When news that the first deaths in America from the novel coronavirus came among a cluster of people living in a retirement village in Washington state, it should have come as no surprise.

Contrary to President Donald Trumps suggestion that if you get sick, you should just stay home and hang around the house until you get better, that was not an option for those unfortunate souls. "Home" is where they contracted the deadly virus.

What if you could remodel your home and stay out of group living? Its not as hard or as expensive as one might think, and Santa Fe remodelers know how to do it.

The spectrum of remodeling options for whats called "aging in place" is wide. They run from the simple and obvious to the complex and costly, but all make sense. They also dont need to be done all at the same time but can be phased in over the years.

With the average cost of high-quality assisted living at $80,000 a year, compared to in-home health and day care at half the cost, remodeling your home can save money in the long run.

Start with simple stuff. Strength in our hands weakens as we age, so change doorknobs to levers. Same with kitchen and bath faucets. Short handles that open casement windows can be switched to longer ones for more leverage. Switching to LED lightbulbs, with super-long lives, saves energy and keeps the ladder in the garage.

The next thing to go is our equilibrium and depth perception. A simple fall can break bones. Eliminate elevation changes, even as short at 4 inches, like from a portal to a sidewalk. As our stride shortens and shuffling begins, get rid of rugs and carpets in favor of smooth, level surfaces. Indoor air quality also is improved; smooth floors are easier to keep clean.

Analyze furniture arrangements to make sure solid, stable pieces along traffic patterns are within reach. Installing handrails down long hallways can be done in an afternoon. If we do fall and break a hip, we might need a wheelchair or walker, which means doors to bedrooms and bathrooms may need to be widened. Standard bedroom doors are 30 inches wide, but 36 inches is the optimal width.

There are also not-so-simple fixes, but remodeling professionals are up for the task.

If a wheelchair becomes a permanent reality, remodeling kitchens and baths will be necessary. Being able to drive under a bath vanity, kitchen sink or stovetop can be accomplished. Moving plugs and switches from backs of countertops to sides of cabinets can be done. Installing higher toilets surrounded by grab bars, changing tubs to drive in showers with grab bars and making sure turning radiuses are wide enough to maneuver are still cost-effective changes.

If it comes to the point where constant care is required, changing an area of the home to an efficiency apartment for live-in caregivers might still be cheaper than moving into an assisted living facility.

If our homes are big enough, and many Santa Fe homes are, we can even carve out enough space for a completely remodeled two-bedroom accessory dwelling unit designed for maximum accessibility. To pay for the remodeling project, the balance of the home can be rented to a young family struggling to find an affordable home.

Moving into assisted living is never an easy decision for an individual or their families. The physical nature of ones existing home and its accessibility should not be the driving factor in that decision. When viruses spread and our doctors advise us to stay home and get well, its nice to have our own homes to go back to.

Kim Shanahan is a longtime Santa Fe builder and former executive officer of the Santa Fe Area Home Builders Association.

Link:
There's an alternative to assisted living | Real Estate - Santa Fe New Mexican

Dr. Dudley Chitty would like to say that she and her husband, Greg, are fancy people who have friends over to sit and talk in the very elegant living room of their West University Place home.

Instead, the room is reserved for something far more appropriate: Its where the couple relax as their twin daughters Hannah and Hunter practice piano.

I just love that room. Its so unique, with its 20-foot ceilings, Greg said. Im a music geek, and the girls enjoy playing, so its cool to sit in there to listen to them.

Hes an investment banker in the energy industry, and Dudley is an anesthesiologist taking a break for her important role as mom, so they certainly sound like they could be those fancy people. But Greg is just a laid-back guy from Lake Charles, La., and Dudley is a Conroe native who dived head first into her down-to-earth role as Mommy Uber, driving their daughters to soccer, volleyball, gymnastics and piano lessons.

Every morning the Chittys eat breakfast together, then Dudley and Greg walk the 11-year-old twins to school five blocks away. Unless theyre at sports practices, theyre in their kitchen having dinner together at the end of the day.

They were living in a different home a few blocks away in 2017, contemplating a massive update that would require them to move out for yearlong remodeling.

It seemed simpler to find a new home, but they didnt want to move away from their neighborhood school. Their current 6,300-square-foot home was more than they really needed, and it required similar dramatic changes. But being able to stay in their original home while a new one underwent remodeling sounded like an ideal option, especially since it was close by.

Built in 2001, its oak floors had a reddish stain, and wood-grain cabinets dominated the kitchen and space around two fireplaces. All of the homes seven bathrooms needed updates, and so did the backyard patio and pool. In the end, the house was nearly a full gut job.

An architect redesigned a new kitchen space that opened up a wide expanse for a family room, kitchen and breakfast table. And the couple hired Scott Frasier of Frasier Homes as their contractor and Beth Lindseyof Beth Lindsey Interior Design to help choose finishes and fill the home with new furniture.

We liked the bones of this house even though we knew it needed a ton of work. It was on the market for two years, Greg said. I thought it was cool to have a project to do. It was really kind of fun for me Beth did all the work.

They moved in March 2018 after a year of work, and the home is now a picture of elegance. But Lindsey made sure that its also comfortable and functional.

We live in this house, Dudley said, noting that their dog, Bailey, jumps on furniture and the girls often bring friends over. We have a dog, and we have kids but we can have a beautiful home and still live here.

The formal living room at the front had a beautiful chandelier and ornate crown moulding that framed the partially vaulted ceiling. That stayed, but plantation-style shutters that darkened the room were removed, and Lindsey reimagined the fireplace surround, replacing drab brown granite with smooth cast stone. White and soft-blue furniture in classic styles make it an elegant setting, but Lindseyupholstered everything in durable performance fabrics.

A doorway that used to lead to a wood-paneled study has been turned into a bar and wine room for Greg, who collects wine. A pair of wine refrigerators, cabinets and bins for bottles of wine were designed to fit around a painting by Todd White the Texas native who helped create the SpongeBob SquarePants cartoon series showing a sophisticated group of people enjoying adult beverages.

The back of the home was transformed from a blocky series of spaces with partial walls and pass-throughs to a sleek area that flows all the way through, still providing plenty of counter- and workspace. The beige speckled granite and backsplash got a major update with marble counters, white subway tile and Walker Zangers Jet Set tile using marble in a soft geometric pattern.

A pair of blue tufted sofas and two armchairs in a pretty blue print are nestled around a thick wood coffee table in the family room, where a couple of paintings tell the story of how Dudley, 45, and Greg, 50, met, fell in love and wed nearly 20 years ago.

They both had been dragged to a mutual friends birthday party in a Houston bar. They were the only people there who werent law students, so instead of talking about tort reform, they talked about the virtues of French Chateauneuf-du-Pape wine.

A serious couple from their first date, they fell in love on a weekend trip to New Orleans. A painting of Pirates Alley in the French Quarter captures that moment, and a second painting of Galatoires Restaurant shows where they held their rehearsal dinner.

Celerie Kemble stylized stripe wallpaper creates a stylish backdrop in a powder bathroom that before had little personality. Other bathrooms got updates, too, including the master, which had a major makeover in Carrara marble with a big new shower.

An upstairs media room set up for watching movies was a strange contrast to the rest of the home with black carpet, a black ceiling, deep-red walls and heavy, red-fringed draperies. The Chittys didnt want or need anything like that, so they scaled it back with new carpet that looks like spotted deer hide and more neutral colors. Instead of oversized recliners, a ping-pong table sits in the center of the room.

Though Dudley is still deciding what she wants to do in the master bedroom, the last room finished was the dining room completed in time for Gregs 50th birthday party. Like most dining rooms, it doesnt get used frequently. They host dinner parties and holiday meals around their custom-made round dining table, which holds a cluster of tall glass candlesticks.

The rooms custom draperies, complete with lovely tape trim on the leading edge, serve as an example of the beautiful custom window treatments throughout the home. Neighbors who saw the home in its earlier state can see into the breakfast area, now that plantation-style shutters no longer block the view.

diane.cowen@chron.com

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Remodeling would take too long. So this West U family got creative. - Houston Chronicle

Renderings of the entrances and lobby to be remodeled at St. Nicholas Hospital in Sheboygan.(Photo: Courtesy of HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital)

SHEBOYGAN - St. Nicholas Hospital in Sheboygan will begin remodeling its main and emergency entrances and itslobby this month.

"We're always looking for ways to enhance the care and experience that we provide to our patients and visitors," said Justin Selle, president and CEO of Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS) St. Nicholas Hospital.

Selle said the hospital has spent a lot of money in recent years improving the inside of the building, but now it's time to enhance the exterior to showcase the same modernization that can be found inside.

New awnings will be added to both the main and emergency entrances along Superior Avenue. Selle said stone will also be added to the outside to give a more modern look.

Although the emergency entrance may be closed at times, the emergency department will remain open throughout the renovation, whichis scheduled to wrap up in the fall. If the emergency entrance is closed, patients will still be able to enter through the main entrance right next to it,and vice versa.

The renovated lobby will have more natural light andincreased seating in a more relaxed and comfortable space, Selle said. A cafe will be added near the existing gift shop.

Renderings of the entrances and lobby to be remodeled at St. Nicholas Hospital in Sheboygan.(Photo: Courtesy of HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital)

Earlier this year, the HSHS St. Nicholas HospitalFoundation said itwanted to be part of the project and donated $1 million, Selle said. That foundation is the philanthropicarm of the hospital and helps raise money for new technology and other projects.

Last fall, St. Nicholas remodeled the radiation oncology suite, Selle said, and back in 2017, it renovated the intensive care unit, intermediate care unit and surgical suites.

More: 'Our goal has always been to create cyclists': New Trek bike store coming to Sheboygan

More: Luxury apartments seem to be popping up everywhere in Sheboygan County. So, which new developments will serve low-income residents?

Reach AnnMarie Hilton at ahilton@gannett.com or 920-242-3032. Follow her on Twitter at @hilton_annmarie.

Read or Share this story: https://www.sheboyganpress.com/story/news/2020/03/04/hshs-st-nicholas-hospital-remodel-entrances-and-lobby/4930941002/

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MouseGear, EPCOTs premier retail store, closed back in early January. Since then, demolition on its interior has moved quickly, clearing the entire space for its intensive remodeling. Now, it seems demolition has moved on to the buildings exterior, as the circular building that made up one of the stores entrances was being torn down (starting yesterday). Today, the extension of the old MouseGear building is completely gone.

The entire circular building addition (it was added during the 1986 expansion of the former Centorium store) was dismantled and demolished in order to restore the original CommuniCore/Innoventions East building to its former state in some ways. While MouseGear is set to reopen in this same space, no official opening date has been given.

Weve seen concept art for the new MouseGear location, so we expect some big changes to take place in this area. Be sure to keep following for more updates on this and even more construction around EPCOT and the rest of Walt Disney World.

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PHOTOS: MouseGear & Centorium Expansion Building Completely Demolished as Massive Remodeling Project Continues at EPCOT - wdwnt.com

There are multiple television shows about home renovations. Could Bangor be part of a new show that provides a borough-wide renovation?

The premise of HGTVs new series Home Town Takeover is to transform an entire town. The show is a spinoff of Home Town, which features Ben Napier and Erin Napier.

On that show, the married couple renovates homes in Laurel, Mississippi. The new show is going to take their renovating expertise on the road.

Bangor Mayor Brooke Kerzner entered a contest to be on the show, which is scheduled to premier in 2021.

The show requires that the town have a population of less than 40,000, have great architecture and have a Main Street that needs a facelift.

Kerzner said Bangor fits the criteria and she thought the borough could benefit from being on the show.

I am the mayor, so, I should do everything I can to help my town in any way possible, Kerzner said.

Kerzner enlisted the help Bangor Area High School graduate and current Northampton County College student Jessie Ledergerber to produce and direct the video.

Ledergerber, along with the help of Chris Kennedy, interviewed local business owners about the problems Bangor faces, including rundown facades and difficulty drawing customers to shop in the borough.

The interviewees also talk about their love of Bangor.

I wasnt born here but I got here as soon as I could, said Patti Bray of Brays News Agency.

The video focuses on how the downtown area has beautiful architecture but could be brought back to former glory. Kerzner also talks about the borough parks and what the show could do to improve them.

Kerzner gives a brief history of the borough and speaks with Slate Belt Heritage Center member Karen Brewer.

We are very proud of our past but we dont know where were headed in the future, Kerzner said.

The mayor stated in the video that she is Bangors first female mayor but she said she later learned that there was a female mayor before her.

The shows website states it is reviewing submissions.

John Best is a freelance contributor to lehighvalleylive.com. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

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Bangor seeks borough-wide remodel in pitch to HGTV series Home Town Takeover - lehighvalleylive.com

WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW)-- The Woodson YMCA in downtown Wausau is about 4 months away from it's expected June 15 completion date.

Thursday afternoon, CEO Bryan Bailey gave NewsChannel 7's Dale Ryman a complete tour of the $24-million project.

"From the middle of October until the end of January we've brought in 2,000 new members," Bailey said. "Which we didn't expect that type of growth until the project was over."

The track inside the new fieldhouse is a popular highlight, with glass along 3/4 of the track.

"You take one lap, look to the east and you've got history right at your eyesight. And as we take one-half lap around you start to see the modernization of Wausau."

A big hit with the 55-plus crowd is The Landing.

"It's really a place for people to socialize and spend time together."

With four months to go, they can begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel. And members have really embraced the changes and willing to work around the disruptions.

"We've really been creative in how we re-purposed the land here," said Bailey. "But about 80% of the Y was touched in some way or another."

With the remodel and expansion, the Woodson branch will see their space increase from 130,000 square feet to 170,000.

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Guided tour of Woodson YMCA remodel and expansion - WSAW

The current White House has 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, eight staircases and three elevators.

Question: Do you know about the history of the White House and its many updates and remodels?

Answer: Yes! This is a favorite topic of mine. The White House on Pennsylvania Avenue belongs to every tax-paying American.

Note: Much of this information is provided by the official White House Museum and my friend, David Dean, assistant history professor at Grand Canyon University.

George Washington arranged the building of the first White House and construction began in 1792. The neo-classical design of the executive residence was modeled after a palace in Dublin by an Irish architect, James Hoban, hired by Washington.

Washingtons successor, John Adams, was the first president to actually live there, even though it was still unfinished when he arrived in 1800. The cost of that first building was $232,372. Its pretty tricky to calculate what that might be today. Some estimates online say it could range from $4.4 million to as much as $8 billion in modern money. And that doesnt even include buying a lot on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Q: When was the first remodel?

A: The house was set ablaze in 1814. 4,000 British soldiers invaded Washington, D.C., during the War of 1812 and torched the interior in retaliation for the American attack on the city of York in Ontario, Canada, that occurred during the American Revolutionary War. President James Madison recalled Hoban to direct a reconstruction of the house.

Link:
Rosie on the House: Historic renovations of the White House - Arizona Daily Star

The Fort Dodge Community School District Board of Education approved a $2.59 million bid proposal from Woodruff Construction for the districts Central Office and Maintenance Facility Remodel Project on Monday night.

The project, slated to begin this spring, is a remodel of the former Hy-Vee building, 109 N. 25th St., which will be used as the districts central offices and main maintenance facility. The current central offices are housed in the former Arey School, which will later be remodeled back into a school building to house preschool and kindergarten.

The school board meeting opened up to a public hearing on the Central Office and Maintenance Facility Remodel Project. Prior to the hearing, the board did not receive any written objections or comments on the project. During the hearing, there were no oral objections or comments from the public, either.

Following the public hearing, Ryan Utley, director of buildings and grounds, presented to the board the three bids the district received for the project.

The district received bids from Jensen Builders Ltd., of Fort Dodge; Sande Construction and Supply, of Humboldt; and Woodruff Construction, of Fort Dodge.

All three bids were within $200,000 of each other, Utley said. (The architects) estimated cost for the project is $3.9 million.

Woodruff Construction was the low bid at $2,594,700.

(The architect) after that went through their qualification processes to make sure that (Woodruff) understood the project timeline and make sure that their bid was within specs, Utley added.

Superintendent Dr. Jesse Ulrich added that the subcontractors for the project will all be local to Fort Dodge.

The board unanimously voted to award the bid to Woodruff Construction, with board members Lisa Shimkat and Bill Kent absent.

In his superintendent updates, Ulrich noted the hiring of Nik Moser as the Fort Dodge Community School District Foundations new director. Moser will begin on Feb. 17.

Also on Monday night, the school board appointed Barbara Bachman as the temporary board secretary to serve while board secretary Adriana Utley is out on maternity leave.

The board also approved a first review and revision of the boards policies and procedures on anti-bullying, substance free workplace, child abuse reporting, student-to-student harassment-bullying and drug and alcohol testing program.

The next school board meeting will be at 6 p.m. on Feb. 24, at the Central Administration Building, 104 S. 17th St. All school board meetings are open to the public.

Name: Mathias Nicholas AndersonHometown: Webster City Age: 19What is your major or specific area of interest ...

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School board awards central office remodel project to Woodruff Construction | News, Sports, Jobs - Fort Dodge Messenger

You spent the holidays binging on HGTV, and now visions of shiplap accent walls and free-standing soaking tubs are dancing through your head.

Don't let your desire to upgrade your home downgrade your home's market value. Before you make a renovation fantasy a reality, consider whether the project will pay off when you're ready to sell. Plenty of home improvements add value, but others like these five can hurt it.

1. A CHEF-QUALITY KITCHEN

If you love to cook, a high-end kitchen could be the ultimate gift for you. But if you think a massive overhaul will majorly impact resale value, you might be in for a surprise. An upscale kitchen renovation recoups just 54% of its cost in added value, according to Remodeling magazine's 2020 Cost vs. Value report.

"If you do marble countertops and high-end appliances, you could spend $100,000, and it doesn't necessarily mean your house is worth an extra $100,000," says Beatrice de Jong, a consumer trends expert for Opendoor, a San Francisco-based direct homebuyer and seller.

Smaller kitchen upgrades could yield a bigger payoff. Chris Arienti, broker and owner of Re/Max Executive Realty near Boston, suggests keeping updates reasonable: Think granite rather than marble, and GE instead of Sub-Zero.

2. DIY PAINTING

A bold statement wall can say the wrong thing to potential buyers if the workmanship is questionable. Streaky, chipped or low-quality paint can knock $1,700 off a home's sale price, according to Opendoor data that looked at home offers made from June 2018 to June 2019.

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"A good paint job is not easy," says Sarah Cunningham, a real estate agent with Ethos Design + Remodel in Boise, Idaho. "It is all in the prep work, and most people don't want to do the prep work." Hiring a professional to paint can help ensure a more attractive result.

3. AN EXPANDED MASTER SUITE

Knocking down a wall to create an oversize master bedroom or stealing closet space to build out a spa-style bathroom may sound dreamy. But how about as a selling point? "If you go from five bedrooms to four, and you can make it work, no big deal," Arienti says. But he cautions that losing a bedroom in a smaller house could mean a lower selling price.

As for cutting into closet space, residential building codes don't mandate that bedrooms have closets. But, Arienti says, "Once you take the closet out of a bedroom, to a buyer, that no longer looks like a bedroom."

4. PLUSH WALL-TO-WALL CARPETING

Carpet can be especially unattractive to first-time homebuyers, who may be used to landlords updating carpet between renters, de Jong says.

"In general, people are grossed out by (carpeting). It can make a room look a little bit dated."

It can also ding your sale price. Carpet as the primary flooring in a house drops the value by $3,900 and carpeting in the master bedroom causes a $3,800 plunge, according to Opendoor. Conversely, a 2019 report from the National Association of Realtors estimated that sellers could recoup the entire cost of refinishing hardwood floors. New wood flooring could actually add value, with sellers getting $1.06 for every dollar spent according to NAR.

5. A SWIMMING POOL

It doesn't matter if it's infinity edge or aboveground: Any pool can be seen as a drawback by buyers who don't want to deal with maintenance or insurance. Even in Florida, a pool doesn't add value, Liede DeValdivielso, a real estate agent with the Keyes Company in Miami-Dade, said via email. If you're thinking resale, it's not worth it you'll never recoup the cost, DeValdivielso said. But if you'll use it and enjoy it, put in a pool.

HOW TO DECIDE IF A RENOVATION IS WORTH THE COST

To ensure you're making an informed decision:

CONSIDER YOUR TIMELINE. "If you're going to be in the home for 30 years, you can do anything, because at that point, your mortgage is paid off," Arienti says. Looking to sell in the near future? Pay closer attention to whether your choices will appeal to a potential buyer.

CONSULT AN EXPERT. "Talk to a professional so you aren't making misinformed choices that are going to work against you in five to 10 years," Cunningham says. A designer can help you tell fleeting trends from future classics; a contractor can explain what kind of work a proposed renovation would entail.

COMPARE HOME FEATURES IN YOUR AREA. De Jong suggests looking at comparable homes for sale near you and going to open houses to make sure your improvements align with the norms for your neighborhood.

GET AN APPRAISAL. A licensed appraiser can do a feasibility study to estimate your home's current value and its likely value after the improvements.

Read more from the original source:
5 home improvements that may not pay off when you sell - Newsday

Tony Mixon @TmixonPCNH93

ThursdayJan30,2020at1:57PM

The plan was to save money by remodeling an existing building. The building at McKenzie Avenue was the home of EMS units that were moved after Hurricane Michael.

PANAMA CITY The Bay County Courts and Clerks facilities committee met Tuesday afternoon to discuss a plan to move the clerk functions into an unincorporated building at 225 Mckenzie Ave.

The plan was to save money by remodeling an existing building. The building at McKenzie Avenue was the home of EMS units that were moved after Hurricane Michael.

The plan to remodel the existing building at 225 McKenzie Avenue will save an estimated $500,000, said Keith Bryant, Bay County Public Works Director. It will decrease construction from 31,000 square feet to 28,000 square feet for the new courthouse.

Bay County moves forward on juvenile courthouse project

The new facility that will hold clerk functions is still on courthouse grounds, adjacent to the county courthouse. According to Bryant, the committee was all in agreement for the plan.

I think the main thing was that nobody was aware that the building at 225 McKenzie Avenue was not being used, Bryant said. With repairs to the courthouse, it just made it cheaper to remodel at that location (McKenzie Avenue).

The remodeling of the McKenzie building is expected to take six to eight months.

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Bay County court clerk services moving to McKenzie Avenue - The News Herald