Archive for August, 2011
Designing the ideal bedroom for your child
The most important room of the house is not the kitchen. For your child, it’s the bedroom, says Shazalynn Cavin-Winfrey , a Virginia-based designer and principal of SCW Interiors. The bedroom “imprints,” and children remember it forever. Cavin-Winfrey shares some tips for those parents who aim to create the ideal space for their special someone.
Illuminate your backyard
http://youtu.be/U3_f6PixImM
Nano houses are big on beauty
The small house movement is not a new topic for real estate. When you hear the word “small,” you might envision a strictly bare bones dwelling that’s big on environmental sustainability, nano on architectural beauty.
Be flight savvy
The airline industry has had its share of woes, not least among them being a high rate of dissatisfaction among customers. According to the American Customer Satisfaction Index, the average rating of 65 out of a possible 100 is 1.5 percentage points lower than 2010 and 10 points below 1994 ratings, when the survey was started.
Fixed rate loans dominate second quarter 2011
According to Freddie Mac’s Quarterly Product Transition Report , fixed-rate loans dominated 95 percent of all refinance loans in the second quarter of 2011. And more than one-third of borrowers who paid off a 30-year fixed rate loan opted for 15- or 20-year terms, marking the highest level since the third quarter of 2003. More than one-half of borrowers with a hybrid ARM also chose a fixed-rate loan
Easy Summer Entertaining
http://youtu.be/3NJoeooqgRI
This old water tower is now a house
What was once a water tower — used to store over 61,000 gallons of H2O — is now home to Patrick Mets and his family.
Robots are the new housekeepers
What will the future of homes look like? Take a peek at a possible world where domestic robots help with household chores. Designer Diego Trujillo-Pisanty , a student at the Design Interactions department at the Royal College of Art in London, has his eye on redesigning homes to integrate intelligent machines.
Pave a new walkway
http://youtu.be/i-M20Q2DVvs
Shore up your home
If you are a homeowner, how well have you protected your property against natural disaster? A 2008 study, cited by CNNMoney.com , indicates that about 66 percent of houses are under-insured.
