Remodeling a kitchen can be very expensive…we’re talking tens of thousands of dollars. Besides the expense, pulling out the cabinets (to be dumped in a landfill!) can put your house on hold for months while new ones are installed. Refacing is no cheaper really. You’re paying for new cabinet doors that will match the venire they glue over the frame.

THE SOLUTION: Any type of existing cabinets can be refinished to a brand new, stylish look. Bella Decorative Arts has years of experience transforming tired old cabinets into beautiful new ones at a fraction of the cost of remodeling!

A picture is worth a thousand words…especially in Woman’s Day magazine! Check out the cabinets and dining room table Bella Decorative Arts transformed for an Amy Meier Design project in Solana Beach.

The ballots are closed & the votes are in for the 14th annual 2010 San Diego's Best Readers' Poll!

Every year, the Union Tribune & SignOnSanDiego combine forces with The People of San Diego County, to vote for the BEST OF San Diego's Food, Lifestyle, Businesses, Services and More.

San Diegans began voting for their favorite Entertainment Spots & Service Companies on Saturday, June 5th... and after an action packed 22 day vote-a-thon... the "ALL STOP" was called on Thursday, June 27th.

This Year's nominees for "Best Computer Store" included heavyweights such as Fry's, The Apple Store & Best Buy, and a few local long shots like Bullseye Computer, the MPC Outlet & you guessed it... Fortress Computer Pros.

After 2 months of waiting, the highly anticipated results & 70+ Category Winners were announced on Sunday August 29th, and...

Bathtubs and showers are among the most important fixtures in any home, and installing a new shower or tub enclosure is a great way to bring new life and beauty to even the oldest and most traditional home. A contemporary shower enclosure can do a great deal to update the look of the home, and bathroom remodeling is one of those few home improvement projects that can actually pay for itself in the increased resale value of the home.

What IS a Shower Enclosure?
Shower Enclosures are the framework in which you take a shower. ie. a shower tray and door, or a shower tray and door with inline and/or side panels. Most Shower Enclosures fall into 1 of 2 categories: Metal Framed or Framless, and one of most confusing areas of shower enclosures is the misuse of the term “frameless”.

Through the introduction of "tempering" techniques in the 60's, Shower Enclosure Manufacturers were able to completly eliminate the traditional metal framework which used to surround each piece of glass.

While they were "frameless" they still had an aluminum edge or perimeter. So in reality, the shower doors were completely or partially frameless, but there was still a metal perimeter, which allowed the enclosure to seal.

In the past ten years the industry has slowly introduced the heavy glass door which is completely frameless. In the case of a single door there is typically a handle and two hinges and no perimeter at all. These doors can be made of 3/8" Heavy Glass or ½" Tempered Glass.

BUT Wait There's More...
Home Owners Beware... these Showers Doors are NOT completely water tight. If minimal leakage is a problem with your home and/or bathroom, then you should contact your local San Diego Glass Company to discuss alternative options.

Other San Diego Shower Enclosure Specialists call this a “cabin door” to help differentiate from the traditional shower door (which will contain most of the water). Unfortunately the term “cabin door” has not caught on globally within the shower enclosure industry, so misunderstandings continue to arise from the use of the term “frameless”.

Now You're In "The Know" & you have a "Real View on Shower Enclosures"

RBBA's Biggest Event of the Year! Invite your business associates, neighbors, family & friends to this very special evening of food tasting.

Enjoy the Tastes of These Fine Establishments
Baja Fresh, Bernard'O Restaurant, Bite of Boston, Borrelli's, The Barrel Room, Cafe Luna, Cafe Merlot, Carvers Steaks & Chops, Courtyard by Marriott, Mama Cella's, Hooters, Rubios, Souplantation, SiDNY's Deli, Subway, Remington Club, Barons Marketplace, Cold Stone Creamery, Batter Up! Cupcakes, URGE American Gastropub

The Third Annual "Savour RB" at the Coutyard by the Marriot in Webb Park
Date/Time: Tuesday, September 14th, 5:30pm
Your Host: GM, Kory Demeulenaere of Courtyard by Marriot
Members are FREE, guests & non-members $20

RSVP with April Mitchell, Rancho Bernardo Business Association, (858) 451-3406
www.RBbusinessassociation.com

SAN DIEGO August 3, 2010 – President, Ben Hueso and the honorable members of the San Diego City Council have confirmed Mayor Jerry Sanders’ appointment of Jay Riordan to a 2-year term on the 11-member San Diego Sustainable Energy Board. Rancho Bernardo resident and founder of Dream Design Builders and Cool Green Solar, Riordan serves as one of two At-Large members on the Board.

Dream Design Builders has been named to the 2010 Top 500 list of remodeling firms by Qualified Remodeler Magazine. The annual listing is published to recognize remodeling firms for six criteria of success: annual sales volume for the previous year, total number of years in business, association membership, certified employees on staff, industry awards and community service. Tens of thousands of professional remodeling companies and individuals nationwide enter for a spot on the Top 500.  Each company submitted a letter or audited statement from their CPA to verify their total volume of sales.

Dream Design Builders was Ranked 388 on the Qualified Remodeler 2010 Top 500. The annual Top 500 list is featured in the August 2010 issue of Qualified Remodeler and on the magazine’s web site: www.qualifiedremodeler.com.

Today's San Diego Remodeling 101 topic, Cultured Marble & TruStone Products, is presented by Kirk Wilson (owner & operator of Scandinavian Marble Design).

What is Cultured Marble?
Cultured Marble is a mixture of fiberglass resin and crushed limestone, that is formed/cast and molded, to resemble natural marble.

Can You be More Specific?
These Cast Polymers are a mixture of an unsaturated polyester resin, highly filled with inorganic particulates and pigments. The most common fillers used are engineered calcium carbonates (for cultured marble), aluminum tri-hydrate (for cultured onyx) and aluminum tri-hydrate with a suspension of specialty formulated color chips (for cultured granite.)

Sometimes referred to as an "engineered composite", cultured marble is a cost effective alternative to real marble, and has 4 times the strength of natural stone.

Have you been thinking about solar but decided to wait?  You might want to think again.

ONE: The state rebate from the California Solar Initiative is dropping fast.  Today, the rebate is $0.65 per watt, but it will soon drop to $0.35 per watt.  On an average system of four kilowatts, that is a difference of over $1000.

TWO: Energy prices continue to rise.  Politicians in Washington DC are using the unfolding oil rig disaster to renew interest in the “Cap and Trade” bill.  In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, President Obama was quoted as saying that “electricity rates would skyrocket” if this energy policy is enacted. 

THREE: The solar industry is experiencing material shortages due to high demand.  Research firm iSuppli is predicting a 93% rise in global solar installations from 2009 to 2010, and that demand will outstrip supply this year. 

FOUR: When demand is greater than the supply, prices will naturally rise.  Unlike personal computers that get faster and cheaper each year, solar panels are a mature technology.  When was the last time you purchased something with a 25 year warranty?

Become more productive by deciding what you will do and what you’ll not do today. Greg Reid, best-selling author of The Millionaire Mentor and Positive Impact, reminds us learning how to say no is critical to productivity. “Too many people measure how successful or important they are by how many balls they can keep in the air at a given moment,” he says. But it’s not about how much you can do; It’s what you can do well.

“We all know a computer runs at its slowest when it has too many programs open at once,” Reid says. “The same applies to our production.” So, when you have a full workload, learn to say no in a courteous manner. Being realistic about your workload helps you to better perform the most important tasks at hand. Then the new project can be passed along to another person who may offer more attention to it. (Seeds of Success June 15, 2010)