home design: October 2009

House Tear Down

With limited land available, especially lakefront properties, many people are purchasing old camps and cottages to tear the house down and rebuild a new, energy efficient home.

Traditionally, a bulldozer or other large piece of equipment levels the house in a matter of minutes and the debris is taken to a landfill. A green alternative would be to tear the house down in stages, carefully preserving the material and selling it at a demolition auction.

What can be salvaged and reused from a tear down?

Building components such as doors, windows, plumbing fixtures, etc.
Glass
Metals
Brick
Wood
Asphalt
Concrete
Gypsum
Plastics
Landscaping, including trees, stumps, and rocks

On the other hand, you might want to check out a demolition auction to find recycled materials if you are building a new home or remodeling your existing home. These types of auctions are held at the house to be torn down, and bidders are allowed to tour the home prior to the auction. You can get everything from fixtures, appliances, flooring, and walls.

Tip: Be prepared to be required to remove the items yourself.

NH Architects Open House

Bonin Architects is celebrating our new office location by having a Grand Opening and Open House!

Stop by to say hello and at the same time visit the other Baynham's Square businesses, Ellie's Cafe & Deli, Vessels & Jewels, and The Banks Gallery. Light refreshments provided by Ellie's Cafe & Deli. There is no charge, but please RSVP to info@boninarchitects.com or call 603-504-6009.

When: Thursday, October 29, 2009
Time: 5:30 - 7:00 PM
Where: Bonin Architects, 209 Main Street, New London, NH

Whether you're planning to build a new energy efficient home, are involved in green building, or are just curious about our business, please stop by!

Lessons from a Home Stager

The New York Times Magazine has a great article about staging a home today. Eventhough the article is about staging for selling purpose, there are some great tips that you can pick up for your daily life as well...

For example:

1) Start with a white sofa and go from there, as you can change the look quickly by changing the pillows.

2) Have a story, or a theme, and build from there.

3) Do and reedo until it's right.

4) Avoid matchy matchy.

5) Build characters and personality by adding pieces that reflect your lifestyles.

To read this article and watch the video, click here.

Image source: NY Times

Gorgeous Silk Flowers from New Growth Designs

When it comes to silk flowers we like them to look as real as possible--this is why you'll never find us buying them at Walmart!

The good ones are pricey, for the very simple reason that they tend to look almost like the real ones.

We found some at New Growth Designs that we just love. The orchids are nice and tall, so they look super dramatic. Some of them are over 5 feet tall. We like putting them on a console table, in front of a mirror along with some other accessories.

Check out some of our favorite ones:

We'll be posting these on our silk flowers section soon.

Really Pretty Silk Flowers from Atrium Foliage

When the weather starts to get cold and gloomy, we find ourselves craving for colors. That's when we find silk flowers an attractive option--mainly for the fact that it's almost impossible to find fresh flowers in the winter, plus we're super lazy, and silk flowers require no maintenance whatsoever...

Here are some from Atrium Foliage that we really like. Based out of Atlanta, they make the flowers to order, one arrangement at a time... We like them because they look and feel expensive (and okay, they ARE a little expensive, but worth every pennies though).

We'll be posting these on our silk flowers section in a couple of days. Please check back with us to see the complete collection.

More Modern Vintage Furniture-Haute House

We featured Haute House furniture a while back. This line is kinda wild, kinda funky. It's great when you have great imagination and you are looking for statement pieces.

When in High Point last week we saw that they had a new collection called "Histography" that we thought was kinda cool. It is also much more livable and muted than their other pieces.

Here are some samples:

To see the entire Haute House line, check out their web site here. As always, if you need help with pricing, email us.

Modern Vintage from Noir

We were just in High Point last week for the home furnishings market. The weather was gloomy and cold--so was the mood of the market. This gotta be one of the toughest year for the home furnishing industry. Everyone we talked seem to have a rough time.

But it was nice to see that manufacturers are still coming out with new and fresh introductions. The trend we notice most this year is vintage done in a modern way. Maybe it's because we like to go back to comfortable things when time is tough. Generally the trend is muted, simple and organic.

Noir Trading has a few pieces that we just love. We wrote about them before but we are featuring them again due to the fact that this is a line that keeps getting better everyday. If you love Oly Studio, take a look at this line. It's very similiar but way more affordable.

Here are a few of our faves:

If you would like to see more of Noir products, visit their web site here. If you need pricing for any of the pieces, drop us a line...

Gas Fireplaces

Gas fireplaces combine form and function, making them a great supplemental heat source for your new energy efficient home.

We looked at the new Rinnai RHFE 750 ETR gas fireplace, which has an efficiency rating of up to 83% AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency) by using a stainless steel heat exchanger and modulating gas value with an automatic blower. In addition, the RHFE 750 has many other features:

Innovative Technology and Safety Features:

• Electronic seven-stage modulating gas valve efficiently uses only the energy necessary to maintain room temperature, while providing seven different flame patterns and heat output
• Automatically adjusts the heat output and blower speed, delivering a consistent room temperature for maximizing comfort
• Sealed combustion system minimizes indoor heat loss
• Stainless steel heat exchanger
• Thermistor for accurate temperature control
• Sensors for power failure, flame failure, overheat, and power surge

Design and Convenience:
• Digital dual timer function enables fireplace to turn on and off for two set periods - great for morning and evening pre-sets
• Pre-heat mode ensures set room temperature is attained
• Full-function remote gives total control of your heat and flame output
• 3-speed fan allows even heat distribution
• On-board diagnostics and safety monitoring system
• Up to 60% heat turn-down with flame visible even on the lowest setting
• Uniquely interchangeable fronts make it easy to fit and update any décor

Advantages:
• Energy-efficient source of zone heating
• Maintains a comfortable level of heat - never too hot or too cold
• Four interchangeable fronts make it easy to change your style often
• Bottom air discharge for optimal heat distribution and for creating space for plasma screens, wall niches and other home décor accessories above the fireplace

The RHFE 750 also comes with interchangeable profiles to complement nearly any interior design. See the specifications and more about this direct vent gas fireplace.

Southern Accents Magazine Closing Down

We have been really blue lately.

It started out a couple of months ago, when we got our September Vogue issue. What is normally 10 lbs worth of magazine, the coveted issue is bare-thread and just ...wimpy. Then when we pick up our LA Times newspaper along with our latte in the morning, it is so thin one can browse through it in five minutes.

So our blueness is even more accentuated when we heard that Southern Accents is closing. This is in addition to Gourmet, a fabulous food magazine. What is the world coming to?

One can argue that the Internet kills the newspapers and magazine industry, but to us there is nothing more pleasurable than seeing the mailbox full of new magazines. Nothing beats holding a new stack of fresh magazines with delicious pictures to look at and glossy pages to hold.

So may we ask for your support of the newspaper and magazine industry? It's not a lot of money to keep your subscription going. A subscription to Elle Decor, say, costs less than $10/year? The New York Times is more, but oh it's so worth it.

We can not live in a world without things to read, stores to visit, beautiful things to look at. Let's do our part to keep our world from being more isolated than it is.

Pictures Bridge Construction ( konstruksi jembatan )

Bridge Construction Picture

Tips on Home Earthquake Resistant ( TAHAN GEMPA )

The technology used was developed by various parties as a quick solution to build a house, usually made of simple construction with the structure of lightweight construction materials and cover a roof and walls are light. Buffer structure quickly build a simple house can be made from the framework of iron, wood, and bamboo. In principle, the draft can maintain rigidity of the structure and has the flexibility to move with the earthquake, and maintain the roof and walls of the cover in place with minimal damage.

Tips for arranging furniture and home accessories to keep them in place when the earthquake occurred (not broken or scattered everywhere): ( Rumah tahan Gempa )

1. Use the screws that can be used to attach objects such as cabinets, bookshelves and so on to the wall

2. Use the screws to put things like computer monitors, desk lamps and so forth in the table

3. Use the lock on the drawers so that when the earthquake did not come out and endanger the occupants

4. Ensure that the dependent objects, such as pendant lights, chandeliers, ceiling fans below, and so dependent and well embedded in a strong structure

5. Use safety security film or layer of glass to coat the glass windows and doors so that broken glass can be detained by this layer

Luxury Bedroom Interior Design Pictures

These are the picture examples of a house interior design bedroom section. This pictures show fascinating interior design of houses which are very good to become the models especially bedroom design. Ideas about home decorating ideas, arrangement of light and color options can be seen in these pictures.

Architectural Drafting Services: Custom Home Design

One of our most recent clients were not interested in building a timber frame home, but were drawn to the openness and creativity timber houses afford. At the same time, they did not require full architectural services, only limited drafting services, but wanted to work with an architect to pull their design ideas together and make them work with their land’s difficult terrain and elevation issues. We were happy to assist them by providing drafting services for their new custom home.

The result is an attractive, welcoming river front home with water views that meets their family needs – four bedrooms, plenty of storage, and space to entertain guests in both formal and informal social gatherings.

The full basement has 1832 square feet of living space as well as a two-car garage. Entry to the house from the garage is accessed through a mudroom that has two large benches and a generous closet for coats. A kitchenette with counter seating is a welcome addition to the open family room. The basement opens to extensive outdoor patios, which creates the perfect space for casual entertaining and to enjoy the surrounding property.

The first floor, meanwhile, features an open kitchen / living area with plenty of windows to capture water views of the river. A formal pantry provides additional storage space and provides access to the formal dining area that seats eight comfortably. The Master Bedroom suite is spacious and features French doors leading to a screened porch overlooking the Mississippi River.

Our clients are very happy with their home and in working with an architect, stating, “Bonin Architects did a wonderful job in working with the best of our ideas and where input was required they were happy to do so. They assisted us with some difficult terrain and elevation issues and we are now able to go forward with the construction of the home confident that the home is filled with our ideas and Bonin Architects’ expertise. We had consulted half a dozen design services all of whom took weeks or months to present alternatives. Bonin put the plan together in less than one month.”

Minimalist House Home Interior Design Model

The Ideas of Home or House Interior Design with minimalistic style can be seen in these pictures. These mininalist home interior design photos can become the inspiration of how to design decorate and arrange the house interior design.

Home Improvement Remodeling

Are you thinking about remodeling your home? There are many remodeling projects that can increase the resale value of your home: adding space, kitchen and bath remodeling, including upgrading counters, cabinets, fixtures and appliances, adding insulation and replacement windows and doors to increase the energy efficiency of the home, and even completely changing the floor plan of the home.

Home remodeling requires good planning and scheduling. After all, you’ll most likely be living in the home during the remodeling. The NH Home Builders Association gives these tips to help stay on schedule:

Expect to set aside time for telephone calls and regular meetings with your contact person to review progress and discuss the schedule for remaining work.
Ask your remodeler which product orders require the longest lead times. For custom-made items, it is especially important to make your selections as early in the process as possible.
Realize that changes you make to the project after work has begun may affect the schedule and the budget. Change orders should include prices, full descriptions, and authorization in writing before any new work begins.

If your city or town requires an architect to stamp your remodeling plans, consider hiring the architect as the project manager. The architect is your advocate during the design and remodel, saving you money, solving problems that might arise, and most importantly, keeping your goals as the top priority as he or she manages your team of experts during the home’s design and construction.

Read about current remodeling trends