TAMPA Mark Mathiason will live in his newly finished home only a few weeks before having about 1,000 visitors. Thats because he volunteered his Craftsman-style home to be among the eight Hyde Park residences open Feb. 28 for the annual Historic Hyde Park Home Tour.

Brave is one word, stupid is another, he quips about if the craftsmen will complete their sawing and drilling in time. He bought the place last year but wasnt able to get cranking until September.

Sponsored by the Historic Hyde Park Neighborhood Association, a nonprofit neighborhood association since 1996, the tour features various private homes in the neighborhood. Proceeds for the tour are used to fund the HHPNAs operations and projects, including area restoration and historic signage.

Projects like those, however, arent what drew the Mathiasons to the neighborhood.

We just love Hyde Park. We can walk to the village and eat at all the different places, he said about his familys choice to move to the area.

That family includes daughter, Kendall, 16, 17-year-old Florida State University student son Braden and furry family member Scout. Visitors, no doubt, will be in awe and take home plenty of DIY ideas.

He likes discussing his architecturally sensitive renovations. For instance, he removed a closet in a guest room, replaced it under nearby stairs and transformed the new space into a spacious, upscale kitchen.

Mathiason, who owns Mortgage Corporation of America, is the third owner of the home.

The Maynard-Hirsch family, instrumental in early Tampa history, lived there from the 1920s.

Bill Hirsch, a Tampa CPA, is sorry many neighboring homes didnt survive the wrecking ball.

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Homes and more on display in Historic Hyde Park

A unique project in West Wales which is transforming a 19th century school house into a showcase for 21st century green technologies with support from Welsh Government will be in the spotlight when it features on Channel 4s popular Restoration Man programme tonight.

The programme provides an update on the progress Jayne and Ian Hall-Edwards, directors of Plumbers, Electricians, Carpenters Ltd (PECs), have made on Hen Ysgol in Pencader, since it was first featured on Restoration Man.The couple are converting and renovating the historic building to create a sustainable green technology eco centre with two elements a showcase and sales centre for green technologies and a new training centre to equip companies and individuals with the skills and knowledge to install the various technologies.

Hen Ysgol is now the base for their business that now has a firm focus on eco friendly systems as well as their home.The commercial side of the project, which will deliver community, educational and wider economic benefits for the region, is being supported by the Welsh Government.

Economy Minister Edwina Hart visited the project last year to see how it was benefiting from 67,500 support from the Wales Economic Growth Fund. In fact the first airing on Restoration Man showed the couple celebrating the grant offer which was a vital piece of the jigsaw to take the project forward.

The Minister said:A tremendous amount of work has gone into this highly innovative project that aims to create long term sustainable benefits for the community as well as economic benefits for the wider region.

It has been a labour of love for Jayne and Ian who are working to create a unique centre in the heart of rural Wales and bring new opportunities to the area. I am pleased the Welsh Government is supporting the business and wish them every success in the future.

The extensive variety of technologies on show at the centre will include underfloor heating, rain water harvesting, PV roof panels, solar thermal panels, air to air pumps, air to water pumps, low energy lighting, low energy pumps, permeable paving, a green roof, a Bio-digestive tank, multi-fuel wood burning fires and stoves, biomass, to include pellet and log gasification units.

All these technologies are linked together with the intelligent buffer tank to provide hot water and central heating on demand at a fraction of the cost of the mainstream fuels.

The large showroom and salesroom will enable home owners and businesses to see the technologies in action before buying, while working child friendly models will be displayed throughout to help school children understand and learn in a safe environment.

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Restoration Man, on Channel 4, features Hen Ysgol couple

Restoration Hardware (RH) has recently released financial results for the second quarter. It is benefiting from its new range of products, categories and businesses. It is aggressively scaling these new products across its multichannel platforms that should enhance its brand performance going forward.

The Corte Madera, California-based company posted revenue of $433.8 million an increase of 10% from $395.8 million in the same quarter a year ago. Also, its net income rose 53% to $27.3 million or earnings of $0.66 per share as compared to net loss of $17.8 million or loss of $0.46 per share in the same period last year. The analysts had been modeling earnings of $0.64 per share on the revenue of $453.6 million.

The way ahead

Looking forward, Restoration Hardware is focusing on various potential strategies that should drive its growth in the future. It is expanding its product offer, transforming of its retail stores and continues to enhance its multi-channel platform and operating infrastructure. It is planning to open a new, larger Full Line Design Gallery on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles.

Also, it is launching its first next generation Full Line Design Gallery in Atlanta by the end of the year. It has signed around eight next generation full line design galleries. It is at present busy with negotiation of these galleries for more than 30 additional locations. It continues to transform its Full Line Design galleries with better source, price, present and deliver products across multi-channel platform. It remains on track to innovate its product and making significant changes to its brand and business model, testing new products and methodologies and refining its execution. These moves should enhance its performance in the future.

In addition, the company is rolling out new rug fixtures. It is placing the new rug assortment in all of its galleries in order to support its new Source Book RH rugs. It has recently launched a nearly 300-page run book with more than 3,500 handcrafted styles by much-admired rug designer Ben Soleimani. The company expects these RH rugs to become disruptive in this highly fragmented market. Additionally, it is enlarging its assortments across furniture, lightings, small spaces and baby and child. It has one of the largest collections of curated home furnishings.

Valuation

Restoration Hardware looks like a pretty good investment avenue with these strategies that should boost its performance in the future. The analysts estimate its earnings to grow at CAGR of 29.03%, higher than average industry CAGR 12.84%, for the next five years. Also, the stock offers attractive short-term return. Its earnings are expected to grow 37.40% this year and 27.20% by next year.

Moreover, the stock shares cheap valuation. It is trading at the trailing P/E of 54.03 and forward P/E of 32.11. It has PEG ratio of 1.41 that continues to support its growth in the long run. Its profit and operating profit margins are 4.28% and 12.14% respectively, while its ROE stands at 10.90% for trailing 12 months. Its balance sheet carries total cash of $157.13 million and has total debt of $281.01 million. Restoration Hardware has operating cash flow of $34.31 million and levered free cash flow of $19.28 million.

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Restoration Hardware Can Be a Smart Investment

'They did an amazing job' JOELLE DALLY

Stacy Squires

FEATURES RETAINED: Jeff and Amanda Ray, with two-year-old son Elijah, are thrilled to be in their new home.

Stacy Squires

SAVED: Maiden Construction restored this home for the owners Oxford Terrace Baptist Church over the past ten months.

Two grand old homes in central Christchurch have been saved from the wrecking ball.

Quake-damaged duplex houses at 98 and 100 Chester St East have been restored and welcomed their first residents on Saturday, including Jeff and Amanda Ray and their two young sons.

Built in the late 19th century by early settler William Widdowson, the homes are category II listed historic places. Maiden Construction restored the two houses for the homeowners, the Oxford Terrace Baptist Church, over the last 10 months.

Maiden Construction manager Greg Bridge, said the project was a labour of love.

Workers repaired plaster ceiling roses, wide cornices, original timber hand rails, Kauri panel doors, roof finials and double hung sash bay windows.

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Restoration project a labour of love

When Ariel and Tyler Gaudet graduated college about a year and a half ago, the couple needed a place to live preferably, somewhere cheap, where they could save enough money to eventually put a down payment on a home.

Ariel and Tyler were familiar with the Colonel James Hartshorne House, the oldest home built in Wakefield, Massachusetts. Ariels mother was on the board of directors for the historic home, and Tyler had spent the first months of his life there, when his parents were the Hartshorne House caretakers roughly 30 years ago.

Serendipitously, the Hartshorne House was in need of new caretakers just as the Gaudets returned to Tylers hometown, Ariel said. Though the town of Wakefield owns the home, the Colonel James Hartshorne House Association and a board of directors manage it. They also elect the homes caretakers always a young couple without kids, Ariel said. This ensures caretakers can manage the homes upkeep while saving for the future, as caretakers live there rent-free.

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The Gaudets leapt at the chance to follow in Tylers parents footsteps. After undergoing an interview process with the house committee, the Gaudets beat out a few other couples to be chosen as the propertys new caretakers.

Its perfect, Ariel said. Were so happy we got it.

Courtesy of the Colonel James Hartshorne House Association

A young couple Thomas and Mary Hodgman are thought to have built the Hartshorne House in 1681 (or earlier), the homes historian Nancy Bertrand said. Interestingly, the home didnt earn its name till James Hartshorne, a cordwainer (a luxury shoemaker,) bought it in the early 19th century. Bertrand said the home was probably named for Hartshorne because his family owned the property for such a long period of time (1803 to 1890).

The home sits on the shores of Lake Quannapowitt, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In the past 335 years or so, it has served as a private residence, tavern, and tenement for icehouse workers for the adjoining Morrill-Atwood Ice Company in the early 20th century.

Ariel said she feels lucky to be a part of Wakefields history.

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Young Couples Can Live in Wakefields Oldest Home for Free

February 11 at 11:47 AM

These sales data, recorded by the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue, were provided by Black Knight Financial Services. For information about other residential real estate transactions, visit http://www.washingtonpost.com/homesales.

Northeast

Ames Pl., 1435-Brittany W. Flowers to Robert P. Richardson, $699,000.

Bryant St., 1014-GDMD Holdings Group Corp. to Megan E. Voorhis, $645,000.

C St., 620-Stefanie Alfonso Frank to 620 C Corp., $858,500.

Carolina Ave. N., 1335-David W. Savitski and Shu Chun S. Yang to Lisa N.W. Schifferle, $901,000.

Chillum Pl., 5239-Capitol Housing and Restoration to Justin Kao, $315,000.

D St., 1327-Mont Seward and estate of Ruth Lewis Deal to Nantucket Holdings Corp., $480,000.

Decatur St., 729-Berhane Berhe to Sandi L. Verbois, $294,000.

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D.C. home sales

Throughovergrown shrubs and brush, Richard Stone could see the outline of what was once a beautiful Italianate-style house with a tower on top. Walking throughDavenport's historic Gold Coast neighborhood during a home tour in September, Stone remarked to his wife, Linda, that there didn't seem to be anyone taking care of the property behind the brush.

Stone later learnedthat the city of Davenport was buying the abandoned house through condemnation proceedings and would put out "requests for proposals" from people interested in rehabilitating it and making it their home.

The Stones, ofMuscatine, have always been interested in old homes, so they submitted a proposal the only one, as it turned out. On Friday they became theowners ofthe Lambrite-Iles-Petersen house at 510 W. 6th St.

The building is consideredone of the mostsignificantin the historic Gold Coast neighborhood because ofitsassociation with prominent citizens, its architectural style and the architect who designed it.

The Stones paid$38,000, which allows the city to recoup the cost of acquisitionandinitial clean-up.

The couple expects to spend an additional$310,000 restoring the home to its1850-1860 appearance by September 2017. And although they've only seen the inside once, the Stones believe they have the experience and knowledge to see the project through.

Stonerecently retired as the engineering manager for H.J. Heinz Co. in Muscatine, a job thatincluded the management of capital and maintenance projects in addition to engineering. In that capacity, he workedwith regulatory organizations, contractors, equipment vendors, and local, state and federal governments.

Before that, he worked for Nestl, Gerber and the state of Minnesota in the engineering or research fields. He has a master's degree in engineering from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

His previous building work has included doing more than 80 percent of the labor in constructing athree-bedroom house in Michigan, the rehabilitation of a flood-damaged home in Illinois and the restoration and conversion back to single-family use of an1890s Victorian home in Waverly, Iowa, that had been made into three apartments.

"I have always had an interest in historical buildings and (have been) an advocate for restoration rather than tearing them down or letting them deteriorate," he said in his written proposal to the city.

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Muscatine couple are new owners of historic Gold Coast home

DAVENPORT, Iowa Through overgrown shrubs and brush, Richard Stone could see the outline of what was once a beautiful Italianate-style house with a tower on top.

Walking through Davenport's historic Gold Coast neighborhood for a "home tour" in September, Stone remarked to his wife Linda that there didn't seem to be anyone taking care of the property behind the brush.

Stone later learned that the city of Davenport was buying the abandoned house through condemnation proceedings and would put out "requests for proposals" from people interested in rehabilitating it and making it their home.

The Stones, of Muscatine, have always been interested in old homes, so they submitted a proposal (the only one, as it turned out), and on Friday they became the new owners of the Lambrite-Iles-Petersen house at 510 W. 6th St.

The building is considered one of the most significant in the historic Gold Coast neighborhood because of its association with prominent citizens, its architectural style and the architect who designed it.

The Stones paid $38,000, which allows the city to recoup the cost of acquisition and initial clean-up.

The couple expects to spend an additional $310,000 restoring the home to its 1850-1860 appearance by September 2017. And although they've only seen the inside once, the Stones believe they have the experience and knowledge to see the project through.

Stone recently retired as the engineering manager for H.J. Heinz Co. in Muscatine, a job that included the management of capital and maintenance projects in addition to engineering. In that capacity, he worked with regulatory organizations, contractors, equipment vendors, and local, state and federal governments.

Before that, he worked for Nestle, Gerber and the State of Minnesota in the engineering or research fields. He has a master's degree in engineering from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

His previous building work has included doing more than 80 percent of the labor in constructing a three-bedroom house in Michigan, the rehabilitation of a flood-damaged home in Illinois and the restoration and conversion back to single-family use of an 1890s Victorian home in Waverly, Iowa, that had been made into three apartments.

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Historic home goes to Muscatine couple

KAILUA, OAHU (HawaiiNewsNow) -

The mess was worth it.

Students got down and dirty to help restore a taro patch and in return they can now receive an education they deserve.

Saint Francis School headed a mission alongside Damien Memorial School and Sacred Hearts Academy to clear the more than two-century old Kawaii Nui Marsh in Kailua of invasive species.

The three-school cleaning effort allowed students to get in touch with their culture and help earn their tuition at the same time.

Those who participated are members of the PWH Educational Foundation, an organization which helps deserving students whose families cannot afford a Catholic education.

This educational service project allowed students to give back to the community and culture by restoring Ulupo Heiau, a historic site on both Hawaii and national registers.

Between squishing around in the mud and ruining clothes they probably can't wear again, the students were able to weed several hundred pounds of invasive species from the taro patch.

Not only was the patch purged of harmful plants and vegetation it was also restored with new native plants which can now thrive in a friendlier environment.

Each school donated money to Ahauhui Malama I Ka Lokahi in order restore the native plants being over run by foreign competitors. Ahauhui Malama I Ka Lokahi is a non-profit dedicated to preserving native species and ecosystems.

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Taro patch restoration helps fund students' education

On a January weeknight, Halyna Charron was finishing preparations of a dinner of spinach pie, pork and tabouli salad.

Her husband, the Rev. Jason Charron, and all but the youngest of their six daughters, who range from 2 to 13 years old, pitched in at various times, slicing vegetables and setting the table in their Carnegie home. In between, one daughter played piano in the living room, another a brief video game in the TV room.

When they gathered at the table, they stood for a dinner blessing and faced a display of icons as the parents led the children in chanting prayers in English and Ukrainian.

During the meal, the parents asked the daughters what they learned in school, and the girls talked of homework and upcoming tests.

After dinner, Father Charron buttoned up his black cassock and headed out to do a house blessing in Upper St. Clair for a family of parishioners a January tradition for Ukrainian Catholics. He and two daughters, brought along for the ride, gathered with the host family in their dining room for a prayer. The whole group then processed up and down stairs as Father Charron chanted blessings and sprinkled each room with holy water.

It was another day in the life of balancing work, marriage and family.I cant be a good pastor if Im a lousy dad or lousy husband, said Father Charron, 38.

Thats not the typical challenge for a Catholic priest.

But throughout North America, the ranks of married priests have slowly been growing in Eastern Catholic parishes such asHoly Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church in Carnegie, where Father Charron became pastor last year.

Eastern Catholics are now preparing for more married priests. A historic decree last year by Pope Francis lifted a generations-old ban on married priests serving Eastern Catholic rites in the Americas and Australia.

Eastern Catholics, estimated around 600,000 in the United States, are barely 1 percent of the nations Catholic population. But they are some of its most diverse members, with distinct heritages in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and beyond. They are loyal to papal authority and Catholic dogma while practicing ancient liturgies and traditions similar to those of Orthodox and other Eastern churches.

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Eastern Catholics rejoice in the restoration of married priests