Luxury Housing Trends & Home Improvement Ideas

If you’ve got a backyard swimming pool, then you know the costs didn’t end with the installation. The need for pool heating, cleaning, and lighting adds up to a substantial boost of the old energy bill. So, why not go solar for as much of those needs as possible?

Whether you’re looking to heat a hot tub, an above-ground pool, or an in-ground pool, there’s a solar heating system out there for you.

This Sunheater 4′ x 20′ system from Pool Plaza is designed for use with above-ground pools, and is very affordable at just under $200. It’s not quite as inexpensive as those solar sun rings we talked about last year, but I’m sure it does a better job.

Of course, those of you with in-ground pools can expect to pay more and will probably want to get something a little more permanent, but anything you spend today on a solar heater will likely save you money in the long run. The upfront costs to take your pool “off the grid” will always be there, but in the months that follow, you’ll enjoy those lower energy bills.

If you’re going to be serving more than beer from your home bar during this entertaining season, then you’re going to need more sophisticated tools than bottle openers. You’ll want to prep your home bar with all the basics and maybe some fun upgrades. If margaritas and fruity martinis are your cup of tea, then this glassware rimming system could be a fun tool.

Need to add salt to a glass? Sugar to a lemon drop? Something more exotic?

Well, this little bar gadget has five drawers to hold your favorite sugars and spices. There’s a wetting tray on top of the unit, so all you do is moisten the rim of the cup and dip it in the appropriate drawer.

For $200, you get the storage tower, rimming syrup, and Bloody Mary, Green Apple, Margarita Lime, Lemon, and Strawberry spices. Additional spices are $19, and there are lots of exotic ones to choose from. Let the summer entertaining system begin!

Available from Frontgate.

On a sunny day, I like to take a book and a blanket out to the backyard to read in the grass. The only problem is that unless you want to lie on your belly, it’s hard to read without the sun getting in your eyes. Obviously I need this beach mat from Ikea.

New from their summer collection, the Dyning beach mat comes with a sun shade. The shade can be attached to the bottom, middle, or top of the mat, so I guess you can hold your book with any part of your body (or maybe just work on a nice striped tan).

The mat is also waterproof, so if a sudden squall comes through, you can huddle under the sun shade to stay dry. There are just all sorts of ways to put this beach mat to use.

$20 at Ikea

One of the realities of having an apartment or a condo in the city is that your (often tiny) balcony probably is it for outdoor living space. It can be challenging to find a table and chair set that is compact enough to allow you to eat or work outside or even just enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning.

If you’re tight on space, a balcony table that hangs from the railing could help. There’s no need for cumbersome table legs, and this one folds down so it isn’t taking up room when it’s not in use.

The balcony table doesn’t require any tools for installation. Just hook it onto the railing (up to 7″ wide) and tighten down the bolts. It looks like a pretty easy way to get some practical eat/work space in a small outdoor living area.

$90 from Comfort Channel

If you’re thinking of installing a residential tennis court in your backyard, then you’ll be pleased to know you can get the design done online.

Rhino Sports has a Create-a-Court wizard that lets you pick the size of your sports court as well as the colors (if tennis isn’t your game, you can choose basketball and multi-sport courts as well–or even use the design wizard to build a golf putting green).

Go ahead, play with it and see if you can come up with wackier colors than I did. It’s not like you had something more important to do today, right?

If you’re lucky enough to have the space and money to build a cool wine cellar, then you’ll probably want a cool wine cellar door to mark the entrance (or keep the kids from wandering down and sampling your priceless vintages). Sure, any old door from the home improvement store will do, but you could have something that suggests grapes be within! by installing one that is custom made for the wine room.

Spokane’s Crafted Northwest Doors will do custom wooden doors for wine cellars. You can get grapes (or whatever you want) carved into the wood, and you can also get grape-inspired grills to mount on the wood or go over a little window in the top of the door.

This way, if guests wander through your house during a party, they’ll know just what room they’ve reached without even opening the door.

If you’re looking for birthday presents or Father’s Day gifts, an electric charcoal starter could be great for that BBQ-junkie in the family.

Hammacher Schlemmer’s “60 Second Electric Charcoal Starter” ignites the briquettes without the need for lighter fluid. That’s a plus in my book, since it always seems dubious dumping some flammable liquid onto the same coals that will be sending smoke up onto my meat.

“Similar to the heat-focusing technology used in paint-stripping hot-air guns, the charcoal starter emits hot air at 1,290° F, providing a constant, precise flow of heat from the tip of the unit.”

Since this is an electric charcoal starter, you do need to have access to an outlet. To use it, you plug the device in, place the metal tip in the charcoal, and hold down the button. It sounds almost as easy as pressing the igniter on a gas grill.

If you’ve got an outdoor fireplace (or an indoor one for that matter), you can also use the starter to get the wood going.

Price: $79.95

60 Second Electric Charcoal Starter

You’ve probably heard of bamboo flooring as its eco-friendliness (that’s a word–really) has made it a pretty hot option. Actually a fast-growing grass, bamboo is similar to wood in many ways when it comes to floors. But if hardness and durability are a concern, you may wonder if something that’s technically a grass can hold up well in high traffic area.

Well, the folks at EcoTimber have come up with a woven bamboo flooring that is actually strands pressed together with a durable resin. Because its wood-like grain is less linear than traditional bamboo flooring, it features the durability “of the densest tropical hardwoods,” which makes it ideal for high-traffic hallways and rooms.

The woven bamboo flooring comes prefinished and can be nailed or glued down (but not installed as a floating floor, so it’s not a project for most do-it-yourselfers). The cost is $5.99 per square foot (not including installation).

EcoTimber

I’ve always enjoyed hammocks, and if I could fit one on the balcony of my condo, I probably would (I’m still eyeballing the compact XChair hammock). It’s just nice to read or nap outside on a summer day, enjoying a breeze that you don’t get if you stay inside the house.

If you’ve got a good tree to use, hammocks don’t cost too much, but if you need a free-standing hammock, expect to pay $200 and up. Now if you want real luxury, check out this quilted-weave model from Brookstone.

“Individual padded strips are interwoven for a luxurious lofted effect that allows the air to circulate more freely, keeping you cool. Instead of a cushion atop a network of ropes, the padding is actually the hammock itself. Your body only touches plush SoftWeave® material, resulting in even weight distribution and unprecedented comfort.”

Yay, for plushness! The hammock is over-sized, too, so it can support two adults or up to 450 pounds.

The hammock is $200 or you can get a package for $350 that includes a stand and the hardware to set everything up. Alas, the quilted-weave pillow extra.

Quilted-weave Hammock

I’ve heard it said that fireplaces are naked without a mantel. I suppose there are exceptions, but I’ve always thought they look funny without something over the firebox. If your home came with a fireplace but not mantel (as mine did), it’s a relatively simple home improvement to add one.

When I did mine, I wasn’t thinking about using reclaimed wood, but I wish I had been. You can get all sorts of interesting fireplace mantels and surrounds, but I really like the look of the ones from Mendota Mantels.

They use reclaimed beams salvaged from old buildings, and the wood dates from 300-700 years old. You just can’t find the equivalent look from new growth harvested trees, and of course it’s eco-friendly to reuse something that was already cut down rather than cutting down new trees.

The unique green of this mantel caught my eye. The white pine was salvaged from the Globe Grain Elevator in Superior, WI, and is estimated at 300-600 years old.

Price: $950