Michael Volk was walking through his Oak Meadow neighborhood one day about four years ago when he saw a house in the middle of what he recalled as a “really cool” renovation.

“It looked like a California beach house,” recalled Volk, an attorney and single father. “So I sent a note to the house asking, ‘Hey, who did your remodel?’”

About a week later, he got a return note saying it was the work of designer Mary Beth Edgerton, who, along with her husband, was also the home’s owner.

With two young daughters, currently ages 6 and 9, Volk hired Edgerton to freshen and upgrade his own three-bedroom, two-bath home, with its outdated 1970s and ’80s design: small rooms, no kitchen pantry, a dilapidated backyard deck and — horrors! — salmon-colored walls.

“I wanted to make it a comfortable home for the girls to live,” he said. “We finished in April and they say it’s like living in a hotel now.”

The renovation was done in stages, beginning in 2019, with the most dramatic change being the removal of several walls to open up what had been a series of smaller rooms.

“The openness was all Michael,” said Edgerton. “That was the look that was in his heart, and Peter Stainken, the general contractor, and I just went for it.” 

For example, to the right of the front entryway there had been a solid wall with only a case opening into the dining room. Removing that wall, as well as another between the dining room and living area, gave the home a more modern, light-filled look. 

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After removing several walls to open up the space, several clever tricks were used to visually delineate the different rooms, such as installing a slatted wooden screen that partially blocks the view into the back of the house from the front door. 

Richard A. Marini/Staff

Still, they used several clever tricks to visually delineate the different rooms. Between the dining and living areas, for example, they installed a partial, slatted wooden screen that helps obscure the view into the back of the house from the front door. 

“When Peter designed the screen I was, like, we don’t need that,” Volk said. “And then he put it up and I saw how it makes sense. Now, when you open the front door, you don’t just see directly into the living room or the kitchen. It breaks things up a bit and gives you a little bit of privacy.”

The screen also had the utilitarian benefit of allowing them to bring power into the middle of the room by running the electric wiring through the screen.

Another way they broke up the space was by building a standalone, U-shaped coffee and wine bar between the kitchen and the dining room/music room. But the structure doesn’t reach all the way to the ceiling, so it still helps emphasize the room’s openness. 

Because several of the now-missing walls were load-bearing, they had to install a steel I-beam to provide support — and it was left exposed rather than being covered up.

Several of the walls that were removed during the renovation were load-bearing, so they installed an exposed steel I-beam to provide needed support — and it was left exposed rather than being covered up.

Richard A. Marini/Staff

“We had talked about giving the house a kind of semi-industrial look,” Volk said. “So keeping the beam visible was a part of that.”

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Michael Volk’s three-bedroom, two-bathroom home has been modernized.

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The outside of Michael Volk’s Oak Meadow home is shown prior to the recently completed renovation.

Mary Beth EdgertonShow MoreShow Less

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Michael Volk’s three-bedroom, two-bathroom home has been updated from the inside out.

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The living area of Michael Volk’s three-bedroom, two-bath home in the Oak Meadow neighborhood has a modern open-concept feel.

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At the kitchen’s center is a large island topped with quartz in a swirled, black-and-white pattern.

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Removing several walls opened up the space between the living area and the kitchen.

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Because several of the now-missing walls were load-bearing, they had to install a steel I-beam to provide support.

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Volk uses the large, six-burner stove to cook for his young daughters, often making pancakes for breakfast and pizza for dinner.

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The living area of Michael Volk’s three bedroom, two bathroom single family home in San Antonio has a modern, open-concept feel.

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Removing walls truly opened up the home, while the standalone coffee and wine bar, visible to the left, visually delineates the dining area from the music niche and the kitchen. 

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Another way they broke up the space was by building a standalone, U-shaped coffee and wine bar between the kitchen and the dining room/music room. But the structure doesn’t reach all the way to the ceiling, so it still helps emphasize the room’s openness. 

Richard A. Marini/StaffShow MoreShow Less

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A built-in coffee bar offers extra storage space for drinks, appliances and bread-making supplies.

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The primary bedroom has a vaulted ceiling.

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By stealing space from the attic above, they were able to turn the primary bedroom’s flat ceiling  into a vaulted ceiling and give the room a more appealing, airy and open feel.

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The primary bathroom has a single, elongated trough sink and granite countertops.

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The girls’ bedrooms, located side by side, each have a wall covered in beautifully designed, floral-patterned wallpaper.

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Both the girls’ bedrooms have one wall covered in beautifully designed, floral-patterned wallpaper. 

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The girls’ bedrooms were designed to stand the test of time, so they can work both with toys and childlike things, while also feeling sophisticated.

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Although he’s a single dad, Volk is a fairly serious cook, so the kitchen is outfitted with that in mind, including a large, six-burner stove. 

“I do steaks on there, pancakes for breakfast,” he said. “And during COVID, like everyone else, I learned how to bake bread. I have a friend who got some sort of pizza certification from some bakery in San Francisco, and he taught me how to make pizza.”

At the kitchen’s center, the large island is topped with quartz in a swirled, black-and-white pattern Volk said reminds him of the cover design of the Radiohead album “A Moon Shaped Pool.” The granite waterfalls down the sides because, according to Edgerton, the kitchen called for it.

“We needed that because, when you’re doing a neutral color scheme like we did here, it’s all about texture and pattern,” she explained. “So we needed this energy running down the sides. Plus, with little kids, granite is more durable than, say, just painting the sides.”

The semi-industrial vibe Volk spoke of can also be seen in the pair of tubular kitchen exhaust fans above the stove.

“They look like the bottoms of a pair of rocket ships,” he said. 

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Outside the primary suite, located to one side of the house, there’s a small foyer space that has a built-in shelving unit filled with books and knickknacks and adds a bracing splash of color to the otherwise mostly neutral house. 

“It breaks up the space nicely,” Volk said. “I didn’t really have a bookshelf, and I like that it’s not just another piece of furniture. I’m still organizing it.”

Previously, the bedroom had its original, flat ceiling. But during the renovation, they were able to steal space from the attic above and now, like in the living room, the bedroom ceiling is also vaulted, giving the room a more appealing, airy and open feel.

In the bathroom, they installed a single, elongated trough sink instead of the more traditional his-and-hers sinks. They finished the space with marble countertops above and walnut cabinets beneath.

“Wood is more masculine and timeless and it make the room feel more organic as opposed to just adding more painted surfaces,” Edgerton explained.

The girls’ bathroom is stylishly designed so they won’t outgrow it, and it can serve as a powder room for guests.

Sam Owens/Staff photographer

In the girls’ part of the house, they redid the bathroom, replacing the too-small tub with a walk-in shower and clunky, outdated cabinets with more modern fixtures. The result is a stylish bathroom that will grow with the girls and not put off guests, since the house doesn’t have a traditional powder room. 

The same can be said for their bedrooms, which sit side by side. One wall in each bedroom is covered in beautifully designed, floral-patterned wallpaper. 

“I love doing kids’ rooms,” Edgerton said. “But I don’t do kids rooms that look like a kid’s room. They need to stand the test of time. They need to be able to work with toys and childlike things, but they have to feel more sophisticated.”

For Volk, the renovated home has made his life easier.

“It flows better,” he said. “Even something as simple as dirty clothes on the floor, it feels easier to clean up. Just the daily minutia of everyday life is just a little bit improved.”

The post Single dad modernizes drained, Seventies residence for his 2 younger daughters appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

My dad was a handyman — he could fix anything.

As he did projects, he’d put up with his little helper. As I “helped,” I learned. Because Dad was patient, I know how to paint, fix a screen door, and use a variety of tools.

It’s no surprise that I grew up to be a handymom.

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But somehow, for me, it never works quite as well as it did for Dad.

Maybe that’s because Dad’s workshop was well stocked. If he needed a tool, nail or screw, he could find it in some drawer in the garage.

I never have what I need. We don’t have a workshop. I have my own “renovations” toolkit of leftovers, but our tools are scattered. Every project takes a special effort.

Recently, I needed to replace some old vertical blinds in a bedroom.

I had recently installed a blind in my living room, so I began with great confidence. “These are lighter,” I thought. “This will be almost.”

Oh, foolish woman that I am!

The old blinds came down quickly — I noticed they had been installed with concrete screws. Ah! Good idea. I wouldn’t need wall anchors.

But I needed screws. So I took a sample, went to the hardware store and bought a dozen.

“I think I need a new drill bit, just in case,” I said. The helpful fastener expert told me what to buy, so I went to the tool section to get it. As I stood in line, I checked the screws.

oops

The screws had a different pattern from the sample. Apparently, the standard cross has been replaced by a star. I bought a new bit to match.

Back at the crime scene, I was pleased with the ease that I installed the brackets. Then I picked up the blind.

It was a half-inch wider than the window! What? My windows are 48 inches wide. But they aren’t. Turns out this one was closer to 47.5 inches at the top.

Not to be undone, I moved the brackets to the outside. In the process, the drill fell, the bit was bent, and I first installed them upside down.

Once all was righted, the blind went up — and stayed up.

sigh

When it comes to household repairs, my dad was a wizard.

I’m more like the sorcerer’s apprentice, forever righting the wrongs I have done.

Still, I think he’d be proud — I’m so much like him.

He could fix things.

And I’m always in a fix.

The post Handyman classes from Dad | Life-style appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

In the wake of a sexual harassment scandal, it was Cuomo’s last day in office, a time when outgoing governors typically grant commutations. Boudin continually refreshed the governor’s press page, hoping for news.

But the news did not come from the governor’s website. At about 2:30 pm in San Francisco, he received a text from his mother, Kathy Boudin, who had also served prison time in the same incident.

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“David was commuted!” she wrote. “Eligible for parole.”

Boudin excused himself from a Zoom meeting, yelled with joy, found his wife and held her in the hallway.

“We just couldn’t talk,” Boudin recalled in an interview with The Washington Post. “We couldn’t make words come out.”

In his last hours as New York governor, Cuomo commuted the sentences of Gilbert and four others who “demonstrated substantial evidence of rehabilitation and a commitment to their communities,” according to a news release from the governor’s office.

“These clemencies make clear the power of redemption, encourage those who have made mistakes to engage in meaningful rehabilitation, and show New Yorkers that we can work toward a better future,” Cuomo said in a statement.

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Gilbert will now be referred to the New York State Board of Parole, which will consider his release, according to the governor’s office. It added that Gilbert made contributions to AIDS education and prevention programs. He also worked as “a student tutor, law library clerk, paralegal assistant [and] a teacher’s aide,” the statement adds.

Boudin, who is right now facing a recall campaign, was elected as San Francisco’s top prosecutor in 2019 after running on a platform of decarcerating jails, moving away from a cash bail system, and holding police officers accountable for misconduct. He is among a class of so-called progressive prosecutors, including Larry Krasner in Philadelphia and Kim Foxx in Chicago, who were elected in recent years after pledging to enact criminal justice reforms.

During his ascension to San Francisco district attorney — a position formerly occupied by Vice President Harris — Boudin invoked his father’s incarceration as a reason he assumed the role of prosecutor, and his relationship with his father has been intertwined in his political narrative.

“Growing up, I had to go through a metal detector and steel gates just to give my parents a hug,” Boudin said in a 2019 campaign video.

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Boudin, 41, was a baby when the robbery took place. David Gilbert and Kathy Boudin, who were members of the Weather Underground, a radical left-wing militant group, were both convicted of felony murder for their role in the 1981 armed robbery of a Brink’s armored car that left two Nyack, NY, police officers and a security guard dead. Although they did not carry out the murders themselves, Gilbert and Boudin were in the getaway vehicle.

Kathy Boudin was released from prison in 2003 and went on to become a professor at the Columbia University School of Social Work.

Chesa Boudin told The Post that he had been trying to have his father’s sentence commuted for years. He and his family applied when former governor David Paterson left office in 2010, and again in 2020 during the pandemic. They reapplied for clemency again this year.

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“We felt like the governor’s people were paying attention,” Boudin said. “But one never really knows with these things.”

While Boudin said he was grateful his father had finally been granted clemency, he acknowledged on Twitter that “his crime devastated many families.” News of the clemency decision invited criticism from some of those victims on Monday.

“It’s absurd,” Arthur Keenan Jr., a retired detective with the Nyack Police Department who was wounded in the shootout, told the New York Times.

Keenan added that Cuomo “is stabbing all of law enforcement in the back, and when I say all, I’m talking about federal, state, local — all across the whole country — because he’s a traitor.”

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Ed Day, the elected leader of Rockland County, where Nyack is located, said that Cuomo had “debased himself,” according to the Times.

“As if victimizing 11 women, including members of his own staff, was not despicable enough, his commutation of the 75-years-to-life sentence of David Gilbert is a further assault on the people of Rockland and New York State,” Day said in a statement, the Times reported. “Andrew Cuomo continues to focus on the well-being of murderers rather than the victims of these horrible offenses.”

Despite those criticisms, Boudin said the news felt “like a weight I’ve been carrying my whole had been lifted.”

He thought about the prospect of sharing “basic daily joy” with his father, and of being able to introduce him to his yet-to-be-born child.

“Not having to take my child through metal detectors and steel gates to meet their grandfather was just one of the most amazing gifts I could have imagined,” he said. “It also made me think about those other families and how nothing will ever make them whole again, and how they will continue to live with the pain and loss that was caused by my parents’ crime.”

The post San Francisco DA Chesa Boudin was 3 when his dad went to jail. Cuomo simply granted his father clemency. appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

By Logan Smith

Click here for updates on this story

EDWARDS, Colo. (KCNC) — A father and his son who worked in a utility room beneath a Beaver Creek Resort Hotel were injured Friday.

The Eagle River Fire Protection District reported that its crews responded at 2 p.m. to The Charter in Beaver Creek for two people injured.

These crews were escorted to two injured men near a gate to the parking garage beneath the hotel. Both men were taken to hospitals.

“A valve assembly in the engine room appears to have released a large amount of high-pressure water,” the fire department said in a press release. “The reporter was extremely disturbed.”

The force of the water pushed against a wall of cinder blocks, partially collapsing them.

Outside the parking garage, water turned to ice. As a result, Offerson Road was closed from Avondale Lane to Village Road, cutting vehicle access to and from the ski area behind the hotel in half.

Eagle County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Amber Barrett told CBS4 Monday the two are a father and son. The father suffered more serious injuries and was taken to an undisclosed Denver hospital, Barrett said. The son stayed at Vail Valley Medical Center.

The extent of her injuries and her health are unknown, she added.

Barrett called the incident a “serious accident.”

Barrett said the partially collapsed wall was unsustainable. For this reason, the emergency services decided that the hotel did not have to be evacuated.

Neither the fire department nor the spokesman for the sheriff’s office knew whether the two men were employed by the hotel to work on the water system.

CBS4 reached out to the hotel’s owners Monday night for a statement. This story will be updated with every reply.

Please note: This content is subject to a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the author of this article, do not use it on any platform.

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