Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

By Alisa Reckinger

Guest Columnist

We always talk about waste managements three Rs: reduce, reuse and recycle. For small appliances, such as blenders, coffee makers, toasters, and curling irons, lets add a fourth R: repair.

Repair Tips

Small appliances that are not working often need minor repairs or parts replaced. Consider troubleshooting and repair options before getting rid of broken appliances.

Some communities offer fix-it clinics. Repairable small appliances include lamps, fans, flashlights, blenders, sewing machines, hair dryers and more. At the clinics, residents receive free, guided help from volunteers with repair skills to disassemble, troubleshoot and fix their items.

Fix-it clinics teach valuable troubleshooting and basic repair skills. They also build community connections and reduce the number of repairable objects that are thrown in the trash. Check with your city or county recycling coordinator to find out where the nearest fix-it clinic may be.

Many businesses in the Twin Cities repair lamps and other small appliances. An online search will point you in the right direction.

Reduce, Reuse Before you buy a new small appliance, try shopping at consignment and second-hand shops. You also can try online resale outlets like Craigslist.

If you have a small appliance in good working condition that you no longer need, contact a local charity to ask about donating it. For a list, refer to the yellow pages under charities.

Read more here:
How to extend the life of a small appliance

Fire Engulfs Apartment Building in Downtown L.A.
A large fire engulfed an apartment building under construction in downtown Los Angeles on Monday morning. According to local news reports, more than 250 fire...

By: Wall Street Journal

See more here:
Fire Engulfs Apartment Building in Downtown L.A. - Video

Los Angeles Fire - The Gates of Hell
Massive apartment building construction site burns in Los Angeles to the Francesca da Rimini Overture by Tchaikovsky. 2:00 am December 8, 2014.

By: Samuel Schlosser

Go here to read the rest:
Los Angeles Fire - The Gates of Hell - Video

Video will begin in 5 seconds.

US Navy unveils laser cannon

Suspect 'killed just for the pleasure of it'

Now Spain bans Uber - who next?

Cosby sued by sexual assault accuser

Monaco welcomes Royal twins

Massive overnight fires leave multiple buildings destroyed in Los Angeles.

Fire destroyed a seven-storey apartment building under construction in downtown Los Angeles and spread to a neighbouring high-rise before flames were largely extinguished, forcing a major freeway shutdown through rush hour.

The blaze erupted at about 1:30am local time on Monday and took about three hours to bring under control, but no injuries were reported, said Katherine Main, a spokeswoman for Los Angeles City Fire Department.

About 250 firefighters, roughly a quarter of the city's total on-duty force, were battling the flames at the height of the blaze, she said.

See the original post:
Massive fire closes freeways in downtown Los Angeles

By Bob Keeler bkeeler@montgomerynews.com @bybobkeeler on Twitter

There will be a hearing for the plans before the Franconia Township Zoning Hearing Board in January. An application for the funding program will also be submitted in January, Carol Berster, Peter Beckers president and CEO, said.

Its going to be paid for with low-income housing tax credits, Berster said.

Organizations that invest in the project through a state program supported through the federal government get tax credits, she said.

The building will have 44 one- and two-bedroom independent living apartments, she said.

The rents are based on income, she said.

The median household income in Montgomery County is about $79,000 per year, she said. The building will have three apartments for people whose income is up to 20 percent of that; 21 for individuals or couples whose income is up to 50 percent of the median; and 20 apartments for those whose income is up to 60 percent, she said.

Its not actually really, really low-income, Berster said. It is designed to be affordable housing for people such as retirees on Social Security, but who have little other income or savings, she said.

Background checks will be done on all the tenants, she said.

Unlike the rest of Peter Becker, where the minimum age is 55, the tenants of the new building will have to be at least 62, she said. Continued...

More here:
Peter Becker Community in Harleysville plans for 44-apartment addition

By CHRISTOPHER WEBER Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Federal and local investigators tried Tuesday to determine whether an arsonist set a fire that turned an unfinished downtown Los Angeles apartment complex into a block of flames so hot that freeway signs melted and windows cracked in office high-rises as far as a block away.

Crews were dousing hot spots and smoke was billowing more than 24 hours after flames engulfed the wooden frame of the seven-story construction site, leaving a smoldering heap of wood and metal.

The fire that broke out early Monday caused an estimated $10 million in losses to the Da Vinci apartment complex, city fire Capt. Jaime Moore told the Los Angeles Times (http://lat.ms/1wu0xgF ).

Another $1.5 million in damage was done to a freeway where a sign melted and traffic-monitoring fiber-optic cables under the pavement may have to be replaced, authorities said.

Fire officials said they suspect arson because the fire erupted so quickly over so much of the building.

"It's very rare for the entire building to be engulfed at once," Moore said. "There may have been foul play."

City fire investigators and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will look at surveillance recordings and use dogs that can sniff fire accelerants.

Flames were visible for miles Monday and rained ash onto freeways flanking the construction site. Some signs melted and portions of U.S. 101 and Interstate 110 were shut down as burning debris fell into lanes.

Three floors of a nearby 16-story city-owned building had fire damage and the other floors sustained water damage.

See the original post:
Investigators consider arson in LA apartment fire

What people say about our patios
http://www.dcpatios.com.au http://www.facebook.com/dcpatio.

By: Australianpatios

View post:
What people say about our patios - Video

Spot publicitario audiovisual Poltica Pblica "Patios Abiertos"

By: Maira Fleitas

Read the original post:
Spot publicitario audiovisual Poltica Pblica "Patios Abiertos" - Video

Multiple Brick Paver Patios
http://www.ClassicLakeGenevaLakeFront.com - call (262) 384-3233 Beautifully appointed 6 bedroom, 4.5 bath home located on 134 #39; of ideal North Shore Lake Geneva frontage. retsbew.

By: Lake Geneva Real Estate

See the rest here:
Multiple Brick Paver Patios - Video

Pat and the Patios - Christmas In Me Car
Pat Quid goes solo for this vehicle-based Xmas hit. Watch Brian Pern: A Life in Rock on BBC Two - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04vf5g4 Listen to our Brian Pern Playlist - https://www.youtube...

By: BBC Comedy

Go here to read the rest:
Pat and the Patios - Christmas In Me Car - Video