CALDWELL - As the Noble County Health Department's clerical supervisor walked through the facility Monday pointing out all the changes that have been made there in recent months, she noted how completely different it looks.

"It's the same programs, but it seems like we're in a new place because of the fresh look," said Chris Wise.

Both the employees and patients of the health department in Caldwell are reacting positively to the end results of a renovation project that was in progress there from May to December.

Health commissioner Shawn Ray said the project was made possible with a $389,000 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Grant, earmarked by Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio.

"What prompted the whole project is we had been repairing the roof for four years prior to that and trying to come up with the money to fix it. It was the driving force to begin everything else," Ray said.

The building got a painted metal standing seam roof with new gutters and downspouts, and R-21 insulation was added under the roof.

"While we were up there, we have two heating and air conditioning units, and we replaced one of them," Ray said.

Also on the outside of the facility, a brick stairway was repaired and part of the driveway was widened to two lanes.

"When we came inside, we replaced 100 percent of the flooring," Ray added. "We still had some of the original carpet from 1978 and the vinyl flooring had some rips."

There were also several other changes made inside the building, he said.

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Remodeling project finished

Donald J. Clark Home Improvements, with 33 years experience specializing in room additions and kitchen remodels, sees rise in demand for in-law apartments.

Philadelphia, PA (PRWEB) March 13, 2012

Builders and remodelers are seeing an increasing number of requests for in-law suites, granny flats, or accessory dwellings, says Donald J. Clark, a remodeler based in Boothwyn, Pennsylvania and owner of Donald J. Clark Home Improvements. Many grown children with elderly parents are coming to the same conclusion their home is the best place for an elderly parent. Some add an entry-level bedroom. Others have self-sufficient parents who want to remain independent and build an apartment with a kitchen and a bathroom with wheelchair-accessible features.

According to the National Association of Home builders, 62 percent of builders surveyed were working on a home modification related to aging in 2010. Donald and his wife, Trina, are certainly familiar with this growing trend. They have been caring for Trinas 92-year-old mother in their home, which was modified to accommodate her, for over two decades. Although it isnt for everyone, for some families, this is ultimately a lower-cost option than assisted-living, nursing home care, or retirement communities. However, there are a few things to keep in mind when building an addition for an aging parent.

Choose a contractor carefully, Donald cautions. Make certain they have experience in designing and modifying buildings for the elderly and are aware of local municipal codes regarding accessory dwellings, he says. Be especially wary of out-of-town contractors who come knocking on a door unsolicited.

Donald J. Clark Home Improvements has 33 years of experience that has included many in-law suites over the years, including the one pictured here. Completed in 2009, an in-law suite was added to a 21-year-old house adjoining the garage for more privacy and independence. The beauty of our work is that youll never know the room addition is an add-on to the house, Donald says. Im a perfectionist. If the home has 21-year-old siding, I will find siding to match it.

Licensed and insured, his business offers a wide range of services that includes kitchen and bath remodels, new construction, renovations, flooring, roofing, siding, porches, decks, painting, windows, doors, custom carpentry and much more. In addition, Donald J. Clark Home Improvements works with insurance companies specializing in wind, hail, fire and water damage and restoration.

For more information about this trustworthy, locally-owned and operated company, please call (610) 497-3429 or check them out on the Web.

About Donald J. Clark Home Improvements

With 33 years experience, Donald J. Clark Home Improvements has completed countless kitchen, bath, remodels and room additions that add value and function to everyday living spaces. With a passion for excellence, they have replaced windows and doors improving aesthetics and energy efficiency, built decks transforming an outdoor area to a relaxing oasis, and provided restoration services for homes damaged from wind, hail, fire, and water. Owner Donald Clark works with customers from the first visit to give an estimate to the completion of a project, assuring their vision, ideas, budget and timeline expectations are met. Donald J. Clark Home Improvements serves Delaware and New Castle Counties, including Chadds Ford, Marcus Hook, Trainer, Linwood, Boothwyn, Concordville, West Chester, Kennett Square, Wilmington, Ridley, Swarthmore, Media, and Aston.

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Top Boothwyn Remodeling Contractor Donald J. Clark Home Improvements Announces New Trends in Mother-in-Law Suites

The enclosed porch, above left, was removed and replaced with a library/music room on the main level, above right. This allowed for the installation of French doors in the library that lead to a new terrace, the focal point of the backyard. The terrace also connects to the kitchen/family room.

Annie Schwemmer,

Is it spring yet?

Well, the technical answer is no, but psychologically some of us need to push the issue a bit.

One way to endure the winter doldrums is to focus on spring gardening. We'll bet some of you are spending time with your Burpee catalog or wandering around your favorite garden center, watching workers set out the spring inventory.

So, what do architects know about gardening?

Just this: Houses and gardens together create the environment we call home, and they should "speak" with each other.

When we look at a remodeling project, our main concern in this regard is the connection between the indoor and outdoor space.

Traditional homes, especially those built before 1950, express little interest in this symbiotic relationship. Many of the modest tract homes built in the valley in the pre- and post-war boom period have the bedrooms and bathroom at the rear of the house; getting to the back yard involves using a side door and walking down the driveway to even find useable outdoor space.

Today's lifestyle embraces both inside and outside space. Especially with our favorable climate, outdoor areas can act as an additional living space from spring through fall.

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Tips to designing seamless outdoor spaces

This article was published July 31, 2002.

Suddenly, Georges Perrier is tableside, filleting the decor of his own restaurant - the familiar raspberry-walled, Louis XVI preciousness that is Le Bec-Fin.

It has been the gold standard for French formality in Philadelphia, a room he describes in his 1997 cookbook as conferring instant chaleur, "the warmth of ambience" - a flattering, intimate, welcoming space.

But that was then. This is now: "I'm changing everything," Perrier announces, his arm sweeping dismissively past marble busts and faux-marble mantles, towering mirrors, and flocked wall coverings, now referred to not as "warm" by his architect but, impatiently, "pink."

The Faberge egg on Walnut Street has been declared unfit. Frumpy. Outta here.

Ten days from now - at midnight, Aug. 10 - Le Bec will cease to exist as we know it: Two shifts of tradesmen working nonstop will strip the place down to the plaster, then recast the room in muted gold, milled chestnut woodwork, silk panels, and elaborate cornices molded by techniques nearly lost to history.

In the end, in early September, designer David Schultz says, the Louis XVI look will give way to the lighter, airier - but still formal - styling of a late-19th-century Paris salon.

It is tricky business, dismantling a legend: You don't want to alienate the loyalists who have given Le Bec an enviable 20-year run on Walnut Street. Then again, how to generate excitement?

The classic French food already has lightened up. The rigid two-seating policy is on the skids. Music will be added. But without a dining room overhaul, would anyone care?

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The tricky remodeling of a legend: Le Bec-Fin (2002)

Light and bright. That's the look Gigi and Kyle Graffagnini went for when remodeling and redecorating their State Street home, and it is precisely what they created.

And the rooms do. Walls throughout the home are painted a soft neutral color that Gigi Graffagnini settled on after many trials and errors.

Oushak carpets -- in muted colors -- cover the floors in rooms both downstairs and up, enhancing the continuity of the dcor. Crystal chandeliers, sconces and candelabra reflect and refract the light that pours in through floor-to-ceiling windows and glass French doors.

Creamy silk draperies dress the windows, and Belgian linen cover the sofa and chairs in one room. To complete the palette, many pieces of furniture are painted wood -- rather than natural -- be they of French, Italian or Swedish heritage.

If it sounds sumptuous, it is. But Gigi Graffagnini said it is also livable.

"With three young daughters, we needed to use upholstery fabric that wouldn't suffer much from regular wear and tear," she said. "The girls will come running into the family room and jump on the sofa, and it doesn't matter."

Gentle but thorough update

The 1892 vintage Victorian grande dame that the Graffagninis now live in -- which will be on the Academy of the Sacred Heart alumnae association's inaugural home tour Friday -- wasn't always the splendid showplace it is today.

When they bought it in late 2007, its systems had become outmoded and its interior -- especially the baths and kitchen -- dated. The house had been on the market for nine months when the Graffagninis decided it had all the natural ingredients to become a lovely and comfortable family home.

"I think some people may have been daunted when they realized everything would need to be rewired and re-plumbed -- it's a lot of work," Gigi Graffagnini said. "But we could see what it could look like when all of the improvements were made and the rooms painted. One thing that really attracted us was the fact that all of the original features were still here."

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The doors to beautiful Uptown houses open for Sacred Heart Academy's first home-tour fundraiser

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Less than three hours before the 515-plus exhibits for the Building, Home & Remodeling Show are supposed to be finished, there are still people working to beat the deadline.

There are people still installing tile, people still putting the final touches on model kitchens and bathrooms, among other things. The deadline was noon Thursday, hours before the crowds start filing in for a sneak-preview show.

The annual show, sponsored by the Huntsville/Madison County Builders Association, officially begins today from noon-8 p.m. in the South Hall of the Von Braun Center. It continues Saturday and Sunday. Times are 9 a.m.-7 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday.

Tickets are $7 for adults; senior citizens (60 and older) are $6; and children under 12 are free.

"It's one of the best-looking shows - if not the best - we've ever had," said Lynn Kilgore, executive director of the Huntsville/Madison County Builders Association. "A lot of companies will be getting a year's work off of this."

Here's an example: Sandi Cantrell, president of Designer Granite & Marble, says she recently had two customers whom she met at last year's show.

"We get customers a year later," she said.

At the front of the South Hall, she and several workers were still working Thursday morning, trying to finish Designer Granite & Marble's exhibit.

"We started at 8 Monday morning," Cantrell said. "We were one of the first ones here."

Since then, she and eight to 12 workers have been in the South Hall 12-15 hours a day, by her estimate.

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Room full of ideas this weekend at the Building, Home & Remodeling Show

Posted: Mar. 8, 2012 | 2:03 a.m.

Remember the days when you tore pictures of your dream home out of magazines, stuffed them in a drawer and scrambled to find the right one when you were ready to begin a remodeling project?

Just as listening to music or talking on the telephone has gone high-tech, so has finding the right look for your home. Welcome to Houzz.

Houzz is an online site where you can find pictures and put them in a personal ideabook so they are readily available with just the click of your mouse. The site has more than 300,000 magazine-quality photos, uploaded by design and decorating professionals.

Liza Hausman, vice president of marketing for Houzz, describes it as a free website and mobile application that brings together homeowners and remodeling professionals using technology.

"There are a few ways you can use the site," she said. "The way most people start is to use it for inspiration and to help define their style. They can browse all the photos or, if they are doing a living room, they can sort by living room and just look at living room photos."

Hausman said the photographs also can be filtered by style, such as traditional, contemporary or transitional. In addition, you can tailor your view by city.

"As they discover photos they like, the can save them in an ideabook. It's what we used to do when we ripped photos from a magazine and put them in a manila folder," she said.

Since the ideabooks are online, they can be easily shared with a spouse or professional collaborator. There's also a place to comment about what they like and don't like about each photo.

"It's a key communication tool within families ... they say they don't need marriage counselors," Hausman said.

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Welcome To My Houzz

07-03-2012 12:47 When you need a general contractor in Farwell, MN, come to Lifetime Homes Inc. We have many years of experience providing an array of services such as Home Renovations, House Remodeling and much more. We have the resources necessary to get the job done right! We pride ourselves on our excellent service and our affordable rates. For a great service in Farwell, MN, call on Lifetime Homes Inc.

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General Contractor, Home Renovations in Farwell MN 56327 - Video

07-03-2012 13:15 suncoastsd.com Straightforward ad about your skills at helping customers remodel or refurbish their home, whether for a single room or several. New housing costs have you overwhelmed? Why not spruce up your existing home with help from the experts? With the proper skills, tools and experience, we specialize in a wide range of remodeling and renovation services. We work with you to create an exciting design, then our experienced and knowledgeable crews work quickly to complete the job to your satisfaction, while maintaining a high standard of excellence. Whether you want to remodel a single room or your entire home, call us today.

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Sun Coast Remodelers - Video

A former vendor who pleaded guilty to taking part in a kickback scheme by performing home improvements for former staffers at the Memorial Healthcare System was sentenced to 10 months in federal prison on Tuesday.

Joseph Badalich, 67, of Hollywood admitted that he tacked on an extra $70,000 to a bill for remodeling the interior of the Cystic Fibrosis Center at the taxpayer-assisted Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood. The money was in exchange for insider help in getting awarded lucrative contracts, prosecutors said.

Badalich used the money to pay for marble floors installed at the Lake Worth home of hospital maintenance manager, Eliot Gordon. Badalich also converted a garage into a game room for another maintenance manager, Anthony Merola, who also lived in Lake Worth. Gordon and Merola are both serving federal prison terms for related crimes.

Badalich, who pleaded guilty to conspiring to bribe an agent of an organization receiving federal funds, has to turn himself in to begin serving his prison sentence on April 9. He was also ordered to pay $457,274 in restitution during the sentencing in federal court in Miami. He had faced up to five years in prison but agreed to cooperate with prosecutors and testified at trial against other members of the conspiracy, according to court records.

pmcmahon@tribune.com, 954-356-4533 or Twitter @SentinelPaula

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Former Memorial hospital vendor sentenced in home remodeling bribery scheme