment, and $3,180 to replace a thermostat at city hall;

In August 2017, the contractor received another $5,000 for welcome center repairs and services, bringing the total received for work at the Selma Welcome Center to at least $24,000; On August 30, 2017, the contract received at least two payments for HVAC repair work at the Selma Interpretive Center, one for $5,750 and another for $11,500. A month later, $13,000 was paid for emergency repairs at the Selma Interpretive Center;

Other significant payments made to the contractor include $13,175 in July 2018 for unspecified building repairs, $10,000 for rook work at the Selma Welcome Center in August 2018 and, one month later, $33,600 for a roof on the Selma Welcome Center.

City representatives have since stated that the contractor is no longer being employed by the city.

The mayors office could not be reached for comment.

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Contractor paid over $130K for work on collapsed building - The Selma TimesJournal - Selma Times-Journal