House Design News |
- Centrifugal Villa by Obra Architects
- The Complete Guide For Home Inspections
- Choose the Right Wardrobe to Maximize Your Bedroom Storage
- Four Fantastic Free Interior Design Tools
- Villa Bussum, Modern Villa by GROUP A
- Creating Functional Kids Study Room with Folding Bed
- Flooring Options for Modern Homes
- How To Landscape Your Yard On A Budget
- Creative Tips for Transforming Your Basement into a Playground
- SHIFT Cottage, Modern Family Living by Superkül Architects
| Centrifugal Villa by Obra Architects Posted: 16 Oct 2014 12:34 PM PDT Centrifugal Villa was designed by Obra Architects, located in Southampton, New York. This Villa is arranged around a hollow center, as if the heart of the house had somehow fallen outside its body. The string of subsequent spaces in its interior provide a comprehension of the whole by sacrificing their individual geometric cohesiveness to the fractured configuration of the entire composition. The experience of the interior is characterized by constantly shifting vanishing points, at the place of their collision in each crease of the plan, large openings cutting dormer scoops on the roof, centrifugally release the views out to the surrounding landscape. For further detail visit Obra Architects site
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| The Complete Guide For Home Inspections Posted: 16 Oct 2014 08:48 AM PDT A home inspection is a cheap way to determine the universal value and condition of a home. If a home is not a top shape, the inspector will explain why the home is not worth buying. The following tips and tricks were provided to use by our friends in Melbourne, Home First Property Inspections.
Pre Purchase Inspection Options There are several home inspection options that can be conducted before a home is purchased. Though, the most important service is a general home inspection. During a basic inspection, a certified inspector inspects the interior, ventilation, insulation, plumbing, and every electrical socket. After the inspection is complete, the inspector will provide a report that has suggestions about improvement and repair recommendations. In most cases, an inspection will reveal issues that may be too expensive to repair.
Pre Purchase Inspection Advice For Buyers Although professional inspections are valuable, you can also tackle a few inspection tasks alone.
Foundation The ceilings and walls in every room should not have any cracks or shifts.
Attic Ensure that there are no signs of leaks in the interior of the attic.
Basement The basement should not be damp, but it should have adequate insulation. If the home has a crawlspace, you should let a professional inspect it.
Electrical All switches should be operational; when you test the outlets, ensure that they are grounded.
Common Problems Found During Building Inspections If you want a thorough inspection, you must hire a qualified home inspector. Though, if you understand what to look for, you can take helpful notes during the evaluation.
Building Inspections – Water Damage Water damage to a structure leads to rot and mold. If water drains toward the building, the crawlspaces will become wet or damp. As a result, settlement, foundation movement, and cracking will occur. If the water moves up the foundation, the walls will rot. A building usually has foundation movement when the windows are not centered, when the interior doors have gaps when they are closed, and when the floors are not level.
Property Inspection Mistakes Made By Buyers Newly constructed homes must be inspected. Most people think that a new home has already passed all ordinances and local codes; however, many new homes are not in good condition. An inspector can find any major defects that could reduce the home's value in the future.
Do not hire an inspector for the wrong reason. You must hire a professional who will provide a full inspection service. The inspector must also be trustworthy and competent. Never hire an inspector who offers the cheapest inspection services.
Always follow the inspector during the inspection because the report will not give you a clear picture of the house's condition.
After the inspection, consider each recommendation that the inspector provides. In some cases, an inspector may suggest an additional evaluation for some issues.
Bonus Property Inspection Advice The best home inspectors may make mistakes. When they miss important items, you may have to deal with major problems in the future. This can be a huge concern for some homeowners because some states do not have insurance requirements for home inspectors. To avoid costly mistakes, always hire a company that offers Errors and Omission coverage. |
| Choose the Right Wardrobe to Maximize Your Bedroom Storage Posted: 16 Oct 2014 08:37 AM PDT A new wardrobe can solve most of your bedroom storage problems. Whether you need a lot of new storage or just a way to maximize what you have, choosing the right design is the first step in your custom wardrobes makeover. Check out this article courtesy of Sliderobes in Sydney.
Make the Most of Awkward Spaces If your bedroom doesn’t have much wardrobe or closet space to speak of, you can take advantage of a bare wall or unused alcove to expand your storage. Built in wardrobes designed to fit a space, no matter how small or oddly shaped, maximizes your storage in an attractive way. Nontraditional areas to place your wardrobe include: Many bedrooms have built in wardrobes or small closets, but the unfinished space may only have a couple of hanging clothing racks at most. Installing a custom wardrobe kit keeps your clothing and accessories neatly arranged so you can make the most of the space.
If you want a "his and hers" design, have custom shelves installed on each side to meet the needs of each person. For example, "her" side may need more shoe shelves, a place to hang purses and plenty of room to hang long dresses, while "his" side can have racks at varying heights for plants and shirts and a necktie holder. Fitting a custom design to both the space and your needs makes the most of the space.
Take Advantage of Extra Room A large wardrobe can double as both clothing storage and dressing room. If you have an extra room or a larger wardrobe space already, why not add walk-in wardrobes? You can custom design a walk-in to fit your specific needs, while taking advantage of the extra space to add a dressing area. A small bench and a full length makes the most of a larger wardrobe. Consider adding dressing table with plenty of lights and mirrors.
When choosing the best wardrobe, begin with these key steps:
The wardrobe of your dreams begins with a bit of planning. Take advantage of the space you have to create a storage system that will work for your specific needs. |
| Four Fantastic Free Interior Design Tools Posted: 16 Oct 2014 08:20 AM PDT When it comes time to designing your home, using the right interior design tool will save you time and money. These four programs offer you easy to use tools without having experience using design software. You can choose the room you want to work on and the elements that go into it from paint color, floor finishing, furniture and decor. By not using the right interior design tools ahead of purchasing materials, you can end up with costly mistakes. Here are four free room decorating software design tools to help you find the right-look for your home. With Digital Decorator you are your own designer with this powerful digital house design software. There are hundreds of paint colors, floor finishings and countertop styles, along with nearly a hundred room styles, to choose from. The visual elements use actual products for your interior and exterior designs to bring your imagination to reality. By using actual products you save time and money by avoiding costly mistakes. By registering with Digital Design you can share your designs with family and friends, your contractors and send all of your chosen information to your builder to ensure you have the right components.
Design Within Reach Design Within Reach allows you to use several pre-loaded floor plans or upload your own. This interior design tool is simple to use and offers different camera angles to view your design. Insert walls, doors and windows where you desire and choose from a gallery of interior finishes with an extensive color selection. This program offers real products to choose from so you can find the selections and budget accordingly. The software is free to use without joining and you can upload your designs to Facebook to share with your friends.
Homestyler Homestyler is created by Autodesk, creator of digital house design software such as AutoCAD and REVIT, and offers you professional tools for free. Homestyler gives you the ability to design floor plans for your home, apartment or an office. This easy to use program, using drag and drop commands, builds walls, adds furniture, cabinetry, appliances and many decor items. It also offers real manufacturer's products to achieve real look and feel results. Once you complete your design you can print out a list of the products needed and take it to your nearest home improvement store. You can share your ideas with many social sites to get your friend and family's input.
Sweet Home 3D Sweet Home 3D offers software with more customization options than your average interior design tool. To get started a log in is required with some brief information then the online software is free. The program offers four interfaces with a furniture catalog, 2-D rendering, 3-D rendering and layout dimensions. The furniture catalog allows you to select furnishings by name and drag and drop them. The 2-D rendering is a floor plan showing walls, windows, doors and where the furniture is placed. A 3-D pane offers a virtual look of the space of the room decorating software. Lastly, the furniture list displays the exact size and dimensions of the items to help with the layout. Other features include uploading your own floor plan and a video feature that allows you to virtually walk through space. |
| Villa Bussum, Modern Villa by GROUP A Posted: 16 Oct 2014 12:34 AM PDT
Villa Bussum was designed by GROUP A, situated in a lush, leafy neighbourhood in Bussum; a small town near Amsterdam. According to the GROUP A : ” By using slanting walls and roofs the abstract building volume feels comfortably embedded in the landscape. A cut-out corner facing the street in front of the house, clearly indicates the main entrance. On the eastern side of the villa, a secluded garden and a second entrance can be found. A comfortable porch and a 15 meter wide panorama window face the garden, and double up as a transition between the villa and the garden at the back of the house. Both gardens in front and at the back of the house are linked to each other by a sloping path. This descending path extends itself to underneath the cantilevering villa, thereby providing garden access for the basement floor. ”
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| Creating Functional Kids Study Room with Folding Bed Posted: 15 Oct 2014 12:35 PM PDT One way to make our kids study room more simple and has a double benefit is by combine the study room equipped with a small bed, for example with folding bed. Folding bed has more advantage than ordinary beds. Besides practical because it can be folded also save space. Not only for our kids, we can apply it to our home office.
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| Flooring Options for Modern Homes Posted: 15 Oct 2014 08:19 AM PDT If you are making plans to build a new home or if you are going to be remodeling an older one, there are a wide variety of flooring options for you to select from. When you are deciding what type of flooring to choose for your home, you must consider much more than how it looks. While this is obviously an important factor, you need to consider the purpose the room will be used for. For example, a kitchen floor is going to take a pounding because of the high amount of traffic every day. A kitchen floor will also have its share of spills, so it should ideally be a material that is able to be cleaned quickly and easily. You will also need to consider the cost of the floor, if it is comfortable to walk on and if it blends well with all of the surroundings. Here are a few flooring materials as advised by My Floor in Brisbane to consider for a modern home: We are living in an age where more people want to be green and eco-friendly when it comes to the materials they use in their house construction or renovations. Because of this desire to save the environment, materials such as cork have seen a dramatic rise in popularity over the past decade. It is not necessary for any trees to be cut down for cork to be produced. On top of that, cork also acts as an excellent thermal insulator, it is hypoallergenic and it is resistant to fires. Both mold and mildew have a difficult time thriving in areas where cork is present. If fragile items such as dishes are dropped on a cork floor, they are less likely to break. However, it is important to know that if cork gets constant exposure to direct sunlight, it will fade. It can also be easily scratched and moisture can wreak havoc on it.
2. Hardwood If you are looking for a material that does not go out of style and has a timeless quality to it, you should consider hardwood. It brings a warmth and beauty to any room it is installed in. One of the drawbacks is that it is not comfortable to stand on for extended periods of time. No matter what style of decoration your house has, a hardwood floor will be able to easily blend in with it. The cost of a hardwood floor can be considerable, so this may prevent many people from buying one. This type of flooring is also prone to dents, scratches and other forms of damage, so it is not ideal for families with animals or small children. Hardwood floors can become warped from moisture, so any spills will need to be cleaned up immediately.
3. Concrete Polished concrete floors look similar to stone floors, but at a fraction of the cost. They are easy to clean, resistant to water and very nice to look at. Concrete polishing services are available to help keep your polished concrete floors looking great. You can look online to find the most affordable concrete polishing services.
4. Epoxy Epoxy flooring (http://www.myfloor.net.au/services/epoxy-flooring/) is created by using several layers of epoxy that are spread out on a floor. The depth of the epoxy must be a minimum of two millimeters. Epoxy flooring is made up of hardeners and resins. It is durable and has an attractive shine. |
| How To Landscape Your Yard On A Budget Posted: 15 Oct 2014 08:08 AM PDT The yard is a very important component of any piece of property. If it doesn't look good, it can greatly reduce curb appeal. However, many people want to have a beautiful yard because it makes them happy. While it's easy to spend thousands of dollars on high-end landscaping, it's also possible for gardeners to landscape on a budget. In fact, basic garden maintenance and conservation can be very effective. There are plenty of ways to landscape a yard on a budget, and while they work well for gardeners, virtually anyone can use these tips provided by Urban Outsource. When gardening, it's best to use water retaining materials. A great example of such a material is peat moss because it retains water very well and doesn't cost a lot of money. It can be mixed with bone meal while planting hedges or flowers, and it will soak up any water that would normally be wasted.
Convert Professional Jobs to DIY Professional landscaping companies perform a number of different services. To perform landscaping on a budget, it makes sense to convert professional services in DIY tasks. Put simply, you will need to do the jobs yourself. While you might not get the same results, you can do everything that the professionals can do. If you're on a tight budget, you should expect to do everything yourself. DIY gardening will involve pruning, weeding and choosing your own plants. However, help from the Internet makes even the hardest tasks easier to accomplish.
Don't Fear the Weeds Weeds are one of the top reasons why people pay for professional landscaping services. If you can deal with your own weeds, then you're already saving a lot of money. Unfortunately, when you're on a budget, you have to expect that your yard is going to have a few weeds. You will have to accept the fact that a few weeds will be present. Some weeds actually have aesthetic appeal. A great example of a handsome weed is the clover. Many chemicals are needed to wage war against weeds, so homeowners who're on a budget need to accept the fact that they won't be able to kill all of the weeds. Limiting Green Space While it's not a desirable way to handle the situation, many homeowners on a budget must limit their green space. It can significantly lower the amount of money needed for landscaping. If a lawn is small and contains fewer flowers, then it doesn't need nearly as many materials used for upkeep. Homeowners should avoid expensive landscaping rocks and use bark mulch as much as possible. When on a budget, it's better to choose materials that require more time and less money. Purchasing everything in bulk is another great way to landscape a yard on a budget. Most people are amazed when they learn how much money they can save when buying in bulk. Native gardening is also an option. Most native plants, which are plants that grow in the local area, are able to outperform imported plants. By choosing native plants over imports, homeowners can keep their landscaping budget very low. Garden maintenance is also very important. Once a landscaping project is started, it never really ends, and it requires regular maintenance. As long as homeowners don't start landscaping and neglect their completed work, they will be able to save money over the long-term. |
| Creative Tips for Transforming Your Basement into a Playground Posted: 15 Oct 2014 07:40 AM PDT When rainy weather or cold, wintery days force your children to play indoors, wouldn’t it be nice for them to have their own playground space rather than having them tear up your living room? If your house has a basement, you can easily use play equipment to transform it into a children’s playground where they can work off their excess energy in a safe environment.
Choose A Good Spot Take a look at the layout of your basement and determine a specific area that you can turn into an area featuring play equipment for toddlers that is flexible enough to change as your youngsters get older. It’s a good idea to position the playroom within watching distance of the basement TV room or game room so the adults in the household can keep an eye on the kids while you are both enjoying doing your thing in the basement. You can use a folding screen to create a partial division between the adult and children’s spaces. Yard sales and rummage sales are great resources for finding furnishings for your basement playground, along with good bargains on play equipment for toddlers which another family has outgrown. Make up a list of play equipment that would fit into the space you have designated as the children’s basement playground. It’s a good idea to invite your kids to participate in this process since they will be the ones who will be living with the final result.
Playground Wish List This list might include an assortment of toys, books, interactive games, playhouses, soft toys like foam balls, doll houses, stuffed animals, as well as child-sized seating, including tables, couches, picnic tables and chairs, along with baskets or bookcases for storing toys and other materials used in this space. Just make certain that whatever materials you choose for seating and tables that it can be easily surface cleaned. Kompan.com.au has an amazing array of slides, playgrounds, and other equipment for kids displayed on their site.
Soft Surfaces If your flooring is currently concrete or hardwood, consider covering it with easy to install carpet squares to provide a cushioned surface for kids to sit on the floor and to create a soft landing spot during play. Area rugs also work well for this purpose and will be easy to keep clean with regular vacuuming. You can also position oversized pillows for use as floor seating if you don’t have a lot of room to position a couch or a table with chairs. Consider covering one wall with chalkboard to inspire your children’s artistic creations.
Wall Decor Rather than invest in wall hangings or other artwork to decorate your children’s basement playground, invite the kids to use some crayons and paper to create some unique drawings that can help to make their downstairs playground uniquely their own. Designate one corner of the playground space as a video viewing area so kids can enjoy watching educational videos or their favorite movies downstairs.
Brighten Up Use plenty of color to brighten up a basement playground or add additional tract ceiling lighting if necessary to make this playground space as warm and inviting as possible. It’s amazing how well a coat of brightly colored paint on walls, tables and chairs can automatically brighten up this space. |
| SHIFT Cottage, Modern Family Living by Superkül Architects Posted: 15 Oct 2014 12:34 AM PDT Superkül Architects was designed this house with 2000-square-foot for family living. An island in Georgian Bay was chosen for its topography and orientation. SHIFT Cottage using material choice, including knotty cedar cladding, a standing seam metal roof, and a dry-laid stone fireplace in built. Visit SHIFT Cottage by Superkül Architects for detail.
From Architects :” The site for this 2000-square-foot family cottage on an island in Georgian Bay was chosen for its topography and orientation. Nestled into the exposed, washed granite of the island and against a line of trees, the cottage is sheltered against the strong winds off of the water. The graphic lines of the cottage are designed to further marry it to its site—highlighting through contrast the wind-sculpted trees and craggy rock of the Bay that make its landscape unique. A glass link bridges between the cottage's two volumes—one containing living spaces, the other sleeping and washing areas—and a wood deck terraces down to fold into the island on three sides. Window openings throughout are aligned to allow through views to the trees behind and the open water in front. The pure forms of the cottage are highlighted and reinforced through material choice, including knotty cedar cladding, a standing seam metal roof, and a dry-laid stone fireplace. “ |
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