Contractor volunteers to help family without power

Read article : Contractor volunteers to help family without power

DENVER -- Laurel Loney said she hasn’t bathed in nearly three months.

The 74-year-old is disabled and can’t step high enough to get into her bathtub.

Loney told the FOX31 Problem Solvers the nonprofit organization Colorado Access arranged for her bathroom to be remodeled for increased accessibility, but the tub and wheelchair ramp need adjustments.

“What's the use of having something I can't step into,?” she said.

Loney describes the inability to bathe as an experience that has left her feeling “filthy uncomfortable, itchy, rashy."

The Problem Solvers reached out to Colorado Access and were told that because of due to Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act regulations, which protect personal medical information, it isn't able to discuss the case.

The Problem Solvers were able to arrange for a hotel that prefers to remain anonymous to provide a hot shower for Loney free of charge.

A Family’s Cramped Bungalow Is Replaced With an Accessible and Affordable Prefab

Read article : A Family’s Cramped Bungalow Is Replaced With an Accessible and Affordable Prefab

Since launching their Los Angeles-based prefab company Connect Homes, Jared Levy and Gordon Stott have worked with scores of modern-design lovers to build their dream homes. But when they received a query from prospective clients complete with concept drawings rendered to look as though they’d been plucked from the architects’ own canon, an incredulous Stott emailed back asking, "Who are you?"

Universal design and affordability were uppermost in the minds of TJ Hill and Jay Heiserman when they asked Jared Levy and Gordon Stott of Connect Homes to replace their cramped bungalow with a modern prefab. Since the firm’s modules are 8 feet wide, the house could only be 16 feet wide, but the architects used the remaining space for a large deck, creating a flexible and seamless first-floor plan.

The couple—disability rights attorney and mental health advocate TJ Hill and Emmy-winning production designer Jay Heiserman—had clearly done their homework. And their dilemma was one that many of Stott and Levy’s clients share: Their older home was ripe for replacement, but they had neither the budget nor the time for a ground-up custom build. 

Ameriwood Home table from AllModern." />

TJ and Jay’s daughter, Chloe, colors at an Ameriwood Home table from AllModern.

Moving wasn’t an option. They loved their Santa Monica neighborhood—an established enclave on the border of Venice—but the charm had worn off the 850-square-foot home they had purchased in 2009. They’d coped with the limited square footage, the water damage, even the termites that rained down from the ceiling, but the steep entry stairs, narrow doorways, and cramped interior presented significant obstacles to TJ’s younger sister, Melissa, who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, when she visited from Florida. Things reached a breaking point when the couple’s household expanded to include their daughter, Chloe.

custom Eero Saarinen table for Knoll and vintage Arne Jacobsen chairs for Fritz Hansen. KitchenAid appliances, IKEA cabinets, and Home Depot tile furnish the kitchen. " />

The dining area features a custom Eero Saarinen table for Knoll and vintage Arne Jacobsen chairs for Fritz Hansen. KitchenAid appliances, IKEA cabinets, and Home Depot tile furnish the kitchen. 

"There were lots of things about the house that didn’t work," says TJ, who also serves on the City of Santa Monica Disabilities Commission. "Those barriers are highlighted every day when you have a child and you’re just trying to get a stroller in and out."  

Santa Monica Disabilities Commission with TJ, guided the design." />

Ensuring that the house would be accessible for wheelchair users like Marielle Kriesel, who serves on the Santa Monica Disabilities Commission with TJ, guided the design.

Rebuilding was in order, but the couple wondered if they could construct a house that not only was accessible, affordable, and environmentally friendly, but would adapt to their needs in the coming years. 

"While we’re aging in place, our needs are constantly changing. This house is adaptable and responsive to those changes." TJ Hill, resident

"We always knew we wanted to do prefab—here it is something interesting and beautiful that adds to the character of the street," says TJ (on deck, with Jay, left, and Chloe). "There weren't many options for staying in the area with a growing family," notes Stott.

"More and more of our clients are fitting this mold," Levy explains. "They own homes that were designed for consumer demands and needs that are now close to sixty years old. These homes are at the end of their life expectancy. If TJ and Jay were to rebuild going the conventional route, it would take close to three years through design, approvals, and construction and cost twice as much." 

sculptor David Tanych. " />

For the front deck, the couple chose a dining set by Teak Smith; the driftwood and metal corkscrew is by sculptor David Tanych. 

Whether they’re designing for a lot with views for miles or one in the middle of an urban streetscape, Levy and Stott, who spent more than five years at Marmol Radziner Prefab, believe prefab offers the perfect solution. For TJ and Jay’s 25-by-80-foot property, they set two of their steel-framed 8-by-40-foot modules side by side, with another pair on top. Two 8-by-20-foot modules above a new, site-built garage form the master bedroom and closet. At 1,600 square feet, the four-bedroom, three-bath structure nearly doubled the size of their former home. But because it doesn’t maximize the lot, it adapts comfortably to the neighborhood. 

The master bedroom consists of two modules set above a site-built garage. The fabric is from IKEA. 

Since accessibility was a priority, the architects set the building to one side of the lot, a move that paved the way for a sizable wraparound deck that’s flush with the interior so that Melissa can easily negotiate indoor and outdoor spaces. For now, she and other wheelchair users enter the house via a portable ramp, but once on the property they have full access to the entire first floor.

vintage Danish chair faces a sectional upholstered in Knoll fabric. The Nelson Ball clock is from Vitra and the throw pillows include a Jonathan Adler Seahorse design. Acacia flooring from Reward Hardwood Flooring was used throughout. " />

In the living room, a vintage Danish chair faces a sectional upholstered in Knoll fabric. The Nelson Ball clock is from Vitra and the throw pillows include a Jonathan Adler Seahorse design. Acacia flooring from Reward Hardwood Flooring was used throughout. 

To accommodate an office for Jay (an Ellen DeGeneres Show veteran and now a freelance production designer and art director) that would double as a guest bedroom for Melissa, the architects subtracted 10 feet from the kitchen and dining area. "Our standard Connect4 model doesn’t have a bedroom on the ground floor," notes Stott. "But TJ and Jay knew exactly how they would make it fit for their program and lifestyle needs."

George Nelson Bubble lamp hangs in the stairwell." />

A George Nelson Bubble lamp hangs in the stairwell.

Similarly, the couple’s desire for expansive windows translates to rooms flooded with light and opens up the house to the street. "Gordon and Jared kept asking, ‘Are you sure you want this many windows?’" Jay recalls.

Curtis Jere sculpture hangs above a bed from CB2 in the upstairs guestroom. The Louis Ghost chair is by Philippe Starck for Kartell. " />

A Curtis Jere sculpture hangs above a bed from CB2 in the upstairs guestroom. The Louis Ghost chair is by Philippe Starck for Kartell. 

Continues TJ, "At night, you can see us living in our house: We’re making dinner. Chloe is reading a book. A lot of our neighbors have said, ‘But we can see into the house.’ We have sun shades, but when we were thinking about the house, we were thinking about really being a part of the neighborhood. We did something that breaks molds for the neighborhood and for what people think about modern and indoor/outdoor living."

semigloss wall tile is from Daltile; the floor tile is by Deko. " />

In the downstairs bathroom, the semigloss wall tile is from Daltile; the floor tile is by Deko. 

Levy and Stott are delighted that they could give their clients a home that will meet their needs for the long run. "The core of the business is trying to make architecture more accessible for everybody," says Stott. "And that’s truly at the bottom of the modernist idea: Better design doesn’t have to be expensive. That was the idea more than a hundred years ago, and it’s the same idea now." 

Chloe’s bedroom features a Blake Tovin bed and nightstand from The Land of Nod. The roller blinds throughout are from Steve's Blinds and Wallpaper. 

The Story Of One Family Who Ditched The City For The Country

Read article : The Story Of One Family Who Ditched The City For The Country

Sara Wood and her daughter sit at the desk in their 200-year-old Dundas, Ont. home. “It’s that screen-door-slammming lifestyle where she just runs out and I’m like, ‘Be back fro dinner!'” says Wood of the freedom of country living. (Photo, Sian Rirchards)A few summers ago, Sara wood and her husband, Dan, woke up in their Toronto home — a downtown semi with a backyard the size of a postage stamp — and wondered how exactly they got there. “We were like, ‘Wait a second, when did we decide that this was where we were going to be?’ ” says Sara, who is a freelance stylist and former owner of an art café in Toronto; Dan is a film editor. Like plenty of city dwellers, they craved a change: more green space, a slower pace and a freer childhood for their nine-year-old daughter. Unlike most of those city dwellers, though, the couple actually took the leap and left Toronto for the small-town charms of Dundas, Ont., an hour outside of the city. Wood first spotted the stone house several years ago and instantly fell in love with its two-and-a-half-foot-thick stone walls and15-foot-high ceilings. (Photo, Sian Richards)
Sign up for Chatelaine's newsletters for our latest home stories But making the move didn’t happen as suddenly as the realization that they needed to. In fact, they first laid eyes on their current country abode — a breathtaking, nearly 200-year-old stone house — more than a decade ago on a weekend getaway. After noticing the house nestled in a thicket of trees, the pair pulled over to the side of the road and sat in their car, mesmerized and craning their heads; they’d never seen anything like it. The house, which sits regally on a corner lot, is entirely clad in two-and-a-half-foot-thick stone walls and adorned with massive windows fit for its 15-foot-high ceilings. They drove on, but then, in 2011, Sara was casually browsing through MLS one evening and stumbled across a familiar listing. “I was like, ‘Dan! Dan! Dan! It’s that house!’ ” she says. The inside was everything they’d imagined it would be, but the house was far out of their price range. The house required a lot of love and elbow grease, including fresh paint in neutrals and dark blues. (Photo, Sian Richards) When the couple officially began their search for a country home in 2013, the stone house hovered in the back of their minds. After viewing nearly 40 properties within commuting range of Toronto, they went for an in-person look at the stone house, which was still on the market. “I remember thinking, ‘This is my house. I can’t imagine being anywhere else,’ ” she says. They put in an offer; it was refused. Six months later, they tried again, approaching the owner privately. “It’s real estate: We had to be patient and determined,” she says. That determination paid off, and in 2015, the house was theirs. The bathroom is the only room that needed a complete gutting and do-over. (Photo, Sian Richards) Out of respect for the house’s 200-year history, they haven’t done any major renovations — except to the bathroom, which needed a complete gutting. They have done a lot of mending, though, putting in new electricals, reviving the original heart-pine floors, replacing the windows (with wooden frames built to match the originals) and ripping down the floral wallpaper to make room for fresh paint in neutrals and dark blues. There’s space in the basement now for a pottery studio for Sara, and the sprawling yard engulfed in trees is the perfect spot for their daughter to play. Wood is ecstatic that her daughter has space to learn and explore, inside and out. “Every time I set foot outside, I see the two Beatrix Potter–looking bunnies that live on our property.” (Photo, Sian Richards) Dan commutes into the city for work on the train every workday, and Sara goes into the city too when her work requires it. She admits the coming and going can be tricky to coordinate, especially when their daughter is in school. But the life they’ve built in the country helps them keep sight of why they left the city in the first place. “I love waking up to the cardinals on the tree outside my giant window,” she says. “I love that every time I set foot outside, I see the two Beatrix Potter–looking bunnies that live on our property. I love that my daughter’s best friend lives across the road. It’s that screen-door-slamming lifestyle where she just runs out and I’m like, ‘Be back for dinner!’ I almost pinch myself — it’s just like I had hoped it would be.” Wood has maintained the history of the stone house while giving it some major updates: new electrical, reviving original heart-pine floors, replacing windows, and repainting walls in neutrals and dark blues. (Photo, Sian Richards) Prop styling by Sara Wood. Flowers, laprimaverafarms.com. Select furniture, grahamandbrooks.com.More:
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Family-Friendly Spring Breaking at Hyatt Regency Scottsdale

Read article : Family-Friendly Spring Breaking at Hyatt Regency Scottsdale

By Jill Weinlein Apr. 10th, 2017

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Photo Credit: Hyatt Regency Scottsdale

While sipping complimentary Cactus Coolers inside the Grand Hyatt Regency Scottsdale in the Gainey Ranch, guests admire the elegant Frank Lloyd Wright motif in all the common areas. The famous architect designed over 11 buildings in the greater Phoenix area of Arizona, with the most famous being Taliesin West.

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Photo Credit: Hyatt Regency Scottsdale

A standard room offers a King or two Queen size Hyatt Grand beds, a small balcony with two chairs, high speed internet, a marble bathroom with shower and Kenet MD bath amenities. There is an in-room safe, turndown service at night, in-room refrigerator and coffeemaker. 

What makes this resort unique are the luxury Casita homes overlooking a lake bordering the resort. Some of the 1,200-square-foot casitas are near the adult pool, while others are near the family Fun Zone. Casita Suites offer a wood-burning fireplace and rooftop deck. Each suite includes a separate dining area, wet bar, microwave, wine cooler, Wi-Fi Internet access, refrigerator, 37” flat screen TV, video checkout, iHome stereo with a  docking station, and King sized Hyatt Grand Bed. Casita Suites are available in two, three and four bedroom configurations.

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Photo Credit: Hyatt Regency Scottsdale

In the evening, couples and families can cruise along the resort's seven-acre lake on a gondola featuring a boat driver who will seranade you with Italian songs. The ride is free for guests who dine at the resort's Italian Alto Ristorante.  Otherwise, the ride costs $10 for adults and teens, $5 for kids 4-12, and free for children 3 and under.

Other themed restaruants include a Southwest bistro serving wood-fired specialities and a Wine Me, Dine Me four-course dining experience in a demonstration kitchen. This special dinner includes wine and tequila pairings with each dish for a true Southwest experience. Nearby is a small sushi bar serving Japanese cuisine.

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Photo Credit: Hyatt Regency Scottsdale

The centerpiece of the property is the high ceiling Center Stage Bar offering fabulous views and live nightly entertainment. Some evenings there is a live Native American show. Performers are dressed in authentic outfits, while sharing their culture and history through song and dance next to the Fountain Court.

The Canyon Market is popular for a quick breakfast with pastries, oatmeal, fresh fruit and Starbucks coffee. It's open 24 hours for snacks and casual meals.

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Photo Credit: Hyatt Regency Scottsdale

What makes this property really family-friendly though is the 2.5 acre “water playground” with ten different swimming pools, a shallow sand beach family pool with center float and fountain. Near the sand beach is a multi-level circular waterslide that is fun for adults and their children. This is a big waterslide, similar to one you would find in a water park. Families also enjoy the Fun Zone featuring clubs and balls to play at the beachside Putting Green. Sprinkled around this area is a shuffleboard court, giant chess and Jenga set. For an additional fee families can climb a 28' high rock climbing wall in this area.

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Photo Credit: Hyatt Regency Scottsdale

For couples seeking a quieter area with less splashing, there is an adult-only pool and two poolside bars to swim up to for a mai tai or piña coloda. The circular whirlpool area offers a Frank Lloyd Wright with Greek architecture feel, with its opulent columns and water streaming into the hot tub area. When you are ready to relax, visit the Spa Avania for a facial in one of the 19 treatment rooms. What is unique at this spa is the Himalayan Salt Room providing overall wellness with its anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. This area encourages clear skin, enhanced breathing, endurance and restfull sleep. Also, in the area are five Garden treatment rooms with their own private entrance, and an outdoor heated mineral pool. Before or after a treatment, relax near a lotus pond with a covered outdoor trellis. There is a state of the art exercise facility that is open 24 hours a day, and men and women’s locker areas. Comlimentary classes include morning Boot Camp, Yoga Core and Yoga Flow. On-site bicycles are available to cruise along bicycle and jogging trails. Guests can ride to a nearby shopping center offering a variety of store and dining options.

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Photo Credit: Hyatt Regency Scottsdale

The Hyatt Regency is next to a 27 hole championship golf course at the Gainey Ranch Golf Club. A cart and range balls are included in the golf fee.

The Berk Tennis Academy provides four lighted tennis courts with recreational and competitive tennis for all levels. Professional instruction by Jennifer Berk is available to those seeking a lesson, clinic or to hit with on Saturday and Sundays by appointment.