Originally Published: March 27, 2014 10:07 AMModified: March 27, 2014 2:48 PM

The families of Detroit's Brightmoor area are delighted that the day is finally approaching when bulldozers will arrive to level more of their west-side neighborhood. After that, their community's future will be like the cleared landscape a blank canvas.

For years, Brightmoor residents pleaded with the city to demolish vacant homes that scavengers had stripped of wiring and plumbing and anything of value. Some structures are already gone, and now officials aim to do much more, possibly tearing down as many as 450 empty houses each week across more than 20 square miles of this bankrupt city a vast patchwork of rotting homes comparable to the size of Manhattan.

The hugedemolitionproject holds the potential to transform large parts of Detroit into an urban-redevelopment laboratory like the nation has never seen. But community leaders here and in cities that have attempted similar transformations say Detroit's best efforts could still wither from lack of money, lack of commitment or harsh economic realities.

"What's the plan for lots to keep them from becoming a different type of blight?" asked Tom Goddeeris, executive director of Grandmont Rosedale Development Corp., a nonprofit community improvement group representing a cluster of five Detroit neighborhoods on the city's west side.

The ambitiousdemolitionschedule was formally presented last month as part of the city's plans to emerge from bankruptcy.

The changes could be far-reaching: Unlike other cities where building space is almost always limited, Detroit will offer urban planners a rare chance to experiment with wide-open land. Neighborhood advocates are talking excitedly about creating urban gardens, farms, forests and other types of "green space." Brightmoor already has the Lyndon Greenway, which connects two large parks with smaller parks and bike paths.

No other American city has as many abandoned properties as Detroit. But smaller-scale successes with similar green initiatives have been engineered in places such as Philadelphia and Cleveland.

The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's Philly Green program has converted roughly 10,000 vacant lots over the last two decades, making it the "gold standard," said Joe Schilling, who directs the Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech.

Having a nongovernmental organization manage and design the effort is a huge advantage, Schilling said.

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Home demolitions turn Detroit neighborhoods into blank canvas

Its the season for home improvement projects, and weekend warriors will soon be visiting home supply retailers to buy everything from paint to plywood. There are many advantages to making home improvements on your own, including the opportunity to test your mettle at projects big and small.

Many a novice DIYer has learned the ups and downs of home improvement through trial and error. But the following are a handful of lessons first-timers can heed before beginning their maiden voyages into the world of DIY home improvements.

Measure twice, cut once. Perhaps this is the best-known mantra of home improvement, yet many still ignore it. Whether youre eager to get started or simply because you still cannot convert metric to standard formula, you must take the time to measure twice before cutting. Learning that youre a hair too short later will prove frustrating and time-consuming and often necessitates a last-minute run to the store for more materials. Always measure multiple times before making cuts.

Enlist a helper. Having a partner helping with the work is the most efficient way to tackle a project. This person can assist you with heavy lifting or moving things or by holding the ladder or simply passing tools your way. He or she also can manage work while you make another run to the home center for more supplies. Having a helper around also provides companionship during tedious projects.

Lighten the load. You run the risk of injury, both to yourself and your belongings, if you attempt to move heavy items on your own. When moving heavy items, take steps to lighten your load. For example, empty or remove drawers from desks and dressers before moving them. Rely on sliding pads when moving furniture so items can be slid into place instead of lifted. Always ask a buddy to help move especially heavy items.

Prime before painting. Painting can be a time-consuming task. In an effort to save time, some people will look for painting shortcuts, and these may include skipping the priming portion of painting. Priming helps to cover existing paint color and prevent bleed-through of stains or darker hues to the next coat of paint. Failure to use a primer could mean having to paint coat after coat, which can become costly and take up a significant amount of time. Always rely on a priming product, or look for a paint that blends a primer within to achieve better coverage. And while you are ensuring a proper paint job, remember to use painters tape or an edging product to help keep paint off of moldings and trim.

Use the right tools. The right tools make work safer and easier. Think about how much faster you can cut through a tree trunk with a chainsaw rather than a handsaw. Improvising or using the wrong tools for the job can cost you time and increase your risk of injury.

Turn electricity off at the panel box. Be especially cautious when working with electricity, turning off the current. This means shutting down the power on the breaker box. A live wire can provide a minor shock or lead to serious injury. Take the extra time to ensure the power is off before working with any exposed wiring.

Expect the unexpected. Although many renovation projects go off without a hitch, you never know what you might uncover when you embark on repairs or remodels. Homeowners have come across all sorts of hidden problems when doing seemingly minor repairs. Removal of drywall may uncover insect damage in beams or indications of water infiltration. Some people take down old paneling, only to discover it was covering heavily damaged walls beneath. One repair project can run into another when home improvements are being made. Always leave breathing room in your budget and schedule extra time for unforeseen tasks as well.

Originally posted here:
Home improvement tips learned the hard way

DETROIT - The families of Detroit's Brightmoor area are delighted that the day is finally approaching when bulldozers will arrive to level more of their neighborhood. After that, their community's future will be like the cleared landscape - a blank canvas.

For years, Brightmoor residents pleaded with the city to demolish vacant homes that scavengers had stripped of wiring and plumbing and anything of value. Some structures are already gone, and now officials aim to do much more, possibly tearing down as many as 450 empty houses each week across more than 20 square miles of this bankrupt city - a vast patchwork of rotting homes comparable to the size of Manhattan.

The huge demolition project holds the potential to transform large parts of Detroit into an urban-redevelopment laboratory like the nation has never seen. But community leaders here and in cities that have attempted similar transformations say Detroit's best efforts could still wither from lack of money, lack of commitment or harsh economic realities.

"What's the plan for lots to keep them from becoming a different type of blight?" asked Tom Goddeeris, executive director of Grandmont Rosedale Development Corp., a nonprofit community improvement group representing a cluster of five Detroit neighborhoods.

The ambitious demolition schedule was formally presented last month as part of the city's plans to emerge from bankruptcy.

The changes could be far-reaching: Unlike other cities where building space is almost always limited, Detroit will offer urban planners a rare chance to experiment with wide-open land. Neighborhood advocates are talking excitedly about creating urban gardens, farms, forests and other types of "green space." Brightmoor already has the Lyndon Greenway, which connects two large parks with smaller parks and bike paths.

No other American city has as many abandoned properties as Detroit. But smaller-scale successes with similar green initiatives have been engineered in places such as Philadelphia and Cleveland.

The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's Philly Green program has converted roughly 10,000 vacant lots over the last two decades, making it the "gold standard," said Joe Schilling, who directs the Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech.

Having a non-governmental organization manage and design the effort, is a huge advantage, Schilling said.

"To use a military metaphor, if you go in with your demolition forces and you're trying to get a stronghold in a particular strategic place, you have to be able to stabilize it before you keep moving on in your campaign," he said. "Otherwise, you're going to go back in ... five years and removing all the trash."

Original post:
Home demolitions create blank canvas in Detroit

Lebanon When Dana Seguin bought 4 South Park St., he wasnt sure what he was going to do with the 5,500-square-foot, historic 19th century home facing Colburn Park in the citys center, but he was clear that it should be lived in, he said.

Now, a year and a half after Seguin took ownership, Lebanons Zoning Board of Adjustment is considering his 41-page application for a zoning variance that would allow him to convert the single family home, office and nearby carriage house into eight apartments. The house is located in a zoning district where multi-family homes are not allowed.

It needs a ton of work, but its sound, said Seguin during a tour of his mostly unheated historic home on Sunday. For whatever reason, it called me.

He said he plans to keep the homes four fireplaces as decorative, not functional, touches and that he hopes to retain most of the buildings hardwood floors. In addition, the structures slate roofs will likely stay as they are relatively new, having been replaced following a 1988 chimney fire.

In order to transform the homes large living spaces into 700 or 750-square-foot apartments, Seguin will need to move walls and reorient stairs, he said.

The renovation, if approved, will likely include replacement of all the single-paned windows, and upgrades to the plumbing, wiring and heating.

Residential use is an idea supported by the homes previous owner Lois Wood widow of Lebanon legend Dr. Myric Wood Jr. who died in 2006 at the age of 79 from prostate cancer.

Im very pleased with Danas plans for the house, said Mrs. Wood in a phone interview from her home in Hampden, Maine. I want the next chapter to be a good one.

The Woods lived and worked in the South Park Street house for approximately 50 years from 1962 to 2008.

They raised four children in the main house, while Dr. Wood, famous in part for delivering 2,500 Upper Valley babies, operated a medical practice from an office, a laboratory and two exam rooms located in an ell-shaped adjoining structure in the rear.

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New Plan for Old Home: Proposal Would Change Lebanon House Into Apartments

Woodland firefighters take a breather while fighting a blaze that struck the second-story of a two-story home on Garfield Court in the southeast part of the city Sunday Afternoon. (Jim Smith/Democrat)

The home, located on Woodland's southeast side, at 1459 Garfield Court, was unoccupied. There were no injuries in the blaze, although firefighters were quickly overheated by the work.

Officials at the scene reported the blaze was called around 2:25 p.m. by a passing motorist on Hwy. 113. The highway lies immediately to the east of the home with only a retaining wall separating it and traffic.

That first notification was almost immediately followed by neighbors on the normally quiet cul-de-sac, who spotted the thick black smoke coming from the second story of the structure.

Woodland firefighters get their oxygen bottles refilled while fighting a blaze that struck the second-story of a two-story home on Garfield Court in the southeast part of the city Sunday Afternoon. (Jim Smith/Democrat)

Officials at the scene indicated the home appeared to have been a foreclosure. It was vacant with no furnishing or people inside on their arrival. Nearby residents said it had been occupied for some months.

While it was still too early to determine what caused the fire, guesses ranged from faulty wiring which may have shorted out when an air conditioner activated to the bright sun shining through a window and causing some object to burst into flame.

A number of engine companies responded to the blaze, including UC Davis and Davis fire departments and Willow Oak Fire Department.

The fire itself was knocked down within minutes by a coordinated action of water being poured onto the second story from the backyard and firefighters going inside the structure and tearing down the ceiling as well as venting the roof.

Firefighters remained on scene until at least 4 p.m. - although some engine companies were dismissed earlier - to conclude mop-up operations as well as arrange for sealing off the structure to prevent vandalism.

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2-story home catches fire Sunday in Woodland

(PRWEB) March 21, 2014

With the beginning of spring, some of the country is finally thawing out and starting to see the first signs of the season. While the warmer temperatures and flowers are welcomed, one part of spring that no one looks forward to is flooding. While flooding can occur at any time of year, the spring is a particularly troublesome time of year as snow and ice melts and seasonal rains begin. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, flooding causes more damage than any other weather-related event, averaging eight billion dollars in losses and 89 fatalities annually.

As part of this weeks National Flood Safety Awareness Week hosted by NOAA, the Insurance Institute for Building & Home Safety (IBHS) suggests several improvement projects, and last-minute actions (with two accompanying infographics), for homeowners to help protect their property against flood damage this season. IBHS has additional flooding property protection resources on its website at: http://www.DisasterSafety.org/Flood.

Home Improvement Projects

Last-Minute Preparedness In addition, when a flood is forecast for your area, IBHS recommends homeowners take these last-minute actions to protect their property against flood damage:

###

About The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) IBHS is an independent, nonprofit, scientific research and communications organization supported by the property insurance industry. The organization works to reduce the social and economic effects of natural disasters and other risks on residential and commercial property by conducting building science research and advocating improved construction, maintenance and preparedness practices.

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IBHS Recommends Home Improvement Projects to Reduce Flood Damage (with accompanying infographic)

Kippilaw in Goulburn. Photo: Supplied

A creatively designed standout home in Hackett is expected to sell for more than $1.1 million when it goes under the hammer next month.

The home at 4 Selwyn Street attracted more than 50 groups of people though in the first week of the marketing campaign and plenty of interest is expected come auction day.

The five-bedroom home features a central atrium that presents a tropical garden scene, in among living space and bedrooms.

The flowing design and eclectic mix of wallpaper, including designs by Ralph Lauren, Osbourne and Little and Cole and Son impress, as does the feature mosaic tiling, polished hardwood floors and custom light fittings.

The home also has a heated indoor pool and gym, and a lofted rumpus room with a balcony.

The residence has been the home of optometrist Ross Hiew and public servant Zoe Leonard, and their children since 2008.

The couple bought the house because of its great potential and its central location, being at the foothills of Mount Majura Nature Reserve.

They have loved living in the house but have decided to sell up to move closer to the children's schools.

Leonard says she will miss watching the gardens change through the different seasons, while Hiew has enjoyed the gym, being close to the reserve and having a good track for running with the dogs.

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Capital Gains

Ross and Meg Rushing were entertaining a friend at their brand-new home in Lubbock, Texas, on Aug. 24, 2012, when a clap of thunder appeared to set off their burglar alarm.

Unable to turn it off, Ross Rushing and his friend, Brennen Teel, went to the garage to get a ladder so they could disable the system.

Thats when the explosion happened, Rushing recalled. Honestly, I thought I was dead immediately.

Rushing was able to climb out from under the buckled garage door, but couldnt locate Teel in the thick black smoke that was now pouring from the home.

Firefighters later found his body at the rear of the garage. Investigators believe he opened the drop-down attic staircase, not realizing the attic was ablaze. Oxygen rushed in, causing a back-draft explosion that killed the 31-year-old Teel, a resident of Heath, Texas, they said.

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What eats away at Teels family is not just the seeming randomness of his death. It is the fire marshals determination that the fire that triggered the explosion started when a bolt of lightning sent electricity coursing into the home, burning tiny holes in the yellow corrugated stainless steel pipes supplying natural gas to appliances and heaters in the rest of the house. And it is the fact that, as they later learned, some fire experts have been warning for years that the piping poses a hazard when lightning strikes nearby.

I would not wish this on anybody anybody, said Teels father, Ken, who with his wife, Becky, is suing the manufacturer of the pipe. Its been a nightmare.

Meg and Ross Rushing escaped the fire that destroyed their home in Lubbock, Texas. But their friend, Brennen Teel, above, who had been visiting for the night did not. He died in the couple's garage in a fire and explosion allegedly caused by the failure of flexible piping carrying natural gas following a lightning strike.

Teels death highlights an ongoing debate over the safety of the piping known as corrugated stainless steel tubing, or CSST which has been installed in as many as 10 million U.S. homes since the 1990s, according to some manufacturers estimates. Its use is approved in building codes around the nation, though no longer in Lubbock, where the city issued a moratorium on its use in the wake of Teels death.

Continued here:
Are gas pipes in your home safe in storm?

EAST POINT, Ga.

A mother of six says she is being forced out of her rental home due to electrical issues.

Alicia Cooper told Channel 2s Amy Napier Viteri that electrical problems caused a fire last week. I feel like its a burden, its a bit much right now, Cooper said.

Cooper is moving out of her home on Ben Hill Road in East Point, but said she is not sure where she is going. Cooper said East Point Power came to her home after the fire and decided to cut off power.

Before he even touched the meter good, it was sparking fire and flame from it, Cooper said.

Cooper said an electrician estimated the cost of repairs to be around $10,000. They told (the landlord) hes going to have to remove all this, go through the wall, go up into the attic and remove all the wiring, Cooper said.

Cooper said her landlord told her via email that he would refund two weeks of rent for March and the balance of her security deposit after repairs were made to the property.

Cooper said she should get all of Marchs rent back and the full deposit. She said she lost hundreds of dollars in groceries when she lost power and she was forced to pay for a hotel room in the meantime.

I had to make sure I was able to provide, you know, heat, water and shelter for them, Cooper said.

Cooper said she now also understands her high electrical bills, including one for more than $700.

Continue reading here:
Electrical fire forces mom of 6 out of East Point home

Ross and Meg Rushing were entertaining a friend at their brand-new home in Lubbock, Texas, on Aug. 24, 2012, when a clap of thunder appeared to set off their burglar alarm.

Unable to turn it off, Ross Rushing and his friend, Brennen Teel, went to the garage to get a ladder so they could disable the system.

Thats when the explosion happened, Rushing recalled. Honestly, I thought I was dead immediately.

Rushing was able to climb out from under the buckled garage door, but couldnt locate Teel in the thick black smoke that was now pouring from the home.

Firefighters later found his body at the rear of the garage. Investigators believe he opened the drop-down attic staircase, not realizing the attic was ablaze. Oxygen rushed in, causing a back-draft explosion that killed the 31-year-old Teel, a resident of Heath, Texas, they said.

It has come to our attention that the browser you are using is either not running javascript or out of date. Please enable javascript and/or update your browser if possible.

What eats away at Teels family is not just the seeming randomness of his death. It is the fire marshals determination that the fire that triggered the explosion started when a bolt of lightning sent electricity coursing into the home, burning tiny holes in the yellow corrugated stainless steel pipes supplying natural gas to appliances and heaters in the rest of the house. And it is the fact that, as they later learned, some fire experts have been warning for years that the piping poses a hazard when lightning strikes nearby.

I would not wish this on anybody anybody, said Teels father, Ken, who with his wife, Becky, is suing the manufacturer of the pipe. Its been a nightmare.

Meg and Ross Rushing escaped the fire that destroyed their home in Lubbock, Texas. But their friend, Brennen Teel, above, who had been visiting for the night did not. He died in the couple's garage in a fire and explosion allegedly caused by the failure of flexible piping carrying natural gas following a lightning strike.

Teels death highlights an ongoing debate over the safety of the piping known as corrugated stainless steel tubing, or CSST which has been installed in as many as 10 million U.S. homes since the 1990s, according to some manufacturers estimates. Its use is approved in building codes around the nation, though no longer in Lubbock, where the city issued a moratorium on its use in the wake of Teels death.

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Lightning Strike Fires Reignite Debate Over Gas Pipe Safety