Home Energy Savings

70% of electricity in the US is generated from non-renewable sources.  The Home Energy Savings infographic provided by Accent Building Products tells us how to have an energy efficient home without sacrificing comfort.

Today it is more important than ever to make our homes more energy efficient without sacrificing home comfort. An energy-efficient home will keep your family comfortable while saving you money. Unfortunately, a lot of energy is wasted through leaky windows or ducts, old appliances, or inefficient heating and cooling systems. You can use many tips to save money and energy! This infographic details many different money saving tips and shows how we spend the money on our homes.

Infographic provided by Accent Building Products, a direct distributor of the industry’s top accent home and building products.  All products are shipped to you directly from the manufacturers’ factory.

This is a fun visual explanation design.  The illustrations clearly put the suggestions and data into context of the areas in the house.  There is a lot of text, but the small callouts make it easy to read.  It would have been more effective to visualize the pieces of data that are included in the design.

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Building a new Music Room Part 3

Part 3 of the series. Here are part 1 & part 2.

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Building a new Music Room Part 2

Part 2 of the series. Here’s part 1.

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Building a new Music Room Part 1

listening to musicI have a confession to make… I’m an audiophile. Yes, I have the sickness. I have an elaborate music system with its own dedicated room.

Check out Paul McGowan’s video on building your music room.

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How are musicians using the iPad?

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A New Era For Music?: Facts and Figures on the World of Digital Music [INFOGRAPHIC]

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KEYLESS SMART LOCK

augustThe “smart home” has grown in importance over the years, we have seen several door locks operated by mobile devices, but none as advanced as this. The August Smart Lock replaces physical keys with a smartphone app. Now you can control who can enter and who can’t without the need for keys or codes, simply connect the Smart Lock to your smartphone or computer and easily pick your friends, family or services from your contacts and issue them access to your home in seconds. With the Auto-Unlock function you simply get close to the door and it unlocks automatically when it senses your approach! Best of all, there is no need to replace your existing lock, it installs easily over the interior portion of your existing deadbolt. watch the impressive video
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13 Elements of a Dream Green Home

Got a dream green home you’d love to build? Sure, you’ll probably want to include solar panels in the building, but that’s just one element. Green building involves making the most efficient use of the materials that go into the building, and creating a space that allows for sustainable use of resources needed to live in that home. Energy’s important, as well as water use, air quality, and the relationship of the landscaping to the larger surrounding environment.

Building a green home is easier than ever with these eco-friendly materials and products. learn more from this inforgraphic.thirteen-elements-of-a-dream-green-home-infographic

Iron Man 3: Tony Stark’s Incredible House

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Tony Stark (played by Robert Downey Jr.) is one of the coolest movie characters on the big screen. Millions went to see him this past weekend (May 3rd) for the debut of Iron Man 3. Since this is a real estate blog, what’s the story behind that spectacular house?

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Here are five interesting facts about the superhero’s ultramodern dwelling.

  1. The residence was inspired by a real-life home designed by the famous architect Wallace E. Cunningham. The 11,000-square-foot house in La Jolla, California is called “The Razor” and took six years to build. It was completed in 2008 and features white polished concrete with spectacular panoramic windows designed to embrace sweeping ocean views. Did you think Tony would settle for anything less?
  2. The Razor sold for about $14 million. In the movies, however, Stark lives in Malibu where the same home (if it existed there) might be valued at approximately $40 million.
  3. The Razor has been used in commercials for Calvin Klein and Visa. Do you think Tony uses those brands? Just wondering.
  4. Stark’s house is depicted on a cliff near Point Dume, which is a state park. So it would be impossible to live in that actual spot. However, if Tony lived somewhere nearby, he might have celebrity neighbors like Barbra Streisand, Pamela Anderson, Owen Wilson, and Kenny G.
  5. The movie previews seem to indicate the bad guys do major damage to Tony’s home. Perhaps this time the home will be ruined forever.

It makes sense Stark would be attracted to a hyper-modern home with breathtaking views on a private mountain hill. Considering he’s already saved the world twice, I say he deserves it.