Home grown… natural timber and corrugated iron walls give Bald Hills B&B a cosy ambience.
Hilda Quiroga discovers quirky and luxe touches in an eco-friendly house.
Is it a horse? Is it a pony? a clumsy jumble of legs, flapping ears and drooling jowls comes galloping towards me. I brace for the impact and in the tangled mess of arms, legs, tail and drool, I almost tread on Buster, or is it Poppy? It’s a good thing Ian from Bald Hills B&B has already checked in an email beforehand that we are comfortable with dogs, in this case a great dane and two chihuahuas.
The house was a labour of love for Ian, a stonemason, and his partner, Leanne. it has been operating as a bed and breakfast since last November and its close proximity to the historic town of Beechworth and the popular Stanley Pub means it well booked.
The care and thoughtfulness of the design is evident throughout; it feels like a grown-up’s tree house, with nooks and crannies, a loft for kids, eclectic furnishings, Aboriginal art and a cool 1950s cocktail cabinet that belonged to Ian’s dad. the bench-top bar once lived at the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. there is even an old, huge surgery lamp that swivels and is attached to a wooden beam.
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The house is a homage to the native trees that surround the property: exposed beams of red gum, blue gum, yellow box – the wood sourced from fallen trees or recycled. Corrugated, galvanised iron makes up the walls and ceiling, not a scrap of plaster to be found. the house has a five-star energy rating and is self-sufficient for water. LED floor lighting adds to the cosy ambience, as do the wood-fired stove, leather couches and the many books that are tucked away in a loft.
And then we ate the kitchen is fully stocked with a walk-in pantry, an industrial-size stove-top and all the modern cooking implements you will need. If the idea of cooking is too much to bear, then wander along to the nearby Stanley, a local pub that is winning many hearts.
The deal maker We stay in the East Wing; bi-fold doors open out to the pool and outdoor decking. the bathroom has a deep, free-standing stone bath and a marble shower with a generous shower head.
From our red wood-framed queen-size bed, my partner spots a potoroo and, as dusk descends, a mob of kangaroos gracefully hops by. in the stillness of the night, we hear the rush of the nearby Stanley Gorge, not the easiest to access, we’re told. the West Wing is suitable for families and can accommodate up to four adults and four children, who get a secret loft and plenty of board games.
Stepping out it feels like staying at a friend’s; the morning is spent chatting over coffee with Ian and then walking through the wet, glistening forest with rays of sunlight playing with the curls of smoke from the chimney.
We’re sad to leave but we have a lovely drive through chestnut orchards to enjoy and we take a piece of Bald Hills with us – a car boot stuffed with donated wood for my partner, a wood-carver.
Weekends away are reviewed anonymously and paid for by Traveller.
VISITORS’ BOOK
Bald Hills Bed and Breakfast
Address 570 Myrtleford-Stanley Road, Stanley.
The Verdict a luxurious “tree house” in beautiful surrounds.
Cost $600 weekend rate for the East Wing (suitable for a couple) or $640 weekend rate for the West Wing (four adults and up to four children). less for week-night stays. Pets welcome. Fully self-contained.
Power to the people … Lee and Rochelle Stewart with Jade, two, and Blake, 10 months, at their rented Naremburn home.
Energy ombudsmen are girding themselves for a flood of complaints as consumers open the first bills bearing the full impact of the latest electricity price rises.
In NSW, the energy and water Ombudsman, Clare Petre, is predicting a 30 per cent rise in complaints in the next 12 months as people go into bill shock, while her Victorian counterpart, Cynthia Gebert, thinks the load may increase by 20 per cent to 25 per cent.
This is after approved price rises averaging 18 per cent in NSW and ranging up to 14 per cent in Victoria, where retail prices are not regulated. this comes on top of rises of a similar scale last year.
”There’s an enormous amount of anxiety in the community and people are querying their bills more,” Petre says. that focus will lead to an increase in disputed bills and, even when bills are correct, to elevated complaints about customer service.
Complaints are also bound to flow from the increased marketing to consumers that’s evident at the moment and, later, from customers disappointed that a deal was not quite what they thought it would be, she says.
On the plus side, it is a great time to negotiate with energy suppliers – potentially playing one against the other as the offers flow.
”It’s a very competitive market in NSW,” Petre says. ”Retailers are very keen to hold on to customers and others are very keen to get them.”
With retailers changing prices more independently in Victoria, Gebert says there is also good reason to shop around there.
The chief executive of the independent research group the Climate Institute, John Connor, says taking control of your power use and investing in energy efficiency are other ways to offset the price increases.
Connor offers the reality check that electricity accounts for just 2 per cent of the average household’s budget, according to Bureau of Statistics data.
That means one further option is to offset your higher electricity bill with savings in other categories of spending, he says.
TRICKS OF THE TRADE
Electricity consumers have the choice of buying their power on a regulated contract or on a market contract.
The price rises that have been making headlines refer to the regulated price, and it may be possible to cut your bill by changing to a market contract. if you are already on a market contract, you may be able to find a provider with a better offer – the key word being ”better”.
Petre and Gebert say they get complaints from people disappointed that an offer did not turn out to be what they thought.
”What consumers think they’re getting and what they get when they do receive that first bill can vary quite a bit,” Gebert says.
That can be because the fine print makes the contract less generous than it might seem at first glance.
For instance, the discount offered may not apply to your total bill but only to your actual usage, rather than service fees and other charges.
Depending on your pattern of usage, you might be better off switching to a provider with less onerous fees, even if they are offering a smaller discount on usage, or to a provider who has a lower base rate anyway.
Under some contracts you may lose some or all of your discount if you don’t pay your bill on time (also incurring a late payment fee). There may be a fee for paying by credit card.
The highly publicised one Big Switch campaign, for instance, has been criticised for trumpeting discounts of 16 per cent to 18 per cent when, according to one analysis of the scenario for customers in western Sydney, that discount is calculated off a rate that is higher than the regulated tariff to start with. Also, some of the fixed charges are comparatively high and the discount slumps to 3 per cent if payment is late.
”I’d encourage consumers to understand their bill as much as they can,” Gebert says of the need to study any contract closely.
”How much of their bill is usage – therefore, how much can they control – versus fixed charges?”
Petre says complaints also arise about energy contracts when people discover discounts do not necessarily apply to future price increases.
”People get upset when they think they’ve signed up for a fixed contract … but it actually says network price increases are excluded and will be passed on,” Petre says.
Termination fees are another tripwire.
The ombudsmen say that before signing a new contract you should check whether your previous contract has run its course and, if not, the extent of any termination fees. Those fees could more than wipe out the gain from a new deal.
Petre is also concerned about problems with the automatic renewal of contracts – something that was intended to protect consumers from defaulting to a more expensive regulated rate but which is having some unintended consequences.
”The retailer may write to you and say, ‘Your contract’s coming up for conclusion. you can renew or you can go elsewhere, but if we don’t hear from you we will roll over your contract.’ many customers contact us to say they didn’t get that letter, they didn’t know the contract had been rolled over, they switched and then they got a letter saying, ‘Please pay this termination fee’.”
HARD SELL
Working all this out when a marketer comes knocking on your door can be a big ask, but that is the approach some energy providers take.
”Standing on your front doorstep and trying to understand the complexities of the electricity industry is challenging for anyone, I’d suggest,” Gebert says.
”We’d encourage consumers not to sign anything until they’re completely comfortable.” that applies even if the sales patter is that this is a ”once-only” limited offer. Take time out to read the contract closely and do your own sums, using your past bills, to ensure you get a true comparison.
If you do sign up during one these visits, be aware that a cooling-off period of 10 business days applies to door-to-door sales and you should be given the paperwork for this during the visit.
The industry, in light of growing complaints, has a new code of practice aimed at improving door-to-door marketing standards. this provides for the deregistering of individual door-to-door marketers if they breach the code – for instance, by making misleading statements. The code is available at energyassured.com.au.
The chief executive of the Handle my Complaint service, Jo Ucukalo, says it pays to keep a copy of everything a marketer gives you.
If you decide to opt out of a contract within the cooling-off period, also keep a copy of the form you submit to rescind your decision.
Whenever a salesperson makes an assertion, get it in writing, Ucukalo says. on the phone, ask for the representative’s name and employee number, and keep your own record of what was agreed. And if they tell you the information is ”in the system”, insist on written confirmation.
EMPOWER YOURSELF
The ombudsman services have also been receiving complaints about ”comparison” services (although they refer such complaints to fair trading or financial services authorities).
”Our main concern is the lack of comprehensive information and independence,” Petre says.
”We know that they don’t represent all retailers in the market.”
The Federal Court last month ordered Energy Watch (now in liquidation) to pay $1.95 million for falsely representing that its service compared the rates of all or many of the energy providers in a consumer’s area, when in fact it only compared rates from retailers with which it had commercial agreements.
In NSW, Petre points people to the impartial comparison service provided by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) at myenergyoffers.nsw.gov.au. And in Victoria, the Essential Services Commission has a similarly independent and full comparison tool at yourchoice.vic.gov.au.
As for cutting your usage, Connor says that may be about ”having a fresh look at what comfort means” and turning the clock back to the days when people wore another layer rather than turning on the heater.
Shift energy use to cheaper times of the day if you have access to off-peak tariffs, Connor says.
This could be as simple as putting the washing machine on before you go to bed (using the cold-water cycle). Invest in energy efficiency in the form of products such as energy-saving power boards and high-efficiency downlights, he says. Get rid of the second fridge and turn appliances off at the wall so you are not using standby power.
According to IPART, the biggest users of energy are hot water (31 per cent), refrigeration (14 per cent) heating (12 per cent), TV and entertainment (10 per cent) and lighting (7 per cent).
Swimming pools, hot water systems, second fridges and spas use a lot of energy, it says, along with airconditioners, clothes dryers and even dishwashers.
Energy companies provide power-saving ideas on their websites, or you can get specific advice by arranging an energy audit of your home or conducting one yourself using a template such as the one at aglsmarterliving.com.au/home-energy-audit/do-it-yourself.
Back to basics – everything old is new again
Lee Stewart estimates that he has cut his power use by about 20 per cent, even as a tenant who can’t make big changes to his home.
Stewart lives in rented accommodation in north Sydney with his wife and young children and has relied on simple, low-cost and non-invasive steps – such as draught-proofing, insulating the hot-water cylinder, using the sun to dry clothes, installing energy-efficient light bulbs and turning off appliances at the wall – to save standby power.
He has removed two of the four bulbs from the ceiling heat lamp in the bathroom without affecting his family’s comfort.
Part of his approach is about returning to the practices of his parents, Stewart says, such as turning off the light when leaving a room and heating only one room in winter.
“I guess I was frustrated at not owning a home and therefore not being able to take advantage of these solar schemes, etc, so I decided to get stuck in,” says Stewart, who last year trained with American climate-change campaigner Al Gore to be a volunteer “climate leader”.
Big savings from extra insulation
Danielle King says she’s halved her energy use by retrofitting the family room, saving nearly $2000 on power bills in the two years since her renovations.
King installed double glazing and insulation, draught-proofed the room, installed more energy-efficient lighting and reinstated a door to the hallway. “The house was very cold and draughty,” King says.
Now she can close the door and keep the family room warm. “Open plan is lovely – you get that sense of space and freedom – but from a thermal point of view, it’s a nightmare,” King, who works as a sustainability adviser, says.
“You can’t keep a house warm when it’s open plan.”
She says the family room is now about eight degrees warmer than the rest of the house in winter. Adjustable shading means airconditioning is not required in summer.
This week at the LED show in Las Vegas the CEO of Switch Lighting, Tracy Bilbrough, explained the company’s secret sauce. Interestingly enough, “sauce” isn’t too far from the truth — Switch’s LED bulbs are filled with a liquid that is used to cool the components inside. now we know a little bit more about the highly-awaited bulbs, though the product line has yet to be made available for purchase by consumers.
Until this point the company has been quiet about the liquid they used though they were always sure to note that the material was non-hazardous. It turns out that Switch’s patented “LQD Cooling System” uses a liquid silicone that is non-conductive, non-toxic, and won’t even stain your rug if you break a bulb. the liquid is also a “completely safe, food-grade product” so breaking one won’t require you to call in a haz-mat team (but does it make a great salad dressing?).
The second part of the Switch LQD system is the driver. this is the part of the lamp that converts the electricity and powers the LED array. Drivers need to stay reasonably cool for bulbs to operate properly, even though Switch’s does not come into direct contact with the liquid coolant (the driver is hidden away in the base). the release did not specifically mention anything that would set Switch’s driver apart from the competition’s offerings and the transcript of Bilbrough’s talk is not yet available.
The combination of the two makes for what Switch calls the “best in-class thermal management” and a cooling solution that is 40% more efficient than air-cooling. Presumably that means 40% better performance than passive air cooling, as opposed to an active solution like that by Nuventix, but either way the company is quietly confident in its abilities to cool the LEDs and driver. Better cooling means longer-lasting LEDs, but it also opens the door for pushing fewer LEDs harder, which is an ideal way to drive down bulb posts if Switch wanted to pursue that route. With an expected price of $40 for the 40W-equivalent Switch40 this might be worth exploring (though, to be fair, that was the expected price I was told late last year).
Switch’s LED bulbs have been delayed multiple times, but they are said to be available commercially right now and in use in certain hotels. when Geek.com covered Switch in November 2011 the company said to expect availability for consumers in January 2012, but the bulbs have yet to be released.
Jeanie Wyatt, CFA, CEO, and CIO of South Texas Money Management, a value and growth disciplined fund, sat down with Kapitall to share a comprehensive strategy that Main Street investors will be hard-pressed to ignore.
Growth vs. valueAccording to Ms. Wyatt, by investing in both value and growth names, no matter the size, sector, or country, investors can accomplish lower volatility and achieve a natural hedge in their portfolios.
Additionally, Wyatt found a measurable benefit to keeping exposure to each sector to a minimum. “Whenever there’s a correction, there’s a correction in a highly weighted sector. Even with very conservative stocks like Colgate and Proctor & Gamble (PG), as well as the technology sector.” she adds, “It can really punish your performance when a sector goes out of favor, even if you have the best stocks in that sector.”
Her response is to invest no more than 15% in any sector at a time. A decision, she says, that has helped to lessen volatility. “We had a research firm go back 10 years and rebalance quarterly to see what would be the sector rule to give return and lower volatility. They said you would not put more than 10% in any sectors. so we went back 20 years and came to the same conclusion, and it was even more meaningful than the 10-year study… to control your risk you have to control your sectors.”
Click here for more details on the STMM’s investing strategy, as explained by Jim Kee, Chief Economist and President of the firm.
Avoiding commodities and Chinese stock exposureIn mid-2011, the consequences of overbuilding real estate in China, and the subsequent pullback, were felt around the globe. All economies felt a ripple from the drop in raw material demand, and analysts loudly predicted a hard landing for China.
Fortunately, these doomsday predictions didn’t pan out in full. China has certainly slowed its growth, but is not in a recession. But as a global driver of growth, a slowdown in China has impacted most commodities, from gold and oil to cotton, all of which had a huge run over the past few years thanks to Chinese demand.
Wyatt says her firm has acted cautiously about growth trends in China by avoiding Chinese stock exposure and holding back on commodities. “Bill Gross famously says real investments like commodities are a good place to put your money, but we disagree.” for example, Oil prices have been so volatile, sweet crudewent from $106 per barrel to $78 in a matter of a few months. “Sure, it had a bounce over the Iran conflict, but we generally think oil has downward price momentum.”
Industry and stock favorites“We like consumer discretionary areas,” says Wyatt, despite the sector’s heavy sell-off this summer. “The Gap (GPS) looks really good, the stock is breaking out. It had this headwind of high commodity cotton prices for years, but now prices have fallen and it will be the beneficiary of lower prices. Furthermore, they have outside consultants to help refresh and redesign their brand, and they’re very successful oversees and at franchising their stores.”
Other discretionary names of note are Bed Bath and Beyond, which has sold off a lot, Staples, and Lowe’s. she says U.S. consumer may soon benefit from low commodity prices, low mortgages prices and some stabilization in housing.
In technology, she likes Nice Systems, a sophisticated software developer that addresses online security. “It’s expensive on a P/E valuation [$38.51], but it’s growing. Revenue lines and earnings are growing. Our philosophy is that you’re going to have to pay more for it.”
Technology in carsThe latest technology trends in cars are creating renewed demand for autos, and several technology firms stand to benefit from implementation. “Tech in autos must be everybody’s must have. We’re buying up both.”
“There’s so much tech being put in cars today. the average cars have 130k miles on it, and a lot of new models coming out make people jazzed to get new cars for themselves.” We can expect several new models and model remakes to be on the market between 2014 and 2016.
Tech beneficiaries: Apple, and some of big auto part manufactures like Magna International, General Motors, and Ford have their own propriety technology. for example, GM has OnStar, and Ford’s proprietary tech is called SYNC. “And let’s not forget Google (GOOG)’s leap into auto with their self-driving cars, which “is absolutely a reality within the next 10 years.”
Automakers: Wyatt says that although General Motors and Ford share prices have dropped considerably their sales have been improving. Emerging economy sales are good, but it’s much more important how they’re doing in the U.S.
“It’s interesting, GM’s balance sheet is stronger than Ford’s, but Ford is more aggressive as an automaker. the breakeven is much lower now for both of them, and they’re really working on making progress on pension liabilities. Both will be beneficiaries of demand for technology.”
Most recent tradesMost recent buy: Block trades on the Gap and Bed Bath and beyond. STMM is also looking into, but not currently buying, Pier 1 Imports (PIR), citing that their conservative and upbeat management has “done a great job in online retailing.” she says they’re completely revamping how they display their merchandise, with more lighting and elevated shelf space. They’re also closing unprofitable stores.
Most recent sale: Raymond James Financial. Wyatt says STMM is really cautious on financial stocks. Perhaps more importantly, it had already hit their price target. “It was up 50%. Before we buy something we pick a minimum upside of 25% target price. When it hits that target price we sell.”
Another major sale was Comcast. “It was a good name and we liked media because it was more defensive in a slow economic cycle. It’s currently facing a huge pending lawsuit with Supreme Court. It was safest to just go ahead and book our profit.”
Business section: Investing ideasAre you looking to follow the investing advice of Jeanie Wyatt, CFA and South Texas Money Management? In addition to the insights and recent trades mentioned above, we list STMM’s top 10 holding below. the firm holds roughly 175 positions in total.
South Texas Money Management has done considerable research on each of these names, and feels confident in their ability to meet high standards in growth and value. what do you think? (Click here to access free, interactive tools to analyze these ideas.)
International Business Machines
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
Technology SPDR
iShares S&P SmallCap 600 Index
Texas Instruments
Archer Daniels Midland
Unitedhealth Group
Hancock Holding
FedEx
Patterson-UTI Energy
Interactive Chart: Press Play to compare changes in analyst ratings over the last two years for the stocks mentioned above. Analyst ratings sourced from Zacks Investment Research.
Kapitall’s Rebecca Lipman does not own any of the shares mentioned above. Data sourced from MyPlanIQ and Finviz. For more data on new positions, visit J3sg.com.
Established in 2005, the Twilight Artist Collective at 4306 S.W. Alaska St. is for sale at a price of $30,000, according to the owners.
The Junction art collective was created by local artists Mary Enslow, Cheryl Robinson and Erin Staffeld with the goal of “providing the venue for artists to share inspiration, expose people to original ideas through art, and build a sustainable artist community.”
“The time has come for Mary Enslow, Cheryl Robinson, and Erin Staffeld to pass the TwAC torch! Life has opened some new doors for us all and we’re personally headed in some wonderful new directions – babies, different art ventures, and the great unknown!
We are EXCITED (and a little sad too), to announce that Twilight Artist Collective is ready for some fresh blood.
Twilight Artist Collective is on the market for $30,000, and this will include the following:- Ownership of an existing and viable business with eight years of retail history.- Continued Membership/Consignment relationships with our 100+ local artists, if they wish to extend their contracts with you.- all intellectual properties- Our mailing list of 1,700+ (active since 2005)- Our complete media list of 40+ contacts- Twitter followers of 2,800+ (active since 2009)- Facebook fans of 1,100+. (active since 2006)- all fixtures, displays and supplies.- Our complete Quickbooks system for artist memberships, inventory, consignment payments, and general bookkeeping.- Our custom-built storefront neon sign (cut steel & neon) by Western Neon ($5,000 value).- all rights and access to TwAC owned and created branding/promotional materials (logo, marketing designs, business branding, custom templates).- Ownership of our website, newly updated and redesigned with content management, in April 2011 ($8,500 value).- A special offered 5-year lease locked at our current monthly rate (provided you meet the financial requirements), to include two 5-year options.- An ideal gallery/boutique space, specially built-out in November-December 2007 which includes gallery track lighting, professional custom hanging rails, new wood floors, bathroom and sink, utility sink, extra storage room, complete stereo system, and updated fixtures and more ($16,000 value).- assistance and ownership training from us (if desired) to ensure a smooth transition of power for up to three months.
This has been a most fantastic and educating journey for us. We survived the recession and even grew into two locations for a time. We have learned so much over the last eight years and are proud to say that Twilight Artist Collective is doing better than it ever has.
We are hopeful that TwAC will be able to go on under new ownership and continue to grow each year as it has every previous year. Twilight is an amazing business with a strong local and regional fan base. it has become an important part of the Seattle art community and an asset to our regional artists.
This will take someone (or some people) with a deep passion for art, dedication to up-and-coming artists, fresh ideas, and creative energy to continue this mission: “We are focused on providing the venue for artists to share inspiration, expose people to original ideas through art, and build a sustainable artist community. We are committed to making art a part of our everyday lives, and strive to be the catalyst for a greater collection, exhibition, and appreciation for funky, fresh urban art.”
We invite all seriously interested people who have a similar dream to contact us.
Please contact us via email to set up an appointment to discuss details: info@twilightart.net”
FiatJim never has a second espresso when he’s driving my car.Have you ever been driving 70 miles an hour through the rolling hills of Highway 290 and thought to yourself, “You know what I desperately need right now at this second? an espresso!” But when you have this thought, it’s not a drive-through Starbucks that you have on the brain, it’s the home-brewed kind. And when you’re thinking home, you really mean car. if you didn’t follow any of that, that is okay; the entire concept is nonsensical.
This week Fiat announced that its new 500L would feature an espresso machine, stating that it would be “the first standard-production car in the world to offer a true espresso coffee machine.” What was the first standard-production car in the world to offer a fake espresso coffee machine?
Just when you thought driving couldn’t get any more dangerous and distracting, let’s add insult to injury by giving folks the option of brewing coffee while behind the wheel. Lavazza, an Italian coffee chain, is building the machine and it will use coffee pods, which have grown in popularity over the past year. You can argue that using those coffee pods is a simple one-handed job, but that hand should probably be on your steering wheel and/or finding a good channel on the radio/calling your mom/finding directions on your phone/putting on your makeup.
Apparently the espresso machine won’t make it to the U.S. version of the 500 due to apprehension over driver safety. I give kudos to the United States for understanding what a horribly bad idea this is. No one needs an espresso machine in his or her car.
Like so many of the worst ideas that are conceived, in theory they are good ideas, but they should call it quits in the novelty stage. There are many bad ideas that have gotten the green light over the years; here are our top five.
5. AsbestosDon’t take that mask off.When asbestos was invented, it seemed to be a good idea. Asbestos became the insulation of choice in the late 1800s due to its “sound absorption, average tensile strength, its resistance to fire, heat, electrical and chemical damage, and affordability.” What no one realized then was that when you needed to do work on the asbestos-lined areas, the fibers became toxic and in some cases deadly. Inhalation of asbestos can cause clubhand, meaning your fingers clubbing together into one giant claw. the EPA banned most products that used asbestos in the late 1980s, but the damage was done. Testing the product on human beings prior to deployment must not have been on their radar.
4. OlestraToo good to be trueDo you remember when Olestra (Olean) products hit the market in the late 1990s? It felt like a miracle. Through the divine intervention of science, they found a way to make potato chips without fat or cholesterol. Hallelujah, we were saved. Sadly, these chips were not the second coming but more like causing you to run feverishly to the bathroom for the second time in ten minutes.
TOWN OF LONDONDERRYADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW COMMITTEEThe Londonderry Administrative Review Committee will hold a Public Hearing for a Minor Site plan on Thursday, March 1, 2012 at 9:00 a.m. in the Elwood Conference Room, 268B Mammoth Road, Londonderry, NH to consider the following:MINOR SITE PLANDerry Plaza, LLC (Owner), Map 10 Lot 139 – Application Acceptance and Public Hearing for a proposed small addition in the back of the building at 10 Nashua Road, Zoned C-II.
TOWN OF LONDONDERRYPLANNING BOARDThe Londonderry Planning Board will hold a Public Hearing on Wednesday, March 7, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. in the Moose Hill Council Chambers, 268B Mammoth Road, Londonderry, NH to consider the following:NEW PLANS/PUBLIC HEARINGS7:00 Administrative Board WorkA. Pillsbury Realty Development, LLC, Map 10, Lots 15, 23, 29C-2A, 29C-2B, 41, 41-1, 41-2, 42, 45, 46, 47, 48, 50, 52, 54-1, 58, 59, and 62 – Application Acceptance and Public hearing for formal review of the Woodmont Commons planned Unit Development (PUD) Master plan [Continued from the January 30, 2012 (February 8, 2011) Planning Board Meeting.]
CHATTANOOGA, TN (WRCB) — the possibilities are promising for the group hoping to revitalize Chattanooga's Glass Street. Green space and retail space are just a few of the ideas being thrown around, as Glass House Collective makes strides to revamp the area.
The organization set up shop on Glass Street about 6 months ago and is already making progress.
Recently, Glass House Collective secured a $300,000 grant for revitalization and it is already putting the money to good use.
“Years ago when I first moved here, there were grocery stores, dry cleaners,” says Verlene Middlebrooks.
Middlebrooks is the vice president of the Glass Farm District and has lived there for 26 years.
She and others remember the days of thriving business on Glass Street, now abandoned and full of empty storefronts.
“I believe in the power of creativity to transform, so Glass House is really driving that belief,” says Katherine Currin, Director of Glass House Collective.
The group already held a block party in April to spur momentum and is now hosting a 10-week business course for area entrepreneurs.
“We've just been doing a lot of outreach and really just building relationships and getting to know our neighbors,” says Currin.
Now it is putting a $300,000 ArtPlace grant to good use.
As a part of the American Institute of Architects convention in Chattanooga, Glass House brought in 8 teams of architects and urban designers to submit plans to give Glass Street a facelift.
“We asked the architects to develop ideas that were lighter, quicker and cheaper,” says Currin.
The architects presented their plans at the convention, including pocket parks and new retail space, all in the hopes of drumming up new business.
“They provide the community with some ideas that the community can then refine and draw from and take to action,” says Currin.
And the action can not come soon enough for those in the historic community.
“I think what they're trying to do is going to really help us in this area because prior to them coming no one knew where Glass Farm was or even where Glass Street was,” says Middlebrooks.
Glass House will spend this grant over the next year.
While building facelifts are part of the long term plans, some immediate changes coming in the next few months include changes to the streetscape, with new creative lighting and benches.
With all the home renovation shows on television these days, numerous property owners cannot help but seriously consider renovating and remodeling their kitchens or bathrooms. Renovating can immediately provide a fresh look to any kitchen or bathroom, causing occupants to feel more relaxed and comfortable. When done accurately, it can also help improve a home’s resale value.
However, when it comes to home improvement, there are key elements to take into account. No matter how much we would like to follow the alluring styles we observe on TV, remodeling a kitchen or a bathroom often comes down to budgeting. here are several main factors of successful bathroom and kitchen remodeling that won’t break your budget.
Bathrooms and kitchens should be functional and feasible. for instance, it’s foolish to remove kitchen countertops just because they don’t match the intended design or because of space limitations, and result in not having anywhere to place the roasted turkey right after removing it from the oven. meanwhile, for bathrooms, too much concentration on aesthetics may cause someone to neglect the effectiveness of the fan and exhaust system, without which mildew and mold might grow.
Just like how clinics primarily make use of hues of green to stimulate a sense of relaxation and calm, so should you pick a shade for your bathroom or kitchen to bring about an optimistic mood. Powerful shades used in small amounts encourage bursts of vigor in the kitchen, while neutral palettes in bathrooms soothe and give off that spa-like ambiance. some types of bath remodeling naperville residents carry out involve using a light green theme to induce a sense of serenity.
Inspired spaces might be popular today, but classic designs are still the best alternative for most property owners. Additionally, while renovating bathrooms and kitchens are more fun with the use of today’s style ideas, it is best to bear in mind that not all trends will suit your property. Find the type of kitchen remodeling naperville properties need that offers trendy and functional choices for your house.
Kitchens and bathrooms can’t function well without the proper lighting. Fortunately, downers grove kitchen remodeling can maximize the use of natural light by having cabinets installed far from the windows, whereas the bathroom sinks need to have sufficient lighting to prevent shaving nicks and cuts or makeup disasters. for additional information, go to ezinearticles.com/?Kitchen-and-Bathroom-Remodeling&id=4384305
ATLANTA — since relocating from California to Atlanta for her husband’s job, Marty Webb has made plenty of changes to her home — with lighting options never far from her mind.
Over the past two years, the six-bedroom house in Buckhead, Ga., has been painted and several bathrooms have been renovated. along the way, Webb has shopped for decorative lighting fixtures for various rooms.
She bought a more ornate chandelier for her master bathroom but chose a “fun” one for another upstairs bathroom. Recently, Webb found an antiqued mirrored sconce to light the stairway in her home. she bought three.
“Lighting is an easy and relatively inexpensive way to update a room,” Webb said.
Good lighting also is important, said Jim Howard, owner of James Michael Howard Interiors. the right lighting does more than illuminate. it allows you to perform a variety of activities in each room. a lighting fixture, such as a chandelier in the bedroom or bath, also adds drama or a pop of color to a room.
But before you shop for lighting fixtures, do some homework and consider these tips from the American Lighting Association, a Dallas-based trade group.
Determine your needs
• Identify the activities that occur in each room. consider food preparation, grooming, reading and homework.
• Identify which rooms will serve more than a single purpose. those areas will need more than one type of lighting.
• Identify the mood or ambience that you want to create.
• keep in mind that dark colors absorb more light. You may need to provide additional light in rooms with dark wall colors.
Lighting basics
A good lighting plan involves three types of lighting: ambient or general lighting, task and accent.
Ambient lighting provides the room’s overall illumination. it allows you to see and walk around safely. it can include chandeliers, ceiling or wall-mounted fixtures. Ambient lighting also can include recessed or track lighting. Have a central source of ambient lighting in all rooms.
Until this point the company has been quiet about the liquid they used though they were always sure to note that the material was non-hazardous. It turns out that Switch’s patented “LQD Cooling System” uses a liquid silicone that is non-conductive, non-toxic, and won’t even stain your rug if you break a bulb. the liquid is also a “completely safe, food-grade product” so breaking one won’t require you to call in a haz-mat team (but does it make a great salad dressing?).
TOWN OF LONDONDERRYADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW COMMITTEEThe Londonderry Administrative Review Committee will hold a Public Hearing for a Minor Site plan on Thursday, March 1, 2012 at 9:00 a.m. in the Elwood Conference Room, 268B Mammoth Road, Londonderry, NH to consider the following:MINOR SITE PLANDerry Plaza, LLC (Owner), Map 10 Lot 139 – Application Acceptance and Public Hearing for a proposed small addition in the back of the building at 10 Nashua Road, Zoned C-II.