Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

From the time she was a teen, Kristin Frieben Whittle wanted to live in a gracious home. She envisioned it as an airy loft filled with family and friends, a place with enough space to display the art and curious objects shed collected throughout her life.

She held fast to her vision after graduating from college and then law school. Even while running her own one-woman law firm, she spent weekends scouring neighborhoods in search of properties.

In 2004, Frieben Whittle found her future home. I was driving around Overland when I saw this warehouse with 10 beautiful arched windows, she recalls. I took my mother on a walk-through, and she said, Kristin, please dont buy this building.

Eighteen offices and a low drop ceiling cluttered the space, leaving it with a maze of corridors and little natural light. The building was a mess, Frieben Whittle says. The roof leaked, there was asbestos, it was full of debrisbut I could see it had great bones. She bought it, she says, for a good price.

Constructed in 1924 by Southwestern Bell as a switching station, by 1947 the building had undergone three additions. Over time, it was sold and resold, then sat vacant until 2004, when Frieben Whittle bought it. During a 10-year negotiation to change its zoning, she had the structure stabilized, the roof replaced, custom windows installed, and the interiors stripped down to the brick. Since 2017, Frieben Whittle has lived and worked from a home office there as a lawyer and as a mediator for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The process of acquiring the 15,000-square-foot building, then transforming the raw space into living quarters, could have frustrated seasoned professionals, but Frieben Whittle was unfazed.

When I was in my thirties and forties, I busted my butt as a litigator, she says. I saved and banked my earnings. To give herself time to design, furnish, and finish the space, she cut back on her work hours and added a partner.

Frieben Whittles life and travel experiences inform all of her design choices, from the Persian rugs underfoot to the bespoke lighting fixtures overhead. I dont really follow trends, she says. My style is to mix different periods, materials, textiles, and art.

Frieben Whittle started honing her eclectic style early on, raking through the offerings at garage sales with her mother, an aunt, and a cousin. All three of them could spot that one antique or piece that was undervalued and snap it up, she says. My mom has always decorated really well on a tight budget. I work the same way.

She regularly shops Facebook Marketplace and scours the auction site Chairish for unique items: I almost always put in a bid for half of the asking price, then bid it up gradually. I put this home together with good deals.

Frieben Whittle spends most of her time in the buildings central open area, which was once filled with offices. The three bedroom suites that she built include a master, where cool whites and the clean lines of blue Midcentury furniture give way to a riot of color and pattern in the bath, replete with a Moroccan tile fountain and backsplash. My bedroom was inspired by the white buildings with the blue roofs and domes of the Greek island of Santorini, she says. The tile designs and style of the bath came from my visits to Istanbul.

A second suite features a Victorian-inspired den, a colorful bedroom done in Chinese floral wallpaper and Provenal prints, and a bath wallpapered in hand-cut Victorian botanical prints. Frieben Whittle designed the third suite, styled as a rustic log cabin bunkhouse, for her niece and nephews: Allie, Will, Kyle, and Kale.

When my brother William died, eight years ago, his son, Will, was 10 years old, Frieben Whittle says. Wills mom asked if I would maintain my brothers custody arrangement and take him every other weekend, which I did. In 2012, when Wills mothers second husband died, leaving her with Will and his three half-siblings, she asked Frieben Whittle to help with all of the children, and she agreed.

I went from having no kids of my own to having one in diapers, a toddler, a 5-year-old, and 11-year-old Will every other week, Frieben Whittle says. I designed the bunkroom just for them.

About the same time, I bought a Sergio Bustamante sculpture, Arco de los Nios, to symbolize our relationship.

Aunt Kristin tells us were familyme, her, the kidsand were all in this boat together; thats what the Bustamante boat sculpture symbolizes, says Will Frieben, now 18.

As the children have grown older, Frieben Whittle says, they still visit often, but on a more flexible schedule: Theyre all busy with school activities, so they may skip one weekend and double up on the next. They have free run of the space, except for my office, which is off-limits.

Sometimes, they just run around the main space like a racecourse. I had actually hoped we could all roller skate around here, but when I was trying to teach them to skate at a rink, I fell and broke my hip. They were traumatized by the medics, and me being down on the ice, so we never skated together here, but running? Its good.

My aunt is amazing, says Will. She told us her idea for the bunkroom, but its so much more than we expected.

Honoring family isnt the only purpose of the home, Frieben Whittle says. Community is essential to her, too: My friends call [the house] their gathering place.

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A 1924 switching station is reimagined as a family home - St. Louis Magazine

January 04, 2020

WILKES-BARRE Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary Dennis Davin last week provided an update on the investments made by the department over the course of the past year in communities across Pennsylvania.

The Department of Community and Economic Development is working to make communities stronger, to help businesses create jobs and ensure that workers have the skills they need to secure good jobs that enable them to provide for their families, Davin said. Were working to reduce poverty and homelessness and to bring hope to those who need it most. All of these investments represent our commitment to making life better for all Pennsylvanians, no matter which city or town they call home.

Investments in our communities helped ensure that the department can achieve its mission of making Pennsylvania a place where people can work smart and live happy. Nearly 80 Keystone Communities projects and more than 200 Neighborhood Assistance Program projects were approved over the past fiscal year, improving the quality of life for communities across the commonwealth.

Job creation remained a priority for the department this year through its economic development and business expansion programs. During fiscal year 18-19, DCED pledged to create more than 11,000 jobs and retained more than 27,000. The department supported nearly 5,000 projects for a total of nearly $1 billion invested through grants, loans, and tax credits. This investment leveraged an additional $1.9 billion in public and private funding.

Consistent with the Wolf Administrations commitment to building the workforce of the future, investing in training Pennsylvanias workers was another area of focus this year. Through the departments many programs offered to employers, nearly 25,000 businesses received assistance, and training was provided to almost 94,000 Pennsylvania workers.

In February 2019, Gov. Tom Wolf signed an executive order creating the Keystone Economic Development and Workforce Command Center. The Command Center brings an innovative approach to addressing the critical issue of training qualified workers for the jobs Pennsylvania companies need to fill. By bringing commonwealth, labor, and business leaders together, the Command Center creates an opportunity to address real-time workforce issues with real-time solutions. The Command Center will also further expand the ongoing collaboration occurring between state agencies, as well as between the administration and the private sector.

In November, Wolf announced the creation of Pennsylvanias Business One-Stop Shop Registration Checklist. This tool helps small business owners and entrepreneurs more easily access necessary licenses, permits, forms, and contact information personalized for the needs of their company in just a few minutes. Since its inception in 2018, the One-Stop Shop has generated more than 174,000 unique visits to the website and has received critical buy-in and support from partners across the commonwealth like Small Business Development Centers.

DCED also continued to invest in Pennsylvanias manufacturing sector through the Manufacturing PA initiative, which launched in 2018. Since then, more than $11 million in funding has been provided to train more than 1,840 Pennsylvanians in 81 new training programs across the commonwealth.

Pennsylvania continued to raise its profile throughout the world, exporting more than $650 million in goods, bringing 19 businesses to Pennsylvania, supporting more than 6,000 jobs, and bringing in about $46 million in tax revenue. Additionally, the Office of International Business Development successfully obtained a $500,000 Small Business Administration grant to support the international business development activities of small- and medium-sized Pennsylvania companies.

Finally, Pennsylvania tourism continued to grow, with more than 33 million hotel rooms being booked throughout the commonwealth, bringing in $4.7 billion in tax revenue and more than $44 billion being spent by visitors.

Pennsylvanians encouraged to

Resolve to be Ready in 2020

As the decade draws to a close and millions of Pennsylvanians thoughts turn toward the positive changes they want to see in their lives, Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency Director Randy Padfield is encouraging citizens to Resolve to be Ready in 2020 by creating family emergency plans and emergency kits.

The single, most effective way to ensure the safety of your loved ones during an emergency situation is to have a plan, Padfield said. Being prepared and knowing ahead of time how to react are critical elements of emergency response training. You can do the same by practicing your plan and having a basic emergency kit.

Padfield said to create an emergency plan, you should:

Identify locations in both your community and in a nearby town, where you can meet loved ones.

Identify an out-of-town contact everyone can check in with.

Text or use social media to let others know you are safe and where you are.

Have hard copies of lists of phone numbers and other important information such as doctors offices as well as copies of important documents.

Practice your plan just like you would a fire drill.

A basic emergency kit should include enough basic supplies to support your loved ones for several days. Padfield said it should include:

One gallon of water per person per day.

Non-perishable food and a manual can opener.

Vital medical supplies, hearing aid batteries or other medical equipment and mobility devices you may need.

Specialized items such as baby supplies and pet care products.

First aid kit.

Hand-crank or battery operated flashlights and radio.

Car cell phone chargers or battery packs.

Special toys or supplies to keep children and pets occupied and busy.

Additional resources, including emergency plan templates and emergency kit checklists, are available on the ReadyPA website. Padfield also encourages social media users to follow PEMA on Facebook and Twitter for timely emergency preparedness information. Its important to note that you do not need to have a Facebook or Twitter account to access the information.

61,000 PA workers become

eligible for overtime Jan. 1

Department of Labor & Industry Secretary Jerry Oleksiak is reminding employees and businesses about a new federal law that will make 61,000 workers in Pennsylvania newly eligible for overtime pay of time and a half that went into effect Jan. 1.

Oleksiak is also urging Pennsylvania lawmakers to do more for workers, who will continue to earn an embarrassingly low minimum wage of $7.25 in the new year.

This new federal law means some of our workers can begin earning the overtime pay they deserve, but far too many are struggling to make ends meet because of Pennsylvanias stagnant minimum wage, Oleksiak said. It is time for the commonwealths lawmakers to recognize the value of our hardworking men and women and increase their wage. Every one of our neighboring states has invested in their workers by boosting the minimum wage. It is unconscionable that Pennsylvania has not done the same in more than a decade.

Oleksiak added that Senate Bill 79 would give nearly 400,000 Pennsylvanians a much needed first step towards a more secure financial future. He said the bill had overwhelming bipartisan support in the Senate, but the House failed to consider this compromise legislation prior to leaving for the holiday break.

Oleksiak said an increase in the minimum wage will give working Pennsylvania families a better livelihood, save tax dollars by reducing the number of individuals and families receiving public assistance, and strengthen local economies by increasing workers paychecks. The increase in earning thresholds under the new federal overtime regulations is a step in this direction, ensuring that more employees who work overtime are fairly and fully compensated for their labor.

The new federal overtime rules, under the U.S. Department of Labor, went into effect on New Years Day, Jan. 1, 2020.

Who is eligible for overtime?

With a few exceptions, all hourly employees who work more than 40 hours per week.

Most salaried employees who work more than 40 hours per week and earn less than $684 per week/$35,568 per year are eligible for overtime, regardless of their job duties.

Most salaried employees who are not engaged in an executive, administrative, or professional capacity, regardless of how much they are paid.

Who is not eligible for overtime

Salaried employees who are engaged in an executive, administrative, or professional capacity and make more than $35,568 per year.

Other occupations specifically exempted by the minimum wage act.

For more information on the new overtime rule, call 1-800-932-0665 (L&Is Bureau of Labor Law Compliance), email RA-LI-SLMR-LLC@pa.gov or visit dli.pa.gov.

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Plymouth man charged with conspiring to steal tools, catalytic converter - Wilkes Barre Times-Leader

A big election year. Construction on a new hospital. The continued evolution of Park City. Later starting times at a Lancaster County school district.

These are some of the trends and events that LNP's reporters will cover in 2020.

Here are some details of what to expect.

The third president in American history to be impeached is seeking a second term in the Oval Office in 2020.

And while Lancaster County voters will have their say in sticking with Donald Trump or electing a new commander in chief, they also will have plenty of local races to help decide.

Republican Congressman Lloyd Smucker is seeking reelection to what would be his third two-year term in the U.S. House of Representatives. Democrat Sarah Hammond, of East Lampeter Township, is his only challenger as of Tuesday.

All members of the countys Pennsylvania House delegation are up for reelection, with three facing spring primary challengers:

There are still several Democratic candidates lining up to take on Republican incumbents in the state Legislature in the fall general election. The committees for both parties will choose which candidates to endorse at their endorsement conventions in late January.

An aerial view of Park City Center in April 2018. The now-vacant Bon-Ton store is in the foreground, while the former Sears store is at the top.

The evolution of Park City Center will continue, with changes coming to the spaces formerly occupied by anchor stores Bon-Ton and Sears, as well as other mall spaces.

Shoppers will see the first results of the malls strategy to fill voids triggered by the ascent of e-commerce with entertainment and dining, lessening the malls reliance on traditional retail.

The upper floor of the darkened Sears, which closed in March, will come to life as a Round1 family-friendly entertainment venue in the fall. A vacant space next to it will become a UFC Gym in January.

Park City also plans to raze the Bon-Ton building, dark since August 2018, creating a new main entrance to the mall. On the stores footprint and its parking lot, Park City wants to add two free-standing restaurants.

But Park Citys challenges arent over. Longtime tenant Gap is closing in late January, giving the mall another significant space to fill.

Rock Lititz Studio goes live with a blast of light, sound and confetti in this LNP file photo.

While Park City is focused on filling existing space thats become vacant, Rock Lititz is focused on constructing more space because its existing buildings are filled to capacity.

In August, the Warwick Township campus for the live-event industry unveiled plans for a $41.7 million expansion that will add 220 jobs to the 405 jobs already there.

Rock Lititz is proposing two major additions to the initial building on the campus, the Rock Lititz Studio concert-rehearsal structure. Rock Lititz also is proposing two more large free-standing buildings.

(A fifth building being proposed a black-box theater is being developed independently.)

Township supervisors gave conditional approval on Dec. 18 to a land development plan for the expansion. Rock Lititz hopes to begin construction in early 2020, said General Manager Andrea Shirk. Construction will take 12 to 18 months.

This is the Rutter's at 405 Historic Drive in Strasburg Borough.

In 2019, increased development in both rural and suburban communities roiled residents who said they've had enough.

In 2020, little is expected to change for both stakeholders.

Rutters is still seeking expansion in Lancaster County despite a setback in Manheim Township after 200 residents rose in opposition to a store and gas station near a residential development.

The convenience store chain recently proposed a liquor license transfer to a planned store in Gap. Supervisors in Salisbury Township will hear the request in January.

Meanwhile, planners for Oregon Village hope to break ground on the 72-acre mixed-use development sometime in the new year. Two appeals the conditional approval must first be settled before the project moves forward.

This shows the preliminary master plan for Penn State Health's proposed hospital campus near Route 283 in East Hempfield Township. The hospital is in the upper right of the drawing, near the existing Oak Leaf Manor North personal care home. A widened and realigned State Road cuts across the center, intersecting with Harrisburg Pike, which runs across the length of the image. The left side of the campus shows a Sheetz; unspecified "fast casual" restaurant; and three buildings for "professional, scientific and technical services." To the far left, and not shown, the plan proposes a 100-unit apartment building for senior adults.

Hospitals dominated Lancaster County health care news in 2019, and that seems likely to continue in 2020 as the four major health care systems operating locally Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health, Penn State Health, UPMC Pinnacle and WellSpan Health continue to compete.

Penn State Health, which has long treated local patients at Hershey Medical Center in Dauphin County, this summer announced plans to build its first Lancaster County hospital in East Hempfield Township.

It will be located along Route 722 (State Road) between Harrisburg Pike and Route 30, with a tentative opening in 2022.

Lancaster General announced two big projects this year. The first, which could see construction start as early as this winter and take up to three years, will roughly double the size of the emergency department in its flagship Lancaster city hospital.

The second will add proton therapy to its outpatient cancer center in 2021.

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WellSpan recently announced a renovation that will add new technology to its Ephrata cancer center. The project is expected to conclude in the spring.

Ephrata High School students enter their bus at Eastbrooke Drive and Blackberry Lane in Ephrata on Friday, November 1, 2019. Ephrata Area School District will ask its school board in January to start school an hour later beginning next school year, making it the first district in Lancaster County to do so.

From student privacy at Eastern Lancaster County to school start times at Ephrata Area, Lancaster County school districts are dealing with several issues that will stretch into 2020 and perhaps beyond.

Elanco is embarking on a projected $2.4 million plan to renovate its locker rooms after it approved a controversial student privacy policy that called for unisex changing and restroom areas in the districts locker rooms and bathrooms.

The district expects to receive bids for the project in early 2020 and finish by 2021.

Ephrata, meanwhile, is considering pushing back its school start times in response to various studies that say teenagers are suffering from a lack of sleep. Some parents, however, say the move would only tighten the window students have to finish homework and other evening activities.

The administration expects to make a recommendation to the school board in January or February 2020, following a monthslong study. Other districts, such as Solanco and Hempfield, have also began studying the issue.

At Conestoga Valley, school board members are again evaluating a proposed charter school TLC Leadership Charter School. The privately run but taxpayer-funded school would serve up to 200 students in kindergarten through 12th grade who struggle with school phobia, anxiety and other mental health issues.

The school board rejected TLCs first application. Expect a decision in early 2020.

Finally, as LNP reported earlier this month, more than $365 million worth of major school construction projects is in the works across Lancaster County. The most notable is Penn Manors $99.9 million high school renovation and construction project, which is projected to finish in December 2022.

This is a view of Ewell Plaza looking south from the 100 block of North Queen Street Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019.

This should be a big year for public construction projects in the city.

At Ewell Plaza, the Lancaster Parking Authority is expected to finish demolition of an old annex and begin building the 360-space Christian Street Garage, a $29 million project that includes space for the Lancaster Public Library to relocate.

Despite pushback, the authority is moving ahead with having Miami-based R&R Studios, with public input, create art for the facade.

Meanwhile, work should begin on the replacement for Fire Station No. 1 at 425 W. King St. It should take about eight to 10 months to complete the work. After its done, it will be Fire Station No. 3s turn at 333 E. King St. The two stations combined will cost about $12.7 million, up from initial pre-bid estimates of about $10 million.

In the southwest, the city plans to renovate Culliton Park, a project estimated at $3 million.

Also, Lancaster will begin a five-year project to abate lead paint hazards in more than 700 households, using a $9.1 million federal Housing & Urban Development grant, the largest in city history, supplemented by local support.

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2020 Lancaster County outlook: Here are some trends, stories to keep an eye on in the new year - LancasterOnline

The 2010s began with the world in financial peril. It ended with stock markets hitting record highs. Its no surprise, then, that optimism or despair either amped up or pared down new home sizes, amenities and costs.

The last decades economic roller coaster sent Portlands asking prices tumbling 35 percent in some cases. In 2011, new high-end residential properties that were estimated to be worth $1.5 million before the 2008 crash were stuck on the market at $800,000 to $950,000.

Prevailing throughout the post-recession decade, as seen in the 44-year-old NW Natural Street of Dreams luxury home tour, were Oregon homebuyers strong desire for highly livable floor plans, environmentally friendly materials and smart devices that support todays ideal for a less-work, more-play home life.

Trends embraced between 2010-2019 included upscale versions of the past: Modern farmhouses had artistic barn doors, apron sinks and white shiplap-clad walls. Popular too were Mad Men-inspired midcentury moderns and warehouse-evoking industrial chics exposed brick, concrete floors and bare Edison lightbulbs.

The 2019 NW Natural Street of Dreams home, Bespoke. July 25, 2019 Beth Nakamura/Staff

At the dawn of the last decade, smartphones were just beginning to be used as a universal remote control. Mobile apps could adjust room lights and temperatures, heat up the hot tub and monitor security cameras. In 2015, Amazon made it possible through whole-home automation to order meals, play music and ask Alexa anything.

Throughout the twenty teens, the annual Street of Dreams reflected the ups and downs of homeowners aspirations, builders budgets and the areas thickening density.

The homeownership rate in the Portland area inched up from 61.6 percent in 2010 to 62.9 in 2018, the biggest increase among the nations 50 largest metros, according to the latest Census Bureaus American Community Survey as analyzed by Apartment List.

I wish I had a crystal ball to see into the future, but I do know that the dream of homeownership is still strong and most people in America would love to own a home of their own at some point, said master-planned community developer Rudy Kadlub, president of Costa Pacific Communities and chairman of the NW Natural Street of Dreams.

The definition of a home and its ownership type, however, means something different to everyone, he added.

The 2019 NW Natural Street of Dreams home, La Maison. Photo by Beth Nakamura/Staff

The Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Portland created the Street of Dreams, the oldest and largest single-venue new home tour, in 1976 to promote local builders abilities to execute complicated, cutting-edge construction in a range of architectural styles.

That year, custom houses with built-in microwaves in Washington Countys Rock Creek neighborhood sold for around $75,000. By 2006, asking prices for Street of Dreams properties in Oregon Citys Hidden Lake Estates reached $3 million and square footage ballooned to 7,000 and beyond, about triple the U.S. average.

With up to 50,000 visitors to the monthlong home show, the Street of Dreams became legendary for buzz-worthy indulgences. Builders and interior designers installed over-the-top trophies like subterranean Dolby Atmos home theaters, wet bars adjacent to climate-controlled, glass-walled wine cellars and even the $125,000 solid bronze bathtub Brad Pitt reportedly once gave to Jennifer Aniston.

Before land-use laws and increased land costs and development fees forced homesites to shrink, Street of Dreams properties were resort-style, real estate fantasies with backyard sports courts, massive swimming pools, stone pizza ovens and private putting greens.

In comparison, the 2019 Street of Dreams in Wilsonville spotlighted standard-size lots with raised gardening beds and bioswales to help manage stormwater and reduce erosion.

Bad timing: The 2007 Street of Dreams opened just as the U.S. mortgage market tumbled, triggering the Portland regions biggest home price decline in at least two decades. All of the six custom homes in Oregon City were unsold nine months after the summer show ended.

One Street of Dreams builder tried unsuccessfully to auction his project.

The next year, real estate values continued to sink, lenders became reluctant to finance spec houses and superstars builders went bankrupt.

For three years, tight funding, limited land supply and hesitant demand forced Street of Dreams organizers to piece the show together from multiple locations and include condos and homes that had been lingering on the market.

Builders backed away from unnecessary extravagances such as cigar rooms and hidden elevators to man caves, and in 2011 introduced floor plans designed to spread out expenses by allowing multiple generations to shelter under one roof or owners to rent out a smaller dwelling sharing a lot with the main house.

The Oregonian

This is the vaulted master suite in the 2011 Street of Dreams' house by Brentwood Homes.

The 2011 Street of Dreams had five houses on double lots in Tigard accompanied by a separate, self-contained living space an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) with a bedroom, kitchenette and bathroom.

The environmentally responsible Earth Advantage-certified homes also conserved energy and water use.

Asking prices ranged from $800,000 and $950,000.

Attendance at the 2011 home tour was double that of the previous year. The show was extended a week and forever boosted interest in homes within homes, meeting expanding needs.

Kadlub said the stereotypic Dad, Mom and kids represents less than 35 percent of the home buying market as more single people and generations of a family elect to live under one roof for convenience, to consolidate housing expenses and to be together.

To meet this need, designers, developers and builders are creating homes with two master suites with a dedicated entrance for private comings and goings.

An in-law suite is an inexpensive way to provide housing and privacy for a family member who has special needs or aging parents who would like their own kitchen, bathroom, entry and parking, said Kadlub. I would think we will continue to see more of this.

Four years after the 2008 bust, the economy was re-bounding and a West Linn vineyard was converted into home lots for the 2012 Street of Dreams.

The Oregonian

2012 Street of Dreams' Hamptons-inspired Montauk custom house by Delahunt Homes has a vaulted dining room.

A Hamptons-like estate, Oregon lodge-style house and five other Earth Advantage-certified residences exhibited the high level of luxury visitors were used to seeing on the Street of Dreams from the 1990s through the mid-2000s.

The 2012 properties were priced from $950,000 to $1.3 million.

LC-

The Rendezvous home, built by F. Dale Lumpkin General Contractor in West Linn, was sold before the 2013 Street of Dreams opened. Molly J. Smith/The Oregonian LC-

In 2013, seven of nine $1 million-plus homes on a one-acre lot in the Stonehenge neighborhood overlooking Lake Oswego were sold before the summer home tour opened.

The Street of Dreams big-budget, mega-sized residences are derided for their excesses, but builders contend that these custom projects allow them to learn how to apply cost-saving construction techniques to more affordable dwellings.

Behind the well-insulated walls of the Street of Dreams houses are high-performance heating and cooling systems that lower energy bills and carbon footprints.

In 2019, even with 2,784 to 4,600 square feet of living space, the average electricity and gas bill for each of the Street of Dreams houses was estimated at $141 or less a month, according to the Energy Trust of Oregon.

Most of the dwellings earned Earth Advantage sustainability certification and are more efficient than a similar-sized house built to code, according to the Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Portland.

Energy efficient products have improved over the last decade and the cost in some cases has been reduced, so the return on investment has gotten even better, said Kadlub, who has been named Builder of the Year twice by the Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Portland, Developer of the Year by the nonprofit, land-use planning organization 1000 Friends of Oregon and was twice awarded by the National Association of Home Builders for developing Americas Master Planned Community of the Year for his 1,800-home Orenco Station in Hillsboro in 1999 and 2,700-home Villebois in Wilsonville in 2009.

Energy efficiency is important to our country, industry and the consumers we address, he said.

In 2020, the Street of Dreams will return to the Reserve Vineyards and Golf Club in South Hillsboro, where the 2018 home tour was held.

The Elysian was built by Red Hills Construction in 2017 in Happy Valley. Stephanie Yao Long/Staff

In the last 10 years, most new homes, from modern Craftsman to Northwest contemporary, had a great room that enveloped a kitchen, which changed from having granite counters to eco-friendly manufactured white quartz that looks like marble.

The busiest room in a luxury house was also often stocked with flat-screen televisions, docking-charging stations plus, perhaps, a pet feeding area.

Although the Street of Dreams shows off the latest gee-whiz inventions, like a steam shower with a streak-free glass door, practicality has to reign in these pricey properties.

Open floor plans and master suites on the main floor make it possible for residents to stay in their home longer and live on one level.

Hardwood floors, no steps and wider hallways and doors allow people with wheelchairs to maneuver with more ease. Other universal design features such as curb-less showers became mainstays.

Fairway Manor's walk-in shower. Photo by Beth Nakamura/Staff LC-

Gas fireplaces also evolved over the last 10 years into contemporary designs without standing pilot lights and with more controls that reduce energy use and increase the ability to heat only occupied spaces. These dramatic centerpieces can have two sides to face the great room and the outdoor living space or be installed in corners of the living, dining or family rooms.

In the 2018 Street of Dreams, Suteki Americas Northwest contemporary house had a 42-inch-wide Town & Country fireplace embedded in a tiled, towering wall while the French-country estate built in 2016 by Westlake Development Group had a low-to-the-ground, narrow fireplace in a wall between the master bedroom and bathroom.

Suteki Harmony's towering fireplace surround. Photo by Beth Nakamura/Staff

Over the decade, interior designers selected durable, eco-friendly finishes and natural materials for comfortable, uncomplicated and carefree furnishings.

Homeowners continue to want versatile, specialty spaces they can use as potting areas, music listening dens, spice rooms, sewing/craft rooms and health-centered yoga and exercise rooms, according to Portland homebuilders surveys.

Fairway Manor's potting space off the kitchen. Photo by Beth Nakamura/Staff

Beverage centers, cocktail or juice bars and even a built-in candy bar for kids snacking continue to be popular.

The Farm to Table house has walls with glass doors that dissolve the separation between indoor and outdoor living spaces. Photo by Beth Nakamura/Staff

Other trends that expanded in the 2010s: Walls with folding glass doors dissolve the separation between indoor and outdoor living spaces and electric-car stations in extra tall garages, which can shelter an RV.

In preparation of a future where not everyone needs a car, garages are being designed to be easily converted to living spaces and detached buildings with roll-up doors can be used as a she shed or workshop.

The Farm to Table custom home has garages with roll-up doors that can be used as a she shed or workshop. Photo by Beth Nakamura/Staff

--Janet Eastman | 503-294-4072

jeastman@oregonian.com | @janeteastman

Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox.

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Some of the last decades excessive design and decor stay: Youll see more farmhouses, midcentury moderns and - OregonLive

For the past two years, LG's rollable OLED designs have provoked gasps of wonder from television amateurs, and it looks like the South Korean giant wants more.

The company's panel-producing division, LG Display, has announced a new 65-inch OLED TV that, instead of springing out of its base, will roll down from the ceiling. The new technology will be unveiled next week at CES 2020 in Las Vegas.

The display, said the company, can be stored in the ceiling and pulled down like a projector screen, which means users will save TV stand space.

SEE: Sensor'd enterprise: IoT, ML, and big data (ZDNet special report) | Download the report as a PDF (TechRepublic)

At last year's CES, LG stole the show with the OLED TV R, another 65-inch rollable device that can fully retract into an aluminum base that doubles as a Dolby Atmos soundbar.

However, the latest announcement isn't a simple reapplication of the technology, from pulling up to dragging down.

According to Tim Alessi, LG's director of new product development, the TV R was designed to roll upwards only, and it would have been necessary to invent a brand-new mechanism to be able to hang up the display from the ceiling.

Although LG has not disclosed the technical spec of the new panel, it is likely to attract attention with manufacturers presenting ever-more sophisticated TV displays at CES.

Samsung, in particular, is setting itself as a strong competitor. The South Korean manufacturer's catalog includes no rollable TV display. Instead, the company is banking on 8K resolution, having shown off a 146-inch, 8K MicroLED panel two years ago dubbed 'The Wall'. In comparison, LG's TV R only has 4K resolution.

That's not to say LG is lagging far behind. In fact, the company also announced it will unveil various other displays, including an 88-inch 8K OLED display for homes and hotels. The panel includes an 11.2 channel sound system embedded into the display to generate sound directly from it.

SEE: LG Electronics changes CEO in generation shift

In what it describes as another world-first, LG will also showcase a smaller 48-inch OLED TV panel, designed for smaller homes and apartments, and which will add to the company's existing lineup of 55-inch, 65-inch, 77-inch, and 88-inch OLED TV displays.

The company has not specified when the new products will be commercially available. LG had promised that its rollable prototype from CES 2019 would go on sale this year but has since failed to provide a release date.

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LG's new TV panel: You can roll it down from the ceiling - ZDNet

Editors note Were continuing our tradition of taking a look back each Saturday at some of the important, interesting or even odd events as they were reported during the same week throughout the years, along with interesting advertising features from back in the day.

This week in 1904, the Hillsboro News Herald reported that two Highland County teachers were elected to high positions in the Ohio Teachers Federation annual meeting in Columbus. The paper reported that Henry G. Williams was elected president and L.L. Faris became a member of the legislative committee.

An excellent financial report had been received at the annual stockholders meeting of the Hillsboro Telephone Co., with businesses that had phones totaling 118 and residences in the village with phones numbering 317.

In Mowrystown news, the play Old Maids Convention was said to be well patronized with the largest crowd ever witnessed in the villages Town Hall. Reportedly over 100 people had to be turned away on account of lack of seating.

Two Hillsboro women were among the dead at a massive fire at Chicagos Iroquois Theatre on New Years Eve. Both were daughters of a wealthy contractor who moved his family to Chicago in 1888.

Playing for one week at Bells Opera House were the ever popular Howard and Dorset, supported by a strong company of artists. Starting Monday Jan. 4, 1904, tickets were just 20 and 30 cents for evenings, 10 and 20 cents for the matinee.

A rarity for the turn-of-the-century was a woman dentist, but Hillsboro had one, and Mrs. Auta Groth, DDS, advertised her dental office in the Masonic Temple building at the corner of High and Beech streets.

This week in 1932, The Hillsboro News Herald reported that a pair of bad fires destroyed the Mowrystown plaining mill and the residence of Howard McQuitty, with both fires burning at the same time. Help had to be called in from nearby Sardinia to put out the blazes, which destroyed both structures.

Ora Shaffer of Salem Township brought in two bushels of freshly picked apples to the News Herald office that he said he picked on Jan 5. He said the apples that he picked the previous fall and put in the root cellar rotted and had to be thrown out, but the ones he left on the trees were sound with a better flavor now than last fall.

Showing at the New Bells Theatre, Slim Summerville and Zasu Pitts were starring in Unexpected Father, along with chapter 11 of the thrilling serial Danger Island.

The Ohio Historical Society had erected a museum building at Serpent Mound State Park in Adams County. A pioneer log house had been rebuilt and furnished with artifacts from the period of the early 19th century.

A mid-winter clearance sale was in full swing at Fred Laffertys clothing store on West Main Street in Hillsboro. The ad stated that mens and boys clothing, furnishings and shoes were selling at cost, less than cost and regardless of cost.

Blue washday Monday didnt have to be blue anymore with a new Voss wringer washer from the Southern Ohio Electric Company in Hillsboro. The new Voss cost $59.95, with $5 down and the balance due of just $1.50 weekly.

This week in 1968, the Hillsboro Press-Gazette reported that the first baby born in the New Year at was an 8-pound, 9-ounce bouncing baby boy born to William and Phyllis Ball of Hillsboro. William Douglas Ball made his appearance on New Years Day at the Adams County Hospital in West Union.

Work was progressing on the new museum at Fort Hill state memorial, with costs estimated at $52,000.

A new $150,000 library was proposed for Hillsboro, with the director of the Ohio Office of Appalachia filing an application for a grant to assist in the project. Albert Giles said that the Highland County District Library was currently housed in a rented outdated 1836 home known as the Scott House.

Showing at the Colony Theatre was real life husband and wife Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor in The Taming of the Shrew, billed as a salty salvo in the war between the sexes.

Matson Chevrolet-Pontiac-Oldsmobile had a special of the week for discerning car buyers. A 67 Chevelle four-door sedan with six-cylinder engine, PowerGlide transmission, radio, heater, white wall tires and one owner was priced to sell at $1,865.

A Hillsboro soldier was wounded in action in Vietnam but lived to tell the tale and was awarded the Purple Heart. Spec. 4 Tyrone Lawrence sustained injuries in a military operation between Cu-Chi and Tay-Ninh near Saigon.

This week in 2005, the Hillsboro Times-Gazette reported on the aftermath on the December 2004 ice storm which left thousands without power in Southwest Ohio. South Central Power reported that 98 homes in Highland County still were without power as of the first week of January.

Curves International was opening a fitness center in Hillsboro specifically aimed at the needs females. Manager Karen Kumpf said the grand opening would be Jan. 10. Meanwhile in Greenfield, Dr. Eric Borsini was opening the CARE Chiropractic Center.

In sports, McClains Tigers defeated the Southeastern Panthers 65-48 in a non-league romp, while in Mowrystown the Lady Wildcats fell to the Washington C.H. Lady Blue Lions 50-43. McClain and Hillsboro were a close first and second in the SCOL boys standings, while in the girls tally it was Miami Trace and London fighting it out for first and second place.

Hillsboro City Council member Dick Donley awarded the December citizen of the month award to the Collins family for their notable charity work in the community.

Elected officials were sworn into office after the first of the year, with newly elected state representative David Daniels, Highland County commissioner Rich Graves, county prosecutor Jim Grandey, recorder Ike Hodson and engineer Dean Otworth all pictured taking the oath of office.

Thirty-nine years to the day after she started as deputy director of the Highland County Board of Elections, Zelma Furnish decided it was time to call it quits and retired to spend more time at home with her husband of 59 years, Bill.

Reach Tim Colliver at 937-402-2571.

A look back at news items through the years

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January apples, young elopers and baby New Year - Hillsboro Times Gazette

DENVER The Denver International Airport released new renderings this week of its ongoing gate expansion and the amenities that will be included.

The project will add 39 new gates to the airport, increasing the airports gate capacity by 30%.

Not only will there be new gates, new concessions, lounge seating, nursing rooms and family restrooms, said Alex Renteria, a DIA spokesperson.

Under the design plans, each concourse will also feature an outdoor patio in the secured area so that passengers can get some fresh air without needing to go through TSA again.

The 39 gates will be spread out throughout the three concourses. The new gates will be located at the ends of each concourse. Here is a breakdown of the new gates:

-A-West: 12 gates -B-West: 4 gates -B-East: 7 narrow-body gates -C- East: 16 gates

Along with new gates, each concourse is also getting an outdoor patio installed. The patios will feature a pet relief area, outdoor seating and fire pits.

Holder Construction and FCI Constructors Inc. will work on Concourse B-East and Concourse C-East, and Turner Construction and Flatiron Construction on Concourse A-West and Concourse B-West. HNTB Corp. and Jacobs Engineering Group were contracted for architectural and design services for the project.

B-West will be complete by the end of 2020 and A-West, B-East and C-East will be complete by the end of 2021.

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Denver Int'l Airport's gate renovation will include new outdoor patios at each concourse - The Denver Channel

Posted By Thaddeus McCollum on Tue, Dec 31, 2019 at 12:43 PM

Correction: An earlier version included an inaccurate date. Apologies!

For the past four years, the Punk on the Patio series has been carrying on the tradition of floor shows established by the likes of Bar-BQ-Bar and the Social's old back-door shows. After their fourth anniversary earlier this year, though, they're hanging it up.

The final Punk on the Patio happening Tuesday, Jan. 7 features performances from scene veterans Flashlights, along with more recent newcomers like Chalet Girl, Like Father and No Handouts. The cover includes a free drink to get you started on the celebration/commiseration.

Find out more on the Facebook event page.

8 p.m. | The Patio, 14 W. Washington St. (enter through 64 North, 64 N. Orange Ave.) | foundation-presents.com | $5Get our top picks for the best events in Orlando every Thursday morning. Sign up for our weekly Events newsletter.

Tags: Punk on the Patio, Tuesday January 7, Flashlights, Chalet Girl, Like Father, No Handouts, the patio, Orlando shows, Image

Excerpt from:
Don't miss the final Punk on the Patio, happening Tuesday, Jan. 7 - Orlando Weekly

PHOTO VIA GOOGLE MAPSJust last week CL spottedBackyard Grill and Patiotaking overNueva Cantina's (and Love Artifacts) old stomping grounds at 4918 S. MacDill Ave. in Tampa.

It looks like the restaurant is wasting no time getting up and running, as Backyard Grill is making its debut on Friday, January 10. Local rock band, The Ordeal, will be taking over the outdoor patio to celebrate. In the band's Facebook event, The Ordeal explains that the restaurant's owner is hoping to revive Love Artifacts thesmall neighborhood hangout and music venue that owner Lynn Love created, followed by a call to action:

"The Ordeal will be kicking off this new business with a bang. Come join us in making this new Backyard Grill and patio South Tampa's coolest music venue."

Locals can slide by to kick 2020 off with live local music, new eats, and draft brews on Friday, January 10 from 8 p.m.-midnight.

Want to know everything going on with Tampa Bay's food and drink scene? Sign up for ourBitesnewsletter.

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New Tampa restaurant Backyard Grill and Patio will open next week - Creative Loafing Tampa

ESCONDIDO When writer, cartoonist and Dykes to Watch Out For creator Alison Bechdel was 19, she came out to her parents as a lesbian. Not long after, Bechdels gay father, Bruce, stepped into the path of a delivery truck and died. The tragedy of her childhood and coming to terms with both her sexuality as well as her fathers apparent suicide is the underpinning of Fun Home, Patio Playhouses upcoming 2020 production.

Fun Home is a Broadway musical based on Bechdels 2006 graphic memoir Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, adapted by Lisa Krone and Jeanine Tesori. Patio Playhouses Artistic Manager Matt Fitzgerald serves as the plays director. Initially drawn to the production by Tesoris score, which he calls fantastic, he also found himself relating on some level to some of the characters.

Its easy as a father to see as unkind as it might sound, to see a little bit of Bruce in myself, and have that egg me on become a better father, a better person, he said, though he feels that he does not go to the same extremes.

Not to normalize (Alisons) story, but the feeling of being an outsider, in high school or in college is, I think, relatable to most people. And thats Middle Alisons story the awkwardness of discovering who you are and relating that to your life.

Bechdel is depicted in three stages of her life by three separate actresses: the child Small Alison (Emma Delaware), the college student Middle Alison (Caitlin Groome) and middle-aged cartoonist Alison (Dani Leandra). Fitzgerald hailed the actresses skills and their effort to inform each other about the character. He said he believes that whatever differences are visible in their respective performances will reflect on the growth of Alison as a person.

To reflect the source materials graphic novel origins, some of the props used in the play will be images drawn by some of the cast, as well as (possibly) pieces of some of Bechdels artwork. Were trying to match her style as best as possible with all of our props and stuff, Fitzgerald said.

The production will serve as Patios second musical in a row after Miracles of the Season, but two key things will set it apart from that production. First, instead of playing pre-recorded tracks, there will be a seven-piece orchestra in the black box theater. Second, there will be alley seating, meaning there will be bleachers set up across from the ordinary seats. Thus, managing the sound became the biggest design challenge of the play.

Fitzgerald says that even if audience members dont relate to Bechdel herself, they can still find meaning and enjoyment in a story about family.

I think theres a lot of people who have found a home in this show, he said. A relatability, particularly those in the LGBT community, specifically young lesbian or bisexual women have found a protagonist in the show they can relate to specifically, rather than generally.

But really, its a difficult but fantastic story with a beautiful score.

The show will play at Patio Playhouses black box theater on Kalmia Street in Escondido from Jan. 17 to Feb. 9, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets range from $15 to $44.

Alex Wehrung covers Rancho Santa Fe and theatre-related news in North County. He previously reported forThe Daily Nexus in Santa Barbara, CAand the Escondido Times-Advocate in Escondido, CA.

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Patio Playhouse's 'Fun Home' will sing the songs of Alison Bechdel's life - Coast News