In terms of clients, Heartland Hope Mission operates one of the largest food pantries in Nebraska.

The pantry, near 21st and Q Streets in South Omaha, provided canned goods, meat, fresh fruit, vegetables and other items to more than 30,000 people last year. It distributes anywhere from 6 to 8 tons of food each week.

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With room to grow in new digs, Omaha pantry aims to add life-skills training

(Bloomberg) -- Cory Laws considered selling his house and moving to an updated property with his girlfriend. But he likes his neighborhood, so he decided to spend as much as $100,000 to remodel the Herndon, Virginia, home.

I bought the house for me and my two girls at the time, but theyre adults, said Laws, 61, whos already rebuilt one room and added mahogany floors to his basement to turn it into a guest apartment. Were morphing the house into our haven.

Laws is among U.S. property owners providing a boost to the $300 billion home-improvement industry. Spending on renovations may rise to a record this year as homeowners with low interest rates decide to stay put and remodel their existing homes, stimulus programs encourage energy-efficiency upgrades, and surging demand for rentals spur landlords to invest in their properties, according to a report released Thursday by Harvard Universitys Joint Center for Housing Studies.

Home improvements and repairs now generate about 1.8 percent of U.S. economic activity, slightly below the average over the past decade. As owners gain equity in their properties and rents continue to rise, investment in improvements to the nations housing stock is likely to strengthen, the center said in its study.

Homeowners in U.S. metropolitan areas, where incomes and property values tend to be higher, account for the majority of improvement spending, according to the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based center. From 2011 to 2013, spending rose 5 percent among urban homeowners, while falling 0.2 percent among non-metro households.

Especially in hot real estate markets such as Washington, D.C. -- where prices are rising and completed sales increased 8 percent in December from a year earlier, according to data provider RealEstate Business Intelligence LLC -- people are deciding to renovate rather than move, said Andreas Charalambous, principal of Forma Design.

Charalambous said his Washington-based interior architecture and design firm just completed its best year since its 1994 founding.

And its getting better, he said. People feel more comfortable with whats happening in the economy.

Owners in Washington spent the most on improvements, at $5,000 on average, in 2013, the last year the Harvard housing center studied. Boston homeowners followed, spending an average of $4,900. New York was the largest remodeling market, with more than $12 billion in total expenditures. Spending in Washington, Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia ranged from $4 billion to $7 billion, according to the report.

Shares of home-improvement chains Lowes Cos. and Home Depot Inc. have been rising. Lowes has soared 47 percent in the past year, and Home Depot has surged more than 33 percent.

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Bloomberg the Company

Cory Laws considered selling his house and moving to an updated property with his girlfriend. But he likes his neighborhood, so he decided to spend as much as $100,000 to remodel the Herndon, Virginia,home.

I bought the house for me and my two girls at the time, but theyre adults, said Laws, 61, whos already rebuilt one room and added mahogany floors to his basement to turn it into a guest apartment. Were morphing the house into our haven.

Laws is among U.S. property owners providing a boost to the $300 billionhome-improvement industry. Spending on renovations may rise to a record this year as homeowners with low interest rates decide to stay put and remodel their existing homes, stimulus programs encourage energy-efficiency upgrades, and surging demand for rentals spur landlords to invest in their properties, according to a report released Thursday by Harvard Universitys Joint Center for Housing Studies.

Homeimprovements and repairs now generate about 1.8 percent of U.S. economic activity, slightly below the average over the past decade. As owners gain equity in their properties and rents continue to rise, investment in improvements to the nations housing stock is likely to strengthen, the center said in its study.

Homeowners in U.S. metropolitan areas, where incomes and property values tend to be higher, account for the majority of improvement spending, according to the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based center. From 2011 to 2013, spending rose 5 percent among urban homeowners, while falling 0.2 percent among non-metro households.

Renovation decision

Especially in hot real estate markets such as Washington, D.C. where prices are rising and completed sales increased 8 percent in December from a year earlier, according to data provider RealEstate Business Intelligence LLC people are deciding to renovate rather than move, said Andreas Charalambous, principal of Forma Design.

Charalambous said his Washington-based interior architecture and design firm just completed its best year since its 1994 founding.

And its getting better, he said. People feel more comfortable with whats happening in the economy.

Owners in Washington spent the most on improvements, at $5,000 on average, in 2013, the last year the Harvard housing center studied. Boston homeowners followed, spending an average of $4,900. New York was the largestremodelingmarket, with more than $12 billion in total expenditures. Spending in Washington, Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia ranged from $4 billion to $7 billion, according to the report.

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Remodels boom as homeowners choose upgrades over new houses

PRINCETON The the radio room in the Bureau County Jail is getting an upgrade, thanks to a $150,000 state grant.

Former Sheriff John Thompson had been working on the grant the last 3 years of his tenure. It will pay for a complete renovation; no taxpayer money will be spent, Bureau County Sheriff Jim Reed said.

Construction began Monday morning, and work is expected to be done around Feb. 15.

The room will be gutted and will get a new ceiling, flooring, and paint, as well as duct and electrical work. A temporary dispatch area has been set up in the basement of the jail in the meantime,

Reed said the remodel will make the room more operator-friendly.

Before, operators had to look over their shoulders constantly to see their screens, but now they all will be in front of them, stacked on top of one another at a 45 degree angle, making surveillance easier and the area safer, said Deputy Jim Shipp, who is overseeing construction management.

This is a total overhaul, Reed said. It was definitely in [need of] remodeling; it wasnt built right to begin with.

Excerpt from:
Bureau County Jail's radio room getting $150,000 makeover

By Laurie Jervis, Noozhawk Columnist | @NoozhawkNews | Published on 01.28.2015 12:00 p.m.

Five days into 2015, I joined Andrew Murray at a table under gnarled oak trees outside his new tasting room at the former Curtis Winery on Foxen Canyon Road.

The day was warm, and the winerys semi-feral cat, christened Curtis by Murray and his staff, lounged at our feet, soaking up the winter sun.

One year has passed since Murray and his wife, Kristin, finalized a lease agreement with the Firestone family, one that would give the Murrays responsibility for the 100-acre Curtis estate vineyard, winery and the adjacent tasting room, all on Foxen Canyon Road.

The original tasting room for Murrays wine label, Andrew Murray Vineyards, is located in downtown Los Olivos, and the Murrays are absolutely keeping that site as well, he said.

After selling its Firestone Vineyard brand and 300-acre estate vineyard to Foley Wine Estates in 2007, the Firestone family kept Firestone Walker Brewing Company and the Buellton restaurant Rock Hollow Vineyard on Ballard Canyon Road and Curtis Winery, named after Brooks Firestones mother, Polly Curtis Firestone.

By 2013, with the beer label consuming most of the familys time and energy, Adam Firestone approached Murray with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity the chance to lease the vineyard, winery and tasting room.

As part of the deal, Murray would be responsible for the tasting room, and overseeing the production of both the Curtis and Jarhead labels for the Firestone family. He could use the vineyards various Rhne grape varietals for his Andrew Murray Vineyards label, and the other grapes would go toward wines for the Jarhead and Curtis labels.

In January 2014, I emailed Murray to arrange an interview about the transaction, but between our schedule conflicts and his desire to let the dust settle in the wake of the lease, an entire year passed.

So early this year, under the oaks, Murray reflected on how 2014 was the year of transition, with command gradually shifting from the Firestone family and Curtis, and its employees, to Andrew Murray Vineyards and his staff.

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Laurie Jervis: One Year After Leasing Curtis Vineyard, Andrew Murray Excited About Future

ELDORADO Leading Edge Restoration, in West Frankfort, collaborated with local businesses to give Ally and Peyton Wintersthe bedroom of their dreams.

The idea came from three men who formed Leading Edge, a restoration company, and they wanted to make a childs day by giving them a room they could call their own.

We always had the ability to do the work, but there wasnt any financial backing to make it happen, said Leading Edge co-owner Eric Speakman.

He said Leading Edge partnered with Black Diamond and River Radio as part of their "Shop with a Jock" contest. Ally, 10, and Peyton, 7, were chosen as the winners of the program.

Ally and Peytons mother, Theresa, said she couldnt be happier about the room makeover.

Winters said she bought the house in Eldorado a couple months ago with her husband, Michael Tison, who is the sisters' stepfather. She is in the process of remodeling the entire house, including the girls bedroom before winning the contest.

It is a blessing and the kids love it, Winters said. The kids stay in their room all the time.

Johnnie McKinnies of Leading Edge said the selection process wasnt easy, but Ally and Peytons application painted a vivid picture.

I am not sure why, but there was something about their story that stood out from the beginning, he said. The girls' mom works 84 hours a week to support the family, while her husband looks for work. He was laid off from his job in the coal mines.

Once the Eldorado sisters were selected, Speakman said Black Diamond and River Radio began asking local businesses for help.

Continued here:
Sisters get the room of their dreams

Ah, the powder room. That whimsical, showoff of a bathroom. Unless of course, its fixtures are frumpy, its style lost in the last century. Here's how to remodel your powder room so you're never afraid to say, "Yes!" when someone asks, "Do you have a restroom I can use?"

Style A powder room, because of its small size, is a great place to take chances with design. You might try an intense color or unusual materials, ones that might overpower a larger room. "You can go really crazy," says Sara Ann Busby, president-elect of the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) and owner of Sara Busby Designs, Elk Rapids, Mich.

Before contacting a bath design professional, give some thought to what style of powder room you prefer. Unsure of your personal style? Yes/No Design: Discover Your Decorating Style With Taste-Revealing Exercises and Examples by Diane Love (Rizzoli International Publications) can help you get a handle on it.

Once you've pinpointed your style, check out some beautiful bathrooms in person. Decorator show houses, kitchen and bath showrooms, and plumbing showrooms provide places to see styles in 3-D, says Jessica Clock, a designer with Carmel Kitchen Specialists Inc. of Carmel, Ind.

Color When auditioning colors for your powder room, beige, tan and sand need not apply. Bold hues like merlot, navy, chocolate and even black work well in this small space. Although conventional decorating wisdom suggests that lighter colors make a small room feel bigger, there's no need for visual tricks here. Embrace the room's small size and go for drama instead. "I love the idea of creating a jewel box. A bathroom doesn't have to be big to be effective," says Randall Whitehead, lighting designer and owner of Randall Whitehead Lighting Designs.

Layout Despite the room's small size, many mechanicals must be included. "You've got big drain lines to get in and obviously the water supply lines," Sara Ann says. "You've got to get ventilation in there and possibly a window and some very specific products that aren't really flexible in size," like a toilet and sink. A professional designer can look at the overall size of the room, take the mechanicals into account, and create a floor plan that maximizes space.

Materials Powder rooms are the perfect place to dabble in materials that are more costly, delicate or require more maintenance because the room needs considerably less material than other bathrooms and receives less traffic. Sara Ann Busby also suggests using materials in unusual ways. For example, she likes to add a twist to stone countertops by creating a jagged edge. The effect is unexpected and gives a natural feel to the bathroom.

Accessories To make a powder room hospitable, accessorize. Add art to walls, arrange small vignettes on the countertops, and provide little luxuries like finely milled soaps and rich lotion for guests to use. The one thing a powder room doesn't need much of is storage. Anything a visitor needs from hand towels to extra toilet tissue should be in plain sight. So put the lights on a dimmer, light a wonderful candle, and the next time someone asks to use the bathroom tell them yes, without hesitation.

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Remodeling Your Powder Room : Home Improvement : DIY Network

One of the best ways to make sure your living room looks and feels inviting is designing a layout and floor plan that works for your space, not against it. The right layout allows you to entertain guests, relax with family, and do activities like watch TV or play games in comfort.

But be aware long, open or square living rooms present different design challenges. What might work for one space doesn't necessarily make sense for another.

Here are the most common design challenges of these living rooms and some smart solutions that make the most of each space.

With two walls longer than the shorter walls at both ends of the space, a long or rectangular-shaped living room can feel narrow and claustrophobic. But with strategic planning, you can make this type of living room feel welcoming and user friendly.

"My living room is actually a long, narrow rectangular space," says designer Abbe Fenimore of Studio Ten 25. "Really think about how you will be using the room. Instead of just putting things in the room to fill the space, find pieces that are both fun to use and help create function."

Photo courtesy of Marysia Rybock

Fenimore believes adding a built-in bar, bookcases, shelving or even a workspace that are similar in style to your furniture can pull the look of a long living room together. Make sure to take note of doors, heaters, outlets and windows before you plan your layout the location of these items can limit furniture placement and be problematic if not considered before final floor plan decisions are made.

What you want to avoid is a long living room that feels like a hallway, says designer Marysia Rybock of ScavulloDesign Interiors. Using narrow furniture will just emphasize the long lines of the room. Go for a sofa with a tailored feel and tight upholstery.

"Using smaller pieces and a variety of them, instead of one sofa and a coffee table, helps the space feel more spacious and unique," says Rybock.

Open living rooms allow for easy entertaining and good traffic flow. But a living room that shares space with an adjoining dining room, family room or kitchen can present challenges for those who want some type of definition for each area.

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Living Room Layouts and Ideas | Home Remodeling - Ideas ...

(Courtesy photo)

A downstairs half bathroom, often called the powder room, is an excellent room to tackle when you want to spruce up your home without spending a lot of time or money. It is also probably the one room your guests spend more time in than you do, meaning it's easy to overlook, but its appearance has quite an impact on how visitors experience your home.

When we moved into our house, the half bath had ostensibly been recently remodeled (unlike the rest of the 1960s structure). For a long time, we let it be. But then, as often happens when you remodel the rest of your house, it started to look tired and outdated, so we set about giving it an inexpensive refresh with these four simple steps:

1. A lick of paint: A new paint job is the most straightforward way of updating any room. The theme of our half bath had been a "classic" green and gold. For a more modern look, I chose a red, silver and gray color palette. A coat of Sherwin Williams' French Grey ($40 a gallon) brought the room into the 21st century in one afternoon. Gray is a very hot color right now, especially in bathrooms, and I can see why: It's bright and airy in daylight, but adds some drama and style when lit up in the evening.

2. Refresh the fixtures: We removed all the old faux bronze fixtures and replaced them with chrome-and-white ones. It's important to pick your faucet first, since it's a focal point.

3. Look at your lighting: Lighting is a crucial part of any refresh, especially in the small confines of a half bath, where lighting can be tricky. We kept the lights positioned on either side of the mirror, which got its own update from a coat of red spray paint to take it from traditional to contemporary in minutes. This positioning helps diffuse the light and avoids those ugly shadows you get from direct down lighting. Light fixtures can be pricey, so we shopped around until we found these Progress Lighting Lynzie single fixtures for $40 each.

4. Replace the toilet seat: Of course, a whole new toilet will really refresh a bathroom, but when you're on a budget, switching out a toilet seat makes a surprisingly big difference. We spent $14 on a Glacier Bay wooden toilet seat with chrome hinges, which really pulls the whole room together.

In total, the refresher came in at just under $220.

(Courtesy photo)

The half bath is much more of a focal point than you might think, and by investing a small amount of time and money it's easy to transform it into something special.

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Refresh a half bath in four steps

By Deborah K. Dietsch January 22 at 5:30 AM

Now you see it, now you dont.

Homeowner David Sayles slides a lacquered wood door to close his kitchen from view. He pushes identical panels in the opposite direction to hide a built-in bookcase. Once closed, the row of 8-by-4-foot partitions blend into the similar white walls of the adjacent living room.

I dont like staring at appliances or dirty dishes in the sink, says Sayles, 48, a health-care specialist. I didnt want the kitchen and living room to be part of the same space.

Concealing everyday necessities is important to Sayles in maintaining his clutter-free home. Few furnishings take up space in the rooms, and most personal belongings are stashed out of sight. His two-level condominium showcases the abundant storage spaces and intensive level of detail required of super-minimalist design.

I like glass, metal, clean lines, Sayles says, pointing to his steel-framed dining table. This is the kind of aesthetic that I gravitate to. I find it relaxing, calming and serene.

The spare two-story apartment presents a stark contrast to its host, a Victorian townhouse near Dupont Circle. Sayles bought the unit in 1997 for $298,000 and waited until 2013 to remodel. I wanted a change and thought I would buy a new condo on 14th Street, but prices have skyrocketed, and I couldnt find a place I liked, he says.

At a friends recommendation, Sayles turned to Kube Architecture in the District to renovate his condo in a stripped-down style reflective of his taste. The remodeling required gutting the 1,350-square-foot interior to raise the ceilings to 10 feet, increase the supply of daylight and achieve the spacious flow of a loft.

The kitchen was expanded and fitted with Ikea cabinets, stainless-steel appliances, synthetic quartz countertops and the sliding doors. On the second floor, the back bedroom was opened to a sleek new bathroom shared with the master bedroom in the front.

New closets, their doors lacking visible hardware, stretch along one entire side of the upper level. Even the owners toothbrush and shaver and an electrical outlet are designed to disappear, all hidden within a small cabinet over the bathroom sink.

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A seamless, minimalist D.C. condo maximizes storage and lighting