Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

At its meeting on June 21, the Commonwealth Transportation Board approved the Six Year Improvement Program. The funded projects in Roanoke County include features like traffic signal coordination, pedestrian improvements and interstate auxiliary lane additions.

Funded projects:

Plantation Road streetscape

Phase II constructs sidewalk, curb, gutter, drainage systems and plants street trees between Walrond Drive and Gander Way, on the west side of Plantation Road. It will add pedestrian signals and continental crosswalks to the Gander Way/Friendship Lane traffic signal. In addition, the Walrond Drive/Plantation Road intersection will be widened and realigned to provide a turn lane and improve sight distance for drivers turning out of Walrond Drive.

West Main Street sidewalks

This project will install sidewalk along the north side of West Main Street, from Daugherty Road to Technology Drive. It also includes a new continental crosswalk and pedestrian signals at Alleghany Drive and Daugherty Road intersections, as well as sidewalk along the south side of West Main Street from the Salem city limits to Technology Drive.

Williamson Road pedestrian improvements

This project adds sidewalk on the north side of Williamson Road to connect planned pedestrian signals and crosswalks at the Peters Creek Road/Williamson Road intersection to the Plantation Road Bicycle, Pedestrian and Streetscape Improvement Project, as well as existing Williamson Road sidewalk east of Plantation Road. The project will extend along Williamson Road (Route 11) from Peters Creek Road (Route 117) to Plantation Road (Route 115) on the north side of the street.

Oak Grove traffic control

This project will add Adaptive Traffic Control systems to seven existing traffic signals on Route 419, and to four existing traffic signals on Route 221, in the Cave Spring and Oak Grove areas of Roanoke County. The purpose of the installation is to decrease congestion on both corridors by improving the flow of traffic through adaptive optimization of the connected signals, which can detect traffic demand in real time.

I-81 widening

This project will provide a southbound auxiliary lane on I-81 between Exit 143 and Exit 141. The project will require inside/outside lane widening and widening of the southbound bridge.

Huffman Lane reconstruction

This project will reconstruct 0.1 miles of Huffman Lane and construct a turnaround.

For additional information about transportation projects, contact David Holladay, Roanoke County Planning Administrator, by email or by phone at (540) 772-2094.

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State approves funding for Roanoke County transportation projects - Roanoke Times

Meet the Kitchen Cousins

Anthony Carrino and his cousin John Colaneri scour the streets of New Jersey with their family-based construction company looking to breathe life into old, dismal kitchens. Whether it's creating a vibrant contemporary design or a classic look, the Kitchen Cousins are always up for a challenge. Browse some of their most striking kitchen remodels.

A badly-placed staircase and a washing machine take up much of the usable area in homeowner Michele's Hoboken, N.J. kitchen. And that's not all: dated flooring, cabinetry and appliances mean this space is desperate for a Kitchen Cousins makeover.

Michele requested a modern space that still felt connected to the century-old architecture in the rest of the house. Bold, contemporary cabinets and stainless steel details juxtapose nicely with the original pine flooring (discovered under the tired linoleum!).

By removing a wall between the kitchen and dining room, John and Anthony turned two small, unusable spaces into one larger spot perfect for parties.

A tin tile ceiling visually separates the kitchen and dining spaces and pays homage to the townhouse's past.

Not much has changed in Nalini Singh's Jersey City home since her parents bought it back in 1989 especially not her dingy, outdated kitchen. With a major lack of counter space and no cohesive design, Nalini's kitchen has certainly seen better days.

John and Anthony convinced Nalini to get rid of an old built-in hutch to make way for brand-new cabinets and appliances, but had part of the piece repurposed into a stylish bar cabinet. Purple walls and porcelain floor tiles made to look like light wood liven up the space.

Nalini couldn't believe this sleek, black table was the same wooden one from her old kitchen. The crew had it sanded, primed and spray-painted with a high-gloss lacquer to give it a fresh new look.

A crushed-glass mosaic backsplash against engineered stone countertops adds warmth and creates visual interest. The update more than doubled the amount of countertop space in Nalini's kitchen, giving her plenty of room to prepare food for friends and family.

The Orlandos, an Italian-American family living in a New Jersey condo, have outgrown their small, cookie-cutter kitchen. What's worse is that with an oven and a dishwasher that opens all the way to the floor, the kitchen is no place for the couple's three small children. Though several contractors have told Claudia and her husband Anthony if they wanted a bigger kitchen they'd have to move, the cousins think they can overcome the obstacles.

With a little help from the family, John and Anthony didn't just open up the Orlandos' kitchen, but the entire dining and living area as well. Running the cabinets along one wall creates more storage and countertop space, while ripping out the tile and continuing the flooring throughout makes the room appear larger. Claudia's father also helped the cousins move the family's modern chandelier over a few feet, centering the room.

Claudia often struggled with keeping her corner cabinet organized, so John and Anthony added Italian-style pullout shelves. Italian cabinets in white keep the space clean, while orange, chosen by Claudia's mother as an accent color, adds brightness.

When the cousins first arrived, Claudia introduced the boys to her home office: her pantry. John and Anthony created a built-in worktop, making it easier for Claudia to work and meet with clients from home.

Though Anthony Pino serves up delicious meals at Anthony David's and Bin 14, his kitchen at home doesnt do the head chef justice. A makeover for this cramped space was way overdue.

John and Anthony slid the island over to make a peninsula and closed off a rarely used basement door to create more space. Even though John was dying to add some color, his wife, Liz, always dreamed of having an all-white, traditional kitchen. White cabinets, a hidden dishwasher panel and honed Carrera marble countertops keep this kitchen pristine.

Honed marble is prone to stains, so the cousins created a custom wood chopping block out of 100-year-old flooring salvaged from homes around the area. A custom cousins touch: a burned-on Kitchen Cousins logo.

Iliana Martinez has remodeled her entire home except for this boring kitchen. John and Anthony are ready to make her dreams come true when she gives the cousins a shocking surprise she's already ordered custom, top-of-the-line appliances and cabinets from Italy, leaving them to abandon their initial ideas and work around hers!

For the Pinos' backsplash, John chose a neutral-toned glass tile with white grout to keep the white theme consistent. The tiles allow plenty of light to reflect off the surface and into the kitchen.

After a scramble to design around Iliana's cabinets and appliances, which included dual dishwashers, a double oven, a built-in espresso machine and a full-sized custom fridge, John and Anthony were able to pull together a bold, bright kitchen. A splash of red in a breakfast nook and a broken-glass backsplash tiled all the way up the wall give this space a unique look.

For her huge double ovens, John and Anthony built a dark wenge cabinet, an elegant contrast to the white lacquer throughout the rest of the kitchen. The cousins outfitted Iliana's espresso bar area with a shining stainless steel backsplash.

For Iliana, the kitchen is a place for the family to get together. The cousins created a banquette so the Martinez family would have a place to eat together or help the kids with homework. John and Anthony upholstered the area using a bright red to match the broken-glass backsplash.

John's mother was shocked to learn they were going to give her 20-year-old kitchen an overhaul. But with so much to do including completely opening up the space, giving her blah kitchen some color and new appliances and only a few weeks to do it, will the cousins have Aunt Denise's kitchen ready in time for Thanksgiving dinner?

John and Anthony were able to brave a snowstorm and power outage, a customs delay on their Italian cabinets and a race to find an oven the night before Thanksgiving. The new kitchen is warm, but still has a contemporary edge. The cousins closed off an unused door to create a galley kitchen with a massive 11-foot island plenty of room to fit Aunt Denise's hungry family!

Before renovations, Aunt Denise had been lighting her aging gas stove with a match. The boys installed a brand-new hood and a 5-burner, 36-inch gas cooktop. They also included a pot filler over the stove no more walking to the sink for pasta water!

This handmade, Moroccan-style backsplash adds color and contrast to the tobacco-stained oak cabinetry while also giving Aunt Denise's kitchen an authentic feel. Stainless steel countertops are a sleek and durable addition.

Devin has been living in his Jersey City home for 10 years, and is preparing for his girlfriend, Avril, to move in with her two children. Devin and Avril want to celebrate this coming together of the two families and turn his old, inefficient kitchen into a modern space they can call their own.

John and Anthony opened up Devin's small kitchen by tearing down a half wall and continuing the flooring into the dining room. White cabinets with splashes of color make what was once a dull space bright and full of light.

To further open the small space, the cousins cut and installed a picture-frame window in a wall adjacent to the living room. The boys then put a countertop in the window to create a breakfast bar where Devin and Avril can look at the television while eating and where friends and family can glance into the kitchen from the living room.

Devin and Avril weren't afraid of John's idea to use bold Tuscan orange in their kitchen. He created a striped focal wall of orange and gray hues to define the dining space.

Alfonso Ribeiro, best known as Carlton from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, is stuck with a Los Angeles kitchen that's trapped in the same era as the beloved show.

John and Anthony opened up the kitchen by taking down a wall and creating one large island in the center of the space. Cabinets with clean lines and a brownish-gray hue make it contemporary, yet still warm and inviting.

A pantry without a door, drab white cabinets and a utilitarian office space did their respective jobs, but with very little style.

A large island with a built-in cooktop provides stylish seating for five, while a 3-D wallcovering adds texture. A frosted glass door hides the visual clutter of pantry essentials.

Fashionista Jeannie Mai of the Style Network and Freddy Harteis, Sportsman Channel's Hollywood Hunter, called in the Kitchen Cousins to help marry their two styles to create a "rustic luxe" space. The kitchen has good bones, but the update will bring the style into this century.

The cousins kept the original cabinetry and lighting, adding textured white countertops and wallcoverings to brighten the space.

Chrome-and-powder-blue appliances from Big Chill add bursts of color and create a playful, vintage-inspired vibe.

The cousins used antlers from Freddy's collection and glossy white spray paint to create a DIY chandelier for the rustic dining room.

Lisa Rivera loves to entertain, but her builder basic kitchen and its cramped galley-style layout are anything but festive. The cousins are here to help with ideas to make this condo kitchen modern and vibrant.

Knocking down a wall between Lisa's kitchen and living room opened up the space to make room for a bar and a table to entertain guests. Sleek and modern gray cabinets provide streamlined storage.

A ceramic, 3-D wallcovering adds both bright color and interesting texture to the kitchen.

A massive, double-sided fireplace broke up the room and kept homeowners Rich and Shane Svorec from making the most of their space. They needed more storage options, a homework nook for their two children and some warm, rustic style.

The cousins covered the white brick fireplace with fieldstone and added a mantel made from 100-year-old floor joists salvaged from a building in Hoboken, N.J. Wide plank, white oak floors complement the warm wood cabinets.

Rich tore down a poorly-placed wall between the kitchen and living room to open up the space, but that's where the project stalled.

John and Anthony finished what Rich started, giving the kitchen designer finishing touches like solid wood cabinets, a hammered copper farmhouse sink and a vintage-inspired stove.

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Dazzling Kitchen Transformations From Kitchen Cousins ...

Editor's Note: The following is a guest contribution from Houzz, a leading platform for home remodeling and design.

Designers have many secrets they deploy for a successful kitchen remodel. Recently I shared 17 of my favorites, and here I offer 11 more. Read on for ideas that will make your kitchen more beautiful as well as more functional.

Before we get started, heres a bonus piece of advice: I highly recommend you invest your dollars in the best cabinetry you can afford, and worry about the appliances later. In other words, dont sacrifice the quality of your cabinets for new appliances if budget is an issue. Instead, delay purchasing your [clients] dream appliances. Why? Long after [your client has] replaced [the] refrigerator and dishwasher, the cabinets will be standing, and they are the foundation for a beautiful kitchen.

Now, onto more details that make a difference.

Most kitchen remodels incorporate the refrigerator into the design by adding side panels that match the cabinetry for a built-in look. Standard countertops overhang base cabinet doors by half an inch. Be sure the depth of the refrigerator panel is slightly greater than the depth of the counter. Otherwise, the counter will jut past the panel instead of converging with it.

Related story: Get Started on Your Kitchen and Bath Remodel Today

In addition to increasing the depth of the refrigerator panel, also increase the depth of your tall cabinets as shown here.

Consistency is the key to good design, therefore all counters should have the same reveal, or edge configuration.

Not all countertops overhang the doors by a half-inch. Some clients prefer their counters flush with the doors and drawers for a modern, streamlined appearance.

Pullout cabinets should be only 9, 12 or 15 inches wide, in my opinion.

Why? By virtue of the pullouts design, every time you need a can of soup, you experience the full weight of everything thats stored there.

A wider pantry pullout is simply too heavy.

For pantry cabinets wider than 15 inches, I prefer rollouts. That means youre pulling out only the shelf you need, not the whole pantry.

Also, consider the projection of the hardware of any cabinet next to the wall.

Make the filler (a matching strip of wood that fills the gap between the cabinet and wall) at least 1.5 inches wide to keep the hardware from hitting the wall and possibly restricting the usability of a cabinet with a rollout.

Related story: Are Soapstone Countertops Right for You?

Kitchens are all about function. I always try to put at least one pullout for frequently used oils and sauces next to the range.

Although some worry that the heat from the range may turn the oils, most ranges have great insulation.

That, coupled with the thickness of the cabinets sides, means sauces and oils rarely spoil.

Some clients dont need tall tray storage because their trays arent that wide or they store them on their sides, as shown here.

If this is the case for you, consider adding a shelf above the trays for extra storage.

Not everyone needs an abundance of tray storage. For those clients, I will add a partition to the cabinet and adjustable shelves to the other side.

For years I specified a single-layer cutlery holder for my clients. Now, I include a two-tiered insert to double their amount of cutlery storage.

A common mistake is placing the dishwasher adjacent to a corner sink. The consequence of this is that youre unable to stand at the sink and load the dishwasher in that tight space.

One remedy is to add a cabinet between the corner sink and dishwasher. Ideally, that intermediating cabinet should be a minimum of 15 inches wide.

Stainless steel had been my go-to finish for sinks for many reasons, including its durability and availability at many price points. Then I realized its not always the best option, depending on the countertops finish, as well as the look you are trying to achieve. With a lighter countertop, a stainless steel sink may look like a dark hole in the island. A white sink, though, will not.

Related story:Concrete Countertops - A Nearly Indestructible Option

Continued here:
11 designer details for kitchen remodels - Construction Dive

If you want to transform your kitchen but keep it simple and budget-friendly, check out our easy kitchen makeover tips.

1. Boost storage

Take advantage of unclaimed wall space by adding shelves for a practical upgrade. This will add value to your kitchen and allows you to keep dishes, food, and cookware within easy reach.

2. Add color to your cabinets

Kitchen cabinets are often overlooked during kitchen remodels, but a bright color on your cabinets can add an entirely new look to your kitchen. Not to mention, it costs mere dollars!

3. Shine, shine, shine!

Polish your kitchen floors using any kind of floor wax for an added shine that will make your floors look brand new.

4. Try a blacksplash

Add texture to your kitchen by adding a decorative backsplash. Not only does a backsplash add decoration to your kitchen, it also protects your walls from splashes and spills.

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Easy kitchen makeover ideas - Channel3000.com - WISC-TV3

Renovating your kitchen? A trip to the flea market or antique store should be near the top of your to-do list. No, not to find your dining table, but to unearth gorgeous fixtures and architectural details. When everything else in the space is going to be shiny and new, some oldies but goodies are just what you'll need to warm it up. Sweeten , a free service that plays matchmaker for home owners and contractors, has seen an uptick in the use of vintage sinks, doors, and windows in their clients' remodels, and they've shared a few of them with us to spark ideas for your own renovation. Now, onto perfecting those bargaining skills. . .

For his 1940s-era New York bathroom, architect Brian Kaplan crafted a one-of-a-kind sink pedestal by pairing a vintage wood table with a modern sink basin from Kraus, which fit right in next to the reclaimed tub. "We found the basin table online and delivered it home from Hudson, New York, ourselves after a weekend camping and picked up the several-hundred-pound clawfoot tub at the UPS depot under the Kosciuszko Bridge in Brooklyn!" he writes.

Photo: Courtesy of Sweeten

When fashion designer Christine Yao was renovating her New York apartment's bath, she needed a door that would let in light without taking up a lot of space. On a visit to Big Reuse in Gowanus, Brooklyn, she discovered an old office door, which her Sweeten general contractor cut down to fit the doorway and then painted.

Photo: Courtesy of Sweeten

Interior designer Meredith incorporated vintage finds throughout her newly remodeled New York townhouse . "I snagged a vintage enamel sink from BIG, and paired it with the restaurant-style sprayer faucet of my dreams from Signature Hardware," she writes of her kitchen fixtures. In the home's powder room, she installed a window from Olde Good Things and a vintage pedestal sink.

Photo: Courtesy of Sweeten

After salvaging a 1948 Kohler slop sink from an old steel warehouse, a couple asked their Sweeten contractor to build a custom vanity beneath it and a mirror above it for the bathroom of their Brooklyn home.

Photo: Courtesy of Sweeten

Sweeten is a free service in New York and Philadelphia that personally matches renovation projects with vetted general contractors, helping until project completion. Follow the blog for renovation ideas and and when youre ready to remodel, start your renovation on Sweeten.

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Every Bath or Kitchen Renovation Should Include Something Vintage - Architectural Digest

Charlotte Business Journal

What's cooking? These key trends are driving modern kitchen design Charlotte Business Journal But the kitchen remains one of the larger rooms in the house in new homes and remodels because they are just so useful. It's where important conversations happen, where meals are prepared and eaten, and where the mail gets dropped and the cell phones ... and more »

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What's cooking? These key trends are driving modern kitchen design - Charlotte Business Journal

Kansas City Star

Lawsuit, other delays interrupt 'greener-than-green' River Market apartment construction Kansas City Star By September 2015, Arnold had the lean building construction team in place and was working on financing. At the time, he expected tenants to move in by February 2017. But it took months of financial deals, including getting approvals for tax-exempt ...

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Lawsuit, other delays interrupt 'greener-than-green' River Market apartment construction - Kansas City Star

WATCH LIVE

Federal investigators on Monday pieced through the charred skeleton of an under-construction apartment building in Oaklandto determine if the blaze was accidental or intentionally set.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives sent a national response team to examine the fire site at 2302 Valdez Street, which caught fire early Friday and forced several hundred evacuations.

4-Alarm Fire Engulfs Building in Oakland

The four-alarm blaze engulfed what would have been a mixed-use apartment complexexpected to house 196 homes and up to 31,500 square feet of retail space upon completion next spring.

No one was injured by the fire, but at least 700 people living and working in the area around the blaze were asked to leave their homes and businesses while crews battled the flames and worked to dismantle a structurally unstable crane marred the fire.

The crane was successfully removed Saturday evening, allowing many evacuees to slowly return home.

As mostevacuees returned home Sunday, a new evacuation order was issued for a neighboring building.

About 7 p.m. Sunday, glass and debris began falling from the building at 180 Grand Ave., leading to the closure of that building, fire officials said. The evacuation order at the building would remain in place until an investigation to determine its condition, officials said.

The blaze comes on the heels of three separate fires at construction sites in the area between July 2016 and May 2017. The ATF is offering a $110,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for those blazes. The reward does not mention the most recent blaze.

Published at 5:49 AM PDT on Jul 10, 2017 | Updated 5 hours ago

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Federal Investigators Examine Oakland Construction Site Fire - NBC Bay Area

San Francisco Business Times

Oakland housing developers are on edge after spate of apartment fires, but determined to keep building San Francisco Business Times The threat of fires destroying apartment construction projects is keeping some developers up at night. Oakland is the middle of a housing construction boom that developers won't let up anytime soon. and more »

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Oakland housing developers are on edge after spate of apartment fires, but determined to keep building - San Francisco Business Times

RINGWOOD Ringwood School Primary Center will have a new look when it opens for students in the upcoming school year.

Tom Schwartz, director of buildings and grounds for Johnsburg School District 12, said renovations began in early June for the school that houses pre-K students through second-graders.

The project is estimated to cost about $1 million. Initial renovations include installing new carpet as well as painting classrooms, offices and hallways.

We have a really successful program where we hire our high school students for the summer to help with maintenance, Schwartz said. And what weve done is weve put together a painting crew of eight students from the high school.

Schwartz said the district is replacing the buildings windows, doors and original 1961 boiler, in which two energy-efficient units will take its place.

The Ringwood school opened in 1961 with four classes. Four more classes were added in 1971 before other additions in 2000.

Basically, three-quarters of the school as it sits today was an addition in 2000, Schwartz said. And when they did that work, they didnt do a full renovation on the original areas, so they had things left out like the sprinklers. So were catching up to what we couldnt afford back in 2000.

Schwartz said fire sprinklers will be installed this summer in the original section of the school.

Its never had them, Schwartz said. So after this project is complete, the entire school will be covered by fire sprinklers.

The technology department has upgraded the districts internet infrastructure, replacing old equipment with new switches, cabling and Wi-Fi access points.

The technology department also has been modernizing the buildings security.

Weve got security cameras going in, Schwartz said. Weve never had security cameras before at Ringwood.

Technological enhancements will include new door access controls for security purposes, a new sound system in the gym and upgraded outdoor lighting to LED.

Other school improvements include new cabinets in the pre-K area for storage purposes, repair of the gas main on the roof, installation of new toilet partitions in the washrooms and repavement of a section of the parking lot.

Were also doing a major rooftop unit, [heating, ventilation and air conditioning] replacement, Schwartz said. So were replacing four large multizone units.

Superintendent Dan Johnson said District 12 has been planning an extensive renovation project during the past few years.

The benefit of these renovations is that were going to have lasting, excellent learning environments for our kids, Johnson said. We want to thank our community for supporting all these renovations. We look forward to the kids and staff seeing the updated, renovated facilities.

The Ringwood school construction comes after District 12 renovated Johnsburg High School and the Johnsburg Elementary and Junior High campus, where third grade through eighth grade students attend. Both of those renovations were completed in August.

Those renovations allowed us to close [James C.] Bush Elementary School, so the students there moved to the [elementary/junior high campus], Schwartz said.

Schwartz said that what makes the project unique is that the Ringwood school construction is being completely managed by the school district.

We are not hiring a construction manager or construction management firm to help us, Schwartz said. So all the coordination of activities are being done in-house.

The Ringwood School Primary Center renovations are expected to be complete by early August before teachers return to start setting up their classrooms.

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Renovations underway at Ringwood School Primary Center - Northwest Herald