I was walking through the Melbourne suburb of Albert Park last week and my eye was drawn to this house.
What do you think?
For more Fails and unusual houses go to What the………….?
I was walking through the Melbourne suburb of Albert Park last week and my eye was drawn to this house.
What do you think?
One quote was “They add to the sense of space and are an affordable architectural feature”.
For example this photo from Hooked on Houses
Of course this comment was from someone trying to sell a big new home design.
I can’t deny they are a ‘WOW’ feature but before you get seduced by the Display Home here are some things to think about:
It always pays to think about how you would use the house, rather than get too distracted by the appearance.
I saw this photo of a ‘Drawer Fail’ on the Our New Home Coach Facebook Page (One of the people I follow).
As you can see the drawer can’t fully open because the window blind is in the way.
Forgetting to allow for the drawer to open is an all too common problem as this Other Fail shows.
In this case a piece of 50mm x 50mm timber placed between the wall and the cabinet when installing, would have solved this problem.
Guest post by Hubert Dwight
With that in mind, comfortable lighting can be difficult to acquire without breaking the bank, and so many choices can also mean a lot of potential pitfalls.
To help you along the way, here’s just a few solid options for making the economical choice in style.
With homes and offices slowly moving away from fluorescent lights and other less favoured options, LED lights in Melbourne have been booming, and for good reason.
Ceiling panels can give the impression of a natural light source and make a room feel larger and less constrictive.
These simply reliable squares of light take up little space and bring a surprising amount of illumination for their size.
They may not be lighting an Olympic basketball court any time soon, but for a stylish touch to your living area, a few well selected panels are sure to impress.
Creating a welcoming entrance to any room, while also taking the stress and expense out of consistent, on-demand lighting, motion sensors and auto dimmers can be a luxurious, cost effective addition to your home.
These lights can often be set for brightness, so you can always be sure that your room hits the perfect lighting just as you walk in.
The interesting difference between auto dimmers and other kinds of automatic lighting is that they are always illuminated to various extents, sometimes going as low as three watts equivalent, to conserve energy while still creating a fluid and natural feeling as it brightens to your preference.
One oft overlooked factor when setting up a room is how furnishings will affect light entering it, which can lead to dark, gloomy areas that have the potential to be warm and inviting with just some small alterations.
Making sure that you are minimising the obstruction of natural light will go far in creating a living area or bedroom that you can be proud of.
If this isn’t possible in your current abode, using soft light bulbs in these rooms can supplement the light lost and still leave you with a cosy, comfortable place to wind down.
Room Mapping
Having a strong light source in the middle of a room is all well and good, but it can be distracting, and neglect corners and walls that can’t be reached.
Making smart choices about where your lighting lays can completely transform a room, providing an even glow and avoid the risk of walls becoming overshadowed.
This layout will be different depending on the size and purpose of room being furnished, but a keen eye is often all you need to make sure that your home is at its best.
While it may be difficult at first, specifying the lighting of your home can make all the difference to how comfortable you and your family will feel within it.
In the end, the best choices will be different for everyone, but the more information you have going into an endeavour of this kind, the better.
If you are considering an instantaneous gas hot water service there are normally two options.
So what is the difference
The standard unit has a single heat exchanger to transfer the heat from the gas burners to the water.
Typically the exhaust gas leaving the unit is in the order of 200 degrees C.
This means the maximum efficiency of the unit is around 80%.
The condensing unit has an additional heat exchanger installed above the main heat exchanger.
It uses the waste heat from the final heat exchanger to pre-heat the water.
The exhaust gasses are thus much cooler, typically much less than 100 degrees C.
This means efficiencies of up to 95% can be achieved.
An increased efficiency means that the condensing boiler can save you up to $100 in the first year.
It should pay back the additional cost over the first three years and then be saving you money for the next 9-10 years.
That sounds like a bargain to me.
Did you never really grow out of the idea of living in a tree house.
Then this property by www.blueforest.com could be for you.
All the features of a modern home, including a fully fitted kitchen.
A guest post by Hubert Dwight
There are lots of things to enjoy about the winter.
There is spiced pumpkin soup, hearty home cooked meals, and nights in with the family.
Yet, it can also be a stressful time, particularly for households that are not fully prepared.
The cold temperatures and harsh winds of winter can wreak havoc with untidy gardens and homes, so make sure that you’re ready this year.
For instance, don’t leave fragile garden furniture in the yard all winter.
The metal components rust and wooden ones rot.
When spring rolls around, the only option may be to buy an entirely new set.
The same goes for things like cracks and draughts in windows.
While they might not seem like much of a problem now, they’re bound to become an obstacle when the weather gets unpredictable.
Fortunately, preparing for winter doesn’t have to be a difficult task.
This will give you some ideas on the best places to start and the most valuable preparations to make.
It is much harder to maintain an unruly garden in winter than it is when the temperatures are
mild and it is still enjoyable to spend time outside. So, with the help of Revell landscaping services, get a head start on the cold weather and give your trees, plants, and shrubs some tender love and care.
One of the best things about high quality landscaping is that, in the winter, shrubs and trees can be used to keep heat close to the house.
It takes mere minutes to plug up cracks and holes around window frames, with a little bit of restorative caulking.
To check for holes, simply run your hand along the perimeter of the frame.
If you find patches that are significantly colder than the rest, there is likely to be a tear in the caulking.
Cover it over and plug it up with new material; this will keep your home warm and insulated as the year progresses.
If you fix all of the holes in your window frames, but the interior of the house is still cold, the gaps under the doors could be letting in draughts too.
Once again, all you have to do is invest in two or three hefty draught excluders.
Place them against the doors when you are trying to get cosy on an evening.
All homes should have a set of summer curtains and a set of winter ones.
Obviously, the winter set should be substantially thicker and heavier, because this is great for conserving heat.
As curtains are so cheap to buy, you could even purchase a number of different sets and rotate them through the year.
That way, you get to combine style with practicality and energy efficiency.
If you have automated sprinkler systems, it is really important that you remember to switch them off before temperatures drop.
Ifyou are in an area where the ground gets cold enough, the components might freeze and crack.
It is much safer to turn off the automated settings and give the sprinkler a rest until the spring.
Generally, it is safe to keep using the system until the soil gets harder to lift and rotate with a spade.
Don’t forget to gather up with your garden furniture and put it safely away in a shed or garage.
This is especially important for untreated wood and objects with metal features.
Ifvthere is a lot of moisture, they can start to rust and corrode; not to mention the fact that it is just harder to keep in good condition if it is cluttered and untidy.
It is always really satisfying to know that you’ve helped local wildlife make it through tough times.
So, if you have a little leftover cash and a passion for animals, pick up some fat blocks and bird seed balls.
Place them around the garden, so that birds, frogs, and more can find food and more easily bear the colder temperatures.
While it might not be an essential preparation, you’ll surely be glad of it when your yard is filled with life, even during the winter.
I have previously talked about Regulation Failing the Public . . . but how bad is it?
Well I have just been reading last years report from the Victorian Building Authority.
In that year they completed 7,573 audits of which 1,813 failed.
That is 23.9% (or almost 1 in 4)
In that year 833,860 Compliance Certificates were issued . . . so if that failure is extrapolated over all the plumbing jobs that means it is probable that around 200,000 plumbing jobs during 20014-2015 in Victoria have problems.
I don’t know about you, but with those figures I’m not going to be very confident that the plumbing in a new house has been done correctly.
If you want to know what to look for here are the most common reasons for an Audit Failure.
I was out walking the other day and saw this unusually shaped window.
So why do I think it’s a FAIL?
How would you like this totally glass house?
As you can see it really does looks just like a big ice cube.
I have previously featured the ‘Philip Johnson Glass House’ but this is even more extreme with glass floors.
The concept house was designed by Carlo Santambrogiomilao.
If you want to see some more photos check out www.homedit.com