My Renovation

Monday, June 1, 2009

step 1 Material

Cardboard cutters rules pencils and pens

step 2Mark

after cutting 2 pieces of the card board with the intern size of the drawer... mark the middle

step 33 draw to cut

step 44 Assembling

step 5Voila

Have a nice try.

[+/-] Read More...

Make an iPod Video Projector

Project video and pictures on a screen using your iPod!

step 1The setup

The idea is simple, Focus the light from your iPod onto a nearby screen by means of lenses and mirrors.

step 2Cardboard is underrated

Making prototypes is fast and easy using cardboard and a glue gun. A layer of black tape and that Apple sticker makes for a nice look.

step 3Lights down

In order to see anything it must be dark in the room.

Have a nice try.

[+/-] Read More...

Ikea Hack: STRIPA Shoe Rack

Make a simple but elegant shoe rack from Ikea shelves. Shoes float out from the wall, and their own weight keeps them in the minimal looking rack.

I really like the J-Me metal shoe rack that works in the same way as this one, but I want a few of these and the J-Me ones cost 50 GBP each. Home made ones I've seen made with planks and shelf brackets all look a bit ugly, but using a few of these pre-shaped Ikea shelves is more aesthetically pleasing, uses fewer components, and costs about 8 GBP.

Stuff you will need:

Two Ikea Stripa shelves (About 4 pounds each)
Screws
Rawl plugs
Tools (not all shown)
Pencil
SD card (or something of a similar width)
Saw
Clamps
Hammer
drill
Pokey thing (Bradawl or thin screwdriver, for marking the wall through holes in the shelves)

Step 1Cut Shelf

Each rack is made out of two Stripa shelves: The bottom one is left intact, the top one is cut to about 2/3 its normal depth and mounted upside down above the first.

I did this very quickly and dirtily, and it turned out well.

Mark a line to cut on the top shelf. I found an old SD card was just the right width. Clamp it, then cut that mofo!

Don't throw away the offcut, you'll be using it for something in a bit. See notes on the images if you're new to woodworking and need more details.

step 2Plane

Use a plane to smooth the rough edge down, then use it to chamfer the inside edge at various angles until it's nice and rounded. You want a smooth edge rather than a hard angle where the upper of your shoes will be pressed against it.

The front of the shelf you cut off just happens to match the size of gap you need between the shelves on the wall (At least, that's the case for my - UK - size 9 and 1/2 shoes). Make some spacer blocks out of it, as shown in the pictures.

step 3Fix to Wall

The shelves come pre-drilled and countersunk in two places, so all that remains is to fix them to the wall. If you're going to be putting heavy boots in these, it might be an idea to drill for a third screw in the middle of each.

I found it best to drill the wall and fix one end, then line it up to mark the other hole. Remember to always do it by eye - using a spirit level is precise, but, as I rediscovered while installing this, can lead to very wrong looking results if the floors in your house slope even a tiny bit.

step 4Enjoy Floaty Shoes

That's it. It can accommodate various sizes of toe, with small toed shoes fitting between the very back of the two shelves, and large toed boots fitting between the recessed parts that offer a wider opening.

The shelves come with small metal pins and holes pre-drilled for joining them together at the ends, so you could easily run more than one of these along a wall. As it is, I find one of these can take three pairs comfortably, or seven shoes if they're crammed a bit.

Edit: Put a second one up, added some noisy phone camera shots to show it. The edge of the lens makes them look different, but both racks have exactly the same spacing.

Have a nice try.

[+/-] Read More...

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Remodelling Your Kitchen

A kitchen is one of the most important rooms in any household, for that matter, in every part of the world. Gone are the days you toiled yourself in the kitchen to cook tasty meals for you and your family. The kitchen is no longer considered a place where you spent hours, cutting, grinding, processing and arranging all the ingredients and groceries everyday! You can overhaul your kitchen; a place where you can cook comfortably while enjoying the process as well.

You can create more storage space for all the gadgets and have every ingredient at your fingertips. The preparations can be made much simpler and easier that you begin to cook every single day. You simply need to remodel your kitchen, modernize your kitchen.

Now that we have established that the kitchen needs to be redesigned, we can look at various options to organize and de-clutter the kitchen as much as possible.

The Modern Kitchen Essentials
You need to choose the right countertop, best kitchen cabinet styles, hardware, flooring styles among many other things. Every kitchen is unique and each one of us feels comfortable in a certain environment while cooking. So every kitchen needs to be designed taking into consideration, the individual needs of the user or cook in this case.

As homeowners, you are looking for a functional yet modern kitchen that accommodates all the appliances, gadgets and of course, good storage space. You are probably looking for a simple and de-cluttered look while retaining functionality and efficiency.

Leave it to the Experts!
Every step of your kitchen planning needs to be done, in consultation with the kitchen contractor . He is well aware of the right and sturdy materials for your kitchen cabinets, counters and kitchen flooring and can guide you in the right direction. As a home owner, you might know exactly how your kitchen needs to look or know what the renovation can achieve for you, however, you are perplexed with the numerous choices of materials, flooring or tiling options, different layouts that may work best for your kitchen. At such times, the kitchen contractors come to your rescue and help you choose the perfect solution to all your kitchen needs.

Kitchen contractors often provide good advice with respect to the layout and can suggest practical ideas to accommodate space for every gadget and ingredient in the kitchen, from the microwave, blender and dishwasher to the salt and spices!

Every kitchen contractor is well aware of the fact that the storage space and layout is very critical in the planning of a kitchen. You can begin the renovation process by ascertaining the storage space and layout first. Depending on your needs, the kitchen contractors can begin work keeping these factors in mind. Alternately, you can also choose to have a standard module in your kitchen that can be pre-fabricated to suit your requirements.

The modern kitchen is as glamorous and trendy as your bedroom or living room. Technological developments have made the cooking process very simple and easy that cooking is no longer considered a chore! Studies reveal that cooking can be very therapeutic and relaxing.

Now, that you have an all new modern kitchen, do you need any more reason? Healthy cooking and happy living will be your new mantra now!

Author : Richman Gould

[+/-] Read More...

Bunk Beds Are Good For Kids Health

Kids of all ages love Bunk Beds and Loft Beds because they offer more floor space, a little adventure, and a cozy nest for sleeping. Bunk Beds, futon bunks, and ladders are now available online so they are easier than ever to purchase.

Bunk beds help even the most lackadaisical kids to get at least a moment of exercise. Climbing up and down the ladder of a bunk bed helps build strength in the arms and legs, gives a brief cardiovascular boost, and helps kids develop better muscular coordination.

Rather than taking up space in a kids room with two beds placed on either side of the room across from each other, install a bunk bed instead and open up that extra space to be used for playing, studying, or storage.

One thing you want to be sure to do is buy your bed from someone who sells quality furniture so that you know it'll be a good sturdy piece that will last a long time and not fall apart. Look for guard rails on the top bunk in a ladder that is attached permanently to the frame of the bed. When you get your bed home, it's important to assemble it specifically to the instructions to be sure that it is set up properly and no accidents will happen.

Bunk beds have become a very useful and popular piece of any child's bedroom; they not only create maximum space in cramped bedrooms but are useful for having two or more kids in one room. They allow two children to sleep in the same room while maximizing available floor space. They normally are supported by four poles at each corner of the bed; however some are made with only three. To use the top bunk a ladder is fitted, though many children make it their main objective to find their own way up quicker.

Place the bunk bed tightly against the wall to prevent children from becoming trapped between the bunk and wall. Use both long-side guardrails and caution your children from trying to slip down the back of the bed to the lower bunk.

Before buying a bunk bed, check its sturdiness by placing your hand on the top bed and shaking the whole piece to check if there is any movement. Always make sure the lighter child sleeps on the top bed. The best bunk bed to consider would be a full bed on the bottom and a twin bed on top. The wider bed below would create a better balance.

These days, there are many beds of this type available, although they are more expensive than traditional beds. Often these are bunk beds! Most bunk beds of this style include a play area underneath the bed, and often an imaginative way of getting down from the top bunk. Most commonly this is a slide, so you will need to make sure that the room the bed is to be placed in is big enough for this slide not to be a hazard, both in terms of your child sliding down it and tripping over it at other times.

Author : Russel Lyndon

[+/-] Read More...

Great Thing About Children's Bedroom Furniture

Kids bedroom furniture is perfect for helping your son, or daughter, get his, or her, room organized. How so? Well, it is because they are available in all sorts of types and designs. For instance, maybe your son has a lot of books and video games to go along with that TV of his. Then, what would be a good fit for his room would be an armoire that could double as an entertainment center.

The great thing about children's bedroom furniture, is that is just a great way to really organize your child’s bedroom and keep it clean. It provides them with nice areas to store their clothes, their toys, extra bedding, and even their special keepsakes. Plus, it gives the space a very beautiful look, not just because it is kept clean and organized, but because the furniture itself has a fantastic appearance.

The furniture you choose should also not have sharp corners or heavy pieces that can come off and fall on your child. Again, a lot of furniture made for children is made specifically so that safety is a first consideration, but you should still keep an eye out and make sure the furniture you choose is completely safe and won't hurt your child in any way. Color - Color is important too, but in this case, you can let your child's creativity and tastes weigh in. After all, what's better as a child than to have a kids chair just for you, in your favorite color and just your size? That's one way to make a child feel really special. Another thing to look at in kids bedroom furniture is the edges.

There are some beautiful pieces of furniture out there on the market, but a lot of it has pointed edges. In a child's room, this is an accident waiting to happen. While you may tell them time and time again not to run in the house, it will happen, and it's best if you have rounded edges on the furniture for the time when they run into it. There are many online stores, interior designers and furniture designers, who can help you in selecting the right designer furniture for your kids room. Even they can tell you the ideas on how to make effective utilization of space in the room and use furniture, which give the kids comfort. As your child ages, bunk beds or futon bunks make use of airspace to preserve that hard-won floor space.

We saw bunk beds as climbing structures where kids could practice climbing in a safe environment. The sleepover stage reaches its peak at pre-teen years, when a child learns to bond with people outside the family. Bunk beds are advantageous as older children tire of sleeping on the floor. Futon bunks combine a single bed on top and a double sofa-bed below. The futon bunk bed is the ultimate space-saver for a child’s room as the bed rises above the clutter while the couch is still available as a comfortable reading space and additional sleeper. All of these make for great kids bedroom furniture.

Author : Steven Larrie
Spacify.com has the best quality Kids Furniture (http://www.spacify.com/design-for-kids-room.htm)

[+/-] Read More...

Simple Solar Do It Yourself Projects

If rising utility bills are eating away at your household budget, join the club. Maybe it's time to find some solar do it yourself projects and start winning the battle of the utility bills. In the history of the world, there has never been a better time to get started with a project like this. Many national and local governments are giving substantial tax credits these days to people who are taking advantage of alternative energy sources - like wind and solar power, for example. We're also now seeing potentially huge benefits for third world nations by using simple inventions like solar water purifiers and ovens. Could this be the next big energy revolution, right in front of our eyes? But where can you start?

Probably the best place to get started is with a simple solar do it yourself project that doesn't require a lot of time or money. Once you start to see the benefits of solar energy for yourself on a small scale, you can start moving up to bigger and bigger projects over time - like solar panel arrays, or even wind turbines. But first, let's take a look at a few basic solar projects you can start working on right away.

Many campers and backpackers have taken advantage of solar power for years now. There are some quick and easy ways you can get the benefit of the sun while you're in the great outdoors. A solar cooking system - available for about $40 - will help you cook foods like hamburgers, hot dogs, and soups in less than 60 minutes. And you can keep foods warm for long periods of time, until you're ready to eat, since the cooking temperature is lower than traditional methods.

Simple solar hot water heaters have been around for years now, and you can find them in many campers' backpacks or supply boxes. After a few hours in the sun, these simple plastic bags with a shower head attachment put out very warm water, and you can find them for only $10 or so at many department or camping stores.

Speaking of hot water, installing a solar water heating system on the roof of your house is another possible project. Don't think of this as a complete replacement of your current hot water heater - just a supplement, and one that could start saving you money on your electric or gas bills. Since there is a bit of plumbing involved, this project can be somewhat difficult, but definitely within the reach of the home handyman.

OK, now back to something very basic for a moment. When it's cold outside, simply open the curtains and blinds in your home and let the sun heat things up! I'm sure you've felt how much heat comes in through your windows during the summer, so be sure and take advantage of that energy in winter months too.

Solar panels are another solar do it yourself project that's not as complex as the solar water heating system. Check out this Green DIY Energy review for details about one of the most popular sets of solar panel plans available. Using parts you can find online or at your local hardware store, and for about $100-200, it's possible to make your own solar energy panel that puts out about 18 volts of electricity at about 3 amps - that's 54 watts of power. By building a few of these panels, you'll probably start to see how you could run appliances, add power to a porch or sunroom, store energy in batteries for later use, or even power your entire home before too long.

Last but not least, let's talk about another simple use for solar power - recharging your car's battery. Older batteries can sometimes become weak and start losing their charge, so why not use the sun that comes through the front windshield to charge up the battery whenever you can? The mini solar panel sits on your dashboard and might just give your battery that extra boost it needs to last another 6-12 months or more.

With these simple solar do it yourself projects, you can start right away and be one of the first people in your neighborhood to begin getting the most from one of the most powerful, free energy sources in the universe - the sun.

Author : Tom Tennyson
To learn how you can get started with solar do it yourself projects today, visit http://mysolarwindhome.com

[+/-] Read More...

Monday, June 1, 2009

Intro Drawer Organizer

step 1 Material