Thinking About Building? Avoid These Design Flaws in Normal Homes!

Posted on November 3, 2014 by Jeremy Leake

When building a home there are so many things to keep in mind. How you’re going to use each space, how big the rooms need to be, and possibly even resell potential. In order to help you out we found this article that explains ten design flaws that are in normal homes. We hope it helps you design the home of your dreams!

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From the article:

Good design doesn’t have to be froufrou. It can be simple and useful in its beauty, making use of natural elements. Often it’s a matter of looking to things that are important to you apart from conventional ideas and to what the idea of home means to you and your family.

Poor planning and small budgets can lead to design mistakes, but often flaws become apparent as newer and better ways of home planning and construction come into favor.
We’ve chosen 10 common design flaws to highlight in this article, listed in no particular order. If you find some of these problems in your home, take heart. You’re not alone, and there are ways to resolve the situation. Carpenters and handymen have been around for thousands of years, and many do-it-yourself experts learned about home improvement while coming up with workable solutions for design flaws and getting hooked on the problem solving itself.

Too Much Storage
Walk-in closets may bolster images of success and comfort, but having all of that stuff around can take away from creating a haven in your home. Too little or too much storage clutters lives. If you have too much storage space, you might fill it with more clutter, but if you don’t have enough, you may not have room for a growing family.
Mark P. Sexton of Krueck + Sexton Architects in Chicago, Ill., says that he and many design professionals think that the biggest design flaw in the average home is closets [source: Sexton]. “The American walk-in closet is an incredible waste of space. It is the biggest waste of space, but people like it,” he says, “I’m all for storage, but it should be flexible. It is more efficient, beautiful and flexible-to-use cabinets, where the walking space is used for circulating rather than segregating closet contents.”
As Sexton summarizes, “Great design, you get more with less.”

Poor Choice for Multi-Use
Having an office, sewing, craft, reading or multi-purpose room may seem like a great idea. But if it becomes a dim dumping ground of boxes and bags with a closed door, it’s a project in need of completion that likely will inspire dread.

You probably won’t use a family game room if your family doesn’t play games, and you won’t want to spend time in a recreation room that looks like a museum. Keep it real about what works for you and what you already do, instead of what you could see yourself doing in a space.

At the same time, if there’s something you really want to do but aren’t doing currently, a change of pace may help it happen. But a reality check is still a good idea. A “workout room” filled with boxes still packed from the previous move, for example, may be a good indicator of how you’ll use space in a new home, despite your best intentions.

Water Mismanagement
In communities without running water, it’s just good planning to dig the waste hole some distance from the home and cooking area. Why, then, do some Western homes have bathrooms next to the dining room and the kitchen? The answer is plumbing placement. Having a shared hot-water source between the kitchen and bath, as well as a means to have piping curve downward to eliminate wafting upward fumes, makes for an unusual proximity for eating, and well, eliminating. The bathroom itself can have its own problems, since the places you wash your body are right next to the toilet.

Choosing historic home living often means accepting that your dinner guests may be uncomfortable using your one and only bathroom until after the other guests have cleared from the table outside of the bathroom door.

Placement, arrangement and number of bathrooms are considerations for growing families, and accessibility can also be a factor for aging families. In a split-level home in particular, up- and downstairs mobility is important, as is getting children and parents off to school and work on time each morning.

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Read about all the design flaws here: http://home.howstuffworks.com/10-design-flaws-average-home.htm/

Looking to Design Your Home? Follow These Principles of Interior Design!

Posted on October 30, 2014 by Jeremy Leake

Designing a home can be very challenging. If you don’t want to hire an interior designer and pay that kind of money then you’ve come to the right place. We found this article from HGTV that outlines the three principles of interior design. We hope it helps you design your dream home!

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From the article:

A beautifully decorated interior not only functions well but it creates a mood or a feeling and shows off the personality of the family that lives there. It’s attention to these three important ingredients ??? function, mood and personality ??? that ensures decorating success.

Before painting and rearranging, spend some time thinking about your family and how you live. Look through magazines for inspiration and pull out ideas or rooms that appeal to you. Gather things from around the house that make you feel good and study them carefully for color cues and perhaps a clue to the mood you’re looking for in your home. This is the beginning of a well-planned and decorated living area.

As for the rest, let’s start with function.

Function
Decorating is more than just eye appeal ??? it’s making a room really work for you. Here’s how to do it, element by element:

The focal point: Sometimes rooms have natural focal points (places the eyes travel to immediately upon entering a room) ??? a fireplace, a bay window with a view, maybe even a built-in bookcase. If the room doesn’t have a natural focal point, create one with a dynamic piece of art or a colorful area rug.

The furniture: Determine whether the furniture satisfies the functions you’ve planned for the room. If a piece isn’t working or if it’s too large or too small for the size of the room, get rid of it or trade it for something else around the house that may be more appropriate.

The lighting: Lighting should be selected for the functions of the room as well as for visual appeal. Every task will require either direct lighting from a lamp or indirect lights that simply brighten the room for conversation or TV-watching. Accent lighting ??? floor spots, track lighting or recessed spotlights ??? enhance texture, color and room details.

The furniture arrangement: Draw your room on graph paper. Measure and mark electrical outlets and switches, vents, windows and doors. Measure your furniture and place it in your floor plan. Generally, the main furniture pieces are directed toward the focal point, keeping the major traffic patterns open. Fill in with pieces you’d like to have that may or may not be available now. Be sure to balance high and low pieces as well as heavy and light ones around the room.

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Read about all the principles here: http://www.hgtv.com/decorating-basics/the-3-principles-of-interior-design/index.html

Thinking About Going Solar? You’re Not Alone!

Posted on October 23, 2014 by Jeremy Leake

Going solar is a big decision. It’s important to gather as much information as possible. It’s also helpful not to feel alone. To help you feel less alone we found this article that talks about how many people have gone solar. We hope it helps ease your anxieties about going solar!

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From the article:

The sun has long captivated humanity, from those who worshipped it in ancient times to others who work to harness it today. For more than 4.5 billion years, the burning ball of hydrogen has radiated more energy than we can comprehend. Every 40 minutes, the amount of solar energy that falls on the earth???s surface is equal to the total annual energy consumption of all human activities. In other words, 27 years??? worth of worldwide energy consumption equals only one day???s worth of solar energy hitting the earth.

Despite what some pundits would have you think, solar energy is no longer an exotic, experimental power source. Solar has become a primary source of new electric generation capacity in the United States ??? some 53 percent of new electric generating capacity in the first half of 2014 came from solar. With new sources of capital being unlocked, design and engineering innovations reducing system prices, and sales channels rapidly diversifying, the solar market is expected to drive significant growth for the next few years.

The United States??? solar market hit a major milestone in the second quarter of this year, with more than half a million homes and businesses now generating solar energy, according to a new report by GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).

The Q2 2014 U.S. Solar Market Insight Report says the U.S. installed 1,133 megawatts (MW) of solar photovoltaics (PV) in the second quarter of this year. The residential and commercial segments accounted for nearly half of all solar PV installations in the quarter.

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Read the entire article here: http://www.article-3.com/solar-now-powering-half-a-million-u-s-homes-and-businesses-914674

Looking for DIY Cleaning Products? Check These Out!

Posted on October 20, 2014 by Jeremy Leake

With people wanting to take better care of their bodies and the environment it’s no wonder that people are looking for cleaning products that are less harmful too. If you would like to create your own cleaning products then you’ve come to the right place. We found this article with 65 different DIY cleaning products. We hope they help you clean your home and protect your family!

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From the article:

If you’re tired of reaching for cleaning products with ingredients you can’t even pronounce, then head to your local grocery store for a few basic components, and make your own. These eco-friendly concoctions will leave your house sparkling. From window cleaner to grout whitener, you’ll be amazed at how easy these DIYs are to pull off. And after making the initial investment for the all-natural ingredients, these cleaning supplies cost pennies per concoction to make.

Bathroom Cleaning Wipes

From shining those countertops to quickly cleaning your commode, these easy DIY bathroom wipes look so chic in an upcycled plastic container.

DIY Liquid Dish Soap

This homemade liquid dish soap leaves dishes wonderfully clean without tons of suds. Add essential oils to personalize the liquid soap.

Homemade All-Purpose Cleaner

You will be amazed at how easy it is to make your own general cleaner. And you can personalize this grease-buster with a fresh scent, like rosemary, lemon, or orange.

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Read about all of the recipes here: http://www.savvysugar.com/DIY-Cleaning-Products-28901279

Have a Small Bedroom? Checkout These Ideas!

Posted on October 16, 2014 by Jeremy Leake

Having a small bedroom can be a huge pain in the rear. Depending on furniture, its arrangement, and what the room is used for the room can almost seem useless. If you’ve got a small room then you’ve come to the right place. We found this article with 40 different small bedroom ideas. We hope you find some ideas that work for you!

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From the article:

If you are looking for inspiration on how to decorate a small bedroom, prepare to be overwhelmed with fantastic ideas. After publishing these contemporary bedroom design ideas guaranteed to ???rock your world???, these charming Swedish modern bedrooms and these holiday-inspiring ocean-view bedrooms, it is time to have a look at practical solutions for small homes. For today we gathered 40 photos of small bedroom interiors, each of them displaying a clever layout.

So take your time and go through each and every photo from the list below, analyzing details and slowly configuring your dream bedroom. Keep in mind that light colors are a lot more efficient than dark hues in enhancing the feeling of space. As appealing as it might seem, a super-large bed will take up a lot of space, so a good plan is to reduce the size of the bed and fill the void with practical furniture accessories. And bring in as many mirrors as you can!

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Checkout all the ideas here: http://freshome.com/2012/10/30/30-small-bedrooms-ideas-to-make-your-home-look-bigger/

Building a New Home? Avoid These Mistakes!

Posted on October 9, 2014 by Jeremy Leake

Building a new home is a big endeavor. The last thing you want to do is make a mistake. In order to help you out we found this article with 10 mistakes to avoid. We hope it helps!

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From the article:

You???re going to build your dream home and you???ve thought it all through ??? or so you???ve thought. You know exactly what you need and want to have in your home, but have you thought about what you don???t want and what you don???t need? Have you really thought the whole thing through? You have given much thought and consideration to what will work for you, but have you taken the time to think about what won???t work?

Poor planning and budgets that are too small can lead way to some wayward, inconvenient and disastrous mistakes. When you plan on building a new home, you must look at the home from many angles. You must consider your current and future lifestyles. You need to take family planning into consideration ??? Will your family be expanding? Or will your children be leaving the nest? Do you entertain often and host overnight guests regularly? Take your time and do your research both online and in person. Be sure to take the time to meet with professionals in the industry. Poor design choices can make your home not only uncomfortable, but downright unhealthy.

Architects, engineers and builders are all trained to help you make effective decisions. They will help guide you as to where you can save a few dollars and where you absolutely should not cut corners. If you aren???t building but are selling your home, look at these Top 10 Mistakes to Avoid When Selling your Home.

Pay attention to your HVAC system.
Poor planning here can lead to issues with moisture and terrible mold growth. This can lend itself to great health concerns. Furthermore, careful attention should be given to the size of your units. Models that are too small will be underperforming and won???t cool and heat your home efficiently. You???ll come to regret this when your home is too cool in the wintertime and not cool enough during the hot summer months. Conversely those that are too large will utilize too much energy.

Poorly lit homes
Light fixtures and outlets should be plentiful. As should windows. Windows should be present in every room and as large as possible. Natural light, when possible, should be the main source of light. Think about adding skylights as well.

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Read the entire article here: http://freshome.com/2013/05/23/10-mistakes-avoid-when-building-new-home/

Ever Thought About Putting in Solar Power? Learn More About it Here!

Posted on October 6, 2014 by Jeremy Leake

Protecting the environment is very big in this day and age. Saving money is also important. In order to help you out we found this article all about solar power. We hope it’ll help answer your questions!

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From the article:

What is Solar Electricity?
Photovoltaic (PV) modules make electricity from sunlight, and are marvelously simple, effective, and durable. They sit in the sun and, with no moving parts, can run your appliances, charge your batteries, or make energy for the utility grid.

A PV array is the energy collector???the solar ???generator??? and does so via the photovoltaic effect. Discovered in 1839 by French physicist Alexandre-Edmund Becquerel, the photovoltaic effect describes the way in which PV cells create electricity from the energy residing in photons of sunlight. When sunlight hits a PV cell, the cell absorbs some of the photons and the photons??? energy is transferred to an electron in the semiconductor material. With the energy from the photon, the electron can escape its usual position in the semiconductor atom to become part of the current in an electrical circuit.

Most PV cells fall into one of two basic categories: crystalline silicon or thin-film. Crystalline silicon modules can be fashioned from either monocrystalline, multicrystalline, or ribbon silicon. Thin-film is a term encompassing a range of different technologies, including amorphous silicon, and a host of variations using other semiconductors like cadmium telluride or CIGS (copper indium gallium diselenide). Thin-film technology generates a lot of the current R&D chatter, but crystalline modules currently capture more than 80% of the marketplace.

To use the energy from the array, you may also need other components, such as inverters, charge controllers and batteries, which make up a solar-electric system. The components required are dependent on the system type designed. System types include:

PV-DIRECT SYSTEMS: These are the simplest of solar-electric systems, with the fewest components (basically the PV array and the load). Because they don???t have batteries and are not hooked up to the utility, they only power the loads when the sun is shining. This means that they are only appropriate for a few select applications, notably water pumping and ventilation???when the sun shines, the fan or pump runs.

OFF-GRID SYSTEMS: Although they are most common in remote locations without utility service, off-grid solar-electric systems can work anywhere. These systems operate independently from the grid to provide all of a household???s electricity. These systems require a battery bank to store the solar electricity for use during nighttime or cloudy weather, a charge controller to protect the battery bank from overcharge, an inverter to convert the DC PV array power to AC for use with AC household appliances, and all the required disconnects, monitoring, and associated electrical safety gear.

GRID-TIED SYSTEMS WITH BATTERY BACKUP: This type is very similar to an off-grid system in design and components, but adds the utility grid, which reduces the need for the system to provide all the energy all the time.

BATTERYLESS GRID-TIED SYSTEMS: These most common PV systems are also known as on-grid, grid-tied, utility-interactive, grid-intertied, or grid-direct. They generate solar electricity and route it to the loads and to the electric utility grid, offsetting a home???s or business???s electricity usage. System components are simply comprised of the PV array, inverter(s), and required electrical safety gear (i.e., fuses/breakers/disconnects/monitoring). Living with a grid-connected solar-electric system is no different than living with utility electricity, except that some or all of the electricity you use comes from the sun. (The drawback of these batteryless systems is that they provide no outage protection???when the utility grid fails, these systems cannot operate.)

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Read the entire article here: http://www.homepower.com/articles/solar-electricity/basics/what-solar-electricity

Looking to do Some Tailgating This Football Season? Checkout These Tips!

Posted on October 2, 2014 by Jeremy Leake

Football in the south is a very big deal. Tailgating goes right along with it. If done right it can be a blast. In order to help you have an epic tailgating party we found this article with 41 different tips. We hope it helps make your tailgating season one to remember!

From the article:

This is not about a grill and a cooler of beer: Tailgating is a lifestyle.

Plan to arrive four hours before the game starts. Then eat two hours before the game so you have plenty of time to set up and clean up.

Freeze water bottles to use in place of ice in coolers so you have cold water to drink after they melt.

Use an empty laundry detergent dispenser as a hand-washing station.

Pack portable jello shots in your team colors.

Build a tailgate beer pong table.

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Read all the tips here: http://www.buzzfeed.com/emofly/tailgating-hacks-that-are-borderline-genius#30066gc

Ever Heard of Universal Design? Find Out All About it Here!

Posted on September 29, 2014 by Jeremy Leake

When designing a home it’s important to think about resell factor. Even if you aren’t planning on selling your home for a very long time it’s an important thing to think about. In order to help you out with the concept of universal design we found this article that we hope will help!

From the article:

Universal Design is about creating an attractive, stylish space that everyone, regardless of age, size, or ability, can live in or visit. A home with Universal Design makes it easier for residents to live in, and for guests to visit now and in the future, even as everybody’s needs and abilities change.

The parts of a home that work well for everyone are Universal Design features. Incorporating them into your home in the pre-construction stage often adds little cost and is usually much cheaper than remodeling a house with traditional design features.
Having Universal Design features and products in a home makes good sense and can be so attractive that no one notices them ??? except for how easy they are to use.

Essential Universal Design features include:

No-step entry: At least one step-free entrance into your home ??? either through the front, back, or garage door???lets everyone, even those who use a wheelchair, enter the home easily and safely.

Single-floor living: Having a bedroom, kitchen, full bathroom with plenty of maneuvering room, and an entertainment area on the same floor makes life convenient for all families.

Wide doorways and hallways: With your home’s doorways at least 36 inches wide, you can easily move large pieces of furniture or appliances through your home. Similarly, hallways that are 42 inches wide and free of hazards or steps let everyone and everything move in, out, and around easily.

Reachable controls and switches: Anyone ??? even a person in a wheelchair ??? can reach light switches that are from 42-48 inches above the floor, thermostats no higher than 48 inches off the floor, and electrical outlets 18-24 inches off the floor.

Easy-to-use handles and switches: Lever-style door handles and faucets, and rocker light switches, make opening doors, turning on water, and lighting a room easier for people of every age and ability.

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Read the entire article here: http://www.aarp.org/home-garden/home-improvement/info-09-2009/what_is_universal_design.html

Want Your Living Room to be Neat? Try These Ideas!

Posted on September 25, 2014 by Jeremy Leake

Keeping a living room organized is hard. It’s the one room other than the kitchen that every member of the family uses daily. In order to help you keep it neat we found this article with 10 different ideas. We hope it helps!

From the article:

It’s where you hang out, flop down, decompress. It???s also probably where you read, play, craft, watch movies and entertain. With so much going on, it???s no wonder it can be difficult to keep the living room looking (and feeling) neat. And other than leading an ultraminimalist life, what can be done? Here are 10 tips to ease the burden on this hardworking room, so you can have a neat (enough) living space.

Put some ???speed bumps??? in your entry. If your front door opens directly into your living room, it???s all too easy (especially at the end of a long day) to zoom through the entry and plop down on the sofa, leaving a trail of bags, shoes and mail as you go. Slow the pace of entry by putting in some strategically placed ???speed bumps??? along the way ??? a bench to sit on to take off your shoes, hooks and floating shelves on the wall, a sofa table with storage below and a tray for collecting mail can all help.

And if you own your home and want to make a bigger change, you could think about having a partial wall or another built-in feature installed to help with flow and storage.

Use furniture with hidden storage. Another option is to choose a storage ottoman or bench, either as your coffee table or as an extra seat tucked away beneath a console. You can store media, games, magazines and even shoes inside. The key is to use it to hide the things that usually look messy when strewn all over your living room. If that means you use drawer organizers inside your ottoman and keep junk-drawer stuff in there, so be it!

And of course, for those with kiddos, the storage ottoman makes an ideal toy box. Regularly rotating the toys you store there will keep the little ones interested and make it less likely they will bring tons of toys in from their own rooms. And when they inevitably do bring in more toys? The next strategy will help with that.

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Looking for more ideas to stay organized? Then checkout this article about organization ideas that could be of interest to you.
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Read all the ideas here: http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/30175956/list/10-secrets-to-a-neat-living-room