construction design and floorplans
12. Decorative screens. This extraordinarily innovative screen system is the epitome of an artfully dressed window. An intricate design was cut by a water jet into aluminum to create an operable window covering that also provides additional hurricane protection according to its creator, Aamodt/Plumb Architects.
how to secure your french doors 2. Use a three-point locking system. This is very important for double French doors. That’s because the bolt of the lock doesn’t extend into the solid door frame, it extends into another door, and that door is just not as strong as the door frame. Three-point locking systems include metal rods that extend from the door up into the top of the door frame and down into the floor. Combined with the deadbolt, these rods make the doors much stronger than the deadbolt alone.
Capturing passive energy such as light and warmth from the sun is important in addressing the rising costs of energy, the depletion of finite resources and the projected long-term effects of carbon emissions. Using the sun to light a home is one strategy; others worth considering include passive cooling and ventilation. Living without air conditioning is unimaginable for many people, but given the right design, planning and house orientation, it should be possible to live without the need for mechanical cooling by: Cutting down on direct sunlight in warm months Drawing warm air out of the interior Tightening the envelope to keep heat from infiltrating Designing spaces that keep the air cool in the "occupied zone"
Walls, ceilings or floors? Radiant systems can be applied to any surface. Floors are simply the most common application. Walls are rarely done because you can’t put furniture or paintings up against it. However, a suspended wall, for example in a double-height area, could be an option. Ceilings work best for cooling, as opposed to heating,
passive house in California, This home also features a heat recovery ventilator system. This system continuously extracts moist air from wet rooms (such as the kitchen and bathrooms), and then filters and recirculates it to balance the air throughout the house. This process can recover up to 90 percent of the heat in extracted air, adding up to significant energy savings.
uses radiant heat floors, greywater, and The exterior siding was burned by hand before installation, emulating a traditional Japanese technique called yakisugi-ita. The burnt layer acts as a protective coating on the wood, repelling water and insects. “It also looks amazing and has a very organic feel,
More advanced framing techniques now use 2-by-6 wood studs in lieu of 2-by-4s, a single top plate and two studs in lieu of three stud corners. The benefits of using 2-by-6s include: Increased cavity space to accommodate more insulation Stud spacing that's 24 inches instead of 16 inches on center, resulting in less overall material To ensure structural integrity and accommodate the installation of materials such as drywall and sheathing, special clips and connectors have been developed for this framing method. For example, metal splice plates can seam together the single top plate.
Panel systems. Many contemporary designs feature larger panels at the exterior. These panels, such as HardiePanel and Swisspearl, are engineered to be installed with rain screens. These rain screens are a necessity with this type of panel system due to the gap between panels. Because this gap is integral to the aesthetic desired, making sure there is a weatherproof barrier behind the panels is essential to the overall performance of the wall.
Moving this early 1900s schoolhouse to a site next to a lake on the property wasn’t anything new. Interior designer Bill Peace says that during the gold rush, these schoolhouses were put on rails so they could be moved to follow the population. This one now serves as a welcoming fishing cabin and workspace. The original building is a true hewn log cabin with notched logs at the corners. The team added the front porch and a dormer to create a sleeping loft
The entry features a cedar front door flanked by tall glass windows. To the right of the front doors are the main living spaces, including the living room with fireplace. Here, the couple’s dogs, Gordie and Virg, and Phil the cat, enjoy the view. The exterior of the house is covered in fiber-cement siding panels. Clear vertical-grain cedar lines the underside of the overhangs.
7. Include space for storage; how to squeeze every last drop of potential out of a compact floor plan.double pocket doors tuck into the wall to allow full access to the living room from the hallway. The tuck-away doors also clear the way for built-in shelving up and over the door frame.
12. Maintain your wood stove or fireplace. If you have a fireplace or wood stove, it’s essential for safety that you have it serviced before lighting the first fire of the season. If you haven’t done so already, schedule an appointment to have your chimney inspected and, if necessary, cleaned.
Generators fall into three categories: stand-by generators, portable generators and inverter generators.
The Meditation Pavilion is a one-room structure in Stowe, Vermont, intended as a restful spot to enjoy nature, accessed by a woodland path or shoreline trail. It features a curved brick wall, wood-framed roof and platform suspended over the water. Inside, there’s a built-in bench wrapping three sides and a giant Rumford fireplace on the fourth side.
tiny house w/lap pool
The design was based on a traditional American corn crib used to store dry corn.
Another way to create a smoky wood effect is by using a process called yakisugi-ita (also called shou-sugi-ban). This Japanese artisan process is a natural way of sealing wood by burning it. The result is beautiful wood that is resistant to fire, rot and pests.
the house doesn’t have gutters. Instead, there is a system of ground gutters — PVC pipes buried in the gravel that recharge the groundwater.
The Most Stylish Home Assistants to Make Any House High-Tech; one is Amazon's Echo Dot $50
Health-Smart homes of the future: ...“So, for example, we are looking at bed sensors that monitor sleep apnea, restlessness [and] how many times you’ve gotten up to use the bathroom during the night, [and] smart mirrors that can monitor changes in skin, plaque on teeth, even dysfunction in eye-tracking,” Colistra says. “Advances in facial recognition software can even determine a stroke event coming on. Color spectrum-adjusted LED lights can help reboot circadian rhythms that inhibit sleep, alertness and even depression. We’re also looking at a toilet that could sense blood sugar levels and take your hydration readings.”
The mix of colors was carefully considered by Rowe as she assembled the bottle walls.
To continue the natural feel of the house in their bathroom, Rowe found terrific random stone tiles for the floor and shower walls from Island Stone. The vanity features recycled and raw timbers.
As well as providing a year-round tropical ambiance, the atrium garden is an essential part of the water system. Rainwater is used for cooking and drinking, and the greywater from laundry and showers is filtered into the planter, which starts shallow at the front door end and gets deeper as it runs through the house. River rocks and peat moss filter the flow (with plenty of Daltons potting mix, customized with coconut husk), and a small bilge pump recirculates the water back to a raised kitchen garden. After greywater is used for flushing the toilets, the black water is fed into a worm farm septic tank system. This uses worms and other natural means to process the waste and turn it into fertilizer; this is then further purified and treated, and then returned to the soil and used to irrigate the 20 heritage fruit trees in the orchard.
Rowe and her friends foraged for bottles to make the plastered feature walls, carefully selecting and cutting the glass to create soothing swaths of color that enliven the walls around the atrium and their en suite bathroom. The custom hexagonal doors were built by Bob van Pearce.
Frank LLoyd wright's Phoenix home’s reinforced concrete floors rest on concrete-filled block piers. The spaces between the piers were designed to serve as a carport. The circular form to the left includes a laundry and storage room, accessible from the carport, and an interior staircase leading to a small kitchen. The balcony curves around the living room and bedrooms and doubles as an exterior hallway.
The fireplace in the living room is a classic 1950s Heatilator metal insert with a full brick surround. It has a firebox with vents on the side and output vents on top. When the fireplace is lit, the cold air is sucked in on the side, and the convection created by the heated box pushes hot air out of the top. “When it gets going, our living room can easily be 78 degrees when it is 20 outside.
In the same room, he created an arched opening into the closet and turned the space into a comfortable desk alcove. There’s a new skylight flooding it with natural light from above.
11. Skirted coverage. This room off a kitchen serves as a butler’s pantry, a home office and laundry room.
2. Baskets under the machines. These portable laundry baskets fit right under an 18-inch-high shelf that supports the appliances, making it all fit into a laundry closet that’s just 5½ feet wide. They can be removed to gather up the laundry around the house and then stowed here. Another bonus to this design is not having to bend over to load and unload the washer and dryer
Size: 108 square feet (10 square meters) Where it is: In the back corner of the backyard, with a view to the main house and to the fountain across the lawn Hardworking feature: This shed serves as a potting shed, a drafting studio and sometimes a guesthouse.
"mother-in-law suite"/office/rental etc: Owner occupation is required for one of the structures. This usually also demands a deed amendment-covenant that makes it legally binding. A separate (lockable) entrance must be present. All setback requirements for the lot and the structure’s use must be met. The ADU must meet all current codes, which can be limiting if converting an existing older structure. Avoid all existing buried utilities (power, sewer). You won’t be able to build over any existing utilities, which may limit development possibilities. These should be surveyed and identified prior to undertaking the project.
http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/47792780?utm_source=Houzz&utm_campaign=u1255&utm_medium=email&utm_content=gallery2 1100 ft sq. 1/1 Hollywood, commissioned by Cecil B. DeMille
The small tiled roof over the entrance of this house is a detail found in some early examples and is called a visor. This parapet wall stands behind the visor and includes a belled arch. Note that its coping is the same clay tile used for the roofing. An applied quatrefoil occupies the second-floor gable end, and a towered form in the distant right completes this elevation.
How to Prevent Mold Controlling moisture inside the home is the key to avoiding mold. Mold Masters recommends yearly inspections of roofing, plumbing, exterior drainage and interior ventilation. Check for leaks under sinks and in crawl spaces. Always use ventilation in a bathroom to remove condensation from showers. The bathroom in the photo above has hopper windows, which are placed to provide ventilation as well as natural light and privacy.
Hidden Mold Mold often goes undetected behind wallpaper. In the photo shown here, an inspector from Mold Inspection & Testing in Chicago found mold growing behind wallpaper and baseboards in a foreclosed home. Exterior walls aren’t a good location for wallpaper, says the company, because of big temperature changes between indoors and outdoors. In addition, glue can act as a nutrient to feed mold.
If you’d prefer a shower that’s large but offers more privacy than a fully open walk-in shower or one with a partial glass screen, look to the fresh, fun bathroom here for design inspiration. Note how the lowered walls help create a private, intimate pocket where the homeowners can shower in peace, but don’t make the bath zone feel too closed in or take away from the room’s airy, spacious vibe.
Uncover Hidden Storage Space in Your Hallway
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