HINSDALE, IL Two brothers in Westchester who are battling an autoimmune disease were surprised with bedroom makeovers completed by Normandy Remodeling and non-profit organization Special Spaces. According to a release from the business, Finnegan and Colman, ages 4 and 7, each have an autoimmune disorder that leaves them vulnerable to a simple cold or virus that can quickly become life threatening. Both receive regular transfusions and treatments to minimize the impact of the disease, but theyve spent a large portion of their young lives recovering in hospitals or in their bedrooms.

Prior to the makeover, Finnegan and Colman shared their passions with Normandy Designers, according to the release. In turn, each of their rooms was centered on things that they love. This ensures that the boys can thoroughly enjoy the space, in good health and in bad.

The bedroom makeovers took place on July 14, according to the release. While the family spent the day away from their Westchester home, Special Spaces staff and more than two-dozen Normandy Remodeling volunteers took over to complete the transformation.

According to the release, Colman, age 7, received a room that reflected his love of the Blackhawks. His new space includes a hockey goal headboard, scoreboard and Blackhawks decals and memorabilia. Finn, age 4, is all about Legos and Batman, so his new room features a barn door covered in Legos and a custom Batman mural. Each bedroom also received new paint, bedding, benches, lighting and artwork.

It was extremely gratifying to utilize our resources and talents for these bedroom makeovers, Normandy President Andy Wells said in a release. At the end of the day, the Normandy team was just as thrilled as the boys.

It is always great when we can support local causes that are meaningful to our employees and customers, added Wells in a release.

Normandy Remodeling is a design/build remodeling firm headquartered in Hinsdale.

Photo provided by Normandy Remodeling.

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Originally published July 27, 2017.

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Two Brothers Battling Autoimmune Disorders Receive Bedroom Makeovers From Hinsdale Firm - Patch.com

BURNSVILLE, Minn., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --Titus Contracting, a residential remodeling company serving St Paul, Minneapolis and the entire Twin Cities area, recently completed a home remodeling project in Prior Lake. The log home remodelpresented some unique challenges, but the experienced crew was able to work with space and create a functional design.

The homeowners came to Titus Contracting with three specific needs. First, they wanted a total remake of their master bath. Second, they wanted an additional powder room on the main level. Third, they wanted to update their kitchen and the rooms surrounding it.

Titus Contracting started by looking at the existing master bathroom and the space around it. Having access to plumbing in this location already made it an ideal location for an additional bath. However, complications arose from this being a log home with tongue and groove ceilings, and getting plumbing, venting and electrical in existing locations can be difficult.

Not swayed by the challenge, the professionals at Titus came up with a plan and design to work with the space. They decided the separate shower area off the master bathroom could be used for a portion of the new half bath, along with a large entry closet. The remodeling crew re-worked the existing master bath space to incorporate a large shower and free-standing tub with tub filler (a huge trend in bathrooms now).

The old shower and commode room was turned into just its own water closet connected to the master bath. The master bath was updated with white cabinets, granite countertops, natural stone tile, LED recessed lighting, in-floor heat on a programmable thermostat, a beautiful free-standing tub, a shower surrounded by heavy glass with a barn-style sliding glass door, and a shower head/handheld with multiple controls.

The half bath was completed with hardwood floors to match the adjoining rooms. A classy painted vanity with stone countertops was added, and the exposed tongue and groove ceilings were painted white.

The kitchen required the remodelers to stay within the existing footprint. Titus re-worked the cabinets to make them more user and storage friendly. Rollouts, soft-close hinges, full extension guides and specialty storage cabinets were all integrated into the new package. New LED under cabinet lights were installed on LED dimmer switches to create either utility lighting or mood lighting. Stone countertops and tile backsplash polished up the space.

In addition, new hardwood was installed to tie into the existing floor and keep the flow smooth throughout the home. Pop-up stainless outlets were added to the floor and the living room fireplace was resurfaced with an updated stone.

The finished project met all the homeowner's needs and gave them a fresh, updated look that they can enjoy for years to come.

Titus Contracting is a home remodeling company serving the Twin Cities area. They specialize in home additions, kitchen renovations, lower level finishing, bathroom remodeling and home theater rooms. Titus Contracting has a reputation for good communication, timely work, and quality construction. The company also has a commercial remodeling division.

For additional information, contact Scott Rajavuori, sales and design manager for Titus Contracting, at scott@tituscontracting.com.

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Titus Contracting Completes Home Remodeling Project in Prior Lake - PR Newswire (press release)

Folks are moving less and fixing up their homes more.

And 1-in-7 California homeowners plan to begin a home renovation in the upcoming year, according to a new survey.

Research by GetHearth.com, a startup remodeling advice website, found 15 percent of Californians have plans to fix up their home in the next year. Thats just behind the 16 percent of U.S. owners who have similar plans, according to a survey of 2,000 Americans.

The national hot spot for remodeling was Hawaii, where 33 percent of homes were sprucing up their home, followed by Kansas (32 percent), Montana and Rhode Island (29 percent), and New Hampshire and Utah (24 percent).

Remodelers are probably not happy in the states with the lowest makeover plans from the survey: North Dakota (4 percent) and Wyoming, Alaska and New Mexico (5 percent.) All of these states have seen their economies hurt by the energy slump.

Still, remodeling is a hot business that touches a wide spectrum of the broad economy with projects including money spent on workers, building suppliers, home fixtures, accessories and furniture.

Market tracker Metrostudy said remodeling activity that required professional help has risen for 20 straight quarters through the start of 2017. Its remodeling index is up 4.5 percent since the start of 2016 and 7.3 percent above the previous peak in 2007.

There were roughly 11.4 million pro-worthy remodeling and replacement projects nationwide last year worth $170.6 billion, Metrostudy estimates. This year, it predicts the number will rise to 11.9 million jobs worth $180 billion.

The current strength of the remodeling market can be attributed primarily to economics low mortgage rates, strong existing home sales, the bull stock market run, good job gains, and now more recently, wage gains, Mark Boud, Metrostudys chief economist, said in a news release.

The Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University which tracks a broader definition of remodeling that includes home repairs expects some cooling from a 7.3 percent annual growth rate to start 2017 to 6.1 percent in 2018s first quarter. Thats better the 5 percent historical norm and adds up to a $320 billion-a-year business.

The National Association of Home Builders index of the remodeling industrys optimism rose in 2017s first quarter to its highest level since 2015. Helping to boost the industry wereincreases in calls for bids, work committed and a backlog of jobs.

Oh, by the way, what did the GetHearth survey find as the dream remodeling project?

When asked If money was no object, which room would you renovate next in your home? Kitchen was No. 1, according to 38 percent of those polled, followed by thebathroom (15 percent), living room (12 percent), basement (10 percent) and bedroom (10 percent).

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1-in-7 California homeowners plan to remodel, but what states have more? - OCRegister

How does a professional remodeler renovate his own home after a damaging house fire?

"My heart goes out to anyone who has to go through a fire or disaster or anyone who is displaced and has to rebuild their homes," Peninsula remodeler and native Robert Criner said. "You work very hard to get back to where you were. I had no idea how much it wore you down and how emotionally drained you become just going through the process."

Criner, 61, said he will never forget the day of the house fire two years ago on Jan. 26 his birthday. He had just achieved one of the highest milestones of his career a couple days prior when he was sworn in as chairman of the National Association of Home Builders Remodelers for 2015.

The fire started as an electrical fire in a second-story exercise room where a treadmill malfunctioned, Criner and wife Aggie said. By the time fire crews were finished extinguishing the flames, the three-story house suffered significant smoke and water damage, too.

Criner said he spent about half a year negotiating with the insurance company and documenting the home's contents. His firm, Newport News-based Criner Remodeling, stripped the house down to its wood frame and worked torebuild the home while the Criners stayed in an apartment for less than two years.

The Criners, married nearly 34 years, had remodeled their Criner Lane home at the end of Elliott Road in Tabb in the '90s after buying the property in 1985. One silver lining to the fire was that they could customize the home to their needs now that their four sons have grown and left the four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bathroom house.

"It's great," Aggie Criner said. "It's everything I wanted."

The exercise room was converted to give space to the master bedroom while adding a large master bathroom with soaking tub, a digitally controlled toilet with automatic lid opener and a digitally controlled shower with body sprays, rain and standard shower heads and a steam option.

Aggie Criner finally has two kitchen doors that allow easier access to the back patio and provide more lighting. The downstairs family room with the TV was darkened by trading windows for built-in backlit bookcases and the staircase was opened up. Aggie Criner said her new favorite area is the expanded front porch's gazebo-like lounge area with a large ceiling fan.

For energy efficiency, the Criners put three separate heating and air systems on each of the three floors with the ability to set different temperatures in different zones on the upper floors. They also installed a large heat pump water heater.

The custom kitchen has plenty of space for entertaining the couple's family with a large granite-topped island with a farm sink, touch-activation faucet, two dishwashers, a six-burner gas range and standard and advantium wall ovens.

What makes the house a comfortable home for Robert Criner is the "little things," such as hidden outlets under the kitchen counters or the USB plugs for charging mobile devices. A major convenience in the master bathroom is the motion-controlled LED lights under the cabinetry to help users see at night, supplemented by the toilet's night light.

The large, deep storage drawers in the kitchen pull all the way out so people don't have to reach for anything, he said. Bumping the handle for the kitchen trash cabinet opens it hands-free. A lot of the home was designed with "aging in place" features in mind, such as easy-close doors or in-shower benches.

While insurance didn't pay for the extra upgrades in the more than $500,000 remodel, Robert Criner said he wanted a place to take clients to show them various home features with the ability to give real feedback on which ones are most useful.

"It is a mini showroom," he said. "It gives me the advantage of being able to describe to people how these things work."

Criner has received plenty of accolades since founding Criner Remodeling in 1977, including being named the "Remodeler of the Year" by the National Association of Home Builders in 2012. When lifelong friend Mike Mannen of Hampton hired Criner Remodeling for his kitchen remodel, he said he knew the work was going to be done right the first time.

His attention to detail also shows in his own home renovation, Mannen said, adding he loves the front porch area with the octagonal cathedral ceiling.

"He's meticulous," Mannen said.

Anyone wanting to attend a future open house for the Criner Lane home can sign up at crinerremodeling.com.

Bozick can be reached by phone at 757-247-4741. Sign up for a free weekday business news email at TidewaterBiz.com.

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Peninsula remodeler renovates home after fire - Daily Press

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Starting Wednesday, the Homeland at NW 18th and Classen Blvd, will undergo major remodeling, sprucing up what many in the neighborhood said was an out-dated and neglected grocery store.

In February, Homeland announced it was preparing to put $2 million in upgrades to the exterior and interior of the existing building, which was built in 1972.

As reported earlier by Red Dirt Reports Louis Fowler, The bakery and deli will be renovated with items such as fresh sushi and artisan breads to be featured, as well as a much-needed expansion of their produce section with an added emphasis on organic goods. Additionally, the meat department will have a service counter offering a broader selection of beef, fish and poultry.

Dennis Maxwell, director of marketing for Homeland grocery stores, said the company was very excited to make the proposed improvements to this store, and said the anticipated completion date for the renovation would be late fall.

Construction will include an updated storefront and added LED parking lots, new landscaping, a new vestibule entry, new paint and decor and mostly replaced floors.

The store will also have a new check-out and customer service counters, an updated break room for employee owners and new LED lighting throughout the store, Maxwell said.

The deli section of the store will offer enhanced hot and cold deli offerings like flat bread pizza, sushi made on site, heat-and- eat entrees and gourmet cheeses. The bakery will also be updated to offer artisan bread, cakes and other cookies and pastries.

Maxwell said the produce and meat sections will also be updated, offering exclusive Red River Ranch certified Angus beef and a new service case with marinated meats, store-made sausage, custom cuts, kebabs and fresh seafood.

The store will also have an increased variety of organic items like fruit and vegetables, gluten- free items, Asian offerings and Hispanic items.

Homeland is an employee-owned grocery chain in Oklahoma.

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Remodeling of 45-year old Homeland store to begin on Wednesday - Red Dirt Report

Milwaukee Business Journal

Harley-Davidson Museum's Motor restaurant undergoing renovations Milwaukee Business Journal As part of the remodel, the Can Room will also see the addition of a garage door so that the room can be opened up to the outdoors during the summer, a spokeswoman said. Garage doors had previously been installed throughout Motor Bar & Restaurant.

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Harley-Davidson Museum's Motor restaurant undergoing renovations - Milwaukee Business Journal

After 40 years of serving up square hamburgers, French fries and milkshakes among many other sundry culinary delights Wendys in Keene has undergone a major remodel inside and out, and is now open for business.

Its being called image activation by the co-owner of the Wendys at 329 Winchester St., and took nearly 10 days to complete, start to finish.

Weve been here for 40 years, Jennifer Zullo, co-franchise operator, said Wednesday afternoon. We are putting the final touches on the remodel, and we should be open tonight.

In fact, Wendys reopened Wednesday afternoon, and as of 3:30 p.m., hungry customers were pouring in, Zullo said.

The major remodel started June 19, but preparation for the work began a week before that, she said. A new roof was installed, along with an air-conditioning unit, according to Zullo.

She said the new look is an attempt to modernize the interior and exterior of the Keene Wendys.

Between company restaurants and franchises, there are more than 6,500 Wendys in the United States and in 29 other countries and U.S. territories, The Wendys Co. reports. It is the third largest fast-food restaurant selling hamburgers in the nation, behind McDonalds (first) and Burger King (second), according to QSR Magazine. QSR is an acronym for quick-service restaurant, and the category is reserved for fast-food restaurants that specialize in hamburgers.

Several emails and telephone calls to Wendys headquarters in Dublin, Ohio, went unanswered. Wendys began in 1969 when founder Dave Thomas opened his first restaurant in Columbus, Ohio, according to its website.

We have a fresh new approach, and people should come look, see for themselves, Zullo said. Weve added a fireplace, restaurant seating, new menu; the entire place has changed.

Although the remodel actually reduced space from about 2,700 square feet to 2,500 a reconfigured eating area allows for the fireplace, and restaurant-style seating that affords more room at each table, among other changes.

The facade has new colors, new lettering and a minimal approach to the logo, making it appear sleeker and more modern.

The Wendys Co.s website indicates locations are being similarly revamped throughout the country, and touts the transformation of the Wendys brand through contemporary Image Activation restaurants.

Not only do these restaurants deliver a striking street appearance, they are designed to greatly enhance the customer experience, the website says. Prominent features include fireplaces; a variety of inviting seating options, including lounge chairs and booths; Wi-Fi and flat-screen TVs; digital menuboards and more.

The site highlights similar overhauls at Wendys restaurants in several states and Canada.

All great brands evolve to remain fresh and relevant to consumers, according to a company video on the topic, which cites Apple, Coca-Cola, Wal-Mart and Starbucks as examples. Were moving forward in multiple dimensions.

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Revamped Wendy's reopens in Keene - The Keene Sentinel

The public was invited to catch a glimpse of the remodeled Blair Clinic on Tuesday.

Residents tour the treatment rooms at the renovated Blair Clinic on Tuesday afternoon. The project included a remodeled registration area to provide more privacy; the addition of "sick" and "well" sides of the waiting room; and expanded treatment rooms and offices.

Started in February, construction is wrapped up on renovations of the waiting room and registration area, exam rooms and offices.

Some changes are similar to the Fort Calhoun Clinic, which has "sick" and "well" sides of its waiting room.

Patient chairs and divider walls were added to the registration desk to allow patients more privacy.

Three exam rooms and a provider office were also added. The call center was moved to a room with a large window.

The Blair Clinic's main entrance was scheduled for reopening Friday, June 23.

The remodeling project is partially funded by a $50,000 donation from the Memorial Community Hospital Foundation. It contributed $250,000 for facility improvements in late 2016; the remaining $200,000 will go toward the building of a new clinic in Tekamah.

Blair Clinic has seven providers specializing in family medicine, obstetrics, pediatrics, geriatrics and sports medicine, as well as six certified physicians assistants.

The Blair Clinic's registration area has been remodeled with divider walls to allow more privacy for patients.

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Blair Clinic unveils remodel - Blair Enterprise Publishing

Magnetic Magazine (blog)

Remodeling Your Spare Room into the Ultimate Music Studio Magnetic Magazine (blog) Between equipment and furniture, you'll almost always need to be willing to dedicate the entire room to this projectotherwise it can become too cluttered and potentially too noisy. Basements tend to be the best spot since they are naturally tucked ...

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Remodeling Your Spare Room into the Ultimate Music Studio - Magnetic Magazine (blog)

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WILLIAMSPORT -- This week Lycoming County Commissioners agreed to support the James V. Brown Library during its newest renovation project. The largest library in the county received a $40,000 grant to remodel its circulation room.

Thanks to support from the Lycoming County Commissioners, the library can now use the $40,000 Keystone Park and Recreation Fund -- a grant awarded through the Department of Education -- towards the $80,000 remodeling project to update the room.

The renovations include new seating. The people who work in this room want it to feel welcoming so people stay and use this space as the community center it already is. Changes also include removing a pole, adding new carpets, and creating a new centralized service desk.

"We have a ton of families coming through here," said Executive Director Barbara McGary. She wants every one of those families to feel welcome, and to do that, she says this room needs a re-write. "You can see that this pole right here is a bit of a barrier."

"There is two different service places to go for totally different reasons now you can go to any of these one desks and be served," she added."

The new desk will be lower too -- making it more accessible to folks in wheelchairs.

"There's a lot of disadvantage people too in the county and they can come here and everyone is equal when it comes to knowledge and books," said Mike Shulski of Williamsport. "We are all on the same page."

If it were up to Bella Splain, she'd probably be at the James V. Brown Library every single day.

"I have never been here one day where I haven't had a hand full of books," she said. "But I also like how a lot of people just cause what's the point of having so many books if there's no one to read them."

The 13-year-old bookworm said she's excited for the new changes.

"I like it because it will sort of make it feel like there is more room," she added.

The project is expected to begin this summer and be completed by the end of the year.

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Largest Library in Lycoming County Receives Remodeling Grant - wnep.com