Mosby Building Arts National Association of the remodeling Industry

Mosby Building Arts National Association of the remodeling Industry

11 Shipping Container Uses

More amazing shipping container applications. It would seem that this is catching on...

Read more...

A tale of Sweet Revenge

"A city councilman in Utah, Mark Easton, had a beautiful view of the east Mountains until a new neighbor purchased the lot below his house and built a new home. The home was 18 inches higher than the ordinances would allow, so Mark Easton, mad about his lost view, went to the city to make sure they enforced the lower roof line ordinance.

The neighbor was forced to lower his roof at a significant expense. So while he’s at it, he decided to add a 'abstract art representing a cactus' on his vet cover so his complaining neighbor can see it everyday!"

Read More...

More Spectacular Shipping Containers- Residential Design.

Yet another designer using shipping containers. Very cool. Nice, useable, liveable and cost-effective design. Interesting to note that the designer built his own home in Victoria for about $150 per sq. ft. Nice.

Zigloo - Residential Design - Fernwood Victoria B.C.

The "Quick House" - Make it with shipping containers!

I stumbled upon this link to a company that makes prefabricated houses out of used shipping containers. While the suggested floor plans are somewhat limited, this low-impact, modular concept is quite elegant. All you need is a site, a floor slab and services and you are good to go. The applications for this seem limitless and very cost effective. The comapany boasts building costs at aroung $75 per sq. ft. Amazing. I want one.

Read More Here......

Glass House: Farnsworth House

I think it can be done....



"“I pointed out to him (Mies) that it (a glass house) was impossible because you had to have rooms, and that meant solid walls up against the glass, which ruined the whole point. Mies said, ‘I think it can be done.’” Philip Johnson speaking at a symposium held at the School of Architecture, Columbia University, 1961."

Read More...

Arts And Crafts House Plans

Arts And Crafts House Plans

Is Qatar the Next Dubai?

Older article I stumbled across. Interesting none the less...

"According to the Qatar Tourism Authority, more than 100 buildings and towers are going up in Doha, whose modest skyline is currently punctuated by about two dozen high-rises. Cranes fill the hot sky. Skeletal hotels, resorts and financial centers ring Doha Bay. And from every corner, a symphony of earth-moving equipment and power tools hums the theme of one of the world's richest countries (as measured by gross domestic product per capita) striving to become a world-class business and leisure center."

Read More

Construction boom in the Northern Ontario

"The United States housing market may be slumping, but the up-tick in mineral prices has the home selling and building sectors surging in many major Northern Ontario cities.

The mining boom in Sudbury and Timmins and the emergence of a new knowledge economy in Thunder Bay has made for tight resale market and a burgeoning home construction sector in many areas."

Read more.

Australia: Construction activity hits 2-year high

"Australian construction activity expanded for the fourth straight month in December, with the pace of growth increasing as the industry shrugged off November's rate rise, a survey shows."

Read more.

iPAD tower in Pictures

Interesting twist on the ever popular media player. Looks kind of 60's esque to me. Nice design none-the-less. Kudos to the designer.

The Dubai Life | Blog | - iPAD tower in Pictures

Reduce Reuse, Recylce @ Construction Junction...

Every community needs one of these. When I see the huge amounts of wasted building material on a job site, it makes me sad. These guys seem to have the right idea...



"At Construction Junction our mission is to support and promote conservation through the reuse of building materials. We strive to keep usable building materials out of the landfills and provide them to the community at very low cost. In this way, our mission has an environmental and social focus. Construction Junction specializes in used and surplus building materials and is supported by Pennsylvania Resources Council, the oldest grass roots environmental organization in the state. The idea for Construction Junction was developed by PRC, the Green Building Alliance and Conservation Consultants. A project of PRC, Construction Junction is funded in part by the Heinz Endowment and private contributions."

Construction Junction

Houses of the Future. Carboard?

Better hope it doesn't rain....The Cardboard House represents the reduction of technology and the simplification of needs. By demonstrating that we are able to recycle 100% of the building components at extremely low cost, the Cardboard House is a direct challenge to the housing industry to reduce housing and environmental costs.

Click here to read the full article.

Burj Dubai - Video follows construction

Green kitchens don't have to be green

Green Home Blog: DIY Network: "Green kitchens don't have to be green"

Weekend Project: Wire Your Home On-the-Cheap with DIY Network Cables

The video demonstration on the link below from electronics retailer TigerDirect details the relatively simple process of cutting your own Ethernet cables so you don't end up spending more than you need wiring your home or office (you also won't end up with 10 feet too much or a foot too little like you often will when you buy pre-cut). Wireless home networks are convenient, but if you regularly transfer large files or stream HD-quality video, nothing beats a solid wired network.

Click Here for the video:

How to build your own backyard deck

This a pretty good article on how to build a deck for the beginner. Personally, I'm not a fan of using a floating system, such as the deck blocks described in the article, but this is a great tutorial for any weekend warrior.

Here's the link to the article on LifeHacker....

Russia-shaped luxury island to be built in Black Sea

Russia plans to build a $6 billion artificial island off the coast of the Black Sea resort of Sochi ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games there, a Russian property developer said. The 250-hectare island will bear the name of Federation Island and will be shaped in the form of a map of Russia.

read more | digg story

Dubai Skyscraper is Now the World's Tallest Free-Standing Structure

The world’s tallest building being constructed in Dubai has surpassed the height of the CN Tower, the world’s tallest free-standing structure, its developers said Thursday. At 555 metres, Burj Dubai is now two metres taller than the 553-metre CN Tower, Emaar Properties said in a release.

read more | digg story

China's Richest Person is a 26-Year Old Woman

"The twenty-six year-old daughter of a rags-to-riches property developer is China's wealthiest person, with a $16 billion fortune, Forbes magazine said on Monday."

read more | digg story

PICTURES: Beijing Olympic Stadium

The futuristic architecture of the main stadium for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing is absolutely stunning.

read more | digg story

A skyscraper that rotates

In skyscraper-crazy Dubai, tall isn't enough. Now there are plans for a 68-story tower where the floors would rotate 360 degrees. Each floor would rotate independently, creating a constantly changing architectural form.

read more | digg story

WTF is going on in Dubai?

Check out this collection of pictures from the most fascinating City in the world. "This is a city on crack" says it all. Almost a quarter of the worlds cranes call this city home. Why not take a look at the under-sea hotel, the old space-port, or the "300 artificially created islands in the shape of the world". Excuse the language on this page.

read more | digg story

The Skyscraper That Creates All Its Own Energy

"This skyscraper, to be built in Dubai, is called the Burj al-Taqa ('Energy Tower'), and it will produce 100% of its own power. The tower will have a huge (197 foot diameter) wind turbine on its roof, and arrays of solar cells that will total 161,459 square feet in size."

read more | digg story

Gorgeous Dubai's palm-shaped man-made island opens [with pics]

Four years ago there was nothing here but unbroken sea. Now there's Andrew Dukes and his luxury mansion - sitting on a palm-shaped, man-made island - the first of about 100 houses to open here. "I got exactly what I paid for and I'm very happy with it," said Dukes, 43, a tanned Englishman who just moved into his colossal home on Palm Jumeirah...

read more | digg story

Dubai Building $1 Billion Jurassic Park

A new $1.1 billion Jurassic theme park called Restless Planet, is being built in Dubai. The park will feature 109 animatronic dinosaurs of over 40 different species in a 500,000 square foot (46,000 square metre) space. The new park will be the star attraction of a large Las Vegas-esque entertainment and business development called City of Arabia.

read more | digg story

Hiring a Contractor

At some time, most homeowners will hire someone for repairs or renovations. Even a homeowner experienced in home repairs may have to hire a contractor or renovator because of the size or level of difficulty of the job. This fact sheet will help you choose a contractor and work effectively and fairly with the contractor to achieve the results you desire...

The Sub - Home (I want one)

http://www.sub-find.com

Trilobis 65 is a semi-submerged
dwelling environment. Reaching 20 metres in length designed by Giancarlo Zema for habitation by six people at sea. It is ideal for living in bays, atolls and maritime parks. The main aim of the project is to allow anyone to live in a unique environment through a self sufficient, non-polluting dwelling cell in unison with their ocean surroundings.