Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Ann Hall, Columnist Published 6:02 a.m. ET Aug. 9, 2017 | Updated 8:21 a.m. ET Aug. 9, 2017

Large Green Frogs are the culprits in leaving large brown droppings on pool decks and patios on the Isles of Capri.(Photo: Jim Hughes/Special to the Eagle)

Residents report finding unusual large brown droppings about an inch long, and the diameter of a Sharpie, on their decks most every morning.

Large brown droppings are the product of large toad frogs, wrote Paul Westberry, to the Coconuttele, the Isles of Capri newsletter, in response to the many questions residents had about the recent nuisance that has plagued them this summer. Westberry is a native of Southwest Florida and is affiliated with Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.

More: Capri Connection: Dragonfly swarm is welcome

More: Capri Connection: Rapid emergence of new homes

Some residents thought the droppings could be raccoon or rodent excrement. The droppings are different from that of the geckos and anoles that most are accustomed to seeing.

The droppings are unwanted, and residents are forced to sweep or wash them away daily. Many of the residents have expressed a desire for it to end soon.

These tell-tale treasures left behind each night just might turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Frogs, toads, geckos and anoles are our natural pesky insect control squads. They eat ants, mosquitos, flies, grasshoppers, spiders, maggots, small crickets and a host of other insects that tend to be a bother to us.

Frogs and toads are both amphibians, according to Wikipedia. All Toads are frogs, but not all frogs are toads.

Toads only live on the ground, while Frogs can live on the ground and in trees. With what some locals are calling our summer monsoon, many have noticed more frogs and toads croaking than usual, hence the increase in excrement left on patios and pool decks.

Some say they love to get up before daybreak just to hear their favorite symphony an overture of the croaking frogs. The holding ponds of run-off water and right-of-way swales required by Collier County for development have become home to literally hundreds of croakers on Capri. For this, residents who understand what a tremendous service these little critters provide, the sound they make is music to their ears -- in spite of the treasures they leave behind.

Geckos and anoles are reptiles, according to Wikipedia. The anole (anolis carolinenis) is often misidentified as a chameleon, a brown lizard or a gecko. If these little insect grabbers are present, it is a blessing. They are beneficial to both lawns and gardens. They feed on a wide variety of small insects such as crickets, cockroaches, moths, grubs, beetles, flies and grasshoppers. Geckos and anoles swallow their food whole. When startled, anoles will sometimes lose their tails. A new one will grow back, but it will look deformed as it will lack bone and be a grayish brown color.

When the male anole is observed opening and closing a large red dewlap, it is primarily to defend its territory or to attract a female.

The message is clear. Be glad to have brown droppings to wash or sweep away from your patio or pool deck each day. These droppings are indicators that your property is under surveillance and is being protected from many unwanted pests naturally.

Contact Ann Hall at ahall7911@coconuttele.net.

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Capri Connection: Brown droppings on pool decks and patios may be a blessing - Marconews

ATKINSON New windows are planned at the ExCel School in Atkinson.

At its meeting Monday, the village board approved spending up to $20,000 to replace windows in the former Atkinson High School. Funding includes $10,000 from an annual increase in rent the ExCel Alternative School program will pay the village.

The number of windows to be replaced will depend on how far the dollar amount stretches, Mayor Ken Taber, added in the new windows should help on energy bills.

In other business, trustees reviewed a $10,000 professional service agreement with Shive Hattery, Moline, to oversee the new water storage tank installation project.

Board members also:

Delayed action on landscape reimbursement applications from four residents of West View Estates Subdivision.

Learned the Zoning Board of Appeals will meet at 6 p.m. before the Aug. 21 board meeting to discuss proposed zoning changes to the Vandersnick property bought by Wyffels Hybrids, Inc.

Adopted a resolution giving village clerk Shronda Delp access to the Illinois Funds Account, enabling her to transfer money from the account to the village account to pay bills.

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Atkinson approves window replacement - Quad-Cities Online

Until just recently, one of the great masterpieces of modernist architecture, the Salk Institute, in La Jolla, California, has been shrouded by scaffolding. Designed by Louis Kahn, the institute was completed in 1965. It has been conducting a painstaking, four-year conservation of its iconic teak window walls, and now, with the scaffolding down and the building in full view, AD returned to La Jolla to check it out.

The wooda Southeast Asian teakwas integral to Kahns design and to the clients vision. Though the Salk Institute is just thatan instituteboth its founder, Jonas Salk, and Kahn wanted the place to be a meditative retreat, where scientists could do laboratory benchwork but also have a place for study, contemplation, and even a bit of window-gazing. The wood spoke to that ambition, softening the concrete building and helping to create an environment, separate from the labs, where scientists could think.

Its oceanfront site makes for great views, but the damp, salty air took its toll on the wood. Water would wick into joints, allowing fungus to grow, and termites invaded moist areas of window frames. Because Kahn is known for his unrelenting perfectionism, one of the most offending outcomes of this deterioration was that the fungus did not grow evenly, creating different shades of gray and black.

The institute midrestoration, with scaffolding along the faade.

After making ad hoc fixes over the years, the Salk Institute determined it would approach its own architectural restoration the way it approaches scientific research: with empirical rigor. To do that, it turned to the Getty Conservation Institute and Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates. GCI carried out a comprehensive analysis of the window wells, including historical research and testing in a laboratory and on mock-ups, all with an eye toward returning the wood to the way it was originally designed by Kahn.

These are complex, elaborate assemblies, explains Sara Lardinois, a project specialist for GCI, referring to the 203 individual window walls, each of which offers a different combination of sliding windows, louvers, and shutters, linked by custom woodwork.

After its analysis, GCI provided a restoration plan that could be customized for each window, based on the extent of the damage, from minor (cleaning and repair), to moderate (partial replacement of materials), to major (removing windows and replacing pieces with like-for-like materials). Because of the meticulous approach, the Salk Institute was able to restore window walls using mostly minor and moderate interventions, salvaging two-thirds of Kahns original teak.

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The Restoration of Louis Kahn's World-Famous Salk Institute Must Be Seen to Be Believed - Architectural Digest

Submitted by Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium.

TACOMA, Wash. It was a huge undertaking. A massive window. A precision placement. And it all went swimmingly.

A wave of excitement washed over Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium on Wednesday as a 157-foot-tall construction crane carefully lowered a massive acrylic panel demi-tunnel into place inside the new Pacific Seas Aquarium.

The nearly 35-foot-long, curved sheet of crystal clear acrylic will provide a window into the world of hammerhead sharks, green sea turtles, spotted eagle rays and other tropical animals that will live in the Baja Bay exhibit of the 35,000-square-foot aquarium, which is due to open next summer at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium.

Its placement in an operation that featured huge machinery, precise measurements and a choreographed construction ballet marks a major milestone toward the completion of the new aquarium.

We broke ground on the Pacific Seas Aquarium just over a year ago, zoo Deputy Director John Houck said. We have eagerly watched as footings went in, walls were formed and concrete was poured. Weve noted progress with each passing day, but the installation of this piece was truly an occasion to stop, watch and celebrate. We cant wait until next summer when we begin expanding on the many conservation stories of our seas, from cold waters of Alaska down to the warm waters of the Baja Peninsula.

We remain grateful to the visionary voters of Tacoma, who approved a Metro Parks Tacoma bond issue three years ago to make this aquarium and dozens of other projects across the city a reality, Houck added.

The window installed on Wednesday weighs nearly 12 tons and will sit at the heart of the $51.6 million Pacific Seas Aquarium, a replacement for the now 54-year-old North Pacific Aquarium.

A crane hoists a 12-ton acrylic window up and over the rear wall of the new Pacific Seas Aquarium at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium on Wednesday morning. It will be the window into Baja Bay, a new home to hammerhead sharks, green sea turtles, spotted eagle rays and other sea animals.

With its demi-tunnel design that will allow visitors to look up and see fish swimming over their heads, this one water window is likely to capture the hearts of visitors, too.

The hammerhead sharks, green sea turtles and eagle rays all newcomers to Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium will swim in Baja Bay, the 250,000-gallon centerpiece of the new building.

The window, manufactured by Reynolds Polymer Technology, Inc., Grand Junction, Colo., arrived by truck at the entrance to Point Defiance Park in the early morning hours. A crew of flaggers guided the truck on a slow-motion, hour-plus ride through the park until it arrived at its destination inside the construction zone.

Another painstaking process slowly unleashed the acrylic panel from its steel shipping crate, then hooked it to a crane so it could be carefully hoisted aloft some 70 feet, up and over the aquarium building under construction. All the while, work crews made incremental adjustments so that the window could be lowered, inch by inch, into its final position.

But even with all that precision, the final act of hoisting the panel, swinging it into place and lowering it into position took only about two minutes. Construction crews positioned inside the building, however, took much longer to ensure the 6-inch-thick window was correctly set into place, where it will form one of the watertight sides of that huge exhibit.

In addition to the inhabitants of Baja Bay, the new Pacific Seas Aquarium will include new homes for the species that now reside in the North Pacific Aquarium including a giant Pacific octopus and several kinds of jellyfish.

The existing South Pacific Aquarium, which is home to 16 large sharks of five different species, as well as smaller sharks, stingrays and other fish, will remain open. The popular Eye-to-Eye Shark Dive program will continue there.

An architects rendering shows visitors watching scalloped hammerhead sharks, green sea turtles and spotted eagle rays in the Baja Bay exhibit of the new Pacific Seas Aquarium at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. It is slated to open in Summer 2018.

Visitors to the new aquarium will enter alongside an outdoor Tidal Surge exhibit, where moving waves will course through a habitat teeming with sea stars, anemones and urchins. Theyll stroll past schools of herring racing around a circular tank with a 4-foot tall, 7-foot wide viewing window. Theyll get a glimpse of the sea life that lurks beneath the ruins of Galloping Gertie, the first Tacoma Narrows Bridge, which twisted apart and collapsed into Puget Sound in 1940. Theyll see jellyfish, giant Japanese spider crabs and more as they continue their journey toward Baja Bay.

The new aquarium is being built on a spot between the zoos Wild Wonders Outdoor Theater and the Rocky Shores area, home to marine mammals like Pacific walruses, California sea lions, harbor seals and sea otters.

Its the largest capital project in the 112-year history of Metro Parks Tacoma. It is funded largely from the $198 million bond issue approved by voters in 2014.

Turner Construction is the general contractor and construction manager for the project.

An architects rendering shows visitors watching scalloped hammerhead sharks, green sea turtles, spotted eagle rays and other sea animals in the Baja Bay habitat of the Pacific Seas Aquarium, which is scheduled to open in the summer of 2018 at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium.

For more information, go to http://www.pdza.org/new-aquarium.

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12-ton window placement marks major milestone in Pacific Seas Aquarium construction - The Suburban Times

by: Rare.usUpdated: Aug 11, 2017 - 11:41 PM

Dwayne The Rock Johnson has sported a tattoo of a bull on his right arm ever since his days as a professional wrestler.

On Friday, Johnsonrevealed that he had covered the tattoo up, but the replacement is a thing of beauty.

Johnson posted a picture on hisInstagram,revealing a new tattoo that took 22 hours to complete by renowned tattoo artist Nikko Hurtado.

Every detail is a reflection of my own personal history, Johnson wrote on Instagram. From the cracks and heavy damage in the bone representing lifes hard lessons Ive learned over the years. Just like scars and wrinkles Im so grateful to have em because theyre earned.

He also explained some of the symbolic choices in the tattoo, such as where the horns are pointing and how the tattoo will look from certain angles.

Cheers to living, learning, evolving and growing, he closed the post. And to the positive disrupters ready to dent the universe.

2017 Cox Media Group.

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Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson covers his iconic tattoo with amazing replacement - WPXI Pittsburgh

Glassboro, NJ, August 10, 2017-INSTALL, the International Standards and Training Alliance works with mills, has added six new members, toward its effort to combat the labor shortage through the cultivation of industry partnerships.

The highest level of certification within the INSTALL program is to attain INSTALL Warranty Contractor (IWC) status. Each of these contractors must be nominated and complete a rigorous review to achieve this status. Four new companies now carry the INSTALL Warranty on Labor which provides an additional, extended, free, non-proprietary and third-party installation warranty of $25,000 and two years: United Installation Services, located in Plymouth, Minnesota; St. Paul Linoleum & Carpet Co. of Eagan, Minnesota; CFS Interiors & Flooring of Eagan, Minnesota; and William Reichenbach Co. of Okemos, Michigan.

Since the inception of the INSTALL Warranty Program in June 2013, INSTALL has underwritten approximately $250 million in flooring installations without a single claim filed, making an IWC the go-to choice for commercial flooring projects. Each IWC maintains the integrity of every design because of superior training and certification.

Alliance partners participate in ongoing curriculum reviews and work with INSTALL instructors to revise and refine the curriculum to meet manufacturer standards. INSTALL is currently partnered with more than 100 major mills and manufacturers.

New Alliances partners include USG Performance Flooring of Chicago, Illinois and Niagara Machine, Inc.

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INSTALL Adds Six New Members - Floor Focus

Itumeleng Letoane in the computer room in which he installed flooring at Sparrow FET College.

Itumeleng Letoane has come a long way since he was a student at Sparrow FET College in Sophiatown.

The former student continues to climb the entrepreneurial ladder of success with the opportunities he has been given. The former security guard pursued other opportunities after being in his profession for eight years. He then decided to search for institutions which offered learnerships he could qualify for.

Itumeleng Letoane sits in front of the classroom where he completed his course.

Letoane said when he initially decided to apply at the college, he knew nothing about floor laying until he did research on the course and industry. His passion for flooring was ignited from there onwards.

In 2015 he completed a one-year course in Installation of Floor Coverings at the college and also graduated in the same year.

The course was divided into six months of theory, then six months of practical work. This course has opened a number of doors I now have my own business, said Letoane.

The colleges operations manager Melanie Malema was my first mentor and gave me my first job to install flooring at a childrens home. She is the one who believed in me throughout the process.

Sparrow Schools general manger Jackie Gallagher and Itumeleng Letoane at Sparrow Schools head office.

He added that all the opportunities and the support of staff members at the college were made possible through his mentor.

Since the beginning of his journey, hes completed a number of projects around Johannesburg. Letoanes most notable project was the opportunity to install flooring at the college and at Sparrow Schools head office.

I installed laminated wood in the staff rooms at the college and at the head office. I also installed flooring in some of the classrooms, said Letoane.

Sparrow Schools general manager, Jackie Gallagher said she has been mentoring Itumeleng since he started growing his business.

Hes got commitment, passion and drive. When he is mentored, he takes what you say seriously and puts it into practice. We all want him to succeed and be successful.

The talented floor layer encourages readers to support students like himself and give them an opportunity to grow.

Beautifully installed flooring in staff rooms.

ALSO READ: Sparrow FET College honours graduates

Details: Itumeleng Letoane 071 918 6932; ituway@yahoo.com

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Laying a good foundation - Northcliff Melville Times

Match wall colour to furnishings

I have had white and beige walls for a long time. I would like to try more colour, but I am not sure how. Any advice?

The first thing to do is not to use a paint chart immediately.

Ask yourself if you are keeping any existing furniture or curtains. The colour you select has to be viewed against the pieces you are retaining.

If you want a total revamp, start with what inspires you and look for images - not just of interiors, but also those that evoke a certain mood or ambience. Use these images as the base for a mood board and add the other elements of the room: furniture, lights, soft furnishings, art and accessories.

Also, consider your floor colour as it is the second largest surface to the walls. Wood or wood-look floors have a shade, whether it is yellowish in bamboo, grey in limed or distressed wood or reddish in teak parquet.

Certain colours are associated with particular moods. Hues commonly found in nature, such as blues and greens, are calming and suitable for most rooms, while yellow and orange are energetic and a good option for the kitchen.

Then arm yourself with a paint chart and pick a few suitable colours.

Buy a sample portion of paint because a paint chart will not give you a good idea of how a whole wall will look. Instead of painting on the wall, paint an A4-size cardboard and hold it up against the wall. This lets you try out hues without the hassle of covering them up later. Make sure you look at the colours in daylight and under lighting.

What can I do if I want to change my flooring to carpet? Do I have to remove what is underneath?

Wall-to-wall carpeting is not common in Singapore homes, says Mr Melvyn Khong of The Rug Maker.

When it is done, it is usually in home theatres for its sound insulation properties. In this case, an underlay is a must.

He recommends removing the parquet, laminate or tiles first. But this can be a costly procedure, so carpet can also be installed over an existing floor with or without an underlay.

"However, when this is done, you would most likely have to shave your doors to ensure you have the space to open them.

"If you glue down carpets that are 4mm to 6mm thick, you should not face any problems with the door. But such carpets are usually for commercial spaces and provide little comfort for the feet," he says.

Also, expect some damage to the existing floor, regardless of the installation method.

Proper installation is the key to carpeting that keeps its shape over the years. There are two methods: Underlay with gripper rods and the glue-down technique.

One of the steps in the first method is to stretch and cut the carpet to fit the room. "You will need to stretch the carpet to a good tension to prevent any warping over time with foot traffic. If the carpet is not stretched well, the edges may flip up," he says.

With the second method, the floor has to be clean and relatively dust-free before the glue is applied to the entire area. "This is to ensure that the carpet does not warp and form bubbles over time."

I am renovating my Housing Board flat and plan to install a rainshower. But I am worried the water pressure will not be strong enough. What do you suggest?

Start by engaging a certified plumber to measure the water pressure in each bathroom. Wear and tear, air locked in pipes, choking and a malfunctioning booster pump all affect water pressure.

The responsibility of maintaining water pipes leading to a unit is divided among the town council, national water agency PUB and the flat owner. Go to http://www.tinyurl.com/ HDBpipes for details.

A spokesman for luxury sanitary fittings maker Hansgrohe says: "The optimal water pressure differs for different shower products, so it is important to share information about your site condition so the sales representativescan advise accordingly. As a guide, it is not recommended to install shower products with large shower faces or multiple functions for sites with weaker water pressure."

The type of water heater installed also plays a part, as handshowers that require high water pressure are not suitable for instant water heaters. For gas heaters, it is best you seek the advice of the supplier on the flow rate of the heater to determine which shower head to pick.

The parquet flooring in my bedroom is old and some strips have started coming loose due to water damage. Can I just glue them back or will they come loose again?

According to Mr Kelvin Tan of Maywell Lifestyles, which makes products from natural wood, properly maintained parquet floors can last up to 50 years.

Parquet strips are laid in the tongue-and-groove method, which means one links to the next.

"If one strip comes out, the rest will follow," says Mr Tan, who has more than 20 years' experience working in wood repairs and restoration.

The most common reason for popping parquet is water damage. The majority of such instances occur just outside the master bathroom entrance.

Mr Tan puts it down to the accumulative effect of post-shower wet feet. "When I look below the loose parquet, I usually find rotting plywood, which is the base layer parquet is installed on."

Most contractors prefer to remove the entire flooring and install new parquet, which can be costly.

If the damage is limited to a small area - of about 3 sq ft - Mr Tan prefers to saw off the damaged pieces and plywood and replace the subfloor with marine plywood.

Though marine ply is the most expensive, it resists rotting, warping and shrinking, and repels moisture.

To ensure colour and grain matching, he reuses the old parquet and refinishes the floor.

Home & Decor and experts in renovation and home decoration answer queries from readers in this series. These questions first appeared in the August issue of Home & Decor, published by SPH Magazines.

Have a decorating or home renovation issue? Write to Experts Say, Home & Decor, Level 7 Media Centre, 82 Genting Lane, Singapore 349567 or e-mail maghomedecor@sph.com.sg. Photos and layouts are non-returnable.

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Experts Say - The Straits Times

A woman in Portland, Oregon, was having work done in her upstairs bathroom when she unearthed a secret box hidden by Fight Club author Chuck Palahniuk, KPTV reports.

The current homeowner, Jolynn Winter, bought the house ten years ago from the authorbut didn't realize that the guy had stashed some goodies in the walls before he left.

Contractors were pulling down the bathroom ceiling when they came across the time capsule: a sealed backgammon game box filled with Palahniuk's photos, notes, and an autographed copy of Fight Club dedicated to whoever found the box in the future. It also included blueprints for the original remodel and some Bush-era newspaper clippings.

Winter posted photos of the find on Facebook, promising to "pay it forward." After making the discovery, Winter decided to place Palahniuk's box back up above the ceiling and added a few new contributions from her family for the next homeowners to find.

According to the letter, Palahniuk remodeled the house in 2002, adding the upstairs half-bath and slipping in his time capsule in the process.

"To whoever find this box," it reads, "here are a few gifts from us. We've lived in this house since March 1997 and placed this box during a bathroom remodeling in 2002... We hope you're as happy in this house as we've been. We've done our best to leave it much nicer than we found it."

Whoever winds up buying Chuck's current home down the line, get ready, because in all likelihood some nondescript wall hides a great treasurean autographed copy of his new adult coloring book.

Continue reading here:
A Woman Found a Secret Box from Chuck Palahniuk Hidden in Her Ceiling - VICE

Blue Diamond Remodeling Inc, a remodeling company which does work in Austin and Round Rock, TX, is proud to announce that they have received another rave review from a happy homeowner. To showcase this and show their gratitude, Blue Diamond Remodeling has created a YouTube video to share it with others. The company encourages everyone to watch the video to get a better sense of the quality of work that they do and the services they provide.

Company representatives frequently explain that in their business, great feedback is their best reward. When clients share their appreciation of a job well done, employees are compelled to share it with everyone else. Blue Diamond Remodelings staff works hard to please their clients and they're rightfully proud of the job that they do. They understand that it is always great to be recognized, especially when clients take the time to post a review online.

The review video can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gd2iCiqXCz4. In it, Round Rock homeowner Kate P. says: "Blue Diamond did a great job of updating our master suite. The bathroom was gutted and completely redone and the bedroom was updated. There were several things I really liked about working with them. They listened to me and got everything I said. I felt totally in control of the project."

Blue Diamond Remodeling always encourages clients to share their experiences in any way possible. This is why they have also launched their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/BlueDiamondRemodeling, where people are not just able to leave reviews or discuss their overall experience with the company, but they can also ask questions and be kept informed on a variety of different issues that affect the home remodeling industry.

Indeed, Kate P. also added a personal recommendation of one of the Blue Diamond Remodeling subcontractors, highlighting the fantastic work he did as an individual. Furthermore, she mentions the fact that workers always arrived on time, and that the results are completely up to the standard she was looking for. For Blue Diamond Remodeling, these types of reviews and comments are incredibly helpful in terms of ensuring that they continue to deliver the same high quality work, showing them that they are doing what is expected and more.

For more information regarding bathroom renovation in Round Rock contact Maxwell Rucker: maxwell@bluediamondremodeling.com. Blue Diamond Remodeling Inc. 1151 Provident Ln STE A , Round Rock, TX 78664. (512) 371-1888.

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Contact City Scene Media:

Bradley Benner(877) 406-2082support@cityscene.mediaCity Scene Media205 S Main St # 1281Culpeper, VA 22701

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Round Rock Bathroom Remodeling Contractor Receives Rave Review - Digital Journal