JANUARY 26, 2020

IN 1908, HENRY JAMES pronounced that the house of fiction has in short not one window, but a million, consisting of apertures, of dissimilar shape and size. About 15 years later, Willa Cather took up the metaphor again but replaced those airy, asymmetrical windows with the tchotchkes of realist description. For her, the attempt to capture real life in words inadvertently crowded it out, like the towering stacks of newspaper in a hoarders home: How wonderful it would be if we could throw all the furniture out of the window [] all the tiresome old patterns, and leave the room as bare as the stage of a Greek theatre, or as that house into which the glory of Pentecost descended. Boring novels are overcrowded with cleverly worded approximations of what it feels like to live, but great ones have the good sense to leave the best bits off the page.

Though the metaphor is now a little tired, Rachel Cusks new essay collection, Coventry, flips it over to articulate her own desires for writing. In Making Home, one of the books best essays, she imagines houses to be like novels, rather than the other way around. The piece follows the psychic as well as architectural turmoil that accompanies remodeling her flat in London, a project that throws out of balance the same life that shes ostensibly enhancing by undertaking the renovation. This forces her to consider whether, deep down, the creative destruction shes enacted carries a more thorough desire to destroy. She wants a better home and garden, but what if enhancing it, dignifying it, actually exposes a deeper problem? What if what I really wanted all along was to erase it?

It, in case you didnt catch it, isnt only the hardwood floors. Any reader even vaguely familiar with the expanded Cusk universe which to date consists of 10 highly acclaimed novels; three stunning memoirs; one very public divorce; and now Coventry, a book that collects the odds and ends of her occasional essays, reviews, introductions, and forewords will recognize that her writing and biography teem with such multilayered metaphors of renovation.

This isnt the first time that Cusk has turned to household infrastructure to ponder the casualties of self-reinvention. Transit, the second novel in her Outline trilogy, follows the narrator, Faye, as she remodels a London flat eerily similar to that in Making Home. Even earlier in Outline, the first novel of the trilogy, Faye adopts the metaphor to explain how family fights often hinge on who notices the smallest infraction of household decorum: [I]t was as though everything that had been inside was moved outside, piece by piece, like furniture being taken out of a house and put on the pavement. Like Cather, Cusk throws out the furniture, but instead of standing alone in the newly spacious interior she then walks to the curb and describes how everything landed. In fact, thats a workable metaphor for how Cusks novels differ from their early 20th-century ancestors: whereas the Jamesian novel is interested in the interiors of minds and family manors, Cusks works give us something like the novel of exteriority: they consist almost entirely of recounted talk and external description, so we judge the characters not by what they think but by how they look and what they say.

Or, in the case of Making Home, how they decorate. Even better, how they imagine themselves decorating, because that projection of a better future is the place where storytelling resides. Before she threw everything out, Cusk recounts how she would bring in visitors to describe what was going to be done to it and what it would look like, as though creating a home out of mere words. Later, she compares her ambivalence over creating a more comfortable living situation with the unpeopled showrooms of her childhood residence the unused drawing room, the study with its unread leather-bound volumes. Both, she concludes, are versions of storytelling: In their way these rooms were expressive works, attempts to perfect reality and hold it in an eternal moment.

Coventry is organized into three sections: six long-form, generally personal essays; four shorter essays that all circle around artistry and authorship, from Renaissance painting in the Italian town of Assisi to the contemporary creative writing workshop; and, finally, a miscellany of book reviews and introductions. It is a sturdy and worthwhile collection of previously published material, but it wont change anyones mind about Rachel Cusk. It will not convert any of the haters, nor will it leave any of her fans thinking that shes flown the coop. Thats not a bad thing for those in the pro-Cusk camp, who I assume will appreciate how the essays follow in the narrative and thematic footsteps of her most recent work. They approach their main topic obliquely, like the Outline trilogy, and yet they also offer moments of raw self-assessment (and occasionally condescending assessment of others) like A Lifes Work and Aftermath, her memoirs on motherhood and divorce.

In fact, Coventry might best be read as a publishers guidebook on Cusk Countrys dominant themes and narrative strategies something along the lines of the map of Yoknapatawpha that Malcolm Cowley requested for The Portable Faulkner. At the beginning of Lions on Leashes, Cusk does a little of this work herself, creating a laundry list of her recurring topics:

[T]he difficulties of continuing to create while bringing up two small children, the conflict between artistic and familial identity, the attempt to pursue your own truth while still honouring the truth of others, the practical and emotional complexities of motherhood and recently of divorce and single parenthood all these tensions were real, so real that sometimes their causes were difficult to locate.

The tension that colors every aspect of ones own identity and shared relationships but that is difficult to locate in language: that is the meat of Cusks most riveting work. Its true of the novels, which (as Merve Emre puts it) confront the mush of feelings and cast it into a hard, gleaming image for her readers to admire. And its true of the memoirs, which invoke previous literary treatments of bodily and familial transformation such as childbirth and divorce (in such disparate sources as Greek tragedy, the novels of Flaubert, and Dr. Spocks guide to dealing with colic) only to, like Cathers ideal novelist, burn down that whole tradition with her unblinking stare. If this is what you look for in Cusk, then Coventry delivers.

The essays exhibit a familiar rhetorical tic of her previous work, which is to lay out a counterintuitive claim only, in the next breath, to take the opposing position. But perhaps it isnt like that at all is one of Coventrys most characteristic phrases. In the opening essay, Driving as Metaphor, she uses the occasion of traffic jams in her rural town to ponder how the conflict between different drivers, as well as drivers and pedestrians and cyclists, exposes a peculiar difficulty in attaining objectivity. The essays use mundane topics like traffic, or airport security, or a home renovation to inquire into the nature of subjectivity, narrative, motherhood and daughterhood and authorhood. And the process of storytelling, of stringing together details to get from Point A to Point B without seriously maiming Person C, is the only available option for giving credence to multiple competing points of view to see through all of the windows, as James would have it.

Theres also plenty of the meticulous listening and subtly biting judgments of the Outline novels. On Rudeness, for example, hinges on several encounters with airport security (some told in the first person and others recounted from acquaintances) and closes by arguing for the place of politesse and manners when the uninhabitable earth reduces us to eating rats and tulip bulbs. A long, intricate passage in Lions on Leashes reads like the trilogy in miniature. It begins as a conversation among old friends about the ambiguous power imbalance between children and parents, who fight for control of their joint family narrative. As the children roll their eyes while the parents wax philosophic, the narrative abruptly shifts perspectives as Cusk takes over the language of her friend:

What is being controlled, she says, is the story. By disagreeing with it, you create the illusion of victimhood in those who have the capacity to be oppressors. From outside, the dissident is the victim, but the people inside the story cant attain that distance, for they are defending something whose relationship to truth has somewhere along the line been compromised. I dont doubt that my parents saw themselves as my hapless victims, as many parents of adolescents do (You have this lovely child, a friend of mine said, and then one day God replaces it with a monster), but to me at the time such an idea would have been unthinkable.

Part of the challenge and fun of reading Cusk is keeping track of who occupies the various yous and Is in passages like this one, where the lack of quotation marks makes it hard to tell where the different participants statements diverge. You have this lovely child really means I have this lovely child, but the I isnt the narrator; it might not even be the other person in the room with her. And, immediately after including the sentiment, she immediately refutes it, calling it unthinkable.

All of this is to say: Fans of Cusks prose and authorial perspective, her cutting wit and inimitable turns of phrase, will enjoy these essays. But those fans might be disappointed when they read Coventry because, chances are, theyve already read everything in it. An ungenerous reading might position Coventry as an attempt to capitalize on the popularity of the now-complete novel sequence to extend the Cusk brand, as the marketing department might say. If so, fair enough, but for the reader looking for original material: be forewarned.

It is worth readingCoventrymore generously, though, andnot just because no one wants their own criticismalchemized, inCusks next novel, into a sublime portrait of their own limitations. Bringing these writingstogether under one roof, so to speak,showcases Cusk as one of the 21st centurys great novelist-essayists,which is no smalltask considering the proliferation of that category ofwriter.As many critics have noticed, the lastdecade saw a proliferation of W. G. Sebaldinfluencedessayistic novels, as well as a general embrace of the autobiographicalin literary fiction. TheOutlinetrilogy certainly fits that mold. Butthe same period also found a wide range of early-to-mid-careernovelists, such as Teju Cole, Ben Lerner, Chimamanda NgoziAdichie, Sheila Heti,and Uzodinma Iweala, who have embraced the essay as a genre with its ownhistory and expressivepossibilities separate from and even equal to the novel.WithCoventry,Cusk now clearly needsto be seen as a singular voice in thiscamp, too.

But this collection also makes some themes, such as the relationship between silence and narration, that travel in the lower registers of her fiction more apparent. In fact, in Coventry, silence emerges not as the opposite of narration but as an aggressive, and even maybe a uniquely feminine, kind of artistic gesture. Its there in the title essay: sending someone to Coventry, were told, is an English idiom for the silent treatment, and when her parents institute this punishment to her, as an adult, for the umpteenth time, she begins to understand it as a kind of cold war against her own version of their relationship: [W]ar is the end of point of view, where violence is welcomed as the final means of arriving at a common version of events. This leads her to see the variety of familial silences. Her husbands mumbling, a parent staring into the distance while her family walks ahead, her own parents cold shoulder, elderly couples eating silently at her local pub.

Initially this final silence terrified her, the thought that after all those years of joy and toil and creation, building a family story might end up running out of narrative steam: [N]othing or nothing palpable to look forward to. Thats silence as indifference to one another, as withdrawal from the common story. But, again with trademark circulation around an idea, she reconsiders: [P]erhaps what they represent is not the failure of narrative but its surpassing, not silence but peace. Its a rare hopeful moment in a collection and oeuvre to say nothing of the political and ecological season not particularly forthcoming with them.

But perhaps the most bracing and provocative version of silence arises when Cusk imagines it as a type of feminine creativity. In Shakespeares Sisters, an essay on Woolf, Chekhov, and Lessing, she hypothesizes about what womens writing (her scare quotes) would look like given the same support as men a room of ones own, total control of content and zero concern over domesticity, equal pay. Looking back at her favorite woman writers, as well as nonwoman writers who imagine female creativity, she sees that a woman writer [] is more likely to produce silence than what we would recognize as narrative. Which brings us back to that shared fiction of a house because, as Cusk tells it, those manicured, lifeless rooms of her childhood told me something about the person my mother who created them. A home is powered by a womans will and work, and [] a curious form of success could be measured in her ability to suggest the opposite. Its a vision of female writing that, as she says of Chekhovs representation of gendered silence (echoing Adrienne Richs conception of nonuniversal female writing), does not consider the female in terms of the male and hence does not expect womens writing to follow the same expressive outlets as mens writing. For Coventry to convey such resonances across its eclectic content is justification enough of its excellence. The rest is noise.

Donal Harris is an associate professor in the department of English and director of the Marcus Orr Center for the Humanities at the University of Memphis. He is the author of On Company Time: American Modernism in the Big Magazines.

Originally posted here:
Renovating the House of Fiction: On Rachel Cusk's Coventry - lareviewofbooks

In 2015, Ashley Moore and her husband traveled down a quaint street in a private neighborhood just outside of Tomball, Texas, northwest of Houston. Old oak trees lined the road creating a canopy above, sprinkling soft-dappled light below as the couple peered out at the gorgeous five-acre lots leading up to each of the four home sites in the idyllic countryside hamlet. When they pulled up to the classic Southern home, Ashley was immediately smitten with the large porch spanning the width of the faade. And although the interiors were dark and dated, Ashley saw beyond the ornate, old-school cosmetics to the fabulous bones beneath, and she felt a calling to breathe new life into this home through a renovation.

I have always loved to design and decorate, but this was my first house to remodel. I saw so much potential the first time we toured it. Thankfully, my husband trusted my vision for the home because we bought it! Two days after we closed on the house, we started the demo, Ashley says of the project that lead her to launch her dream business, Moore House Interiors.

I love how this room incorporates the brick from the exterior into the interiors through the traditional mantel, says Ashley. Image: Grace Laird

Ashley shiplapped the entire master bath and painted it white to make the space feel bigger. Image: Grace Laird

I love the soft gray cabinets; theyre a bit unexpected but add warmth to the room, says Ashley. Image: Grace Laird

Ashleys main goals were to update the interior and exterior, bringing to life her take on an upscale classic Texas farmhouse. When we moved in, my main objective was to transform the house into a home, says Ashley. We wanted to brighten up the house while creating a space that reflected our family.

RELATED:A Lake Martin Home Gets A Makeover

First, she knew that paint would completely transform the dark faux finishes in the master bedroom and dining room, as well as the red-painted walls and dark cabinets in the kitchen and breakfast room. She also had two other must-haves: hardwood floors throughout the first floor and new kitchen windows that opened up to the back of the property.

I just love the fact that our home really reflects us as a family. It combines my husbands love for rustic design, and my love for antiques, without being too fussy, says Ashley. I hope that everyone who enters it feels like they are at home, too. Image: Grace Laird

Our master bedroom catches my breath every time I step foot in it, says Ashley. Image: Grace Laird

Everyone says that the kitchen is the heart of the home, and ours really is, says Ashley of her favorite room in the house. Its where we spend the majority of our time, and it functions so well for our busy family. Image: Grace Laird

My husband thought I was crazy for wanting new windows since the kitchen already had decently sized windows in good shape, but I imagined washing dishes and watching the kids play in the backyard through counter-to-ceiling windows. The move paid off with a breathtaking wall of windows that brings the outside in. This spacious kitchens soothing palette sets the stage for relaxation and togetherness after long, busy days. Use the slider to check out the pre-renovation before photo to see what a stark contrast it offers! (Before: MooreHouse Interiors; After: Grace Laird)

The overall aesthetic is airy and sophisticated, an elegance that is beautiful, but not untouchable a Houston farmhouse renovation with an inviting ambiance that feels laid-back and comfy for both children and adults.

For example, just off the elegant kitchen an uber-functional and chic mudroom area doubles as a spot for dad and the kids to drop their day-to-day stuff at the door, while a built-in dog kennel offers respite for the pups below.

Nearby, the laundry and crafting room boasts neat little homework stations for the kids, just within earshot of the kitchen, so Mom and Dad can help if needed.

I love the functionality of this space, says Ashley of the hallway mudroom. We use it every single day its a place for the kids to store their backpacks, baseball gloves and shoes. Image: Grace Laird

The dog kennel is the perfect drop spot for my husband to unpack his pockets at the end of the day and a cozy space for our dog to sleep at night, says Ashley. Image: Grace Laird

We have tons of built-in storage in this room, and since it was so large, it made sense to convert it into a homework area for the kids, says Ashley. Image: Grace Laird

RELATED:This is NOT Your Typical Modern Farmhouse

The modern, family farmhouse features rustic beams, shiplap in several rooms, and reclaimed wood in the study. I like to describe my home as casual and collected, says Ashley of her layered design approach. I love new functional pieces, but my favorite items in our home are those that have been passed down to us or vintage pieces I discovered at local antique stores and flea markets.

The living room is a perfect example: a framed transom window, which was a treasure saved from her in-laws home remodel, doubles as meaningful art. My Paw-Paw put the frame on it so we could use it in our home, says Ashley. And the side table next to the couch is another heirloom that belonged to Ashleys husbands grandmother.

Our dining room table was made by a family friend, and the wood he used came from a barn in my mothers hometown, says Ashley. The dining room also houses her milk-glass collection and the familys heirloom piano. Image: Grace Laird

In the study, Ashley replaced a desk nook under the stairs with a reclaimed wood wall housing a secret built-in gun safe, a surprise for her husband on their fifth anniversary, and a fitting backdrop for his hunting trophies. Image: Grace Laird

The framed transom window was a treasure salvaged from her in-laws home remodeling project. It was the perfect addition to her Houston farmhouse renovation. Image: Grace Laird

Ashley loves the antiques she was able to incorporate into their living room. The side table next to the couch belonged to my husbands grandmother, she says. We stripped it down to the natural wood to blend it with our decor. Image: Grace Laird

As for found treasures, The living room chairs were actually $10 flea market finds! I loved the shape, so I refinished the wood before sending them off to my upholsterer, says Ashley, adding, Theyre definitely my favorite chairs in the house.

Ashleys favorite elements of the stunning great room are the vaulted tongue-and-groove ceiling layered with reclaimed beams, the Austin Stone fireplace, and all the natural light. Image: Grace Laird

This is the familys casual, everyday dining space. It features an antique farm table and big windows that are perfect for keeping an eye on the little ones while they ride bikes or play basketball, says Ashley. Image: Grace Laird

Though creating her dream home through this Houston farmhouse renovation felt like one huge, yet exhilarating risk, it offered an invaluable learning experience that provided a launchpad for Ashleys dream interior design business. She was also quick to credit the contractor from Stillwater Builders as a terrific teacher who also instilled great confidence in her as she brought new ideas to the table.

I loved every moment of designing this home I was in my element while remodeling this house, and the whole process lit a spark in me. I truly believe God used this home to guide me to the path Im on now. If it werent for this remodel, I think Moore House Interiors would still just be a dream, says Ashley. People often ask if I could do it all again, would I do anything differently with the design? And my answer is no I love this house. It just feels like us.

**********

See more stunning interiors and home design projects in our Homes section. Click HERE.

View post:
Check Out This Beautiful Farmhouse Renovation - StyleBlueprint

When Somia Mourad first walked into the Kenwood home that she would buy, she saw dark-stained oak woodwork mixed with white woodwork on much of the main level. In the kitchen, three different wood finishes fragmented the space.

The house had clearly gone through a ton of renovations, Mourad said. Though the work had been done with care and had been maintained well, she wanted a more cohesive look. So even before she, her husband, Keith Bush, and their two daughters moved into the 1891 three-story, painters were summoned. The fireplace mantel, centerpiece of a gracious living room, went from a dark oak stain to white enameled paint so that it would match the shelves on either side, which were already white. Beams in the ceiling got the same treatment. Wood panels in the dining room, which is open to the living room, also got coats of white paint.

Like many of todays home buyers, Mourad and Bush prefer the sleek, clean look of white enameled woodwork. But their experience also speaks to the conundrum of sellers considering whether to paint their woodwork in order to sell a house more quickly. Many buyers are seeking a move-in-ready home that reflects the modern aesthetic of clean white woodwork. But some homes, especially Craftsmans and Victorians, can dazzle with stained wood.

Mourad said she fell for her house the moment they walked in and saw the wood door that led to an entryway with delicately detailed woodwork.

The entryway was so warm just stunning with intricate carvings on the wood banister at the staircase; I didnt want anyone to touch it, Mourad recalled. She kept that nod to the history of the home, even as the painters set to work on other parts of the house.

Sometimes a home shows best when it remains true to character. The oak beams and other wood accents of Craftsman-style bungalows, for example, help make those homes distinct.

You wouldnt change the color of a classic car, even if its a little funky, and sometimes you shouldnt paint the woodwork of a house, said Ruth Whitney Bowe, a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker Burnets Minneapolis Lakes office.

In midcentury modern homes, wood paneling and other details can warm up the clean lines. In Victorians, intricate woodwork can speak to the homes original era and can also be expensive to paint.

In addition to the style of the home, competition is another factor.

If a home is in an area surrounded by other homes with wood cabinets in the kitchens, there may be no need to turn the woodwork white, Bowe said. But most often, white woodwork helps a house sell.

Millennials love white

Jayne Morrison of Morrison Interiors in Plymouth is a designer and stager who helps people ready their homes for the marketplace.

Millennial buyers want white woodwork, she said. If we are staging for a young family in a neighborhood of young families, it is advisable to have woodwork painted white.

Thats especially so for owners of homes built in the 1980s with the golden oak woodwork that was popular during that era.

If you are in a 1980s house and you have a lot of that golden oak woodwork, [painting it white] will help sell your house faster, she said.

Morrison is seeing a generational shift as she works with homeowners on design.

Baby boomers love woodwork, she said. Millennial clients say they want an estimate for painting everything white. It is quite pricey, but often they go ahead and do it. They want that total white woodwork look.

Whether it is sellers or new homeowners hoping to create a space they adore, the decision to paint is often based on that bad word that starts with b: budget, Morrison said. When clients decide to do the painting themselves to save money, she suggests they start in one room and see how it goes before tackling the entire house.

Painted woodwork is a fresh look, she notes, and its been going strong since 2010. In recent years, she has seen the white warming up a bit, shifting to warm gray.

When Mourad got around to remodeling her kitchen and ridding the space of three different wood finishes, in fact, a designer suggested that she paint the center island gray to contrast with the white paint elsewhere in the kitchen and the home. Mourad declined, preferring to keep the look cohesive. Plus, she said, I knew I would never tire of white.

And she hasnt. Now when I walk into the house, I feel peaceful, uplifted, happy. There is a lightness and a calm, she said. It is amazing how much woodwork impacts the feel of a home.

Read the original here:
Tackling a controversial question: Should you paint the woodwork white? - Minneapolis Star Tribune

Kate Wood, NerdWallet Published 5:00 a.m. MT Jan. 24, 2020

If you want to get real with your real estate, here are 5 home renovations that dont add resale value. Buzz60

You spent the holidays binging HGTV, and now visions of shiplap accent walls and freestanding 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.

Tax season is almost here: Here are 7 costly mistakes to avoid

Retirement: 3 reasons to pick a Roth IRA over other accounts

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 202 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 home buyer and seller.

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

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.

"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.

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."

Carpet can be especially unattractive to first-time home buyers, 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.

It doesnt matter if its infinity edge or above-ground: 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:

MORE: 5 Proven Ways to Increase Home Value

MORE: How to Tap Your Home's Value

MORE: HELOC: One Way to Pay for Home Renovations

Marianne Sierk and Robbie Mortillaro bought a home for $275,000 outside Baltimore. It fit their budget but needed work. Here are the lessons they learned from renovating themselves. USA TODAY

Kate Wood is a writer at NerdWallet, a personal finance website. Email: kwood@nerdwallet.com.

NerdWallet is a USA TODAY content partner providing general news, commentary and coverage from around the web. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY.

Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/01/24/home-improvements-might-downgrade-houses-market-value/4546753002/

Read more from the original source:
Don't downgrade your house's value: 5 home improvements that may not pay off when you sell - The Coloradoan

advertisement

A developer wants to convert a tiny storage room in a residential building in the Green Quarter into a living room / bedroom.

At just 21 square meters, however, this would be almost half the minimum recommended size for a studio apartment that meets the standards used by the Manchester Council.

advertisement

The average Travelodge hotel room is 28sqm.

Developers have applied for planning permission to remodel the storage room on the ground floor of the Jefferson Place apartment block on Fernie Street.

A floor plan presented to the city council shows that the apartment would contain a small bathroom, a kitchenette and a bed.

The floor plan of the proposed apartment

The application, which was submitted by Broompark Management Limited, based in Prestwich, describes the proposal as changing the use of an unused storage space into a studio apartment.

Cheetham Hill Council member Naeem Hassan described the plan as unacceptable.

He said: We need more accommodation, but it has to be an appropriately sized accommodation.

I am not interested in this type of accommodation. I will object to it.

It is unacceptable. They are just greedy people trying to make more money.

Whats next? Will people start remodeling their garages?

According to the state standards for technical housing construction introduced in 2015, the minimum size for a studio apartment is 37 m.

However, these standards are not legally binding. If there is a shortage of housing or if an apartment has access to municipal facilities, builders can apply to the local authorities for permission to build smaller houses.

Councils cannot reject land based on its size alone.

The circled grille will be replaced by a window when the apartment wins the bid

The average size of a house in England and Wales is 90m.

It is not clear whether the apartment is for sale or for rent.

A 33 sqm one-room apartment on the first floor of another block in the Green District is currently being sold for 130,000.

The Manchester Evening News contacted Broompark Management and was informed that no one was available to comment.

A spokesman for the Manchester Council said: The local planning authority must define a planning application taking into account local and national planning policies, site-specific aspects and the merits of the proposal.

Minimal room standards are an important yardstick to ensure that our residents have access to sufficient living space which has a clear connection to the quality of life and is therefore a key concern for the citys municipal planning authority

A decision is made as to whether the application has considered all relevant aspects and after a public consultation as part of the planning process.

Get the latest news first in the free Manchester Evening News app download it here for your Apple or Android device. The MEN email newsletter also gives you an overview of the most important articles that are sent daily to your inbox. Subscribe here. And here you can follow us on Facebook.

advertisement

Continued here:
Could this be the smallest apartment in Manchester? Developer wants to convert TINY storage room into studio apartment - magviral

Most homeowners have struck roofing issues at some point in their own lives. From small leakages to cracks, roofs suffer from lots of common issues that require immediate care. To help you in resolving your roofing problems we have listed 10 common problems that every homeowner suffers on Roof Replacement.

Roofs Leakage is one of the most commonly faced problems among homeowners. They can arise in a large number of issues. From shingles, slates to tiles, all these issues can weaken your roof. This issue cannot be resolved with waterproof metal since they could crack after a length of time flashing. In worst cases, water may start dripping from the roof. Roof leaks tend to happen in the following places:

Its tough to keep an eye on each one of these areas. The only means to save yourself from repainting roofs is really to follow preventative maintenance measures. It is possible to consult the service of a roofing company to possess biannual testimonials for all these issues. A roofing company does more than inspect the problem; they can resolve the issue until its a nuisance for your family members.

Sets from foot traffic into local wildlife may leave scratches, puncture marks, and sometimes even enormous holes in a roof. When it is perhaps also a contractor walking over the shingles or drilling holes in the eaves, the damage can build up, exposing it into moisture or affecting the timber.

The installation of a roof may increase the probability of problems radically and lessen the life span of the roof. Here an experts guidance must let you know whether the setup is correct or not. Inadequate and faulty installation falls beneath the individual mistake category. When the roof wrongly installed from the start, that increases the possibility of common roofing problems. The general issues involved in the process of installation contain rooting, which installs improperly. Flashing is perhaps the gutters that eventually leads to a pool of water or that the material employed for sealing around vents and pipes or poor drainage either at the HVAC is as. Installed flashing can bring about off the blowing of their roof material throughout situations that could multiply the frustrations associated with roof maintenance into the list of problems.

Flashings are the major components used to seal roof system edges, perimeters, penetrations, walls, slopes, drains, and every area where the actual roof covering is disrupted or terminated. The primary function of rooting would be to help seal any voids from the roof system where water can enter, making these prime areas because of flow causes if not checked regularly.

The material is aluminum or galvanized steel and, depending on the type of roof you have, is likely in the area, round the chimney, and sometimes even around dormer windows or skylights. Oxidization and weather are for flashing deterioration, the most frequent culprits. However, it is possible that rooting can quickly appear loose. Professional roofing contractors cut and shape their flashing out of sheet metal, but flashing pieces now come preformed and can be applied without much difficulty using caulking or roof cement.

If your roof gutters are jammed, broken, or otherwise faulty, water might be backing up into the roof. In that case, it might eventually flow into the eaves, where it can lead to decay. Preventing such damage involves routine checking your gutters for debris, and for the broken parts. Installing screens on the gutter openings also prevent limbs and leaves from getting into your system.

The soffit is a French word which actually means formed as a ceiling and the Latin word for to correct underneath. The exposed surface below the area of the roof or the finished surface below the fascia is popularly known as the soffit.

Vented soffit has small pockets that provide air circulation so that it can cycle to the vents and also draw moisture and heat away from home. It plays an important function in helping to ventilate the loft and prevent rot in the sheathing and rafters. As its a cost-effective and more water-resistant material, soffits are made up of vinyl. It helps regulate the temperature and through the remainder of your home which makes it a more comfortable place to live. Look for holes, cracks, and rust to prevent a simple entry for creatures and insects or water.

Shingles roof provides excellent protection but is more prone to curling and discoloration. Aspects of broken or missing shingles can leave timber vulnerable to other harm, holes, and rotting. When this type of roof is not ventilated correctly during setup, they can also buckle.

The discoloration is a symptom of a roof leak, and the spot can grow into a gaping hole on your ceiling. A lack of ventilation, high nails, or installed fasteners causes curling. They look and are an open-source for water seepage. In case you have missing water, snow, and ice are hitting on your roof square on, and it is a direct approach to rot. Check your roof often and also make repairs or replace shingles when it looks necessary. To know more about which roof shingles is better for your roof, check out this video.

Shrinkage results when the veins at the roof, causing crazing or fractures in the top layer. Blistering, splitting, surface erosion, and ridging of shingles may lead to more significant issues. Its an unfortunate truth, yet substances with time tend. The material present under the tiles or shingles of the roof is precisely where that will take place. A frequent reason for shrinkage is aging. However, moisture or roofs, perhaps not installed improperly, can also bring about shrinkage. It will cause cracking causing acute fissures or crazing. If there is just really a minor blister, it will not be an immediate concern besides closure observation, yet what needs quick attention is blistering.

Snow and ice can cause a mess on any roof. That is because it melts down. You can get a surprise when it re-freezes. That is since the ice underneath your roof may push facing the flashing or shingles and also lift them, leaving openings by which more ice or water may input.

The only way to make certain winter conditions are damaging your roof would be to program and autumn maintenance and inspection. This way, you will not be caught stuck or invisibly in a situation that demands emergency roof restoration.

Improper repair is one of the offenses because this means that the homeowner hired someone to find the task done. Regrettably, there are not much things that you can do to block it except ensure that which you hire is trusted. Corners which cuts by many dishonest contractors. It will be quite a long time before anybody finds what they did, and since they will still get taken care of completing the job.

Read the original post:
Why there is a need for Home Improvement? - RecentlyHeard.com

MADISON, WI. Jan. 23, 2020 During a series of events on Friday,Administration Secretary Joel Brennan, Workforce Development Secretary Caleb Frostman and Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) Secretary and CEO Missy Hughes are sharing Governor Evers message of rural prosperity that was highlighted in Wednesdays State of the State address.

The secretaries are visiting Stevens Point, Crandon, Shell Lake and Cumberland to listen to members of the community and showcase agency initiatives aiming to address worker training and retention, rural economic development, transportation and health care.

Governor Evers State of the State Address focused on investing in rural communities, reducing student debt, and nonpartisan redistricting.

The people of Wisconsin expect their elected officials to work together on the challenges facing our state, said Secretary Brennan. Meeting with different companies in rural Wisconsin is a great way for our agencies to share the governors message and collaborate with the people in the community.

The projects visited today demonstrate how state agencies, with the help of the private sector, can connect the dots between education and employment, health care and quality of life, and diversity and economic growth, said Secretary Frostman. The Department of Workforce Development is eager to showcase how successful businesses and communities leverage state resources to attract, develop and retain talent here in Wisconsin.

Secretary Hughes added, One of the best parts of my job at WEDC is seeing firsthand the innovative approaches Wisconsin businesses and local leaders are taking. Im so pleased that Secretaries Brennan and Frostman will be joining me, especially as WEDC and our agencies explore new ways to help our rural communities grow and thrive.

The secretaries will visit:

Stevens Point:Marten Machining

Marten Machining has been involved in DWDs Youth Apprenticeship (YA) program for more than 20 years. Throughout this time, Marten Machining has been a huge advocate of the YA program, and this fall the company started using Registered Apprenticeship to train machinist apprentices.Marten Machining also utilized the new YA to RA bridge program to transition one of the new machinist apprentices from a youth apprenticeship into the current Wisconsin Registered Apprentice Program.

Marten Machining is a family-owned business that started in Alan and Deb Martens garage in 1984, and continues to experience growth and innovation. Their current planned move into a new 50,000-square-foot facility will add space for additional employees as well as future manufacturing equipment.Marten Machining partners with local area high schools in Stevens Point, Wisconsin Rapids, Rosholt and Amherst, as well as technical collegesMid-State Technical College and Northcentral Technical Collegeand campuses in the UW System to help provide students with opportunities to pursue careers in manufacturing through scholarships, youth apprenticeships, internships and flexible scheduling to work around their classes.

Crandon:Hometown Trolley

With help from WEDC, Hometown Trolley has developed a $20 million-a-year manufacturing business with more than 50 employees in the heart of Crandon. The third-generation, woman-owned company started out in the 1990s making hand-crafted replicas of turn-of-the-century trolley buses for tour companies and shopping districts. The companys line has expanded to include custom-made tour buses, with sales of both products throughout the U.S., Canada and South America.

Shell Lake:Indianhead Medical Center

WEDC is assisting the City of Shell Lake with a $250,000 Community Development Investment Grant to the Indianhead Medical Center (IMC) hospital and the attached Shell Lake Clinic. IMC is a privately owned 25-bed critical access hospital with a 24-hour emergency room that has aided the community since 1947, and today offers services such as medical testing, consultation and rehabilitation, general surgery, urology, cardiology, podiatry, orthopedics and radiology. The WEDC grant will support construction of a new 9,000-square-foot clinic building, an ambulance garage, remodeling of the emergency room and operating room, and other improvements.

Cumberland:City of Cumberland

The Department of Administration (DOA) is assisting the City of Cumberland with upgrades of its agingsanitary sewer system, the oldest components of which date back to the 1960s.The system has many pipe joint failures, service connection failures and manhole leaks, while inflow and infiltration issues have increased water treatment costs and health concerns.DOA is providing $1 million in assistance through the Community Development Block Grant Program, which will cover about 60% of the total project cost.

Read more:
WEDC: Secretaries Brennan, Frostman and Hughes travel to highlight Governor Evers State of the State initiatives - Wisbusiness.com

The Entry Lobby of the Asian Art Museum. Photo by Tim Griffith.

As the decorative aluminum Art Deco doors of the Seattle Asian Art Museum open to the public this February, visitors will likely feel a strong sense of familiarity.

At first glance, it seems not much has changed: the gold-filled Entry Lobby remains fit for a party thrown by Jay Gatsby, the connecting Fuller Garden Court still acts as the museums bright and spacious centerpiece, and galleries filled with Asian art await in nearly every direction.

Despite these constants, the museum Seattleites once knew has dramatically changed. Over the course of a 24-month-long renovation and expansion led by Seattle-based architectural firm LMN Architects, not a single inch of the Asian Art Museum went untouched.

With the addition of a 2,650-square-foot art gallery and much-needed structural upgrades, the citys historic museum is ready to serve the public for decades to come.

Designed by Paris-trained architect Carl F. Gould of Bebb and Gould Architects, the Art Deco building first opened in 1933 as the original home of the Seattle Art Museum. That same year, the museums founder, Dr. Richard E. Fuller, donated the building situated in Capitol Hills Olmstead-designed Volunteer Park to the city. In 1989, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

After the opening of SAMs downtown Seattle location, the site was reopened as SAMs center for Asian art in 1994.

For nearly 90 years, the museum went without an update. Although three small expansions took place between 1947 and 1955 to accommodate SAMs growing collection, the building had never been renovated.

Before closing in 2017, the museum operated with its original 1933 boiler and mechanical electrical systems. It had no air conditioning or humidity controltwo necessities for ensuring the displayed arts protectionand was not in compliance with seismic codes and ADA accessibility standards.

With the museums long and illustrious history, preserving and restoring the buildings 20th-century features was equally as important to lead architectural firm LMN Architects as was bringing the building up to code.

Our goal was to have someone walk through the museums doors and not be able to tell what we had done, said LMN architect partner Sam Miller. We wanted to give the building a new life for the future but keep the original historic space, and visitors experiences of the space, the same as before.

Founded in 1979, LMN Architects is responsible for over 700 projects across North America including the University of Washington Paul G. Allen Center for Computer Science & Engineering, Benaroya Hall, McCaw Hall, the Seattle Central Library and the Washington State Convention Center.

LMN Architects was first brought in to renovate Seattle Art Museum some 15 years ago. As the firms work on renovating SAMs downtown headquarters came to a close, museum executives set their sights on remodeling their Volunteer Park location.

The museum conducted preliminary studies with LMN Architects, surveying the building for structural and mechanical issues. Following a brief hiatus in 2008 as a result of the global recession, the project found new life with the appointment of Kimerly Rorschach as SAMs director and CEO in 2012 and an expansion was incorporated into the planned renovation.

The project was not without controversy, however. In 2017, a group called Protect Volunteer Park launched a campaign against the museums planned expansion on the basis that it was not approved by Seattle voters and violated the original vision of the park. Despite these protests, the Seattle City Council approved the plan and the expansion broke ground in March 2018.

By the end of the two-year renovation, LMN architects remodeled 53,000 square feet and expanded the building by 13,000 square feet for a total cost of $56 million.

Along with a new 2,650-square-foot gallery, the museums expansion includes additional programming space, a dedicated education space, an Asian art conservation studio available for public viewing, a community meeting room, a new art elevator, and a glass-enclosed Park Lobby. Altogether, the extension spans all three floors of the museum.

The buildings original exterior sandstone faade was cleaned and preserved while the translucent film on the Entry Lobbys Art Deco metalwork was removed to allow for more natural light. Three fountainsone outside, two insidewere restored along with two Olmstead-designed outdoor pathways surrounding the museum.

The sites expansion also reinforces the buildings relationship to the park without disturbing its natural setting. The Park Lobbys panoramic views showcase the parks green landscape and bring visitors eye-to-eye with a towering beech tree.

You can either take those sorts of condition and think of them as a challenge or you can take them as a really terrific opportunity, said LMN Architects partner Wendy Pautz on designing the expansion around the tree. The Park Lobby is built so that you feel like youre up in the canopy of trees. From there, you share a very different relationship with nature than you do anywhere else in the park.

Daylight played another crucial role in the museums expansion and renovation. In the original building, skylights were used to illuminate nearly half of the museums galleries. While this proved aesthetically pleasing, the artwork displayed in the galleries was prone to damage by excessive exposure to UV rays and sunlight. As a result, the overhead skylights were often blocked off to protect the art.

To mimic the daylight that once flowed throughout the galleries, LMN Architects introduced artificial skylights that can be adjusted by temperature and intensity depending on the needs of the particular gallery. These lights recreate the sensation of daylight from above without jeopardizing the art. And Seattle-raised and now Brooklyn-based Kenzan Tsutakawa-Chinn has a new lighting installation that covers the ceiling of the Garden Court area.

For 23 years, the Asian Art Museum occupied a building that was designed to house a different museum. Now, with a massive renovation and expansion led by LMN Architects, SAMs extensive Asian Art collection can be prominently displayed.

Although the art hanging on the gallery walls is sure to attract plenty of visitors, the museums historic architecture is a work of art in its own right.

To work on a historic building like this is a real privilege, and its something we take very seriously, said LMN Architects partner Sam Miller. This building is a part of Seattles legacy and we hope the public will see that we treated it with care and respect. We only made it better.

See the original post here:
At the Seattle Asian Art Museum, everything is a work of artstarting with the museum itself - The International Examiner

As part of its expanded Community Store Program initiative, Starbucks Corporation SBUX announced that it plans to open 100 community stores in low income areas across the United States by 2025. The company partnered with United Way to develop programming for each store, such as youth job training classes or mentorship groups.

Notably, the community program initiative was launched in 2015 and since then Starbucks has opened 14 stores across the country with the first one in Ferguson, MO. It will open its 15th store in Prince Georges County, MD this spring.

The 14 Community Stores have helped the company empower partners and customers to create meaningful impact locally and reach out to more than 8,000 neighborhoods across the country.

The Seattle-based coffee chain, while opening or remodelling its 85 stores, will take into consideration some factors like high youth unemployment, low median household income and population stability. Moreover, the company will prioritize developing stores in economically distressed communities or Opportunity Zones. It anticipates to open stores in Prince Georges County, MD; Anacostia, D.C.; and Los Angeles, CA, among others.

Meanwhile, per estimates, the Community Stores have created more than 300 local jobs and generated more than $59.7 million in indirect economic development. The new stores will attract local workers, diverse contractors and will have dedicated community event spaces.

These apart, management focuses on increasing its global market share by opening stores in new and existing markets, remodeling existing stores, deploying technology, controlling costs as well as undertaking product innovation and brand building. In fiscal 2019, Starbucks added 1,900 net new stores. In 2018 and 2017, the company had added 2,300 and 2,250 net new locations, respectively.

For fiscal 2020, Starbucks plans to add 2,000 net new stores (600 net new stores in Americas and 1,400 net new stores internationally). New store productivity and Return on Investment (ROI) in the United States and China are high. By fiscal 2021, the company intends to open approximately 12,000 stores globally, taking the total store count to an estimated 37,000.

Courtesy of these efforts, the stock has outperformed the industry in the past year. The companys shares have rallied 44.7% compared with the industrys growth of 21.9% in the same time frame.

Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider

Starbucks currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).

Some better-ranked stocks from the same space include Chuy's Holdings, Inc. CHUY, Denny's Corporation DENN and Noodles & Company NDLS, each sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Chuys, Dennys and Noodles have impressive long-term earnings growth rate of 17.5%, 9% and 10%, respectively.

Biggest Tech Breakthrough in a Generation

Be among the early investors in the new type of device that experts say could impact society as much as the discovery of electricity. Current technology will soon be outdated and replaced by these new devices. In the process, its expected to create 22 million jobs and generate $12.3 trillion in activity.

A select few stocks could skyrocket the most as rollout accelerates for this new tech. Early investors could see gains similar to buying Microsoft in the 1990s. Zacks just-released special report reveals 8 stocks to watch. The report is only available for a limited time.

See 8 breakthrough stocks now>>

Denny's Corporation (DENN): Free Stock Analysis Report

Chuy's Holdings, Inc. (CHUY): Free Stock Analysis Report

Noodles & Company (NDLS): Free Stock Analysis Report

Starbucks Corporation (SBUX): Free Stock Analysis Report

To read this article on Zacks.com click here.

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

See the original post:
Starbucks Partners United Way to Expand in Underserved Areas - Nasdaq

Family-friendly lodges provide an ideal venue for your personal blend of active pursuits and relaxation. Here are five places youll want to visit time and again:

The Lodge at Chaa Creek, near San Ignacio, Belize

Tucked within a 365-acre private rainforest paradise in the picturesque foothills of the Maya Mountains, Chaa Creek provides the ideal home base for your familys exploration of the Cayo District, a region where cave tubing, archeological sites, horseback riding and zip lining will lure you from the comfort of your palm-thatched cottage or tree-top suite. While at the riverside eco-lodge, dont miss early morning bird-watching tours, the hill-top spa, the Blue Morpho Butterfly Farm and the medicine trail where youll learn about native plants that provide globally significant remedies. Stay in tree-top villas, cottages or glamping-style camp casitas.

Contact: ChaaCreek.com

Timberline Lodge, Mount Hood, Ore.

Located in Oregons Mount Hood National Forest, sitting high on the shoulder of the iconic peak at 6,000 feet, this magnificent lodge was built at the height of the Great Depression by unemployed craftspeople hired by the Federal Works Progress Administration. Completed in 1937, the lodge has long served as the centerpiece of a mountain playground. The land and historic lodge are still owned by the U.S. Forest Service, but the National Historic Landmark lodge has been family-operated since 1955. Families return year after year to ski, hike, dine, mountain bike, learn about the local flora and fauna and to simply enjoy the high-altitude natural beauty.

Contact: TimberlineLodge.com

Sundance Mountain Resort, Sundance, Utah

Youll find it difficult to emerge from the cozy lodge warmed by a roaring fire or your cabin crafted from indigenous materials. But when you do, choose from cross-country and snowshoe trails that run deep into the woods or sunlit downhill runs on the slopes of Mount Timpanagos. Founded by filmmaker and conservationist Robert Redford, the resort offers family-friendly pottery, beading and printmaking classes in the Art Shack, winter fly-fishing and dining menus with an emphasis on organic and locally sourced ingredients.

Contact: SundanceResort.com

Grand View Lodge, Brainerd, Minn.

Visit this historic lodge on Gull Lake for a family-centric getaway. Expanding over 750 acres, the kids will burn off energy cross-country skiing, playing hockey, skating, tubing or swimming in the indoor pool. Go for sleigh rides, relax in the hot tub and play games in your garden cottage, cabin or lodge rooms. A four-season vacation destination, the lodge is a popular summer spot for lake activities, golf and hiking.

Contact: GrandViewLodge.com

Glacier Hotel, Glacier National Park, Montana

There are few places on the planet as stunning as Glacier National Park. And one could argue that the historic Many Glacier Hotel is the ideal venue from which to appreciate the vast and astonishing landscape. Located on the shores of Swiftcurrent Lake with jagged peaks as backdrop, the iconic hotel was built by the Great Northern Railway in 1914 to lure tourists to the Wild West. Today, visitors from around the world find their way to this northwestern corner of Montana, eager to see the disappearing glaciers, hike aside azure-colored lakes and to catch a glimpse of resident wildlife.

This secluded, five-story hotel offers a window into the past with old-world style guest rooms and a Swiss Alpine theme. While dedicated to honoring its historic roots, the 214-room gem has undergone a multimillion dollar renovation that included remodeling rooms, updating furniture and lighting and restoring the dining room to historic standards.

Red Bus tours, boat cruises, horseback rides and evening ranger programs are offered in an unparalleled lakeside setting. Book well in advance.

Contact: VisitMontana.com, GlacierNationalParkLodges.com

Originally posted here:
Family travel five: Lodges that blend activity, relaxation - Honolulu Star-Advertiser