Go big or stay home...Not for this guy!

Jay Shafer, the co-founder of the Small House Society and the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company has authored "The Small House Book" and runs a the Tiny House blog which receives 5,000-7,000 visitors per day.

Jay says, "Living in a small house like this really entails knowing what you need to be happy and getting rid of everything else." What are your thoughts about that? Could you see yourself living in a single residence smaller than most people's living room? For more on this check out the link below, it's worth the read.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_tiny_houses

- Design is what you make it.

Electric Cars: Great in theory, miserable in practice

Have you ever dreamed of driving an electric car? I think we all have had visions of the Jetsons as a reality for our lives when we were to get older. The truth however is much more complicated and disappointing though. Electric cars have been around for almost a century and yet they still are ineffective as an everyday vehicle unless you commute in the city or less than 25-30 miles one way. Typically they have a range of 100 miles before requiring a new charge. For people in cities this could work, however what happens if you want to drive from Boston to New York City? You're not going to be able to drive straight through and the recharging can take 4-8 HOURS! The argument about not having enough charging stations is a silly one at this point, what these companies need to focus their attention on is creating a more simply engine, one that requires less energy to run and thus allow the driver to travel 200-300 miles in between charges. Until this happens, it is going to be very difficult to convince the American people that electric cars are the wave of the future. For more on this check out the article below.

http://greensource.construction.com/blogs/greenbuildblog10.asp?plckController=Blog&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&newspaperUserId=057e45ba-ebcf-4ab1-b945-ea734d5c61e4&plckPostId=Blog%3a057e45ba-ebcf-4ab1-b945-ea734d5c61e4Post%3ac4c3a43b-bf96-4750-b1b6-b66a245a77e7&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest

- Design is what you make it.

To Rent or To Buy

Many people ask themself this same question. The truth of the matter, the answer may be chosen for you. Lenders have tightened up on mortgages making first time home buying more difficult. Interest rates are at rock bottom, however if you haven't saved up enough for the down payment you can forget about acquiring a loan. You know who wins in this scenario? Developers. Apartment building projects has risen of late as developers recognize the need for housing is still high as well as the desire to live near work and all the benefits city life offers, however without the ability to obtain lending for that first purchase one's options are rent or live on the street...not much of a choice there.

Bottom line, if you have some savings then you have a choice. If you're like so many people out there and have been hit hard the past couple of years by this economy, your savings has been depleted or may not exist at all and thus you're given one option; RENT. Many big developers have seen this and are putting together projects to fill this necessity. Check out this article addressing just this situation.

http://www.boston.com/realestate/news/articles/2010/11/13/builder_says_time_is_right_for_boston_apartments/
- Design is what you make it.

Home Decor for the Holidays

Well it's not a secret that Thanksgiving is literally around the corner and Christmas isn't far off. The holidays offer an opportunity to break out your creative inner self. There are many different ways to dress up your home for all the guests you plan to entertain at this time of year. I found this article below to be very interesting and know if you get just one idea on how to make your pad fab, then it'll have been well worth the quick read.

Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas to all.

http://nedesignbuild.com/articles/?p=62

- Design is what you make it.

Students Living in Style

The students at Harvard University have a new location to call home thanks to the architecture firm of Kyu Sung Woo Architects. A beautiful building that can house up to 215 students is keeping with Harvard University's focus on maintaining a reflection of the oldest university in the United States traditional buildings while providing a look at the future.

It's important to blend the new with the old so we can create a timeless classical look to help us all continue to move forward with how we view architecture while appreciating those who have come before us.

http://archrecord.construction.com/projects/building_types_study/universities/2010/harvard.asp?bts=CU

- Design is what you make it.

Rosy Forecast for 2011 Construction Industry - Big Win for the Economy

You'll have heard it here first, well technically second since I am linking a great article about the 2011 forecast for the construction industry. As everyone knows by now; most did not prior to this economical collapse we've been living through the past couple years, the economy is an engine that is powered by the construction industry. With the financial crisis, obtaining loans for new construction endeavors has become increasingly more difficult. It appears, according the article released by McGraw-Hill, that things could be looking more rosy come 2011.

Check out the link, I found it very enticing and hope you enjoy it too.

http://enr.construction.com/business_management/finance/2010/1029-OutlookForcast.asp

- Design is what you make it.