Homes With Neglected Repairs Could Be Structurally Unsound

Homeowners Putting Off Inspection and Repair Can Contribute to Worsening Damage

LOS ANGELES, CA: Julian Construction, Inc. (http://www.julianconstruction.com) a Los Angeles based foundation inspection and foundation repair company, raised concerns over homeowners putting off regular inspection and repair of foundation damage and other structural situations. The company has noted a growing tendency of homeowners to put off these inspections and repairs, and is taking steps to raise awareness on the subject. Julian Construction, Inc., has been working in the foundation construction and repair field over 10 years.

Shawn Kyles, professional building inspector, stated: “Approximately 1 in 5 homeowners put off making repairs. Remember that waiting to fix problems often results in more significant damage and escalated costs. The safety of your family is also at stake. When foundation problems are ignored, the building’s structural integrity becomes increasingly compromised. During an earthquake, there is a greater chance of the home shifting off of its foundation. Even minor seismic activity could lead to a wall or roof collapse depending on the severity of the foundation problem.”

To help homeowners keep track of such essential inspections and repairs, Mr. Kyles recently published a checklist of common foundation problems: http://julianconstruction.com/new-year-foundation-checklist/

Julian De La Torre, founder of Julian Construction, stated: “The tendency can be for some to put these things off, but the people we’ve talked to who keep up their repairs don’t have these problems. If your home is fully repaired then you have the peace of mind knowing your home is safe. Because such things will have to be handled eventually, it is far better to address them early before they develop into more serious problems.”

Julian Construction owns its own company and is built on a “no middlemen” model – no salesmen, no subcontractors. When you work with Julian Construction you get the principals of the company and workers of Julian Construction under your home. The result is the highest quality work at affordable prices. They can be contacted by phone at 323 733-3377, by fax at 323 733-4477 or via their website, www.julianconstruction.com. You can see tips and advice about home foundations on their blog, at http://julianconstruction.com/blog/

Older Roofs Require Inspection to Remain Structurally Sound

Construction Company Gives Tips to Recognize Signs of Roof Deterioration

LOS ANGELES, CA: Julian Construction, Inc. (http://julianconstruction.com/) a foundation repair and general contractor construction company in Southern California, recently released their findings regarding roof damage and deterioration. The company seeks to help homeowners prevent roof damage and recognize the signs of it so such problems can be handled and the home can remain safe. The findings were published by Julian Construction chief safety inspector Shawn Kyles, inspector of over 15,000 structures in his career.

According to Mr. Kyles: “Roofs are designed to protect a structure from the elements, especially water. They can be built using various types of materials such as slate, rubber slate, wood shake, asphalt and metal. Whatever materials are used, a roof will eventually wear out over time and need repair or replacing. Evidence of roof problems can include missing, loose, warped or buckled shingles and tiles, which leave the underlying roofing materials unprotected. Roof leaks are especially serious and should be immediately addressed to prevent dry rot and mold.”

The full report goes into further detail on factors which can cause roof problems. The article can be found here: http://julianconstruction.com/is-your-roof-in-good-shape/

Julian De La Torre, founder of Julian Construction, stated: “We wanted to make this data known because we have seen many instances of roof damage over the years, and it is usually worsened when a homeowner didn’t know the signs to watch for. These points can be observed early, and if the homeowner schedules an inspection then the roof problem can be addressed. Also having a roof regularly inspected, even if you don’t see something wrong with the roof, can help a trained specialist locate problems which can be handled early. That’s how we can make homes in the Southern California area safer for all.”

Julian Construction owns its own company and is built on a “no middlemen” model – no salesmen, no subcontractors. When you work with Julian Construction you get the principals of the company and workers of Julian Construction under your home. The result is the highest quality work at affordable prices. They can be contacted by phone at 323 733-3377, by fax at 323 733-4477 or via their website, www.julianconstruction.com. You can see tips and advice about home foundations on their blog, at http://julianconstruction.com/blog/

Structure and the Novel--Building To The Finish

By Susan Mary Malone


Okay, so you’ve done your book development and set up your novel well, established conflicts and turning points and twists. You’ve created allies and villains and tests. You’ve successfully navigated through the first two acts, avoiding those dreaded sagging middles. If written correctly, we’ve just come through the Protagonist’s major stumbling block—gone into that inmost cave of fear, mastered it, and emerged pretty much intact on the other side. The reward stage (a much-needed breather) is over. New insights and strengths have been gleaned that equip her to fight the supreme battle. And now, we build to the end.

So, how do you get there?

This leads us into the final act, and we still have some major book editing steps to get through. Three in fact.

For now, let’s focus on the bridge leading to the climax.

This is our turn for home—the link between what she learned and the final conflict. The character may straddle the threshold of the two worlds, but with a determined commitment to finish. The energy to do so surges up. This can come from inside (internal), or outside (external). Sometimes a counter attack comes from the villain at this point, which propels the story to its conclusion. In an action/adventure film, a major chase scene might occur!

As any good novel editor will tell you, the main point here is energy. Now we pump up the action. Now we run faster, jump higher, ramp up the fight. Now we make that walk with courage toward the stage ahead. Whether literally or metaphorically doesn’t matter. Our prose itself becomes more staccato in places. The time for analysis has ended (no more waxing philosophically or pining for that lost love). We listen to our book editor, and we march toward the final battle with confidence, not lacking in fear, perhaps, but with the courage to face that fear, whether that be battling the giant, rescuing the child, building the final and hardest stretch of bridge, or a once-stuttering king stepping onstage to face the microphone.

Here is not the time to learn of betrayal—that happened back in Act Two—before our hero descended into himself to face his fears. Rather, here his allies staunchly have his back, and although some of those may get sacrificed in the final conflict to come, deception is long over.

We know the risks now, without the author telling us about them. Everybody knows the stakes—heroes, villains, readers.

This section must move. Good book development is key. In the entire novel, no part surges ahead more quickly. You, as the writer, literally have only a small piece, word-count wise, to get you to the defining conflict, the climax, of your novel. As you would see in proper novel editing services, that doesn’t mean you gloss over or rush through it, but just that you keep pumping up the pace. Here, the reader has been rafting the river and (if the author is really good!) the current has picked up leading to the falls before said reader knows it. By the time he does, long gone is the option to jump out of the boat and swim to shore to avoid tumbling headlong over the cliff. I.e., if your reader can put down the book here (even though it’s 2 AM and he has to work in the morning!), you have failed. At this point, you have your reader on the edge of his seat, dying to know what looms ahead.

This leads us into the supreme ordeal, which we’ll talk about next time!

So, how do you surge toward the finish?

Signs of Roof Damage

by Shawn Kyles
Julian Construction

Keeping your roof in good repair is an important home maintenance task. A damaged roof can result in leaks that cause interior damage to your walls and cause the need for foundation repair. Signs of roof damage can include a sagging roof, cracking paint, wet spots, wet insulation and light shining through the roof. A damaged roof needs to be repaired quickly to prevent further damage and increased repair costs.

Causes of Roof Damage

The weather can damage your roof in many different ways. Wind, for example, can tear shingles off your roof and warp gutters. The wind can also lift and displace tiles. Snow, ice, storms, lightening, rainfall and extreme temperatures can also damage roofs.

Even heat can damage a roof. Too much sun can cause certain types of roof tiles to crack and blister. If an attic isn’t ventilated properly, rising hot air from inside the home will push its way to and through the roof. Has there been a fire in your neighborhood? Heat from a fire near your home can melt tiles and other roofing materials.

Roofs can also be damaged by falling objects such as tree branches. If you see broken tree limbs on the ground near your home, check the roof closest to where the limb was found. Look for any signs of damage, including scrapes and gouges. Minor damage may be a sign of more serious issues. When a tree limb breaks and falls on a roof, it can also cause structural damage to the house.

Earthquakes, even small ones, can damage roofs as well. Many times, the damage is caused by the collapse of masonry chimneys. Improperly built roofs or roofs with too much weight can also lead to buckling during a quake.

Most homes are built with asphalt shingles. The asphalt tiles are coated with tiny granules that provide UV protection. Damage to an asphalt roof can include missing granules (bald tiles), holes in the tile, as well as cracked, torn or missing tiles. Asphalt tiles can also become “bruised” or dented. Large amounts of tile granules in rain gutters means your roof is deteriorating.

Tile roofs can be damaged very easily, particularly from falling objects. Indicators of tile roof damage include chipped, broken or missing tiles. If you find pieces of tile on the ground, it’s time for a roof inspection.

Cedar roof tiles can split, particularly in dry climates. In areas where there is consistent or excessive rainfall, moss can start growing on the tiles. In general, natural roofing tiles and materials will deteriorate faster than synthetic roofing.

Your roof should be inspected on a regular basis – at least twice a year. Make sure it is inspected closely both inside as well as outside. On the inside, look for water stains, which can be an indicator of a leak, or insulation that has been stripped away. This can be done at the same time as a foundation inspection

If your roof is severely damaged it may need to be re-roofed. Contact a licensed and qualified roofing contractor or trusted general contractor who can help you with roof shingle installation.

Big Trees Inc. Repairs Damage to Trees from Delivery Truck Crash

Auto Accident Damage to Local Trees Expertly Handled by Tree Transplanting Company

SEATTLE, WA: Big Trees Inc., (http://bigtreesupply.com/) a tree transplant and tree nursery company in the Seattle area, recently helped repair damage to trees on the site of a delivery truck crash. The crash occurred on a private property and uprooted several large Leyland Cypress trees. Big Trees Inc. was able to replant and restore the damaged trees to their original condition and restore the landscaping as well.

The property where the crash had occurred had been scheduled to finalize sale of the house to a new homeowner later that week. The homeowner requested urgent help to restore the landscape to its previous condition before the time of the sale. Big Trees Inc. was called and assessed the damaged area where the Cypress tree row had been hit. The company first built retaining walls out of rock along the steep hillside in order to hold the soil up high enough. The trees were then brought in and the company was able to plant the landscaping trees, 6 large Leyland Cypress trees (each 18’ tall). The landscape restoration was completed within the needed time-frame successfully.

Nancy Penrose, owner of Big Trees Inc., stated: “The project had a very tight window of time to operate in, there wasn’t much margin for error. The team took to the project with enthusiasm and it all came off perfectly. These trees weigh around 1000 pounds each, so it becomes very important to use the right equipment and know-how in the process. It truly went from disaster to the whole landscape coming together wonderfully.”

Nancy Penrose is the owner of Big Trees Inc. (http://www.bigtreesupply.com), located in Snohomish, WA, in the Seattle area. The company is one of the largest tree nurseries in the Seattle area with over 120,000 trees available in over 300 varieties. They not only can deliver young trees but also mature trees in a wide range of sizes. Some types of trees available include spring flowering, deciduous, evergreen, and privacy trees. The company also does tree transplanting including large trees. Their blog can be seen at http://www.bigtreesupply.com/blog/

Aviation Company Obtains Tax Exemption on New Company Plane

Company Assisted By Aero & Marine Tax Professionals in Recent Tax Case

SACRAMENTO, CA: Aero & Marine Tax Professionals, (http://aeromarinetaxpros.com/) an aircraft tax specialist firm in Northern California, recently assisted a northern California aviation company in supporting a claim for a sales tax exemption involving the purchase of a Pilatus PC12 airplane. It saved them $148,050.00 off the purchase price.

An executive from the company stated: “This aircraft is owned by three different entities. Our company does petroleum marketing to convenience stores, wholesale, terminal lane, pipeline shipments, cardlock fuel is a big part of our business, and commercial fueling. One of my partners is a plastic surgeon, another is a big agriculture producer. We have a lot of business interests throughout the western United States. This aircraft is good for that mission. We had the Citation 2, which Aero & Marine Tax Professionals helped us with previously. We weren’t using that to its best advantage. We weren’t making long enough trips to make economic sense, so the Pilatus fits that mission very well.

“The process with Pilatus went well. This one was complicated, we changed out of the Citation into the Pilatus and we tried to exchange into a new entity which we set up to own the Pilatus. Then we found out that we couldn’t do that. We had to take title to the Pilatus in the same entity that owned the Citation. So that got complicated with four different entities. We had to backtrack and put that together. It was a little more complicated than normal. Working with Aero & Marine’s staff was good. They gave a lot of good counsel about what we should and shouldn’t be doing. We’d get the reports up to date as to where we were on the out-of-state flying hours versus in-state flying and they worked with us on a regular basis. They said to get it to 60% of the out-of-state, which we did. Then they sent in the paperwork, and we just received our approval yesterday. I would recommend Aero & Marine to others,” concluded the executive.

Tom Alston, owner and founder of Aero & Marine Tax Professionals, stated: “This one certainly was more complicated, but that was just in the set-up of the case. There was never any real doubt from the beginning that the use tax exemption would come out alright, there were just more logistics to work out. All in all it went very well. We’ve worked with this company many times in the past to legally avoid sales tax on their aircraft purchases, and they know we’re a company that can be trusted to get the result – an exemption.”

Aero & Marine Tax Professionals shows purchasers how to specifically avoid aircraft and vessel sales/use tax in California and to make certain the full value of their next aircraft, vehicle or vessel goes into their pocket--not the government's. They have successfully filed hundreds of tax returns with the California State Board of Equalization. Mr. Alston has also published many articles on sales and use tax. Their blog can be seen at http://aeromarinetaxpros.typepad.com.

California Contemporary Ballet Hosts Event for Thumbelina Ballet

Ballet Company Prepares For Summer Dance Production And Celebrates Local Artists

LOS ANGELES, CA: California Contemporary Ballet, (http://www.calballet.com) a professional dance theatre group in Los Angeles, recently held an event announcing the company’s upcoming production of Thumbelina, as well as celebrating local art featuring several prominent artists. The event helped raise funds for the company’s summer production of Thumbelina, an original ballet adaptation of the classic tale.

The evening was hosted by Aerin Holt, California Contemporary Ballet’s Artistic Director and Choreographer.
The celebration featured several local artists, including Anne Tryba, Dwight Mikkelsen and Samson Chan. Ceramic artist, Anne Tryba, a Disney Imagineer of 20 years and manager of Imagineering Graphic Design for 7 years, attended the event and donated a flower sculpture as a door prize. Ms. Tryba also created one-of-a-kind Thumbelina statuettes specifically for the fundraiser. Dwight Mikkelsen, a classical composer whose music has been performed by groups such as the LA Philharmonic, the Pittsburgh Pops and the Vienna Opera Orchestra, wrote the original score for Thumbelina. Mr. Mikkelsen was present to sign copies of the CD and spoke about the creation of the music for the ballet. Samson Chan, 8-time Emmy award-winning cinemaphotographer and California Contemporary Ballet’s official photographer for last year’s production of Thumbelina, contributed signed photographs of the production as donation awards. The CCB costume designers, Mrs. Christine Morrison and Mrs. Nancy Scott, gave a presentation of the costumes for the upcoming production, describing the creative process involved in hand-making the outfits for each character.

Finally, the California Contemporary Ballet gave a performance of several dances from their repertoire.

Aerin Holt, Artistic Director of California Contemporary Ballet, stated: “It was a very good event, we enjoyed celebrating so many types of artistic talent during the evening. Putting together a ballet really involves so many individual pieces that most of the time you don’t see all of them during the production. This was in anticipation for our upcoming production of Thumbelina this June. We strive to bring art and culture to the community, so this event was an excellent opportunity to do so.”

California Contemporary Ballet, a professional dance company, together with its youth division, California Contemporary Youth Ballet, perform throughout Southern California. Twice a year, for their summer production and their annual winter production of “The Snow Queen”, they put together an artfully integrated cast of professional dancers in principal roles, and chorus roles filled by youth dancers, actors and gymnasts from around Los Angeles, including the local foothill communities of Sunland/Tujunga and La Crescenta, La Cañada, Pasadena, Glendale and Burbank.

“Thumbelina” by California Contemporary Ballet (Los Angeles) will be performed at Glendale Community College (1500 N. Verdugo Road, Glendale, CA) on June 27th at 7:30 PM, and on June 28th and 29th at 2:00 PM. Tickets are $20–$30 at http://www.CalBallet.com/upcoming-performances. Group tickets are also available.

New Video Explains Developmental Editing Process

Editor Susan Mary Malone Details the Process Of Turning A Manuscript Into A Novel

DALLAS, TX: Susan Mary Malone, (http://www.maloneeditorial.com/) developmental editor and award-winning author, has recently released a new video describing developmental book editing process. In the video Ms. Malone defines the basics of the manuscript editing procedure and details the different steps of the developmental editing process. Over 40 client books that she has edited have been published through traditional publishers.

In the video, Ms. Malone states: “I’m a developmental editor, which is somewhat different from a copy editor and a proofreader. Those are drops in the bucket in the whole developmental editor umbrella under it. But what I do is very all-inclusive, very comprehensive, very in-depth...Writing a book is one thing, fashioning it into a real book that is saleable is a whole different monster. And so that’s what we do.”

Ms. Malone goes into very great detail to amplify the above and provide a broad picture of developmental editing and the work that goes into making a manuscript ready for traditional publication. The video can be seen on her YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSM6ifeJxS4&feature=youtu.be

Regarding the video, Ms. Malone stated: “I’m so pleased with the way the video turned out. There really are so many actions that go into making a book really publication ready, which ordinary editing does not compare with it. Sending a manuscript into a publication editor, a writer isn’t likely to get back any more than a rejection notice if there are issues with the way the work is put together, but a developmental editor actually works with the writer to address those points so the book can make it on the market. The video expresses it well, I hope many writers find it useful in their quest for publication.”

Susan Mary Malone has worked as a freelance editor since 1993, with a BS in Political Science and minors in English and Journalism. Her client list includes NY Times Bestsellers, Essence Bestsellers and books featured in Publishers Weekly. She is also an award-winning author of fiction and non-fiction herself. She participates as a speaker in literary conferences such as the Harriett Austin Writer's Conference (at the University of Georgia), the Blue Ridge Writer's Conference, the SouthWest Writer's Conference, the East Texas Writer’s Guild, and the upcoming Lexicon Writer’s Conference, among others. Her full biography and featured list of published authors can be viewed at http://www.maloneeditorial.com