Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

210 10th
Fully updated Cape with Family room addition.

By: Fay Evans

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210 10th - Video

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For theGlobal Game Jamthis year, our team wanted to make a game that behaved like a personality test. It would try to determine if you liked killing enemies, collecting items, running around wildly, or interacting with the games inhabitants. Once the game had a handle on what you preferred, it would tailor itself to your desires. If you liked killing things, more enemies would be spawned. If you spent a lot of time in rooms opening chests, the next rooms you went to would have more in them to explore. It was immediately apparent that a predesigned level wouldnt work, as we wanted the experience to be dynamic and different for each type of player. So, we needed some sort of procedural room generation, and we needed it fast. I was responsible for that feature, and found it so interesting that I wanted to share how I handled it.

Ive played a lot of roguelikes, so the concept of random room generation wasnt totally foreign to me. However, I hadnt seen any that really impressed me. Especially not compared to the random generators that have been made for tabletop games. Some of the better ones generate traps, monsters, and loot in addition to basic rooms and corridors. In particular, the generators available onDonjonssite are worth a look. Not only are they infinitely configurable, but their source code is (kind of) open! For traditional dungeons, they usually generate X number of rooms, and then connect them up with corridors. Theres generally a certain number of large, medium, and small rooms, but everything is calculated at once. This technique is powerful, and with enough tweaking, you can make some really nice looking maps without a lot of effort. Getting this version up and running in our game wasnt difficult. All we had to do was have a large enough grid, randomly drop the rooms in, and then place cubes where the walls should be.

Fig 1. Randomly placed rooms. I didnt bother writing code to create corridors to connect the rooms, because we had realized this wouldnt work for us.

However, this technique wasnt going to work for our game. Since the whole point of the game was to dynamically adjust to the players play style, a complete map generated at runtime didnt make sense. We needed something that was totally dynamic, where levels could be built incrementally as needed. This gave me an opportunity to fix a problem I have with most dungeon generators. Since they were usually designed to be easy to draw on paper/wet-erase maps, rooms are usually defined in chunks of squares, either 5ft or 1m. This means walls are usually that thick, which is unrealistic (most interior walls are only ~6 thick!), and room dimensions would be defined in those increments. I wanted our rooms to be able to exist outside of a strict grid system, and to not waste a lot of space with walls. So, I built a relatively simple system.

Rather than storing a grid, I tracked two different types of objects: rooms and doors. Doors only stored their position and orientation (latitudinal or longitudinal), and the two rooms they connected. Rooms knew their position, size, and kept a list of doors that were connected to them. I had a geometry generator that could spit out walls, floors, and doors into the world, and could combine those primitives into generating rooms of random sizes. The system was designed so that if a newly generated room shared a wall with an existing room, any doors in that shared wall would automatically link to the new room.

Fig 2. First test of the geometry generator, creating rooms of random sizes.

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Procedural, dynamic room generation

Elizabeth Harrison is a self-professed magazine junkie.

After moving into her Clermont home two years ago, she knew she wanted a garden house and she knew exactly how she wanted it to look.

I wanted something really different and unique, Harrison said. It just came to me. It was the look that I wanted. I wanted it to look like it was old, like it had been here for 100 years just sitting out in the yard.

Inspired by magazine photos, Harrison drew a picture of what she wanted and asked Jones Cottrell, owner of Clearview Construction in Clermont, to build it.

Cottrell said he was excited about the unusual request and was pleased with the end result.

Construction began in spring 2013 and was completed after three months.

Two large, metal arched doors open to reveal an interior decorated with antique furniture and artworks by Gainesville-based artist Jane Taylor. The 22-square-foot octagonal garden house is crowned by a 10-foot-tall copper roof. The foundation was made with antique bricks, weeping mortar makes the year-old structure seem timeless. Seven antique windows lift open while iron window grates below allow air to circulate through the space, making it comfortable year-round.

Cottrell said the shape of the garden house caused a bit of difficulty. He and his crew built the frame of the bell-shaped copper roof in his barn and then placed it on top of the building using a crane.

Harrison recalled how excited she was to see her vision become a reality when she watched the crew hand crimp the copper roof.

Her enthusiasm motivated the crew, Cottrell said.

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Clermont couple designs garden house styled after magazines

Published: Friday, April 18, 2014 at 8:17 p.m. Last Modified: Friday, April 18, 2014 at 8:17 p.m.

ORMOND BEACH The citys police department is eager to show the community it has cleaned up its act two years after an audit uncovered problems in its evidence room and that a janitor had stolen items from the city, leading to a loss of accreditation.

A team of assessors representing the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation will be in Ormond Beach this week to determine whether the department will qualify for re-accreditation, Police Chief Henry Osterkamp said.

While the program is voluntary and represents more a point of pride than any effect residents might recognize, the department is looking forward to proving that its professionalism meets the commissions standards, said accreditation manager Brent Hodge.

It sets the standard for the department, he said.

The department was stripped of its accreditation in 2012 after an internal audit found its evidence room in disarray and thefts by a cleaning crew employee, who admitted to taking $3,000 cash and heroin used for training dogs from the evidence room. The audit, which was conducted prior to the re-accreditation assessment, found stockpiled evidence from cases going as far back as the 1970s. The evidence included drugs, guns and biohazardous materials. More than 5 tons of drugs, guns and unclaimed property that should have been purged from the room years before was hauled to an incinerator in Tavares for destruction.

Osterkamp, who was hired as chief in 2010, said the problems had been corrected at the time of the inspection two years ago, but the commission declined to give the department accredited status.

It was their decision based on what happened, he said.

Hodge said some of the changes made within the department in the wake of the internal audit include installing an alarm system for the evidence room. Two new technicians were hired and are the only personnel with access to keys to the evidence room. Janitorial work in the room is done only during daytime hours with a police officer present.

To regain accreditation, the department will have to comply with about 273 standards. Once the assessors complete their report, they will report back to the law enforcement commission, which will make the final determination, Hodge said. In addition to having the status as an accredited agency, the process has helped officials develop uniform policies and procedures for the entire department to follow.

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Department looks to regain accreditation

Nanggu Bali Island Development by Palm3Beach and SpaceLineDesign Architects
Beautiful 30 acre tropical island development with 20 majestic modern villas, spa restaurant, private beaches and 20m yacht dockage. Jeff Page of SpaceLineDe...

By: Jeff Page

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Nanggu Bali Island Development by Palm3Beach and SpaceLineDesign Architects - Video

Tex-Mex enthusiasts will have a new restaurant to frequent later this year as Gringos Mexican Kitchen will open its 11th Houston-area location in Spring.

Construction recently started at 19330 Interstate 45 North near Top Golf and will be finished by September, Director of Operations Frank Martinucci said. The restaurant will employ around 140 staff members with a mix of full-time and part-time positions and will feature a patio, bar area and a playground for children in the waiting area.

Martinucci said the company has wanted to move toward The Woodlands and take advantage of the rapid growth in the area.

Its a great location along the highway; and when we heard Top Golf was opening, it was a good thing that really helped seal the deal, Martinucci said.

The restaurant will be modeled after the most recent design, which was incorporated into the Gringos Mexican Kitchen in Cypress, built in 2012, Martinucci said. The restaurant offers fun colors, plenty of booth seating, artwork and other decorations. A banquet room will be available for large parties and other events.

A daily schedule for the restaurant has not been finalized, but it probably will be similar to other Gringos locations, Martinucci said.

Our closing times will probably vary between 9 and 10 p.m. depending on the day of the week and what the local community desires, Martinucci said.

For more information about Gringos Mexican Kitchen, visit http://www.gringosmexicankitchen.com.

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Construction begins on new Gringos restaurant in Spring

Friday, April 18, 11:55 AM EDT

By Karen Brune Mathis, Managing Editor

Edwin Watts Holding Co. is the landlord. The 167-seat caf is at the northern end of the building.

The first caf for the Dallas-based company is being developed at the Shoppes on Riverside in Downtowns Riverside area and is expected to open late this year.

The city is reviewing plans for tenant improvements for Corner Bakery Caf Southpoint in more than 4,300 square feet of space, along with an outdoor patio, at the Bonneval location. The project cost is $550,000. No contractor was identified.

Corner Bakery Caf is a fast-casual restaurant that offers made-to-order breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as catering.

Downtown, the Corner Bakery will occupy a 4,000-square-foot building under construction at 192 Riverside Ave. in front of The Fresh Market.

In September, the company said it plans to open as many as 10 restaurants in the area as part of a multi-unit restaurant franchise agreement with Lee Wesley Group LLC, whose manager is Arthur Lee, president and CEO of Lee, Wesley & Associates LLC, Lee Wesley Group LLC and Lee Wesley Restaurants LLC.

Lee Wesley Group LLC also owns and operates several Panda Express, Burger King, Nathans Famous, Auntie Annes and Taco Bell restaurants.

Corner Bakery Caf says its made-to-order menu features hot breakfast scramblers, paninis and sandwiches, homemade soups, salads, pastas and sweets.

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Corner Bakery plans Bonneval Road caf

Remodeling Project, Part 3
Drywall Plastering (Mudding) is finished as well as initial painting. A very messy two week of work.

By: garygardens

Original post:
Remodeling Project, Part 3 - Video

House Remodeling, Ender Man, Dared, and More - Minecraft Survival Series Episode # 14
OPEN ME! If you Guys Enjoyed I would appreciate if you guys Left a Like and Subscribe For More Awesome Content! - XxRainxX House Remodeling, ...

By: XxRaiNxX

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House Remodeling, Ender Man, Dared, and More - Minecraft Survival Series Episode # 14 - Video

Spending on home remodeling is expected to peak during the third quarter of this year, according to a report released by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. AP FILE PHOTO

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CAMBRIDGE -- Strong year-over-year growth in the home-remodeling market is expected to moderate by year's end, according to a report released Thursday by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University.

According to the Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity, national spending on home remodeling is expected to peak at $158.9 million during the third quarter of this year, up 14.5 percent from the same period year earlier.

The study estimates spending will slip to $153.1 million in the fourth quarter, although that figure is still represents a 9.4 percent gain from the same period in the year before.

Experts suggest sluggishness in the housing market, specifically in home sales, will be the reason for decelerated growth.

"Home-improvement spending has already recovered a significant share of its losses from the downturn," said Kermit Baker, director of the Remodeling Futures Program at the Joint Center, in a statement. "As spending moves into the next phase, we expect to see recent double-digit growth tail off to its longer-term average in the mid-single-digit range."

The LIRA, measured as an annual rate-of-change of its components, provides a short-term outlook of homeowner remodeling activity and is intended to help identify future turning points in the business cycle of the home-improvement industry.

Continued here:
Home-remodeling growth expected to moderate