Luxury Housing Trends & Home Improvement Ideas

You’ve probably heard that most home electronics continue to use energy, even when you’ve got them turned off (why exactly my LCD tv has to have a blue LED on when it’s turned off is a mystery to me… maybe I need an Eco TV).

Known as “Standby Power,” this wasted energy can add up and account for as much as 10% of your household power consumption, according to the folks at Belkin. They’re the ones who created the Conserve energy-saving surge protector.

Their surge protector minimizes standby power usage by letting you power off all the electronics plugged into it with a click of a remote control. Of course, if you’ve got a DVR that you want to stay on all the time, you can plug it into the two always-active outlets on the strip. But for your TVs, computers, phone chargers, etc., there’s no reason these beasts need to hog power 24/7, so cut ‘em off!

Just don’t lose the remote control, or you’ll actually have to walk all the way over to the switch and find the power button by hand (extremely tedious!).

You can find the Belkin Conserve for about $50.

If you like the idea of a warm, crackling fire, but your home didn’t come with a chimney, you could pick up an electric fireplace or perhaps a “jel fuel” fireplace.

“Add the beauty and romance of a crackling fire anytime, anyplace, without the hassles or mess caused by soot, creosote and smoke.”

These units are vent-free, portable, and require no hook up. They burn cans of alcohol-based jel fuel, which you can buy in cases (it’s about $50 for a 12 pack, and each can should burn 2-3 hours–just right for an evening’s entertaining).

The fireplace shown here is available at Plow & Hearth and comes with a surround, mantel, and bookcase, making it look like a built-in piece of furniture.

Before buying, you may want to do some jel fuel research though, as some people have found the odor irritating, and others have complained of headaches when burning the substance.

If you want to save money on your energy bill, turning off the television is probably your best bet, but what are the odds that we’re actually going to do that? So, here’s an alternative: an “Eco TV.”

This Philips Energy Star-rated flat screen television offers power-saving features such as auto-dimming, and even in regular mode, the 42″ model shown here is supposed to use less than half the energy of a standard LCD TV (67 watts). In stand-by mode, it uses only .15 watts.

The Eco TV is also lead-free, making it more environmentally friendly than the original layers of paint on my walls, hmm.

The 42″ model costs about $1,300 online:

Philips 42″ LCD Eco-friendly HDTV

You’re a practical person: you want to help the environment and you want to be able to swiftly and easily unroll toilet paper from a well-placed holder. Pick up some bathroom hardware made from recycled steel, and you can have it all.

Boone’s Hooks are hand-forged bathroom hooks and bars that are eco-friendly and look pretty stylish too.

You can buy the hooks and bars individually or in packages that will take care of the whole bath.

The crafter is an 18th generation blacksmith with metal-working roots going back to Viking times, and in addition to this collection of bathroom hardware, he’s made candlesticks, statues, sconces, plant hangers, railings, and fireplace doors. So if you’re in the mood for recycled steel decor, definitely check out his site.

http://www.booneshooks.com/

Small bathrooms never seem to have enough storage space (and even some large bathrooms are ill-equipped in this department). You can clutter up the floors with freestanding units, or you could mount shelves on the walls that stick out so you bump into them every time you turn around, but those options aren’t always appealing (okay, bumping into things is never appealing).

As an alternative, you could make use of otherwise wasted between-the-studs space.

It’s a relatively simple and inexpensive home improvement to install some shelves or a storage cubby in between the studs in the walls.

While you’re not going to put your whole linen closet in such a space, you could tuck in a stack of magazines (hey, half of us use the bathroom as a library anyway), lotions, bath towels, tissue boxes, extra T.P. rolls, and other essentials.

More than 40% of U.S. homeowners live in hurricane-prone coastal areas, and if that’s you, it makes sense to make your house as storm proof as possible.

Sure you can get a whole new roof installed, but if that isn’t in the cards (read: way expensive), you might want to check out the Storm Proof Roof System from TriCord Hurricane Products.

It’s a temporary system that adds weight to the edges of your roof, which decreases the odds that heavy winds will tear off sections. It’s made from nylon-reinforced plastic modules that you fill with a garden hose. Then you just skedaddle up a ladder and position the weighted modules on the roof.

The modules can be filled and placed in three to four hours and then stored when the threat of the hurricane has passed.

The roof system costs around $1,200 to $1,800 for a 1,800 square foot roof.

Going high tech with your locks can be fun and practical (a keypad lock means no more keys you have to tote around), but maybe you’ve shied away from the idea of some funky science fiction looking thing attached to your door (especially if you have a historic home).

But today you can get keypad door locks and deadbolts that won’t look out of place even on an older home. Subtle use of buttons and aged finishes help make these locks look good on houses that my not be ultra modern.

The Schlage Camelot Deadbolt Keypad can be purchased with an aged bronze finish that gives it a rustic feel (other finishes include bright brass and aged nickel).

A keyless deadbolt means there’s no chance of someone having a copy of your key made and getting into your house against your wishes. If you fire the housekeeper or dog walker, just change the combination to ensure only family members and trusted friends can get in unannounced.

As I write this, the Schlage deadbolt is on sale at Amazon, so take a peep if you’re interested:

Schlage Camelot Deadbolt Keypad

I have a fondness for wine and for some reason household items made from wine barrels (you might have noticed this if you’ve seen old posts on wood flooring made from reclaimed wine barrels, a wine barrel kitchen island and pot rack, and a wall-mounted mini bar made from… you guessed it, a wine barrel). Well you can make wine racks out of barrels too.

A wine rack is practical for anyone with more than a few bottles, and if you want to go beyond practical and get something attractive that’s a piece of furniture in its own right, your tastes might run toward something like this wine barrel wine rack.

Crafted by Etsy artist, TheBarrelRack, the rack is made from a 1/2 barrel, and each one holds 26 bottles of wine. Get more than one and stack them to form different patterns (and hold more wine!).

Modular shelves and storage units are appealing since they can so easily be moved, rearranged, and made to fit awkward room layouts (my bedroom and office are in a converted attic with ceilings that slant down, so I know all about trying to furnish awkward spaces!).

While the galvanized steel look might not be for everyone, these industrial cubes offer a lot of storage options.

The cube is the basic building block, and you can get them open or with doors, with or without wheels, and wall-mounted or free-standing. This simple arrangement allows you to build credenzas, book shelves, tv entertainment centers, closet storage units, desk, towers, etc. etc. etc.

Visit the Container Store’s “Galvanized Solutions” section to get an idea for all the uses you can find for these little cubes.

Prices depend on how many cubes you want to get and what you want to make, but examples of some possible systems are a galvanized cube storage table for $164, a bath storage unit for $430, or a complete wine bar setup for $970.

Whether you’re remodeling a rental or just looking to tear our your carpets for something easier to maintain, laminate flooring can be an affordable option. Some styles can be almost as costly as hardwoods though, so it pays to look around before buying.

You can find relatively cheap laminate flooring ($1 per square foot or less) at Ikea and Lumber Liquidators.

You can shop at both stores online if there aren’t brick-and-mortar versions in your area. Of course, those cheap prices are just for the flooring–installation isn’t included. However, since laminate flooring can often be installed in a “floating” manner (meaning it can go over existing vinyl, concrete, etc.), it’s a relatively doable DIY project for those with decent cutting tools.

The picture here shows Ikea’s “Hemse” flooring, which currently sells for 74 cents a square foot.

Keep in mind when buying cheap flooring materials that you often get what you pay for. These laminate floors probably won’t be your dream floors, but they may be an improvement over what you have, and in a household filled with kids and pets, it can sometimes be more practical to install floors that are easy to maintain and yet don’t cost a fortune.