Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

The council has approved plans to build three five-bedroom houses on the car park of a former restaurant.

Planning permission was sought from Rossendale Borough Council for the construction of three new detached houses on land at the rear of the now vacant and former Anacapri restaurant off Helmshore Road in Rossendale.

The proposed new-build homes would be two storeys in height, with additional accommodation in the roof space (served by rear-facing pitched roofed dormers).

Planning permission already exists (approved in 2020) for the construction of three dwellings on the site, and as such the acceptability in principle of residential development on the site has already been established under that permission, although the dwellings would essentially be a redesign of those originally permitted - similar in scale, but with some differences in design.

The site comprises the car park of the now vacant former Anacapri restaurant which is located to the south of Helmshore Road.

The former restaurant itself is a two-storey building of stone and slate construction, with associated land to the side and rear and the car park area is of a significant size located to the rear at higher level than the building.

The site is within the urban boundary and is on the edge of the residential area of Helmshore.

Surrounding land uses are predominantly open fields to the north east and south east, with residential properties to the north and west.

A planning statement submitted to the council read: "The dwellings would feature UPVC window and door units, and would have natural sandstone flagged paths and patios around their perimeter.

"Each dwelling would have an integral single garage and a double-width driveway to the front formed from porous block paving.

"Each dwelling would have a private grassed rear garden area.

"Around the wider site, garden plots would be separated internally by 2m high timber panel fencing.

"However, the boundary treatment around the site perimeter and adjacent to the roads would be retained stone walling."

Following consideration of the application, it was resolved to grant planning permission on January 19 for the following reasons: the proposed development is acceptable in principle and, subject to conditions, will not unacceptably affect visual or neighbour amenity or highway safety.

As such, the proposal accords with the National Planning Policy Framework and the Council's adopted Local Plan.

When planning permission was first sought for the homes in 2020, which included converting the vacant restaurant, the application was met with around 174 objections, however no objections or comments were received by the council this time.

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Plans to build three detached houses on car park of vacant restaurant approved - Lancashire Telegraph

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) A Grand Rapids restaurant will bring a new twist to ramen while helping feed children in need.

Noodlepig will be located at 601 Bond Ave. NW, just north of Trowbridge Street. The business applied this week for a city permit to renovate the 2,122-square-foot space, located in Grand Rapids Monroe North neighborhood.

Founder and executive chef Chris Wessley plans to create a quick-service restaurant that serves up bowls of ramen made from scratch. Every bowl sold will also fund meals for three children in need on the international, national and local scale.

Wessley expects each order to cost $12 to $15, though he cautioned inflation and staffing costs may raise prices slightly.

Im hoping that West Michigan will embrace it and I think we will be competitive with other places, he said.

Noodlepigs menu will include fusion ramen bowls that showcase different cultural flavors, including Thai and Mexican. The signature bowl will feature Manchego cheese and a side of baby back ribs in place of the traditional thinly cut pork used in ramen bowls. Visitors can also build their own ramen bowl and opt for more traditional toppings and finishing oils.

The restaurant will also offer salads and boba tea made from frozen fruits. Wessley plans to apply for a liquor license so he an sell canned wine, beer, sake and boba cocktails to go, since his restaurant is in a social district.

Noodlepigs broths will be made in house from dozens of whole food ingredients, according to Wessley. The noodles will be thicker and heartier than the packaged version found in grocery stores.

Wessleys vision for the restaurant includes a glass noodle room where customers can watch the noodles being made using 1,200-pound machine that arrived this month from Japan.

I thought that would be the last thing Im waiting on, but its not. The whole construction process is taking forever, Wessley said.

He originally hoped to open Noodlepig on March 1 but is now setting his sights on an April finish date.

Wessley graduated from Grand Rapids Community Colleges Secchia Institute of Culinary Arts in 2011 at the top of his class. His charitable ramen concept was one of the top 100 ideas picked to be part of Start Gardens Demo Day last year.

Wessley previously worked in sales before losing his job during the Great Recession. Thats when he pursued his passion for food and founded the Grand Rapids Sport and Social Club, which has since expanded to a dozen cities under a new name: JAM. Wessley plans to step back from his role with JAM and become a minority owner in March so he can focus on Noodlepig.

Wessley is half Japanese and says the restaurant will allow him to share a little bit of his culture and his ramen experience while staying in Japan in 2000.

He plans to eventually roll out delivery service and merchandise for Noodlepig.

Continued here:
Coming to Grand Rapids: Noodlepigs charitable new take on ramen - WOODTV.com

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Electrical Service Professionals | Best Local Electricians ...

The average salary for an Electrician in the United States is between $45,060 and $76,840 as of December 27, 2021. Salary ranges can vary widely depending on the actual Electrician position you are looking for. With more online, real-time compensation data than any other website, Salary.com helps you determine your exact pay target. View the Cost of Living in Major Cities

Alternate Job Titles: Electrician - Apprentice | Electrician Helper

Inspects, repairs, installs, and maintains electrical systems, machinery, and equipment. Ensures all work performed meets required safety codes and is properly inspected. Uses a variety of tools and equipment, such as power construction equipment, measuring devices, power tools, and testing equipment. Typically requires a high school diploma. Typically requires Electrician Lice... View job details

Alternate Job Titles: Electrician - Apprentice | Electrician Helper

Inspects, repairs, installs, and maintains electrical systems, machinery, and equipment. Ensures all work performed meets required safety codes and is properly inspected. Uses a variety of tools and equipment, such as power construction equipment, measuring devices, power tools, and testing equipment. Typically requires a high school diploma. Typically requires Electrician Lice... View job details

Alternate Job Titles: Electrician - Apprentice | Electrician Helper

Inspects, repairs, installs, and maintains electrical systems, machinery, and equipment. Ensures all work performed meets required safety codes and is properly inspected. Uses a variety of tools and equipment, such as power construction equipment, measuring devices, power tools, and testing equipment. Typically requires a high school diploma. Typically requires Electrician Lice... View job details

Alternate Job Titles: Electrician Journeyman | Intermediate Electrician

Inspects, repairs, installs, and maintains electrical systems, machinery, and equipment. Ensures all work performed meets required safety codes and is properly inspected. Uses a variety of tools or equipment, such as power construction equipment, measuring devices, power tools, and testing equipment. Has at least two years of journeyman level electrical experience. Typically re... View job details

Alternate Job Titles: Master Electrician | Senior Electrician

Inspects, repairs, installs, and maintains electrical systems, machinery, and equipment. Ensures all work performed meets required safety codes. Uses a variety of tools or equipment, such as power construction equipment, measuring devices, power tools, and testing equipment. Generally required to complete an apprenticeship. Typically requires a high school diploma or its equiva... View job details

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Electrician Salary | Salary.com

To become a state licensed general contractor in Delaware, the process will be run through the Delaware Department of Revenue. Unlike many states, registration and application to be licensed will be done through the same form, since Delaware offers a Combined Registration Application. Additionally, youll need to register your business and acquire your Federal Employee Identification Number and additional tax information prior to any application process.

Although the main general contracting licenses in Delaware come in the form of resident and non-resident licenses, you will have to consider an alternate licensing process for specialty trades including electricaland plumbingthrough the Delaware Division of Professional Regulation. Read below to understand what license you will need for the contracting work you will be performing, exams and professional experience required, and the associated fees necessary to meet Delawares requirements for becoming a general contractor.

The state of Delaware, under title 30, chapter 25defines contractor asevery person engaged in the business of: Furnishing labor or both labor and materials in connection with all or any part of construction, alteration, repairing, dismantling or demolition of buildings, roads, bridges, viaducts, sewers, water and gas mains and every other type of structure as an improvement, alteration or development of real property.

Additionally, the state of Delaware has two different licenses you can register and apply for. Although the application process is similar, you will need to determine if you will be applying for a:

Resident Contractors License:A resident contractor is any individual or business that will be performing contractor work who regularly maintains a place of business in Delaware.

Non-Resident Contractor License:If you are a person or business who does not regularly maintain a place of business in Delaware, your application will be the same as a resident contractor, however you must acquire a surety bond.

To complete the application for both resident and non-resident licenses, you will need to fulfill additional requirements, including: registering your business, providing proof of workers compensationand unemployment insurance, and a surety bond if you are applying for a non-resident license.

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Anyone who is planning to perform the construction work defined above will have to acquire a license through the state of Delaware. Delaware also issues licenses, and you will go through a different licensing processthrough the Delaware Division of Professional Regulationfor:

Note: If you plan on doing asbestos work that is not on your own family dwelling, you will need to be certified for asbestos abatement.

To become a licensed contractor in Delaware, you must first meet some prerequisites, including:

Additionally, the state of Delaware requires most business owners to get general liability insuranceto pay for property damages and personal injuries. Aspiring contractors will need to furnish a certificate of insurancealong with an out of state license in order to transfer licensure to a new state when relocating.

Once you have obtained the above, you can start the registration/application process. For both resident and non-resident licenses, you will need to fill out the Combined Registration Application (CRA)through the Delaware Department of Revenuewebpage.

Although no exams or proof of education are expressed as requirements to obtain your resident and non-resident license, they may be needed for electrical, plumbing, HVACR, water driller, and pump installer licensing.

Your overall registration, application, and licensing process will be through the Delaware Division of Revenue. Fees attached include:

Checks can be made out to:

DIVISION OF REVENUESTATE OF DELAWAREP.O. BOX 8750WILMINGTON, DE 19899-8750

There is no exam or proof of experience required to get your resident and non-resident license in Delaware. However, licenses are issued for electricians, plumbers, HVACR, water drillers, and pop installers in which you will need to take an exam, or show proof of experience to be licensed or certified. All information about exam scheduling, fees, and locationsfor specialty trades can be found at Delawares Division of Professional Regulationwebsite.

While no exam fees are attached to a resident and non-resident general contractor license, you will have to pay for exams for the specialty trades described above. Details can be found at the Delaware Division of Professional Regulationwebsite.

Your license application will be submittedthrough the Delaware Department of Revenuefor resident and non-resident licenses, while most other licenses will be through the Division of Professional Regulation website. While resident and non-resident licenses have a similar application process, other specialty trade licenses vary in requirements and exams you will take.

To start theapplication process for resident and non-resident licenses, the following requirements will need to be met:

For specialty trade work including electrical, plumbing, HVACR, etc., your licensing process will be through the Division of Professional Regulation.

Delaware provides a Combined Registration Application (CRA) for both resident and non-resident licenses. For detailed information, visit the state of Delaware Department of Finance, Division of Revenuewebsite.

Businesses that operate within Delaware are required to register for one or more tax-specific identification numbers, licenses or permits, including income tax withholding, sales and use tax (sellers permit), and unemployment insurance tax.

You will need to register your business and become licensed before you apply to become a general contractor in Delaware. Delawares one-stop business licensing and registration systemallows you to register your business with the Division of Revenue.

Delaware requires you to register for one or more tax-specific identification numbers, licenses or permits, including income tax withholding, sales and use tax (sellers permit), and unemployment insurance tax. Visit the Division of Revenuefor additional tax information.

Businesses with employees are required to carry workers compensation insurance coverage through a commercial carrier, on a self-insured basis, or through the state workers compensation insurance program. Visit the Delaware Department of Laborfor more details.

To look up licensed contractors in your area, the State of Delawareofficial website provides a searchable database online.

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General Contractors License Delaware | Delaware ...

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Connecting the power lines to your property and keeping the lights on!

Jan 25 2022 Updated 5 hours ago

DISTRO-TEX is your trusted electrical contractor for a range of electrical works.

Founded by Copper Coast locals Ryan Porteous and Abraham Helfand in 2020, Distro-Tex is accredited and qualified to perform various works ranging from SA Power Networks powerline construction through to general domestic, commercial and industrial electrical jobs.

We aim to provide turnkey solutions where we can construct new powerlines to our clients properties and then install the domestic wiring to turn the lights on, they said.

Ryan and Abrahams broad experiences and combined qualifications allow Distro-Tex to offer a one-stop shop for clients from the first design stages through to the construction and delivery stages of projects.

With over 20 years of combined powerline and general domestic, commercial and industrial electrical experience, our services range from installing new stobie poles and transformers to rural properties through to installing domestic sub mains, house rewiring, new house installations, ceiling fans, lighting and also community and council street/sports lighting, they said.

Distro-Tex has offices in the Copper Coast and Adelaide, with directors Ryan and Abraham being trained locally in the Copper Coast for their trades.

Abraham completed his apprenticeship with SA Power Networks based at the Kadina depot where he completed nine years of service and Ryan completed his electrical apprenticeship with a local electrician in Moonta Bay where he crafted his skills for five years before joining SA Power Networks in Adelaide for a further five years.

Recently our projects have included installing underground and overhead residential subdivisions in Moonta Bay, Port Lincoln and Wallaroo, complete renovation of a two-storey home in Henley Beach and Modbury as well as community lighting for the Wakefield Regional Council, they said.

We also recently installed light towers at the Blyth cricket oval to facilitate night cricket conditions for training, achieving an average of 300 lux across the training area; as well replacing the old halogen tower floodlights at the Hamley Bridge Football Club with new 1200W LED floodlights.

Distro-Tex was also heavily involved with the Port Augusta Renewable Energy Park where the crew was contracted to complete and connect all the high voltage cable terminations in remote conditions.

The combined skill sets and experiences of Ryan and Abraham set the foundations for Distro-Tex to provide various electrical services for both Yorke Peninsula and state-wide clients.

To find out how Distro-Tex can help you, call Abraham on 0447 027 082, Ryan on 0448 227 636, email admin@distrotex.com.au or check out http://www.distrotex.com.au.

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Connecting the power lines to your property and keeping the lights on! - Yorke Peninsula Country Times

It took much longer than it should have, but City Councilmember Bobby Henon has finally resigned.

Last November, Henon was convicted of bribery and honest services fraud alongside his political patron, John Dougherty the former head of IBEW Local 98, the electricians union in what one juror called a real lesson in Philadelphia civics and how Philadelphia government works.

Henon and Dougherty cast their legal fight as a David (pugnacious labor leader) vs. Goliath (politically motivated federal prosecutors) struggle and described their relationship as nothing out of the ordinary for a member of City Council and a union boss. But jurors, who in court heard one wiretap after another, disagreed.

Ultimately, the $70,000 a year Henon received from Local 98 proved hard to explain especially when Henon, who said the sum represented his salary as an electrician, was unable to provide evidence of any electrical work that he performed.

READ MORE: Bobby Henon should resign now | Editorial

We can only hope that Henons no-show electrician job will finally spur his former colleagues on Council to restrict outside employment for the members of that body going forward. With a salary of more than $130,000 per year, there is no need for councilmembers to risk the conflicts of interest that may come from moonlighting elsewhere.

Now comes the task of replacing Henon and with it, a chance for Philadelphias political establishment to begin to change the way it does business.

Council President Darrell L. Clarke has the authority to schedule a special election to replace Henon, and the City Charter leaves the date up to his discretion. Of course, if Henon himself had done the right thing and stepped aside sooner, his replacement might already be in office and able to contribute to legislative matters like the redistricting debate.

While that possibility has been eliminated by Henons decision to hold onto his seat for two months after his conviction, Clarke can ensure that Henons constituents in the 6th District dont go too long without representation. Although the Home Rule Charter allows for the Council president to choose when the special election happens, its key that Clarke prioritizes this measure by scheduling it on or before the May primary, instead of waiting for the general election.

READ MORE: Philadelphia Politician Wall of Shame

It is also important that the process to find Henons successor offers more transparency than in prior special elections. Currently, the Democratic City Committee selects replacements by convening ward leaders, who, in the past, have sometimes chosen candidates from among their own ranks.

The opacity of the selection process concentrates the power to choose who represents the roughly 160,000 residents of Henons district into very few hands. The endemic of insiderism, as State Rep. Chris Rabb once dubbed special elections, can lead to corruption. Look no further than the embattled 190th District, where in 2021 the fourth state representative in three years was chosen by special election following resignations from Vanessa Lowery Brown, who stepped down after being charged with bribery, and Movita Johnson-Harrell, who left office after being charged with stealing more than $500,000 from a charity she founded.

Its crucial that more voices be added to the conversation. One solution could be to include each elected committeeperson in the 6th District, not just the ward leaders, who oversee special elections (and who are not required by law to live within the district in question). Although still a part of the political machine, committeepersons are often on the ground in their neighborhoods and have a good sense of what their communities need most.

The Democratic City Committee grants broad autonomy to ward leaders in running special elections. Its essential that these leaders expand the conversations about potential candidates to include committeepeople. While this may happen in an informal way now, codifying that kind of dialogue would ensure broader perspectives and strengthen the democratic process.

If Philadelphia is going to break the reputation for corruption weve earned after watching at least 20 elected officials get convicted of serious crimes in the last 40 years, transparency and collaboration are key. In deciding when and how Henons replacement is selected, city and political leaders have an opportunity to do things a different way. They should take it.

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With Henons resignation, a chance for Phillys powerbrokers to move away from business as usual | Editorial - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Ottawa firefighters responded to calls for service to Eastway Tank six times in the last 18 years, but city officials continue to withhold information about the nature of those emergencies.

An explosion and fire at the tanker truck plant on Jan. 13 killed six employees and critically injured a seventh.

Several agencies including Ottawa police, the coroner's office and the Ministry of Labour are investigating the disaster. On Friday, the Office of the Fire Marshal (OFM) announced its investigators had completed their work at the site.

CBC News requested a record of previous fire calls to 1995 Merivale Rd. from Ottawa Fire Services. The City of Ottawa, which is handling communications on the matter, twice refused to release the information, citing the current investigation.

In an internal email sent Friday and forwarded toCBC News, Kim Ayotte, the city's general manager of emergency and protective services, confirmed firefighters had responded to calls to that address six times in the last 18 years. Ayotte didn't make it clear whether those six calls included the disaster on Jan. 13.

However, Ayotte said Ottawa Fire Services could not release the detailed fire incident reports on those calls due to the ongoing investigations.

Nor is the department in a position to release information pertaining to any health and safety violations at Eastway, Ayotte said, as those fall under the purview of the Ministry of Labour.

Former employees of Eastway Tank have told CBC News they witnessed or had knowledge of three separate fires at the facility in recent years. The former employees said firefighters responded on at least two of those occasions.

The employees alleged witnessing several unsafe practices at Eastway, including welding near highly flammable liquids and pails of oil-soaked rags.

In a statement issued late Wednesday, Eastway owner and president Neil Greene called the allegations "unfounded."

"Eastway Tank has always worked to maintain the highest safety standards. We are working closely with investigators and are cooperating fully to get to the bottom of what happened," Greene said.

Greene also offered his sympathies to the families of the six workers who died: Rick Bastien, Danny Beale, Kayla Ferguson, Matt Kearney, Etienne Mabiala and Russell McLellan.

A seventh Eastway employee was critically injured and remains in hospital.

Eastway Tank, which housed a large production area, four service bays, a paint shop, a welding room, offices and staff facilities, was constructed in 1968.

On Friday, the fire marshal's officetweeted that its officers had cleared the scene but the"investigation into the origin, cause and circumstance around this incident continues."

In a later statement to CBC, the OFM said "there is still much work to be done," and confirmed OFM investigators had interviewed a number of witnesses "important to the investigation."

Investigators also examined vehicles, the OFM confirmed.

"The equipment on-site, including vehicles, was examined as part of our investigation.We have gathered the evidence required and the equipment remains on site," they said.

CBC News has seen images appearing to show the wreckage of two tanker trucks in the production area of the facility.

The initial explosion, and possibly subsequent blasts, clearly occurred in that part of the building.

"The nature of any fire scene is unique and fire investigators take their time to thoroughly go through all evidence and data before finalizing any report. As this investigation has only just begun, it would be premature to speculate on any findings or timeframe of completion," the OFM said Friday.

Ottawa police have interviewed at least one former Eastway employee, Josh Bastien, whose father Rick Bastien died in the explosion.

Families and friends of the victims held a private vigil outside the facility on Friday night. The ongoing investigations prevent the public from getting any closer to the blast site.

If you want to get in touch with a reporter about this story, pleasecontact CBC Ottawa.

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Firefighters called to Eastway Tank 6 times in 18 years - CBC.ca

If the average person were to hollow out a tree branch, turn it into a light fixture and hang it over a dining room table, it would look like the work of a Cub Scout. But in Constantin Boyms weekend home in the Hudson Valley, the branch is perfection. Not too crusty, not too knobby, so artless as to be almost invisible.

Mr. Boym, the chair of the industrial design department at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, and co-principal with his wife, Laurene Leon Boym, of the design company Boym Partners, is very good at making things and has recently had lots of opportunities.

Sequestered with his family for 18 months in their 1955 cabin in Esopus, N.Y., he embarked on a long busmans holiday. Inside, he designed a second bedroom for the couples 24-year-old son, Rob, and a mudroom where the refrigerator and laundry appliances could live.

Outside, he introduced to the propertys eight acres a firepit, a village of acquired birdhouses in various architectural styles, a tomato garden, a pavilion with a faux deer trophy that he assembled from found wood (part of a series Mr. Boym calls Upstate Safari) and a metal sculpture on the site of a recently cleared glass-and-metal scrap pile, made from detritus found there (I think something from a baby carriage, he said).

Ms. Boym, who has recently taken to making ironic drawings of controversial consumer products like Land O Lakes butter and Sun-Maid raisins, received a new studio extending from a woodshed.

The couple renamed their augmented property Boym Park.

For people fortunate enough to own a country home during a pandemic, the relief of having a refuge is often tempered by the stresses of making it work. Stuffing a weekend house with a full complement of family members puts a strain on more than the septic system. And with the shortage of available contractors and the scarcity and expense of building supplies, it hasnt been easy to renovate ones problems away.

Which gives designers like the Boyms an advantage: Subjected to the same pandemic conditions as the rest of us, they are equipped to make scrappy home improvements that help maintain their sanity. They can act as their own general contractors, nudging the results they want from builders, electricians and plumbers, or they can do the jobs themselves, without making them look D.I.Y.

It pays to be hands-on and off-the-shelf (or out-of-the-forest). Mr. Boym estimated the cost of the art studio, built with hired help, at $20,000. Yet choosing humble materials like $27 worth of pressure-treated lumber for an outdoor bench that will last half a century is not just a matter of thrift, he said, but a commentary on consumption. He quoted the Russian Constructivist artist Vladimir Tatlins support of not the old, not the new, but the necessary.

Mr. Boym found it necessary that the bench hang around long enough to merge with a tree trunk, fitting into a notch carved into the seat. It was also necessary that another bench be built from logs embedded with oyster mushroom spores that will erupt over much of the piece. A third bench, up the slope, includes a cocktail or beer bar.

If he had his way, Mr. Boym, who was born in Russia, would also have included Soviet-style statues a worker or a girl with an oar but they are not so easy to find, he said.

Twenty-five miles northeast of Esopus, in the Columbia County hamlet of Elizaville, N.Y., Peter Matthiessen Wheelwright was finding it necessary to finish his second novel. An emeritus architecture professor at Parsons School of Design in New York, he had been working on the book for six years and had hit a dry patch when the pandemic struck. Mr. Wheelwright bolted with his wife, Eliza, for their little gambrel-roofed house on 200 acres. They had bought the property, a former marijuana farm, in 1986, after it was seized by the authorities.

I wanted a place to really get out and howl at the moon, he said. But with children and grandchildren swarming in less than 2,000 square feet, there was no quiet place to write.

As an architect, Ive never really had a chance to do a little free-standing thing for myself, he said, making it doubly rewarding to design a tiny studio with a sleeping loft. Construction began with the first Covid-19 stirrings, so he was able to secure most of the materials and labor before they were swamped by demand. The building is heated with a Danish wood-burning stove and has hot and cold water supplied by an office water cooler mounted over a sink that drains into a downspout. There is also a composting toilet and an elevated deck pierced by a fire cherry tree.

The job wrapped up in six months, a labor of love but not economy. Its the famous triad that good architects will explain to their clients, he said. You want it fast, you want it cheap, you want it well done. Pick two.

Mr. Wheelwright wanted it fast and with high-quality windows and doors, an angled ceiling and bead-board paneling instead of Sheetrock. He estimated the cost at $150,000 to $160,000.

Eight months later, his book was done. The Door-Man, a multigenerational saga that centers on the fossil discoveries of the real-life 20th-century paleontologist Winifred Goldring, is due out on Feb. 1 from Fomite Press.

A bit south, in the Dutchess County town of Rhinebeck, N.Y., Calvin Tsao and Zack McKown were also galloping to complete a small outbuilding on a large, rural parcel. The New York-based architects, along with their domestic partner and financial manager, David Poma, had been occupying a renovated gatehouse on 82 acres of protected land as their weekend home, but its 800 square feet left no room for hobbies, much less work. Limited by covenant to 600 square feet for the new structure, they laid out three small studios side by side, connected by a pair of bathrooms, one with a toilet, the other with a shower.

We wanted to use every bit of space, Mr. Tsao said. I always thought that corridors were pointless. The trio of rooms can also be reached from a common screened porch at the end.

The building looks out to an apple orchard and is painted a color based on tree-bark samples collected by the architects and mixed by Benjamin Moore. Six hundred square feet for a studio is not meant to be a razzmatazz design statement, Mr. Tsao said. It is meant to blend in with the flora.

The building nevertheless had a razzmatazz price $350,000 despite the use of engineered flooring, supplies from the local lumberyard and hardware store, and only a slight indulgence in Heath tiles for the bathrooms. The cost of construction is just skyrocketing, Mr. Tsao said.

A bit of the budget was shaved when they needed a column for the breezeway. We just bought a tree trunk for, like, $12, he said.

Started before the pandemic, the house was finished in May 2020, becoming a remote office, where the partners work on projects like rebuilding the National Palace Museum in Taipei, Taiwan.

The rural setting has rubbed off on them in profound ways; they are reclaiming oversight of the apple orchard, which had been outsourced to a local farmer, and turning it organic. We want to spend more time here to truly understand what agrarian life and culture is about, Mr. Tsao said.

Architecture is among the most restless of professions, with its far-flung client meetings and site visits. For an architect, to be locked down in a well-appointed studio is likely to feel unnatural. To be locked down in ones home could easily shade into torture.

I was working in about 15 square feet in my bedroom, and trying to coordinate showers and changing clothes and making the bed, Ryan Mullenix, a partner at the Seattle architecture firm NBBJ, recalled about the period in which he was under one roof with his wife and three remote-schooled children. What emerged out of desperation (plus an architect-build-it-thyself urge) was a 70-square-foot free-standing office in his backyard in suburban Bellevue, Wash.

The co-lead of NBBJs corporate design practice, Mr. Mullenix was like a scientist dosing himself with his own serum. His advice for clients trying to adapt workplaces for the future, he said, is to test it dont try to make it perfect the first time out. His little office is a model of minimalism just waiting to be tweaked.

Begun in June 2020, the project took a year to complete, with materials costing about $10,000. Mr. Mullenix did the work himself in his leisure hours, aided sometimes by friends and a professional electrician. He made dozens of trips to Home Depot and sanctioned only two custom moments in the form of a pair of sliding-glass doors for views and cross-ventilation. And, OK, the floor has radiant heat.

Two hours west of Seattle, at the tip of the Toandos Peninsula, Kristen Becker has spent her pandemic weekends learning to use a chain saw, drive a tractor and demolish a carport. This knowledge has all been in the service of renovating an old house that she and her husband, Saul Becker, bought three years ago after learning that it had once belonged to Mr. Beckers grandfather, who gambled it away in a drunken poker game. The couple, partners in the Seattle-based architecture and design company Mutuus Studio, paid $139,000 for the dilapidated three-story building, which had been abandoned for a decade. Gradually, they fixed it up as a weekend retreat and design laboratory.

Aiming for a cabin vibe, the couple created a sleeping loft for their two children that was open to the kitchen, to voices and evening conversations, to the sound of the fire crackling, Ms. Becker said. On the lower level, they furnished a game room with a free pool table they were offered unexpectedly one night, and dismantled and carted home. (Ms. Becker was in heels.)

As for the experimental part, Ive been suspending metal lampshades in the canal and growing barnacles on them as part of making fixtures for the house, said Mr. Becker, who trained as an artist and designs lighting for the company. His laminated linen and canvas panels, reminiscent of fine-art paintings and proletarian drop cloths (he has experience with both), were used on lamps and kitchen cabinet fronts. The crushed shells of oysters pulled out of the bay nearby became countertop material.

Ms. Becker calls the vintage finds she likes to collect and restore puppies. She described the house as a very large puppy.

Its going to be endless, a lifetime project, she said. Check back next year.

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What Designers Have Been Doing at Home During the Pandemic - The New York Times

College of The Albemarle (COA) administrators, Dare County elected officials, builders and students gathered at the Professional Arts Building at the Manteo campus for the wire cutting ceremony for the new electrical lab on Wednesday afternoon, January 12, 2022.

COA President Jack Bagwell gave the welcome. It is awesome to grow and expand the campus, he said. This is an example of what we can do when we partner together.

Many members of the Dare County Board of Commissioners were present to celebrate the event. The Dare County Guarantee Scholarship program, funded by Dare County, provides qualified students with the ability to attend COA for free.

There are lots of exciting thing going on in Dare County, and we are blessed to be here. This is just a beginning step, theres more to come, Bagwell said. One year ago, the campus opened its new welding lab and this spring a ribbon cutting ceremony is planned for the opening of the new state-of-the-art academic building currently under construction in Manteo, which will open to students in the fall.

Robert Woodard, the chair of Dare County Board of Commissioners, talked about the countys contribution and vision. We are providing an opportunity at our location for students to obtain skills for a trade-based job. It is of utmost importance to retain students. Dare County needs skilled labor and it will also boost our local economy. We are stepping up to the plate and offering trades more and more, Woodard said.

We are living in truly remarkable times. We are blessed to live in Dare County today. We are looking forward to seeing this new facility full of new students and seeking opportunities that are available to our children in Dare County, Woodard continued.

Next, COA Dean Tim Sweeney introduced Dave Stormont of the Outer Banks Home Builders Association, whose speech answered the question: What does the new lab means for students? We have more work here [in the county] than we can deliver. There is more demand than there is labor. And were not getting ahead in that, were getting farther behind, Stormont said. Citing the age of the majority in the electrician work force mid 40s and 50s Thats concerning, he said. Thats a sign that we need to make some changes. This lab is a first effort.

Stormont talked about the good income possible with trades, and the almost guarantee of full employment because of the growth of the county and the increased demand for labor.

After passing out honorary COA Alumni Association certificates and hats to builders Matt Neal, Jake Overton, Duke Geraghty and Dave Stormont and to Chris ONeill from Kellogg Supply Company for their donations, it was time to cut the wires.

Doing the honors were theDean of Business, Industry and Applied Technologies Michelle Waters, COA President Dr. Jack Bagwell, Dare County Board of Commissioners Chairman Bob Woodard, Outer Banks Home Builders Association member Dave Stormont, general manager of Suburban Electric and new COA electrical instructor Mark Melton, builder Duke Geraghty and COA Dean Tim Sweeney.

Three wires were cut, after which visitors and students were invited inside to tour the new electrical lab. The first course offered in the lab is Intro to Electrical: Residential Basics. The classes began January 17 and runs through May 12, meeting two evenings a week.

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New College of The Albemarle electrical lab celebrated with wire cutting ceremony - The Coastland Times | The Coastland Times - The Coastland Times