Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

by GARY CHITTIM / KING 5 News

KING5.com

Posted on April 17, 2014 at 7:17 PM

Updated yesterday at 7:20 PM

SEATTLE Puget Sound Energy (PSE) will spend the next several years trying to find gas line installation problems that can lead to deadly explosions.

In thousands of cases nationwide, gas line installers accidentally punctured sewer lines with directional drill bits, then ran the gas lines through the sewer. Its called a cross bore and it usually never results in a problem.

But Duane Henderson, PSEs Manager of Gas System Integrity, said if a plumber or do-it-yourselfer tries to clear a clogged sewer line with a common cutter tool, they can unknowingly sever the gas line. Gas can then travel up sewer lines and into homes or businesses.

The structure can fill up with gas and if it finds an ignition source, then we have some serious damage, said Henderson.

Several people have died in explosions and fires caused by severed cross bores in several states. There have been no explosions in Washington state and PSE wants to make sure it doesnt happen with any of their lines.

They have spent just one year inspecting their 24,000 miles of pipes and have already discovered more than 500 cross bores. They will spend many more years looking for them and will dig up and repair each one they find.

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PSE fixing gas line installations that could lead to explosions

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Window Cleaning (1962) - Video

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I see it's been more than a month since we had a lesson in Homeownering 101.

Let's fix that.

And some other stuff.

It had never occurred to me that everyone didn't do this until a co-worker asked a few years ago whether I thought she ought to install clear plastic covers for her basement windows.

She was getting water in her basement and figured that would solve the problem.

Maybe, but the solution turned out to be simply cleaning the fallen leaves and debris that had formed an impermeable "floor" in her window wells.

'Nuff said.

When you're washing your windows this spring (you are, aren't you?), check your screens for tears. It doesn't take much room for insects or even mice to slip through.

Minor tears in old-fashioned steel screens and more modern aluminum mesh can be patched by weaving little patches into place from the same materials. A few dabs of clear nail polish will seal vinyl screens.

For major damage or simply because the patches may look unpleasant remove the screens and replace the material.

Link:
HouseWorks: Once more back to school

CUMMING The Forsyth County Development Authority has decided to move forward with plans for a potential addition to the new county courthouse in downtown Cumming.

For the past few months, the authority has discussed the possibility of using some fees it receives from businesses to fund construction of a water fountain at the entrance to the five-story courthouse, which is slated for completion by early 2015.

The authority took an official vote during its regular meeting on Thursday morning to take steps to ensure the fountain project will be completed.

Citing the need to install the appropriate infrastructure, Chairman David Seago said the authority needed to take formal action on the project, which will include a 40-foot, curved fountain outside the entrance at a cost of about $130,000.

However, Seago said that infrastructure would cost more than originally anticipated. Due to the chemicals needed to keep it clear of algae and other microorganisms, a fountain cannot drain into standard storm or sanitary sewer. As a result, a special drainage and septic system is required.

But I have been assured that $19,000 is the worst-case scenario [for the system], so hopefully it wont be that much, Seago said.

Former authority chairman Bobby Thomas, who floated the idea of adding the fountain, made a motion to go ahead and have builders plan for the special drainage system.

In the meantime, other options that could cut down on costs such as possibly using different, safer additives in the fountain will continue to be explored.

Authority members have been looking to work with local civic groups, including Rotary clubs, on the project, which will also include decorative benches around the fountain.

Thomas suggested having Rotarians help pay for the additional costs of the fountain and have businesses or other groups sponsor the benches.

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Plan for fountain outside courthouse closer

Games that are worth your attention.

These days, keeping up with games can be a full-time job. So how do you separate the signal from the noise, the wheat from the chaff, the Temple Runs from the Temple Jumps? Allow us to help by regularly selecting a gameYou Should Play.

In a world where Flappy Bird is a frustrating success, the ethereal and surprisingly poignant Monument Valley is a breath of fresh, creative air. Designed by indie developer UsTwo, Monument Valley is described as an illusory adventure of impossible architecture and forgiveness, and its easy to see why. The game relies on puzzles of perception, stunning visuals, and a trance-like atmosphere to extract wonder and emotion from its players.

Part puzzler, part adventure, all sorts of awesome.

You guide Ida, the silent princess, as she wanders through an impossible, pastel-painted abandoned kingdom geometrically styled after the imaginations of the Dutch graphic artist M.C. Escher. At first, movement in the game is a simple tap on the part of the path you desire Ida to walk to. After a level or two, however, movement becomes increasingly complicatedthough not overwhelmingly soas your finger glides across the screen to rotate walkways, spin wheels, and manipulate perspective to create Escher-esque impossible constructions.

As Ida passes through the deserted halls and walkways of the landwhich I can only assume is called Monument Valleyshe encounters a handful of other living beings. A ghostly figure speaks to her in short, ambiguous sentences. The mysterious, aloof crow people stride purposefully along walkways and squawk at her as she approaches, acting as unmovable obstacles in her path. In later levels, a friendly, sentient totem helps her navigate difficult landscapes.

If that doesnt sound captivating enough, here are three other features that make Monument Valley worthy of a spot on your home screen:

Manipulate your pathway to navigate the impossible.

A matter of perspective: Monument Valley is a perception puzzle that feels refreshing and unique. The bulk of the game involves environment manipulation; as you maneuver the environment using wheels, levers, and sliding blocks to create viable paths for Ida, youre forced to also look at the stage as a whole to determine how different perspectives can alter in-game reality. In one level, rotating a path creates a Penrose tribar, which allows Ida to reach a higher plane as she strolls along the impossible route.

The puzzle aspect of Monument Valley is not only decidedly different, its challenging in a way that consistently feels stimulating rather than exasperating. Although the game offers few hints and clues along the way, its experimental nature ensures youll spend your short time with the title doingswiping, tapping, and moving Ida aroundinstead of growing frustrated and Googling game walkthroughs. Monument Valley is a short game, but its puzzles are inspired enough to woo even the most creative veteran puzzlers, while still being manageable for most casual players.

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You Should Play: Monument Valley

I am co-chairman of the Tisbury planning board and a member of the municipal parking lot committee but this is a submission of my own. Any errors or misstatements are my responsibility.

I would like to support the proposed expansion of the Stop & Shop store on Water street, but there are a few outstanding issues that I think need to be resolved before the Marthas Vineyard Commission gives its approval. These focus on three broad categories: Plans for the building, plans for the municipal parking lot and traffic, transit and circulation.

Size of Building

Many have advocated for a smaller building, one that would fit more easily into the surrounding context. This is still an unresolved issue, repeated at every public hearing, for which there has been very little give on the part of Stop & Shop.

The primary issue of size, in my view, centers less on the square footage of the floor area (plus or minus 30,000 square feet) and more on the fact that the building is maxed out to the limits of the property in every dimension width, depth and height leaving little or no room to modify its shape or provide adequate space for safe pedestrian walkways and amenities such as trees, benches, cart corrals, signage, bike racks and other street furniture.

Relatively small changes to the frontages along Norton and Cromwell, which are now pushed to the limit, could make a big difference. For example, shortening the length of the building by just 10 feet (from 240 to 230 feet) would allow for a 10-foot widening of Cromwell Lane, a significant improvement creating a safer pedestrian way and space for landscaping. This would reduce the parking garage by no more than three cars and the overall square footage of the building by about 1,000 square feet. Since Cromwell Lane is the link to the Islands shared use path system, this would be an important Islandwide improvement that the MVC should require.

Building Design

Apart from the unresolved issue of building size, the latest design has been greatly improved. While still bulky, it now looks more like an ensemble of three or four individual structures rather than one continuous mass, and the detailing more closely matches the character of downtown Vineyard Haven. The Water street sidewalk has been widened, providing space for trees, landscaping and displays. A second-floor balcony enlivens the street and provides a view of the harbor.

Still, there is just a two-foot setback along Norton Lane adjacent to the parking lot, leaving little room for a wider sidewalk, foundation plantings or other amenities. The building dimensions 110 by 240 feet are closer to the size of a city block than an individual building lot. This is a scale more associated with a supermarket than a grocery store.

When the Island Plan called for the inclusion of a grocery store in a village center, it was a call for a smaller building and one less dependent on automobiles. While we all have cars and use them excessively, Vineyard Haven is a village with many residents living well within walking and biking distance of the Stop & Shop. But existing traffic congestion along Water street, exacerbated by the auto-centered character of the store, tends to drive bikes and pedestrians away. The commission needs to assure that the store provides a safe, pleasant, pedestrian access that encourages shoppers to walk and bike to the store, both for the improvement of the design of the building and as part of a strategy for reducing traffic and parking demand.

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Issues Need Resolving