Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Friday, August 15th, 2014 Issue 33, Volume 18.

Hello, fellow gardeners! Even though its not February, I thought this might be a good subject for landscaping this week. I think wed all like a little more romance in our lives, wouldnt we?

I dont recommend planting anything right now. Its a little too warm, but once we get into fall weather assuming we get some fall weather thats an ideal time to get new plants in the ground as they can acclimate well and have plenty of time to get roots established before the spring growth.

Alright then. What do you think of when I say romantic garden? Many people might think of roses or hearts carved into their garden gate, or they might even think of a Jacuzzi spa for two. Those are all romantic of course, but Id like to expand on that as well as give some other possible ideas readers might not have even thought of.

One thing that conjures up romance to me is privacy. This can be accomplished through judicious planning of plant and tree placement as well as hardscaping; hardscaping would be things such as trellises, pergolas and gazebos. All of these structures should be covered with fragrant vines for maximum effect.

Fragrance is one of those elements that add romance to the garden, especially in the evening! Roses (English roses, rugosas, and heirlooms are the most fragrant) and jasmine vines are high on my list, but those are not the only options.

How about lavender, mock orange, heavenly scent, honeysuckle, sweet peas viburnums, wisteria or gardenias? These are all great choices.

Citrus trees are a great addition because they smell great when they flower. Is there anything more scrumptious than the scent of orange blossoms?

Lemon verbena is a great plant because it smells great and can be used for potpourri making also.

Those in the Fallbrook area and west of that may be able to grow some of the more tropical fragrant plants as well. Plumeria would be on the top of my list.

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Healthy & Beautiful Gardens

KUCHING: Magnus Flooring Sdn Bhd (Magnus Flooring) is offering Kuchingites German quality laminated flooring made from homogeneous eucalyptus wood.

Business owner Lai Han Siung of Magnus Flooring said that there were two main products that the company was offering namely Eucalyptus flooring and Timber flooring with multiple variants for each of the two.

Our products are original equipment manufacturers (OEM) quality-branded laminated flooring that is manufactured using state-of-the-art German machinery and technology under joint ventured factory in Thailand since 2005 using MASCI IOS9001 and SGS, said Lai.

He added, the floor panels are made using homogeneous Eucalyptus wood, which is 100 per cent eco friendly, to make the high density fiberboard (HDF) core layer which highly resists water absorption.

During the manufacturing process, the wood is covered with a layer of paraffin wax on the edges during the board manufacturing process. It also uses Arch Loc interlocking system acquired from Germany.

Lai explained that the product is highly versatile while also being abrasion resistant, impact resistant, cigarette burn resistant, fade resistant, water resistant, flame resistant, termite resistant, glue free installation, warm on the feet and also relinquishes the need to hack of the existing floor.

For more information regarding the product, please call Magnus Flooring at 082-245027 or visit it at Jalan Ang Cheng Ho.

See the article here:
Site Last Updated 11:32 pm, Friday

Our Emerging Artists picks for the Aug. 23 chart week are notable for two reasons: each video is not only thought-provoking, but adds to the overall context of the song, making this week's picks well-worth a peek.

Fences featuring Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, "Arrows": Fences' new track with its high-profile guests was released on July 29 via Sound Cloud, through Elektra/Atlantic. The song, from Fences' album Lesser Oceans, due Oct. 14, has already charted on Billboard's Hot Rock Songs chart (No. 24, Aug. 16). Its video was the catalyst for Fences to debut on the weekly Billboard + Twitter Emerging Artists chart this week at No. 4. The concept for the clip was created by Jason Koenig, Chris Mansfield and Macklemore and Lewis. The video is as inventive as the song is catchy.

Young Kato, "Sunshine": The fun track is the newest single from the six-piece U.K. indie-pop band. It ranks at No. 13 on this week's Emerging Artists chart after its video was released on Vevo on Aug 3. As the video suggests, the song encourages listeners to live free, dance if you feel like dancing and, of course, enjoy the sun.

Years and Years, "Take Shelter": The song by the London trio caused waves on Twitter when its video dropped on Aug. 3. The release spurs a re-entry for the act at No. 14 on the Emerging Artists tally. "Take Shelter" is the lead single from the band's self-titled EP, due Tuesday (Aug. 19). The vibrato in lead singer Olly Alexander's voice gives the song power and depth and the feel of the song is aptly conceptualized in its video.

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Billboard + Twitter Real-time Charts: Emerging Picks for the Week feat. Fences, Young Kato, Years & Years

LOCKPORT Attaching a padlock to a fence or railing has become a symbol of love and commitment in some quarters, but on Saturday Lockport promoters hope it will become a symbol of Lockport.

At the Lockport Community Market on Canal Street on Saturday, the new Lockport Beautiful group will offer padlocks for sale for $5, in hopes that buyers will decorate them with decorations available at its booth, and attach them to one of the fences overlooking the Flight of Five, the original Erie Canal locks. Then, buyers will be encouraged to take a photo of their lock and post it on Twitter or Instagram, using #lockthelocks.

People may bring their own padlocks instead of buying them at the market.

Brian S. Smith, vice president of the Greater Lockport Development Corp., said participants will be randomly selected to win prizes ranging from free food to gift cards at Lockport businesses.

Excerpt from:
Lockport to decorate canal fences with padlocks

Following more than a year of volunteer work to provide assistance both financial and physical to flood-affected Marseilles residents, the Long Term Recovery Committee of La Salle County has released statistical details of its efforts.

Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Lukasick, who also is the pastor of Marseilles Methodist Church, told The Times individual and corporate donations "eventually totaled more the $60,000 (including $12,000 raised by Shakers Lounge in Ottawa alone).

"Because most of those residents affected by the floods did not have (proper) private insurance to cover damages, the committee interviewed 85 households to judge need and, of those, the committee gave 53 homeowners financial assistance of various amounts depending on the particular circumstances," said Lukasick.

Lukasick explained many of the households used Federal Emergency Management Agency monies (from $100 to the maximum grant of $31,900) and personal savings to provide material costs resulting from destroyed property (drywall, trim, flooring, appliances, furniture, etc.), but "most resources often didnt stretch to cover labor costs."

Assistance provided from these funds ranged from professional mold remediation to bathroom and kitchen replacement and furnace installation.

She said LTRC also referred households to other agencies that could assist the families, including United Way of Eastern La Salle County, Tri-County Opportunities Council's emergency Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program to replace furnaces, and U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development for low-interest repair loans and senior citizen repair grants.

She credited Golden Rule Lumber in Ottawa for being instrumental in determining actual needs, contributing and/or discounting building supplies and providing free delivery.

The Marseilles Southern Baptist congregation fed and housed more than 150 volunteers who were in the city for five weeks performing more than 6,300 hours of "mucking out and gutting homes."

Other companies and organizations which helped residents included Wal-Mart, Seattle Sutton's Healthy Eating, Morris Hospital, Marseilles Lions Club, the Marseilles Nursing Service, Marseilles Food Pantry, the Marseilles American Legion, James Hardie Building Products in Peru, Salvation Army, American Red Cross,Gleason Furniture & Hardware in Marseilles and many area churches.

At least 22 volunteer crews came from out-of-town churches or organizations, many from other states working more than an estimated 4,000 hours. Their work varied from the minor (painting, mold remediation) to more complicated repairs of floor and drywall replacement. Local churches fed the volunteer hot dinner every night and the Marseilles Rotary fed each crew at least lunch during their stay.

Read more here:
Marseilles flood committee releases recovery data

Deck Demolition Part 1 - GoPro Time Lapse
It was time to take the deck out so me and Carie turned on the GoPro Hero 3+ Black and went to work. The GoPro stopped taking images for some reason after 1740 of them. Had plenty of battery...

By: Billy Madrid

Link:
Deck Demolition Part 1 - GoPro Time Lapse - Video

A small section of the demolition industry has been dumping earthquake waste illegally and giving the industry a bad name, Environment Canterbury (ECan) says.

A review by The Press of offences since the February 2011 earthquake shows a raft of demolition contractors have been prosecuted by ECan for offences including burning, burying and dumping earthquake waste illegally.

Earthquake waste can include hazardous material such as asbestos, arsenic and other toxins.

Nearly a dozen directors and/or companies have been fined about $300,000 by ECan and the courts for offences against the Resource Management Act since February 2011.

ECan has also served a number of abatement notices and investigations are continuing.

In one of worst examples brought to light by the prosecutions, 5000 cubic metres of earthquake demolition waste was used to form a half-metre-deep farm track about 1000 metres long and 10m wide on Coutts Island Holdings land.

It was delivered to the site by Canterbury Greenwaste Processors.

The waste had not been screened for contaminants and contained asbestos from several inner-city buildings.

The farm property is on land adjacent to the Otukaikino Stream, which runs into the Waimakariri River.

In July, Judge Jane Borthwick warned of an "emerging trend" of illegal disposal by contractors when fining Tom Thumb Ltd shareholder Aaron Cooper $33,750 for burying 30 truckloads of earthquake demolition material.

Go here to read the rest:
Fines for illegal disposal of debris

Billings Public Library Director Bill Cochran is laying 50-50 odds that the parking lot will indeed be constructed on the site of the old Parmly Billings Library before cold temperatures this fall preclude the laying of asphalt.

Removing asbestos from the building is expected to take about two more weeks, he said on Friday. That work will be immediately followed by a Department of Environmental Quality inspection, after which construction work on the parking lot which was originally scheduled to open this summer can begin.

Im cautiously optimistic this time that we will see the start of the (demolition) work the week after next, he said.

Last Monday, the Billings City Council unanimously approved an emergency demolition order for the old building, at 510 N. Broadway. The order calls for the demolition to occur ASAP or as soon after is possible after all environmental impacts have been remediated from the building.

At the same time, the council approved a payment of about $404,000 to Safetech, the citys asbestos abatement contractor, to complete the removal of asbestos before demolition work can proceed. Payment to Safetech for this required work, Cochran wrote in a memorandum to council members, does not constitute acknowledgement by the City that all or any of these costs are the responsibility of the City and reimbursement will be pursued with the responsible parties.

Before the demolition work can resume, debris that fell into the buildings basement must be removed. After that, a vacuum truck will be brought in to clean out the basement.

Then, after the DEQ inspection indicates the site is asbestos-free, the demolition can begin.

The demolition work will proceed faster than it did this spring, Cochran said, because asbestos abatement wont be going on

simultaneously. He said he expects the demolition process to take about three weeks.

If asphalt for the 100-space parking lot cant be laid this fall, there are alternatives that could still allow for the opening of the parking lot in 2014, Cochran said. One option is to use the gravel base for the asphalt lot to park on until next spring, when temperatures warm up.

Continued here:
Let the demolition begin soon

By: Melissa Randall mrandall@abc6.com

Demolition crews at Warwicks Rocky Point have some catching up to do. They lost 4 days making repairs to vandalized equipment. Friday morning shards of glass from the smashed windows still covered the ground.

Must have been, maybe kids trying to have a good time. Some sort of twisted good time though, said Mike Garofalo, Supervisor of HK&S.

Garofalo discovered the damage Tuesday morning. He says 8 of the 11 trucks had the glass windows smashed, a trailer was broken into, and items were stolen. The timing puts the men between a rock and a hard place.

We are on a tight time line. 75 days total for the project and we're creeping up on it September 8th so it was very, very frustrating to come in and see that kind of damage when we are trying to accelerate schedules as fast as we are, he said.

While a portion of the walking path down by the water is open to the public the construction site is owned by the state and is off limits. The area is patrolled by both DEM and local police. It is also surrounded by chain link fence. Even still the spot is prone to mischievous behavior.

Police were called to the site and a report was taken. They said the damage appears to be malicious. Officers dusted for finger prints. The investigation is ongoing.

You're really hurting the city of Warwick to be honest with you. Because this is there project basically and their place to enjoy when it's done so you're hurting everybody not just us, said Garofalo.

DEM calls the incident an unfortunate, yet minor setback. Demolition crews say they are doing everything they can to keep with their deadline. The official grand reopening of rocky point is still planned for sometime next month.

WLNE-TV 2014

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Demolition equipment at Rocky Point vandalized

A 27-year-old woman heading home from work at Cousins Subs rolled her truck Friday morning when she slammed into a retaining wall near Rumsey Park.

Mike and Shelly Kraus, who were headed to Walmart around 10:30 a.m., witnessed the wreck.

Mike said as he headed north on McLane Road, the womans Dodge pickup pulled up behind the couple's minivan. Mike kept an eye on the truck from his rearview mirror, the woman on his tail.

Suddenly, the womans blue truck veered west, slammed into the concrete block retaining wall near Rumsey Park and flipped.

The crash gave the Krauses quite a fright. They turned around to see if the driver was all right and. The woman reportedly climbed out of the crumpled cab, crying, but okay.

I felt bad for her, Mike said.

The womans mother, who arrived on the scene shortly after the wreck, said her daughter had complained to her earlier of being hot at work.

Paramedics took the driver to Payson Regional Medical Center.

Her license plate read "Sea Yaa."

The rest is here:
Woman inexplicably rolls vehicle on McLane Road