When youre thinking about tile installation, theres no better time to start your project than right now. Thats because tile floor installation from The Home Depot is a perfect blend of quality, selection and affordability.

Consider ceramic tile installation. Along with its classic beauty and superior durability, regular maintenance requires only occasional sweeping and mopping. And your installation specialist will provide you with full care guidelines to help you protect your floor tile installation for a lifetime and beyond.

Our specialists will also help you explore the nearly endless variety of shapes, sizes, colors and patterns of tile. Say, for instance, youre considering kitchen tile flooring. That high-traffic area calls for a durable solution, such as marble or porcelain. And since more than a few spills have been known to happen in kitchens, you may want to consider a naturally slip-resistant stone, such as slate.

As much as we pride ourselves for quality installation and wide selection, we also strive to keep down your overall tile installation cost. It starts with our handpicked, experienced installation professionals. They can provide you with floor plans and a single competitive price for labor and materials from start to finish. Plus, they save you time by getting the job done right the first time, installing to manufacturer specifications to uphold tile warranties. And finally theyre backed by The Home Depot, which offers one of the best tile flooring installation warranties in the industry and guarantees the lowest total project price.

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Regardless of the scope, a home improvement project takes planning and a budget, according to Jake Brown, second-generation owner of Winston-Brown Construction, of Topeka.

You dont have to blow the bank but come up with a number youre comfortable spending. We use budgets to guide you. We can add or subtract to meet your budget, Brown said. At the end of the day, if we cant work within your budget, youre not going to be happy. Have a good idea as to what you want, how much you want to spend and we can guide you through the rest.

Brown, 31, who took over operations of Winston-Brown Construction in 2007, has been around the home remodeling business his entire life. His father, Gary Brown, founded the business in 1974 in Topeka after starting smaller remodeling businesses in the early 1970s.

In the years hes worked with his father and now at the helm of the family business, Brown said most remodeling customers fall into three categories those you need to hold their hands, the weekend warriors and those who fall in between. Regardless of the type of customer or the scope, Brown said he and his staff try to take the same approach toward any remodeling project.

I ask them, what do you want and what can we help you with? he said. I let the customer explain what their vision is. I try to give them some ideas and believe it or not, try to save them money. We want them to have ownership and pride and that they helped design this because the project is in their house.

Brown said the majority of Winston-Browns projects are bathroom remodels.

Its our number one project. Big or small, it seems what we do the most, he said. That seems to be a project that isnt too far out of reach for peoples budget.

Brown said a standard bathroom remodel making cosmetic changes and installing new fixtures usually runs about seven- to nine-thousand dollars. He said a custom job - like installing cabinetry, tile work and other projects - can cost anywhere from 15- to 25-thousand dollars.

Although the majority of their projects are bathrooms, Brown said Winston-Brown covers the whole home spectrum of kitchens, decks, room additions and window replacement. He said hes seen an uptick in home remodeling projects in the Topeka area over the past couple of years, signaling a climb out of the down years of the Great Recession.

Interest rates over the years have affected the market, he said. I feel that now were on an upward trend. People are finally shaking off the rust, finally saying were going to spend some money.

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Home improvement: Let your budget guide your vision

"Tio #39;s Tacos" Unique Art With Delicous Latino Cusine - Riverside, CA
In the heart of downtown Riverside, Martin Sanchez has built a shrine. At his restaurant, Tio #39;s Tacos, Sanchez takes recycling to great creative heights--bot...

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"Tio's Tacos" Unique Art With Delicous Latino Cusine - Riverside, CA - Video

Alpharetta, GA (PRWEB) January 20, 2014

Sir Grout continues its success in the hard surface restoration industry, being the only tile and grout company recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine's Top 500 Franchises this year. Sir Grout, a highly unique franchise that has revolutionized its specialized field, continues to stand out by ranking in position 356 among the Top 500 Franchises for 2014.

Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 is well-respected as the most comprehensive and prestigious ranking's list of franchise opportunities for entrepreneurs. The Franchise 500 rankings are compiled by comparing almost 900 eligible franchise opportunities and comparing the ranking. Since 2009, Sir Grout holds a coveted spot in the competitive Franchise 500 list compiled annually by Entrepreneur Magazine, featuring the most successful franchising businesses in the United States and Canada. Being listed once again proves Sir Grout's superior financial strength and stability around the globe.

Sir Grout Franchising LLC currently holds no less than 33 franchises serving a wide range of cities in the U.S. from the west to east coast, including Sir Grout of Scottsdale in Arizona, and Sir Grout of Hartford in Connecticut. Sir Grout also has an international presence with its Sir Grout of Singapore franchise. Sir Grout franchisees offer exceptional tile & grout cleaning and sealing, grout re-coloring, caulking, slip resistant application, stone cleaning and sealing, marble honing & polishing, and sandless wood refinishing for both residential and commercial customers.

Sir Grout offers multiple revenue stream opportunities and outstanding hands-on training for franchisees, elements which have proved to be the cornerstone to its amazing success. Moreover, Sir Grout provides great cloud software available 24/7 in addition to superior customer service with live call centers with Sir Grout employees, standards that keep Sir Grout ahead of its competitors. "It's an honor to be included on the list," stated Tom Lindberg, Sir Grout's co-founder. "Our accomplishment depends on the hard work of our franchise owners. This achievement is a direct reflection of their dedication to customer service. But, most importantly our highly-skilled technicians truly care about costumers, providing state-of-the art products and services, leaving hard surfaces better than the day they were first installed," stated Mr. Lindberg.

Becoming a successful Sir Grout franchisee is an easy eight-step process that starts with getting to know the franchise and its benefits. To find more information about the franchising system and review the full list of top notch services Sir Grout is well known for, visit http://www.sirgrout.com or call (866) 476-8863.

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Submitted Florida Lifestyle Homes new Antigua model at Quail West features four bedrooms, 4.5 baths, a study, 4,032 air-conditioned square feet and 6,762 total square feet.

Florida Lifestyle Homes of Fort Myers Inc. is offering its newest model, the Antigua, at Quail West Golf & Country Club in North Naples.

This is a spectacular new design, with dramatic details and elegant finishes throughout said Ron Vandenack, director of sales for Florida Lifestyle Homes. From the entryway which is framed in Coronado Italian villa stone the Antigua is a showcase of intricate ceiling features with suspended beams, bead board and cove lighting, substantial tile work, custom cabinetry and extensive architectural moldings.

A four-bedroom design with four-and-one-half baths plus a study, the Antigua encompasses 4,032 square feet of air-conditioned living space. With a covered entry, outdoor kitchen, living and dining areas along with a three-car garage, the home has 6,762 total square feet.

This home achieves the ultimate space for outdoor living with a 1,636-square-foot lanai that offers areas for entertaining, dining and conversation, all under a dramatic tongue-and-groove cypress wood coffered ceiling, Vandenack said. There is a fully equipped stainless steel outdoor kitchen and bar with a deluxe gas grill, sink and outdoor refrigerator. The TV entertainment center with its gas fireplace is a perfect spot for viewing sports. The custom pool features a beautiful stucco pearl plaster finish, a sun shelf, tile inlay and a raised spa with a bubbler fountain and spillover that cascades into the pool. It also features a unique deck jet system with LED lighting that creates a fascinating water stream display from the deck into the pool.

Triple pocketing glass doors provide the master suite with its own private entry to the lanai. This luxurious retreat features a tray ceiling with cove lighting and a morning caf bar with an undercounter refrigerator. There is a large walk-in closet for him, and two walk-in closets for her. Her bath includes a vanity and makeup vanity, private water closet and soaking tub. His bath includes a vanity and private water closet. The his-and-her master bath are connected by a walk-through shower with two body sprays and a rain showerhead.

Two of the guest bedrooms offer an en suite bathroom. The third guest bedroom has access to a full bath that may double as a pool bath. An additional half-bath with a circular vaulted ceiling is adjacent to the study.

Equipped with Viking appliances, including a gas range and a stove top pot filler, the kitchen is a chefs delight. A one-of-a-kind walk-through butlers pantry features custom-designed cabinetry and a wine chiller. Set beneath a ceiling accented with cross beams, the kitchen is open to the great room and the dining area. Pocketing glass doors on two walls offer a convenient connection between the dining area and outdoor entertainment space.

State-of-the-art construction materials and electronics have been included in this classic design, Vandenack said. For example, the Antigua offers the PulseWorx lighting and home automation system with an iPad controller that is smartphone enabled as well as the Honeywell Z-Wave smartphone enabled alarm with motion sensors. The Antigua has impact-rated glass throughout and wind resistant screw down roof tiles. There is an extensive list of other energy-saving and security features, which provide the homeowner with an added measure of confidence.

The Antigua is being offered at $1,769,000, furnished and includes a house membership at Quail West. Private tours of the home may be arranged by contacting Vandenack at 239.561.8022.

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Florida Lifestyle Homes of Fort Myers offering new Antigua model at Quail West

LAME DEER Bill Parker got out of his truck and pointed to the new, partially finished, sand-colored school building sitting just across the parking lot from his office at the Lame Deer School District administration building.

"It's not finished," said Parker, the district's new superintendent. "We ran out of money."

In all, $5.6 million has been spent on the construction of the single-story, nine-classroom building that includes a library and an unfinished space that may be the cafeteria or the computer lab.

The school, which sits in the heart of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, was supposed to be finished a year ago. Instead, large sections of the exterior walls still lack brickwork and inside the building, much of the southern half of the school is just steel girders and concrete.

Frustrating, to be sure. The unfinished construction has created a space crunch for about half the district's students.

To accommodate the students, the stage above the high school's old gymnasium has been divided and converted into classrooms. The boys' locker room became the school's counseling center; the hot-air hand-dryer sits directly behind the counselor's desk. The principal's office is set up in the gym's lobby.

"We're flexible and we're making do with what we have," said Sherry Foote, the school's principal. "We'll get through this."

However, it's not the delays that really worry school officials; it's the troubling lack of quality in the work that has been done so far. That's where the district plans to take action.

"We're just trying to get to the bottom of it," said Rob McLean, the school board's new chairman.

The problems start immediately at the school's entrance. The slick metal roof above the double doors continually spills snow and slush onto the stepsleading up to the school.

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New Lame Deer school is a lemon; district pushes for corrective action

By MATTHEW FERREIRA

January 16, 2014 10:10 AM

LAKEVILLE A School Committee member spoke as a parent last week in advocating improvements to the George R. Austin Intermediate School pool and the school district's swim program.

"I'm before you as a supporter of the pool and a parent who has two kids in swim programs tonight for this part of the meeting," David Davenport said to his peers on the School Committee last week from the podium usually used by guest speakers.

Mr. Davenport's concern, as he explained, was a short but considerable list of capital improvements to the district pool that he and other swim program supporters say are in dire need of being addressed.

"There's a number of things that we could talk about that range from small on up to larger things but there's three things that we've identified that we really want to make a big effort to get taken care of at this time," Mr. Davenport said. Using visual aids via a PowerPoint presentation, he pointed out an area of damaged tiling on the deck around the pool, cautioning that such damage could cause people to trip.

"In fact at the edge of the pool at the coping if you slipped your hand between the tile and the coping where the adhesive has come loose, you could tear that tiling up by sheets," said Mr. Davenport, later adding that the deck is still the original work from when the pool was built in 1974. According to the presentation, the tiling repairs are projected at a cost of $18,000 - $20,000.

The other two capital improvements covered in the presentation were updating the chemistry system which handles chlorine mixture into the water and repairing or perhaps replacing altogether the ventilation system for the air around the indoor pool which is located at George R. Austin Intermediate School.

"It's antiquated," said district swim coach and aquatics director Bret Pacheco of the chemistry or chlorine management system. "It's a system that was a great design when it started and now " it doesn't quite efficiently put the chlorine in the water the way it's supposed to and it doesn't manage it as well as it should."

Regarding the ventilation system around the pool, Mr. Pacheco explained that the high presence of chlorine in the air makes it difficult for swimmers to breathe and can often be observed coughing at practices and events. "There are days when you're in there to watch your kid swim or whatnot and the chlorine odor is so strong that you just want to run out of there because the air system just isn't handling it," Mr. Davenport said of his own experience.

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Speaking as a dad, school board member wants work done on pool

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

More layout flexibility: Windows 8's "snap widgets" essentially serve the same function as old-school windows in desktop mode. Snap widgets make productivity easier on tablets, allowing users to go back and forth between windows. But there is a lot of room for refinement.

Being able to divide widgets into smaller tiles that could be arranged horizontally or vertically along a grid could help users go in and out of various apps much more seamlessly. And being able to quickly take an app into full screen mode and back would go a long way towards making the Windows layout feel less claustrophobic.

Desktop-only mode: Although the Windows 8 tile display is adequate on a standard laptop, it's still not optimal for productivity tasks, particularly on a desktop computer. There are also many apps that only work in desktop mode. The abrupt move between Windows 8's starkly contrasting tile and desktop environments has left a bad taste in the mouths of many users.

Related: Microsoft's Surface 2 still falls short

In Windows 9 -- or whatever the next big revision of Windows will be called -- users will be able to run those "Modern" apps in a window on the desktop, according to WinSuperSite's Paul Thurrott. If Microsoft also gave users the ability to lock their computers in desktop mode, that would help make the experience of using Windows on a laptop feel more consistent.

Microsoft shouldn't give up on the Start Screen, but some users just don't need it.

More consistent trackpad standards: Sometimes it seems like the trackpad on every single Windows 8 device feels different, making use of clicks and gestures in different ways.

For example, unlocking the homescreen requires a swipe on some trackpads, and a click on others.

At their best, exemplified by Logitech's standalone Windows 8 trackpad, gestures in Windows 8 are as quick and intuitive as touching a screen. At their worst, ironically exemplified by Microsoft's Surface tablet, gestures can be incredibly frustrating.

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5 things we want for Windows 9

Home for Sale in Denver, CO | $334,900
Homes for Sale in CO 1100 Grant St 203, DENVER, CO http://coloradohome.com Dylan Lario-Coldwell Banker | 3039313039 STUNNINGLY large 1300+ sq ft condo w/ ama...

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704 S Blair Avenue, Royal Oak, MI - Presented by Julie Thayer
Click link to see more photos, school, area information and more: http://searchallproperties.com/listings/1761863/704-S-Blair-Avenue-S-Royal-Oak-MI 704 S Bla...

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