Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

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Who else loves the look of brand new butcher block countertops? The natural wood gives a rich, cozy feel to a kitchen. But I've always wondered how these beauties hold up over time. Among folks who actually installed butcher block counters in their home, opinions tend to be sharply divided. After several years of heavy use, some call them a "disaster" while others have grown to love them even more over time. This polarization of opinion is related a number of factors: installation, type of surface treatment, and the level of care their owners are prepared to lavish on them.

What People Like About Butcher Block Countertops

Appearance is mentioned again and again as an enormous advantage of butcher block countertops. The wood complements every kitchen style and tends to grow deeper-colored and more attractive with the passing years. (NOTE: Because of the darkening as the wood develops a patina, choose a lighter color than you hope to end up with, when installing butcher block counters.)

Butcher block is often praised as "warm." This adjective does not apply only to its appearance, but also to its physical temperature. It is a very pleasant surface to work on, even in the depths of winter.

These countertops are equally easy on the ears -- they're sound-absorbent -- and on your dishes. If in the midst of hectic holiday meal prep, you slam down or drop your favorite ceramic platter onto butcher block, it's not likely to break as it would on, say, tile or quartz.

What's more, the smooth wood is fantastic for large-scale baking tasks like rolling pastry or kneading bread dough in quantity.

Perhaps best of all, butcher block countertops are easy to install and even to make yourself. Even if you order them from a contractor, they are very affordable.

What They Hate

Let's put it bluntly: butcher block requires a lot of maintenance.

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Butcher block countertops: how do they hold up?

BLOCKS AND RECREATION - SWENZ78 #39;S VIEW - INTERIOR DECORATOR
Welcome to Pawnee! Watch as Ron (MCandFriends), Leslie (Lilipution), and Tom (swenz78) as they build and manage the town of Pawnee, Indiana! LILIPUTION #39;S PAGE: ...

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Natural Stone Flooring Contractors Shelburne Vermont (802) 310-5284 Vermont Flooring Installation
http://www.chittendenbuilders.com (802) 310-5284 Natural Stone Flooring Contractors Shelburne Vermont (802) 310-5284 Vermont Flooring Installations Chittende...

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A public hearing is scheduled Monday at the Marshall Independent School Districts board of trustee meeting to hear a report on the highly qualified section of the No Child Left Behind Act.

Section 1119 of the act requires that all teachers in the core academic subject areas should have met the highly qualified teacher requirements by the end of the 2006-07 school year.

Based on the Texas Education Agencys review of the 2013-14 local education agency highly qualified teacher data, the state is close to meeting this goal.

In Marshall, professional staff members are close to meeting that goal, according to Greg Morris, executive director of human resources and administrative services.

At this time last year, MISD had five staff members waiting to meet those requirements as outlined by the act. This year, there are three one is applying for certification and two are in the process.

We sent in our reports to TEA in mid-November, and we have until June of next year to amend the report, Morris said at the districts pre-agenda meeting Thursday.

As for the paraprofessionals in the district, We are at a 100 percent meeting the highly qualified standards, he said.

The hearing will be in part to present to the public facts regarding the highly qualified teacher stats for MISD.

Richele Langley, district curriculum director, and Katina Brown, Marshall High School principal, will present a report on updates about the high school and the local college partnerships with MISD.

With House Bill 5, there have been a lot of changes, and challenges, at the high school, Langley told the board Thursday. But overall, we are pleased.

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Marshall ISD board to hear teacher report

By Sophia Macris

Rome has the Coliseum, Florence has the Uffizi, Venice has the gondolas, Vicenza has the Roberto Coin factories, and Capri has the Blue Grotto. But Turin? Turin has FIAT, you may say. If travelers to Italy have heard of Turin at all, it is maybe because of Italys largest automaker. All the better for you: the dearth of tourists makes Turin an ideal weekend destination, especially in the winter. And youll soon find it to be more than just the Detroit of Italy.

Friday Afternoon

Arrive in Turin on the Frecciarossa train from Milan. Even the high-speed train signals the efficiency of northern Italy; were close to Switzerland here, and you can feel it in the airand the on-time arrivals. From the train, you can walk to your lodgings for the weekend, the elegant and understated Townhouse 70 hotel, part of the small luxury Townhouse chain. The hotels rooms are modern and well-appointed, and the central location is perfect for exploring the heart of this Piemontese city.

As in most of northern Italy, aperitivo culture is sacred in Turin. Lobelix, a caf in the Piazza Savoia just a short walk from the hotel, takes aperitivi to Alpine heights. The two-level caf spills out into the piazza in nice weather, but the spread of snacks inside is what draws crowds. Locals quaff negronis and Prosecco while munching on a veritable buffet. They take their snacks seriously in this town. From canaps to cannelloni, the treats will more than tide you over for your evening stroll.

Turin is renowned for its holiday lights, and not in the tacky, National Lampoon Christmas way. The Luci dArtista is an initiative geared toward bolstering Turins reputation as a center of contemporary art in northern Italy, and the entire city glows during the winter months. The traditional lighted signs of the citys shops and restaurants join installation pieces with names like Flying Carpet and Solar Wind from artists such as Luigi Nervo, Alfredo Jaar, Enrica Borghi, and Vanessa Safavi. Neon lights are suspended over the streets, strung between buildings, and you cant help but feel magic in the air.

Saturday

After breakfast at the hotel, you head out for some culture and history. Turin is home to the Museo Egizio, one of the worlds finest collections of Egyptian art, courtesy of several generations of Piemontese Egyptologists who amassed a trove of mummies and other artifacts. The museum is in the midst of continuing renovations, and recently opened the Statuario, an absolutely breathtaking gallery designed by Oscar-winning art director Dante Ferretti to showcase its collection of sarcophagi. Theres even a temple transported from Egypt after the construction of the Aswan High Dam. From the Museo Egizio, feed your appetite at the original Eataly, opened here in 2007. Though a worldwide phenomenon now, this one-stop food emporium celebrating the gusto and grace of Italian gastronomy was born right here in Turin. Its location in the Piedmonte region of Italy has always ensured that Turin produces (and consumes) some of the best food in Italy. Enjoy traditional pastas and a glass of local wine downstairs in one of the restaurants, then shop for souvenirs your friends and family will really love.

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Roberto CoinVoice: A Weekend In Turin: The Perfect Winter Getaway

SIOUX CITY | Local property owners who improve the value of residential properties will be eligible for partial tax exemptions until Dec. 31, 2020.

The Urban Revitalization Tax Exemption rewards property owners for increasing the value of their property through physical improvements. Anyone who owns residential property in Sioux City is eligible for the program.

Various exemption schedules are available to homeowners who have made qualifying improvements, lasting up to 10 years on up to 115 percent of the property's increased value.

Improvements must add "lasting value" to the property, through major remodeling projects and additions.

These include "building a new garage, finishing an unfinished basement, an addition to the house, finishing any unfinished space, sometimes siding and windows things like that," said Neighborhood Services Project Coordinator Amy Keairns.

Applications for the exemption must be filed during the year the improvements were made. If homeowners made improvements during 2014, they can apply until Dec. 31.

Applications and additional information can be found at Room 305 on the third floor of City Hall, or onSioux City's Neighborhood Services website.

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Home improvement tax breaks available for Sioux City homeowners

CM KCR Meeting with Architects to redesign Hyderabad | Studio N
Watch Studio N, the 24-hour Telugu news channel, for all the breaking news and news updates across the world including regional news, national news, international happenings, political news,...

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IID Architects - Christmas 2014
Wishing you a Very Merry Christmas from all at IID Architects.

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Amchit Bay by SOMA Architects
Amchit Bay, designed by SOMA Architects, developed by FFA Real Estate: SOMA Architects 31 W 27th St New York, NY 10001.

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PLANS for the second phase of Prestatyn Retail Park were given the go ahead at Denbighshire Councils committee meeting yesterday (Wednesday).

Proposals for the expansion of the new retail complex include the demolition of the existing retail units at the former Iceland and Bevans Homewares site, and the construction of a terrace of four new retail units, the reconfiguration of the existing customer car park, associated landscaping, pedestrian and vehicle access works and an extension to the existing staff car park.

Councillor James Davies, a member of Denbighshire Councils planning committee, said: "This relatively small extension to the shopping park has not been met with universal enthusiasm, partly due to concerns over HGV deliveries, pedestrian safety and the aesthetics of the rear of the units.

There has also been disappointment that the units are not double-fronted. I have been liaising with developers to help tackle these and other issues over the last nine months and a number of welcome alterations have been made to the plans. The constraints of the site mean there is no perfect solution, but on balance the proposals have my support because of the economic benefits that they will bring.

These include jobs, an enhanced retail offer, the regeneration of a tired-looking block, improved pedestrian links to the High Street and the retention and transfer of Iceland and potentially also Bevan's to vacant High Street premises."

Objections have been made to the plans in regards to concerns about increased visitor traffic, lack of turning space for delivery lorries, the height of development being above the existing roofline, loss of retail parking space, poor pedestrian safety at Glyn Avenue and Nant Hall Road roundabout and poor visual aesthetics from Nant Hall Road.

The councils economic and business development team said: The completed phase of the Shopping Park has already brought additional visitors to Prestatyn and created new jobs in the town centre.

This new phase will enhance the town's retail offer still further and the improvements to the connections between the Shopping Park and the High Street proposed in the revised scheme should help other parts of the town centre to benefit from the additional footfall which will arise from this investment.

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Phase two of Prestatyn Retail Park given the go ahead