Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

With the creation of a state law stating that houses must be equipped with a sprinkler system for safety reasons, some Greek houses off University of Wisconsins campus are opting to take the opportunity for full-blown renovations.

Reporting from theWisconsin State Journal said the concern for fires at Greek houses arose after a fire destroyed the former structure of Sigma Phi Epsilon in 2008. A 2006 state law set the requirement that fraternities and sororities install sprinkler systems by Jan. 1 of this year, according to the story.

Eric Flanagan, a foundation board member for Delta Upsilon, said hes seen no complications with meeting the sprinkler requirements. He said the fraternity learned of the plan in 2006 and took it as an opportunity to update a house that had not been renovated since the 1960s.

At that point we decided we would do a full renovation of the house to coincide with the sprinkler requirements, were doing a full $2.1 million historical renovation of the inside of our house, Flanagan said. The outside of the house, since its a historical building, will remain the same but its a full-gut rehab on the inside.

Flanagan said the money for this makeover was made possible in part by an anchor donor, John Morgridge, who was a UW Alum and a prior president of Delta Upsilon. Morgridge agreed to match any funds raised by the fraternity, Flanagan said.

Currently, Delta Upsilon has raised $1.6 million total, Flanagan said.

Flanagan said the house is currently closed and the renovations will be in full swing from March until August. The house will re-open in time for the fall semester, he said.

Ald. Scott Resnick, District 8, said cost was a major obstacle in the renovation efforts.

Each house needs to comply with the sprinkler codes, which can cost anywhere from $200,000 to $500,000, Resnick said.

This can obviously be somewhat burdensome to sorority and fraternity houses, Resnick said.However it also does provide not only increased safety for the members but a chance to revamp many of the houses that havent seen some of the TLC that is otherwise needed.

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State sprinkler law leads to Greek house renovations

"It looks like a graveyard." 9OYS sheds light on a dark dumping grou
It #39;s a neglected area, where dirt roads go on for miles and the desert seems endless.

By: kgun9

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"It looks like a graveyard." 9OYS sheds light on a dark dumping grou - Video

Captain Falcon Sheds Manly Tears
Breast Cancer awareness Ganondorf is a sight to behold but I legitimately freaked out when ganon pulled out the sword. @_@

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Captain Falcon Sheds Manly Tears - Video

GV Prakash sheds wieght for Pencil!
Music composer GV Prakash, is likely to make his debut as an actor. Meanwhile, he has shed nearly 9 kilos to look more appealing in Pencil. GV has added, tha...

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GV Prakash sheds wieght for Pencil! - Video

Ford Motor Co.s new F-150 pickup sheds 700 pounds from its body and chassis, but to get there, the Dearborn automaker needed help from about a dozen hefty men.

In an effort to improve the durability of its leather-wrapped truck seats, Ford hired a firm to enlist the help of men of a certain size: at least 265 pounds. Dressed in dirty jeans, their mission was to climb into the drivers seat, get down and climb up again, at least 10,000 times per truck.

The result of that punishment-testing is a pair of front seats made of higher-strength steel and tougher leather that weigh a combined 30 pounds less than the current seats, but withstand consistent beating from the beefiest and grimiest truck drivers.

Even though our seats met our internal standards, we were getting a few customers, especially with our leather seats, where the leather was cracking and not living up to expectations, said Tim Dunn, Fords North American seat complete engineer manager, in an interview. Ford eventually found a contributing factor in addition to weight: dirt. Most seat durability testing is done by robot, but engineers were wary of how dirt could mess with robots and never tried the combination.

Enter the seat testers. Wearing stiff new jeans, they worked as many as 10 hours daily, for about a week, in scorching heat last summer in Taylor. Oh, yeah: The participants had to wear the same jeans throughout the process to emulate long-term wear and tear. That got to be both sticky and uncomfortable as the combination of dirt a standardized test material known as Arizona dust, which was patted onto truck seats every 500 sits and sweat began to cake on the denims bottoms and inseams.

The seats will debut in the 2015 F-150, which arrives at dealers late this year.

Though it wasnt known exactly how much the seat testers were paid, it apparently wasnt enough: The firm had to increase the pay rate to avoid losing participants and having to start over, Dunn said.

A couple of them said it just wasnt worth it for what they were getting paid, making $60 to $70 a day, he said.

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Hefty men pound Ford's F-150 into shape

Need a sewer line installation? Dont trust that job to just anyone.C&W Plumbingplumbers have the skills and expertise to complete the installation. Start your sewer line service off on the right foot, working properly.

Faulty installations can be very costly and dangerous, so its very important to have the right people for the job. Incorrect installation and poor workmanship can allow sewage to seep into the ground around your home and if left unattended can cause foundation problems to your home in the future. In order to prevent costly issues down the road, call the specialists at C&W Plumbing to install your new sewer line.

Once the waste water goes down the drain (via your sink, tub, or toilet), it is funneled into the sewer system through your sewer line, which then feeds in to the municipal sewer system or a septic tank (used in areas like Prosper, Double Oak, Bartonville, and unincorporated areas). Our highly trained plumbers will install your drainage and sewer system with as little disruption as possible to you and your property.

Preventing Sewer Backups

Roots in your sewer line - If you know that you have roots in the line, you have a serious problem that will grow worse. To prevent a more costly repair, schedule a video sewer inspection to look at possible solutions before the problem grows.

Grease in your drain pipe - If you have poured grease down your drain pipe and nothing is flowing down the drain, do not use any harsh chemicals or acids to try to unstop it. Some of the chemicals sold at big box stores can be dangerous to you if it comes in contact with you. Rather, you need the drain line opened with a sewer snake and hydro-jet cleaning of the system. Once the line is cleared, a microbial agent will aide in keeping the line free from grease buildup for years to come.

Broken and corroded cast iron sewer lines Many older homes in the area were originally built using cast iron sewer lines. Over timecast ironlines can rust, become brittle, deteriorate,and break leaving you with a drainage problem in your home. In this case C&W Plumbing will inspect the condition of your system and recommend a solution to your problem-from localized spot repair to an entire replacement ofthe line should that be necessary.

Most insurance policies cover only sudden and accidental water losses. Though it may seem to the average homeowner that their toilets may have flushed good yesterday but now they do not and therefore the problem is sudden and accidental, the insurance may not agree. Usually normal wear and tear on a line and progressive damage is excluded. In this area, cast iron sewer lines are known to erode away over time. This type of problem may not be covered by your policy. Be sure to check the coverage on your homeowner policy to ensure whether or not you are eligible for reimbursement.

Need more information from the experts? Call C&W Plumbing today at 972-395-5796.

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The view from Route 105 bridge at Indian Island golf course as the Peconic River leads into the Bay. (Barbaraellen Koch Photo)

Protecting our surface and ground waters is L.I.s public issue number one. The L.I. Clean Water Partnership has done a great job in increasing public and political awareness. But we must avoid the trap of oversimplifying both the problem and the solutions.

Any campaign has three elements: awareness, education and action. Awareness has been raised. Now the hard work, education, has to begin. Education involves inclusive public discussion, scientific debate and a broad coalition on how best to move forward.

Today, everythings a 10-second sound bite. However, using sound bites to explain proposed solutions can be harmful to long-term success. For example, in County Executive Steve Bellones recent public talks on the water issue, he and others read from the same script weve heard over and over again. We deserve more than that. We need more than that.

We need full information to make informed decisions.

Take Mr Bellones main proposal to solve our water problems: prioritize areas with failing septic systems; identify those near existing sewer systems, and extend the sewers to those properties. Interesting concept until you look a little deeper.

Now, putting priority properties, especially waterfront lots, onto a municipal sewer system will remove nitrogen from septic systems and from leeching into our waters. This is good. But think about this a little more. In L.I.s history, when you extend sewer systems, high-density residential and commercial develop follows. Always has. Always will. So what problems do extended sewer systems and more development add to our current water problems?

Many.

First problem is the sewers themselves. Septic systems work by seeping wastewater back into the ground. As the water moves through the soil, it filters out and reduces the concentration of nitrogen and other elements. In areas of high-density too many homes and people on too little land the ground becomes over-saturated with septic output, thus the filtering of nitrogen and other elements is impaired. Sewers solve that problem, to some degree.

Most of L.I.s municipal sewage treatment plants and the smaller community systems which feed into them, take wastewater from the sewers, treat it and pump the resulting effluent into the Sound, our bays or the ocean. While this prevents nitrogen from entering the ground, it also means all of that sewered water is removed from the recharge cycle. In other words, instead of returning a large portion of the water we use back to the water table and deeper aquifers, its diverted to our surrounding bodies of salt water.

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Guest Spot: Nothing simple about our water crisis

Reviews coming soon, reads the OpenTable page for the Malibu Pier Restaurant and Bar, a brand new restaurant that may be opening on the Malibu Pier as early as this month. The space has been vacant for nearly 3 years.

The new restaurant, which is currently looking to hire sous chefs, according to a Craigslist post, will be operated by The Lark Creek Restaurant Group, a company based in San Francisco that owns restaurants all around California. The Malibu Pier Restaurant and Bar would be the 13th eatery owned by the group.

The space, once home to Alices Restaurant, is located at the base of the pier, curbside to Pacific Coast Highway. The area has been filled with the buzzing of construction crews for several months. Last year, pier concessionaire Alexander Leff vowed he would have two new restaurants open before the end of last summer.

The Malibu Pier Restaurant and Bar is set to offer seasonal farm-fresh cuisine with a contemporary seafood focused menu, according to its Craigslist ad, in a restaurant with large patios, private dining areas and a craft bar program.

There is no word on exactly when the new restaurant will be opening.

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New Hints Emerge About New Malibu Pier Restaurant

Construction will begin this week on a Burger Fusion Co. restaurant thats expected to open May 1 in the Valley View Mall food court area.

It will be a new-concept fast casual restaurant that specializes in gourmet burgers with exotic toppings, fusing different types of meats together as well, said Matt Boshcka, one of the eaterys owners. Some of the meats include ground Angus, pork, duck, chicken, turkey and ground bratwurst.

The menu also will include veggie burgers, signature macaroni and cheese dishes, a variety of build-your-own shakes and beer, Boshcka said Monday.

The restaurant will have its own seating area with booths and tables. Customers will be able to enter from the parking lot or from the food court, Boshcka said.

The restaurant will have about 2,337 square feet of space, said Tony Szak of TCI Architects, Engineers, Contractor Inc., the projects general contractor.

Burger Fusion Co. is owned by the same three people Boshcka, Tim Larsen and Matt Birnbaum who own the Dublin Square Irish Pub & Eatery that opened in 2011 in downtown La Crosse. But they are two separate businesses, Boshcka said.

We have aspirations to open more (Burger Fusion restaurants), Boshcka said. But it all depends on how this one goes.

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Construction begins on Burger Fusion eatery at mall

A 37-year-old pacu fish and icon to tiki fanshas found a home after nearly a year of living in a closed Rosemead restaurant.

The property's current owners decided Monday they would keep Rufus and build him a new aquarium in the Chinese restaurant they plan to open.

Charles Ye, a spokesman for the owners, said they decided to keep Rufus to help decorate the restaurant. They also feared moving him would be harmful to his health.

"He's 37 years old already," Ye said. "We want to take care of him."

Bahooka, a lavishly decorated tiki restaurant known for an enormous fish collection, closed last March after nearly 50 years of operation. The fish have been living in the abandoned restaurant for the last year as the current owners decided what to do with them.

When renovations of the shuttered restaurant began about two weeks ago, the owners sought to remove the fish. At the time, fans feared Rufus and Bahooka's other fish would become homeless.

Tiki enthusiasts and members of the group Hidden LA plunged into action. To date, they've raised more than $2,700, found experts to donate services and identified another tiki restaurant, Damon's Steakhouse in Glendale, that agreed to house Rufus.

Lynn Garrett, founder of Hidden LA, said she was disappointed Rufus would not be moving to Damon's. She has not decided what she will do with the money raised on Rufus' behalf and plans to ask the contributors what they want to do with it.

"We are still willing to take the fish on and we really do care about him," Garrett said.

In an update posted on the Hidden LA Facebook page, Garrett wrote that the new owners are keeping Rufus "because due to the press attention they saw he has value."

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Rufus, a 37-year-old pacu fish and tiki icon, finds a home