Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Utah went on the road to eliminate Los Angeles and advance to the Western Conference semifinals against the defending conference-champion Golden State Warriors. USA TODAY Sports

Utah Jazz forward Derrick Favors (15) sets a screen on Los Angeles Clippers guard Raymond Felton (2) as Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (20) drives to the basket in Game 7.(Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports)

LOS ANGELES Of all the NBAs superstar sagas, those annual subplots where a certain team is hoping to hold onto a certain player in free agency by proving itself in the playoffs, Gordon Haywards was as overlooked as they come.

All season long, the talk in NBA circles was about Paul George and his uncertain future with the Indiana Pacers, or this Clippers team that has Blake Griffin, Chris Paul and J.J. Redickheaded toward free agency this summer, or the Atlanta Hawks with Paul Millsap or the Toronto Raptors with Kyle Lowry. Playing in Salt Lake City, like the 27-year-old Hayward has since coming out of Butler back in 2010, sometimes means you get lost in the shuffle.

Unless, of course, you seize the national spotlight like Hayward and the Jazz did by downing the Clippers 104-91 in Game 7 at Staples Center on Sunday afternoon.And suddenly, with the Golden State Warriors looming in the second round and Hayward getting a taste of postseason success that can only help Utahs cause when July 1 rolls around, Haywards underappreciated talents are front and center for all to see like never before.

Yeah, its a huge win for us, especially because going from 20 to 30 to 40 to 50 wins, or whatever we did, and for me being there the whole time, it was cool, Hayward, who had 26 points and eight rebounds, told USA TODAY Sports. The fans being loyal through the ups and the downs (was big), too.

Los Angeles Clippers center Marreese Speights (5) defends a shot by Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (20) in the second half of Game 7.(Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports)

As Hayward sat at his locker after Game 7, his shirt off and a dog tag swinging from his neck, he reflected on this impressive Jazz rebuild that has put them at this point.It was only three seasons ago that after plucking general manager Dennis Lindsey from the San Antonio Spurs in the summer of 2012 they won just 25 games and seemed to be on the verge of losing Hayward.

He signed an offer sheet with Michael Jordans Charlotte Hornets, only to see the Jazz match and make it clear he was their foundation. Then came Rudy Gobert, the prized big man who came their way as the 27th pick from the Denver Nuggets via trade on draft night in 2013. Derrick Favors. George Hill. Veteran additions like Joe Johnson, Boris Diaw, Joe Ingles and the rest. Before long, Hayward had a whole lot more to be happy about when it came to his supporting cast.

Latest NBA playoff coverage:

Jazz eliminate Clippers, advance to second round with Game 7 victory

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And now, the NBAs Goliath looms.

As playoff rewards go, it doesnt get much worse than this for a Jazz team that fell to the Warriors twice in three regular season matchups (Dec. 8 at Utah, Warriors win 106-99; Dec. 20 in Oakland, Warriors win 104-74; April 10 in Oakland, Jazz win 105-99). Not only do the Jazz have to face a Warriors team won a league-best 67 games in the regular season despite missing Kevin Durant for 20 games because of a left knee injury. Theyll be seeing the rested-and-recovered version.

Golden State will be playing Game 1 on Tuesday after eight days of rest, having last played in their Game 4 win over Portland in the first round on April 24.In that time, the calf problem that kept Durant on the sideline for two games in the first round has healed.

Oh man, I dont think you can give just a quick scouting report against those guys, said Hayward, who paused briefly as third-year coach Quin Snyder came to his locker for a postgame hug.No, its something where you try to contain those three (Durant, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson), make the other guys beat you, but I know well look at it (on Monday). I really havent even thought about it. I put it out of my mind.

Follow USA TODAY Sports' Sam Amick on Twitter @Sam_Amick.

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Unsung Jazz star Gordon Hayward praises team's loyal fans as Warriors await - USA TODAY

Want to update your kitchen?Weve got the experience and expertise required to help you realize your kitchen remodeling dreams in Colorado Springs.

They say home is where the heart is and in our opinion, the heart of the home is in the kitchen. Remodeling your kitchen is one of the best ways to add value to your home.

Griff and his team finish jobs well and see the details to complete each job correctly. I appreciate that they return phone calls in a timely manner and clean up after their work. We highly recommend Homefix to anyone! ~ Doug & Pam Nuenke

We are licensed and insured ready to tackle any size kitchen remodel.

Why hire Homefix to be your kitchen remodeling contractor?

We work with clients with all kinds of budgets. Cabinets tend to be one of the most expensive pieces a kitchen remodel. We not only have access to high end products, but also high quality inexpensive ones to help save you money.

Being without a kitchen for an extended period of time can be stressful on the entire family. We strive to make the process as smooth as possible by working quickly, staying ahead of schedule, and constantly communicating throughout the entire process.

Some of the most popular upgrades for a kitchen remodel in Colorado Springs include:

If youre thinking about any kind of kitchen remodeling in Colorado Springs, start and end with Homefix. We look forward to serving you soon. (719) 749-1788

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Kitchen Remodeling - Colorado Springs voted "Best of 2016"

Meet the award winners of the Lake Erie LifeStyle home remodeling contest.

Brace yourself. You're going to want to remodel. Once you see the winners and other entrants in the GoErie.com remodeling contest, you're going to get the bug to replace something. Maybe move a wall. Or maybe not, but the entries were impressive.

In all, 20 homeowners entered their impressive before and after photos of their bathrooms and kitchens, and readers voted on their favorites. The winners are:Brian and Lisa Waugaman for best bath and Christopher and Stephanie Rhodes for best kitchen.

A new century takes over master bath

Brian and Lisa Waugamandidn't really plan to gut their 1999 master bathroom. It all started innocently enough when they wanted to just update it. "We had started to tear down the wallpaper to repaint, and we were going to keep it pretty much the same," Lisa Waugaman said.

But then her husband Brian noted that they had not used the large Jacuzzi tub more than 10 times in 17 years. "We knew it needed to go, along with all the oak cabinets and large mirrors. The ongoing joke in our house was '1999 called and wanted their bathroom back,'" Lisa Waugaman said.

Gutting the space enabled them to move things around and add a double vanity with more storage, a large walk-in shower and a totally different look that provided a bit of industrial charm. This Waterford couplefound most of what they needed locally. "We were really lucky. We wanted the chalk paint look, and we found the cabinetry at Legion Plumbing. It was the last of that cabinetry; it was scheduled to be discontinued," she said.The spacious shower includesdual shower heads in the ceiling and a shower wand.

The Waugamans had hiredPrestige Services, of Harborcreek, to do the work after meeting the owner at the 2016 Home and Garden Expo. Prestige also crafted handmade barn doors to complete the look. The combination of stainless steel sinks, rustic looking flooring and distressed white cabinetry achieved what Waugaman called Industrial Farm Chic.

The Waugamans also selected Prosource for flooring and shower tiles along with some fixtures.The process started in October and wrapped up in December.

Would they change anything? Not really. The dramatic change in appearance provided a winning combination.

One wall kitchen

Stephanie Rhodes said that she and her husband, Christopher, and their families and friends, worked to completely renovate the kitchen in their Edinboro home. The former kitchen was bound by a few walls, and the couple decided to remove the wall between the kitchen and dining room and open it all to the living room as well. While trusses supported the ceiling, Stephanie Rhodes said she wanted a barn beam to add some aesthetics. "It just wasn't feasible, but we asked Hobbs Lumber to make a beam that we wrapped and stained," she said.

Stephanie Rhodes said this wasn't the first remodeling project she and her husband had tackled. As fans of Pinterest and HGTV, she shared that she is always changing up her home design. "It's a joke to friends," she said.

The former kitchen had dark cabinets and light laminate flooring, but the couple chose to install dark flooring and light cabinetry the exact opposite of what they'd had. Stephanie said she loved dark cabinets but decided the espresso floor would make a nice base and contrast for the cabinetry. "It's not a large space and we didn't want it to look too dark," she said.

The Edinboro couple found everything they wanted locally with some knickknacks from antiques shops. Cabinetry, quartz counters and appliances were from Home Depot with some other appliances from Sears. The colors were based on popular colors and trends. "The gray grabbed me, and we had worked with Home Depot before. This was by far the biggest remodel though," she said.

In crafting the spacious island, Rhodes said it was a must because she knew she had really only one wall for cabinets. The outside wall had patio doors and windows and the space was open to the living room and dining area. Rhodes said she wanted cabinetry and workspace and it all worked out with cabinets the entire way around the island. When it came to lighting, the couple added a bit of industrial charm with pendant lights over the island and a more industrial fixture over the dining area. She found everything she wanted from the Hite Company in Millcreek. "They were wonderful. They had exactly what we wanted, and we could order anything we needed," she said.

The couple followed national trends that National Kitchen and Bath Magazine noted as topping the charts. White and gray are the latest home decor colors, and the magazine says wood cabinets are the top choice and quartz countertops get the nod over granite and other surfaces.

"We wanted to mix old and new but keep it clean and simple," Rhodes said.The DIY project included a lot of help from friends and family, so the project took about three months, she said, but they saved a lot of money. "We had a tight budget, and now we can all gather in one space without being cramped," she said.

Stylish entries

While two homeowners were named winners, all of the entries showed off a flair for some fabulous design trends.Ceramic tile that looks like wood, vessel bowl sinks and a whole lot more were among the contemporary items Erie homeowners added to their kitchens and baths when remodeling. In addition, crown molding added some finishing touches and industrial lighting was a big winner.Double vanities and dual mirrors replaced single vanities and subway tile, mosaic borders and frosted glass were among the popular items.

Many of the entrants were unafraid to move walls, and it enabled them to create amazing spaces.

Winners will receive $100 gift cards. To see all the entries, visitwww.GoErie.com/remodel, but be warned, you'll want to remodel something. LEL

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Meet kitchen, bath winners in remodeling contest - GoErie.com

Advantages of Vinyl Frames

Vinyl frames are made primarily from polyvinyl chloride (PVC). This material has many advantages, including being virtually maintenance-free. There will be differences in the quality of one manufacturer's vinyl compared to another. This is because a vinylframe is made from a compounda recipe of sortsthat dictates its performance over time. Each additive to a company's vinyl recipe helps determine the long-term characteristics of the final product, like its weather and impact resistance. For example, titanium dioxide makes the vinyl more heat resistant. At first glance, competing windows may look the same, but there can be key differences in the vinyl recipe used and how vinyl parts are formed to make a window structurally strong and optimize insulation performance.

Generally, vinyl windows and doors are available in white and various neutral colors. Milgard recently developed a two-coat formulation of seven premium exterior vinyl finishes available in light and dark variety, in addition to standard white and tan. New coating technology allows UV rays to pass through the color formulation and reflect off the vinyl frame. This preserves the exterior finish. Consequently, a vinyl window or patio door can look nearly new for years.

Milgard produces vinyl in controlled environments to exacting standards. Milgard windows and doors do not contain fillers. Milgardextrudes itsown components and develop its own compounds with high quality titanium dioxide and stabilizers to ensure the final product is heat stable with high performance physical properties. All final products undergo extensive testing for quality and consistency.

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Vinyl Window & Door Frames, New & Replacement | Milgard ...

Our vinyl windows feature patented slim-line frames and sashes designed to maximize outdoor viewing. Each frame is fusion-welded at the corners for superior strength and a clean, finished appearance. In place of ordinary glass, high-performance insulated glass with a Low-E coating is used. Upgrading to a home window with glass of this kind can lower your energy bills and help you maintain a more comfortable indoor living environment year-round. In addition, our vinyl windows feature heavy-duty locking mechanisms for increased protection, sloped sills to deter pooling precipitation, and multilayer weatherstripping for even more protection against the outside elements. Thanks to these and other technologically advanced components, our windows have been awarded the ENERGY STAR certification label. You can thus be confident that you are receiving some of the most energy-efficient vinyl replacement windows available. ENERGY STAR-rated windows are in high demand among those who want to save money, shrink the size of their carbon footprint, and live in a home which is consistently comfortable.

Replacement windows from Beldon Windows offer the perfect marriage of technological innovation and aesthetic beauty. Accordingly, we go above and beyond to ensure that each window is installed correctly by strictly adhering to professional window replacement practices. That means that each window is measured twice and custom-fabricated to fit snugly inside a pre-existing window opening. Installation typically takes only one day, and should a pane of glass subsequently break for any reason, we will gladly replace it for free.

We invite you to contact us today to schedule a complimentary window replacement estimate. It will be our pleasure to help you achieve your home improvement goals. That is, after all, what Beldon has excelled at doing since our third-generation companys founding in 1946. Excellence isnt just something we aspire to achieve but an integral part of how we run our business.

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Replacement Windows | Vinyl Window Installation | Beldon Windows

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The city of Hazleton will use a $350,000 state gaming grant for replacing windows and completing roof and masonry repairs at City Hall.

The much-needed overhaul began taking shape with the arrival of warmer temperatures in recent weeks and includes work to replace 45 aged windows on the first and second floors with energy-efficient materials, said Dominic Yannuzzi, of Alfred Benesch & Co., the citys contracted engineering firm.

Additional upgrades include the installation of air conditioning units in the upper levels of Council Chambers, masonry repairs and a re-coating of the roof, he said.

The upgrades should lead to improvements in controlling the climate in Council Chambers, which fluctuates with the weather and creates an uncomfortable atmosphere in extreme heat and cold, Yannuzzi said.

Theyre going to help with reducing heat loss in the winter and reduce heat gain inside of City Hall in the summer, he said.

Improvements should also eliminate leaks and address a deteriorated section of the ceiling directly behind a seating area reserved for city council members, Yannuzzi said.

The city secured a $350,000 gaming grant from Luzerne Countys Local Share Account in late 2015 for the project, Yannuzzi said.

Contracts were awarded last year and additional time was needed for ordering and manufacturing the windows, the engineer said.

Oakridge Construction, Drums, is installing windows while Hudak Waterproofing and Masonry Restoration, Taylor, will complete roofing and masonry upgrades.

Approximately 45 windows will be replaced throughout the project, including a large set on the west side of City Hall, Yannuzzi said.

Officials evaluated conditions of existing windows and opted to replace the worst of the lot, he said.

Crews will replace windows that are between 30 and 40 years old, he said.

The majority of the project consists of window replacement, but Yannuzzi said some money has been earmarked for masonry and roof repairs.

The grant wasnt large enough to pay for an entire roof replacement so the city opted to repair sections while re-sealing the entire roof, he said.

It basically is repairing bad areas and re-coating the roof to be able to extend the life for a few more years until the city can receive additional funding to do a total re-roof, he said. Were going to look at alleviating the leaks.

Scaffolding towered over desks and chairs inside Council Chambers earlier this week and a thin layer of dust coated furniture inside the room.

The project will be completed next month, Yannuzzi said.

Contact the writer: sgalski@standardspeaker.com; 570-501-3586

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New windows, repairs coming to City Hall - Standard Speaker

The high court's ruling on Friday reinstates the class-action lawsuit brought by four Idaho residents who said they were denied the right to a fair trial because of Idaho's underfunded and faulty public defense system.

BOISE, Idaho (AP) - The Idaho Supreme Court says a lawsuit over Idaho's faulty public defense system can move forward against all the defendants except one: Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter.

The high court's ruling on Friday reinstates the class-action lawsuit brought by four Idaho residents who said they were denied the right to a fair trial because of Idaho's underfunded and faulty public defense system.

A lower court judge dismissed the case after the judge said he believed it would violate the separation of powers to require adequate state funding.

The American Civil Liberties Union-Idaho promptly appealed on behalf of the plaintiffs.

The Idaho Supreme Court said the ACLU does have the right to sue the state government over the problems. But the justices said the governor shouldn't be named as a defendant because he wasn't the cause.

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Idaho high court revives lawsuit over lousy public defense - KBOI-TV

MERIDEN After a heated debate on the possibility of violating the city charter to extend the deadline for adopting a budget, the Finance Committee voted to send City Manager Guy Scaifes latest budget revision with a 40.45 mill rate to the City Council.

The $194.9 million spending plan is more than $3.5 million above what Scaife originally proposed in March. The latest version strikes $223,000 from the citys capital fund, including cutting a proposed camera system to broadcast municipal meetings, softball field upgrades and window replacement at a Public Works building.

Scaife noted the hardships of compiling the budget, citing the recent revaluation which reduced the grand list by nearly 4 percent, and over $4.6 million in fixed increases such as contractual raises, debt service payments and pension contributions.

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The latest budget is a $3.5 million tax increase, Scaife said, noting the figure falls over $1 million below the citys fixed cost increases.

An alternate mill rate of 39.8 could be achieved by lowering the budget by $1.75 million which would mean cutting between 17 and 23 jobs, Scaife said. Scaife recommended violating city charter by waiting a month to enact the budget until more is known about state funding, calling the budget deadline arbitrary.

Theres no penalty if you dont adhere to (the deadline), but what I find challenging is it is really in the publics best interest to adhere to a date that has no operation impact if we delay it several weeks because at the end of the day what we all want is a mill rate that is respectful of what the public can absorb but also tries to deal with our strategic and technical needs, Scaife said. My fear is if we go forward without state revenues and lock in on a number, it could be excessive and we would have had to do severe cuts that would have not been necessary with a (different) budget or the number could be even worse, we would have needed to make deeper cuts due the state, due to their financial dilemma, cut us worse than what was expected.

Several Democratic councilors vehemently opposed the idea, including Majority Leader Brian Daniels. You are setting a precedent of intentionally violating the charter that sets forth a lot of what the powers and responsibility for the city are. You do it for this then someone says ... lets just violate the charter (next year), Daniels said. We have a city charter. Its a legal document that binds the power and responsibility for the people that run the city.

Republican and We the People councilors were open to delaying the process, including Walter Shamock, Lenny Rich, Bob Williams and Joseph Carabetta III. Im for it. Why wouldnt we? Theres no consequences to us making that decision so in that respect I would like to have more information, Rich said. We got time, whats the rush? Why are we mandated by a council thats not in business any more?

The charter, if it was so important, they would have made a penalty.

A motion to violate the charter and delay the process ultimately failed.

Finance Committee Chairman Miguel Castro, a Democrat, shared several proposed changes that had been discussed in caucus, which included reducing the citys Capital Improvement Project budget by $1.2 million by shifting several big ticket items to the fiscal year 2018-19 budget, including a $750,000 fire truck. Castro then shared a list of items that were below Scaifes proposed $50,000 capital bonding threshold to moved from the capital equipment budget to CIP.

The Committee did not act on those changes, however, opting to leave it up for discussion at the full City Council meeting next week. The Committee then voted to send Scaifes revised $194.9 million budget to the City Council.

By charter, the City Council must vote on the budget Monday to meet its deadline.

ltauss@record-journal.com 203-317-2231 Twitter: @LeighTaussRJ

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Meriden Finance Committee sends budget with 40.45 mill rate to Council - Meriden Record-Journal

Many times when people in the Hopewell Valley need repair or replacement for their heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, they turn to an old neighbor for help.

Stellitano Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc. is a name people have known in the HVAC business for 22 years. While the company is based in West Amwell today, proprietors Sharyn and Gary Stellitano grew up in Hopewell, started the business on Van Dyke Road in Hopewell, and they and their staff still serve the Valley community today.

Stellitano does maintenance, repair and installation for just about any heating or air conditioning system a customer could have or want. They install and service boilers, furnaces, heat pumps, ductless split systems, air conditioning systems, radiant flooring, geothermal, indoor air quality products and more. They also do custom ductwork.

One of the calling cards of the business, Sharyn Stellitano says, is that they know that their customers have a wide variety of needs. If a system can be repaired, and thats what the homeowner wants, we can do it, she says. But if they want a replacement system, we can do that also. We wont do a hard sell.

They do recommend high efficiency units and systems whenever its possible, because in the long run they usually mean energy cost savings, Sharyn says. They also look for ways to save their clients money, like recovering coolant whenever they do AC repair. The little things, Sharyn says, can add up.

Sharyn says that integrity is very important to her and Gary, and they look for it in the technicians they hire. The quality that were looking for is first, integrity, and second, mechanical skills, she says. The techs that are with us are loyal to us, and were loyal to them.

In an area like Hopewell, which has a mix of older and new homes, HVAC specialists are liable to see any and every kind of system. Many homes in the area depend on baseboards and radiators for their heat. So the Stellitanos insist that their technicians are all NATE certified and stay up to date on their training. Gary is very big on our technicians knowing everything they should know about the industry, so they can work in any house, Sharyn says.

When a person puts in a call, Stellitano typically responds on the same day as long as thats what the customer wants. They have staff on call 24 hours a day for emergencies. The person who goes to the house to make an estimate is always either Gary or head technician Jeffrey Geiges, Sharyn says people who actually work on HVAC systems, rather than a salesperson.

Theyve worked in the field, so they know what the best fits going to be for the house, or if they dont know, they can find out (from another technician), she says.

* * *

Gary and Sharyn Stellitano are choosy when it comes to heating and air conditioning equipment. Thats because they know that if the equipment they install for their clients isnt reliable, their customers probably wont return.

They have relationships with a broad spectrum of manufacturers. But there are three lines of equipment that they recommend most often: Bryant, Mitsubishi Electric and Weil-McLain.

We represent equipment that is good for our customers houses, Sharyn says. If we say this is good equipment and its going to work, then we have to stand by that, and we also need the manufacturers to stand behind Stellitano. If a customer has an issue, we need them to care. That said, we find that issues with those manufacturers are few and far between.

Just as important as the equipment is the quality of installation. The Stellitanos take pride not just in their own work, but also in their ability to diagnose problems with installations done by other technicians. Its common for them to see incorrectly installed ductwork, or systems that are oversized or undersized for the spaces they serve. They look to fix such problems whenever they can.

Sharyn and Gary, who are married, own the company together. They both went to Hopewell Valley Central High School. They live in East Amwell today with their two children. Gary started as an apprentice while in high school, and has been in the HVAC business his entire professional life. Sharyn did sales and marketing before the couple founded their company.

They count on word of mouth for a lot of their business. Sharyn says sometimes she is surprised when she sees people on social media asking for recommendations for an HVAC repair person or a plumber or electrician. They just dont have a regular person they can turn to, and thats not how it used to be, she says. Used to be everyone had a tradesperson they knew who worked on their home when they needed it. Many of our customers have been with us a long time.

Stellitano Heating and Air Conditioning. Phone: (609) 466-2310.

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Stellitano HVAC goes the extra mile - Mercer Space

WILMINGTON, DEL. More than 123 million home improvement projects, not including routine maintenance,were carried out in the United States in 2013-2015 in 43.9 million households.This accounts for a total of more than$431.1 billion dollars in expenses, according to the latest data released from the 2015 American Housing Survey, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Fixr.com, a site that provides cost guides, comparisons, and term cheat sheets for remodeling, installation and repair projects, analyzed the AHS data to determine how Americans are spending their money on home improvements. Around one-third, or 33.6 percent, of owner-occupied units completed at least one home improvement project for energy-efficiency purposes, 6.8 percent to improve accessibility for an elderly person or person with a disability, and 3.5 percent carried out at least one project to prepare the home for sale.

The median expenditure per job was $1,200, and out of all the home improvement projects, nearly 62 percent were carried out by professionals, while the remaining 38 percent were DIY. Moreover, 77.5 percent of respondents used cash savings as the primary source for funding these projects.

Americans spent 27.6 percent for projects such aswater pipes, plumbing fixtures, heating upgrades and electrical wiring,among other interior fixes. In this category, upgrades to HVAC equipment represent 9.3 percent of total expenditures with an average of $3,092, which is above the median.

Kitchen remodeling accounted for 10.9 percent or projects andbathroom remodeling, 8.7 percent. The remaining expenditures were as follows: exterior additions and replacements, 27.9 percent; lot or yard additions, 12.4 percent; disaster repairs, 5 percent; and other room additions and renovations, 7.4 percent.

Fixr.com compared historical data from the 2011 and 2013 surveys and found that despite a decline in home improvement expenses from 2012 to 2013, the latest numbers show a very considerable upturn.

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Survey: Home improvement spending on the rise - Contractor Mag