Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Highland Park has ordered a temporary ban on outdoor water use after discovering "clogged strainers" at the water treatment plant, according to a Highland Park news release.

Deerfield and Bannockburn, which receive water from Highland Park's water treatment plant, issued their own respective bans on outdoor water use.

The ban is effective immediately, lasts until further notice and prohibits all outdoor water use, including lawn sprinkling, the release said. There are no restrictions on indoor water use.

Earlier Monday morning, plant workers reported problems with clogged strainers, through which water passes from Lake Michigan, the release said. As a result, the plant's ability to deliver water has been limited.

Once the strainers are unclogged, the ban will be lifted. In the meanwhile, Highland Park will receive "emergency water" from Lake Forest and Northbrook through its "mutual aid connections."

For more information, call the public works department at (847) 432-0807.

gtrotter@tribune.com|Twitter: @NorthShoreTrib

Excerpt from:
Ban on outdoor water use for Highland Park, Deerfield, Bannockburn

Details Published on Tuesday, 19 August 2014 09:23

Pic: NSTKUALA LUMPUR: PANDAN Perdana residents are outraged by the felling of trees in the project to redevelop Pandan Lake Club in Jalan Perdana 3/10, here.

Wong Seng Hong said two old trees, which had provided shade for visitors in the park, were cut down on Sunday.

The project developer had put up a notice banner stating that landscape works for the redevelopment project would start on Aug 21.

However, we found out that work has already begun.

This morning (yesterday), when I went to the lake for my daily exercise, the trees were no longer standing. They had also not cleaned up after the job and the tree trunks and branches were still lying there. This could lead to Aedes breeding.

We believe that the trees were felled at night, said Wong.

He said that the trees were believed to be over 30 years old.

A council officer confirmed that no application for landscape works was received.

While we are not against the project, we want the developer to follow the proper procedures and guidelines set by the authorities, he said.

Continue reading here:
Trees Felled Without Permission

'A bit of beauty in a world of sadness.' KAT DUGGAN

SCOTT HAMMOND/FAIRFAX NZ

ABI'S DOTS: Blenheim interior designer Alex Fulton is raising money for charity by selling Abis Dots, a memento for her goddaughter who was killed in a car accident.

MISSED: Abi Hone, 12, was in year 8 at Rangi Ruru Girls' School.

A Blenheim interior designer is spreading colour to mark the life of her goddaughter who was killed in a car accident earlier this year.

Alex Fulton was in Spain with her family when she learned of the death of 12-year-old Abi Hone, who was killed in a car crash along with two other close friends, Ella Summerfield, 12 and her mum Sally Rumble, 49.

The trio were killed instantly when Dutch tourist Johannes Appelman failed to stop at a stop sign near Rakaia, T-boning the car they were travelling in on May 31.

"We just knew we had to get home," Fulton said.

Fulton kept in contact with Abi's parents, Lucy and Trevor, during the two days it took to get home, and they asked her to help them planning the funeral.

"They wanted me to choose the coffin and I immediately knew it had to be colourful like she was."

Read the original:
Designer spreads colour in memory of Abi

DALLAS (AP) From airy beach houses filled with light to rustic retreats tucked into the mountains, vacation homes can lead to inspired decorating.

"You love that place, that's why you're there. That's the place you want to go to relax," says Dallas interior designer Jan Showers, author most recently of "Glamorous Retreats" (Harry N. Abrams). "You want it very user-friendly."

Homes detailed in her book include a seaside cottage in Nantucket with decorating touches in cool blues and greens; shells that the family collected are placed throughout the house. An artist's getaway in Marin County, California, features the owner's photorealist work, and a studio that is a riot of color, with shelves filled with books and antique toys. The master bedroom of a Texas lake house takes inspiration from the colors of the water, with walls painted in what Showers describes in her book as a "pond green."

Showers, whose signature style is adding glamour to interiors, talked to The Associated Press about decorating vacation homes. (The interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.)

AP: How do you add glamorous touches to a retreat that is more casual than a year-round home?

Showers: My glamour is a very relaxed glamour. It's not about satin, furs and all that stuff. My idea of glamour is Katharine Hepburn in a black turtleneck and black pants and a red cardigan sweater.

I think most of my clients love the fact that I use really fun glass, and maybe it's glass that's not as expensive or as important as they'd use in their primary residence. But we do use groups of glass because it brings such an interesting element to a room.

I'm a big believer in everything looking comfortable. And to me, if it's comfortable and inviting, that's glamorous. Another way is good lighting. There's nothing worse than overhead lighting. Lamps add to the glamour of a room because everybody looks better.

AP: How would you suggest sprucing up a retreat that looks tired?

Showers: An easy, fast way to change things up one of the easiest is pillows. There are so many different fabulous pillows, and they're not expensive. It's nice to do seasonally. If you go to your retreat in the summer, you may want linen pillows that are lighter colors, more summery, and if it's winter, you might want some plaid pillows.

Read this article:
Decorating touches help retreats sparkle

Provided by Networx.com

Getting ready to remodel your home involves a great deal of planning deciding how best to use the space, clarifying your budget, designing the project, and (the fun part!) choosing colors and materials. In the midst of all these preparations, remember to give adequate attention to revamping your electrical system. Planning and installing electric wiring and equipment is a complex business. It must be carefully done to protect the safety of both the building and its occupants. The National Electric Code has set the standard for electrical safety in the US for over a century, helping to shape state and local building codes. When you are planning to remodel, work with a licensed electrical contractor who is expert in all the ins and outs of the NEC.

What is the NEC?

The NEC (National Electric Code) is a list of standards governing the safe installation of electrical wiring and other equipment in the United States. Since its first appearance in 1897, updates of the NEC have been published every three years. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) publishes the NEC as part of its comprehensive fire codes. While the National Electric Code is not an actual law itself, but rather a collection of guidelines intended to safeguard against burns, shocks, and electrocution, it is legally binding. Whats more, many state and local jurisdictions have passed laws requiring that the NEC be followed in electrical installations for both new construction and remodels.

Pro electrician

The NEC specifically states that it is not intended to be used as an instruction manual. And when printed out, the complete text of the Code runs to some 1000 pages in length. What this means in practical terms is that in-depth study of the NEC is necessary to understand how to implement its requirements. Apprentice electricians are required to demonstrate a thorough theoretical and practical familiarity with the NEC in order to obtain their license. A licensed professional electrician in your area is the best person to implement the requirements and ensure that your home remodel is up to current local code. In addition to his or her expertise, a pro electrician has the knowledge to come up with ideas that will save you money and hassle.

Keeping up with the NEC

The 2014 edition of the National Electric Code contains some important new changes to reflect recent advances in technology. For example, the volt threshold was increased from 600 to 1000 in order to safely accommodate new sources of electricity such as photo-voltaic and wind generation systems. Areas where GFCIs (Ground Fault Circuit interrupters, which protect against electric shocks, burns, and electrocution) are required have been extended to include residential dishwasher branch circuits and 125 volt single phase 15 and 20 ampere receptacles in apartment or condo laundry rooms. Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters (AFCIs) are now required in home kitchens to protect against fires caused by electrical leakage from damaged wiring.

What not to do

TRUE STORY: I once visited a home (outside of the USA) that had recently been remodeled by its owner. With brand new flooring, fresh paint, and a lavishly updated kitchen, the place looked great. But when I asked the homeowner what he'd had done to upgrade the old electrical system, he replied, Oh, I didn't touch that ... I had my hands full enough with the decorating. This kind of attitude is not only lazy, its asking for trouble from worn-out wiring. In the United States, the National Electric Code spells out how to safely design and install electrical systems to avoid dangers to life, limb, and property. As a legally binding document, the NEC carries civil and criminal penalties for non-compliance. Make sure that your home remodel is in compliance, for your safety's sake.

Continued here:
The NEC and your home remodel

Four years after a Tesla employee's plane plummeted into an East Palo Alto neighborhood, destroying Lisa Jones' home and child care center, residents of Atherton and dozens of community volunteers have stepped forward to rebuild Jones' home and life.

Ms. Jones' family members barely escaped when the twin-engine Cessna slammed into their bedrooms on the morning of Feb. 17, 2010. Since then, she has struggled while others in her Beech Street neighborhood have been able to recover.

When a lawsuit that settled in July 2013 did not give her enough money to rebuild, Maryan Ackley, a longtime friend and Atherton resident, started to raise funds to rebuild her home.

Now the project, which began in November, is nearly completed. On Aug. 11, Ebcon Corporation construction workers were putting the finishing touches on the neat, beige-and-white home.

"I've known Lisa since our kids were in kindergarten together 12 years ago," Ms. Ackley said. "Our kids were friends, and we were friends. When the accident first happened, I stayed close to Lisa. When it became apparent that the settlement wouldn't be enough, I reached out to the Sacred Heart Schools community" for help.

Pacific Peninsula Group, a real-estate development firm cofounded by Ms. Ackley's husband, Stephen, became a corporate sponsor for the effort, which tapped into subcontractors who supplied in-kind donations.

Dollinger Properties executive David Dollinger put up a $125,000 matching grant, which gave impetus to the community fundraising, according to Ms. Ackley.

The nonprofit Rebuilding Together Peninsula, with which Ms. Ackley has been active for many years, agreed to get involved. Scads of local businesses and contractors also donated money, materials and time.

"It really was a labor of love for a lot of people," Ms. Ackley said.

Chalk messages on the pavement in front of Jones' home attest to that affection.

Continued here:
Volunteers rebuild plane-crash victim's home

Josh Miller/CNET

In a move to help users "put their homes on auto-pilot," home security giant ADT announced today that it'll soon be unveiling an ADT Pulse channel on IFTTT, the popular online automation service.

Short for "if this, then that," IFTTT is a free tool that lets its users craft cause and effect-based automation recipes from a wide array of integrated Web services, social networks, and smart home gadgets.

Plugging ADT Pulse into that network means that the security offering's more than 850,000 subscribers will soon be able to program their smart security setups in countless new ways, from using a wearable sleep tracker to disarm their systems when they wake up, to controlling the thermostat based on readings from IFTTT-friendly environmental sensors.

The move reflects IFTTT's growing influence, as tech companies both large and small are increasingly using the free service as an easy means of offering fairly comprehensive third-party automation capabilities. ADT will easily be one of the biggest and most mainstream channels IFTTT offers, which should only help continue to grow the service's appeal.

By integrating with IFTTT, ADT suddenly becomes compatible with dozens of new Web tools and third-party connected gadgets. It's potentially, a very savvy defensive play, as small-scale, forward-thinking security startups with an eye on automation seem to be gaining traction -- though no notable competitors offer IFTTT support yet. Additionally, as IFTTT continues to grow, ADT can continue adding feathers to its cap and extending its list of products and services it can claim compatibility with.

Exposing an existing home security system to so many new devices at once could potentially expose it to new vulnerabilities, however. If a third-party device that's capable of turning the alarm off through IFTTT is easily hacked, for instance, that's a real problem.

ADT's team acknowledged these sorts of concerns when I spoke with them, and is promising to take things slow. The new IFTTT channel will go through several months of beta testing before ADT opens it to the public next year. By then, the company hopes to have closer relationships with the services and devices that seem to be an especially good fit for ADT Pulse, and to be in more of a position to promise its user base a high standard of security through recommended recipes.

Read the original here:
ADT teams up with IFTTT to automate home security

A smorgasbord of home improvement choices are on display this weekend at the 30th Southern Ideal Home Show at The Park Expo and Conference Center. Experts will showcase products and dole out advice on topics ranging from curb appeal to interior decorating to major remodeling.

The focus of this years show is Weve done the work for you, says Show Manager Mardee Woodward. We have brought every category of home improvement, decorating and design under one roof, she says. It is one stop shopping, so customers can talk to several experts in the same category and compare. Many customers bring their plans to the show on iPads, which makes it easy for vendors to give personal advice. And its free advice, she says.

Trends include white and light colors in the kitchen and bath cabinet category. LED outdoor lighting is another hot trend. The prices are affordable, and the blue tint is gone, says Woodward. Home security system innovations allow people to check their alarm systems remotely. Plumbing highlights include a Kohler experience tour called Trust the Flush hosted by Ferguson Kitchen & Bath. Hardscape is popular in the landscaping arena. It uses manufactured or natural stone to create usable outdoor space.

Customers will enter the show through the IDEAL Foyer. Its six vignettes emphasize the importance of first impressions in welcoming guests to a home. Cobalt blue and fuscia provide pop. A 5-inch hand scraped hickory floor made by American Scrapes provides class.

On the IDEAL Home Stage, Observer Home&Garden columnist Vicki Payne, designer of a home textile collection and host of the PBS series For Your Home, will speak about reimagining exterior design. WKQZs Brenda Matthews will speak about the role paint can play in home dcor. Cooking demonstrations, hosted by Heidi Billotto will feature a variety of Charlotte area chefs, including Heirlooms Clark Barlow, The Peach Stands butcher Sal Bonsangue, and Kings Kitchens Sam Stachon, to name a few.

The Charlotte Observer welcomes your comments on news of the day. The more voices engaged in conversation, the better for us all, but do keep it civil. Please refrain from profanity, obscenity, spam, name-calling or attacking others for their views.

Have a news tip? You can send it to a local news editor; email local@charlotteobserver.com to send us your tip - or - consider joining the Public Insight Network and become a source for The Charlotte Observer.

The Charlotte region is vast and diverse. The more voices engaged in conversation, the better for us all. The Charlotte Observer welcomes your comments on news of the day, but we ask that you keep the discourse civil.

We do not monitor each and every posting, but we reserve the right to block or delete comments that violate these rules.

You can help: Notify us of violations by hitting the "Report Abuse" link. Users who continue posting comments that violate these guidelines may, at our discretion, be blocked from submitting future comments as well.

Original post:
Get decorating, remodeling advice at Southern Ideal Home Show

Police investigating a series of break and enters at businesses across the South East in recent weeks have released CCTV images of a man who may be able to assist with their enquiries. Anyone who might recognise the man is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Logan police claim a crackdown in the city has cut the crime rate this year. Source: Supplied

FOUR Gold Coast suburbs are among the worst crime hotspots for home break-ins in Queensland, with most thieves targeting cash and jewellery.

Broadbeach, Broadbeach Waters, Mermaid Beach and Mermaid Waters were on the list as the worst on the Gold Coast but it was two Logan City suburbs that are the states worst for home break-ins.

That is according to RACQ Insurances Home Security Index, based on claims lodged with the company last year.

FIGHTING: Polair called to support police after wild brawl

LOGAN CITY: Harder to find properties to rent

RACQ executive manager of insurance communications Mike Sopinski said Crestmeadand Marsden led Queensland in the category, with 3.4 per cent of policy holders lodging claims.

Ellen Grove and Forest Lake, in Brisbanes southwest, were the next worst suburbs, with a claims/theft incidence rate of 2.64, meaning 2.64 out of every 100 policy-holders lodged claims.

But Logan police claim a crackdown in the city has cut the crime rate this year.

See original here:
Do you live in a break-in hotspot?

When Carolyn Bates returned to her home in Harvey's Woodmere subdivision, on a rainy Friday afternoonmore than four years ago, she found her front door ajar. Fearful, she remained outside and called a friend.

"We looked through the glass door, and we saw specks of blood on the tile floor," Bates told a Jefferson Parish jury Tuesday. Her friend called 911.

In a rear room of the three-bedroom house at 2217 Eastmere Drive, sheriff's deputies found the body of her husband, Donald Bates. The 53-year-old handyman had been beaten in the head with a baseball bat and shot four times. His work van, missing, was found burned the next day in Marrero.

The third of three suspects charged in Bates' death on Jan. 29, 2010, death, Terrol Cole, 33, of Port Allen, is standing trial this week on a charge of second-degree murder. If convicted as charged, he would spend the rest of his life in prison.

Cole is accused of forcing his way into the home with Darnell Turner, planning to get $12,000 in cash.The trial, unfolding in 24th Judicial District Judge Michael Mentz's court, is expected to last several days.

Although he was arrested with Turner in Arkansas a week after the homicide, Cole denies involvement in the crime. "That was a bad choice," his attorney, Robert Hjoresberg, told the jury. "It doesn't mean he's guilty of murder."

Turner, 31, of Harvey, was convicted last year of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.The third person arrested in the Bates murder, Rhonda Skinner, 42, who lived in the Westwego area, cut a deal with prosecutors in 2012, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit armed robbery and obstruction of justice agreed to testify against Cole and Turner.

Skinner, who was acquainted with Donald Bates, admitted during Turner's trial that she alerted Cole and Turner to the $12,000 inside the home and said she was supposed to get a $2,000 cut. Authorities say she set up the robbery.

Shepleaded guilty more than two years ago, but her sentencing has been delayed until after Cole's trial. She's expected to testify this week. She faces as long as 30 years in prison.

Assistant District Attorney Clif Milner, prosecuting with Michael Morales, told the jury Tuesday that two women drove Turner and Cole to the Bates home. Later that day, Cole told one of those women that they killed Bates.

Read the original:
Port Allen man standing trial in murder of Harvey handyman