Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Photo by Shawn Linenberger. Enlarge photo.

Here's a look at the entrance to the new Tonganoxie USD 464 offices at West Haven Baptist Church. The office will be at the church, likely for the next two years, as construction continues at Tonganoxie High School.

The board office officially has moved to West Haven Baptist Church.

District offices will be at the church, likely for the next two years, as construction begins in the coming weeks on the Tonganoxie High School campus.

The current board office on the campus will be taken down as part of the renovations.

The church offered its space for free, but the board is looking to provide compensation in some manner.

We couldnt ask for a better situation, Feldkamp said.

The district office phone number, 913-416-1400, remains the same at the church, 1000 West St.

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Tonganoxie USD 464 board office moves to West Haven Baptist Church space as existing space gives way for THS construction - The Mirror

SARASOTA The Sarasota office of Current Builders wasselected as the general contractor for the Gallery 3100 residential project in St. Petersburg. It is the construction firms first project on the west coast in severalyears.

As part of a strategic expansion plan, the company recently opened an office in Sarasota.

The $20 million, 122-unit residential project is being developed by Mosaic at Grand Central, according to a press release. The architectural firm is Baker Barrios.The project is expected to begin concrete foundations in June.

We are honored that our first new project in this region is with the Mosaic Development Group, saysChip Angenendt, vice president west coast division, in a statement. The three primary contacts for Mosaic, Roxanne Amoroso, Marc Mariano and Terry Wayland, lead an outstanding, knowledgeable team with a dynamic vision for this inspired rental community.

To overcome space challenges with the construction site, Current Builders also developed a community relationship.

This project runs property line to property line; leaving no room on the site for a construction trailer or a place for our parking and laydown areas, says Angenendt in a statement. So, we reached out to the First Baptist International Church of St. Petersburg, which owns an unusedbuilding in need of significant repair adjacent to the site and offered to transform it into a multipurpose center/office in exchange for using their property for our construction needs.

Current Builders will usea concrete design innovation on the projects four-story parking garage. It is the third project to use the firms garage building system. Theshoring technique is an alternative to precast and post tension garages,reducing the build time by almost 25%.

Pompano Beach-based Current Buildersis a general contractorestablished in 1972 with average annual revenues in excess of $250 million. The firmspecializes in multi-family residential projects, health care facilities, office/warehouse buildings, commercial distribution facilities, parking garages, interior build-outs, interior and exterior renovations.

Years ago, we built several projects on the west coast, says Angenendt in a statement. But with this newly established office in Sarasota, we can truly become part of the community and realize Current Builders mission in this region.

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Construction firm begins first project in area in several years - Business Observer

The City of Toronto will start construction on a few key projects to renew and improve ageing infrastructure over the coming weeks, with some lasting until the end of 2020.

According to the City, with traffic volumes on Torontos roads down between 45 and 65% as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, it recently announced that construction work will be accelerated on as many important projects as possible.

We are doing everything we can as a municipal government to speed up as much road construction as we can right now so that our infrastructure is upgraded and ready for the restart and recovery process, said Mayor John Tory in a statement.

Thank you to our City workers who are getting this work done while still respecting physical distancing requirements from public health officials.

The projects are as follows:

Gardiner Expressway Strategic Rehabilitation Jarvis Street to Cherry Street, eastbound on-ramp at Jarvis Street replacement

On Monday, May 18 at 12:01 am, the Gardiner Expressway eastbound on-ramp at Jarvis Street will be fully closed for replacement and will reopen once the project is completed in 2021.

The City says this construction is the second to last phase of work to rehabilitate the expressway between Jarvis and Cherry Streets and will use an innovated construction technique, accelerated bridge construction, to remove sections of the ramp and replace it with custom built pre-fabricated sections.

During this construction, drivers should consider using alternate routes such as the eastbound Bay Street on-ramp, Lakeshore Boulevard East or the Don Roadway to the Don Valley Parkway.

Bathurst Street from Front Street West to Fort York Boulevard, bridge and TTC track rehabilitation

City of Toronto

From May 25 to the end of December 2020, Bathurst Street from Fort York Boulevard to Front Street West will be fully closed to vehicular and cycling traffic as crews work to rehabilitate the Bathurst Street bridge and replace the TTC streetcar tracks.

During this time, only one sidewalk will be available for pedestrian access through the work zone and cyclists may dismount to also use the sidewalk.

The City says to minimize disruption and avoid returning to the area in consecutive years, this construction has been bundled together with two other projects on Bathurst Street. Crews will replace a 144-year-old watermain on Bathurst Street from Front Street West to Queen Street West from June to December as well as replace the TTC streetcar tracks between Wolseley Street and Dundas Street West from September to October 2020.

Church Street at Richmond Street East, watermain TTC track replacement

City of Toronto

This week, crews began preparatory work at Church Street and Richmond Street East to replace a 143-year-old watermain before beginning work to replace the TTC streetcar tracks. The entire project is anticipated to be completed by the end of June.

This first phase of work will replace the watermain in the intersection of Church Street and Richmond Street East and the intersection will be reduced to two lanes of traffic and the bike lane will be closed.

Cyclists are advised to merge with traffic on Richmond Street East to proceed through the intersection.

The second phase of work will replace the TTC track and will require the full closure of the Church Street and Richmond Street East intersection from early June until the project is completed at the end of June. During the closure, westbound traffic on Richmond Street East is advised to divert at Sherbourne Street and use Queen Street East or King Street East to travel westbound through Church Street.

During construction, the public are advised to plan their travel in advance, consider alternate routes, obey signage around work zones and be patient while traveling in and around work zones throughout the city, states the Citys release.

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All the road construction projects starting in Toronto soon | Urbanized - Daily Hive

14 May 2020 Our Daily Bread (odb.org)By: Adam R. Holz

For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being mad holy.

Hebrews 10:14

Todays Scripture: Hebrews 10:11-18

11Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. 14For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

15The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:

16This is the covenant I will make with themafter that time, says the Lord.I will put my laws in their hearts,and I will write them on their minds.

17Then he adds:

Their sins and lawless actsI will remember no more.

18And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.

They just repaved this road, I thought to myself as the traffic slowed. Now theyre tearing it up again! Then I wondered, Why is road construction never done? I mean, Ive never seen a sign proclaiming, The paving company is finished. Please enjoy this perfect road.

But something similar is true in my spiritual life. Early in my faith, I imagined reaching a moment of maturity when Id have it all figured out, when Id be smoothly paved. Thirty years later, I confess Im still under construction. Just like the perpetually potholed roads I drive, I never seem to be finished either. Sometimes that can feel equally frustrating.

But Hebrews 10 contains an amazing promise. Verse 14 says, For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. Jesus work on the cross has already saved us. Completely. Perfectly. In Gods eyes, we are whole and finished. But paradoxically, that process isnt done yet while were still on earth. Were still being shaped into His likeness, still being made holy.

One day, well see Him face-to-face, and we shall be like him (1 John 3:2). But until then, were still under construction, people who anxiously await the glorious day when the work in us is truly complete.

Do you ever get frustrated that spiritual progress seems slower than you expected? How does this passage from Hebrews encourage you to think about your spiritual growth?

Faithful God, sometimes I get frustrated that my spiritual progress seems slow. Help me to remember that Youre still at work in my life, shaping me and helping me to become more and more like You.

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Under Construction - stopthefud

Published 14 May 2020

Wemyss Properties has been given the green light to build an exclusive development of 29 new flats on the site of the formerHillheadBaptist Church building, just off Byres Road in Glasgows West End.

Working in partnership with the members ofHillheadBaptist Church, Wemyss is looking to retain the faade of the B-listed church, whilst securing the future of the good work that the church does in the community.

The main Sanctuary has been empty for almost two decades, as it was considered unsafe to continue to occupy. In 2016, the congregation took the decision to vacate The Tryst which was also beginning to deteriorate. Church services are currently held in a nearby hotel.

Subject to understanding the after-effects of the current coronavirus crisis, it is anticipated that workwill start in 2021. The new one, two and three-bedroom apartments, designed by EMA Architects, will be housed in a five-level contemporary extension behind a restored faade, using sympathetic materials.

Matthew Atton, managing director of Wemyss Properties, said: We are delighted to secure detailed planning permission for this exciting development. We have been working with the trustees and the congregation ofHillheadBaptist Church now for nearly three years to try and retain the existing faade, but more importantly, to provide the church with a new facility that will ensure its presence in the community for many more generations.

The redevelopment will also provide sustainable, stylish and quality homes, positioned in a much sought-after location, and close to a wealth of amenities, including shops, cafes, galleries and parks.

The Rev Catriona Gorton, minister ofHillheadBaptist Church, added: The church has worked for many years to find a solution which would safeguard this much-loved building, so its a huge relief to get the go-ahead for this sensitive scheme.

Not only will itprotect this historic building, it will also ensure its future as a home for our congregation, and as a significant, and much needed, community hub forHillheadand the surrounding area.

The redevelopment ofHillheadBaptist Church will add to the successful developments completed by Wemyss Properties in recent years in Glasgows West End, including its current development on Newton Place in the Park Area.

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Permission granted for new flats at Hillhead Church in Glasgow - Scottish Construction Now

Last week, I started to write a bit about changing patterns of urbanism and suburbanizationin Grand Forks, North Dakota. This is part of a larger study of mid-century urbanism in Grand Forks that Im working on with my wife, Susan Caraher. This summer, were preparing an inventory over 3,500 mid-century homes construction between 1945 and 1970.

As part of that work, Ive started to write some basic descriptions of the development ofGrand Forks during the period. This is a pretty rough draft, but its starting to take some shape. Needless to say, Ill be revising, filling in gaps, and tightening up the entire thing, but its a start:

Suburbanization is generally understood to be a trend that took place around the core of established cities. Spurred by improvements in transportation, the economic boost of the GI Bill and the post-war economy, and, in many cases, racial and ethnic fears, new rings of housing emerged around large and mid-sized cities across the US from the 1940s to the 1970s (Jackson 1985; Hayden 2003). The communities amplified new ideals of domesticity, intensified interwar consumer culture, refashioned longstanding religious landscapes, and shaped American political life. Modern suburbs both served as a backdrop for mid and late-20th culture and instilled values which would become distinct to characterization of the American way of life. The apartment dwelling Honeymooners (1955-1956), with Ralph Cramdens persistent threats of domestic violence, gave way to rationalized domesticity of the Brady Brunch (1969-1974). The popular music of the garage band came to challenge the urban sounds of the jazz club, urban concert hall, and Maxwell Street busker. The New Topographics (1975) challenged the views of the American frontier pioneered by Ansel Adams by replacing scenic vistas with the orderly sprawl of suburban homes and the Crabgrass Frontier of Kenneth T. Jackson (1985).

Small cities like Grand Forks experienced suburbanization as well, but in a slightly different form than more established cities with dense urban cores, and recent scholarship has sought to survey and understand the range of different responses to the proliferation of the post-war suburban ideal (McManus and Ethington 2007, 318). In many areas, the ideal post-war suburb conformed to certain elements of Garden City planning with access to green spaces, gently curving streets and limited access in accordance with a series of influential FHA standards published between 1936 and 1941 (Ames and McClelland 2002). In smaller cities like Grand Forks, earlier standards for urban expansion held greater sway owing as much to the limited resources on the part of developers and the community, the smaller size of subdivisions, and even the absence of topographic features that encouraged development designed to accentuate the landscapes. As a result, the plan of Grand Forks expansion, particularly to the south of the city showed greater affinities to the style developed by J.C. Nichols for the Country Club District in Kansas City (Ames and McClelland 2002, 37) where city blocks with occasional curving roads formed the basic unit of development. This innovation, most visible south of 15 avenue in Grand Forks, followed the arguments proposed by urban planners such as Clarence Perry in the 1920s and 1930s. Perrys neighborhood unit plan with its emphasis on hierarchically organized roads and arterial routes assigned to the perimeters of neighborhoods, the central place of the school and the peripheral location of shopping and commercial spaces, and reserving space for parks and open spaces had significant influence in practice throughout the development of Grand Forks (Perry 1929). These and similar ways of reimagining the organization of the neighborhood had a profound influence on the shape of the new suburb and an emerging post-war ideal. The relationship between the physical structure and the mid-century community appears most famously William H. Whyte in his widely read, The Organization Man (1956), attempted to show how attention the arrangement of suburban developments shaped social relationships between neighbors. More recently, works like D.J. Waldies Holy Land: A Suburban Memoire (1996) have explored the intermingling of personal narrative, economic motivations, and spiritual experiences in the space of post-war suburban landscapes. In contrast to the self-contained, expansive, and carefully planned suburban spaces considered by Whyte and Waldie, the post-war expansion of Grand Forks remains a hybrid of new suburban influences and established urban patterns. The curved streets with idyllic names remain backed by alleyways even as urban planners during the interwar period recommended against them for aesthetic, cost, and functional reasons.

More broadly, the expansion of the city from 1945-1970 largely followed the existing urban grid and extended along established arteries. Only after the 1970s did development prompt the addition of new arterial roads in the city with the 32nd Avenue and Columbia Road becoming major thoroughfares in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Development of any scale south of 32nd Avenue commences only in the early 21st century.

The 1940s

The earliest post-war housing was largely infilling in established residential areas.

The Riverside neighborhood expanded to the north with the Baukols Subdivision which saw construction as early as 1946. Several of these homes (301 Park Ave. (32GF3427) and 302 Park Ave (32GF3428) are listed as a contributing property to the Riverside Historic neighborhood as are two nearby homes on 3rd Street which is part of the Skidmore Addition (1705 (32GF3295) and 1715 (32GF1396); a modified bungalow and a plain residential home respectively). The homes of the Baukol subdivision show considerably continuity with development in this area in 1920s. The founding of Riverside Park in the early 20th century undoubted drew early residents to this neighborhood as the construction of the Riverside Pool by WPA in 1941 attracted families in the post-war period.

A similar form of development which largely followed interwar patterns of urban expansion also occurred between downtown and the University of North Dakota especially along 1st and 2nd avenue in the Decotah Place and Budge and Eshelmans 3rd Addition subdivisions.

South of town likewise saw infilling particularly to the west of Cherry Street and south of 10th Avenue North. The growth of this area contributed to the construction of Lewis and Clarke Elementary School in 1953 and sometime in the late 1950s, Calvary Luthern Church at the intersection of Cherry and 15th avenue. One of the most significant subdivision of the 1940s in this area and Letnes Subdivision is interesting for the shape of the evocatively named Sunset Drive which curves to the north and divides leaving a small, leaf-shaped island of grass in the middle fo the two roads. Curiously this area of the city lacked alleyways suggesting that the neighborhood followed more progressive design standards that were not seen in Grand Forks until the 1960s.

The 1950s

Throughout the 1950s, Grand Forks continues to expand to the west and south.

To the west, housing continued to fill in the neighborhoods between theuniversityand downtown,with the much of the neighborhoods between Washington Street and the University, south of Gateway Drive (US Route 2) being filled in by mid 1950s. Thispromptedthe construction first, in 1949, of West Elementary and then in the mid-1950s Valley Junior High. The neighborhoods in this area, the Swangler, Westacott, Westwood, University Place, and three Kelsey Subdivisons surrounding University Park, largely follow the urban grid and lack curved roads or other features associated with suburban trends elsewhere in the city. They also maintained the presence of north-south running alley ways.

A similar tendency to follow the urban grid occurred in the earliest subdivisions established to the west of Washington Street and south of Demers. The names of several of the subdivisions in this area, however, evoke bucolic images of suburban idyl and the concept of the Garden City: Westward Acres and the Garden Home Addition. These developments extend along the developing commercial corridor of Washington Street which experienced the construction of several retail establishments, restaurants, and businesses including the towns first shopping centers. These new commercial building were set back from Washington Street and were fronted by large parking lots designed to accommodate customers who used the new arterial roads of Washington Street and Demers to move from their homes to work, shopping, school, and other activities throughout the city.

South of 15th Avenue several new subdivisions appeared which continued to follow the urban grid of Grand Forks, but incorporate curving streets continuing a trend initiated by the Letnes Subdivision in the 1940s. Chestnut Street swoops south of 15th and provides access to a group of homes set into the center of the block. The contemporary Robertson Subdivision developed throughout the mid-1950s features a gently curving road and a cul-de-sac, which emerged as perhaps the quintessential form of suburban planning. The sinuous shape of Campbell Drive that connects Cherry Street and Chestnut between the 17th and Park Avenue in the Hvidston Subdivision even allowed for three, open, fanshaped lots on the outside of a curve that served as a baseball field for nearly a decade before being filled in with homes in the mid-1960s.

To the west of Cherry, the urban grid remained largely intact and the area developed with slightly smaller homes and smaller lots through the 1950s. East of Cherry, few new homes stood south of 24th by 1959. In contrast, Belmont Avenue with its larger lots and homes was nearly all developed up until 32nd Avenue. Most of the development north of 24th avenue in the 1950s continued to feature alleys even when developers incorporated more curved roads into the suburban plan.

The 1960s

The 1960s witnessed more adventurous development.

Olsons subdivisioneast of Belmont featured large lots set along curving roads that suggested the shape of the Red River. Park land near the river offered opportunities for recreation and mitigated, to some extent, the risk of flooding which after the 1997 flood required the installation of the flood wall and the removal of some homes.

To the east of Belmont the White Clover subdivision and Sunset Acres Subdivisions with curving roads that complicated the urban grid with bucolically named roads like Olive and Clover Drive. On 32nd Avenue between Cherry St. and Washington, Schroeder Junior High opened in 1961 in anticipation of Grand Forks southern growth and, next door, Kelly Elementary opened in 1966 to serve these communities. On the northeastern corner of the block, the new building of the local Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints opened its doors in 1966. Unlike Schroeder, designed by Wells Denbrook, this modern church followed the Adams 1 (AD 61-577) plan developed my the central Mormon Church committee which was thoroughly modern in form and could be easily expanded to accommodate a growing congregation.

To the west of Washington Street, the second level of development occurred south of west of 17th street and south of 11th avenue with the large Burkes Home Addition anchored to the north by Ben Franklin Elementary which was opened in 1960 and Red River High School in 1967. The most significant mid-century addition to this area, however, was North Dakotas first indoor shopping mall, South Forks Plaza (now Grand Cities Mall) in 1964. Designed by the firm of DeRemer, Harrie and Kennedy, which also designed Ben Franklin Elementary, Holy Family Church and School (1961) just east of Washington, and Lewis and Clarke Elementary (1952/3) several blocks to the north, it included a K-Mart and a Sears store and a modular design that allowed the Kmart to open before the mall was even complete. To the west of the mall, the Valley Park subdivision, built slightly before the mall, consisted of two u-shaped roads, Willow and Dress, that were not through streets. The subdivision included walking paths connecting it to the mall and the burgeoning Washington Street commercial and retail corridor. The balance between the design which limited through traffic and the convenience of walking paths to retail shops embodied many of the key design elements of mid-century suburban design.

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Settlement in Grand Forks 1945-1970: A Draft - stopthefud

Ness Bank Church starts a lunch club.Picture: Gary Anthony. Image No.020220.

A city project which has provided vital food supplies for hundreds of vulnerable people since the start of the coronavirus crisis is appealing for donations of personal protective equipment (PPE).

Inverness Foodstuff has closed its drop-in caf at Ness Bank Church, but still operates a takeaway and delivery service for those facing hard times.

Since the start of the crisis it has delivered more than 500 free meals with the help of people from catering and delivery backgrounds who have found themselves with time to help.

The church and community-led project was set up in 2014 with the aim of tackling food poverty and loneliness.

Operations manager June MacLeod said: The 100 or so folk who relied on the service weekly are a mix of people in temporary homeless accommodation with limited cooking facilities, vulnerable tenants and occasionally someone rough sleeping.

Over the past weeks weve been turning around what was simply a caf to now deliver meals to people in a variety of settings. Thats supported social distancing and we have been able to identify people sofa surfing and reach out to help where possible.

Iver Forsyth, a board member and principal housing officer at Highland Council, said the group had faced challenges.

In common with so many other voluntary groups, our biggest need at the project is the PPE thats recommended to manage this safely, he said. If there are businesses in the Inverness area, whether construction, hairdressing, or oil and gas, that can spare FFP3 masks or other PPE, please get in touch, either through me or Ness Bank Church.

To find out more or to donate click here

Click here for more coronavirus news

In these testing times, your support is more important than ever. Thank you.

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Inverness caf project based at Ness Bank Church issues appeal for PPE donations during Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic - Inverness Courier

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People spend countless hours in the kitchen over the course of a lifetime. From eating and drinking to cooking and cleaning, theres no doubt that we spend a significant chunk of our lives in the hearts of our homes.

I love the way (a kitchen renovation) changes the way people are able to live and function in their house, said Brandon Bailey, co-owner of Bailey Remodeling & Construction, LLC, 201 Meridian Ave.

When you get their kitchen right, it helps a ton. Especially now, when you cant go out to restaurants.

Here, Bailey shares three full kitchen renovation projects he and his team have completed in various Louisville neighborhoods.

This kitchen renovations in Maryhill Estates features a large island with seating for four, a gas range, stacked ovens and clean, crisp lines.(Photo: Photos courtesy of Bill Worley)

This Cape Cod-style homes original kitchen was small, cramped and disconnected from other parts of the house.

There was a lack of countertop space, Bailey said, explaining that the original layout created a large, unused area in the middle of the room. The kitchen also felt very disconnected from the sunroom,something the homeowners wished to fix.

You may like: This renovated Northfield ranch-style home is a modern, craftsmen-focused dream house

Working around a large steel beam that could not be removed, Bailey and his team had to completely redirect the plumbing in order to make the renovation happen.

It turned out really nice, he said, reflecting on the bright new kitchen that includes a bar and new hardwood flooring. The new space now opens up to the dining room and feels more like an extension of the sunroom rather than a completely separate area of the home.

This kitchen renovation in Windy Hills features a large marble island with seating for six, ample cabinet and storage space, a high-end gas range and stainless steel appliances.(Photo: Courtesy of Bill Worley)

The Windy Hills renovation, Bailey recalled, was a high-end project in an already beautiful home.

The cabinets that we took out were really nice cabinets, he explained, but they were a little dated. (The homeowners) were looking for a clean, crisper kitchen.

A fresh, bright space is just what they received. Bailey and his team opened up the room by removing its original ornate columns and allowing extra natural light to flood the spacewith an 8-foot-wide sliding glass door that leads to the backyard. They also installed all new cabinetry, a 117-inch-long island with seating for six and brand-new appliances, as well as wainscoting in the connected dining room.

Its less of a formal dining room (now), Bailey said. Its a little less traditional in nature.

You may like: This arts-and-crafts style Norton Commons 'show' home is eclectic, global and contemporary

A couple of other atypical additions included a large decorative hood and fancy, $120-per-square-foot backsplash. Bailey also had to rework all of the hardwood floorings to accommodate the new configuration.

I like how (the renovation) changed the feeling of the house, he said. It became more transitional. Its just a very comfortable house to be in now more comfortable than it was, for sure.

This kitchen renovation in Prospect features a large marble island with seating, ample counter space, stainless steel appliances and floating glass pendants.(Photo: Courtesy of Bill Worley)

Creating a more functional space was the main goal of this Prospect kitchen renovation. In the original layout, an open refrigerator door created an awkward space to maneuver around, and the ovens were stacked in a corner.

It took up an obscene amount of space and it wasnt usable, Bailey said.

His team reconfigured everything to create a kitchen work triangle, extending a wall to allow for more cabinet space, as well as a practical pantry.

[The homeowners]storage space went up significantly by doing what we did, Bailey added.

They also refinished the hardwood floors, installed a larger island, and added a two-way fireplace that connects to the family room.

It functions and flows way better than it used to, Bailey said. This [renovation]totally changed the way [the homeowner]could cook in here and entertain.

Reflecting back on this project which took roughly three months to complete Bailey considers just how crucial a well-laid-out, fully functioning kitchen truly is.

You may like: Empty nesters turn 5,500-square-foot home into fresh space with entertaining in mind

The kitchen is the core of the house, he said, and your life kind of functions through that especially now.

As a husband and father of two, he knows just how impactful a great kitchen can truly be. We (currently) get takeout maybe once every two weeks, Bailey said. Otherwise, he and his family are preparing every single meal at home.

My own kitchen needs to be remodeled, he laughed, as Im sitting here and were having this conversation, Im envious about how it would make our life function better on a daily basis if we had this setup.

Know a house that would make a great Home of the Week? Email writer Lennie Omalzaataloha@lennieomalza.comor Lifestyle Editor Kathryn Gregory atkgregory@gannett.com.

Builder/Interviewee: Brandon Bailey, co-owner of Bailey Remodeling & Construction, LLC.

Kitchen 1: This was a full kitchen remodel in a Cape Cod-style house in Maryhill Estates that was built in 1951.

Kitchen 2: This was a full kitchen remodel in a 4-bed, 4-bath, 3,241-square-foot, single-family home built in Prospectin 1997.

Kitchen 3: This was a full kitchen remodel in a 4-bed, 5-bath, 4,600-square-foot, single-family home built in Windy Hills in 1999.

Read or Share this story: https://www.courier-journal.com/story/life/home-garden/home-of-the-week/2020/05/14/louisville-kitchen-renovations-bailey-remodeling-construction/2981173001/

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Step inside the 'heart of the home' with amazing kitchen renovations in 3 Louisville homes - Courier Journal

On Sunday, my best friend Charli called me from her home in Maryland. "Why do people have to be so mean?" she lamented. "Why?"

She recounted her experience earlier that day getting mobile pick-up from Starbucks. (Oh, how I miss Starbucks.) A man named "Matt" in front of her snapped, rolling his eyes and growling about how his fancy coffee drink and almond croissant weren't ready on time. He did place a mobile pick order in advance after all.

"I told you I ordered it, it's right there. Look at those bags, see my croissant is there!" Matt growled, pointing to the corner section where items were piled up. Belittling the barista who was working in already understaffed conditions. "I want my almond croissant."

"There's no reason to be that nasty over a croissant," Charli shared in our conversation. "People just need to be kind."

Whether it's a Starbucks mobile pick up order that can't be located for "Matt." A work deliverable that wasn't completed. An assignment the teacher asked your child to do over. A team member showing up late to a meeting. An email that was sent to the wrong person. The store selling you expired yogurts. The parent who is loudly on her own work conference call and won't put her kid on mute during Zoom Circle Time. The list goes on and on and on.

We are all under a lot of pressure under COVID-19. And, sometimes, the easiest thing to do or say in the moment it's also the wrong thing. It's the unkind thing. It's the mean thing. Because in a time where we have very little control, well, being mean gives us some control back for a short time. It's a fleeting sense of satisfaction to unleash on someone else, to exert control over them, to be in control when you have no semblance of control otherwise with often lasting and damaging consequences.

We are all under a lot of pressure under COVID-19. And, sometimes, the easiest thing to do or say in the moment it's also the wrong thing.

Last year, I wrote a column for SWAAY entitled Please Don't Mistake My Kindness For Weakness. I argued that kindness was one of the most undervalued leadership qualities in our world today. The question I had asked was how could we afford not to be kind? Could we afford not to lead with kindness?

Pre-COVID-19, kindness was still a synonym for being a pushover, for being weak, for being ineffective. Now, during COVID-19, it's a synonym for strength, power, and influence.

Now, in this pandemic, kindness, compassion and empathy are the hallmark traits of leaders who will survive those who put their people first. These leaders know that when you care for your people, your people will care for your business. Businesses don't pivot without people. And great results during a pandemic won't come without kindness.

The question I had on my mind last year was, can women afford to be kind as they lead? I walked the line, the careful dance of being too nice or too witchy, too trusting or too controlling, too compassionate or the ice queen/dragon lady/the Devil who wears Prada. (Disclaimer: I don't actually own any Prada clothing, but that still has a nice ring to it.)

Could we afford not to lead with kindness?

And now, it would seem, that kindness was and always has been my superpower. That, along with finding a vaccine for COVID-19, kindness might just be what gets us through this pandemic to the other side, to life post-COVID-19 and our next new normal.

So please don't be mean. The next time you want to snap, have the last word, or just unleash yourself on someone else, remember this phrase that my father always reminded us of: "If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all."

And if someone is mean to you, you don't need to be mean back. You don't need to match every unkind word for another unkind word, you don't need to keep score, you don't need to bounce your anger back and forth like a ping pong game. Don't forget that silence is a powerful thing as Michele Obama says so poignantly, "When they go low, we go high."

I am not suggesting that you be a doormat. If people are repeatedly unkind to you, you don't want them in your life. If you have control over their contact with you, change it.

And though you can't always avoid the people you work with who are unkind, you can act as a mirror, reflecting their behavior back at them. "I can hear that your voice is elevated, and I can see that your face is red and tense. And what you specifically said to me was unkind. Is there something else that is upsetting you?"

Pre-COVID-19, kindness was still a synonym for being a pushover, for being weak, for being ineffective. Now, during COVID-19, it's a synonym for strength, power, and influence.

Often times, people don't understand the impact of their words and their actions. Being a mirror can help them understand their impact. And some will even apologize for their behavior.

However, the truly mean people simply don't care, no matter how much of a mirror you try to be for them. And in those situations, I focus on the kindness I can put back into the world to counter their meanness. Because in the end, like any good Disney fairytale, I always believe kindness will win. Afterall, the Disney villain is never the one smiling at the very end as the credits roll.

There's never a good time to be mean, and even if there was one it certainly isn't now. We have no idea what's happening in each other's families or in each other's homes behind closed doors. We have no idea what's happening in our minds. Behind all those beautiful pictures on Instagram of homemade banana bread, inspirational quotes, and drive-by birthday parties, there is sadness, there is grief, and there is pain.

So please just be kind. Be extra, extra kind.

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On Tuesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced guidelines for the states restaurants to reopen their dining rooms. The 12-page document paints a picture of the future of sit-down dining that many Bay Area restaurateurs had already been anticipating: servers in face masks, tables spaced at least six feet apart, and rigorous cleaning protocols.

While the guidelines are fairly wide in scope, covering everything from disinfecting protocols to the proper use of face masks, a number of Bay Area restaurant owners felt they still didnt offer very many concrete details on exactly what would be expected of them.

Kim Alter, the chef-owner of Nightbird a small, tasting menu spot in Hayes Valley, described the guidelines as pretty vague. A lot of us would love a little bit more direction from the government, she tells Eater SF, explaining that specific regulations would make it easier to implement policies than if individual restaurants just have to make those calls on their own.

Ryan Cole, a partner with the Hi Neighbor restaurant group, which includes three San Francisco restaurants (Trestle, Corridor, and the Vault), told Eater SF that it seemed to him that 90 percent of guidelines, dealing with things like hand-washing and clearing dirty linens, were just common practice. He was surprised, for instance, that while the plan included provisions for six-foot distances between diners, it didnt set a specific dining room capacity reduction the 25 or 50 percent that many restaurant owners had been expecting.

I dont care what the plan is, Cole says. I just want you to give me a plan and give me two weeks notice.

Even if the current guidelines are more vague than she would like, Alter says that her main takeaway is clear: She doesnt see any way that shell be opening Nightbird to dine-in customers anytime soon: I dont see how theres going to be a high demand. I dont see people wanting to sit in a small space.

Indeed, for many chefs and restaurant owners, the governors remarks simply reaffirmed plans that they already had in place. Weeks ago, Nite Yun had already decided that when she reopens Nyum Bai, her popular Cambodian restaurant in Oaklands Fruitvale neighborhood, it would be as a takeout-oriented fast-casual establishment the assumption being that dine-in customers likely wont return in large numbers anytime soon. After reading Governor Newsoms remarks, she simply said that shes still sticking with the plan, working with designers to reconfigure the the covered garage space on the restaurants patio to fit with the new style of service.

Tommy Cleary, the chef and co-owner of the upscale yakitori tasting menu restaurant Hina Yakitori, says the guidelines confirmed what hes suspected for the past month now that it simply wont make sense to reopen Hinas dining room in the near future. The entirety of the restaurants seating consists of a single 12-seat counter, so spacing people six feet apart would mean a maximum of maybe six diners at a time. That doesnt make sense for our situation, Cleary said in a text message to Eater SF.

Beyond that, face masks and other physical distancing requirements simply wont allow for the kind of dining experience that Cleary wants to provide. I just dont feel comfortable charging people $150 and having to dress like a surgeon and act like we are in a horror flick, alluding to the face mask requirement. For the time being, Hina will continue serving yakitori bento boxes for takeout, which Cleary says is a business model thats sustainable for his restaurant, though he suspects that many other restaurants that cant easily make a similar pivot simply wont survive.

Fine dining and $300 tasting menus are probably done, he says. The line cook will be king.

Local bars face an even more daunting path to reopening. Notably, the new guidelines explicitly state that bars that dont offer dine-in food service must remain closed during this phase of the reopening. For bar industry veterans like Will Herrera, the general manager of 200-year-old downtown San Francisco watering hole the Old Ship Saloon, the overall takeaway is simple: The service that the Old Ship has provided for 200 years with people from all walks of life bellying up to this bar, commiserating, and enjoying each others company still isnt allowed.

Places like the Old Ship exist in a kind of awkward middle ground, Herrera says: Were not quite a restaurant; were not just a bar. The place has never exactly been known for its cuisine, but already, its started offering breakfast, sandwiches, and cocktails for takeout and it expects to open its space to customers in some capacity whenever restaurants in San Francisco are allowed to do so. Given hard rules, well apply them, Herrera says. Given soft rules, well do everything that we can to ensure the safety of our customers and our staff.

For other restaurant owners, the newly announced guidelines for reopening are a clear call for creativity and out-of-the-box thinking. Fernay McPherson, who owns Minnie Bells Soul Movement, says her fried chicken restaurants physical space will prove especially challenging for any socially distanced form of dining in: Its a kiosk at the Emeryville Public Markets food court, where almost all of the seating consists of communal tables. The level of uncertainty has prompted McPherson to think about whether creative collaborations might be the only way to move forward for instance, whether theres a way to partner with a bar that doesnt normally serve food in order to help that bar reopen. I think partnerships are going to be big right now, McPherson says. Collective working is going to be big right now, for folks to survive.

Like many other restaurateurs, Nigel Jones, chef and co-owner of Oaklands Kingston 11, has kept the lights on at his Jamaican restaurant by shifting to takeout and delivery a focus he expects will continue to be necessary even when dining rooms begin to reopen. He says hes already been thinking about remodeling the normally bustling restaurants dining room, devoting more of the space to conducting takeout business. The chef has another forthcoming restaurant, Calabash, thats still in the construction stage, and he says the long-term impacts of the pandemic are informing the design choices hes making now. The business was always meant to be a market restaurant with a significant takeout component, and Jones plans to lean even more heavily into that aspect now making sure that the physical space has wide enough lanes for customers to easily move in and out of the restaurant.

Im not banking too much on the dine-in posture in the short term, Jones says. For better or worse, he says, this is what the future of the restaurant industry is going to look like, and restaurateurs who are still just trying to bring things back to how they were before are making a mistake.

There will be some shake up in this industry, Jones says. The traditional gatekeepers may not be the ones who are viable in the long term.

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Bay Area Chefs Say They Wont Open Their Dining Rooms Anytime Soon - Eater SF