byAlma Abell

Residential painting & decorating in Wakefield includes the interior and exterior of a private dwelling be it a house or flat. Many homeowners see painting of their home to be a natural DIY project, but many are wise enough to hire a residential painter to do the work on their behalf. Those people who do engage professional painters not only get a superior finish and a more professional job all around, they do not put themselves at risk from working on ladders and scaffolding. One genuine benefit of hiring a professional painter is their ability to mix the exact colour you are looking for. Although there are literally hundreds of stock colours that are either pre-mixed or mixed at the shop, there are cases where “close is simply not good enough.” A professional painter also has the skill to create unique textures and finishes as well.

Depending on the size of the contract, one or a number of painters will be assigned to the job. In many case’s exterior painting & decorating in Wakefield is tackled by more than one painter as the weather is a constant concern. The weather of course is not a factor when the painting is to be done inside so one painter is usually tasked for the work unless it is a large-scale project.

One of the things that many people who tackle the painting of their own homes miss completely or do not do properly is the preparation work. Unless the surface has been well prepared, the finished project will not only have a less than perfect look, it will not last near as long before it has to be done again. Professional painters have the know-how, skills and tools that are necessary to sand, fill cracks, prime and prepare interior walls that at one time were wallpapered. In many cases, the homeowner wants to have a unique effect on the walls of one or more rooms, the professional painter knows how to do this.

Residential painters often have a slow time during the cold months of the year. Although the interior is not affected by the weather, the windows of the house should be left open to help eliminate the paint fumes and to help the paint dry.

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By Rebecca Welch

A scandalous abomination now known as the Robie House was completed in 1910. It was a horrible eyesore to the neighbors in Chicago. The Robie house floor plan was the culmination of Frank Lloyd Wright’s ability to think outside the box. It was Prairie style architecture at the height of it’s expression and clashed outrageously with the Gothic manors lined up in Hyde Park at the turn of the century.

The Robie House floor plan, named for its original owner, was the expression of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie Style architecture at its most expansive and expressive. With its low pitched roof cantilevers that hung over literally dozens of oddly sized balconies, it was an outrage to Chicago’s high society Hyde Park neighbors. The hidden front door reached down an alley and rooms radiated from a central fireplace. Bricks were laid in a pattern that highlighted the stretched-out horizontal feel and the living room is on the second floor rather than the main floor as would be expected of most homes.

The Robie House suffered more indignities than just the disdain of the Hyde Park neighbors over the course of its life. Used for a dorm and dining hall for the Chicago Theological Seminary from 1926 to 1959, it was nearly demolished twice to make room for a more normal style dorm. Frank L. Wright, who was in his 90s at the time, protested so loudly that it was spared. Registered as a National Historic Landmark in 1963, demolition of the Robie House floor plan was a subject never raised again.

The floor plan of the Robie House is eccentric to say the least. The interior space speaks to Mr. Wright’s meticulous attention to design detail. The living room is tapered into a prow not unlike a boat with lighting divided into a “sun” type globe fixture in a wooden frame as well as a “moon” fixture located behind panels. The second floor balconies lining an entire side of the house were deteriorating rapidly, which is an unfortunate effect of Wright’s outrageous designs requiring frequent restoration.

For those who would like to visit the Robie House, it’s located on the University of Chicago campus at the corner of Southwood Lawn Avenue and 58th Street. Guided tours are conducted on weekdays every 15 minutes between 11 a.m and 3:30 p.m. Cost is $9.00 for adults and $7.00 for children and senior citizens.

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New Waterfront Development on Lake Livingston Real estate

by

CVS

Cedar Point Changes Hands

Majority control of Cedar Point subdivision changed hands this week when local company Waterfront Development purchased the Dallas-based lender EIC who had foreclosed on the property.

Immediately after completing the purchase, Waterfront Development paid off over $60,000 in back taxes and donated 114 lots to the Property Owners Association; giving them needed Green Belts, parks and several key maintenance areas in the subdivision.

In a separate action, the Property Owners association filed a lawsuit in Polk County Monday 4 December against the former developer, seeking to transfer ownership of the Common Areas from Concord Capital Group as Trustee, directly to the Property Owners Association. The former Developer plagued, by legal problems including criminal indictments, filled bankruptcy on Monday 4 December in a Dallas Court.

Over the weekend, well over half of the property owners in Cedar Point worked together and voted to change their deed restrictions in an effort to protect their common areas and clean up the old and abandoned homes, mobile homes and travel trailers scattered around the community.

Many of our residents were trying to make the subdivision a great place to live however, we needed the help of deed restrictions to eliminate the small percentage of those who are hurting our community, says POA President Bettie Dugan, a long time Cedar Point resident. Our community is working so hard to make life great here, just look at the incredible Christmas lights on the homes and at the entrance. These new deed restrictions will prevent additional mobile homes from being moved into the community while allowing the existing ones which are in good condition to stay in place.

Waterfront Development, through its subsidiary Vacation Home Builders in cooperation with The Von Schmidt Design Group already have two upscale homes under construction in the subdivision, and will begin redevelopment of Cedar Point with the help of the community after the start of the New Year with 12 new homes slated for the first half of 2007.

A separate community Know as the Villages of Cedar Point for over 55 residents is planned with cottages ranging form 900-1400 square feet. Exterior maintenance will be provided allowing people to visit family and travel without worrying about their yards. The undeveloped peninsula, which may represent the largest remaining undeveloped shoreline on the southern half of the lake, is slated to become 55 waterfront lots. Each lot will be over 100 feet wide. This project is slated for February 2007.

Waterfront Development, who will be investing over 7 Million dollars in this project, estimates that new construction over the next three years will add over 32 million dollars to the Polk County tax appraisal rolls, while providing needed new housing to attract affluent Houston buyers as well as Baby Boomer retirees.

Cedar Point is a breathtaking piece of property which we have been interested in for over two years, said Charles Von Schmidt, the companys President. We feel the market is right for a project of this nature and, with the help of local realtors, we will be able to provide jobs, needed tax revenues and additional business for local merchants.

After many years of mismanagement, the combined positive actions and forward thinking of all involved are making the future a lot brighter for Cedar Point.

For more information http://www.vacationhomebuilders.com

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New Waterfront Development on Lake Livingston Real estate