Posted by mgervais
Here’s an exciting scene from a garden in Oakland, California. I love how the gold pedestal really makes this corner of the garden pop. The trunks of the bananas are like columns in a room, and the…
In my first several apartments, I never had a formal dining room. Instead, I had a kitchen/eating area and that was fine, when it was just my wife and me. The home we live in now does have a formal dining room, and with three kids, it definitely came in handy.
For many families, the dining room is a disappearing concept, often replaced with more usable space. People are having fewer major family get-togethers and are instead focusing on camming via the Internet and e-mail. We live in a global marketplace, and people are no longer staying near the places where they grew up.
The idea of the family dinner is also becoming an outdated concept as we fall into the hustle and bustle of the modern world. Parents are working later, and children are involved with school activities that keep them out until all hours of the night. Many people find it easier to just grab a bite on the way out or to take the food to the living room, where they can catch the latest episode of “House” before picking up their daughter or son from practice.
The dining room isn’t a traditional usable space like a kitchen. It’s simply an area to eat your meals, and other than that, it’s not used unless you need to do some kind of project for your child’s school. A dining room table always comes in handy for that. Many home designers are foregoing the dining room for a more utilitarian space.
What was once the dining room is now a reading room where the family can gather for game night and other functions. It’s a place where mom and her friend can visit while the kids play X-box in the living room. The tight economy has people wanting to get the most out of every penny and every inch of space, and that means saying goodbye to the large dining room table.
It’s a trend that I’ve seen evolving for several years, and it will probably continue until the economy recovers and people feel good about excess again. As for me, I plan on keeping my dining room for a while. My kids are still young enough that they don’t have a million things to go to, and we try to have all meals at the dinner table. It doesn’t always work that way, but we try.
Image Source: flickr.com/photos/bastique/3874763373
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Posted by mgervais
Continuing on in the Charleston theme (there seems to be no end to the great garden ideas from my tour there several years ago), here’s a photo of the front entryway to a stately Charleston home…
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Posted by mgervais
Continuing on in the Charleston theme (there seems to be no end to the great garden ideas from my tour there several years ago), here’s a photo of the front entryway to a stately Charleston home…
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17
Nov
Propeller Island City Lodge: Odd Architecture of the Week
Author: admin // Category: Home Gardening, Tips
Vacations are all about the destination and what goes on once you’re there, but there are some places where even the hotel can be a visual adventure. The rooms of Propeller Island City Lodge in Berlin, Germany, are art in and of themselves and are both beautiful and just plain odd at the same time.
Flying Bed Room
The room was built with a slanted floor designed specifically to make it look like the bed is flying in the middle of the room. The table and chairs are designed to complement the slanted room, so it feels like you are sitting down in a normal chair even though there is nothing normal about any of it.
Nightlight
While this room with the bronze abstract painted walls may seem normal at first glance, it’s a voyeur’s dream come true. The room includes a “spy mirror” so you can see the goings on of the room next door. If that isn’t strange enough for you, the bathroom was created to look like a giant plastic bag. Yeah, that kind of came out of nowhere for me, too.
Two Lions
Have you ever wanted to sleep in a cage? Me neither, but if you did, then this room features dual cages on stilts about four feet off the ground. You can choose to sleep in the cages or on a double bed. The hotel’s Web site says the kids love to sleep in the cages, but I don’t know if I would ever let them out again.
Nudes
Can you guess what this room is all about? The room is beautiful, with a blue sandstone bathroom, lilac colored walls and velvet curtains, but adorning the walls are nude paintings (also known as pictures of naked people). Leave it to the weirdest hotel in the world to create the perfect room for romantic ambiance and take it a step further by adding a bunch of naked people.
Space-cube
I am a science fiction nut at heart, and the Space-Cube room is a testament to futuristic minimalism. Sparse and metallic, the room features a bed that has a mechanical barrier, which can be raised or lowered to create one bed or two. The bed also has a blue light, and the walls are made of a colored glass. It’s very… umm… interesting.
Gruft
Twilight fans might want to choose this room if they want to get a little closer to Edward Cullen. A labyrinthine maze leads you to your two coffin beds high above the floor. Don’t worry about vampire hunters finding your sleeping quarters, as they have to traverse the maze, and with your aerial vantage point, you will see them coming.
Upside Down
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any weirder, the upside down room has the furniture above you while you walk on the “ceiling.” Don’t worry, you won’t be hanging like bats on the upside down bed, because the real beds and furniture are located in caves under the floor… err… ceiling.
The Propeller Island City Lodge is the oddest hotel on the planet, and these are only a few of the many crazy rooms his hotel has to offer.
Image Source: flickr.com/photos/dsopfe/3927852733/
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18
Nov
Winterize Your Second Home or Vacation Home Checklist
Author: admin // Category: landscaping ideas, TipsWinterize Your Second Home or Vacation Home Checklist
I saw my first snowflakes this morning and knew winter is already here before Thanksgiving. Have you had your second home or vacation home fully winterized yet? Freezing temperatures, icy winds, snow, sleet and power outages are on the horizon. Avoid the heartache, expense and stress of burst pipes, critters moving in and destroyed landscaping. Protect the house for the winter and enjoy and easier stress-free time opening it back up in the spring. The question becomes what to do yourself and what to hire the professionals to take care of for you.
In General
Make a list of what needs fixing. Go room by room. Waiting for parts over the winter is a lot easier than in June.
Check all the outside recreational toys – make plans to have them repaired over the winter.
Make a list of what you want to bring with you next year
Get Professionals
- Hire a plumber to fully winterize the plumbing and anti-freeze the drains including:
- Shut off Main Water Valve
- Refrigerator
- Dishwasher
- Washing Machine
- Outside Faucets
- Sprinklers
- Hot Water Heater
- Air Conditioning
- Furnace Humidifier
- Toilets
- Showers
- Hot Tub
- Fountains
- Saunas
- Sump Pump check
- Well Pump
- Water Softener
- Hire a HVAC company to check, clean and service the heating & cooling systems
- Hire a swimming pool company to close the swimming pool. You don’t want them drained all the way around here since the water acts as support for the walls. An inflatable pool cover keeps debris out and gives ice room to expand and contract.
- Hire landscapers to do the dreaded fall yard clean up.
- Hire a snowplow service (ask your landscaper) to keep the driveway clear. You want the fire truck to be able to access your home if something did go wrong.
- Hire a property manager, real estate agent or permanent resident to check on the home regularly.
Security
- Install a security system
- Put all the storms down and/or cover all the vulnerable windows
- Close and lock all the windows
- Lock all the doors
- Remove any valuable belongings like electronics, tools, guns, sentimental items
- Have all the mail forwarded to your winter address
- Stop the newspaper delivery
- Let the local police and fire departments know that you are away and how to contact you.
- Arrange for a property manager, real estate agent or permanent resident to check your summer house regularly
Inside the House
- Leave the heat on.
Many summer homes were built to be year round permanent homes and are not constructed to freeze in the winter. It is also very humid in this area and heat acts like a good dehumidifier and help to prevent that moldy musty smell. You can install a low heat thermostat than can be set at 40F. instead of the normal 55F thermostat to save on fuel. This will also protect your foundation. Several freeze-thaw cycles can lead to a cracked concrete foundation. - Set up automatic delivery for fuel oil or gas.
- Turn off any nonessential circuit breakers. The first time is tricky but you can go through and label them once and make every other time easier. Consider tagging them with green and red stickers to make the process quicker. The ones to definitely leave on include the security system, front porch light, heating system.
- Clean out the refrigerator. Unplug, clean and leave the door propped open
- Unplug all electronics and appliances
- Turn off the gas (natural and propane) call the company to assist with this. Unless this is your heating fuel.
- Thoroughly clean the house. Remember old stains are harder to get out than new ones.
- Remove any liquid medicines, makeup or toiletries that may freeze to the shelves
- Store any food in metal containers to keep the critters out
- Put mouse traps in the basement and kitchen
- Replace batteries in smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors
Outside the House
- Inspect the roof for any loose shingles and repair them. (Binoculars help)
- Clean the gutters. Build up in the gutters can cause a backup and an ice dam on the roof. Install screens to keep leaves and sticks out.
- Prune any tree limbs near the house. You don’t want those branches crashing through the roof.
- Call the utility company if branches have grown across the lines
- Drain water from outside faucets – Install frost free faucets
- Store lawn furniture, tools and grill
- Bring in any padded items so they won’t become a breeding ground for bugs and mildew.
- Check all the screens and repair/replace any torn ones.
- Winterize your lawn mower by draining out the fuel and store in well-ventilated shed. Run the lawn mower until you are sure all the fuel is spent
- Remove annuals
- Cover perennials with hay
- Mulch flowerbeds
- Protect shrubs from cold winter and falling snow with wooden protection
- Rake the leaves.
- Disconnect hoses.
- Have the chimney cleaned. Cap the chimney.
- Check and replace any loose weather stripping around outside doors and garage doors.
Mice can get through a space as thin as a dime. - Stop up all holes into the house. Put wire mesh screens on any vents to keep out the chipmunks, birds, squirrels, raccoons, mice, red fox and skunks.
- Put away the bird feeders. There are bears in the area and there is nothing they like more than a free snack.
Now you have a list of what should be done to winterize your vacation home. Impressive list of things to do, I agree. It is well worth the effort to protect your second home investment. I have seen frozen homes and it is a tragic sight. One house froze over the outside door making the job of getting in to turn off the water a challenge that resulted in taking an axe to the door. I suggest making a check off list that corresponds to your property so that nothing gets forgotten now or in the future
