Archives for 2013

A Seattle Remodel Channels Palm Springs

seattle remodelYou often hear about a house being really well built, and that was definitely the case with this remodeled 1908 Craftsman. But “well built” and “well laid out” are two entirely different things. “The whole way it was set up prevented you from having any connection to the view over Ballard, a really cute neighborhood in Seattle,” says architect and designer Charlene Wilson, of Portal Design, “or any connection whatsoever to the backyard.”

Wilson says that a lot of the inspiration for the house came from the lifestyle in Palm Springs, California. The homeowners have a vacation house there, and Wilson spent time with them in the desert and went to events during the city’s annual Modernism Week.

One of the things they all love about Palm Springs is the ability to live indoors and out, not something you can typically do in Seattle. “The sense of being able to flow from indoors to outdoors was one of the main drivers in renovating this house,” says Wilson.

See the rest at Houzz.com

Improve Your Home in 10 Minutes or Less

Printsource: quickquid

NAR’s 4th Quarter Home Sales Report [INFOGRAPHIC]

NAR-4Q-2012

Fannie: Housing to See ‘Sustained Growth’

housing_market_uptrend.jpgThe housing market is “on a sustained growth path,” according to the latest economic outlook by Fannie Mae’s Economic & Strategic Research Group.

“One of the key developments for the housing market last year was the general consensus that home prices, on a national basis, bottomed earlier in the year and continued to build momentum, exhibiting robust year-over-year gains unseen since the housing boom,” according to the report.

Housing inventories are at the lowest since December 1994 and fewer distressed homes have helped to lift home prices, according to Fannie Mae economists.

Among some of Fannie Mae economists projections for this year:

  • Home prices: Fannie Mae economists predict that the median price of existing homes will increase 2.3 percent on an annual basis this year, reaching $181,000. The median price of a new home will likely increase 1.6 percent to $248,000. For 2014, economists predict that home prices will increase an extra 2.8 percent.
  • Home sales: Existing-home sales will likely rise 11.5 percent in 2013, and new-home sales will rise 12.5 percent, economists predict.
  • Mortgage rates: Rates will likely edge up slightly this year with 30-year fixed-rate mortgages projected to average 3.8 percent this year and rise to 4.4 percent in 2014.

Source: “Fannie Mae: Housing Is ‘on a Sustained Growth Path’,” Inman News

Cantilevered Osaka House Hovers Over Driveway

This dramatically cantilevered home in Osaka seems to defy gravity while multiplying available space, providing another example of the clever tricks employed by Japanese architects to make the most of small lots. Though the home is actually three stories tall, Shogo Iwata designed House in Senri with eight tiered interior levels.

The house was stabilized with a strong visible steel frame, giving the architects the freedom to experiment with the sense of space. Like many Japanese homes, it was partially built into the ground for natural insulation, extra green space and reduced visibility of neighboring homes.

Continuing the floating effect from the outside in, the interior room platforms connected to each other with small sets of stairs create linked spaces that flow together, making the house feel much larger than it really is.

This arrangement also “makes the notion of floor ambiguous,” the architects explain, as you proceed from the entrance under the cantilevered canopy all the way to the sunny terrace on the roof.

The Future Of How We Watch Hockey

future-of-hockey-bannerA lot has changed in the world of broadcast sports television over the years. Decades ago, when the first televised NHL broadcast hit the airwaves in Canada, fans gathered around their black/white one-tv-per-household (average) television sets to see a Nationally telecast game one night a week. It was a way for families to share quality time and enjoy live action from the comfort of their own homes. An unprecedented phenomenon.

Today a typical household is comprised of multiple technological gadgets per family member. Relative to decades past, our modern possessions make what our parents and grandparents used look like archaic objects mentioned only in museums and textbooks. Not only do we have large, light, skinny, High definition televisions, we are spoiled rotten with lightning fast computers, gaming systems, wireless personal devices and “smart” phones.

The way we watch sports on TV is evolving at a similar pace. The production of televised sports is a billion dollar industry which strives to bring their audiences the most entertaining and compelling productions possible. Yet, with all of these strides over the years, there are still several areas that could use improving or adjusting to keep up with our constantly advancing user-interactivity needs.

The following infographic demonstrates a handful of ideas that the NHL can strive towards to improve the common fans viewing experience in an ever-advancing technological world. Most of the ideas in this infographic show ideas that are simply amalgamations of technologies that are already in place but are not in the control of the user but rather strictly under the rule of the broadcasters. This, we feel strongly, is soon to change.

future-of-hockey-broadcastingsource: NetSurfMedia via SilverOak

 

John Lennon

infografiajohnlennon

source

Cloud Computing: Fact of Fiction

JusttheFacts_CyberSec_03v9

souce: Devry.edu

 

How home cooks fire up for grill season

home grilling

source: iraguanadesign