Emmanuel Fonte | Music | Art | Leadership
If music be the food of love, play on. Emmanuel Fonte website is about music, art, real estate, architecture, design and decor. Occasionally, I talk about my other passion, hockey.
The bathroom is one of the only rooms in a multibodied household where we’re expected and encouraged to lock ourselves inside. With that kind of permission, it makes sense to use this private space as a luxurious sanctuary. Make the most of your haven by giving it the proper lighting.
I spoke with two lighting experts about how best to transform a bathroom into a relaxing, functional refuge with light. Here’s their advice.
Mummy Mountain in Paradise Valley, Arizona may one day have an architectural halo around its peak. Architect Nick Tsontakis has revealed his plans for a stunning manta ray-shaped home that he has dubbed Mummy House.
Per Arizona’s building codes, the house is not allowed to surpass the peak of the mountain. Tsontakis gets around this in his design by wrapping the home around the mountain.
The “head” of the manta ray design makes up the home’s entrance. An access road leads up to the front door, inside of which is a ten car garage. A spectacular swimming pool hugs one side of the home and the mountain provides the residents with privacy.
Inside the home, the floor plan includes a 2,000 square foot entertainment room carved into the side of the mountain. Access to the two offshoot wings of the home is partially via tunnels cut into the mountain to minimize the home’s height.
Eight bedrooms and eight bathrooms occupy various parts of the home. Floor to ceiling glass walls bring in abundant natural light and open to allow the fresh mountain air to swirl through the home’s interior.
The home’s wrap-around decks provide the perfect place from which to gaze down on the city below. In a spectacular setting like Mummy Mountain, it would take a truly magnificent home to both blend in and stand out from the mountain – and this nature-based design absolutely fits the bill.
Read more: http://dornob.com/stunning-modern-home-surrounds-the-peak-of-a-mountain/#ixzz2hKtv125p
Oodles of time and research go into designing corporate workspaces, but home offices are different. People creating office spaces for themselves usually don’t have access to all of the studies that have been done to determine what design aspects allow them to work best.
Research from the social and physical sciences has shown that anyone can create a home office that allows for more productivity. Try these 7 tips to see if they work for you.
After buyers move in to their new home, they should be prepared for some home fixes to present themselves each season, says Rich Escallier, a handyman in Chicago. “If you can go six months without finding something that raises your blood pressure, you’re lucky,” Escallier says.
CBS MoneyWatch recently released a checklist of routine maintenance and small home repairs that home buyers should expect to do their first year to help avoid more costly problems from surfacing later on:
During move-in week: Turn on all major appliances and run them for a complete cycle. Even if the buyer already completed a home inspection, they should test again, experts say. After all, “if you have a minor leak under the dishwasher, that water leaks into the subfloor and you can’t see it,” says Daniel Cipriani with Kade Homes & Renovations in the Atlanta area. “But you’ll start to notice the hardwood floor buckling.”
45 days after move-in: Change the HVAC system filter and vacuum out the air intake vents. “Capturing dirt and dust with the right filter can go a long way toward preserving the new home appeal for a few years,” CBC MoneyWatch notes.
Six months after move-in: Inspect the exterior of your home in both the summer and fall to ensure rainwater is draining away from the home properly. Also, clean out clogged gutters and downspouts. “Landscaping should be negatively graded away from the house,” Cipriani says. “People don’t think it’s a big problem, but otherwise water pools against the foundation and doesn’t have anywhere to go.”
Every year: Inspect the home’s roof for any missing shingles and gaps around the chimneys. Also, check the ceilings inside the home for any water spots and indications of potential leaks.
Experts also note that every two years, home owners would be wise to hire a professional HVAC contractor to inspect their furnace, air conditioner, and hot water heater. A ruptured reservoir could potentially spill 40 gallons of water in a mere few hours so experts recommend home owners install a water alarm with sensors in the collection pan underneath the hot water heater. The sensors cost about $25 and can help save home owners from costly water damage.
Source: “Repairs Every New Homebuyer Should Make,” CBS MoneyWatch
The right heating system depends on your home’s size, the location and the existing infrastructure. A professional HVAC contractor can help you make an informed decision based on your unique needs. Here’s an infographic from comfort24-7.com 
From the folks at YardSaleHelper.com
Today’s infographic comes from Allied Van Lines.
