HAMILTON, Ohio -- A suspicious fire in Butler County destroyed two garages and caused extensive damage to six houses plus a motor home early Thursday morning.

VIEW PICTURES OF THE DAMAGE

The blaze started about 6 a.m. at a home in the 600 block of Sycamore Street.

"I turned off of Pershing ontoMLKthere was fire about two stories high into the air then so the structures were totally involved before we arrived," said Deputy Chief Jeff Shaw with Hamilton Fire Department.

First responders managed to knock down the flames fairly quickly otherwise all of the homes might have been destroyed due to how close they are to one another, according to Shaw.

No injuries were reported, but property damage is estimated at $200,000.

Shaw said the fire may have started in one of the garages and then spread to the second garage and eventually the six homes.

The house at 611 (Sycamore St.) had severe siding damage. Siding was melted off from the heat, he told the Journal-News, adding that residencesat 609 and 623 Sycamore St. also had siding damage from the heat.

Two homes 615 and 619 Sycamore St. had one-room additions that were a complete loss, Shaw said. Both of those houses also saw their garages go up in flames.

A motor home behind a home at 623 Sycamore was also damaged.

Read more from the original source:
Suspicious fire' damages 6 houses in Hamilton

Threepwood Homestead. Photo supplied.

K. Mactaggart and J. Crane have applied to the Queenstown Lakes District Council to undertake additions and alterations to the Threepwood Homestead, overlooking Lake Hayes, which dates back to 1909.

The homestead is a category 2 heritage building under the council's district plan.

The application, prepared by John Edmonds and Associates, said the large timber frame house was run down and needed to be upgraded to provide for ''suitable living and more durable construction for its future longevity'' and enable it to be used as a family home.

The property was owned by Threepwood Nominees Ltd. The company director had provided written approval for the work, as had the New Zealand Historic Places Trust.

Changes proposed to the homestead included the removal of plaster to expose the original weatherboard and reinstatement or exposure of the original architectural features, including the original veranda and windows.

Reinstating the service wing, which had been removed, was also proposed, along with the ''rearrangement'' of internal spaces and the addition of a new, modern veranda to the north.

It was also proposed to repaint the property to represent its original colours - an off-white exterior and a dark grey roof.

Consent was also sought for a traditional two-bedroom guest cottage at the rear of the existing footprint of a three-car garage, which would be removed.

Two garages were proposed - one behind the house and one where the existing cottage was. The cottage would also be removed.

Read more:
Threepwood changes proposed

INDIANAPOLIS -

Butler University is undergoing a $60 million expansion. Thursday evening, the university will break ground on a new five-story, 1,038-space parking garage. It will be built on what was a parking lot just north of Clowes Hall.

Next spring, construction will begin on what Butler touts as a "state-of-art student housing facility with approximately 600 modern, suite-style beds."

Butler President James Danko said the expansion and upgrades are meant to keep the university competitive.

"We want our community space, our living space to really support the notion of a strong community," Danko said. "More contemporary housing does a much better job in terms of pod living and shared space, so students can be educated both inside and outside the classroom."

Christina Saenger, a senior who lives in Schwitzer Hall her freshman year said, "that's good. I think it needs to happen...obviously (Schwitzer) is very old."

The residence hall, built in 1955, is very much the traditional dorm with small, minimalist two-bunk rooms and shared bathrooms. It's the one student living space that doesn't have air conditioning.

Emma Dolphin, also a senior, said keeping current is important.

"I think of lot of other universities, especially liberal arts schools, are upping the quality of their living situations, even for freshman," Dolphin said.

The two students also say there's a desperate need for the new parking garage.

View post:
Butler set to build new parking, housing facilities

One of Purdues newest additions to campus will be dedicated on Friday.

The nations demand for more engineering is being met with the new Seng-Liang Wang Hall. The building is based on an innovative public/private partnership.

Purdue and the Purdue Research Foundation will dedicate the new $38.9 million hall. The four-story, 147,000-square-foot building is located on Northwestern Avenue across from the Purdue Mall and next to the Northwestern parking garage.

The Purdue Research Foundation is leasing space to the University and private businesses within the building, a cost-effective partnership.

This public/private mix is a first for Purdue and it proved a great success, President Mitch Daniels said. Purdue Research Foundations approach saved millions on construction and created a revenue stream to support Wang Hall. It is a formula that we plan to use again for other new construction on Purdues campus.

None of this would have been possible, however, without the dedication and financial support of our Purdue alumni. We especially thank Patrick Wang and his wife, Lucy, for their gift of $5 million to name the building in honor of his father, Seng-Liang Wang.

Original post:
Campus building dedication on Friday

Youtube

Matt Watson's Northland bach for sale.

Kiwi fishing legend Matt Watson is selling his 'cool as beach bach' at Tokerau Beach in Northland, but he says the decision hasn't been an easy one.

"It's hard to not get emotional about the thought of letting it go. The family and all our mates have been coming here since we bought it back in 2006 and we just love it. But we are building a new home in the Bay of Islands, so it is time to move on."

With 'hands-down' the best fishing in the country, Watson says the location was definitely the main reason for buying the property but since then it has become so much more than that.

"We have had some large gatherings up here. It is easy to get five family-sized tents on the lawn and then the grandparents get to stay inside. The biggest party we had was probably one New Years with about 90 people who were a mix of locals, gatecrashers and friends."

And while almost everything comes with the property - it is for sale fully furnished - one thing Watson will be taking with him is the door frame with his kids' height markings on it.

"That is definitely coming with us, my two have done a lot of growing here over the years. But don't worry, I will replace it with a new one."

A quintessential kiwi beach bach, Watson has made a few vital additions over the years - a large deck out the front, a home made smoker out the back, and a lockable versatile garage that fits the boat, the quad bike and, of course, the fishing gear.

Hopeful the home will go to a family who will love the place as much as he and his family has over the past eight years, Watson also wants to share a few spots with the new owner, if fishing is their thing. And it probably should be in a location like this.

More here:
Matt Watsons beach bach

I think inspection day is exciting. It's an opportunity to spend an extended period of time in your new prospective house , exploring every nook, cranny, closet, and attic. You get to turn on all the faucets, and run each of the showers. You get to test all the appliances, and even peel back a corner of the wall-to-wall carpet to see if there is hardwood underneath.

What should be inspected? Everything . It's important to examine all areas of the home, including the exterior, interior, attic, basement, electric, plumbing, and heating and air systems. Faulty construction, improper electrical wiring, inefficient insulation, old heating, building permit violations, and other unseen problems can lead to expensive home repairs -- large and small. You and your inspector need to examine every square inch of the house -- from the electric garage door to the built-in microwave.

However, don't assume that if you hire a home inspector , he or she will be able to tell you absolutely everything you need to know about the house. They will cover almost everything, but you might have to fill in a few blanks. Home inspectors are very careful not to take on liability for issues that are outside their area of expertise, so there are certain areas that home inspectors will be hesitant to "sign off"on.

These are the areas that you will need to follow up on by hiring an additional inspector, whose expertise will give you the full picture:

Roof Ask your inspector if he or she is certified to inspect the roof. Some inspectors are not, and you will need to call in a roof specialist to climb up there. Keep in mind that if you are doing an inspection in snowy weather, it may be very difficult to access and examine the roof. It may be possible to have a special provision that allows you to extend the inspection contingency specifically to accommodate the roof, in the hopes that the weather improves.

Chimney inspection Your regular inspector may not do this, but if there is any question about stability or hints of structural damage, have a chimney specialist do a "chimney cam" and run a small video camera down the chimney to see it from the inside.

Geological inspection Another specialized inspection, especially for hillside and cliffside properties, or in flood areas , a geological inspection can unearth a severe drainage or ground-shifting problem-and save you thousands from further damage.

Sewer inspection Your inspector may tell whether or not things are " flowing." However, a sewer expert can use a "sewer cam" to discover cracks or breaks in the sewer line from the house to the street -- especially on properties that are heavily landscaped, where root growth can crack and clog the pipeline. This can be a serious expense, so find out now. Trust me, this inspection is worth its weight in gold. A sewer line replacement can be an enormous expense.

Termite inspection This is usually done by the seller, because most mortgage companies and banks will need it prior to allowing a loan on the house. But whoever does it, make sure you review the finished report and all the recommended work is taken care of.

Read the original post:
8 Areas Your Home Inspector Won't Inspect -- That You Must!

Prince William News

For Mark Jenkins, co-owner of Genesis Home Improvement with his wife, Kim, his career started early. My dad owned a roofing company, and when we turned 12, we worked every summer, Mark said. And I kind of stayed into it. I worked for others, and it just got time to do my own thing.

By George Rowand - Contributing Writer

Gainesville Times

My dad owned a roofing company, and when we turned 12, we worked every summer, Mark said. And I kind of stayed into it. I worked for others, and it just got time to do my own thing.

So he and Kim, a Manassas native, opened the company in April. Business has been good.

We do garages, additions, basement remodels, garage doors, he said. Right now, Im swamped with decks. Everybody wants to be out on their decks. And we do termite damage work.

That kind of work can be perplexing.

One recent job, the termites had eaten some of the drywall, Mark said. The customer had a hole in the siding about the size of a straw, and it was enough to keep letting water come in. You couldn't see it from the outside, and I didn't find it until I pulled the drywall off.

For homeowners concerned about termites, Jenkins has a warning.

Go here to read the rest:
Remodelers take on wide range of jobs

: From left, Maurice Deveze, David Templeman and Stephen Gaffey, with his son, Jim, are unhappy with a development application for consent to replace a four-bedroom property with four double-storey townhouses. Photo: Jay Cronan

Residents of a Red Hill street have united in opposition to plans to build four townhouses on a block, claiming the development would undermine the area's character and neighbours' privacy.

The 28 objections to plans for the double-storey construction in Borrowdale Street a short road with only 19 properties included fears school children would be endangered by extra traffic.

With a decision from the ACT Planning and Land Authority now due, the chairman of the street's residents' association, David Templeman, said the 15-bedroom development would be an eyesore.

"[The owner] could probably do reasonably well out of two properties, sell relatively quickly, with reasonable garden areas and all those sort of things, without having the proposition of cramming so much into one block and making the thing look like a bloody ocean liner in the middle of the street," Mr Templeman said.

Advertisement

The plans to replace the four-bedroom home on the 1405-square-metre block were lodged in December and amended slightly in May.

They received the support of the Territory and Municipal Services Directorate, which rejected pedestrian safety fears connected with the lack of a footpath.

A TAMS senior manager told Mr Templeman in June development on the property bought for $1.06 million last October would increase traffic by less than 24 vehicles a day, or by an "insignificant" three vehicles during peak hour.

A qualified planner engaged by the residents' association said the proposals failed to comply with required setback distances and privacy standards. The developer has disputed privacy breaches, and privacy screens are planned for the northern second-level windows.

More here:
Red Hill residents upset by "ocean liner" building plans

The long, slow summer wind-down is about to begin.

The raised garden beds will be put to bed, but only after the first hard frost. The pots, planters and trays of the greenhouse will be sown to full capacity with all of the cool- and cold-weather crops that will make the coming holidays quite special.

But the real challenge will be getting the garage in order. Since spring, it's been the staging area for everything outdoors. And given all the porch, deck and greenhouse updates this year, the pile of lumber leftovers is larger than usual. What can't be saved for other projects, and stacked undercover outside, will be cut into smaller pieces for fireplace kindling. The chimney sweep comes next week.

The garage must be cleared by Oct. 1. That's the target date for moving in the train platform to begin this year's additions a sweeping trestle bridge on a freight line and a classic 50-year-old German trolley bus, one that takes its power from overhead lines.

By Dec. 7, the reconfigured N-scale platform should be up and running in the basement. But even as the trains and trolley go 'round and 'round, the realization will hit that the long, slow wind-up to another garden season is just around winter's corner.

Colin McNickle

You are solely responsible for your comments and by using TribLive.com you agree to our Terms of Service.

We moderate comments. Our goal is to provide substantive commentary for a general readership. By screening submissions, we provide a space where readers can share intelligent and informed commentary that enhances the quality of our news and information.

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderating decisions are subjective. We will make them as carefully and consistently as we can. Because of the volume of reader comments, we cannot review individual moderation decisions with readers.

We value thoughtful comments representing a range of views that make their point quickly and politely. We make an effort to protect discussions from repeated comments either by the same reader or different readers.

See the original post:
Saturday essay: Winding down & up

IF THE timber roof bearers of the Old Fernvale Bakery cafe today could talk, what a story they would tell.

One of the many ex-servicemen who battled the hardships of post-war Queensland and yet managed to build one of Fernvale's most respected and successful businesses in the town's main street.

Harold Norman Prain, known as Curl Prain, was a young man of 27 when he was demobbed from the 2nd/34th Australian Corps Troops Supply Column, in 1946 after having serviced in two theatres of war - the Middle East and New Guinea.

He returned to the Glamorganvale Hotel where his young bride Lorraine lived with her parents, Walter and Annie Spreadborough who were then the licensees of the hotel.

"Curl immediately started to make plans for our future," the now 89-year-old Mrs Prain recalled of her late husband.

"He had noted that there was no mechanical workshop or service station between Ipswich and Esk and decided that Fernvale was an ideal spot for such a business."

Curl sought property in Fernvale and paid 600 pounds in cash for a corner block of land which sat at the corner of the Brisbane Valley Hwy and Simpson Rd, as it is known now.

It was owned by the Ehrich family late of Fairney View.

"There were also two blocks of land in separate deeds at the back adjacent the local hall," Mrs Prain said.

"The house wasn't in good state - most of the windows were broken.

See the original post here:
History behind Fernvale Bakery