Category Archives: Homes

Future Of Housing: Two-Bedroom “Kingfisher Tiny House” From “Build Tiny”

Build Tiny New ZealandThis model is going to be completely off-grid in its seaside location. On the roof are 6 x Trina 270w Honey Poly Module panels. A storage box over the tow bar stores the inverter and 4 x C&D 12V 192Ah c20 FT Lead Carbon Cyclic Batteries that will power the home. A new feature in this home (requested by the client) was a folding shelf in the bathroom above the toilet.

This can be lifted up to store clean clothes etc while showering. The bookshelves and lift-up cubby storage in the loft are super practical, as is the tall wardrobe, and walking platform which allows you to stand comfortably in the loft. 

Kingfisher Tiny House interior diagram

Website: https://www.buildtiny.co.nz/kingfisher-tiny-house

Top Architecture Books: “Atlas of Mid-Century Modern Houses” By Dominic Bradbury (2019)

From an Architectural Digest online review:

Atlas of Mid-Century Modern Houses 2019“If one imagines a list of the greatest, most influential houses of the twentieth century, it seems highly likely that the mid-century period will dominate,” writes Bradbury in the book’s introduction, going on to name such famous edifices as the three famous glass houses by Philip Johnson, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and Lino Bo Bardi, respectively; Richard Neutra’s Kaufmann House; and Luis Barragán’s Cuadra San Cristóbal. “One could, of course, go on.…” he writes.

In the design world, is there any style that’s having more of a Renaissance moment than midcentury modern? It’s everywhere, from luxury hotels to high-end residential interiors to mainstream furniture lines from the likes of CB2 and Anthropologie, and it’s showing little sign of slowing down. In the midst of this revival, writer Dominic Bradbury, who has contributed to Architectural Digest, has compiled what might just be one of the most comprehensive books ever to be published on the subject.

To read more: https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/atlas-of-mid-century-modern-houses

 

Household Innovations: “SwitchBot” Curtain Robot Wirelessly Motorizes Your Drapes

From a Yanko Design online review:

Yanko DesignDesigned to universally retrofit onto most curtain rods, the SwitchBot comes with two hooks that hold it in place and a wheel that moves the bot left or right. Place the SwitchBot between the first and second loops of your curtain or blind, and the bot can now, on command, run up and down the curtain rod, maneuvering your curtains open or closed. SwitchBot runs on an app, but even supports voice commands via your phone or smart speaker, effectively allowing you to have your own “Let there be light” moment by commanding the curtains to open at will. IFTTT and shortcuts support even lets you sync SwitchBot with your alarm, or with the time of the day, thanks to the bot’s in-built light sensor. 

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To read more: https://www.yankodesign.com/2019/11/29/what-if-you-could-make-your-curtains-open-with-your-voice-or-better-with-your-alarm/

Housing Trends: “Timberlake Denali 39′ Park Model” Tiny Home

2019 Timbercraft Denali 39ft Custom Tiny Home by Timbercraft Tiny Homes.

  • PARK MODEL TINY HOME
  • INTENDED TO BE DELIVERED AND SET UP SEMI-PERMANENT
  • OVERSIZE, NEED PERMITS TO TRANSPORT
  • PERMANENT STYLE HOOKUPS
  • GENERALLY 320-399 SQ FT
  • MAIN FLOOR BEDROOMS AVAILABLE
  • ANSI 119.5 CERTIFIED
  • 21 YR MORTGAGES AVAILABLE

Website: https://timbercrafttinyhomes.com/park-model-tiny-homes-now-available/

Top New Remodel Books: “The Home Upgrade” Edited By Gestalten (2019)

The Home Upgrade GestaltenThe Home Upgrade looks beyond big budget projects and explores homes where the seemingly impossible has been achieved. For architects striking out on their own, such projects offer the opportunity to flex their muscles and lead a project for the first time. A home in Brooklyn, featured in the book, was refurbished after Hurricane Sandy ravaged the Eastern Seaboard in 2012. The living space was raised above the high-water line, an answer to the grim fact that once-in-a-generation occurrences are a new reality.

Historic conversions celebrate the unexpected relationship between old and new, and adaptive reuse projects reinvent the buildings around us. Exploring the most extraordinary transformations of recent years by leading studios, The Home Upgrade is an exhilarating look at the boundless possibilities of reimagining a home.

Website: https://us.gestalten.com/products/home-upgrade?utm_source=Gestalten+Standard+Newsletter&utm_campaign=ba394937b0-COVARC2+REGLAM+HIKUS+KINARCO+US&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_280558bba4-ba394937b0-3992541&mc_cid=ba394937b0&mc_eid=d0c83e52f7

Housing Market: A “Silver Tsunami” Of 20+ Million Homes Owned By Baby Boomers Will Flood The Market In Next 20 Years

From a Zillow.com online article:

Currently, 33.9 percent of owner-occupied U.S. homes are owned by residents aged 60 or older, and 55.2 percent by residents aged 50 or older. As these households age and begin vacating housing, that could represent upwards of 20 million homes hitting the market through the mid-2030s.

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The massive Baby Boomer generation has already begun aging into retirement, and will begin passing away in large numbers in coming decades – releasing a flood of currently owner-occupied homes that could hit the market. That could help end the last few years’ inventory drought, as well as a more fundamental shortage of homes in certain places.

This Silver Tsunami of homes coming to market could be a good substitute for new home construction, which has been in short supply for the past decade in large part because of difficult-to-overcome challenges faced by builders.

To read more: https://www.zillow.com/research/silver-tsunami-inventory-boomers-24933/

 

Future Of Homebuilding: Prefab “Sunset BUD LivingHome” By Douglas W. Burdge Architects

From a PlantPrefab.com online review:

Douglas W. Burdge - Sunset BUD LivingHomeThe idea for this ADU was conceived in the wake of the 2018 Woolsey Fire, as a way to help families reinhabit their properties while rebuilding their primary residence. All “BUD” designs provide beautiful living spaces that can be delivered quickly and enjoyed for generations as a valuable addition to almost any property.

Burdge Architects
https://www.buaia.com/

This innovative accessory dwelling unit (ADU) offers four different size and layout options to fit almost any property. From a compact studio, to a two-bed, two-bath home with garage, all configurations meet California ADU size allowances and are designed for fast and efficient prefabrication at Plant.

To read more: https://www.plantprefab.com/models/19

Future Of Homebuilding: “Makatita” By Liberté Tiny Houses “Maximizes Light”

From a Dwell.com online review:
Nature dictates the shape and materials of this Dutch cabin in the woods.

When Willeke Makatita approached Gijsbert Schutten and Gijs Coumou of Liberte Tiny Houses, she had one very specific request: a compact dwelling that would let her simplify her life and live as close to nature as possible. “Willeke loves walking, camping, and bushcraft,” Schutten says. “She asked for a home that would suit those passions.” 

Website: https://libertetinyhouses.nl/nl_NL/tiny-house-makatita

To read more: https://www.dwell.com/article/makatita-liberte-tiny-houses-15bab0da?utm_medium=email&utm_source=postup&utm_campaign=&list=1

Homebuilding Trends: “Squirrel Park” Homes In Oklahoma Built From Used Shipping Containers

From a Dezeen.com online review:

Squirrel Park Smith Design CompanyTwo containers make up the ground floor of each house, with two more cantilevered three metres over one end to create a sheltered porch below and a first-floor terrace off the master bedroom.

Oklahoma has a hot climate, so the steel containers have been painted white to reduce heat gain, while mirrored strips reflect the sun’s glare.

Squirrel Park Smith Design CompanySquirrel Park is a scheme of four houses made from converted shipping containers in Oklahoma City, USA, by Allford Hall Monaghan MorrisBuilt for a developer client who plans to live in one of the properties, Squirrel Park has four two-bedroom homes on a 2,500-square-metre site.

https://smithdesigncompany.com/squirrel-park/6y6kpxgw1o63uvt09y8viifgw7mj5q

A total of 16 lightly used steel shipping containers – which had “been around the world once” according to AHHM – were used to make the four houses. The three family homes not occupied by the developer will be rented at “competitive market rates”.

To read more: https://www.dezeen.com/2019/11/20/squirrel-park-ahmm-shipping-container-housing-oklahoma/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily%20Dezeen&utm_content=Daily%20Dezeen+CID_edb46f16e2683f4b06c3c31148e551ac&utm_source=Dezeen%20Mail&utm_term=AHMM%20unveils%20shipping-container%20housing%20development%20in%20Oklahoma

Senior Housing: Baby Boomers Choosing To Stay In Own Homes Threatens New Facilities

From a Wall Street Journal online article:

US Census BureauThe rise of technologies that help the elderly stay in their homes threatens to upend one of commercial real estate’s biggest bets: Aging baby boomers will leave their residences in droves for senior housing.

Developers and senior-housing companies have spent billions of dollars over the past five years to build facilities that provide housing, food, medical care and assistance for the elderly.

While these properties have been filling up with people born during the Depression or World War II era, real-estate investors are eagerly eyeing the massive baby-boomer generation: 72 million people born between 1946 and 1964, or about one in five Americans. Their needs would require hundreds of thousands of new units, if previous demand patterns persist.

But this wager on elderly care is falling short of expectations, and there are concerns that it could become one of the biggest real-estate miscalculations in recent memory, some analysts suggest.

To read more: https://www.wsj.com/articles/boomers-want-to-stay-home-senior-housing-now-faces-a-budding-glut-11573554601