Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Patrice and Richard Ellis sleep in their home, but they livein their backyard.

Theirs is anything but a normal backyard with a 16-foot-by-40-foot porch, a patio, a pond with a fountain, an outdoor kitchen, a gazebo and several planted areas, all designed and built by the Ellises.

But it wasn't always like that.

"When we bought the house in Broussard Oaks in 1978, you came out the back door to a little glass porch," Richard Ellis says. "The whole backyard was nothing but St. Augustine grass, three inches thick, up to the house."

While their two children, Emily and Dawson, were young, the Ellises did nothing to the yard except build a tree house in the back corner.

"The yard was all for the kids," Richard Ellis says. "They just lived in that tree house."

When Dawson made the golf team at Catholic High, he converted part of the yard into a putting green.

In 1981, when St. Joseph's Academy was demolishing its old parking lot, the Ellises asked if they could have the concrete slab. They hauled the pieces of concrete to their backyard, dug out an area on the south side, added a layer of sand and set the pieces of concrete in the sand to make a patio. Several years later, they built a trellis for a swing and a small deck from the house. And, when Richard Ellis' brother decided to give away a fireplace, they took that, too.

The backyard was nice but inefficient with two small patio areas at different ends.

"The area was just not big enough for entertaining, which we love to do," Patrice Ellis said. "We had two entertaining areas that did not work."

In 2010, while Patrice was out of town, Richard Ellis took down the trellised area. And, as they often do, one thing lead to another, and so started the process of redesigning the backyard with the large porch attached to the house.

The Ellises hired someone to frame up the big porch and put in the rafters.

"We did the posts and everything else," Patrice Ellis said. "We painted, did the tile work and moved the fireplace."

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With its seating and dining areas, the porch functions like a large den with wooden shades that can be pulled down in cold weather. Dawson Ellis made the Adirondack-style outdoor furniture.

As part of their improvements, the couple added a work area with a kiln for Patrice Ellis to make pottery, a potting area for gardening and a kitchen. One Christmas, Richard Ellis gave Patrice a book on gazebos and told her to pick one out. They built it together.

Years before, the Ellises had built a pond and landscaped the area around it in a formal English style.

"We got tired of it," Patrice Ellis said, "so one Mother's Day, I got 2,000 pounds of river rock, and Dawson and his wife, Madeline, came and pulled out the old pond. The original liner was there, so they opened it out to make the pond a little bigger and a little less formal."

At the center of the backyard is a water oak planted from a seedling by the Ellises' daughter, Emily Ellis Welch, when she was about 6. She lives in Shreveport with her husband, Johnny, and their two children.

The water oak, along with four live oaks, completely shades the yard, which is lined with masses of aspidistra interspersed with ligularia, nandina, crepe myrtles, caladiums and coleus. There are two main planted areas and a small serenity area around a statue of St. Francis. Connecting the areas are gravel paths laid out and maintained by Richard Ellis.

The last addition is a cottage garden on the street side of the house by the entrance to the backyard. It's the one sunny spot in the yard. They also added an attractive garden shed copied from one they saw in Southern Living magazine. "We built that, too," Richard Ellis said.

Both Richard and Patrice Ellis are from large families, and they are always getting together with family members and friends. They continue the tradition of a Christmas Eve party started by Richard Ellis' mother many years ago. They have New Year's Eve, St. Patrick's Day and often Mardi Gras parties.

"All of our friends know we are going to be in the backyard," Patrice Ellis said.

"We don't use our front door," Richard Ellis added. "You have to come to the side."

Read more here:
How a Broussard Oaks couple slowly, but surely, created the backyard of their dreams - The Advocate

In her kitchen, Jenifer Strachan never breaks a dish. Every day, meals are eaten on antique china free from cracks or chips. But down in her studio there are piles of cracked and chipped plates, cups, saucers and bowls, dating from 1790 to the 1940s. They live in stacks and get crunched into pieces to begin a new life as mosaics.

Ms. Strachan works in the pique assiette tradition, translating loosely to stolen from dishes.

An ornate curlicue floating on the edge of a plate is a cats whisker or a butterflys antenna. An inscription on an old plate becomes a cats name, Marmalade or Jewel. A blue and white illustration of a ship is placed in the tumultuous swell of a wave.

The shards may be found half buried in the sand on the beach, in tubs of donated dishes on the shelves of Chicken Alley, or stacked at yard sales held on the weekends.Almost every day of my life, someone will give me a dish they loved, said Ms. Strachan. But she doesnt work with just any dish. Ms. Strachan prefers to work with English china.

Tile nippers help her to be precise when breaking dishes. Jeanna Shepard

Ive worked with them for so long, I know exactly how theyll break, she said. These are paintings with plates, so the plates are my palette.

And she never uses a hammer. Its too noisy and wasteful, she said, preferring instead the specific control of tile nippers. In fact, everything about her mosaics comes down to control. The spaces between the shards is as important to the integrity of the piece as the shard itself.

It creates a labyrinth between them, a passageway, even there I use a lot of control, she said. Around the picture I leave a bigger space, but the background is just as important to me.

Words on the dishes, the cartouches on the backs, the texture of a feather edged plate and the pattern all decide the fate of a piece of china.

As Im working, Im constantly inspired by the dishes that I find, Ms. Strachan said.

Blue and white English china makes for frothy reaching waves, a consistent theme in her work inspired by Hokusai. Ms. Strachans work often features animals, be they on land or sea, and water themes. A current commission is a mermaid swirling in the waves, destined to join a narwhal in Aquinnah.

A photograph of one of her mosaics of a North Atlantic right whale recently

made the cover of The National Academies of Science Ocean Studies Report.

Looking at the mosaic still hanging in her home, Ms. Strachan said, I dream a lot about whales.

Breaking it down to build it back up again. Jeanna Shepard

She is drawn to cool colors, blues and greens, finding bright oranges and fiery reds difficult to look at for long periods of time. Born on the Vineyard, its no surprise Ms. Strachan feels a deep connection to the beach. She grew up on the South Shore, looking for arrowheads, picking blueberries and crabbing. Occasionally, shells make their way into her mosaics.

She comes from a long line of artists and people who worked with their hands. Her great-great-great-great grandfather was the renowned Connecticut clock maker Seth Thomas. Her mother made all her clothes, her father did stained glasswork. One grandfather carved wooden birds and did glass art.

She remembers casting concrete mushrooms when she was a child. Her father thought it would be an excellent trick to plant the mushrooms in her grandparents garden.

We liked fun and a little bit of mischief . . . we would never go to stores and buy things, she said. We made everything.

One of those early mushrooms now sits near the dirt path specked with chips of china that leads to her tree-house-like studio, which she built herself. Nearby, sits an eight-foot rabbit chair she hand-sculpted.

Along with a childhood marked by nature, Ms. Strachan also remembers being a careful child. She was a classically trained ballet dancer and played classical flute. She was drawn to arts that favored a light touch and grace to hide the amount strength required. Though she does not dance or play the flute as much as she did in her youth, the discipline to focus on a single task stayed with her.

My work takes a lot of concentration, I have to be able to sit here for hours and hours and hours gluing little pieces together.

Her childhood ingrained within her a sense of wonder and a respect of nature. It also instilled an independence by necessity.

See Jenifer's work at mvmosaics.com Jeanna Shepard

I did run away when I was 16, she said. Ive had to change my life over a couple times. Ive lost everything in my life a couple times.

The losses have helped Ms. Strachan understand she can restart anywhere. Wherever I am I can go to the thrift shop, find some broken dishes and find a piece of wood, she said.

Ms. Strachan is self-taught. Her lessons began in a restaurant called Spoleto in Northampton. She was in grad school and her friend was opening a restaurant. Shed been inspired by a trip to Barcelona where she saw Antonio Gaudis work and suggested covering the 50-foot bar in a mosaic.

From the very beginning, she gravitated toward fine china and slow, careful work.

Everyone was trying to work as fast as they could . . . and I just sat down and made a face of a moon out of these dishes. I sat there for days and days and days making this moon with exact eyes and exact lips.

Though she went to school for science, Ms. Strachan has never been anything but an artist. In graduate school, while studying bio-chemistry, her professors began buying her jewelry and mosaics. All the time Im selling my art, selling my art, selling my art, and I thought, well I like the lifestyle of an artist and I dont really want to work inside in a

laboratory all day long, so I think Ill be an artist, she said.

She was offered a show at the Field Gallery, where she showed for many years through the 1990s. Now she mainly works through commission, often incorporating the clients own dishes into the piece.

Ms. Strachan has innate dish sense; she can walk into a shop and immediately find the exact dish she wants. She also always knows who is calling when the phone rings and can always find peoples lost items.

For a mosaic, she begins with a complete vision in her head and then draws it in detail on a board. I stick right to the drawing thats underneath, I really do, she said. If I do a tongue of a snake or an eyelash on a bird I will find a plate that has that eyelash.

She uses tile nippers to nibble out pieces of plates and cups and turns them into the flowing hair of a mermaid, the regal curve of a right whale, the twinkling eyes of a randy cat. She usually starts with the eyes.

Matching the plate to the piece is mostly about color, she said, with texture added in. Some pieces, like a small mosaic of a coffee cup, utilize the Favrile technique, placing shards at angles to increase the texture of the piece.

In each case, a delicate piece of china is given strength in a mosaic.

Mosaics survive everything, theyve been around for centuries and centuries, Ms. Strachan said.

See Jenifer Strachans work at mvmosaics.com.

Read more from the original source:
Breaking Into Art, a Shard at a Time - The Vineyard Gazette - Martha's Vineyard News

With the new school year comes new updates, renovations and projects for school districts in and around Howard County. The following is a look at what has changed at area schools.

KOKOMO

The Kokomo School Corporation has been working to renovate several buildings in the district, including Pettit Park and Wallace elementary schools and Maple Crest and Central middle schools.

At Pettit Park Elementary, the district is working to move the administration office and add a cafeteria.

Until now, the administration office has been in the middle of the building, meaning parents and visitors have to walk through the halls to sign in. The change is part of a district-wide initiative to add more security.

The school also has not had a kitchen that allows for food to be prepared on-site, so it has had meals prepared off-site and delivered to Pettit Park. The renovation will allow it to prepare food on-site and will provide a dedicated cafeteria, along with a stage for school performances.

The work at Wallace Elementary is now complete. The school now has a new drop-off area for lower grades, allowing for faster drop-off and pick up before and after school. The renovation included five new classrooms, a new cafeteria and a new kitchen.

At Maple Crest Middle School, the renovations are underway to add a new media center and a new art room. Other work has included a new culinary arts space and renovations to the restrooms. With the culinary arts space, students will be able to prepare food, which they can then sell in the cafeteria.

Work is being done at Central Middle School to expand the media center and renovate other parts of the building.

The district also is renovating its football field and practice field, as well as the track at the high school. The project will transform the fields from grass to synthetic turf, a move that many schools in the state have been making over the last few years.

The projects for the Kokomo School Corporation are expected to be completed from the end of the year into 2018.

TAYLOR

The Taylor Community School Corporation announced earlier this year its plan to add solar panels on land it owns near the middle and high school. The panels will allow the district to generate most to all of its energy needs.

Chris Smith, superintendent of the district, said the project hopefully will allow Taylor to save money in its general fund that is usually spent on power. The money could potentially go toward salaries and classroom supplies.

We run a pretty tight budget so that could really help us out, Smith said.

The work was initially planned for completion by the end of the summer, but a change to specifications for the transformers in the project set it back. Smith said the project should be completed in the next few weeks.

Taylor will be the first district in Howard County to have solar panels, and the project will take advantage of current net metering rules, which will allow the district to sell back energy to Duke at a retail rate, making it cost-effective for the district.

NORTHWESTERN

The Northwestern School Corporation is completing work on its first project for its athletic fields. The current project will ultimately include three renovated fields, changing the fields from grass to synthetic turf. The tennis fields are also included in the projects, and the school is also renovating its pool.

Its going to be a beautiful, beautiful place for the athletic facilities, said Blake Betzner, director of facilities at Northwestern.

Betzner said the rain has slowed the project a little over the summer, but the work is currently wrapping up.

See more here:
New year, new look: Schools work to update facilities - Kokomo Tribune

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According to the National Kitchen and Bath Association, the average bathroom remodel in 2016 cost a little over $10,000 with 20 percent of that being spent on labor. But if you can do most of the work yourself, just think about the savings.

Tasha Agruso, blogger at Designer Trapped In a Lawyers Body, did just that, and the money she ended up saving was phenomenal. For half that average price, a total of $5,000, she was able to completely remodel the dark and outdated bathroom in her home, turning it into a modern space with a clean look and fun pops of color.

Before the remodel, this bathroom felt outdated with old tiles and dingy carpet.

One of the most dramatic differences is the use of white subway tiles in the bathtub/shower area and wall. Agruso said it was a ton of work, but completely worth it.

After the remodel, the bathroom feels clean and modern.

It just makes all the difference in the world, she wrote on her blog. It serves as the perfect backdrop for this awesome lucite shelves I found at Homegoods. They just wouldn't pop the same way if this wall was just painted.

How to transform your bathroom for $10 Play Video - 1:02

How to transform your bathroom for $10 Play Video - 1:02

These lucite shelves really pop against the subway tile.

A unique design feature is the penny tile used in the shower niches. I love the contrast and visual interest it adds, she said.

Penny tile in the shower niches adds texture and interest.

The outdated cabinets were replaced with a walnut hue, and the counter and sinks were updated, too. Agruso also replaced the tub, toilet and hardware basically everything in the room is new.

New cabinets and countertop give the room an fresher feel.

A fun detail is the rustic, farmhouse-style towel hooks she ordered from Decor Steals. They next to a gallery wall of original artwork from her daughters and pages from inexpensive art print books. Throw in some fun geometric wall vases with air plants and it was a wrap, she said. I love how it turned out.

Unique towel hooks hang on the gallery wall filled with pictures by her kids.

While Agruso and her family did most of the work themselves, they did hire professional help for some plumbing and drywall work, costing about $1,500. See how quickly labor adds up when you don't do it yourself? she pointed out.

See more of the gorgeous DIY bathroom remodel on Agrusos blog.

Read this article:
This 1 DIY feature turned an outdated bathroom into a modern marvel - Today.com

Sightglass Coffees newest shop at Divisadero and Page in San Francisco. All photos courtesy of Sightglass Coffee.

Last week, San Francisco mainstay Sightglass Coffee opened its fifth retail location in the city by the bay.

At the corner of Divisadero and Page a block north of Lower Haight, the new 2,000-square-foot coffeehouseis the companys third standalone shop, and its first to feature a walk-up window, providing passers-by with the opportunity to snag a quality coffee while hustling on their way.

This location has a lot of street traffic, theres a lot of commuting happening there Its a block off The Wiggle, Sightglass Cofffee Director of Content Arlo Crawford told Daily Coffee News, referring to a popular San Francisco bike route that zig-zags through several neighborhoods. A number of busy bus lines also stop nearby, and so to get coffee in peoples hands quicker, the new shops window service has its own dedicated 2-group La Marzocco Linea turning out a simplified menu that excludes manual pourovers.

For the full Sightglass menu, slow drinks and all, patrons can stroll in among the detailed tile, wood and metal work. Yet for all the intricate details, it was the foundation and originally low ceilings in the 1906 building that required some serious work, making the shop opening four years in the making in order to meet code.

The building required extensive structural work, Crawford said. It was as extensive a rebuild as you could possible do.

Sightglass Divisadero was also a passion project for owners and brothers Jerad and Justin Morrison, both of whom lived in the neighborhood when they launchedthe coffee business eightyears ago, considering it an area of interest from the get-go. Jerad still lives nearby. Said Crawford, Its a feeling like theyve come full circle over there.

Two Kees van der Westen Spirit espresso machines turn out drinks ground by a Mazzer Kold and roasted in the companys SOMA-district roastery caf. Manual pourover options are available for those with a moment to spare, while Fetco batch brews are at the ready for those on the move.

The tap system for cold brew and other cold drinks is slightly more elaborate than at the other locations, reflective of a direction Crawford thinks the other bars might follow in time in terms of streamlining cold drink service. However, the menu in the new caf is essentially the same as at other Sightglass spots.

The Sightglass SOMA roastery and cafe.

The focus is just on getting this store dialed in, Crawford said. Its not a growth first company by any means,

The new Sightglass Coffee is open for business at 301 Divisadero Street in San Francisco.

Howard Bryman Howard Bryman is the associate editor of Daily Coffee News by Roast Magazine. He is based in Portland, Oregon.

Tags: Arlo Crawford, Jerad Morrison, Justin Morrison, Kees van der Westen, San Francisco, Sightglass Coffee, Sightglass Coffee Roasters

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After Years of Work, Sightglass Coffee Opens On San Francisco's Divisadero - Daily Coffee News

The Mall of Georgia is set to begin work on a new food court that they will call The Dining Pavilion and also plan to renovate the outdoor area known as The Village, officials said.

Simon, which owns the mall, said it has its sights set on making the food court into a premier dining destination. In a press release, Simon said the food court will undergo a major transformation that will involve many upgrades, including a new color palette, a bar-height seating area, soft-seating banquettes, communal-style table along with lighting upgrades and new tile flooring.

The mall announced enhancements to the Village that will include a new fire pit, state-of-the-art synthetic turf in the amphitheater and a newly designed childrens play area named The Park. Upgrades will also include the installation of comfortable seating, Adirondack chairs, accent lighting, a new sound system throughout The Village and LED lighting in the interactive fountain.(Artist Rendering: Simon)

Our goal is to continually evolve as a shopping, dining and entertainment destination, both for our local community and across the southeast, said Mall of Georgia General Manager John DiCioccio. This renovation project further strengthens Mall of Georgia as one of the areas premier landmarks and will ultimately provide our guests a next-level experience, whether visiting one of our coveted brands, dining in any of the top eateries or attending one of the many community events and live entertainment held in The Village area.

Officials said renovations will also take place in the mens and family restrooms adjacent to the food court. According to the relase, both restrooms will receive updated paint, modern accent fixtures and upgraded lighting. A new hand washing station will also be installed in the mens restroom corridor. These enhancements follow a recent update of the womens restrooms.

In addition to those areas insise, the mall plans to renovate The Village area located right outside of the food court. That area includes six restaurants including The Cheesecake Fatory, Marlows Tavern and Tin Lizzys Catina. Plans call for a fire pit to be installed in that area as well as state-of-the-art synthetic turf in the amphitheater and a newly designed childrens play area named The Park.

Officials said the renovation will also include the installation of comfortable seating, Adirondack chairs, accent lighting, a new sound system throughout The Village and LED lighting in the interactive fountain.

The plan, officials said, is to have all the renovations completed by the end of the year. The mall will remain open through all phases of the work.

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Mall of Georgia food court, outdoor Village to undergo 'major transformation' - Gwinnettdailypost.com

The small blue and turquoise pieces of the Cannon River wind along the west exterior wall of Faribaults Chamber of Commerce.

Nearby, a grove of trees in shades of green stand at attention and a cluster of daisies is tickled by an oversize hummingbird buzzing overhead. Piece by piece, section by section, Caron Bell affixes the colorful segments of tile to the backing board, made specifically to withstand the weather. With each step up the ladder, the design comes more clearly into focus.

The 5-foot-6 mosaic, which celebrates the life of former Chamber Marketing Director Barb Larson, came from images of the Cannon and the areas wildflowers, said Bell, a Minneapolis artist whose proposal was selected over nine others. Bell said she wanted a design that was reflective of the city and of Larson, a beloved Faribaulter who was killed last December at the chamber office by her ex-husband in a murder-suicide that shocked the community.

It was something Im truly connected to, said Bell. So it didnt feel like work.

Bell, who lost her father, younger brother and longtime boyfriend within a three-year span, said she immediately felt drawn to the project. Grief counseling, she said, taught her that nothing will ever fully take away the sadness that those type of losses bring.

Theres always going to be this hole. Its how we fill it. Why not fill it with goodness, love and kindness? I knew I was going to be picked, she said of her selection, laughing off her prescience.

As Bell, Chamber staff, and Larsons sisters and sons worked to hone the design, the artist wanted to use colors Larson favored and incorporated six words that describe Larson and the Faribault community: welcoming, friendly, beautiful, strong, hopeful and passionate. Those words are embossed in many of the tiles, made specifically for the project by a Minneapolis tile maker.

Barbs son, Erik Larson, who checked on the installation Saturday morning, said he was especially taken with those tiles, and others from Portugal and Italy. The words and the tiles origin truly reflected his mom, her personality and her love of travel, he said.

Watching Bell complete the piece, Erik Larson said he thought how beautiful it was and how beautiful my mom was on the inside and out.

Bell said the project took about two months start to finish.

It follows a remodel of the Chamber lobby where the Larsons died. Its now an open space filled with vivid hues deep turquoise and orange that reach skyward. Chamber President Kymn Anderson, who points out the remodeling was paid for by several local businesses, says a second piece of art honoring Barb Larson will soon grace the lobby. This one, a textile, will be completed by Northfield artist Judy Saye-Willis.

Saye-Willis, a friend of Larsons, shed her initial grief by dying fabrics using deep, dark tones, said Anderson. But as she moved through the shock, the colors became brighter. She ended, Anderson said, by using a turquoise dye on a creamy silk that will be used to create the finished piece, Hope.

The connection to Larson, for mosaic artist Bell, didnt end once the design was set.

During the process, I felt there was motivation because of (Barb) and I could feel her presence, said Bell, noting how the synchronicity would give her chills.

Kymn needs this, she said of Anderson, the community needs this.

Erik Larson said, he, too, has experienced a measure of healing from the artwork and what it represents.

It feels good that the community wants to do this for her, he said. I just cant get over how helpful the community has been. Its home.

Reach Regional Managing Editor Suzanne Rook at 507-333-3134. Follow her on Twitter @rooksuzy

More here:
Artwork celebrates the life of beloved chamber employee - Southernminn.com

The Original Tune-Up: Wood Reconditioning

Cabinet Refacing or Re-dooring

Custom cabinets

Cabinet Storage Accessories

Granite Counter Tune-Up

Has everyday wear and tear caught up with your cabinets? Are your cabinet drawers worn? Does the wood seem greasy or grimy? Our unique, comprehensive wood reconditioning process (tune-up) makes woodwork look like new in only one day. Our amazing, affordable process works on cabinets, window sills, mantels etc. in your kitchen and throughout your home and business.

If you want to update the style of your kitchen without a dramatic change or are simply looking to refresh your cabinets, cabinet redooring may work for you. In about two days you can get an updated look without the hassle or cost of installing new cabinets.

Cabinet refacing enables you to revitalize your kitchen with new doors, drawer fronts and matching veneer, while keeping your existing cabinet boxes. Without changing the familiar layout of your kitchen, you can improve both its appearance and durability. You can create a new kitchen look without the new kitchen price tag in only three to four days.

If you would like to change the layout of your kitchen, need special cabinetry or simply want a completely new and fresh look, we can help. With countless styles and colors to choose from, we make it easy to create the kitchen of your dreams. We'll start by visiting your home for an initial free consultation. If you know what you want, well help you achieve it. If you need creative ideas, well show you plenty. We are there to listen to your wants and needs.

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"Thanks to the Ericksons! Everything happened on time and the estimates they gave me were realistic and true. The kitchen turned out better than I had hoped. Thanks!!

--Kathy Rooney, Gooding 5/15 (Full Reface, 2 new cabinets, countertop)

I absolutely love my new kitchen! The entire team, Noel, Donna, Steven and Dela, were so personable and helpful.

-Deb Drake, Kimberly (Cabinet Reface, new countertop and backsplash, added cabinets)

Our cupboards look great! I was very tickled! The cabinets looked like new!

--Sandy Vickers, Twin Falls(Tune-up)

I am very pleased with the tune-up My cabinets look beautiful! The Ericksons are professional and very accommodating very nice people towork with.

Rosita Lecertua, Twin Falls

Extremely good and hard-working crew. Nice to see in this day and age.

-Frances Kambrich,Buhl. (Whole house tune-up)

A great job done! Thirty-year-old cupboards look like new! Nice people to work with.

-- Jim and Betty Yeggy, Twin Falls

You could not have nicer people working for you. Very knowledgeable really present product with sincerity. Wonderful service and product.Our kitchen is beautiful!

--Tom and Sue Burnikel, Twin Falls (Reface)

I walked in and it took my breath away! Its really beautiful! I cant believe its the same kitchen! I have been so pleased with the cabinets, the workmanship and the service.

--Barbara Thompson, Hailey(Reface)

"Lori and I want to express our gratitude to Noel, Donna and Steven Erickson for their professionalism and work quality in the remodeling of our kitchen and bathrooms. Their work was on time and it was of high quality. The most impressive thing about the Kitchen Tune -Up folks was their excellent communications with us before, during and after our kitchen remodel. They are honest and sincere in their desire to do the best for their customer. We would hire them again when needed and certainly would recommend them to others. We have received many compliments about how nice the kitchen looks. Thank you again Kitchen Tune- Up team. You are the best!"

--Ken and Lori Gates, Twin Falls

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Kitchen Tune-Up of Twin Falls - Twin Falls Times-News

(From left) Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) outlined plans for the rest of the summer session yesterday. C-SPAN

Despite weeks of partisan fighting over health care, Senate leadership said yesterday they're aiming to confirm a slew of pending executive branch nominees before breaking for the August recess.

Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) both signaled they were making progress on what the Kentucky Republican said could be "a pretty robust package of nominations that will clear, that will help the administration get up and get running, which has been, as you know, quite a challenge for them."

Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) contrasted the pace of confirmations under President Obama, when Republicans were in the minority, to that of Trump's record for the same period. Obama's 206 is "about four for every one" of Trump's 55, he said.

He noted that 84 pending nominees have cleared committees and are "ready to go." Barrasso called on Schumer to drop his nominee blockade as vowed, now that the health care fight was over.

Schumer defended the delays, saying Cabinet slots and high-level positions such as the FBI director deserve a close vetting. "To just rush them through doesn't make much sense," he told reporters.

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But the minority leader said he would honor his pledge to stop dragging the confirmation process out.

"When they weren't doing regular order on health care, we were not going to do regular order on the things they want," Schumer said. "And then they say to us no regular order on the most important thing we're facing. But I always said after health care was over, we'd try to get together on a good package, and we're making good progress in that regard."

Among the pending nominees are Robert Powelson and Neil Chatterjee, two Trump picks for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission whose confirmation would restore the agency to a voting quorum for the first time in months.

Should the White House submit the nomination of Richard Glick, the Democrats' pick to fill another FERC vacancy, to the Senate in the coming days, that could ease the path for Powelson and Chatterjee.

Also awaiting floor votes are: Susan Bodine, Trump's pick to lead U.S. EPA's enforcement office; Annie Caputo and David Wright to join the Nuclear Regulatory Commission; and Trump's pick to be deputy Energy secretary, Dan Brouillette, who cleared committee last month.

Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) recently told Politico he had a hold on Brouillette's nomination over the Trump administration's plans to revive the proposed nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nev.

The Senate yesterday voted 66-31 to confirm Kevin Newsom to be a judge on the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which occasionally hears environmental law cases out of Florida, Georgia and Alabama.

Newsom, a former solicitor general for Alabama, is Trump's third appeals court appointee. Most recently, he was a partner at Alabama-based Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP. He also previously was an associate at the D.C. office of Covington & Burling and a clerk for former Supreme Court Justice David Souter.

Additionally, the Senate confirmed Christopher Wray, to replace fired FBI Director James Comey, by a 92-5 margin.

Senators also approved several Defense picks by voice vote, including: Richard Spencer to be secretary of the Navy; Lucian Niemeyer to be an assistant secretary of Defense; and, Ellen Lord to be undersecretary of Defense for acquisition.

Reporter Amanda Reilly contributed.

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Senate leaders working on 'robust' deal on nominees - E&E News

Below is a list of frequently asked questions and their answers regarding commercial HVAC systems.

What is HVAC?How does my AC work?What type of AC systems are available?How is humidity controlled with an AC system?How do refrigerants deplete the ozone layer?

What is HVAC?

Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) equipment perform heating and/or cooling for residential, commercial or industrial buildings. The HVAC system may also be responsible for providing fresh outdoor air to dilute interior airborne contaminants such as odors from occupants, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from interior furnishings, chemicals used for cleaning, etc. A properly designed system will provide a comfortable indoor environment year round when properly maintained.

How does my AC work?

An air conditioner cools and dehumidifies the air as is passes over a cold coil surface. The indoor coil is an air-to-liquid heat exchanger with rows of tubes that pass the liquid through the coil. Finned surfaces connected to these tubes increase the overall surface area of the cold surface thereby increasing the heat transfer characteristics between the air passing over the coil and liquid passing through the coil. The type of liquid used depends on the system selected. Direct-expansion (DX) equipment uses refrigerant as the liquid medium. Chilled-water (CW) can also be used as a liquid medium. When the required temperature of a chilled water system is near the freezing point of water, freeze protection is added in the form of glycols or salts. Regardless of the liquid medium used, the liquid is delivered to the cooling coil at a cold temperature.

In the case of direct expansion equipment, the air passing over the indoor cooling coil heats the cold liquid refrigerant. Heating the refrigerant causes boiling and transforms the refrigerant from a cold liquid to a warm gas. This warm gas (or vapor) is pumped from the cooling coil to the compressor through a copper tube (suction line to the compressor) where the warm gas is compressed. In some cases, an accumulator is placed between the cooling coil and the compressor to capture unused liquid refrigerant and ensures that only vapor enters the compressor. The compression process increases the pressure of the refrigerant vapor and significantly increases the temperature of the vapor. The compressor pumps the vapor through another heat exchanger (outdoor condenser) where heat is rejected and the hot gas is condensed to a warm high pressure liquid. This warm high pressure liquid is pumped through a smaller copper tube (liquid line) to a filter (or filter/dryer) and then on to an expansion device where the high pressure liquid is reduced to a cold, low pressure liquid. The cold liquid enters the indoor cooling coil and the process repeats.

As this liquid passes through the indoor cooling coil on the inside of the heat exchanger, two things happen to the air that passes over the coils surface on the outside of the heat exchanger. The airs temperature is lowered (sensible cooling) and moisture in the air is removed (latent cooling) if the indoor air dew point is higher than the temperature of the coils surface. The total cooling (capacity) of an AC system is the sum of the sensible and latent cooling. Many factors influence the cooling capacity of a DX air conditioner. Total cooling is inversely proportional to outdoor temperature. As the outdoor temperature increases the total capacity is reduced. Air flow over the indoor cooling coil also affects the coils capacity and is directly proportional to the total capacity of an AC system. As air flow increases, the total capacity also increases. At higher air flow rates the latent capacity of the cooling coil is reduced. Indoor temperature and humidity also affect the total capacity of the AC system. As indoor temperatures increase, the sensible capacity also increases. Similarly, as indoor relative humidity increases the latent capacity of the AC system increases. Manufacturers of AC equipment typically provide a performance map of specific equipment to show how total, sensible, and latent capacity change with changing indoor and outdoor temperatures and humidity. Power consumption and energy efficiency are also provided in these charts.

What type of AC systems are available?

Cooling Only Split-System

A split system is a combination of an indoor air handling unit and an outdoor condensing unit. The indoor air handling unit contains a supply air fan and an air-to-refrigerant heat exchanger (or cooling coil), and the expansion device. The outdoor condensing unit consists of a compressor and a condenser coil. Split-systems are typically found in residential or small commercial buildings. These systems have the highest energy efficiency rating (EER) of all the available AC systems. Manufacturers are required to take the EER rating a step further and provide a seasonal energy efficiency rating (SEER) for use by consumers. SEER ratings vary widely and range from 10 to 20. The higher the SEER rating, the more efficient the AC system operates. If heating is required, an alternate method of heating the interior of the building must be used, usually in the form of electric or gas heating.

Cooling Only Packaged-System

A packaged system is a single unit combining all the components described in the split system. Since the unit is a package, it must be placed outside the building and indoor air is ducted from the building to the packaged system and back through an air distribution system. These units typically have SEER rating from 10 to 18. If heating is required, an alternate method of heating the interior of the building must be used, usually in the form of electric or gas heating.

Heat Pump

Heat pumps are similar to cooling only systems with one exception. A special valve in the refrigeration piping allow the refrigeration cycle to be operated in reverse. A cooling only system cools the indoor air and rejects heat to the outdoors. A heat pump can also cool the indoor air, but when the valve is reversed, the indoor air is heated. A supplementary electric resistance heater may also be used to assist the heat pump at lower outdoor temperatures. In colder climates, heat pumps require a defrost period. During defrost times the electric heater is the only means of heating the interior of the building. These units are manufactured as either split or packaged systems.

Chilled Water System

In a chilled water system, liquid water is pumped throughout the building to chilled water coils. Since the liquid water needs to be at a cold temperature, a cooling plant is required. The plant is typically referred to as a chiller plant. Vapor compression equipment in the plant, similar to that described in How does my AC work, cool water to a cold temperature and pump the cold water to air-to-water heat exchangers where needed.

Window Air Conditioners

As the name implies, a window air conditioner is typically installed in a window or custom opening in a wall. The Window AC can only cool small areas and are not intended to provide cooling to multiple rooms or zones. These air conditioners are manufactured as cool only or can provide both cooling and heating. An optional damper in the unit can provide fresh outdoor air if necessary.

Packaged Terminal Heat Pump

How is humidity controlled with an AC system?

Humidity is becoming more of a concern to building operators and owners. High indoor humidity leads to mold and mildew growth inside the building. The are several methods of controlling indoor humidity. The simplest (and most expensive) method is to connect a humidistat to an electric heater. When the humidity inside the building rises above the humidistat set point, the heater is turned on. The additional heat causes the air conditioning system to run longer and remove more moisture.

A more efficient method of controlling humidity is to use the waste heat from the refrigeration cycle itself. Instead of rejecting the waste heat outdoors, the heat is directed inside when humidity control is required. One form of heat reclaim is called hot-gas reheat or refrigerant desuperheating where refrigerant is passed through a heat exchanger located downstream of the cooling coil. The hot high pressure vapor leaving the compressor passes through this heat exchanger prior to entering the condenser coil. This in turn heats the indoor air and again causes the AC system to run longer to meet the thermostat set point. Although more energy is used, this is much more efficient than turning on an electric heater. Another form of heat reclaim is called sub-cool reheat. This strategy takes the warm liquid refrigerant from the condenser and passes it through a heat exchanger located downstream of the cooling coil. Less heat is available using this method because the majority of the heat has already been rejected at the condenser. Since more energy is used to pump liquid (as opposed to a gas) through the heat exchanger it would appear that this method is less efficient than the hot-gas method, however, the liquid in the heat exchanger is sub-cooled in the cold supply air stream which increases the capacity of the air conditioner. Since more capacity is available, the AC units is able to meet the thermostat more quickly.

Heat pipe heat exchangers or run-around coils perform a similar function when humidity control is required. Two heat exchanger are placed in the air stream, one upstream of the cooling coil and the other downstream of the cooling coil. These heat exchangers are connected together with piping. A heat transfer fluid, whether it be water or refrigerant, is either pumped or gravity fed from one heat exchanger to the other. The heat exchanger down stream of the cooling coil (re-heat coil) cools the liquid medium inside the heat exchanger and heats the air passing over the heat exchanger. The cold liquid inside the heat exchanger is moved to the heat exchanger upstream of the cooling coil (pre-cool coil) where it pre-cools the air passing over the heat exchanger and warms the liquid passing through the heat exchanger. The affect of a heat pipe or run-around coil is to reduce the sensible heat capacity of the AC system. The latent capacity of the AC system increases if direct-expansion equipment is used or remains relatively constant if chilled water equipment is used. Since the sensible capacity of the AC system has been reduced, the system must run longer to meet the thermostat set point thereby removing more moisture.

How do refrigerants deplete the Ozone layer?

Refrigerant 22 (R-22 or MonoChloroDiFlouroMethane, CHClF2) is one of the most common refrigerants and is used in a wide variety of applications such as refrigeration, aerosol propellants, cleaning solvents, and foaming agents for plastics. This refrigerant is believed to be partially responsible for damaging the earths ozone layer and its use is being phased out over the next two decades. The ozone layer is a result of sunlight reacting with oxygen to produce a layer in the stratosphere more than 10 km above the earths surface. As R-22 refrigerant escapes from an AC system through leaks or is released into the atmosphere by other means, the R-22 molecule containing the chlorine atom (monochloro) rises in the atmosphere. Sunlight breaks down the R-22 molecule to yield a free chlorine radical (Cl-). The free chlorine radical combines with ozone (O3), decomposing it into normal oxygen (O2).

AC refrigerants come in many varieties. R-22 is the most common, however, due to interactions with the ozone layer R-22 is being phased out. Refrigerants manufactured as replacements for R-22 are HFC-134a, R-410a, R-410b to name a few. The new refrigerants do not contain the chlorine atom and are not harmful to the earths ozone layer.

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HVAC Systems