Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

The next time you reach for your sweater, just think: In about the time it takes to see Divergent, you can be in Delray Beach, strolling Atlantic Avenue in your shorts.

Midway between Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale, this charming Florida beach town is easily accessible from either airport. For New Yorkers used to getting around without driving, its particularly convenient; it centers around one long activity-filled strip, Atlantic Avenue. If you are wearing your favorite Louboutins or just feel like taking it easy, free shuttle services run along the avenue day and night.

The town has changed dramatically in the last five years. It used to house a handful of dining options and mom-and-pop stores, but it has morphed into a vibrant area with over 80 restaurants and stylish shops. Since my last visit a year ago, lots of new places have popped up, and the overriding theme is fun. Two giant candy emporiums and a cupcake shop opened within a block of each other. And where there were once grungy meathead gyms, there are now upscale workout facilities including PrCycle, where I spotted Sofia Vergara.

The renovated Delray Beach Marriott has a chic Mediterranean vibe.Photo: CJ Walker Photography

The demographic here has become much younger and more affluent, says Burt Rapoport, who owns three Delray restaurants, including the waterfront dining spot Deck 84.

You can also taste creative Asian fare at Buddha Sky Bar, a prime slider on a truffled pretzel roll at Salt 7 or Italian at Vic & Angelos. At the new Greek spot Taverna Opa, staff and guests dance on the tables.

Palm Beach and Boca Raton may be quiet by 10 p.m., but in Delray restaurants stay open until 2 a.m. And dining can be a bargain; Florida is the home of the early bird special, after all. In Delray, that concept translates to happy hours like the one at Union, with lobster tacos and sushi rolls for half price, and three drinks with vodka gummy bears for the price of one. (When we said we could only handle two, they gave us tickets to come back later for the third round.)

The towns anchor has long been the Delray Beach Marriott (from $129), across from the ocean. It has always offered more than its name might suggest: Mediterranean dcor, a spa lit by chandeliers and a Clefs dOr concierge who knows more about the town than the mayor. This year the hotel rose to another level, thanks to high-end duplex villas with bathrooms bigger than most New York apartments. It also added 50 Ocean an upscale restaurant with an outdoor terrace and picture windows overlooking the water and Sandbar, an adults-only tiki bar that draws a late-night crowd.

Among other hotel options are Cranes Beach House, which has a low-key vibe that feels like Key West, and the chic Seagate Spa and Resort. Seagate has its own beach club, renovated golf club, lap pool and the Atlantic Grille restaurant, where exotic fish tanks bring you nose to nose with sharks and moon jellyfish.

South Florida has become a major player on the art scene, and Delray has an emerging district, Pineapple Grove, with galleries and Arts Garage, a cabaret-style theater that hosts plays, music and performance art.

See the rest here:
Delray Beach: South Floridas emerging it town

April 1, 2014 Updated Apr 1, 2014 at 1:08 PM CDT

No Foolin' Commerce Recommends an Advanced Home Energy Assessment before Making Major Home Improvements, Upgrades

Minnesota Department of Commerce

Before embarking on home energy improvements or remodeling, especially major projects, the Minnesota Department of Commerce strongly recommends having an advanced home energy assessment.

An assessment, or energy audit, of how your house is functioning can help you decide what needs fixing or replacing. A followup inspection after the work has been completed can help document the energy savings.

An energy assessment will identify some simple lowcost measures you can take, such as weatherstripping doors, and it can help prioritize more expensive but costeffective measures, like adding insulation and airsealing or replacing a heating system.

Analyzing the operation and interactions of the various components of the home upfront can save in the long run.

For instance, consider an energy assessment before replacing major equipment such as a furnace or boiler. Determining and addressing air leakage, insulation, and other issues can help to correctly size a new heating system and ensure that it will work as efficiently as possible.

An advanced energy assessment should include the following: A review of energy bills to help assess home performance and identify savings opportunities. A blowerdoor test to determine air leakage. Infrared scans to detect insulation levels and sources of air leaks. Efficiency and safety testing for combustion appliances. A thorough visual inspection for attic, wall, crawlspace, foundation, basement, window, door, and roof problems.

Contact your gas or electric utility to arrange an advanced energy assessment. More comprehensive assessments are available from private contractors specializing in comprehensive home performance reviews.

View post:
No Foolin' Advanced Home Energy Assessment is needed

3 Carpet Installation in the loft
Read the rest of the story and see the other videos here... http://mygaragebuild.com/installing-carpet-in-the-loft/ I designed and built this 3 car garage by...

By: MyGarageBuild

Read the original here:
3 Carpet Installation in the loft - Video

4 Carpet Installation Time Lapse in the Loft
Read the rest of the story and see the other videos here... http://mygaragebuild.com/installing-carpet-in-the-loft/ I designed and built this 3 car garage by...

By: MyGarageBuild

See the rest here:
4 Carpet Installation Time Lapse in the Loft - Video

Bathroom Remodeling University - Bathroom Remodeling Videos
Bathroom Remodeling University - Bathroom Remodeling Videos http://tiny.cc/BathroomRemodelingVideos This is all the training and instruction you #39;ll ever need...

By: Clickbank Marketplace

See the original post:
Bathroom Remodeling University - Bathroom Remodeling Videos - Video

AETER Architects - Showreel 2014

By: AETER Architects

Read more here:
AETER Architects - Showreel 2014 - Video

Live Insights with Al Storm
Alan L. Storm, President of award-winning architecture and interior design firm DBI Architects, Inc., discusses his inspiration to own a company, as well as ...

By: DBI Architects Inc

View post:
Live Insights with Al Storm - Video

Zaha Hadid Architects - City of Dreams Hotel Tower Macau
Zaha Hadid Architects designs fifth tower in City of Dreams complex, Cotai (Macau)

By: WANtoday

View post:
Zaha Hadid Architects - City of Dreams Hotel Tower Macau - Video

Dus Architects is building the worlds first 3D printed house, which is located by a canal in north Amsterdam An industrial scale 3D printer is being used to pipe plastic bricks that will be stacked on top of one another to construct the house The 'room builder' machine pipes plastic lines according to computerised plans just like a gigantic version of a home 3D printer

By Sarah Griffiths

PUBLISHED: 09:19 EST, 1 April 2014 | UPDATED: 10:03 EST, 1 April 2014

28 shares

10

View comments

From food to medical instruments, it seems that 3D printing can be used to create almost anything.

And now a team of ambitious architects are using the additive manufacturing technique to build an entire house.

They are using an industrial scale 3D printer called a room builder to engineer the plastic parts that will be fused together to create everything from walls to the furniture.

Scroll down for video

See the article here:
3D printing is being used to construct entire building in Amsterdam

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (April 1, 2014) Its like walking through time. Rooms that havent been seen in decades inside the old Morton Hotel in Downtown Grand Rapids are now being revealed as Rockford Construction works to turn the old building into new apartments and retail space.

Developers took media through a tour, Tuesday, of the original public areas of the Morton Hotel.

The 13-story building was built back in the early 1800s. After a fire, the New Morton Hotel opened on Monroe Avenue in 1923.

The Saperstein family bought the hotel in 1971 and converted it into the Morton House Apartments. Through the years, to save on heating costs, many parts of the building were completely closed off. Residents were relocated once a U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development contract expired, and Rockford Construction bought the building with plans to create 100 market-rate apartments and retail space.

The tour uncovered rooms that havent been seen by the public in decades, including stairways, old restaurants and bars.

Work will continue renovating and bringing the building up to code. The apartments are expected to be ready in Spring of 2015, with additional floors of retail space opening after.

Apartment rates have not yet been determined.

Read more:
Walk Through Time: Old Morton Hotel Rooms Uncovered After Decades