Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

WATKINS GLEN When Burdett resident Kathie Notarfonzo was having her first experience in a salt-water immersion float tank she thought how beneficial it could be for anyone willing to try it.

I did a float in Rochester and as I was in the warm water I thought This could help so many people mentally, physically and emotionally.

Nine months after that revelation, Notarfonzo and her family opened Inner Peace Floats in downtown Watkins Glen where people come in to float in one of the businesses two new salt-water immersion tanks, set up in private rooms.

Inner Peace took over the West 4th Street site formerly occupied by a popular quilt shop.

We still get a few long faces when people come in, expecting to see piles of yarn and fabric, she said.

But most of the people coming in are very happy that the business opened in September 2016.

When they leave they are also usually very relaxed after taking a float of one-hour or 90-minutes in a 200-gallon tank of water heated to 94 degrees and infused with approximately 1,000 lbs. of Epsom salts.

The salts make it possible to float without the slightest effort in a closed, quiet, darkened room. The water in the tanks is only 10 inches deep.

Notarfonzo says the benefits of the long soak are very individualized.

But I would say that nine out of every 10 people who try this say they benefit from it. Some very much so and come back for repeated visits.

One military veteran suffering from post-traumatic-stress-syndrome tried a session and said that he came out a new person, she says. He credited the float experience with helping him more than anything else he had tried.

Patrons shower in fresh water before getting to the tanks, and shower afterward in the rooms with the tanks. The cleanliness of the water is an Inner Peace priority.

Our entire business here is about health and wellness, she said. And the business is getting many repeat customers for all its services.

In addition to two rooms with the float tanks, Inner Peace also offers massages, massage therapy and integrated energy therapy.

Notarfonzo is also a yoga instructor.

Since opening, business has picked up gradually with up to a dozen or so people per week using the floatation rooms.

A 90-minute session is $75 and a 60-minute session is $65.

Some people go for shorter. It might be they cant get along with themselves for that long, Notarfonzo joked.

This spring patrons are also going to be able to eat specially prepared vegan meals, once a kitchen-remodeling project is completed.

Notarfonzos son Clayton who helps run the business along with her husband, Mark convinced her that offering food would be a nice addition.

Inner Peace Floats is open seven days per week from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The phone number is (607) 535-6287.

Reservations are recommended for the floatation tanks.

But we try to be as accommodating as possible, she said. We have had people who want to come in at 2 a.m.

We open up if they need us.

Excerpt from:
Floating to find Inner Peace in Watkins Glen - Finger Lakes Times

Island Packet

Beaufort County plans new office building, hopes to draw business to Bluffton Island Packet Beaufort County is planning to construct a new $4-million office building on land it owns adjacent to the Myrtle Park facility off Bluffton Parkway. Google .... Construction of the office will paid for using a low interest loan from Santee Cooper ... and more »

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Beaufort County plans new office building, hopes to draw business to Bluffton - Island Packet

Charlotte Observer (blog)

Are the Charlotte Knights still planning a multistory office building next to BB&T Ballpark? Charlotte Observer (blog) A block away, the Kimpton hotel and 300 South Tryon office tower are wrapping up construction later this year. The Ascent apartment tower is nearing completion, at Third and Poplar streets. And a slew of other office buildings and hotels is preparing ... and more »

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Are the Charlotte Knights still planning a multistory office building next to BB&T Ballpark? - Charlotte Observer (blog)

A concrete slab, with footings below the frost line, is another economical option but is only suitable when the addition is at grade level. The most common options for home addition foundations are the crawlspace or full basement. Both options allow for extra storage space plus a full basement leaves room for additional finished space in the future.

Pouring a foundation for a home addition is very similar to new construction. Your contractor will need to locate any underground utility lines before excavating. If you plan to save any landscaping features, such as a favourite shrub, you should make sure to communicate this to your contractor so proper arrangements can be made. If you are adding a full basement, be aware that your contractor will need to cut an entryway from the existing basement to the new basement. Concrete cutting can be a very loud and messy process, so be prepared.

The new foundation walls need to be carefully joined and sealed to existing foundation walls to prevent future problems. Pinning the two walls together typically involves drilling the existing wall and driving in rebar to act as a fastener between the two walls, sometimes with the use of a bonding agent. It will be necessary to remove any waterproof coatings on the existing wall before starting to ensure proper bonding between the two concrete walls.

The seam where the new foundation meets the existing one is called a construction joint, or cold joint, and will be subject to movement over time. It is crucial this area receives adequate attention and tight waterproofing. The new drainage system also needs to be tied into the existing one and working properly to prevent water entry into the basement.

Interior Demolition

Depending on the size and design of a home addition, some interior demolition work will likely have to take place. If walls are being knocked down, extra care should be taken where plumbing, electrical or HVAC lines are present. Ensure a contractor is wearing appropriate safety gear (e.g. eye injuries are common during demolition) and the main electrical panel has been shut off before starting.

Its always best to start demolition projects with a reciprocating saw rather than a sledgehammer, as a busted plumping pipe can cause some major damage fast. If removing a load-bearing wall, make sure a red seal carpenter who is equipped with the knowledge to ensure the job is completed safely is hired. A temporary support wall will be required while a beam strong enough to support the load is installed.

During any demolition project, drywall or plaster dust is bound to find its way throughout the house. Talk to the contractor about setting up a negative air machine before starting. Negative air machines work by suctioning air out of an area that has been boarded off typically with plastic sheeting to create negative pressure, ensuring dust, mold, or odours are contained. Contaminated air then travels through a scrubber and clean air is exhausted. This can make a big difference in a large demolition project, especially where homeowners will be present throughout the project.

Every Tuesday, Red Seal Carpenter Gib Thompson, owner of MacGibbons Contracting Ltd. in Stellarton, addresses a wide-range of home-related construction and maintenance topics. Readers can submit questions to macgibcontracting@hotmail.com or by calling at 902-695-5919.

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Home additions- Part 2 - The News

TORONTO The Toronto Raptors received instant results from their two newest players when they outworked the Boston Celtics 107-97 on Friday.

Serge Ibaka, obtained in a trade with the Orlando Magic on Feb. 14, and P.J. Tucker, acquired in a deal with the Phoenix Suns Thursday, both made big contributions to help offset the loss of All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry to a wrist injury.

Ibaka (15 points, seven rebounds) and Tucker (nine points, 10 rebounds) were making their Raptors debuts on limited practice time with their new team and it led to optimism about how much better they can make the Toronto as they become more familiar with their new surroundings.

The process will continue Sunday when the Raptors (34-24) host the Portland Trail Blazers (24-33) at the Air Canada Centre.

The Trail Blazers also won their first game since the All-Star break with a 112-103 victory over the Orlando Magic as they try to make a run at a playoff spot.

The Raptors hope their new players will help them make an extended playoff run, perhaps even improving on last season when they lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals.

Obviously, we havent had a full practice with everybody, not everybody knows the plays, said All-Star shooting guard DeMar DeRozan after he scored a career-best 43 points Friday, 12 in the fourth quarter. Everybody knows how to play basketball. Our main goal was to get stops and we got stops and just played, kept it simple.

Asked about what his new teammates brought, DeRozan said: Little bit of everything, especially in the second half. With Serge spacing out the floor, I felt the lane being a lot more open. The toughness that P.J. brought in the second half, especially in the fourth quarter rebounding and bringing the physicality.

I didnt (take part in the) shootaround, I didnt do anything and to see the chemistry we had, Tucker said. Me and Serge didnt know any plays. We were just kind of playing. I was just kind of a feel and we were working through it and talking. I feel with DeMarre (Carroll) it was amazing; it was really good. It was special and I think we can build something really nice.

We have a lot of potential to a lot of good things this year, Ibaka said. We need a couple more practices together to learn each other and then when Kyle (Lowry) comes back, it is going to be very good.

Lowry injured his wrist in the final game before the All-Star break, a win over the Charlotte Hornets Feb. 15, and played in the All-Star Game. He tried shooting Friday and he was scratched from the game and the injury will be re-evaluated during the weekend.

The Raptors did have Patrick Patterson, who had missed six games with a left-knee contusion, and he scored 11 points off the bench Friday.

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Raptors host Trail Blazers buoyed by new additions (Feb 26, 2017) - FOXSports.com

A wild afternoon for the Padres young arms unfolded at a glacial pace on Sunday. San Diego pitchers issued 14 walks in a 13-2 loss to Seattle at Peoria Stadium.

Michael Kelly and Dinelson Lamet, two right-handers who had never pitched in a big-league spring training game, combined for eight walks without recording an out.

It just got quick for them today, Padres manager Andy Green said.They were kind of flying (open) front-side, leaving the ball up arm-side. Its their first time on a major league spring training field, and you see some jitters. ...I think this is one of those anomaly games that kind of happens to guys.

Padres starter Zach Lee was an early exception to the general lack of control. The righty induced three consecutive grounders in a breezy first inning. In the second, he allowed two hits, including a solo home run by Nelson Cruz, and a walk.

Ideally, thats what I want to do, Lee said of the opening frame. Attack guys early, make guys swing early in counts, keep pitch counts down and keep the ball on the ground. The first inning, everything was down. Obviously, the second inning, I kind of crept up a bit, started pulling some balls, not necessarily executing as well as I want to.

Lee was claimed off waivers from the Mariners in December. He has one career major league appearance, for the Dodgers in 2015.

Like a few other recent additions, Lee does bring some pedigree. The 25-year-old was drafted 28th overall by Los Angeles in 2010. The scouting director at the time was Logan White, now an executive in the Padres front office. For a time, Lee was the Dodgers top prospect.

This is a great opportunity for me, Lee said. Weve got a lot of young guys, which will create a great competition amongst us. And its a real, loose, fun group of guys. I know what I can do, and Im just ready to hopefully get my opportunity to prove it.

Hes got to work his way up the depth chart right now, Green said.I think that goes without saying, where he came from last year. Hes going to have to stack quality outing on quality outing. But hes a competitor. Well see where he ends up.

Padres relievers Craig Stammen and Jose Torres each threw a scoreless inning while notching two strikeouts.

Second baseman Carlos Asuaje and shortstop Luis Sardinas each went 1-for-2 with an RBI.

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Young Padres arms wild in loss to Mariners - The San Diego Union-Tribune

When youre regularly a Stanley Cup contender like the Blackhawks have been, its important to find other ways to maintain your pipeline of talent throughout the system. One way GM Stan Bowman has done that is by striking gold in the KHL, where he uncovered Artemi Panarin and Michal Kempny in back-to-back years.

But theres another area where the Blackhawks have targeted an advantage over their peers, and thats the draft. While the Blackhawks regularly pick near the bottom of the first round, blocking them off from selecting the absolute best prospects available each year, theyve taken a smart alternative by stockpiling picks in general.

As Sportsnets Dimitri Filipovic recently tweeted out, the Blackhawks have had 90 draft picks over the past 10 seasons, more than any other team in the league. Its the same story over the past five years, where the Blackhawks 44 picks is tied for the league high with the Sabres.

The gap is actually rather large, too. While the Blackhawks had 90 picks from 2007-16, the Sabres had the second-most picks with 81. No other team reached 80, which means the Blackhawks had at least nine more prospects in tow than each of the other 29 teams in the past decade.

This is another example of the quiet brilliance of Bowman at work. While hes gotten a lot of credit over the years for his salary cap management and uncovering relatively cheap gems like Panarin, the Blackhawks pipeline easily couldve cratered under the teams now-win strategy.

But rather than eschew the draft simply because top-20 picks were never going to the cards, the Blackhawks decided to double down on their scouting and add more lottery picks in lower rounds. Its a shrewd strategy that helps show why the Blackhawks have been near the top of the NHL for years.

And as we saw with the Tomas Jurco trade over the weekend, theres value to be found in having a stockpile of draft picks. Even after trading their third-rounder to the Red Wings on Friday, the Blackhawks still have nine picks in the upcoming 2017 draft, including their first- and second-round selections.

If the team didnt have so many picks, maybe it would be hesitant to give one up for a flier on a 24-year-old winger. But thanks to the way that management has consistently taken opportunities to keep his supply of draft picks intact, such as trading fringe AHLer Corey Tropp for a seventh-rounder last year, the Blackhawks have had the surplus to make additions like Jurco without ruining their farm system, which has produced key players like Nick Schmaltz, Ryan Hartman, and Vinnie Hinostroza this season.

The Blackhawks deserve credit for managing their assets in a way to allow them to make moves like this. Its one of the biggest reasons theyre still winners a decade into the Jonathan Toews-Patrick Kane era.

Original post:
Blackhawks' draft pick stockpile opens up opportunities like Tomas Jurco trade - Second City Hockey

May 27, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Jake McGee (51) delivers a pitch in the ninth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Coors Field. The Rockies defeated the Giants 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Colorado Rockies: Wrapping Up the First Weekend of Spring Training Games by Kevin Henry

Last season, additions like Tyler Chatwood(returning from his second Tommy John surgery) and Jon Gray(his first full season in the Majors)made the starting rotation much more potent. Gray in particular looks poised to be anace in the near future. In addition, the 4th overall pick in this past years draft was Riley Pint, who throws over 100 miles per hour consistently. There is little doubt that, barring injury, he can one day grow into a key role in the rotation. Given that he is fresh out of high school, he has plenty of time to perfect his skills.

These key players give Rockies fans hope that one day in the very near future, they will have an at-least solid rotation, which is all they need. That could be this season, with young talent like German Marquez and Jeff Hoffman ready to lend their talents.

However, Coloradosrelief pitchers have been an entirely different story.

Last season, the Rockies posted a 75-87 record, 16 games out of a division title. This was also 12 games out of the playoffs. Their closer at the start of the season, Jake McGee, had a 4.17 ERA and posted just15 total saves all season. Their entire bullpen as a whole could only post a 4.91 ERA, much too high for relief pitchers. It can be said that their bullpen was the reason for enough losses to keep them out of the playoffs. With an even decent bullpen, they might have perhaps gotten closer to competing for a playoff spot.

Over this past offseason, the Rockies landed two free agent relief pitchers whowill hope to help Colorados chronic bullpen problem. These players are Greg Holland and Mike Dunn. Holland, in particular, is a large question mark. He was a borderline elite pitcher until undergoingTommy John surgery. How well he plays after such a large surgery is a big question that could change the entire landscape of the Rockies. Its a high-risk, high-reward acquisition that could dramatically change not only Colorados bullpen, but the teams fortune as well.

Regarding the bullpen, the closer position is probably the biggest question heading into the season. McGee was subpar, and likely wont receive that role again. If Greg Holland can reach a spot where he once was, he will definitely be in the running, as will Adam Ottavino, who returned from Tommy John surgery last season to earn seven saves.

Of these two, whoever does not get the closing role will more than likely be slotted at the 8th inning specialty reliever spot.

What do you think? Who earns the closer spot for this season? Who deserves it? Let us know below.

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Colorado Rockies: Looking at the Back End of the 2017 Bullpen - Rox Pile

Renewal by Andersen of Los Angeles (RbA) is pleased to announce that it has earned the prestigious Green Diamond Award from Renewal by Andersen. The award reflects exemplary customer satisfaction and is presented to Renewal by Andersen affiliates that receive the highest scores on the company's Homeowner Satisfaction Surveys during the prior year.

LOS ANGELES, CA (PRWEB) February 27, 2017

Renewal by Andersen of Los Angeles (RbA) is pleased to announce that it has earned the prestigious Green Diamond Award from Renewal by Andersen. The award is presented to the Renewal by Andersen affiliate that receives the highest scores on the company's Homeowner Satisfaction Surveys during the prior year. Specifically, it reflects exemplary customer satisfaction in customers who are likely to recommend Renewal by Andersen of Los Angeles to their friends and neighbors.

"We couldn't be happier to receive this prestigious award from Renewal by Andersen, and our customers," Lance Schepps, Renewal by Andersen of Los Angeles president said. "We see it as a recognition by our customers that we're doing the job we set out to do, each and every time and it is gratifying that our customers recognize this. Now the job is to do this again this year each and every time."

The award is presented to those Renewal by Andersen affiliates that score 95 percent or better in response to the question, "How likely would you be to recommend Renewal by Andersen to a friend/neighbor?"

The Green Diamond Award criteria are homeowners' responses to a satisfaction survey distributed after their Renewal by Andersen window replacement project has been completed. Affiliates must meet or exceed a minimum customer satisfaction rating of 95 percent.

The 2016 Green Diamond Award was presented at the Renewal by Andersen Summit Meeting held in Huntington Beach, California on January 29-31, 2017.

About Renewal by Andersen: Renewal by Andersen is the start-to-finish window replacement division of Andersen Corporation. The company offers a replacement process that includes an in-home consultation, custom manufacturing, and installation through one of the largest nationwide networks of window replacement specialists. For a complimentary in-home consultation, or to view more information about Renewal by Andersen visit http://www.renewalbyandersen.com.

About Andersen Corporation: Headquartered in Bayport, Minnesota, Andersen Corporation and its subsidiaries manufacture and market window and door products under the Andersen, Renewal by Andersen, Silver Line and American Craftsman brands. Andersen was founded in 1903 and employs nearly 11,000 people in locations across North America. Andersen is a privately held company. Visit us at http://www.andersencorporation.com.

Contact: Lance Schepps Renewal by Andersen Los Angeles 1740 Crenshaw Bld. Torrance, CA 90501 310-214-2222 lschepps(at)rbalosangeles(dot)com

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2017/02/prweb14098877.htm

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Renewal by Andersen of Los Angeles Wins Prestigious Green Diamond Award - Benzinga

Upscale property developer Arthaland Corp. has signed a $166-million engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) deal with a unit of Chinese construction giant China Railway Group Ltd. (CREC) and Malaysian construction and property firm Knusford Berhad for a 38-storey office building project in Cebu.

CREC unit China Railway Dongfang Group and Knusford will form a joint venture company in the Philippines to execute the EPC contract for office property Cebu Exchange, Arthaland disclosed to the Philippine Stock Exchange on Monday.

The collaboration among the three groups brings together strengths in design, building construction, project management and expertise in the Philippine property sector, the disclosure added.

Arthalands Cebu Exchange will rise on an 8,440 square meter property. It is designed to accommodate information technology and business process management (IT-BPM) locators who are expanding their operations in the region. It is expected to be the first and only Grade-A office building in Cebu on target to achieve dual green building certification from the United States Green Building Councils Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program as well as from the Philippine Green Building Councils Building for Ecologically Responsive Design Excellence (BERDE) program.

CREC is one of the largest construction conglomerates in the world. It was responsible for over 60 percent of the railway construction of China in addition to major projects in the construction of bridges, tunnels, airports, high-rise buildings and municipal facilities. While CREC is present in over 60 countries worldwide, the agreement signed with Arthaland is the first venture for CREC in the Philippines.

Knusford Berhad, on the other hand, is a Malaysian publicly listed construction company involved in major construction works, property development and investments. This group also provides machinery reconditioning, sales and rental of light, medium and heavy machinery and equipment, as well as the trading of building materials.

The agreement signed with Arthaland and CREC is also the first venture for Knusford in the Philippines.

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Arthaland teams up with CREC, Knusford for Cebu project - Inquirer.net