What's your favorite house hack or modification?
Link to your favorite hack (or describe your own idea), and the best answer will get the M$25 tip.
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M$12 Answers
1)
PVC
Simple and elegant wiring. When building a house, if you run an empty piece of PVC pipe from the basement to the attic, you will have a MUCH easier time adding any sort of data, voice, television (etc) wire after the construction. If you're building a large house, run a horizontal length on each floor to stretch from side-to-side as well.
This will completely "future proof" your home and open up a ton of options as wiring standards change over the years. If your builder / inspector gets all "funny" about running PVC, tell them that this is just a central vac line ;)
2)
Hidden Doors
There is something uber cool about a house with a hidden door or two. Even if there is nothing in the room behind it except for storage, building a door like this is on my top list of home hacks.
3)
Bathroom audio
Sure, it sounds a bit silly.... but it's easy. Install 2 speakers in the bathroom you choose to shower in every morning. Connect the speakers to a separate zone on you're receiver and you'll never again wonder what the weather for the day is going to be or better yet a bit of morning music while you get ready for the day.
4)
Last, this is the coolest thing I've seen in a house:
This is the indoor pool of a home that belongs to a Microsoft executive. The pool features a walk up "splash pad" where water jets burst and bounce around the waterfall. The jets themselves are lit by lights that cast a variety of colors. The pool area features a panoramic view that is stunning in the evening, hot tub, large bar, lounge seating for over 20 guests and exists to an outdoor patio with a built-in fireplace.
It's really something else.
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M$http://themeaddicts.com/pages/mirror.html
What looks like a normal mirror suddenly comes to life with a talking face inside the mirror giving you updates on what's going on in your house. ("Hmmm…most curious... it seems that we have a pedestrian approaching up our driveway")
The mirror ties into your existing home automation system and can inform you about the status of things in your house (garage door or pool gate open, jacuzzi up to temp) and give you reminders for events stored in the calendar.
The effect is incredibly cool and the voice and animation work are fantastic and really fit the theme.
The only killer is the price tag: about $20,000 not counting the home automation system. Yikes. Still, if I had the cash I would install one of these in a heartbeat.
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M$
But is this really a hack or a modification, it is made to be that way.
It's not a hack of this piece of equipment, but is a hack of the house. (I included it because of the "home automation" part of the initial question.) It would be possible to do something similar as a hack using a flat panel LCD and one-way mirror.
Better yet, pick up a Squakers McCaw at your local toy store (http://www.amazon.com/Hasbro-FurReal-Friends-Squawkers-Parrot/dp/B000OV7A62) and turn it into your personal parrot assistant in the same manner. Parrot voices are a lot easier to pull off yourself than a British butler. :)
There are rain barrels that connect to the downspout of the gutter and collect water until they are full, which you can use to water your garden too. I like hacks that capture greater forces and let you utilize them.
If you want to see a crazy set of house hacks, you have to check out the Winchester Mystery House, which has all kinds of crazy features, like stairways that end into a wall, doors that open to the outside on the second floor and all sorts of other weird stuff. The story behind the house is cool as well.
On the high tech side, Microsoft gave a presentation of this computer for the kitchen that would catalog and record everything you have in the pantry and fridge and would tell you what you were running short of or what you could make with the items you have on hand. It also had a countertop touch interface, kind of like the surface table they came out with a year ago.
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
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M$
http://tongalo.com/blogs/portsidetwd/archive/2008/04/15/diy-wind-turbine-part-1.aspx
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$But my favorites are
The auto museum/shop/car elevator
The "main street" in the basement...which can be accessed via the car elevator so that a car can be driven through it.
Another thing that isn't mentioned in the video link I'm posting at the bottom is that the executive office is floored with all-leather tiles. According to the television show I watched this house on, it smells amazing.
http://www.google.com/#hl=en&q=portabello+house+price&aq=f&oq=&aqi=&fp=-Pw1cEIpNGU
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$Don't want a low cost integrated system since I value real hifi. But I really hated all those differently designed boxes collecting dust in my living room. I've put everything behind frosted glass like shown here:
http://www.cleverandeasy.com/Home-Organizing/hide-your-hi-fi-installation-out-of-sight.html
Really tidies up the living room.
And the good thing is that the remote controls still work, even better than without the glass!
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M$
Or one that is even stranger, a beer can home
Anyways, hacks that I don’t think are legal lol, Run both ethernet and phone over existing Cat-5 cable
anyways I love simplish stuff.
How about
A chair from wine bottle caps.
And oh my gosh I would love to sit in this chair!!!!!!
Stuffed animal chair!
Ok this person is just great, you have to check it out on this website, http://www.inhabitots.com/2009/01/04/greg-lynn-forms-recycled-toy-furniture/
Anyways how about the Scrap house!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltIMlNImMT8
I am not sure if any of this is what you are looking for but they are things that have been modified well recycled. Lol, I hope you like these.
Maybe you are looking something that is more futuristic like this video of this museum.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeJKigY0Q_Q&feature=related
I will be keeping an eye out for more cool stuff. Let me know if this was the type of thing you were looking for. If not I at least hope you enjoyed looking (^_^)V
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
Thanks, lol, but I did say I think. I am glad someone was able to correct me
I have been looking at a lot of the answers and noticed quite a few of them were gadgets or things that were made for the purpose, did you want stuff like that or stuff that was just like home-made?
This is for winter time but I love this, we still have this kind of stuff on our windows right now lol it just looks nice, it makes your windows look like they are frosted with ice.
Lol I just thought of something that my mom has in our back yard. This one is not at our house, but this is what we use, a toilet as a gardening pot!
We also have a bathtub flower bed, but I could not find a picture of one of those online, and it is dark outside right now lol.
Gosh I can't get over the stuffed animal chair, I might have to make one and post it lol.
Nothing illegal about running phone and Ethernet over the same cable. It's done all the time when new wiring can't be pulled without being cost-prohibitive.
10/100BT - Ethernet and Fast Ethernet only require 2 pairs (4 wires). That leaves 2 pairs (4 wires) for use as another Fast Ethernet jack, phone, two phones, or power for PoE (power over Ethernet).
Gigabit Ethernet 1000BT requires all 4 pairs (8 wires).
Dang my edit button would not work, I feel bad, my answers and comments are so long lol, at least right now I am the last person on this page to answer, anyways I found some bath tubs but this is along streets? Wow that is kind of cool and by that i mean weird. http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2306/2448165784_fce243eb98.jpg?v=0 not sure if the picture will work but if not just click the link maybe that will take you to the picture.
Full home automation systems are really helpful. They save money, and provide security and safety to your home.
Source: http://www.plcedge.com/home-automation.html
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
http://dornob.com/creative-colorful-curved-spiral-shell-house-design/
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
More coolness!
This would ROCK in a finished basement: http://www.fubiz.net/2009/07/09/ping-pong-door/
Oh... one bonus hack...
If you're a geek and either have a large property or neighbors close by, toss a WiFi Access Point in the attic. At the very least, you'll be able to access your Internet connection from a longer range at home... but If you really want to get crazy, toss an amp and an antenna on it, segment your network into public / private and load up http://www.linspot.com/.