Fancy yourself a D.I.Y.er? Frugal?

Curbly is a fun site where the frugal do-it-yourself’ers hang out. Maybe you are on the geeky side, like myself, and are also familiar with Make. If so, this is the same concept but centered around the home. You’ll be able to find a wide range of projects.

Do you have an extra fridge in your basement or garage?

You could make it look brand new and stainless steel.

How about a togo cup of tissue. Having one of those cups in your cup holder in your car or just a conversation piece in the kitchen.

The funniest part of Curbly, is finding a project that will work great in your home,and its one you never would have thought of. Try a project and send me a picture. I will feature it here on “Tech Tues”.

Technorati Tags: Curbly, DIY, Technology, Make

Post from: Blisstree

Tech Tues: Curbly

CONTEST ALERT!

The first TEN people who can name the President, who was also an Architect, I will send you the monetary amount his face also graces.

Post from: Blisstree

Happy Presidents Day!

The Winchester Mystery House is a 160-room, once-7 story mansion built by a grieving widow. For thirty-eight continuous years Sarah Winchester commanded construction of this house, led by a spiritual medium to believe that if she stopped construction she would be afflicted by the family curse that had struck her husband and child.

In 1884, Sarah reached Santa Clara Valley in California and began funding the endless construction of her new home. As time progressed, the house grew bigger and bigger and bigger, reaching 7 stories in 1906.

Obsessed with the number 13, the home features 13 panes of glass, 13-panelled walls, 13 cupolas in the greenhouse, and 13-sectioned floors. And all staircases but one had 13 steps.

All of this was constructed in order to appease the spirits that Sarah was told wished vengeance on her for her ancestors’ misdeeds.

In 1906, the great San Francisco Earthquake struck, and parts of the Winchester Mansion fell to ruins. The top three floors fell into the garden and were never reconstructed.

On September 4th, 1922, after a seance, Sarah went to bed and never woke up.

These days, the house is a California Historical Landmark and is a hot spot for lovers of paranormal activity.

Did anyone read Stephen King’s Rose Red? Because I swear it must be based on this.

Via | Winchester Mystery House

Post from: Blisstree

The Winchester Mystery House

Take for instance, the rec room, which features a 110″ Flat Screen television, and a wall of pinball machines. I’d probably switch a couple of the pinball machines for an air hockey table, but that’s just me. I wouldn’t mind hooking up an Xbox 360 to that bad boy and lounging back for a while. Actually, I’d probably never leave!

Controlled by keypads and buttons, this home is a gadget-lover’s paradise. The living room comes complete with in-wall speakers that can be controlled from touchscreens throughout the house.

And who can forget the kitchen? Note, if you will, the swiveling flat screen TV so that you don’t miss any of the digital action anywhere in the room. From the touchscreen panel, they can do anything from controlling the direction of the television, to adjusting the temperature of the pool!

And then there’s the billiard’s room. No house would be complete without one. *cough*

Via | Electronic House

Post from: Blisstree

Techonology High

Do you have a wacky, out-of-the-ordinary home? How about an unusual yard that’s unlike any of your neighbours? Have a friend who has done something totally unique to their house? Then they want to talk to you.

You can find out more about the show either via the production company web site – www.HighNoonEntertainment.com – or on the Offbeat America show pages at HGTV here and if you think you’ve got what it takes to be on the show, give Rezal a shout at 303-712-3323 or email him at this link here.

Post from: Blisstree

A Casting Call for Offbeat America

Focussed on defensive purposes and consisting of one entrance and no windows at ground level, these communal structures would serve as a fortress and apartment building in one. Round in shape, they were internally divided into many different compartments for food storage, living quarters, ancestral temple, armoury etc and the larger houses would cover over 400,000 square feet in size and house 500-600 people.

Wikipedia: Hakka architecture web page.

Hakka House Architecture web page at AsiaWind.com.

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Hakka Dwellings of China

Conditions in the ‘Habitat‘ are monitored 24 hours a day from the land-based ‘Command Center‘ located at the edge of Emerald Lagoon. An umbilical cable connects the Jules’ Undersea Lodge to the surface and delivers fresh air, water, power, and communications. The Lodge also has independent support systems as well as redundant backup systems to ensure the safest conditions.

The Luxury Aquanaut Package goes for a mere $395 per night and includes unlimited dive time for certified divers as well as a gourmet dinner prepared by the resort’s ‘mer-chef’.

Check out the Jules’ Undersea Lodge web site here for more details.

[via Neatorama]

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Jules Undersea Lodge – Underwater Vacations

The diverse collection is divided up into geographical regions and the separate rooms in the house showcase the specific regions. The ground floor pretty much covers the US and Canada. Upon reaching the second floor, you’ll find yourself in the Great Britain Hall, and from there you can partake of the German Room, the Scandinavia Room, and the Pacific Rim Room among others.

I am in awe. Check out a photo tour for yourself at the Can Smart Beer Can Superstore here.

[via Make:blog]

Post from: Blisstree

Ummm…House of Beer

Then someone was able to secure a 40-year lease for the space. That tenant hired the local Castanes Architects firm and they proceeded to turn the place into a very cool and funky apartment.

If you head on over to Seattle Unusual Homes here, you’ll find a few more photos of the space. Definitely one of a kind. I love the windows and I bet the views are awesome.

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Living in a Pyramid in Seattle