| Small space/big design - Napa designer, contractor creates a ...
Bigger isn't always better. Contractor and home designer Tom Edwards regularly designs and builds 5,000-6,000 square foot homes for clients. So, when it came time to build a home for himself and his wife, Gloria, he knew just what he wanted."Our home is 1,700 square feet, plus a garage and storage," said Edwards. "At the rear of our property we have a modular modified horse barn that gives us 500 square feet for our office."Ingenious design makes both the two-bedroom, two-bath house and office space on North Third Avenue appear larger."Starting with the entrance, the front door is set into an alcove," said Edwards, who has lived in Napa since 1985. "This creates a room outdoors. You step immediately into the dining room. Tall ceilings and French doors to the deck give an open feeling." When the couple bought the one-third acre property, all that stood was a square, concrete block home.
Planning a loft conversion? Remember Part B
Loft conversions are one of the most popular ways of increasing living space for growing families. Empty loft space provides the opportunity to create an extra, virtually self contained, living and sleeping area - perfect for teenagers who can enjoy a taste of independent bedsit life in their own homes. Every year a staggering number of homeowners extend their living area into their lofts, adding both an extra floor and extra value to their homes.
Loft conversions have now come under the scrutiny of the government through its revisions to the part of the Building Regulations which governs fire safety in buildings. The newly revised Part B of the Building Regulations requires fire doors to be fitted on all doors opening onto the staircase of two-storey homes with loft conversions.
Local towns start spring cleaning to get rid of eyesores
ELKVILLE & DOWELL, Ill. - It's that time of year again when we start figuring out what needs to be done to clean things up around our homes. And it's no different for city leaders. They too are planning on doing a little spring-cleaning of their own. The village boards in Elkville and Dowell are planning to remove some eyesores and unwanted debris building up in residents yards. "What we're trying to do is get people to clean up their yards, get rid of the old vehicles sitting in them, and fix up or remove rundown homes," says Elkville Mayor Lance Bedar. And the mayor is teaming up with the mayor in Dowell to work on cleaning up their towns together. Something that some residents say is long overdue. "There's a lot of things around here that need to be cleaned up. Not only for kids safety because we do have a lot of kids walking around here who could be in danger walking on to some properties," says Pamela Groh of Elkville.
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