According to Wicked Local Middleborough, about 75% of the project is complete and should be totally finished in the next few weeks:

“One year ago officials learned that the cupola was tilting and recommended it be removed immediately as it could fall and pose a danger to the public. After a Feb. 2 site visit, Patrick Guthrie, a project architect with Menders, Torrey & Spencer, of Boston, reported that the deterioration was worse than thought, requiring replacement of the base structure and lower posts.”

The restoration has been successful so far, the article says, but there will be differences with the completed cupola. For one, the restored cupola will not be as shiny as it was previously. A lacquer coating had to be removed during the restoration. Also, the projected budget was too low, with an estimation going over the originally authorized $200,000. Luckily, a grant will bring the town’s cost down in the end:

“…[Town Manager Charles] Cristello does not anticipate using that full amount since the town received a $30,000 grant from the Massachusetts Historic Commission for the project. In December the town also applied for an additional $30,000 emergency grant from the Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund.”

This is not the first time the Middleboro Town Hall has undergone restorative changes – more than a decade ago, a $2.5 project was completed on the historically listed structure.

Leaderheads – You know the old saying about April flowers and spring showers? Of course you do. Well, where does all that rain go when it falls in your garden? If you don’t irrigate or find a way to redirect it, the water will simply build up with nowhere to go. For areas where rain is an issue, install copper leaderheads on your garden shed or place them throughout your garden. More than just a way to collect excess rain, these leaderheads add refined style to your garden.

Windchimes – There is inherent beauty in the cultivation of a garden, so why not add some gorgeous sounds to the imagery. By placing a windchime into the heart of garden, you will naturally add a harmony to your garden. If you are concerned about finding a place in your plot for a chime, simply put up a shepherd’s hook and hang your chosen wind chime for added elegance and whimsy.

Birdhouses and Birdfeeders – One of the benefits to having a garden is being able to add to the natural surroundings at your home. Repay the favor to Mother Nature by installing a birdhouse or birdfeeder for our fluttering friends. Give the local bird population a perch to rest on and some food to eat. They will add to the look of your garden and will bring you and your family a sense of joy.

Here are some of the various uses for finials, both large and small:

Rooftop Décor – One of the primary functions of a finial is to add a sense of design and style to one’s rooftop. Considering this, copper finials are perfect as an addition to any rooftop décor you may already have. Finials can be added to the tops of cupolas and/or any peaks you may have on your roof. Many commercial buildings and gazebos also benefit from the addition of a beautiful finial.

Fences – Many fences, particularly those made from cast-iron, feature finials on the corner posts. Seen most often on large estates, these types of fences achieve more height, which lends to the importance of a building inside the walls. Also, fences with finials have a distinctive look, adding to the architecture and look of a property.

Window Treatments – Whether you choose to design and make your own window treatments or purchase them from a store, finials are most likely involved. Although not as big as the aforementioned décor, these finials serve a purpose on the ends of window rods, closing off any holes. As with the other finials, these also act as a stylistic choice. When using finials in this way, consider matching them with the rest of your home’s décor for a fully matched look.

That is the problem currently plaguing Common Council members in Milwaukee County, who are looking at a multi-million dollar bill soon. According to the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel, a piece of fallen masonry revealed more problems atop City Hall:

“The probe is focusing on the grout used to fill hollow terra cotta components during the $76 million renovation that wrapped up in late 2008, said Ed Gerns, a principal at Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates Inc., the Northbrook, Ill., engineering and architecture firm leading the investigation. That grout apparently could not withstand Milwaukee’s winter freeze-thaw cycles…”

The total bill for fixing all of the damages could be between $9 and $15 million, the article says. There are no conclusive results as to who is totally to blame for these problems as of yet, but there have been some decorative casualties:

“Inspectors rappelled down the side of City Hall’s south tower. They removed eight decorative urns and four finials under the clock face, after finding cracks in all of them.”

As I mentioned in a blog post a few weeks ago, finials and other outdoor items can pose problems in the winter months. Even though your finials are more modern and not made from brick or stone, you still need to inspect and secure all of your home décor items at least once or twice a year. You don’t want to find your brand new King Arthur finial in your backyard.

Rearrangement – Use an online app or pen and paper to make a sketch of how your frequently visited areas (family room, living room, etc.) look from above. Take the original sketch and remove the furniture so that you can virtually rearrange the room without moving furniture back and forth. Once you’ve settled on a new placement, then you can begin moving those heavy pieces of furniture.

Quick Install – Most outdoor décor pieces that you can add to your home require major time and effort that most of us don’t have on a regular basis. However, there are items that can be easily added to your home without much time. As long as you follow the manufacturer instructions, putting up a new weather vane or adding a rain chain to your house will only take a little bit of time out of your day.

Display It – A lot of us have little collections of items that we enjoy picking up at stores and tag sales – miniature dolls, thimbles, etc. – so why not display them in an appropriate spot? If your den has a large blank spot on the wall, you can hang some simple shelves and put your knick-knacks out in the open.

Framed – Speaking of blank areas on walls, large picture frames with collages or enlarged prints also fit in perfectly. Instead of regulating your photos to one small frame, buy an inexpensive multi-photo frame and hang it on a wall in your family room.

Green is Good – When I reference green gardening, you might think I’m being a bit redundant. After all, gardening usually involves much of the color green. I’m referring to the environment and how you make a positive change while gardening. One of the major focal points of many gardeners this year is changing gardening practices to conserve water. This can be accomplished in a number of ways, especially by planting plants that do not take a lot of H2O.

Heavy Duty Décor – One of the biggest additions you’ll see in a number of gardens this year are weathervanes and other metal garden décor items. These types of products give a garden a theme beyond what is being planted and can also add a sense of space to smaller garden plots. However popular metals like copper will be, look out for stone elements too.

On the Side – A major decorative feature making a resurgence are plants growing on the side of your home. Just as you might add a cupola or rain chain to give your house a new look, putting in some vine-based plants can also give your home a new layer of décor. This is a natural way to accentuate some of your home’s features without having to install any major pieces. It might take a bit longer, but you’ll be surprised at how much you like the results.

No matter what you choose to add to your home in 2012, make sure it is an accurate reflection of your style sensibility. Your results will always be better that way!

The strong winds of storms have been a concern at a church in Kilmarnock, Scotland, which was recently cordoned off because of potential loose masonry. According to a story from the Kilmarnock Standard:

“St Andrew’s and St Marnock’s Church became a cause for concern when one of the church’s finials began to sway in dangerous gusts of wind which reached up to 85 miles an hour. Two lanes of St Marnock Street were closed as a result, and on Friday a deputation – which included a steeplejack, a structural engineer and a stonemason – inspected the site.”

After the storm ended, scaffolding was put up to aid workers who were reconstructing areas of the church that had been damaged. This type of problem can affect older buildings, many of which have outdoor décor like finials and weathervanes. This particular area of Scotland was hit by major storms, the article says, but were relatively lucky to emerge with little damage:

“On the whole, however, the Kilmarnock area escaped from the worst national storms in a decade relatively unscathed. There were no major structural concerns, aside from the church, and schools, council offices and facilities all reopened as normal…”

If your home has décor like finials or cupolas, make sure they are properly installed and secured before the winter gets into a full swing in your area. Doing so could save you a lot of trouble in the future.

Cupola Stalled in Illinois – A lot of times, restoration projects are discussed without full financial backing. This was not the case with a courthouse cupola restoration in Peoria, Illinois, where an initial budget was doubled due to a matching funds grant. According to the Peoria Journal Star, the problem lies with the bids coming from architects:

“But after a fundraising effort for matching funds, the only bid came in at $139,000, halting plans to do the work this fall. A bid that came in late was $118,000, so officials now are planning to re-bid the project. Board Chairman Mike Bigger said he is seeking explanations from architectural firm PSA-Dewberry about the discrepancy between the estimate and the bid.”

Repairs Needed on Cupola – We all know that cupolas belong on top of homes, buildings and other structures. In fact, in-use cupolas are actually used as a way to ventilate farmhouses in many cases. However, more often than not, you’ll hear about a cupola nowhere near the top of any building. That is the case with a historical courthouse cupola in Orwigsburg, Pennsylvania, according to the Pottsville Republican:

“For the last six to nine months the cupola on the original 1815 courthouse has been sitting in a parking lot in the borough exposed to the elements because there isn’t a location to store it, but the weather can’t do much more damage to the structure, said those working to restore it.”

The original goal involved restoring the building to full working order by New Year’s Day, but fixing the issues with the original cupola in three days seems unlikely, even if they are small.

- If you put a tree up in your home during the holidays, use some items from the forest to create ornaments as decorations for your tree. You can paint pine cones and attach them to a ribbon as a beautiful addition to your tree. Concerned about the sticky sap left on your fingers? Bake the cones on your oven’s lowest setting for under an hour before you begin the project.

- Dry flowers and leaves as an accent for wreathes you might put up during the holidays. Attach the backs of these dried natural items to thin wire and wrap the wreathes. This is a nice touch you won’t see on a lot of other holiday décor.

- If you save plastic bottles for recycling, you can cut these up and change their shape to look like faux glass ornaments. This looks great, especially when you focus on various winter shapes like snowflakes and icicles.

- You probably have a container of popping corn sitting in your cupboard that you never use. Cook up a bunch of popcorn and string it up with cranberries to make a wonderful length of garland that can be placed anywhere in your home.

- Make sure that you dress up your home’s tables if you’re having a holiday party or family gathering. It will add a sense of the holidays to your festivities!

From now until December 16 – one week from today – HG Lifestyle is having a Holiday Sale on all of its products with a special coupon code that you will find at the bottom of this post. Think about all of the gifts you need to buy for family and friends getting done in one shot at HG Lifestyle! Buy your mom a beautiful lighthouse weathervane, your dad a brand new vinyl cupola for the roof and your best friend a gorgeous twist loop rain chain for their home.

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