The average home in the U.S. is around 2400 square feet. I will take mine in 160 square foot increments scattered around the world…
Hmm that gives me 15 unique locations… this could be fun!
Tagged: getaway, Real Estate, recycle, reuse, shipping container, tiny home, vacation home
reuse hangers to create a beautiful pendant lamp
Tagged: lighting, pendant light, recycle, reuse, upcycle
This house is incredible, the view, the inspiration, the execution, everything comes together to support a single design goal, one kick-ass rooftop deck.
via dornob by Tatiana Bilboa
Tagged: beach, modern, Photos, pool, rooftop deck
As it turns out my personal distaste for granite and maple, the “staples” for any kitchen renovation over the last couple years could turn out to be beneficial in more ways than one. I made the decision to break the mold, by choosing Corian for our counter-tops, and white doors from Ikea for the cabinets, mostly as a way to do something different, something modern, light and airy, something that would stand out in a sea of maple and granite. However a number of people are discovering that along with their granite countertops comes a heavy dose of radioactivity.
I just saw an article in the NYTimes - What’s Lurking in Your Countertop? and this could be the biggest selling point of our light white modern choices yet. The article reports on an experience a new homebuyer had when she found out the house she was buying had elevated levels of radon, so she hired a radon inspector to discover the source of the cancer causing gas.
“’He went from room to room,’ said Dr. Sugarman, a pediatrician. But he stopped in his tracks in the kitchen, which had richly grained cream, brown and burgundy granite countertops. His Geiger counter indicated that the granite was emitting radiation at levels 10 times higher than those he had measured elsewhere in the house.”
“When the technician told her to keep her daughter several feet from the countertops just to be safe, she said, ‘I had them ripped out that very day,’ and sent to the state Department of Health for analysis. The granite, it turned out, contained high levels of uranium, which is not only radioactive but releases radon gas as it decays.”
The article goes on to report that the EPA has seen an increase in the reports of “Hot” countertops as the popularity of granite increases.
The E.P.A. recommends taking action if radon gas levels in the home exceeds 4 picocuries per liter of air (a measure of radioactive emission); about the same risk for cancer as smoking a half a pack of cigarettes per day.
In another article Hostile Granite Showrooms Refuse to Discuss Radiation over at Green Building Elements details a women’s experience as she try’s to get more information about the potential health hazards by speaking directly with Granite Countertop dealers.
“I was basically thrown out of a showroom today for mentioning radiation to the owner.”
Whether or not there may be harmful radiation found within Granite, I am extremely happy with my choice of Corain, and I am extremely pleased with the results.
Tagged: corian, countertop, granite, kitchen, modern, radioactivity, radon, Real Estate
When ever I see this house, I always read Partay House, and it’s perfect. I think I am love
via Contemporist and Marcio Kogan Architects
Tagged: Real Estate
It has been a while since my last post, but here is a quick tip for all those new to home improvement. Keep a record of all the paint you purchase. Take the two seconds to do it now, put it in a spreadsheet keep track of date of purchase, color, and most importantly finish! It will pay off in spades later, when you will inevitably need to touch up a spot, or something.
I learned the hard way. We recently had an electrician come in and do some work that required him cutting a few large holes into the freshly painted ceiling. Long story short we had used up all our ceiling paint, so to Home Depot I went to buy another gallon to cover the new drywall.
Of course I bought the wrong finish, and now must make a second trip to the store, and a spend a second evening of painting.
Do it right the first time. You’ll thank yourself later.
Tagged: drywall, kitchen, painting, Real Estate, tips
This is a little reminder to replace the air filters in your furnace. Generally you are supposed to replace these after every 3-4 months of use. I popped ours in just after moving in upon I realizing the original resembled a close cousin to Chewbacca, Harrison Ford’s sidekick in Star Wars.
Our unit provides central heating and A.C. But we never actually ran the air conditioning so I figured it would last most of the cold season. The weird thing is I checked the filter about a month and a half ago, and it looked clean as a whistle, but I wish the camera was not in Costa Rica so I could post a photo because upon pulling it out yesterday it was black.
It has occurred to me that I have gotten sick much more frequently in the past year than I ever have in my life. A large portion of the decline in my health can almost certainly be attributed to work; sitting long hours in an office chair and a lack of exercise. I would imagine there must also be some correlation between my current decline in health and the stress attributed to becoming a new homeowner six months ago in the face of one of modern histories worst economic climates.
In retrospect I wonder if this black air filter is more to blame than any of those other suspects. At any rate Its time to change your air filters.
Tagged: air filter, furnace, heating and cooling, maintenance
We had our kitchen counter tops installed almost 4 months ago, and since then there really hasn’t been a whole lot going on. A new light here, a new bookshelf there, but nothing big. I have been dreading the installation of the upper cabinets for a couple months now, because we decided we want to have under cabinet lighting and an over the oven microwave, which requires both ripping out the wall and running new electrical conduit — two things I absolutely can not stand doing.
While Lauren is lazing her days away down in Costa Rica, I mustered up the strength and finally got around to doing something about it. A quick trip down to the local “Do-it” Hardware store to pick up a drywall saw, conduit, electrical boxes and some wiring, and I was going to start demo. I walked in immediately found the first item on my list, the drywall saw and quickly moved on to the next. I was standing in front of a whole line of electrical wiring when an older gentlemen walked past and asked if I needed any help.
“Not really.. I think I am all set.” I replied, thinking I didn’t really need any help. I knew what I needed, and I wanted to get in and get out. But then something odd happened, He asked what I was working on. He actually wanted to help. Not like the majority of people you run into at those big box stores… he genuinely wanted to offer his assistance and expertise.
I hate it when a pushy salesman tries to show off how much he knows, or up-sell me on a bunch of crap I know I don’t need, or more often the case as it is at Home Depot and Lowes, to have someone stand there and feed me a line of BS when we both know 100% he really has no idea what he is talking about. So I proceeded to give him enough details to make his recommendation and carry on about his way. But then again he did that strange thing, I have so rarely witnessed in a retail environment he seemed to care, he continued to follow me around the store, asking questions, giving me advice, genuinely passing on his expertise. Not in a pushy way at all… he was just passionate about his job, and helping his customers.
In the end I walked out of there buying more than I would have if I didn’t have this strange encounter, but with information that will save me so much more time money and frustration in the long run it was worth it.
As it turns out after talking with this man, I am not going to have to rip out an entire wall to run conduit to each and every box as I thought Chicago code enforced. Instead I can run flexible conduit, or BX cable between boxes as long as it is less than a 6 foot run.
EUREKA!!!
This makes the dreadful project so much more managable… now all I need to do is create a few small holes instead of opening up the whole wall! It also means installing recessed lighting in the living room and kitchen, is no longer an inconceivable project!
So moral of the story is that even though you can save a few dollars here and there by shopping at the big stores… sometimes it really pays off to shop at your local hardware store where customer service and a knowledgeable staff are more of a priority.
Tagged: do-it center, electrical, Home Depot, kitchen, local hardware store, lowes, Real Estate
