So how do you get into your secluded, suspended sanctuary when you place it over water? In any case, I ran across this and thought it was interesting. If you have the right location and a big enough tree to support it; a wicker swing that looks like a Hershey Kiss and seats 2 or more? Cool! This is the Nestrest. It’s a hanging lounger.
This is a product by DEDON. If you’re interested in one and want to see more pictures, go here. If you understand the ostriches, let me know…
Where is it written that a green-built home must be small? Monthly energy bills determine a home’s carbon footprint, not its size. In fact, a 10,000 square foot house with zero energy bills is far greener than a 1,500 square foot energy hog.
I would argue that a large home built with no wood, using concrete, steel, and polystyrene (a petrochemical product) is far greener than a smaller home built with wood. This is because the concrete house can last 300 years with no maintenance, while the “earth-friendly” wood house is subject to mold, mildew, rot, termite and fire damage (despite being recycled, reclaimed, salvaged, or sustainably grown FCS-certified).
The periodic replacement of inferior building material, such as wood, is far more wasteful to our natural resources than a concrete house built to last. Durability trumps embodied energy.
Green building encompasses five elements: durability, energy efficiency, water efficiency, indoor air quality, and the environment – not just the environment alone. A fact sometimes lost on many advocates of green.
Dueling theories aside, there is one thing on which all building science experts agree. To save money every time, place resources into the exterior building shell envelope, not into mechanicals or renewables.
Lee Hitchox – Taken from BMail; Builder Magazine
This Fall we received the opportunity to work on a unique project. We were asked to take over a project for a poolside cabana project. The project had gone through multiple initial designs, but the original contractor was an expert in landscape masonry and not in the type of structural project this had become. We were asked to look into options to make the project work.
We were able to redesign the roof line to match the house as the owner originally wanted. We added a bathroom with a shower to improve the usability. We redesigned the fireplace to tie it to the structure. We improved the drainage system allowing leveling of the paving system. We added hurricane shutters to protect the interior as well as extend the useful seasons. We employed Scearce Rudisel Architects to provide drawings and verify that we were on track to meet the owners’ vision.
The original design called for sand set pavers, but because the interior of the project was enclosed on three sides, we revised the design to include a sloped concrete slab base with the floor pavers set on pedestals to level the floor. This system is similar those we have used on roof deck projects. This allowed for a flat floor, with positive drainage beneath the pavers. The cabana was to be raised one step above the existing pool deck, so we installed a trench drain to collect water from the sloped deck of the pool. The step also allowed us to create a new level edge from which to start our construction. (The pool deck had previously drained into a landscape area and the edge did not need to be perfectly level and was allowed to have variations.) The pavers themselves will be 24″ x 24″ x 1-1/2″ thick installed in a stacked bond pattern.
The outdoor kitchen has been designed with stainless steel appliances protected by a stacked block wall. The wall will create bar height seating on two sides. The bar and countertops will be Typhoon Bordeaux granite.
The exterior roof style has been designed to mirror the existing home’s roof line. To reduce the water returning to the pool deck at the front of the structure, the top section of the roof has been designed with a slight slope to the rear. Flashings will be installed to hide the slope. Gutters will be installed around the entire structure for continuity and rain chains will be installed to handle the minimal water exiting the front, while downspouts will be concealed at the rear to handle the majority of runoff. The interior ceiling shall be comprised of two crossing barrels giving added height to the interior.
Foundations and slabs are in place, steel columns have been set and the roof framing is underway. Roof sheeting should be underway yet this week. Weather has held up the fireplace mason, but we are working around that the best we can. Despite poor weather conditions, the project is beginning to take shape.