Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Atop a mountain of wood chips, Eric Vaccarello pointed down at the newest arrival to his sprawling plant. A dump truck, stacked full with junked wooden pallets, rolled up to one of the several chippers on site.

All of that, said Mr. Vaccarallo, gesturing toward the spraying wood chips, will be made into a product.

Mr. Vaccarello has worked for two decades to develop more convenient ways to reuse wood waste such as trees, downed branches or other trashed products that would otherwise be burned or left to rot. In the late 1990s, he started two companies: one that specializes in land clearing, and one that cuts up and recycles wood waste.

But its been in the last five years during the boom in Marcellus Shale gas productionthat his business has taken off. His employees have gone from 25 to 100. His processing site in North Fayette has expanded to fill all 35acresof land he owns alongside Route 22.And the mounds of clay-red, light brown and black mulch have swelled so much he drives his pickup truck to the top for fun.

The impact of increased natural gas production in the region has rippled out to local businesses such as restaurants, gas stations and rental homes.

Mr. Vaccarellos ventures which includethetwo companies, Land Clearing Specialists Inc. and Wood Waste Recycling, as well as a recent start-up,Absolute Reclamation Services are positioned for a windfall because they can help advance gas production while promoting environmentally friendly practices, he said.

For starters, he provides services to cover the three steps necessary to recycle a patch of land. Trees and shrubbery cleared by the land clearing specialists feed the wood waste recycling business, which then provides the site remediation service with mulch and other products to reclaim the land.

He employs this process to prepare drilling sites for clients such as Consol Energy, Range Resources and MarkWest Energy Partners Inc. histhree biggest clients in the gas industry. Last week at the Pittsburgh International Airport, one of his teams had begun clearing way for another drilling pad for Consol, while another seeded and mulched at a finished site.

About half of the 600 total jobs finished by his land clearing company in the last year came from the gas industry and mostly involveddrilling sites that are usually about 15 acres and take two weeks to clear.

Butas he also works with railroad companies to make way for additional tracks and with housing companies to clear for more homes,Mr. Vaccarellocontends that he has seen firsthand how shale development has reached intosupporting industries.

See the article here:
Marcellus Shale gas boom means more ... mulch?

The Stiletto Heel Lookbook | AW14
Interior designer Angelica wears Azizi Isobel 3 different ways, sticking on a stiletto is a great way to smarten up an outfit. Shop Azizi Isobel here: http://bit.ly/clrks1Eknw.

By: Clarks

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The Stiletto Heel Lookbook | AW14 - Video

Renovating Your Kitchen? Watch Out For These Hidden Costs!
There #39;s no two ways about it: TV design shows and glossy magazines have changed people #39;s expectations for their renos. But the costs shown on TV are often not at all realistic. Interior designer...

By: CBC

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Renovating Your Kitchen? Watch Out For These Hidden Costs! - Video

Coral Springs, Florida (PRWEB) December 03, 2014

Perla Lichi Gallery (http://www.perlalichi.com), the UAE office of Coral Springs interior designer Perla Lichi, has recently been commissioned to design and furnish several major hospitality projects including the 12-story, four-star Armada Hotel on Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai and the 54-story Armada Hotel Apartments in Sharjah.

For the Armada Hotel, Perla Lichi Gallery will design and furnish 300 hotel roomsstandard, junior and royal suites, as well as the restaurants.

Perla Lichi will also design and furnish the lobby, restaurants public areas and two, three and four-room apartments at the Armada Groups Salam Towers in Sharjahapproximately 350 apartments. They are going for a more luxe category, said Perla Lichi Gallery Manager Ossama Salem. With our well established reputation in luxury models and private estates and residences, Perla Lichi Gallery was the perfect choice.

Salem revealed that with the vertical strength of owning and operating its own manufacturing facilities, Perla Lichi Gallery was also the ideal candidate selected to execute and install a hotel for Flora Group Hotels, following their design and specs.

Perla Lichi Gallery offers a unique turnkey hospitality solution including design and execution and will soon announce its own line of Egyptian cotton sheets and linens. The Gallery already represents high-end decorative hardware producer Bronces Mestre of Valencia, Spain, known for creating hardware that is like fine jewelry for home and commercial interiors.

Perla Lichi Gallery is uniquely qualified to provide the best quality, prices and service for the hospitality market, explained Director of Operations Ossama Salem. Combine this with Perla Lichis extraordinary design expertise, and theres no doubt that we offer an ideal solution for hoteliers around the world.

Perla Lichi is a recognized force in international interior design and is currently celebrating her 30th year as a professional interior designer. Just this year she has won numerous awards including Best of Show in the US Florida Atlantic Building Association Prism Awards program, and 29 individual awards for projects around the world.

A savvy businesswoman and smart marketer, Ms. Lichi has published photos of her work in five coffee table books. The newest, Palaces of the World, was published early in 2014. Copies are available in her showrooms.

Perla Lichi Gallery in Dubai and with an affiliate office in Mumbai, India, specializes in residential and hospitality design worldwide. The company is located on the 33rd floor of the H Hotel Office Tower. Ms. Lichi also owns and operates a design showroom, Perla Lichi Design, in Coral Springs, Florida.

Read this article:
New Hospitality Interior Design Commissions Announced by Interior Designer Perla Lichi of Coral Springs, Florida and ...

TILLSONBURG-

Saturday's Holiday Tour of Homes, presented by the Tillsonburg Kinette Club and Tillsonburg Station Arts Centre, featured six Tillsonburg homes, including three Broadway residences.

Also on the tour was Station Arts Centre on Bridge Street with its seasonally-decorated Tea Room, and the town's three-story crown jewel, Annandale National Historic Site, on Tillson Avenue.

Participants were provided with a map on their tickets, and they could visit the eight locations in any order. At each location tickets were initialed to be eligible for draw prizes.

No. 1 on the list was the Broadway home of Jennifer Schum and David Rudolph, owners of a stately century house originally built in 1908 by the Brown family. Visitors were greeted by two large Nutcracker soldiers 'posted' out front, and holiday music both inside and outside. Inside, the home's main hall, dining room, living room and family room were seasonally decorated using a variety of vintage-theme Christmas decorations and children-friendly ornaments.

"The music outside's just for today I wanted to liven it up," said Schum, standing under a string of musically chiming bells at the dining room entrance. "Everything in here right now is what we typically do for Christmas. If you come here in January, it'll still be the same."

Their 'show-stopper' was a set of three dancing pandas from an old mall display which Schum had found on Kijiji. The last owner, who had bought them at an auction, had not used them in a dozen or more years. The wiring had been cut, but Rudolph was able to re-wire them and fire them up for the first time about a week before the home tour.

"The panda bears and the Ferris wheel the Ferris wheel is off right now that's upstairs normally," said Schum. "We do kind of a kid's theme Candyland upstairs. We've got young children, so we try to make all of our holidays really quite special for the kids. Holidays have always been quite a big production for us and we love Christmas."

They started collecting the larger pieces since moving into the Broadway home seven years ago.

"The three larger Nutcracker soldiers and the pandas wouldn't fit in our last house."

See original here:
All decked out for the Holiday Home Tour

on November 22, 2014 - 4:06 PM

New York State officials issued details advice on how to deal with flooding in your home. The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch beginning at 1 p.m. Sunday as temperature rise into the 50s and rain begins to fall.

Home Flood Safety Information

If flooding of a home or business has already occurred or is about to occur, customers should contact their utility companies to have electricity and natural gas service turned off. In the event of flooding, customers should never attempt to turn off electricity and natural gas service. As a precaution prior to any flood, customers should check their basement drains to make sure they are clear and energized wires are off the floor.

Stay out of flooded basements. Energized wiring or outlets below the water line may pose a hazard; natural gas service in a flooded basement may also pose a danger.

To have electricity service restored once flood waters have receded: Customers should contact an electrician to make sure that it is safe to have electricity service turned on before contacting their utility. If the main fuse box or circuit breaker box has been under water, it must be inspected by a certified electrical inspector before service can be restored. Someone must be present for service to be turned on, the basement must be free of water and the electrical panel must be clean and free of debris. Customers and contractors should never attempt to turn on electricity service.

To have natural gas service restored once floodwaters have receded: If the natural gas meter and/or regulator were under water, customers must first contact their natural gas company. If any natural gas equipment (furnace, boiler, water heater, etc.) has been under water, customers need to contact a plumbing and heating contractor to have the equipment checked. Customers can then contact their natural gas company to have service restored. Customers and contractors should never attempt to turn on natural gas service.

Additional Safety Tips

If a gas odor is present, the customer should leave the premises immediately and then call the utility or 911 from a different location. Do not use any appliances or operate any electrical switches if a gas odor is present. Utility representatives are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to receive emergency calls.

Stay away from downed power lines. Even lines that appear dead can be deadly.

Visit link:
What to do if your home floods

Posted: Wednesday, December 3, 2014 8:05 am | Updated: 11:09 am, Wed Dec 3, 2014.

Midtown fire displaces family of three St. Joseph News-Press St. Joseph News-Press & FOX 26 KNPN |

Plumes of smoke rolled out of a Midtown home after overheated electrical wiring sparked a fire early Wednesday morning.

Shortly before 12:45 a.m., eight fire crews responded to 521 N. 19th St. in response to a reported structure fire. Dark clouds of smoke poured out of the upper portion of the home as firefighters arrived to the intersection of 19th and Mulberry Streets.

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2014 St. Joseph News-Press and FOX 26 KNPN. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Excerpt from:
Midtown fire displaces family

Happy Holidays from BPG Home Warranty!
Wishing you every happiness this holiday season and we look forward to working with you in the new year!

By: Amy Lonsway BPG

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Happy Holidays from BPG Home Warranty! - Video

A leading provider of title insurance, technology and transaction services to the real estate and mortgage industries, Fidelity National Financial, Inc. ( FNF ) inked a deal to acquire BPG Holdings, LLC. Notably, closure of the transaction is subject to regulatory approval, which includes the State of California Department of Insurance.

BPG Holdings is an acknowledged home warranty, home inspection services and commercial inspections leader, the merger of which with Fidelity National Home Warranty would result in the formation of California's largest home warranty company. Moreover, the takeover will increase Fidelity National Financial's Texas-based market shares while catering to other states, thereby expanding its portfolio.

This combination would also help Fidelity National Home Warranty to increase its presence globally, providing it with a platform for future growth.

Acquisitions and partnerships have been key growth catalysts for Fidelity National Financial, which have strengthened the company's existing lines of businesses for some time. Since 2010, it has acquired eight companies, including Lender Processing Services, Inc. ( LPS ), J. Alexander's Corporation and O'Charley's Inc. ( CHUX ), thereby significantly expanding Fidelity National Financial's product portfolio.

Notably, Fidelity National Financial's strong liquidity position cushions its inorganic growth.

With respect to earnings performance, the company delivered positive earnings surprises in three of the last four quarters with trailing four-quarter average surprise of 10.4%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2014 and 2015 are currently pegged at $1.70 and $2.21, respectively. The long-term goal is 14.10%.

Zacks Rank

Fidelity National Financial holds Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). A better-ranked stock in the property and casualty insurance sector is AmTrust Financial Services, Inc. ( AFSI ), which sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

AMTRUST FIN SVC (AFSI): Free Stock Analysis Report

FNF GROUP (FNF): Free Stock Analysis Report

Excerpt from:
Fidelity National Financial (FNF) to Acquire BPG Holdings - Analyst Blog

You may have read that we are in for a tough tax season what with delays because of Congress not getting around to the extenders and IRS budget cuts. Well. Thats not all. Tangible property is of course stuff like automobiles and computers and buildings all sorts of stuff.

Outside of fairly specialized areas like equipment leasing , the biggest impact of the regulations is in the area of buildings both for landlords and tenants who have made improvements. There are some businesses that dont involve being either a landlord or a tenant in a building but not a very high percentage. Buildings are what may be yielding the refunds of biblical proportions that I discussed with Michael Greenwald of Friedman LLP. Friedman LLP is located at 1700 Broadway in Manhattan surrounded by some of the big buildings that may be yielding big refunds thanks to the new regulations. But what about the hellish part, you may ask?

Remember The AT&T Breakup?

In 1984 the Bell System, which was something of a monopoly of telephone service was broken up by a divestiture of AT&T. When a company divests it distributes stock in companies that it owns. It can be a tax-free transaction which requires disclosure by shareholders and an allocation of basis among the various assets. Well, everybody owned stock in AT&T and typically they had acquired it over a period of years. So just about everybody had a complicated return that year. The phase-in of the passive activity loss rules after the Tax Reform Act of 1986 was a similar horror show. These regulations promise a similar flurry.

Have you ever heard of Form 3115? Go ahead and take a look at the eight page form, thats why I gave you a link. Now take a look at the twenty pages of instructions. Scroll to the very end where there is an estimate of the burden that the form puts on the taxpayers as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act.

Check out what Christian Wood wrote in the Journal of Accountancy.

With the new regulations effective for tax years beginning on or after Jan. 1, 2014, For example, taxpayers will need to file a Form 3115 to adopt the materials-and-supplies provision or file an election statement to use the de minimis rules. Failure to include the Form 3115 or election statement may indicate either an unauthorized accounting method change (one that did not obtain the IRSs required consent) or the taxpayers noncompliance with the final regulations.

Now I have read the repair regulations a few times without that dawning on me. That JOA article was back in February, but I have peculiar reading habits for a tax practitioner. I try to look at all the original source material to find interesting stories for my blog, so I got my wake-up call about just about everybody who is not a pure W-2 working stiff having to file Form 3115 at the Wolter Kluwer User Conference in Orlando.

The instructor indicated that if we did not join in with other practitioners in launching a tsunami of accounting method change forms on the IRS, dire consequences awaited us and out clients. Now any conference that includes a trip to Universal Studios for two haunted house experience one based on aliens and the other based on the movie Dracula and an inspirational speech by someone from a reality TV show

deserves a bit of skepticism.

Link:
Repair Regs - A Hellish Tax Season And Refunds Of Biblical Magnitude