www.apartmenttherapy.com is an online, home decorating magazine with wonderful ideas for both homes and apartments. They range from this NYC condo in a clock tower - sale price a mere $25 million – to this tiny trailer home.
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Decorating the World, One Room at a Time
Published August 16, 2009 Architecture , Houses , Web Sites Leave a CommentPost Construction Cleaning/Water Damage
Published February 25, 2009 Architecture , Cleaning Psychology , Houses , Insurance Claims Leave a Comment
Prevent damage to your home from a frozen water pipe by flipping off the breaker to your water pump when you leave for a length of time. Over the last several years, I have been hired to do post-construction cleaning due to frozen water pipes in which the homes were damaged from $10,000 to $150,000. In one case, the homeowner was consumed in a fight of over two years with the insurance company to pay for the damage. In the meantime, the house was unlivable with the homeowner in limbo, renting, with most of their belongings in storage.
The obvious damage of water is to your flooring but sheetrock wicks the moisture, it can also condense in the vents, damage ceilings and, in some states’ re-construction codes, require replacement of electrical wiring in the entire structure. In the home above, water flowed out under four patio doors, trapping moisture under the sills, swelling the doors and forcing their replacement at the cost of over $10,000.
Keeping detailed records in any insurance claim is a must. Photograph everything. Any meeting with an insurance rep ~ by phone or in person ~ should be followed with a certified letter to the company documenting it. You have up to two years (Minnesota) to make additional claims under the file for newly discovered damage. For example, water damage does not make itself evident on the finish of furniture as the wood takes its time to dry and contract.
Take me to your… architect, originally uploaded by ~*Denise*~.
Houses fascinate me. In my next lifetime I plan to be an architect but for now, sharing places of interest with all of you will do.
This home is located in Signal Mountain, Tennessee. Built in 1972 without any plans, it is for sale. Asking price: $182,900 for 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths.
lookin’ up, originally uploaded by Scaramouche! on photo sharing site www.flickr.com.Houses. People. Different ideas.
This homeowner in Silver Spring, MD uses crushed soda cans as siding. He collects cans from all over the world and people also donate them. His home has been featured on HGTV for his eco-friendly, affordable alternative.
, originally uploaded by heatherparker.
As women’s time has become more valuable in economic terms (job), their unpaid work (housework) has been devalued. “Women do less of it, and men don’t pick up as much as women drop,” says Professor Godbey of Penn State who studies leisure time at the College of Health and Human Development.
The average American woman now spends about 11 fewer hours each week on home-related chores than she did in 1965 while the average man spends about five hours more than he did. (Housework includes dishes & laundry as well as outside work such as raking & mowing.) The math: six fewer hours spent weekly or 312 fewer hours annually.
Over the same period, the average American home size has grown substantially. There is more space to clean and less time spent doing it.
Are homes dirtier than they used to be? Godbey is not sure but he noted sales of cleaning products have remained flat while sales of plug-in deodorizers and scented candles have increased dramatically.
As Americans have become starved for time, too exhausted to keep up with our chores, we are drowning in clutter. We have too much stuff and don’t throw – or give – anything away. As a result, homes have become more private spaces. But what tail is wagging what dog? Are we not inviting people in because our houses are dirty or are our houses dirty because we’re not inviting people in?
With a little planning, homecoming can again be calm after the storm of a stressful work day. A few tips: -Replace your shower head with a hand-held type. Cleaning and then rinsing the tub/shower will be easier.
-Is your desktop overflowing? Scoop piles of paperwork into a large box. Now take file folders and your favorite movie into the living room to enjoy guilt-free couch time while you sort.
