Style your home with Feng Shui – Colors and elements
The 4th Is Almost Here: Fire pit building basics [VIDEO]
The Fourth of July is just around the corner, and kids and adults everywhere will want roasted marshmallows for smores. Homeowners can purchase a variety of pre-made fire pits or build their own. Watch this Lowe’s video for a demonstration.
Rotating Bookcases Can Turn to Face Either of Two Rooms
While lounging in the living room, you set your book back on the shelf to read later … then grab it off the shelf from your bedroom. Not magic, merely a bit of creative engineering with a twist. And consider the flip side: having a party in the living room, or want to clear you mind in the bedroom? No worries, you can spin yourself a blank wall on demand just as easily as you brought the bookcase into view in the first place.
While lounging in the living room, you set your book back on the shelf to read later … then grab it off the shelf from your bedroom. Not magic, merely a bit of creative engineering with a twist. And consider the flip side: having a party in the living room, or want to clear you mind in the bedroom? No worries, you can spin yourself a blank wall on demand just as easily as you brought the bookcase into view in the first place.
Via Inhabitat: “The UnWaste Bookcase is a brilliant sustainably designed full-wall rotating library created by architect Ben Milbourne (Bild Architecture), eco-designer Leyla Acaroglu (Eco Innovators) and furniture designer David Waterworth (Against the Grain).
Aside from its neat rotational functionality, it also features engaging materiality. “The bookcase is manufactured from reclaimed plywood discarded from construction site hoardings, and the material’s unique characteristics of posters, weathering, graffiti and mismatched paints were incorporated into the design.” This kind of multi-dimensional collaborative project really shows that two (or three heads) is better than one.
The Kitchen Remodeling Process: Start to Finish
[via] click image for larger view
Time to Go Tankless? The Pros and Cons of Tankless Water Heaters
We often take for granted the fact that heating up water — for use in sinks, showers, dishwashers and elsewhere — accounts for an estimated 30 percent of an average home’s energy consumption. Add in concern over carbon dioxide emissions by gas-powered water heaters and you begin to understand why budget- and eco-conscious homeowners have begun to question whether it’s time to go tankless.
What is a tankless water heater?
A traditional boiler, whether gas or electric, continuously heats a volume of water within a storage tank all day and night, every day and week throughout the year.
There’s a logical disconnect here, isn’t there? Why would you pay to heat water even when you’re asleep or away from home, and especially when that water is being heated by burning fossil fuel?
Tankless water heaters, on the other hand, only heat up water when there’s demand for it. Those who have traveled in Europe may already be familiar with tankless systems, especially “point of use” setups.
Of course, the technology has improved and now manufacturers claim that whole-house heaters of adequate size can provide a steady flow of water at a set temperature to multiple fixtures at once. But instead of storing water and actively heating it, tankless models only switch on when there is water moving through the unit on its way to the source, be it a shower head or laundry machine.
More Cost Upfront, Cheaper To Run
A tankless gas water heater takes up a lot less space.
Because they require less energy to run, tankless heaters are significantly cheaper to operate. Although upfront costs can be high (for the unit itself plus installation), payback arrives over the long term, usually after a few years, with homeowners saving 24–34 percent annually, according to the Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute.
Another reason to like tankless water heaters is the units’ compactness. They can be mounted on a wall, tucked under stairs, or placed inside a closet, making them appropriate for a range of applications.
A large family house with lots of kids may require two units to produce enough hot water to meet demand, but operating within capacity, a tankless heater should be able to provide unlimited hot water — a relief to anyone used to running out mid-shower. Plus, leaks are much less likely with a tankless, because, well, there’s no tank.
Is it time to go tankless?
An increasing number of homeowners around the country have already made the switch. This year, when my wife and I needed to replace the boiler at our home in Florida, we asked, “Is it time to go tankless?”
We assessed our options and answered “Yes.”
“Time to Go Tankless? The Pros and Cons of Tankless Water Heaters” was originally run as “Time for Tankelss? The Next Generation of Boilers” and was written by Bob Vila for Zillow.com.
5 Tips to Turn Your Basement into a Media Room
Sometimes it’s just not possible to share the TV. What’s a family to do when one member is pulling for reruns of Seinfeld, and the other is rooting for the Kardashians? If you’re finding that remote-control wars are becoming common in your family room, it may be time to transform that unused space in your basement into a media room. On the rare occasion that everyone agrees, a media room can be the perfect home theater for movie nights.
We asked Deborah Wiener, owner of Designing Solutions, to give us her best tips to help you start planning a media room in your basement. I have a post 8 Home Theaters, here.
Stunning Kitchen Update (Video)
Homeowners Desiree and Brian Bell wanted to change the look of their 1950′s kitchen into a room they could call their own. Lauren Lake of Spice Up My Kitchen recreated the old space into a traditional one with modern flair and functionality. See the results on this HGTV video.
Easy 3D Home Design | RoomSketcher
RoomSketcher makes it so easy to create home designs and floor plans. With no software to install, it’s perfect for both Mac and PC users. You can get to work instantly.
- Design just a single room or create an entire house plan
- Quickly draft the floor plan, add doors and windows and start furnishing
- Take snapshots and high-resolution images to see your ideas in true-to-life 3D
It’s easy to get started. Simply create a design from scratch, make a floor plan using existing measurements or choose a design from the Gallery to adapt. And when you’re done, instantly show your friends and family what you’ve achieved via Facebook or Twitter.
- Everything’s online – no downloads, no install, no pre-knowledge necessary
- Easy-to-use drag and drop tools create interactive floor plans and designs
- Get colorful 2D and 3D floor plans
- Visualize how real products and home furnishings will look in your home or office
- Print or export floor plans and take them directly to the store or contractor
Want to brainstorm ideas? Share design ideas with other people? Wonder whether your bed will fit that new apartment? Everything’s possible with versatile RoomSketcher – the powerful easy-to-use tool for creating room designs and 3D visualizations in minutes!