Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Landscaping is about more than just planting a few flowers and bushes around your pool. It's about planning and creating a pool environment thats easy to get to and hard to leave. Your first step is to get inspired. It can be a movie, a native flower or a planter you just couldnt resist. You can also find inspiration from different gardening styles. Just find ideas you love and build from there.

Next, design yourdeckand plan yourwalkways. After the pool itself, your deck is the foundation for your landscape design. Walkways are important, too you want to make access to your pool area easy so your plants dont get trampled.

Now its time to start planting! Youll want to choose plants that will flourish in your geographic area, so check with your local nurseries before you buy. You can also enlist the help of a professional landscape designer. Either way, it helps to know the lingo and the common pitfalls to avoid.

A great way to accent those plants is withedging. This keeps plants and grass from overflowing onto paths and driveways. This can be done with a variety of materials from concrete to plastic.

You may also need to add mulch or topsoil to your backyard pool area. Not sure how much you need? Check out ourmulch/topsoil calculatorto figure out the exact amount.

Anirrigation systemcan help keep your pool area looking its best. You want to balance water conservation while providing enough water for your area to flourish. There are different irrigation systems available depending on your needs.

With the right information, inspired ideas and, perhaps, a fabulous landscape designer, youre on your way to creating a lush and beautiful environment that adds depth and color to your back yard and more enjoyment to your pool. Love your view as much as you love your pool! For even more inspiredlandscaping tipsand backyard ideas, visitwww.americaslandscapers.com.

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Phoenix Business Journal

Arizona pool builder heats up industry top 50 list, splashing into 2nd place Phoenix Business Journal The company sold its six pool supply stores to Leslie's Poolmart Inc., a specialty swimming pool supplies retailer, in 2012. Gilbert-based Presidential Pools, Spas and Patio and Chandler-based California Pools & Landscape also landed among the top 10 ...

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Arizona pool builder heats up industry top 50 list, splashing into 2nd place - Phoenix Business Journal

By Frank Stanfield / Correspondent

LEESBURG City commissioners have given the green light to an architectural firm to design a new community building, which will result in the old building being torn down and the existing swimming pool likely being filled in for parking after this summer season ends.

The move is part of the multi-million dollar Venetian Gardens renovation project that has already brought about the Kids Korner playground and splash pad and is resulting in improvements to Ski Beach.

The proposed 20,700-square-foot building and changes to the entryway at Dozier Circle are part of the third and final phase of construction.

The idea, said City Manager Al Minner, is to create a destination, eventually linking back to downtown.

The existing building is old and would cost too much to renovate, said Mayor Bob Bone. The building, long the site of chamber of commerce breakfasts and other events, now sits near busy Dixie Avenue. Plans call for the new building to be set back farther from the road and to face Martin Luther King Island in the park to the west, and with a view of Lake Harris to the south.

Its bigger than the other one, Bone said of the new building. I like the concept facing out to the island.

Preliminary plans also envision sites for waterfront restaurants and boat docks.

Commissioners agreed to give the job to Borrelli & Partners. The Orlando firm specializes in architecture, interior design and landscape architecture.

The work, which could take six to nine months, is not to exceed $440,232, according to the contract. It includes handling bids and overseeing construction.

Commissioners did not discuss plans for the swimming pool Monday night.

Were always going to have a pool, said city spokesman Derek Hudson. The Venetian Gardens pool opened in 1929. A new pool could be built by the community gym on Griffin Road.

The city is paying cash for all of the Venetian Gardens improvements. Good old-fashioned pay-as-you-go, Minner said.

The city has reserved $4 million for phase three. Depending on what is done, it could cost between $3.5 and $5.5 million, he said.

The city still has reserves, plus it recently agreed to sell almost 2,000 acres to The Villages for about 4,500 homes and could sell fiber optics holdings, Minner said.

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Leesburg OKs new community building, will replace pool - Daily Commercial

June 29, 2017

Marvin I. Adleman, professor emeritus of landscape architecture, died June 21 at age 84 in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, of Parkinsons disease.

A distinguished landscape architect and a native of Philadelphia, Adleman attended Delaware Valley College and the Harvard Graduate School of Design. He was best known for his accomplishments during his 36 years as professor of landscape architecture at Cornell, where he built the landscape architecture program and headed the department for most of his tenure at Cornell until his retirement in 2008.

Prior to joining the Cornell faculty, Adleman worked at Sasaki and Associates in Boston before starting his own landscape architecture practice in Philadelphia. In 1992, Adleman was named a fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), and in 2004 he was awarded the prestigious ASLA Jot D. Carpenter Teaching Medal.

Adleman designed numerous well-known outdoor spaces including the original Ithaca Commons in 1974, one of the first pedestrian malls of its kind, in downtown Ithaca. He also designed the arboretum at the Cornell Botanic Gardens, which was recently named the top university arboretum in the country by Best College Reviews. Adlemans other notable designs included the Laboratory of Ornithology bird garden, the garden at Cayuga Medical Center and Ithacas Cass Park childrens spray pool, as well as the redesign of several outdoor spaces at central New York schools and college campuses.

Marvin Adleman was a consummate educator with thousands of former students that hold him in high esteem not only for his broad professional knowledge but also for his kindness and thoughtfulness, said Peter Trowbridge, professor and chair of the Department of Landscape Architecture in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He will be deeply missed.

Adleman is survived by his widow, Susan (Plaut) Adleman, three children and four grandchildren.

Memorial gifts can be sent to the attention of Peter Trowbridge, Department of Landscape Architecture, 440 Kennedy Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853; reference the Excellence Fund in memory of Marvin Adleman. Memorials may also be made to Temple Beth El, 402 N. Tioga St., Ithaca.

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Landscape architect Marvin Adleman dies at age 84 - Cornell Chronicle

Porches, pools and patios are a sure sign of summer, and five of the unique outdoor settings will be showcased at a Porch Party in Geneseo.

Porches, pools and patios are a sure sign of summer, and five of the unique outdoor settings will be showcased at a Porch Party in Geneseo.

The event, which includes more than porches, is co-sponsored by First United Methodist Church and the Geneseo Chamber of Commerce. It will be 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, July 8. Rain date is Saturday, July 15.

Tickets are available at the Geneseo Chamber office and at various local businesses.

Guests will be asked to present their tickets when they arrive for a salad luncheon featuring homemade salads and breads at First UnitedMethodist Church. Lunch will be served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Gift bags containing coupons redeemable at local businesses will be distributed randomly at the luncheon.

Diana Holbrook, chairman of the event for the Geneseo Chamber, said, Guests are welcome to ask questions of the owners about their special outdoor oasis and enjoy a variety of activities at each location.

Lets help bring back the good ol days of sitting in your neighbor's porch and drinking lemonade and taking time to visit, Holbrook said. Visit like you used to back in the day and enjoy the company, you know, how you did before cell phones, and all the while enjoying the beautiful yards at your leisure that our gracious hosts have worked so hard on.

Holbrooks goal with the porch party is to bring residents, churches and the business community together.

Homes on the Porch Party Tour are:

Kathy and Mike Duda 920 Neptune St.

Tasha and John Moe 814 Virginia St.

Jackie and Mike Skiles 1011 Finch Dr.

Chris and Jim Stahl 13566 N. 2100 Ave.

Sandy and Gary Sturtewagen 919 Gooseberry Dr.

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Celebrate summer at Geneseo's Porch Party - Geneseo Republic

After stirring up loads of controversy, Hearthstones much-maligned Quest Rogue deck is finally getting nerfed. Instead of triggering the quest by playing four minions with the same name, now players will have to find a way to summon five, which might seem like a small change but is actually a significantly harder task.

Quest Rogue is a deck that gives every minion a 5 health / 5 attack stat line when the player summons four minions with the same name. Since most minions in the deck can be summoned at a very low mana cost, the quest is one of the strongest in the game, and is practically unbeatable unless its up against a deck that specifically counters it.

Apparently, in Blizzards eyes, the card was so strong it warranted some tweaks. Todays changes will make turn-three quest finishes near impossible to pull off, meaning that Quest Rogues will be weaker against aggro decks, but still potent against late-game focused decks that spend a lot of time stalling.

While Blizzards balance team says that Quest Rogue decks arent single-handedly wrecking Hearthstones metagame, they say the change is meant to expand the deck options available to players, which is already a good thing. On top of that, though, the change will address the problem that pro players like Brian Brian Kibler Kibler struggled with: namely, that the deck feels like it has a limited axis of interaction.

If you arent crazy lucky, and you dont kill a Quest Rogue before turn four, youre usually dead unless youre running a direct counter. Kibler actually recommended this exact change to the quest in his video addressing its problems, so he and other pros are happy to see the card changed:

This nerf pattern will look familiar to anyone whos been following Hearthstone for more than a few months. Back in February, when Midrange Shamans and Pirate Warriors smashed almost everything else in the metagame, Blizzard stepped in and nerfed two cards that were key to those decks: Small-time Buccaneer and Spirit Claws. While the nerfs werent so intense that they made those decks irrelevant, they tweaked the game just enough to let other decks like Renolock and Jade Druid back into the mix.

Its hard to know whether the changes to Quest Rogue will have a significant impact on the metagame, because right now, the highest tiers of Hearthstone play are already much more varied than they were back in February. While the Quest Rogue will likely rotate out of popularity, its hard to say whether thatll affect the rest of the tier list ecosystem.

So why bother making the changes? Comparing Februarys nerfs to todays, the one thing that they both have in common is that theyre both set for release about a month before the launch of a new expansion. With Blizzard already dropping hints about an upcoming set of cards, the move is probably more of an attempt to prep for the next set than it is to shake things up in todays competitive scene.

If Blizzard wants to release powerful new cards in the next set, it probably doesnt want boring, static Quest Rogue decklists running amok and deflating their appeal. This issue actually reared its ugly head earlier this month, when Cong Strifecro Shu reached top 20 in Hearthstones Wild mode using a fully-standard Quest Rogue decklist, which seems broken as hell when you consider that Wild players can use cards from every expansion ever released.

If youve got your own Quest Rogue deck and are freaking out about the change, dont sweat it too muchas a consolation prize, once the nerf is live, youll be able to disenchant the decks defining card, The Caverns Below, for a full 1600 dust. Maybe hold onto it though, because with a new expansion coming out soon, who knows? The deck might get a card that brings it back to its former glory.

Joshua Calixto (@hitherejosh) writes about esports, culture, and technology.

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Blizzard Finally Nerfed Hearthstone's Quest Rogue Deck - Kotaku

Red Bull

The Best Hearthstone Spring Championship Decks - Red Bull Red Bull With players looking to gain every small advantage they can over their opponents, we look at the decks likely to dominate at the HCT Spring Championships in ... and more »

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The Best Hearthstone Spring Championship Decks - Red Bull - Red Bull

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STANWOOD City leaders are updating local rules after a proposal to build a privately operated waste treatment plant in town caused concern late last year.

Two businessmen from Camano Island submitted an application to build the McDay Septage Receiving Plant and Biosolids Processing Facility. It would treat waste from private septic tanks, and would be located north of Highway 532 off of 84th Avenue NW.

Many people expressed concerns about the plan, particularly about placing such an operation in the Stillaguamish River floodplain and close to downtown businesses. The applicants said they researched issues such as odor and safety.

Now, code updates are in the works. Previously, the city code dealt with sewage treatment plants but did not separately discuss septage. For the purposes of the McDay application, the code was interpreted to include septage under the umbrella of sewage. The difference is that sewage comes from a connected sewer system, whereas septage comes from septic tanks. Both contain human waste.

After a public hearing last week, the Stanwood Planning Commission is recommending that the citys code be updated to prohibit privately owned sewage plants and any septage plants, private or public, said Ryan Larsen, community development director. Only publicly owned sewage treatment plants would be allowed in Stanwood. That recommendation is set to go to the City Council for a vote later this month.

The changes would impact future applications. They do not retroactively apply to the McDay project, which will be considered under the rules that were in effect at the time the application was received, Larsen said.

City planners requested additional information from the applicants in late 2016 in order to continue processing their proposal. As of last week, Larsen said the city had not yet received a response. There is no time limit.

I have not heard from them in months, Larsen said. Theres a whole list of stuff that they needed to do.

The applicants, James McCafferty and Greg Gilday, did not comment about the proposed changes to city code. They still are pursuing development of the property off 84th, McCafferty said in an email. The goal is to bring jobs to the Stanwood-Camano community, he said.

Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@heraldnet.com.

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Plan for sewage treatment plant prompts Stanwood to update rules - The Daily Herald