Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

By Donna Reed

Think "I Love Lucy." Better yet, think "The Three Stooges" minus one. Now you'll have a picture in your mind of our comical yet best-of-intentions recent house projects. Our son had just bought his first home and was away on vacation. My husband and I decided that since it was summer, and we had the time, we would take this opportunity to travel north a few hours and lend a hand at the new house. Our son agreed saying he could use help with two things ... the sprinkler system wasn't working correctly and his plants would need watering before his return. If we could help with those two tasks, he could handle everything else.

Our first night on the job we tried to close the dining room blinds. Those long, lovely vertical blinds had a mind of their own, and the more we pulled cords and twisted individual blinds, the worse it got. With The Project Man, my husband, taking charge, I gave up and went to bed. Some time after midnight my husband woke me ... not to say good night, but to tell me he had no idea what he had done to the blinds, and first thing in the morning he would have to call someone to repair them. I turned over and remembered our son's words, "all I need help with, Mom, is the sprinkler system and watering the plants." So much for day one.

The next morning I woke early, and after staring at the closed and twisted blinds for a while, I began to investigate other rooms in this new house. I thought having my coffee in the sunroom would be a pleasant way to start the day, so I pulled a sliding door that opens into the sunroom with no results. (Little did I know that it was just a stubborn, old, in-need-of-some-oil sliding door.) "It must be locked," I thought, and I turned the locking device to open the room. Now, it really was locked, and we had no keys to any of the interior doors, since "all we needed to do was check on the sprinkling system and water the plants."

After the blinds incident and the locked sunroom, one would think we had learned our lesson, but just as Lucy and Ethel ventured deeper into their comedies of error, so did Project Man and his sidekick. We tore down paneling in the basement to expose water leaking in through a window, and the next few hours were spent with a squeegee and paper towels trying to contain the wet mess.

Outside the house was fair game as well. Without a pole-saw for cutting dead limbs out of a backyard oak tree, Project Man borrowed our faithful dog's 20 foot stake-out lead, climbed up on the flat roof, lassoed branches (Will Rogers would have been proud) and pulled them down.

When that method was no longer useful, he used a 2-by-4 like a javelin, and, leaning forward on the roof, like the winged Mercury, he hurled the 2-by-4 toward higher unruly limbs, bringing them down with a crash as well. No broken bones or windows; we were so lucky! Although neither the dog lead nor the 2-by-4 were in my hands, I knew that I was just as guilty since I was the accomplice in these little fiascos. I could see it now ... a judge would issue a restraining order stating that we had to stay away from our son's home when he was not present! From behind his lofty bench, the judge would shake his gavel and say, "Why didn't you just look at the sprinkler system and water the plants?"

Like a chocoholic who craves the sweet treat or a Lay's potato chip fan (bet you can't eat just one) it was too late to reverse our path, and our need to complete "just one more task" was out of control. We pulled weeds, dug out contrary vines, cleaned gutters, interviewed lawn mowing companies, got a bid from a contractor on a basement remodel, planted flowers, pruned rose bushes, hung pictures, bought new door mats and bathroom rugs, raked the yard and tarred a leak in the roof.

We left for home the third day. I was afraid we might start to build on a new addition if we stayed any longer. The sprinkler system? It's still not working. The plants? They could probably use another good watering about now, but I think we will leave that to the new homeowner.

Donna Reed is a freelance writer from Champaign.

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Shae Marie and Dale Eickhoffs Jefferson City home at 1214 Elmerine St. has been added to the National Register of Historic Places. Emma Kessinger/News Tribune

When Shae Marie Eickhoff walked into 1214 Elmerine St. 11 years ago for the first time, she knew she had found her home.

As she and her husband, Dale, have entertained friends, family and theater parties there, repeatedly guests likewise praise the welcoming atmosphere.

Named a city Landmark this year, the Eickhoff home joins several in the nostalgic neighborhood on the list. And it also was included in the Moreau Drive Historic District, recently added to the National Register of Historic Places.

We love that its an older home; thats what adds character, Shae Marie said.

The foursquare-style home with craftsman influences was built in 1915. It is one of the oldest of the stone and brick homes along the street.

The frame of the exterior has not changed in the homes century, including the central gable atop two and one-half stories. However, the porchs brick piers have been enclosed.

Inside, herringbone hardwood floors in the foyer and other rooms are original, as well as two original, delicate light fixtures.

When the Eickhoffs replaced the front room carpeting, they discovered a Nov. 29, 1930, Kansas City Star underneath the old layer. So, they followed tradition and placed a present-day News Tribune underneath the new.

Fortuitously, the homes floor plan is almost identical to the Indiana home where Shae Marie grew up. So their children, Natalie and Alex, grew up in a similar home.

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Foursquare-style home named city Landmark

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Heating and air-conditioning accounts for 50% or more of your monthly energy bill. We can help you cut energy cost dramatically by replacing old or inefficient units that have turned into energy guzzlers.

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SCE&G hopes to replicate a program that would make as many as 250 homes in northern Beaufort County more energy efficient -- at no cost to the homeowners.

The Neighborhood Energy Efficiency Program already is in place in other areas, such as Columbia, and program manager Gerald Freeman said he would like Beaufort's to be up and running by late August.

Working with planners in the city of Beaufort and town of Port Royal, SCE&G has identified lower-income neighborhoods where the improvements may be most useful to residents.

In Beaufort, that's a part of downtown that starts at the corner of Boundary and Charles streets and zig-zags to Ribaut Road and King Street.

In Port Royal, the Casablanca and the Fort Frederick areas are being considered.

"This is not random," said Brad Samuels of SCE&G. "This is very detailed and has to do with income."

Households that participate will be visited by a team that will evaluate a home's needs. The team will then install as many as 15 CFL lightbulbs, insulation for electric water heaters or hot-water pipes, HVAC air filters, smart-power electrical strips, and window winterization kit, Freeman said. The team will also check the water heater temperature and adjust it.

Residents will then be taught about energy usage and how to further decrease their monthly costs, he said.

Kick-off events will be planned for late August so residents can learn about the program, Freeman added. Direct mail, door hangers and door-to-door visits might also be used to get the word out.

"Tell your neighbors," he said. "Let them know we're coming and we want to install these measures in your home."

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SCE&G to provide free energy-efficiency improvements to as many as 250 homes

Construction continues at UTEP for the new Centennial Plaza. (VICTOR CALZADA - EL PASO TIMES )

Photos: UTEP Centennial Plaza construction Posted Jul 26, 2014

University of Texas at El Paso students continue to face construction projects, especially at Centennial Plaza, which has shut down most of the center of the campus.

"It has been a pain," said Jocelyn Navarro Veleta, a freshman nursing major. "I had to move my schedule around and make sure I show up half an hour or so earlier than I used to to make sure I get to class on time because of all the fencing you have to go around."

The Centennial Plaza construction is part of the UTEP Campus Transformation project. The goal of the project is to create a pedestrian-friendly public space that students and the El Paso community can use, said Greg McNicol, associate vice president for Business Affairs-Facilities Management. The new plaza will close off a portion of the campus to vehicles.

The expected completion date for Centennial Plaza is October, McNicol said. So far, the work construction crews have been doing includes removing old plumbing pipes from the area and installing new utility systems.

"The majority of the work done so far has been in the ground," McNicol said. "Mostly utilities. All the major utilities that were under the ground, the youngest, if you will, had been in the ground for about 48 to 50 years, and some even older than that. This includes sewer, water line and things like that. So we have been removing them and rebuilding the infrastructure there."

Work still remains to remove the pipes and putting in new piping systems, McNicol said.

"We still have a few more things to do before we start spending money above the ground," McNicol said. "There still remains some minor connections we need to make in the underground utilities, but for the most part that is behind us now."

The next steps will include placing the walkways, trees, grass and installing a new water management system, McNicol said.

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UTEP: Centennial Plaza construction on schedule as students struggle with the inconvenience

Bookshelves are not just for books. Try incorporating interesting accessories, such as picture frames or small collectibles, to break up the groupings. CARLKERRIDGECourtesyphotobyKnottingHillInteriors

While full renovations allow for good measures of imagination and creativity, sometimes seemingly small changes or additions to a space can make a room feel brand new again. This months reader questions and my answers will show you a few inspired ways you can refresh your home.

Question | I own many pieces of art in various sizes. How can I display these pieces in a way that complements the art and the space?

Answer | My first piece of advice is not to stress over art. It is a movable piece of dcor that can be figured out through trial and error. Hanging art at eye-level is a custom taken from art galleries that allows viewers to observe the full piece at once. If a rooms primary purpose will be for sitting, hang select art somewhat lower at a seated eye-level for the same purpose. As a general rule, art should be centered with furniture or architectural elements of the home.

If you do not have large pieces of artwork, try creating a gallery wall of smaller framed artwork. A gallery features identical or similar frames in a grid and works best with art that repeats a theme, such as color-blocking or pictured subjects. A gallery can be a group of fine art, famed photographs, antique art, and objects used together to create an eclectic and eye-catching wall.

Q. | My husband and I want to change our living room by rearranging the furniture. Do you have any space-planning tips?

A. | Proper planning is extremely important in order to ensure overall cohesion of the space. Two critical components of polished interiors are the floor plan and a rooms focal point. The best arrangements provide the right kind of seating where needed, placement that allows you and your guests to easily converse, a table within arms reach of most seats, and a clear sight line to the rooms focal point whether it is a beautiful view, fireplace or the television.

Take proper measurements of the room and furniture. You will want to consider the location of immovable structures of the space such as doors, stairs and electrical sockets, as these will determine where certain pieces can be placed. Walkways need to remain unobstructed to ease traffic flow. With these steps prepped and executed, you can arrange pieces to focus attention toward your desired focal point.

A natural-looking arrangement that equates to comfort and flow is key. My designers and I often try various sketches or other visuals to explore all of the options upfront.

Q. | My family is full of avid readers and we have a lot of books. How can we display our books so they will not be cluttered on a bookshelf?

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On Design | Small renovations can make a big difference