Tag:Tips
Solar Shutters
Plantation shutters are useful for keeping sunlight out, but they can also be adapted to harvest solar power… at least that is the vision of the San Diego company called Plug ‘n Save Energy Products. Placing these shutters on the windows on the south side of your home will do double duty reducing heat gain from sunlight while collecting the solar energy. Connect the photovoltaic panels on the louvers to an inverter that plugs into an outlet and returns power back to your electrical system.
Picture Source: latimes.com
Sigmafocus BBQ
The Sigmafocus BBQ looks like the perfect solution to limited space outdoor cooking for apartments, condos and smaller homes with limited outdoor entertaining space. According to thedailyeatery.com the Sigmafocus is:
A compact alternative to the traditional barbecue, the sigmafocus attaches to a point on any wall, flips out to cook and folds away afterward. It comes with a stainless steel grill, a range of barbecue tools and can be fueled by wood or charcoal.
The generous ash pan allows the barbecue to be used a number of times without it having to be emptied. The protective dish that attaches to the wall guards against smoke and heat damage. The quality and thickness of the steel guarantees the barbecue’s longevity.
Why didn’t anyone tell me that?
This is a non-construction tip. I saw this on Twitter the other day and wondered why no one ever told me this. The little triangle on your gas gauge next to the gas pump symbol… It’s not just a triangle, it’s an arrow pointing to the side of the car that the gas cap is on. Really!?! Why didn’t anyone tell me that? Not that it’s a huge deal, but it’s definitely one of those PITA things when you rent a car and pull in expecting it to be one way and it turns out to be the other way. I’m sure some of you (like Julie here in our office) are thinking, “Duh! How could he not know that?” Well, I didn’t. If you didn’t, you’re welcome. Ha!
Since reading about this I’ve been looking and not every car has it. That makes me feel a little better. It’s still something good to know. I’ll at least look the next time I’m trying to put gas in a strange car.
Source: Gas gauge picture borrowed from howisavemoney.net
Decorative Grab Bars
Delta Faucet Decorative Grab Bars
The standard grab bar offerings are very institutional and look like they are made for hospital or nursing home settings, i.e functional, but not aesthetically appealing. Even in new construction of assisted living facilities we often only put in the blocking for grab bars leaving the installation until they’re needed. Delta Faucet has a new line of decorative ADA grab bars that lose the institutional look, but retain the functionality. The Delta faucet grab bars come in finishes like chrome, gold and oil rubbed bronze with trims that match the Delta faucet collections. They also include anchoring systems to meet ADA standards.
These are just the latest offerings. Also check out the Kohler, Rohl and Bellacor collections.
Like most ADA grab bars it is best to plan for these in new construction to allow proper blocking to be placed behind the walls, but these new decorative offerings make it more attractive to install these in new construction before there is a need.
Own your own Spy in the Sky
Image borrowed from thrillist.com via supercompressor.com
Now you too can spy on your friends and neighbors just like the NSA! Lehmann Aviations LA100 is an automated drone on which you can mount your own GoPro camera for your own aerial photography.
From the Lehmann website: “LA100 – world’s first aircraft designed for users with no piloting background – is now coming in Version2. It is a fully autonomous UAV (drone). Just choose one of the suggested flight paths and altitude in OperationCenter, check drone’s systems via Wi-Fi, connect the battery, launch it, and wait for it to come back to you after 5 minutes of flight (limited for safety purposes). The whole system comes ready to fly without GoPro and tablet.“
You can pick one of their kits up at their website for $990 and be up and flying in no time.
