When Kitka Galvin got a new job that allowed her to work from home, she looked around for a place to put a home office.

Like many homeowners seeking "new space" in their existing homes, she didn't want totake a bedroom from her children or impinge on the basement family room.

Afterbrowsing online for ideas,she hit on the perfect solution: opening up the space beneaththe basement stairs.

In the Galvin home, the stairs are built against a basement wall, and the side opening into the basement room wasdrywalled shut. An opening in the back allowed Kitka and her husband Mike to use theunder-stairs space for storage, but theyfelt they easily could part with that.

Remaking the space was a do-it-yourself project that began with removing the drywall on the side that opened into the basement room and then installing plywoodon the underside of thesteps.

The family room has laminate flooring, and to keep it from shifting once the original drywallwas removed, the Galvins installed a threshold. The floor inthe office area isconcrete, butGalvin has covered that with arug. The area already had wiring.

Although the space is small about 7 feet long and 3 feet deep it holds everything Kitka needs to do her job as an insurance auditor. Furnishings include a desk from Target, a computer, two monitors, a phone and a wood steamer trunk that belonged to her great-great grandmother on her mother's side.

Look closely and you'll see the words "Johanna Johanson, New Britain, Connecticut, 1863," painted on its side.

The area doesn't feelcramped or closed in, she said. "It might if I was just sitting there and relaxing, but I'm working. I'm focused on what I'm doing, which is all on the phone and online."

"Houzz" is one of the online sites Galvin used for ideas, and a tutorial helped her through the project.

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Home office gets tucked under basement stairs

Joanne Schnurr, Joanne Schnurr , CTV Ottawa Published Monday, April 14, 2014 5:17PM EDT Last Updated Monday, April 14, 2014 6:40PM EDT

Lightning struck a home in Ottawas Barrhaven neighborhood last evening, sparking a fire in the basement. The fire started just before 8 p.m. at a home on Noblesse Avenue, off Prince of Wales, south of Hunt Club. The bolt travelled from the roof, straight to the basement where it started a fire, causing an estimated $30,000 in damages. This morning, owners Dan Gagliardi and wife Cheyanne Eagle were busy packing up some of their belongings, including the family dog, to stay with relatives while their home is being renovated.

We'll be out for a while, says Gagliardi, This is not going to be a quick fix.

Gagliardi and his wife Cheyanne were watching TV last night with their two young daughters when a bright light filled the room, as a simultaneous boom was heard.

A loud bang, says Gagliardi, it sound like shattered glass and then the power went off.

Cheyanne Eagle adds, I knew it (lightning) had hit the house and I was telling Dan we've been hit by lighting, call 9-1-1. So we grabbed the pets and our jackets and headed over to the neighbors house in our pajamas.

Lightning had struck near the roof of the house, about three-quarters of the way down the roof line. Theres a visible charred hole where it appears to have hit. The jolt of power blew a second floor night light apart before it travelled straight down into the basement furnace room.

And it flash fired everything up, says Gagliardi, standing in the charred remains of his furnace room, This is one of our portable fans which now looks like piece of plastic goo.

The lightning strike fried the electrical lines and burst their plumbing. But their quick action and a quick response by Ottawa Fire Services saved the rest of their house and that of their neighbor, just a few feet away from their edge of their home.

We got out fast, no causalitie, says Gagliardi, houses can be rebuilt so well rebuild.

The rest is here:
Barrhaven family surveys the damage after lightning sparks a house fire

The arrival of spring means that flea markets are reopening for business around the country. Shoppers will hunt for treasures amid acres of used goods. A few will come home with just the right vintage art or quirky piece of furniture to make their home more beautiful.

Jaime Rummerfield, co-founder of Woodson & Rummerfields House of Design in Los Angeles, sometimes mixes flea-market finds with high-end new furnishings to decorate the homes of her celebrity clients.

The beauty of flea markets, she says, is you never know what you will find. Theres nothing like being outdoors or in a place off the beaten path rummaging through old treasures.

Los Angeles-based interior designer Brian Patrick Flynn, creator of the FlynnsideOut design blog, also hunts for vintage pieces: I shop second-hand regardless of my projects budget or clients level of taste, he says. Vintage and thrift is the best way to add one-of-a-kind flair to a space without insanely high cost.

There is luck involved, of course. But skill also plays a role. As you browse crowded tables of used things this spring, how can you find the treasures that will give your home an infusion of style while avoiding decorating disasters?

Here, Flynn, Rummerfield and another interior designer who shops for vintage decor Lee Kleinhelter of the Atlanta-based design firm and retail store Pieces tell how they do it.

When to go

Winter and early spring are perfect for flea-market shopping, says Flynn.

Since thrifting and antiquing are often associated with gorgeous weather and weekend shenanigans, many people shy away from hunting for their vintage finds when its cold or gloomy, he notes, so go now and go early.

I usually show up just as the flea market opens to ensure I see every new item as its put out on display, he says. When you wait until the end of a flea markets run to check out its stuff, youre likely to find mostly leftovers, things priced too highly which others passed over, or things that are just way too taste-specific for most people to make offers on.

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Shopping tips to find flea-market treasures for your home

Phenix City soldier surprises daughters with early homecoming Phenix City soldier surprises daughters with early homecoming

Updated: Thursday, April 10 2014 9:52 PM EDT2014-04-11 01:52:01 GMT

Sergeant First Class Donnie Hendrix came home early from South Korea today, April 9, surprising his two daughters.

Updated: Thursday, April 10 2014 9:46 PM EDT2014-04-11 01:46:35 GMT

Updated: Thursday, April 10 2014 9:44 PM EDT2014-04-11 01:44:18 GMT

Updated: Thursday, April 10 2014 9:30 PM EDT2014-04-11 01:30:09 GMT

More than 100 elderly residentsat the John Knox Manor retirement tower on Narrow Lane Road are now displaced.

Alabama Power says an electrical problem caused the sprinkler system to come on. That flooded the basement, which caused the transformer to fail on Sunday. The repairs are expected to cost at least $200,000.

"It has been a traumatic event for all involved," said Terri Howell, administrator for John Knox Nursing Home. "We've kept it fully staffed with security on site, police on site. We have people work through the night, around the clock getting it done so we can get people back as quickly as possible."

Now it's just a race against the clock to get the power back up and running and each resident safe and sound under one roof.

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Montgomery retirement home residents displaced

By Jim Donovan

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) Many of us dream of adding a bathroom fit for a luxury hotel, or creating a backyard that looks more like a resort. But chances are you may have to spend your money on upgrades that arent nearly as glamorous.

In this weeks Angies list report, Jim Donovan looks at several home improvement projects you cant ignore.

Robyn Meslin was not happy when she learned she needed to repair the wiring in her new home.

The basement was pretty much a nightmare. So there were open electrical boxes down there, switches that didnt turn on and off, anything that we could figure out, explained Meslin.

Unfortunately, there are projects that have to be done around your house that you are never going to talk to other people about updating wiring, replacing your roof these are the kind of things that are required to keep your house in good condition, but they are not fun and exciting, but if you dont do these things its really going to hinder the value of your home and its resale value, said Angies List founder, Angie Hicks.

They may not be exciting, but here are few projects you should never avoid, like repairing your foundation. You may not be eager to repair that slow-growing crack up the wall, but foundation issues cant be ignored. Have it checked out before its too late.

Another important project is removing mold failure to get rid of it can cause health problems. Make sure to hire a remediation company that pinpoints the source of the mold.

And of course, dont forget your electrical wiring. Rewiring a home or modernizing an aging electrical system is not cheap, but it is much safer.

You cant brag out it. Hey, I got a new electrical panel! Ooh! Its more fun to pick out drapes or decide on colors or say, Lets put hardwood floors throughout the house, but really if it all burns down whats the point? said Meslin.

Excerpt from:
Angies List: Necessary Home Improvements

For some people, its too early to plan mass consumerization of the Internet of Things. Developers are contentedly tinkering with Arduinos and clip cables, demonstrating cool one-off applications. We know that home automation can save energy, keep the elderly and disabled independent, and make life better for a lot of people. But no one seems sure how to realize this goal, outside of security systems and a few high-end items for luxury markets (like the Nest devices, now being integrated into Googles grand plan).

But what if the willful creation of a mass consumer market could make the technology even better? Perhaps the Internet of Things needs a consumer focus to achieve its potential. This view was illuminated for me through a couple recent talks with Mike Harris, CEO of the home automation software platform Zonoff.

Harris doubts that individual device manufacturers can crack the home market. First of all, they have trouble reaching their potential customers and establishing trust. Second, they arent attuned enough to customer needs, which include devices you can drop on a stone floor without breaking and services you can bring up by pressing a single button.

Most importantly, they are not manufacturing devices that play well together but the whole premise of smart homes is that the lights, thermostats, phones, TVs, etc., easily interoperate. Furthermore, the Internet of Things is really a cloud service; few applications can get much done just using the devices themselves and no single manufacturer can provide a comprehensive solution that all devices will talk to.

So, Harris sees three major types of companies driving the Internet of Things in the home:

Harris thinks the laurels will go to large, well-established companies that take the time to choose high-quality devices, educate consumers, and enforce interoperability. This may be less fun than wiring up your bicycle to glow in the dark, but it can ultimately bring many benefits.

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Business models that make the Internet of Things feasible

Wavetek JDSU Acterna SDA-5000 CLI-1750 Meters
http://www.aaatesters.com/SDA-5000_Series-Wavetek_JDSU_Acterna_SDA-5000_3_CLI-1450_Meters.html The Acterna CLI-1750, used in conjunction with the Model LST-1700 Signal Transmitter, helps identify...

By: AAATesters.com

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Wavetek JDSU Acterna SDA-5000 & CLI-1750 Meters - Video

Firefighters closed the southbound lanes of Aurora Avenue North in Seattle because of a house fire in the Queen Anne neighborhood.

The fire at the home in the 2100 block of Aurora Avenue North started at 8:35 a.m. Monday.

Many of the rooms were boarded up, which made it difficult for firefighters to put out the flames.

The southbound lanes of Aurora were closed for more than an hour, backing up traffic for blocks.

Inside the home, firefighters found a grow operation of some kind with a lot of heat lamps and electrical wiring.

Seattle fire said the flames were caused by overheated electrical wiring.

No one was home at the time of the fire.

Damage to the home is estimated to be $30,000.

Want to talk about the news of the day? Watch free streaming video on the KIRO 7 mobile app and iPad app, and join us here on Facebook.

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House fire on Aurora Avenue causes traffic jam

Good morning folks, today I showed the smartest heat and cooling control technology for your home. Its from Nest.com, recently acquired by Google for its smartly designed home eco-systems.

Before we get into the Nest Learning Thermostat, which I have been trying out for the past six weeks, Albertans are now first in Canada to get a free Nest thermostat, valued at $249. Its for new subscribers only, who sign up for a five year Comfort and Control Dual plan (electricity and gas) from Direct Energy. http://www.directenergy.com/nest

The Nest Learning Thermostat can be set manually or detect an empty home in Auto Away Mode

For those who have not heard of the Nest, it is everything it claims and more. I have been using two Nests for my two furnaces on a two story home with completed basement.

The Nest Learning Thermostat goes beyond traditional thermostats which basically turn your heat on or off to required pre-set temperatures, some even smart enough to schedule many settings over a week.

Nest learns from your heating and cooling behaviour needs at home. The initial learning period after installation is one week, but it constantly learns new habits when you adjust settings along the way.

It remembers new settings you make and when. Nest has near and far sensors to detect warm body movement across the room, up to 50 feet away. It takes note if you get up every morning at 7 am and walk to the bathroom for your morning shower, or head to the kitchen for breakfast, or go to bed. You can fine tune a heating schedule too, to suit your needs.

I found for example, that if I go to bed earlier than usual, and lower the temperature early, it will indicate the temperature will stay low until 7 am, remembering my wakeup patterns. Impressive.

The experience gets better with its wireless connection on your Wifi home network. Updates happen on their own and you can use free iPhone, iPad and Android apps to monitor your home heat settings from afar. Like dropping the temperature, from your car, if you left home unexpectedly for dinner and a movie and raising it on the way home. Or turning the fan on to freshen the house air before you return.

The Nest App for iOS and Android controls last minute heating preferences away from home

Excerpt from:
Nest Learning Thermostat knows when you are away from home and when you return

Hes filled his home with so many antiques and decorations a champagne chiller from the Queen Mary, a silver bowl from the Titanic, his 20 trademark Christmas trees that hes lost count of some of it.

Like the number of porcelain rabbits that seem to keep multiplying in his third-floor apartment.

And hes hosted so many private parties and fundraisers that hes lost count of some of those, too.

But Jack Saltzman has kept records on all of the history hes collected from Lincolns most prominent people, and places.

A pair of empire couches and an 84-year-old record player Smoke Gets in Your Eyes still on the turntable from the Woods home on Sheridan Boulevard.

The chandelier from the family that opened Golds downtown department store.

A towering china cabinet from Bennett Martins home on South Street.

Silver service for 150, with a pair of serpentine-front cabinets, from the DuTeau home.

The mahogany coffee table that served as the governors desk before Frank Morrison ordered its legs sawed short.

All of the furniture from the Presidential Suite in the old Cornhusker Hotel.

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Back where it belongs: Collector sends a piece of history home