Archives for September 2012

A Modern Home Finds Its Soul

September 9, 2012 By EmmanuelFonte Leave a Comment

Interior designer Andrew Mitchell toes the fine line beween design constraint and generosity in this Brighton, Australia, home. Called by clients who wanted to inject their home with more warmth and character, the designer brought in texture and materials without layering in too much old with the new. "Achieving balance between the sleek, modern bones of the house and adding character and soul is not an easy thing to do," says Mitchell. A slow and deliberate introduction of natural materials, including recycled Australian hardwoods and fabrics, softened what used to be a slightly steely interior.

Houzz Tour: A Modern Melbourne Home Finds Its Soul

Houzz– Kitchen Remodel, Bathroom Remodel and More »

Browse Furniture on Houzz- For Example:

Armchairs · Bar Tables · Chairs · Coffee Tables · Dining Chair Cushions · Dining Tables · Ottomans And Cubes · Sectional Sofas ·

Filed Under: Appliances, Architecture, Blog, Furniture, Home Remodel, Technology

A Floating House On Lake Union

September 9, 2012 By EmmanuelFonte Leave a Comment

This is the latest project of V + C Architects (Vandeventer + Carlander). This private residence floats on Lake Union in Seattle and offers great panoramic views of downtown Seattle southward, Gas Works Park to the north and Queen Anne Hill to the west. With no space to spare, the home has a compact waterprint and easily combines indoor and outdoor living. The customers required a home that was modern and would meet their needs for comfortable living and gracious entertaining. The result is a design that turns the traditional floor plan upside down with the personal rooms on the ground (or may be water floor is correct?) floor and public spaces on the roof. A spiral staircase leads up to the rooftop deck for even more glorious views.

Living on the water comes with its own sets of challenges, namely the effects of water corrosion on buildings and vehicles. To minimize those effects, the architects designed the home to be low maintenance and durable, which includes the use of aluminum coverage and fiber cement panels for a rain screen. Inside interior materials were chosen for their color palette, which includes the use of light hued bamboo flooring. Solar passive design, natural daylighting and ventilation all help reduce energy use within the home. Overhangs and sun shades protect the interior from overheating in the summer. In addition, the home features a hydronic in-floor heating with an energy efficient heat pump system and a fresh air ventilation system with an energy saving heat exchanger.

via:vc-arch.com source

Filed Under: Architecture, Blog

The 4 Things Home Buyers Really Want in Kitchen Cabinetry

September 8, 2012 By EmmanuelFonte Leave a Comment

A great kitchen design can dramatically increase your property value — if you want to attract prospective buyers, your kitchen is the perfect place to invest money. The trick is to get it to appeal to the majority of people by spending your money on what most of them really want.

Kitchen cabinetry can do much to attract the right buyers. There are four key factors to consider: quality, symmetry, color and layout. If you can get these key elements right with your cabinetry, you’re bound to have a higher home value.

The 4 Things Home Buyers Really Want in Kitchen Cabinetry

Houzz– Kitchen Remodel, Bathroom Remodel and More »

Browse Bath Products on Houzz- For Example:

Bath And Spa Accessories · Bath Mats · Bathroom Storage · Bathroom Vanities And Sink Consoles · Bathtubs · Shower Caddies · Showers · Toilets ·

Filed Under: Appliances, Architecture, Blog, Home Remodel

Apartment Market Infographic Shows Rents are Heating Up

September 7, 2012 By EmmanuelFonte Leave a Comment

Filed Under: Blog, real estate financing, Real Estate Updates Tagged With: rental market

Facebook Mobile Hits 543 Million Users

September 7, 2012 By EmmanuelFonte Leave a Comment

In May, the Facebook Mobile application for mobile devices had 488 million users. And by the end of June, it reached 543 million monthly active users. That represents a 57% Facebook mobile penetration from the 955 million strong user base.

Faster Application = Faster Growth?

The application has been often criticized for being too slow and unresponsive, but about two weeks ago, Facebook issued a massive update to its iOS app and it is now much faster and easier to use. Not to mention that iPads finally support Timeline and it looks great on the retina screen. Facebook for Android has also gone through a smaller update resulting in faster photo uploads.

Mobile Platforms – The Biggest Changes

North America continues to be the strongest Facebook Mobile continent with over 161 million monthly active users and South Africa, Nigeria and Japan still rule the ranking of the countries with the highest Facebook Mobile penetration. But check out the numbers concerning the penetration of individual mobile platforms! During the last quarter, Facebook for Android has grown the most in absolute numbers (22.5 million new users) and iPad increased its mobile Facebook base by 45%! Now that Timeline is available for iPad, it will be interesting to see how the numbers grow.

Facebook Mobile Infographic

Check out, Share and Like the infographic below and compare it to the results we issued in May.

Filed Under: Blog, New Media, Technology

INFOGRAPHIC: Your Facebook Timeline is like a Storefront

September 7, 2012 By EmmanuelFonte Leave a Comment

SOURCE

Filed Under: Blog, marketing, New Media, Technology

Construction Spending on Single-Family Homes up 40 Percent Since Recession Low

September 7, 2012 By EmmanuelFonte Leave a Comment

According to the Census Bureau, private residential construction spending fell slightly for the month of July, after three successive months of gains. The July value of private residential construction put in place was down 1.6 percent on a seasonally adjusted annual basis. Despite this small decline, which was driven by the volatile measure for home improvement spending, the overall trend in residential construction spending has been positive, with July’s total standing as the second highest monthly tally since the beginning of 2009.

Construction spending on new single-family homes was up 1.5 percent on a month-to-month basis and is up 19 percent from this time last year. Moreover, since bottoming out during the second quarter of 2009, the nominal dollar value of spending on new single-family homes has increased 40 percent. While the recovery in home building varies from location to location, the overall positive trend is expected to continue into 2013.

However, it should be noted that the current pace of activity remains significantly below historical norms. For example, the July 2012 total is just 42 percent of the residential construction spending total of July 2003.

Multifamily construction spending increased 2.8 percent during July and has experienced gains in each of the last 10 months. Overall, spending on new multifamily units has significantly increased by 68 percent from its low point in August 2010. Construction activity is expected to level out over the remainder of 2012, but we anticipate multifamily starts to remain well above 200,000 through the end of next year.

The home improvement category experienced a noticeable decline in July, falling 5.5 percent. Remodeling activity has remained in a relatively tight range for the past two years, although the drop in July may be related to limited mid-year weakness for existing home sales. It is also worth noting that the section 25C tax credit for making energy efficiency upgrades to existing homes expired at the end of 2011, which was supporting some remodeling spending.

Source: Eye on Housing

Filed Under: Blog, Real Estate, Real Estate Updates

Wonderful Wood Countertops for Kitchen and Bath

September 6, 2012 By EmmanuelFonte Leave a Comment

Do you think wood counters in the bathroom or kitchen and kids don’t mix? Well, it ain’t necessarily so. I decided to do some research on what people with wood countertops really think about their care and maintenance. I went to several discussion threads on multiple websites and read through all the comments. Of the people who have had wood countertops in a kitchen or bathroom, around 90 percent of the comments I read were positive, and many of those commenters have kids of every age. It was surprising, given how many folks are afraid to put wood in a kitchen or bath. In reading through all of these people’s comments on their personal experiences I found two common things that contributed to success or failure:

The kind of sealer used

The type of wood and the quality of construction

Wood is such a beautiful material and adds such visual warmth. If you are longing to incorporate wood into your kitchen or bath, but fears about care and maintenance are keeping you from it, there just may be a solution for you in here.

Wonderful Wood Countertops for Kitchen and Bath

Houzz– Kitchen Remodel, Bathroom Remodel and More »

Browse Bedroom Products on Houzz- For Example:

Duvet Covers · Quilts · Shams · Sheet Sets · Dressers Chests And Bedroom Armoires · Headboards · Nightstands And Bedside Tables · Sofa Beds ·

Filed Under: Architecture, Blog, Home Remodel

Wall-less House | BY MARCIO KOGAN

September 6, 2012 By EmmanuelFonte Leave a Comment

Emmanuel Fonte This has to be one of the most amazing properties we have come across this year. The “V4 House” in Sao Paulo – Brazil, was designed by renown Architect Marcio Kogan. The main feature is the lack of walls, making the interior flow effortlessly onto the lush outside environment. The stunning property has not gone unnoticed in the architectural world, it has been nominated under the House category of the 2012 World Architecture Festival.

Filed Under: Architecture, Blog