What is good design?

Why do some homes make the cover of magazines while the closest others manage to get is having those same glossy photos taped to the fridge?  Granted being professionally cleaned and staged doesn’t hurt.  But the difference goes far deeper than a lack of dust bunnies or a few exotic flowers strategically placed.  The difference is design – and more specifically good design.    Good design is not fickle - it doesn’t follow fads, on the contrary fads often fail in their attempt to mimic good design.  Beauty may be only skin deep but good design goes all the way to the bones (of the house that is).  I'm not trying to give an example of A good design - at least not this particular post - rather this is an attempt to define design itself.  Good design  is spatially aware, and understands the necessary functionality of the space - good design seamlessly integrates the utility of the room with the tastes of the inhabitants of the space.

Think you’re not affected by design?  Think again.  In a recent Letter from the Editor Architectural Digest’s Paige Rense said “Perhaps you’re not particularly visual and are convinced you pay no attention to your surrounding.  Wrong.  You do.  Even if you’re not consciously aware of it, you’re affected by colors, scale and lighting, by furniture and whatever is on the walls.”

I love architectural digest – it’s one of my favorite publications.  However, I think Ms. Rense’s letter, missed the mark a bit by not delineating the difference between decorating and designing.  Décor, in my opinion, is only part of what makes up a good design.  Good design is both aesthetically pleasing as well as (and probably more importantly) functional.  A functionally  unusable space will eventually fail and fall out of favor, no matter how pretty it is.  But, when both beauty and utility combine in a space then you have a room that won’t go out of style.  Tastes may change, fads will come and go, but good design will always be appreciated irregardless of the whims of society.  And, more often than not, societal trends will come back to reflect such designs.  In short, design is an attempt to enrich our lives and allow our best selves to come forth through beauty and function - and a good design does just that.  

Study: 95% of Green-Marketed Products Utilize Misleading Claims

EcoHome article:

 

In the 2010 edition of its “Sins of Greenwashing” report, environmental marketing company Terrachoice found some form of greenwashing in more than 95% of consumer products labeled as “green.”  Greenwashing is the deceptive use of green PR or green marketing in order to promote a misleading perception that a company's policies or products (such as goods or services) are environmentally friendly.  The construction sector by itself fared only slightly better, with greenwashing evidence in close to 94% of eco-marketed products.

On a positive note, that 95% is an improvement over last year, in which only 2% of studied products were free of greenwashing (and only 1% in 2007).The study examined close to 5,300 home and family care products, including building and construction, toys, office, housewares, and health and beauty.  Read the rest of the article at ecohomemagazine.com

Fire Alarms - 15 minutes, could save 15% or more

Actually the savings are much closer to 80%, only it's not insurance rates... it's fire related deaths.  Deaths that could have been prevented by smoke detectors, carbon monoxide alarms, or fire extinguishers.  


In the time it takes you to read this paragraph, an estimated 110 house fires will be have been reported somewhere in the world (that's 117,000,000 each year). More people are killed annually in the United States by fires than all other U.S. natural disasters combined.  The importance of having smoke detectors installed is all but undisputed,  yet approximately 80 percent of all home-fire deaths occur in homes with no alarms or alarms that aren't working.  How unfortunate it is that, a few minutes and/or the cost of what it takes to treat your sweetie to a big mac meal under “the Golden Arches,” could have prevented most of those deaths. 

SMOKE DETECTORS

Look up at your ceiling and you'll probably find one.  Today, some 95% of homes in the United States have at least one smoke detector installed.  But when is the last time you checked to see if yours is functioning properly.  Unfortunately, 20% of the homes with smoke detectors installed have units that don't work – not because the alarm itself is broken (which rarely happens) but because either A) the batteries are dead or B) the batteries were removed to prevent false alarms.

The smoke alarm check is simple: push the test button on the outer casing of the detector. If it doesn't work (you’ll know by the lack of ear piercing screeching), change the batteries. Even if your home’s alarms are hard-wired (connected to the house electrical system) they should still have batteries as a backup - to take over in case of a power failure; batteries should checked or replaced regularly - at least once a year is recommended.

Probably the biggest complaint against smoke detectors are false alarms.  Who hasn’t spent time perched precariously atop a wobbly chair flapping a towel vigorously trying to silence the screaming alarm that picked up the scent of burnt toast.  The two most common culprits of false alarms are bathroom steam and kitchen cooking smoke. Though it goes against some safety guidelines, as a practical matter, if you're about to disable a detector due to false alarms, before you do something that could potentially cost you or a loved one’s life, how about just moving it instead.  You may be out of “code” compliance but if the alternative is to disable the device I would rather be guilty of a small infraction of the building code than become a statistic.  

CARBON MONOXIDE (CO) DETECTORS


Although most homes in the US have smoke detectors, less than half have carbon monoxide detectors installed.  Carbon monoxide is the byproduct of incomplete combustion.  It is a colorless and odorless gas.  Often symptoms of low to moderate carbon monoxide poisoning are mistaken for the flu, food poisoning or other illnesses – if left unchecked these may develop into long term health problems.  Lethal dosages of CO don’t necessarily come from a large leak and can build rapidly.

There are several types of CO detectors. The most common is electromagnetic. It reacts to high concentrations that pose an immediate threat, and to minor leaks that can be hazardous over time.

Basic units from First Alert and Kidde cost about $30.  then again why not kill two birds with one stone, for about the same price you can install combo units like the Kidde KN-COSM-B (this smart little unit even talks to tell you which potential danger is present).  Combo units are a great options near mechanical rooms and common corridors.  Most carbon monoxide detectors run on battery power or plug into wall outlets, although some models can be hard-wired to the electrical system and connected to whole-house monitoring systems. 


The seasonal check for CO alarms is almost the same as smoke alarms but also requires cleaning the sensor inlets using a soft vacuum brush in order to ensure the detection chambers remain clear of debris that could impede performance.

FIRE EXTINGUISHERS

Every home should have a fire extinguisher.  Because house fires can be from multiple sources you want an A-B-C-rated extinguisher like the Kiddie Multi-purpose Fire Extinguisher ($25.63 at amazon).  The A-B-C rating means it’s capable of extinguishing all fire types - wood(A), chemical(B), and electrical fires(C) - Some extinguishers use graphical representations of each type instead of letters but it means the same thing.  These fire extinguishers typically have a fairly long shelf life but should be checked annually to ensure their charge level stays in the green.  


The First Alert Tundra ($14.49 at amazon) looks like run of the mill aerosol spray can but is A-B-C rated and can be stored where it is easily accessible.  The units can not be recharged.  Check the performance date and replace as needed per the instructions on the canister. 

Remember an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure?  In this case an ounce of prevention could save your life and avoid having the fire department smashing down your door and drenching your house with high pressure water hoses – but i suppose the former sounds a little better.  

I wish I knew THAT before my remodel!

At the end of a show, most good theater groups will conduct a post mortem - an evaluation of the performance and ways to improve.  At the end of a remodel I often have a similar evaluation with my client(s).  A favorite question is what they wish they had known or done before the project started.  The answers run the gambit from the necessity of a nice robe - so as not to be caught unawares fresh out of the shower to a person’s limit on fast food and takeout.  

Most "I wish I knew" responses have to do with either 1) time or 2) money (and in most cases both).  Here’s a few common responses to the post remodel post mortem from some recent kitchen renovations and some suggestions on how you can avoid these pitfalls (or at least prepare for them).

First it is important to remember that kitchen remodels are stressful.  Statistically they are the most expensive and lengthy renovation projects.  The first suggestion is go in with the understanding it will be stressful.  During a renovation your house is in a constant state of flux (sometimes looking more like chaos than progress), you are living in an often dusty unfinished project for an extended period of time, and, if you hire a professional, you have people regularly in “your space.”  Prepare for the impact that this will have. Some good advice from clients a few clients who have recently gone through this process is plan a few evenings away.  It's okay to leave the “cloud of progress” behind for a few hours or even a few days.  Plan visits to friends and family or an evening out on the town.  It doesn’t have to be a huge event,  even a visit to the next door neighbors, can do wonders for maintaining healthy levels of sanity.   

Renovating a kitchen typically means you will be without a functioning kitchen for at least a few days - depending on the scale this could be considerably longer.  Make sure you have budgeted for the time you will be eating out (and maybe a few sessions at the gym – 3 months eating under the golden arches won’t do you any favors) or make arrangements with your General Contractor to have a temporary kitchen set up.  This can be as simple as a couple of cabinets in the garage to store some basic items (utensils and such) and a place to put the microwave, hotplate, etc.  It may not be the most ideal place to prepare your meals for the next few months but it gets the job done and may save you having to spring for that gym membership. If you choose this route, don’t forget about where an accessible sink is to wash dishes - you may also want to store the coffeemaker near it.  Whatever your decision, be sure to discuss your options prior to the first swing of the sledge hammer.   

Unless you change something or something happens that is beyond the contractor’s control (something they could not have reasonably planned for) your price should be what was quoted.  When you, as the customer, have made a change to the scope of the project this is called a “change order.”  Change orders generally mean more money as well as more time.  The final “I wish I knew” (for this blog anyway) is how quickly change orders can add up.  It’s easy to overlook the rapidly growing bottom line when you don’t see it in front of you regularly. Regularly  updated invoices with the recent change orders listed (especially during a lengthy project) can prevent a plethora of financial woes down the road and help keep you within your budget or at least allow you to make a more educated decision on whether or not you can afford the change you are considering.  Change can be a good thing, but bare in mind it rarely comes without a dollar sign attached.  Also keep in mind each change order can potentially set back the project weeks - before making your decision make sure you understand what it will "cost" monetarily and in time.

The biggest mistake a homeowner can make is not communicating.  Whether you're doing the project yourself or you hire a professional, communication is the key.  It can make the difference between a project you’re just glad is over and a beautifully renovated kitchen worthy of a standing ovation. 

Happy Remodeling

Heavy news - Lighter Drywall

The old adage “worth its weight in gold” may be getting a bit of an overhaul.  During a press conference in July of this year the President of the United States Gypsum (USG) Company – the original inventers of drywall – announced the launch of a new product dubbed Sheetrock Ultra-light. This new and improved version of the old classic promises to shave up to 30% off the weight of conventional drywall products without losing structural integrity.

Though it took a little getting used to, when builders finally realized the benefits of Sheetrock over traditional lathe and plaster methods it changed the industry.  Construction projects could be completed with significantly less labor in a fraction of the time, which meant huge savings to both builder and client.  Since its introduction in the early 1900s, Sheetrock has remained relatively unchanged.  A few years ago however, USG went back to the drawing board and “reinvented” Sheetrock from a molecular level.  According to USG the drywall panels “utilize colloidal chemistry to feature a significantly higher strength-to-weight ratio and improved sag resistance.”  In layman’s terms - they figured out how to lighten the load without sacrificing strength.  After more than 2 years of field testing the new product it is finally ready for its debut. 

Drywallers and do-it-yourselfers around the globe rejoiced as they held hands and sang “What a Wonderful World.”  Okay, maybe they didn’t actually hold hands and sing but it is pretty exciting – at least as exciting as drywall can be.  What used to be two man job – lugging and hanging heavy sheets of drywall – can now conceivably be a single person project – at the very least, you’ve lessened the fatigue factor considerably, not to mention the recovery time from that weekend warrior remodel project.

Currently Sheetrock Ultralight is available at Home Depots in a select cities.  Click here to find out if your Home Depot is carrying it yet.  If the lighter wallboard has not hit your city store shelves just yet, not to worry, the nationwide roll-out should happen soon.  While the new Sheetrock does “weigh in” at a slightly higher price tag (approximately 10% over conventional), think of how nice it will be to never again have to beg the next door neighbor to give you a hand ‘hauling 100lb sheets of drywall into the garage – that in itself is “worth it’s weight in gold” (and 30% lighter to boot). 

Happy remodeling