Homeowner finds it's not easy being green

Daniel Hall said he wanted to put solar collection panels on the roof of his Canton home as a green way to generate hot water and cut his utility bill for his 3,600-square-foot home.The township gave him the permits, but the Pheasant View Homeowners' Association turned down his project, saying that it wouldn't be aesthetically compatible with the rest of the neighborhood. He can't install the panels without the association's approval because the township requires it.
"I will fight," Hall, 48, said. "I'm weighing my options at this point."
A licensed engineer and a construction superintendent, Hall said the three, 4-foot-by 8-foot panels -- which contain water tubes and are covered with a glass -- will look like skylights. He said a high-efficiency boiler he installed in December has decreased his gas bills from $900 to $1,000 a month to $600 a month. He said the solar collection system will save him an additional 50% on his utility bill.
Dee Heinze, president of the homeowners association, said she was not on the Architectural Review Committee and had no comment on why Hall's plan was rejected.
A letter from the committee dated April 25 said it voted to deny the request "for aesthetic reasons." The letter said that the request was "the first of its kind" for the subdivision.
Hall said he may go to Wayne County Circuit Court and ask a judge to clear the way for the panels. He also plans to enlist the help of lawmakers to pass a bill prohibiting associations from restricting solar panels.
Mark Makower, an attorney with Dickinson Wright PLLC in Bloomfield Hills, represents 650 homeowner associations. He said that prior to three years ago, he couldn't recall a case in which a person asked to make a change to the exterior of his or her home related to energy efficiency. Alternative energy is relatively new in Michigan, he said.
"This is clearly going to be the trend of the future," Makower said. "You need to set up policies to address these things, unless you want the government to start making your rules for you."
David Congdon, office manager for Mechanical Energy Systems of Canton, the company that sold Hall his system, said two other customers are waiting for approval but that others have all been approved by their associations. The company has sold more than 1,900 systems designed to heat pools and two dozens systems similar to Hall's.
"The people wanting solar installations now has doubled in the past year," Congdon said.


Source

Sanford, Stanford...Strip search ruling...New protest planned...

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford is with his family, a day after his admission that he'd been having a yearlong extramarital affair with a woman from Argentina. A spokesman says Sanford is with his family at their beach home. His wife and their four sons had been staying there. Jenny Sanford wasn't with her husband for yesterday's announcement, but both have said they plan to try to reconcile.

HOUSTON (AP) Texas billionaire R. Allen Stanford has pleaded not guilty to charges he swindled investors out of $7 billion as part of a massive investment scam. Stanford entered his plea during his arraignment in federal court in Houston. He'd been indicted last week by a grand jury on charges that his international banking empire was really just a colossal Ponzi scheme.

Washington (AP) An Arizona teenager says she's "pretty excited" about today's Supreme Court ruling that says school officials acted illegally by strip-searching her. She says she hopes her court fight will "keep it from happening to anybody else." Savana Redding was 13 when school officials ordered her to remove her clothes during a search for prescription-strength ibuprofen. The justices say it violated the Constitution's ban on unreasonable searches.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi could be planning another demonstation. His Web site says Mousavi has applied for permission to hold a gathering to commemorate the "martyrs" of the post-election confrontations. A march today by another opposition figure was postponed because of a lack of a permit. Yesterday, security forces with clubs broke up a small group of protesters outside Iran's parliament.

WASHINGTON (AP) Senators who are trying to bring down the cost of a health care reform plan say they're making progress in reaching their $1 trillion target. Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus says there are options that would allow a bill of that size to be "fully paid for." But Republicans are adding that there's no agreement yet on even the outlines of a measure.

 Source

House Histories Tracing the Genealogy of Your Home or Other Building

Have you ever wondered about the history of your house, apartment, church or other building? When was it built? Why was it built? Who owned it? What happened to the people who lived there? Or, my perennial favorite question as a child, does it have any secret tunnels or cubbyholes? Whether you're looking for documentation for historic status or are just plain inquisitive, tracing a property's history and learning about the people who have lived there can be a fascinating and fulfilling project. When conducting research on buildings there are usually two types of information that people search for: 1) architectural facts, such as date of construction, name of architect or builder, construction materials, and physical changes over time; and 2) historical facts, such as information on the original owner and other residents through time, or interestingevents associated with the building or area. A house history may consist of either type of research, or be a combination of both.
To learn more about the history of your home or other building:

Get to Know Your Home

Begin your search by looking closely at the building for clues about its age. Look at the type of construction, the materials used in construction, the shape of the roofline, the placement of the windows, etc. These types of features may prove useful in identifying the architectural style of the building, which helps in establishing the general construction date. Walk around the property looking for obvious alterations or additions to the building as well as roadways, paths, trees, fences and other features. It is also important to look at nearby buildings to see whether they contain similar features which will also help to date your property. Talk to relatives, friends, neighbors, even former employees - anyone who might know something about the house. Ask them not only for information about the building, but also about former owners, the land upon which the house was built, what existed at that location prior to construction of the house, and the history of the town/community. Check family letters, scrapbooks, diaries, and photo albums for more possible clues. It's even possible (though not likely) that you may find an original deed or even a blueprint for the property.
A thorough search of the property may also yield clues between walls, floorboards, and other forgotten areas. Old newspapers were often used as insulation between walls, while journals, clothing, and other items have been found in rooms, closets, or fireplaces that for one reason or another were sealed over. Now I'm not recommending that you knock holes in the walls unless you are planning a restoration, but you should be aware of the many secrets which an older home or building can contain.

Source