Perhaps you need to live in a Global House?
These are the Bolwoningen houses in the municipality of ‘s-Hertogenbosch situated north-west of Eindhoven in Holland.
Want to find out more? check the website www.voicesofeastanglia.com
For the rest of us it is something you should be aware of.
If you have lowered your suspension, installed a body kit, or have a sports car then it could be critical.
For proper drainage of the driveway you will need a minimum gradient of 1 in 100 (1%, or 10 mm per metre)
This could be either along the driveway or cross fall.
Local Authorities rules on maximum slopes do vary (so check) but typical gradients are:
At the top of slopes there is a risk of the underside of the vehicle grounding.
At the bottom of the slope the front or rear of the vehicle can ground.
For standard vehicles a change in gradient of 12.5% is typically the point where problems can start to occur. (For lowered vehicles it may be much less than 10%)
A typical way to minimise the risk is to have a transition section of around 2m long between the two gradients.
For example
To go from a Flat slab (gradient 0%) to a gradient of 15% a transition section would be 7.5% ( [0% + 15%] / 2 )
This is the most ornate lock I have ever seen.
Apparently it took the maker Frank Koralewsky 7 years to complete.(1904 – 1911)
The lock illustrates part of the tale of ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
If you are in Chicago you can check it out at ‘The Art Institute’.
There are always lots of hooks that need to be put up, the odd shelf, house numbers to fix, etc, etc.
My old drill gave up the ghost the other day after many years hard use so I was round at the ‘Big Green Shed buying a new one.
Just a very basic mains powered drill.
I will bet some of you thought I would be going for one of those expensive ‘professional’ battery powered drills.
Well I have been down that route in the past . . . but no more.
A tradie will be using their drill every day so they are likely to keep the drill on charge and its always ready to use.
For me I might use the drill for half an hour and then not use it for three months, so I’m not going to leave it on charge. . . . the result is that the battery is always flat when I need it.
If you haven’t got an extension cable you will need to pay a few dollars for that, but the total cost will still be cheaper than the battery powered drill.
I know I can’t use it outside in the rain, but then again if it is raining, I put the job off to another day.
Well even amongst tradies there are two schools of thought.
Also if someone steals it out of the back of their ute it will only cost $50 to replace, not $200.
Guest post from James M. Gregory
Every health-conscious person will know it all about every diet in the book…how the human body uses food for fuel, what’s good or not…but what do we know about sleep?
I know that I need 8 hours of it…
This is one of the most common misconceptions about a good night’s sleep – crudely reducing it to a number of hours.
In reality, sleep is much more intricate than that. If it wasn’t each of us who gets 8 hours of sleep would be buzzing with energy.
That’s not the case, is it?
The harsh truth is that this clumsy approach to planning our sleep might be one of the reasons so many of us get the hours but don’t get the rest.
How little we understand
Next time you see your MD, ask him a simple question,”Why do we need sleep?”
The response is likely to be something commonplace and generic like, “That’s when our body repairs its cells and replenishes energy…”
That’s the response to the question, “What happens during sleep?”
It’s not that there’s anything wrong with your MD – science is yet to come up with an answer to the basic question about why we sleep.
While we’re waiting for that to happen…
For a person suffering from insomnia or a more delicate sleep disorders that often result in feeling groggy and chronically tired, digging into the nitty-gritty of sleep science won’t help.
Instead, let’s talk about something actionable.
One of the most commonly overlooked aspects of planning your sleep environment is the temperatures of the space, so let us dig into the issue.
Ideal sleep temperatures
The range of ideal sleep temperature is 15-21 °C.
Why is this important?
Because, as we drift off to sleep, the temperature of our bodies decreases. If the room is too warm, the hot air interferes with that mechanism. Even you do fall asleep; your body will struggle to keep its temperature down.
The result is a night of restless sleep – it’s a classic example of getting the hours but waking up more tired than when you went to sleep.
It’s not just about the thermostat
If you have a classic air-conditioning system, dialing down the temperature setting might not be enough.
The air conditioner will measure the temperature using a built-in sensor.
The issue here is that these are usually mounted high on the wall.
Cold air is heavier and and drops down.
As result, the air around you is actually colder than the air conditioner setting so being too cold can interferes with our thermal regulation.
A smarter way to do it
Instead of simply relying on the numbers of the thermostat, place a simple standalone thermostat on your bedside table.
This will be at the approximate height of your sleeping surface and accurately measure the temperature of the air around you.
You’ll be surprised by the difference between the number on your air conditioner remote and the standalone thermostat, especially if you’re sleeping in a large open space.
Are you simply a hot sleeper?
If you’ve ever been told by your partner that it feels like you’re emitting heat, that’s probably good news. It means that you have good circulation and your blood does a good job at carrying that heat to your limbs.
So, yes, it’s good news.
For you, that is. For your sleeping partner…not so much.
Here’s what you can do
If you can relate to the situation above and you’re not the kind of person to just dismiss the complaints of the person sleeping next to you, you do have options.
Let’s look at two of them:
Cooling mattress pads
Cooling mattress pads are designed with this scenario in mind.
They come as thin pads or topper that your dress your bed in.
The best cooling mattress pads out there will allow you to choose if you want to cool down only your half of the mattress.
They are inexpensive and the better ones are so thin you won’t even notice them as they do their work and help you drift off . . . .. you can read more about this nifty cooling gadget here.
Adjustable air beds
Adjustable air beds are the pinnacle of sleep technology. The best air beds will not only give you control over the temperature of the two halves of the bed but will allow you to change the firmness & positions of the mattress.
They are sleep luxury embodied but they do come with a price to match. If the temperature is the only issue, you might want to give the cooling pads a go before you dig this deep into your wallet.
Never wake up sweaty again
It’s the 21st century and technology plays a huge role in our lives. We get excited about video games and new features on our phones.
Yet, somehow, we often oversee the ways technology can make the crucial aspects of our lives easier.
And if proper sleep is crucial, we don’t know what is.
I have previously talked about ‘Strong Patterns’ on carpets before but this one is even worse.
Did they get the idea for the design from copying supermarket bar codes?
Just looking at it starts to give me a headache! . . . . . . . but the real concern is it makes it really difficult to actually see where the edge of each stair tread is!
Without my glasses I would be ‘Base over Apex’ in short time.
As I write this post I have spent over 5 weeks travelling and have experienced a lot of hotel bathrooms.
Here are some of the things I have learned, or been reminded of.
Basins with one of these pulls that operates the plug are quite common.
Waste of money in my opinion as they don’t work reliably!
The success rate seems to be about 25% for giving an adequate seal.
In a couple of cases The seal was so bad I have had to leave the mixer running to keep enough water in the bowl.
On a side note a spring loaded pop up plug we had in our last place only lasted 4 years.
A traditional plug is much cheaper and more effective.
Make sure it’s in front of you when you sit down.
You, and your guests, don’t want to be twisting around when sat on the toilet.
It also needs to be clear of any spray from the shower!
Shelves over the basin are a bad idea.
With this shelf I was in danger of hitting my head when bent over to wash my face.
A glass got knocked of the shelf and could have cracked the basin on the way down.
For getting better ideas for shelves, you can check here.
It’s awkward and slippery.
There is a real risk of a fall!
If you really want a bath I would suggest you put it in the main bathroom.
NB I prefer sliding shower screens to hinged ones and I really liked the one in the photograph as both heavy glass panels slid. . . . made it easier to clean.
This photo was taken in the house designed, built, and lived in, by world famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
It seems that after Frank had built the music room on the first floor he didn’t like an upright piano.
The solution was to get a grand piano but the only place available was found by cuting a hole through to the stair well!
I am told that in spite of the unusual location it does sound good.
I am spending some of my time, while I am travelling in the USA, looking at Architecture.
I often talk about timeless design rather than following the latest fashion and this house is a great example.
It looks as though it could have been built last year although it is over 100 years old!
This is the Robie House in Chicago, which FLW considered the best example of his ‘Praire House’ style.
Below is just one of many FLW houses in Oak Park a Chicago suburb where Frank Lloyd Wright also lived.
Guest post by Hubert Dwight
The kitchen is the heart of the home.
No matter how you spruce up your living room our outdoor spaces, people always gather in the kitchen.
Whether guests at a party, or hungry teenagers, the kitchen is the most natural gathering place in a home.
The design and functionality of the kitchen can make a huge difference when packing in people, or even just providing a meaningful meal for your family.
The word “remodel” can induce anxiety in some home owners, for it often means big budgets and long timelines, however, this doesn’t have to be the case.
With the right resources and support, you can transform your kitchen from a lacklustre room to your dream kitchen.
Read on for 6 tips to transform your kitchen.
It is easy to get lost in Pinterest boards and online blogs on how to remodel your kitchen.
Why not save yourself some time and begin your renovation journey with the experts?
Find a trusted company with good reviews and a lot of years in the business.
A favourite of mine is Brentwood Kitchens, a company with over 30 years in the business.
Here you will find the option to browse online, or visit a showroom.
Working with a trusted, experienced company from the beginning will save you time, energy and frustration and will ensure to get you that jaw-dropping dream kitchen.
A kitchen transformation doesn’t have to mean tossing everything you have and starting from scratch.
That is often an expensive and wasteful way to approach a renovation.
Take some time in your kitchen, and see what you can bring with you into your new kitchen.
What can be spruced up? Repainted? Refurbished? what will be able to transfer into the new style you are hoping to create?
Once you know what can stay and what must go, you can begin refurbishing, replacing and designing!
Before you go tossing out your cabinets, assess whether they are worth refurbishing.
Often, cabinets are made of high-quality wood, the style is just a bit dated.
With a good sand, prep, prime and paint, even the ugliest cabinets can become a tasteful centrepiece for a stunning kitchen.
One easy and surefire way to give your kitchen an immediate facelift is to replace the hardware on the cabinets.
If your cabinets are a bit outdated, chances are the hardware is even more so in addition to having a lot of wear and tear.
Replacing all pulls, handles and knobs can be a fun first step to testing a new design theme in your kitchen.
If you need to replace your kitchen appliances, but your budget doesn’t allow the super high-end models, there is another option.
Often, appliance stores will run a “scratch and dent” special for appliances with mild cosmetic imperfections.
This is a great way to be able to go up a step in quality without paying the high price tag.
The right lighting can be considered the jewelry of your kitchen.
Lighting offers the opportunity for style and function, acting as both a centrepiece and an accent.
Getting the lighting right in your kitchen will boost both your culinary and conversation experiences in this well used room.
The key to great lighting in a kitchen is to combine natural light with overhead and under cabinet lights.
As the sun moves through the kitchen and eventually sets, various lighting options can ensure everything well lit in a comfortable and functional style.
Try as you may to put all the snack trays in the living room, people will still gather in the kitchen.
The kitchen is the heart of a home where friends and family naturally gravitate.
You will never regret giving your kitchen a mild or wild transformation, and lucky for you there are options for all budgets and styles.
Before wasting too much time find a specialist that can help guide you in the direction of your dream kitchen and off you go!
