Archives for 2013

Home Improvement Goes Green

July 10, 2013 By EmmanuelFonte Leave a Comment

Environmentally-friendly homebuilding materials are becoming increasingly popular with consumers. Ecohaus, founded in 1992 as a home superstore, has branched out to three locations in Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco. Customers and builders seek out Ecohaus for two reasons — they want products that are safe for residential spaces and environmentally sustainable. Green materials sometimes carry an intimidation factor, as consumers may perceive them to be more expensive than standard products on the market. But according to this CNNMoney video, that’s simply not the case.

[pb_vidembed title=”” caption=”” url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMCSE7ks0yc” type=”yt” w=”680″ h=”385″]

Filed Under: Architecture, Blog, Home Care, Home Remodel

If I Could Buy The White House

July 9, 2013 By EmmanuelFonte Leave a Comment

Filed Under: Architecture, Blog, Random Thoughts, real estate financing

Simple House Veils Bright, Complex Interiors

July 9, 2013 By EmmanuelFonte Leave a Comment

What appears to be a stark, simple white home in an archetypal shape on the outskirts of Tokyo is actually one massive envelope containing a wide open interior with an unexpected geometric layout. House H by Hiroyuki Shinozaki Architects is a creative reinterpretation of a suburban home originally built in the 1960s, altered to create an airy, versatile living space.

From the outside, the home is a monolithic study in contrasts. The majority of the shell is an opaque white punctuated by just a few windows in basic shapes. But large, angular glass cutouts slice into the home, providing an intriguing glimpse at the tree-like wooden structures inside.

Y-shaped supports stretch from the pale pine floor all the way up to the roof to create a sort of artificial forest. Some are left open, while others contain solid panels that separate one ‘room’ from another.

The rooms are unconventional, as well: six platforms staggered through the large open space create lofts at varying levels. The columns provide a bit of separation between the living room, kitchen and dining area downstairs while maintaining a sense of connection to the entire home.

Stairs lead from the first floor to the split-level second floor, and ladders provide access to the lofts and terraced spaces above. Rethinking the standard of stacked floors and enclosed rooms gives the home a sense of kinetic energy, while the white-on-pine palette makes it a tranquil escape.

Filed Under: Architecture, Blog

NeverWet: magic coating to repel any liquid

July 6, 2013 By EmmanuelFonte Leave a Comment

NeverWet is a revolutionary superhydrophobic spray-on coating that gives a new meaning to the term “water-resistant.” NeverWet is a silcon-based covering that deflects nearly all liquids, heavy oils, acids, bases, and salt-solutions and was launched years ago and is now available to the public.

[pb_vidembed title=”” caption=”” url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4PShebMF4Y” type=”yt” w=”680″ h=”385″]

The site does say to avoid exposing NeverWet to the following substances: detergents, soaps, oils, solvents, and high-pressure water. If you are using it on a deck, they suggest using only low-pressure measures, such as a garden hose. You should also avoid brushes and abrasive cleaners as this could diminish the effectiveness of NeverWet.

Filed Under: Blog, Home Care

Are You Moving? Unpakt is the Expedia of moving companies

July 5, 2013 By EmmanuelFonte Leave a Comment

Moving can be a pain, but Unpakt has added technology to the mix to make finding and comparing moving companies easier, and calculating costs much easier.

Making moving bearable

Moving can be painful. Packing, desperately trying to navigate movers’ estimates, moving, unpacking, it’s all hard work, and there are several obstacles and most movers typically navigate with blinders on, accepting the first mover that answers the phone. Unpakt addresses one of the biggest pain points with moving, Unpakt was created to bring transparency to the moving industry by offering pre-screened movers, consumer reviews, and exact prices rather than estimates.

The last time you move, you may have tried to use one of those “box calculators” so you know how many boxes you’ll have to have movers put on a truck, and be honest – was the result accurate? Often, the guessing can end up costing you extra, and in addition to that bad math, movers are often offering estimates over the phone using subjective measures like “how many rooms do you have? Three? Okay, that’ll take an hour each to unload, we got this.” Wrong. It’ll take five.

Unpakt helps you to calculate how many boxes you’ll need based on math rather than fuzzy subjective metrics, and then it calculates how much it will cost to move. You simply insert all of your household items from their database into your list and it generates a number of boxes and general moving cost estimate.

Comparison Shopping

Beyond being able to better project your costs, it pulls together movers alongside reviews, and is like the Expedia of moving companies, letting you compare offerings side by side. This is a dream come true for anyone who is trying to move because in many cases, it can take days to get a response from some movers, and when a mover knows you’re coming from a website that is tied to reviews about them, they’re likely to be on better behavior (think less broken or missing items, less slow unloading, less carrying one box at a time).

[pb_vidembed title=”” caption=”” url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTyonQfa59E” type=”yt” w=”680″ h=”385″]

Watch more fun videos here.

Unpakt can save a lot of time and money and above all, pain during your move. Check out their moving calculators and compare movers, and then compare it to the old pen and paper method you used last time you moved.

Filed Under: Appliances, Blog, Furniture, Home Care, Real Estate, Technology

Millennials Home Buyers

July 5, 2013 By EmmanuelFonte Leave a Comment

Despite living through the housing bust, the majority of Millennials still want to own a home in the future — but not without some high tech capabillities.

Filed Under: Appliances, Architecture, Blog, Real Estate, Real Estate Investment, Technology

The Art of Grilling: How to Grill a Steak

July 4, 2013 By EmmanuelFonte Leave a Comment

Award-winning BBQ chef, Karl Engel, shows us how to grill a steak. Ron Swanson would approve.

[pb_vidembed title=”” caption=”” url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_yDTSrsv5g” type=”yt” w=”680″ h=”385″]

Filed Under: Appliances, Blog, Random Thoughts

July 4th In America: Fireworks Safety

July 3, 2013 By EmmanuelFonte Leave a Comment

Now that our nation’s Independence Day is right around the corner, it’s time to start planning those annual BBQ’s. Hotdogs, hamburgers, American flags, and… you guessed it… FIREWORKS!!!

Before you get too carried away though, make sure to take the proper precaution when lighting up those fireworks you scored this 4th of July.

According to Instant Checkmate more than 15,000 fires were caused by fireworks in 2010, resulting in $36 million in property damage. Of those fires, 1,100 resulted in the destruction of private homes or properties, and 8 deaths.

So, this 4th of July, remember to follow the proper safety precautions during your annual celebrations. Other than the basic “Don’t let kids play with fireworks” and “Always have an adult around”, take special care to remember to some rules you might not think of in the spur of the moment at a party. For instance, always hold the firework away from your face when lighting, never try to re-light or pick up a firework that did not light properly, and be sure to have a source of water handy when lighting your fireworks.

With that being said, here is straight-forward guide to safely setting off your fireworks this 4th of July.

Filed Under: Blog, Home Care, Random Thoughts Tagged With: usa

Energy Loss in Homes: How Proper Insulation Helps You

July 3, 2013 By EmmanuelFonte Leave a Comment

Here’s an infogrpahic to help you assess your home’s energy loss. The average family spends $1,900 a year on utilities.

Filed Under: Appliances, Blog, Home Care, Technology