Archive for the 'Quality of Life' Category
Interactive Luxury Home Surfaces?
Much has been written and said about Microsoft’s new surface computing technology.
It is the WOW technology of the year. Sooner than many of us thought possible, this technology will first become a defining feature in luxury homes, and as adoption increases and prices drop, it will likely appear as a builder option in many tract subdivisions.
Imagine interactive coffee tables that wirelessly download photos from your digital camera. Or how about kitchen counters that come to life with not only recipes and schedules–but may also allow you to order groceries, pizzas or Chinese carry-out and pay for it all by laying your credit card on the counter.
Expect to see early adoption of this technology not in luxury homes, but in bars and restaurants.
The possibilities will stagger the imagination.
read comments (2)Off-the-Grid and Low Impact Homes
Several months ago, in an interesting discussion with Marc LaChance, I was introduced to off-the-grid homebuilding. Marc has a plan and the means to build homes where electrical, telephone, gas, water and sewer lines do not run. I saw some early plans for his homes, and was highly impressed with their beauty, functionality and earth-friendliness.
It seems when one door opens in the mind, it leads to a series of others.
Late last night while waiting at home for two sons to return from their day at sea and evening on the sand, I discovered this charming woodland cottage, built into and of the earth. Truly off-the-grid, this hand built cottage in Wales is made of sticks, stones, straw, mud and scrap wood, along with some recycled cast-offs.
And it didnt exactly break the bank or back either.
Built with utmost respect for the environment, this unusual cottage cost less than $10,000 to build, and required around 1000 to 1500 man hours to construct which equated to about four months. Built into a hillside for protection and low visual 
impact, this dwelling utilizes stones and mud for retaining walls and foundations and oak thinnings (spare wood) from local forests for framing.
The interior is a marvel, with its reciprocal and natural roof rafters, limestone walls (breathable and more earth-friendly than concrete), straw bales for insulation under the floors and in the construction of the walls and roof, a center skylight for natural lighting, and scrap wood for floors and fittings.
I have had a hard time pulling myself away from this project. 
The rounded walls, windows and doors certainly reflect out-of-the-box thinking and design, as do the undulating wooden ceilings. The ingenuity that went into making this a functional home also capture the imagination.
Solar panels provide energy for lighting, music and computers. I did not see them in the photos, but trust they are there because Moabi, the designer and a Portuguese photographer, lives there with his family that includes two small children.
Water is delivered by gravity to the home from a neaby spring, while roof water run-off is collected in a pond for gardening purposes.
Food refrigeration is provided by cooled air coming underground through the cool foundation.
Toilet? Compost appears to be the guiding word.
Heat? A woodburning stove works well, especially since local fuel is abundant. Additionally, the fireplace flue goes through a large stone and plaster hump that retains and slowly releases heat into the home.
The bedroom is in an upstairs loft area, which overlooks the room below. This gives the distinct feel of a tree house in the forest.
I wondered what knowledge, what skills and what tools were involved in creating this unusual home. According to the amateur architect, designer and builder Moabi, his primary tools were a chainsaw, hammer, and a 1 inch chisel. He claims to be neither a builder nor a carpenter, but that seems hard to believe.
More than anything, Moabi seems to be a man who respects the earth, has fun with its offerings, and has a wonderful eye for natural design. There must also be much of the tree-house-building boy still inside the man who has now built at least two of these earth-friendly homes.
Moabis Low Impact Woodland Home site proved to be a great diversion last night and one worth sharing today.
Enjoy!
You may also wish to read:
Uptown Ruppies and Their Urban Retreats
Two years ago, I met a wonderful couple who lived in a lovely custom home overlooking La Costa Resort and Golf Course. The view from their Carlsbad, CA home was picturesque and their home seemed to suit them perfectly. They were both successful writers, worked from home, and appeared to enjoy an idyllic lifestyle.
Their luxury home was on the market, and I was surprised to hear they were moving about 30 miles to downtown San Diego.
In response to my questions, the husband explained that they wanted to live where they could walk and feel the energy of the city. They wanted to trade the view of the golf course for one of San Diegos harbor. They wanted to walk to coffee shops, restaurants and markets. They wanted the opportunity to hop on San Diegos trolley whenever they felt like it. They wanted to be close to the Civic Center, museums, Petco Park for Padres baseball games, and San Diegos Gaslamp District.
They wanted to trade the gentle pulse of suburban living for the heartbeat of the city.
Today we would have a name for this middle-aged couple. We would call them Ruppies, short for œretired urban people, a term coined by urban planner Kyle Ezell in his 2006 book, Retire Downtown: The Lifestyle Destination for Active Retirees and Empty Nesters. Ruppies represent a growing number of boomers who no longer have to worry about school districts or lawn care and are happily trading suburban soccer fields for city parks.
Real estate choices for Ruppies in central downtown San Diego range from the low $200s for a small condominium or loft, to $2+ million for a luxurious Park Laurel high rise residence, to $4 million for the historic and fully restored Britt Scripps Residence. The choices between these extremes number in the hundreds, with a buyer-friendly level of inventory.
Other retirement-friendly cities also offer wide choices in housing. Some of Ezells favorites include Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Madison, Ashville, Austin, Providence, Atlanta, Charlotte, Memphis, Miami, Columbus, Denver, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Chattanooga, Oklahoma City and Omaha.
Wireless Home of the Future?
Imagine a world uplugged!
That future has quietly arrived with the first successful resonant transfer of wireless power over a span of seven feet and carrying enough power to brighten a 60W light bulb.
This humble beginning leads ambitious minds to think of a luxurious home where cell phones, laptop computers, lamps, Roombas and even hair dryers would need no cords to operate.
The Genius behind this exciting development is a wizardy team of scientists from MITs Department of Physics, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies.
They call this concept œWiTricity, which should not be confused with radio waves, which transmits information wirelessly and in all directions. WiTricity, on the other hand, involves using coupled resonant objects. In other words (and as I understand it), the transmitter and the receiver would be operating on the same resonant frequency which would not interfere with other wireless devices.
This might also be what separates it from the Tesla Effect, which allows farmers, for example, to gather electricity via coils of wire laid beneath power transmission lines on their property.
Sometimes astounding discoveries have simple beginnings. The initial inspiration for this development came several years ago when MIT Professor Marin Soljacic grew tired of hearing his phone beeping to let him know he had forgotten to charge it and began to wonder about the possibility of a self-charging cell phone.
And isnt that a frustration we have all experienced?
It is fun to imagine the wireless possibilities in homes of the future–and the technology would likely be seen first in the top end luxury home market (Bill Gates or Larry Ellison’s homes perhaps?)
A tip of the top hat to Bob Nagel for the find and to PhysOrg for the reporting.
Luxury Home Management: Ask for the Butler
The Butler is back in demand-and in short supply.
The worlds growing number of plutocrats with their enormous mansions and expansive lifestyles are actively seeking household managers to oversee the care of their luxury homes and lifestyles. These enormous residences require ongoing care, along with coordination of property and grounds service providers ranging from pool service technicians, to dog groomers and trainers, to maids, gardeners and arborists.
Contemporary butlers, or Household Managers as many are called today, are better educated than their historic peers. Todays servant is likely to possess accounting, computer, and technology skills along with knowledge of property maintenance, home entertainment, menus, cooking, clothing care, and the ability to attend to the care of antiques, fine china, silver, art, automobiles, home and personal security, communications and a score of others details.
A college degree might be helpful, as would specific training in Household Management. One of the better-known butler training programs would be that offered by the Starkey International Institute for Household Management in Denver, Colorado.
Benefits of employment in this home management field might include free room and board at the luxury residence, possible travel, and annual salaries that range from around $70,000 to over $200,000.
A tip of the top hat to Robert Frank and The Wall Street Journal.
You may also wish to read:
Variable Range Pricing for Homes
Easy Feng Shui Tips for the Luxury Home
