Homeowners Warned To Beware Of ‘deals’ For Repairs

The Board is warning homeowners to beware of who offer “good deals” on air-conditioning service, roof repairs, painting and remodeling, driveway sealing, and cement work, landscaping and various other types of .

Homeowners, especially , are routinely approached by door-to-door looking to make a quick sale. These usually say they are in the neighborhood and can give you a great price on leftover materials. Often, they ask for full or up front.

All Nevada licensed contractors have a five- issued by the Board. Either call the contractors board or go online, and reference this five-, to make sure a contractor is licensed and in good standing with the board.

Work that is less than $1,000 which does not require a city or county and does not involve electrical, plumbing, air conditioning/heating or does not require a contractor’s license.

However, the contractors board advises homeowners not to use because their work is generally , they are often uninsured and may not maintain workman’s for their employees, and the homeowner may be liable for all injuries to workers. Homeowners who use are not eligible for the Residential Recovery Fund, and by law their contracts are null and void.

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Friday, June 20th, 2008

Hillside Landscaping No Comments

Vizcaya Museum a serene oasis in bustling Miami

MIAMI — A mile from bustling downtown Miami and 10 miles from the pulsating vibes of south Miami Beach lies an oasis of serenity that dates back nearly 100 years, with roots that go back even further.

Vizcaya Museum %26amp; Gardens, the $19 million villa built between 1914 and 1916 by International Harvester vice president James Deering, sits calmly and regally along the banks of Biscayne Bay in Coconut Grove. Vizcaya, which served as Mr. Deering’s winter home until his death in 1925, was built in the image of European villas of the 16th and 17th centuries and featured furnishings and decorative art from those periods.

The original 180-acre grounds also included a farm, livestock, dairy, greenhouse, machine shop, paint and carpentry workshop, and housing for staff. The house had many early-20th-century conveniences such as central heating, two elevators, a system and an automatic electronic switchboard.

After Mr. Deering’s death, a small staff maintained Vizcaya. A devastating hurricane in 1926, however, damaged much of the house and the gardens. Mr. Deering’s heirs continued to try to operate the house as a place for the public until another hurricane in 1935 overwhelmed their efforts. Most of the property was eventually sold for development; Vizcaya covers about 10 acres today. Miami-Dade County purchased the buildings on the property in 1952 for $1 million. Deering’s heirs eventually donated the furnishings and decorative art to the county with the condition that Vizcaya forever remain a public museum.

If you go: Vizcaya Museum %26amp; Gardens

Where: Vizcaya Museum %26amp; Gardens is at 3251 S. Miami Ave., Miami (Coconut Grove).

When: It is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except Christmas.

Price: Tickets are $12 for adults; $5, ages 6 through 12; and free, 5 and younger. 1-305-250-9133; www.vizcayamuseum.org.

Extensive renovation has restored Vizcaya to the way it looked during Mr. Deering’s lifetime, although the signature open-air courtyard is now enclosed to protect it from the environs. Thirty-four of its more than 70 rooms are open to the public, with more to be opened soon.

What is available, however, is awe-inspiring. Mr. Deering himself found many of the furnishings for Vizcaya while he was on trips to Europe, or he used what he saw for inspiration in his new home. The entrance features an Italian marble statue of Bacchus, the Roman god of wine, while the three-dimensional design of the floor was inspired by those of ancient Rome.

The library boasts English neoclassic design, and the music room is decorated in Italian rococo style and holds a 1619 harpsichord.

In the dining room are two 16th-century tapestries that depict the great works of Hermes, messenger of the gods. The tapestries once belonged to poets Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

The second floor of Vizcaya has the bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. No bedroom, though, was more splendid than Mr. Deering’s three-room suite with a sitting room, bedroom and bathroom.

Built with steel-reinforced concrete stucco, the house made heavy use of limestone, much of it excavated in Miami and from the Florida Keys.

As grand as the house is, though, the accompanying gardens are equally breathtaking. Designed to look European, the gardens nonetheless contain vegetation compatible with Miami’s subtropical climate, such as live oak and jasmine.

As the gardens lead up to a casino (small house), two semicircular pools sit on either side exiting from the house. The pools have columns that support antique marble busts and decorative urns from Sicily. In the middle of the gardens is an elevated center island surrounded by a reflecting . The gardens feature a “maze garden,” a feature of -era gardens. The maze is formed by orange jasmine hedges.

Even today Vizcaya, a National Historic Landmark, continues to make history. In 1987, President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II met there. In 1994, Vizcaya was the site of the Summit of the Americas where then-President Bill Clinton and the leaders of the Western Hemisphere gathered.

And while you don’t have to be rich and famous to step on to the pristine grounds of Vizcaya, you might feel that way after just a few minutes there.

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Sunday, February 3rd, 2008

Backyard Landscaping No Comments

Heat pump water heater to keep house cool

Homes have become more and more energy efficient during the past twenty years. More energy conservation produces lot of heat in your home. Its unbearable to stay is such heat produced by the appliances in your home during summer. Being in such scorching temperature you may start thinking of staying cool without wasting your budget in energy conservation. You are in need of equipment that can keep your whole house cool ultimately maintaining your budget saving energy. Energy cost continues to increase in the energy climate today. Heat pump water heater can keep your house chill and also save lot of electrical energy consumption.

Brief on heat pump water heater

Air source heat pump water heater keeps your house cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Owning a reliable, energy efficient heat pump is more than just buying a high quality piece of instrument. Heat pumps provide efficient cooling and heating for your whole house especially during the summers. Some countries have very hot climate during the day and becomes cool in the nights. For the homes in such countries heat pumps are more beneficial. Heat pump water heater has developed a full and comprehensive line of equipment that fits all the needs of clients with many operational and functional requirements. Proper installation of heat pump water heater is necessary because a heat pump can deliver one and a half to three times of energy to your house compared to the electrical energy that is consumed. These heat pumps not only useful for keeping home cool but also used for heating water. Heat pumps usually require more energy than a gas furnace.

Construction and working of heat pump water heater

Heat pump system basically consists of compressors and two coils. These two coils are made up of copper tubing and are surrounded by fins to aid heat transmission. The working of heat pump water heater is just similar to refrigerators and radiators in your vehicles. These pumps pull hot air indoor during winter and evacuate hot air from indoor in summer.

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Sunday, January 20th, 2008

Landscaping Rock No Comments

Stocks to buy Blue Star Ruchi Soya Simplex Infra Kalyani Steels

Blue

Star

CMP: Rs

535

Target price: Rs

593

Kotak Securities has a ‘buy’ rating on the central

air-conditioning systems major Blue Star, as it feels it will report handsome

earnings growth over the next two years (CAGR of 78% between FY07 and FY09). The

company being in a position to offer the best requirement for central as well as

commercial equipment enabling it to maintain a leading market

position in this segment, remains one of the key reasons for its bullishness.

The brokerage also feels that the stock is a play on structural

themes like IT/ITeS and retail. However, the brokerage warns that appreciation

in the rupee and slowdown in IT/ITeS services remain key concerns. Kotak

calculates that at the current price, BSL is trading at 25.1x and 19.3 times

FY08 and FY09 earnings, respectively, and on a forward EV/EBITDA basis, the

stock is trading 12.6 times.

Ruchi

Soya

CMP: Rs

144

price: Rs

193

KR Choksey Securities has reiterated its ‘strong

buy’ recommendation on Ruchi Soya Industries (RSIL) and revised upwards

its estimates and price. “We strongly believe RSIL is grossly

undervalued considering the various growth drivers of its existing business and

new ventures,” the brokerage said in a note to its clients. It says that

its belief in the growth prospects of the company is substantiated by the fact

that the management of RSIL is increasing its stake in the company by way of a

preferential allotment.

It estimates that India has one of the

lowest per capita consumption of oil in the world, but rising income levels,

emanating from general economic growth, is leading to an increase in consumption

which should augur well for the company. Taking into consideration the

consistently high growth in branded revenues, sustainable revenue

visibility and improvement in profitability, the brokerage believes RSIL

deserves the valuation of an FMCG

company.

Simplex

Infra

CMP: Rs

692

price: Rs

754

Ambit Capital has a ‘buy’ rating on Simplex Infra on

the basis that the company’s two recent equity issues would lead to an

increased net worth and reduced financial leverage. “The risk of high

debt-to-equity would now take a back seat, as it would come down from 2.5 times

in FY07 to 0.7 times in FY08E.

The reduction in financial leverage

would lead to a reduction in the extremely high interest payments and thus

increasing earnings for the company on a net level,” the brokerage feels.

Considering the robust order book position (of Rs 8,100 crore), improved

debt-to-equity levels and improved working capital position, Ambit has remodeled

its numbers for FY08E and FY09E, with an increase of 10.8% and 22.8% in net

earnings for two years.

Kalyani

Steels

CMP: Rs

499

price: Rs

771

Prime Broking says ‘it’s a no-brainer’ to

figure out that the Pune-based company is a strong ‘buy’, based on

the company’s expected growth in its core business and highly attractive

valuations. The brokerage estimates that the company plans to expand its

capacity at Hospet by 75% to 0.3m metric tonnes in FY08 at an outlay of Rs 300

crore, implying a 28% volume CAGR(compounded annual growth rate).

It

says that KSL directly and through its 100% subsidiaries has substantial

investments in group companies — Bharat Forge, Bharat Utilities and Hikal.

At current market prices, the value of the KSL’s investment portfolio

works out to Rs 633 per share, which is around 20% higher than the

company’s current stock price. “Applying a holding discount of 30%,

we have arrived at an investment value of Rs 443 per share,” the brokerage

said.

Pyramid

Saimira

CMP: Rs Rs

484

price: Rs

630

India Infoline says that investors should ‘buy’ the

stock on declines as it could be a good long-term bet. The brokerage says that

the com-pany, engaged in distribution and exhibition of films, plans to enter

into movie making business with plans to make 40 movies in five lan-guages by

FY09.

“We expect the subsidiaries of PSTL, Pyramid Saimira

Production and Singapore-based Pyramid Saimira Entertainment to witness huge

growth in coming quarters,” India Infoline said. The company’s

capex plans also include development of 200 malls and 175 multiplex with around

2,000 screens by FY10. Recently, PSTL acquired Texas-based FunAsia an existing

theatre and radio network in Chicago and

Houston.

Disclaimer:

The above stocks are picked up at random from research reports of brokerage

houses. Investors are advised to use their own judgement before acting on these

recommendations. ET does not associate itself with the choices.

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Thursday, January 17th, 2008

Yard Landscaping No Comments

Thank God For Willis By Mike West Pool Landscaping

Hammerhead finds himself thinking kind thoughts of ol’ Willis H. Carrier.While you might be able to guess it from his last name, Carrier, Pool Landscaping is the man who invented modern air conditioning.

Tis a bit ironic, that air conditioning was invented by a resident of Buffalo, N.Y., a city known for its cold winters and not its hot winters.“You would have thought AC would have been invented by someone living in Savannah, Ga. or New Orleans, but I am grateful all the same,” the H-man confessed.Despite Tennessee’s steamy temperatures, air conditioning wasn’t all that common during Hammerhead’s younger days. Back in the day, the air-conditioned climes of the Princess Theater was the coldest place in town besides Womack’s Ice House.Even houses in the deluxe Mitchell-Neilson area of town relied on windows, fans and lots of ice water to stay cool.

A nice breeze, even a hot one, was welcome on those blistering days when nothing seemed to stir.The search for a nice, cool spot was a constant quest during the summer time. Businesses, especially restaurants, who had air conditioning, touted that service in their advertising.It was a miracle when the city of Murfreesboro first opened Oaklands Pool Landscaping, which was the first large public in town. On a hot day in the early 1960s that would be wall-to-wall kids with pitiful little space left for swimming.

The H-man took swimming lessons at the old Central High School , which dated back to Tennessee College for Women days.But we digress.Nights were particularly miserable back in those days. If no wind was stirring, it was horrible trying to sleep covered with sweat. Hammerhead would try to wile away the hours with a little transistor radio listening to WLS in Chicago.There was no relief at school either. Air circulated through open windows and that was it. The early fall and late spring were hot, hot, hot.Then some kindly soul invented the window air conditioner and suddenly life was so much better in the South.The National Academy of Engineering rated air conditioning and No. 10 on the list of the top 20 inventions of the 20th century.

It ranked ahead of highways, the Internet, spacecraft, lasers and household appliances.That Fedders AC was big and noisy and produced the coldest air going. It was better than standing in front of an open refrigerator.The window air conditioner begat the air-conditioned car at the Hammerhead household. The family got its first one in the mid 1960s. It was fabulous. No more cross-country trips in an un-air conditioned car. Travel became at instant pleasure . Even the back seat bickering between siblings decreased.There was nothing worse than being caught in traffic in a car with vinyl seats and no air conditioning.

Pre-interstate, even a summer day trip to Nashville was miserable, but rides in the open country with the windows down weren’t so bad especially in the . You could almost get chilly.Finally, central heat and air filtered its way into Tennessee and Hammerhead was permanently spoiled.

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Thursday, December 20th, 2007

Pool Landscaping No Comments


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