You may see most bridges as that thing you cross on your way to somewhere else, but where would you be if one collapsed? Luckily, we've figured out 10 reasons why the worst happens.

Source: http://feeds.howstuffworks.com/~r/DailyStuff/~3/S748TxRGMC0/10-reasons-why-bridges-collapse.htm

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4 Different Types of Attic Fans

Source: http://www.doityourself.com/stry/mitsubishi-4-different-types-of-attic-fans

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The average life of a well-maintained furnace is 25 years.—Is It Time to Replace the Furnace?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ThisOldHouseLatest/~3/DuEpZIEnAMQ/0,,,00.html

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Filed under: Living Rooms, Exteriors & Facades, Living Spaces, Outdoors

It only makes sense that artists' homes would be as inspired and beautiful as their work. Case in point: The Pennsylvania home of George Nakashima.

We're so excited to get a peek inside the new book "Artists' Handmade Houses". Below, an excerpt for your enjoyment. Text by Michael Gotkin; Photography by Don Freeman; Published by Abrams.

George Nakashima
New Hope, Pennsylvania

Though he originally trained as an architect, George Nakashima became so disappointed by the construction methods he observed being utilized in buildings that he changed course, deciding instead to start a career making furniture, which he could control entirely from design to construction and finishing. On this new path, Nakashima would become a great innovator in twentieth-century furniture design, with few rivals and countless imitators. Influenced by the craftsmanship and simple lines of traditional architecture in both the United States and Japan, Nakashima created a distinct hybrid of the two cultures in his hand-finished furniture and in the complex of buildings, including home and workshop, that he designed and built in rural Bucks County, Pennsylvania. These buildings combine his sophisticated understanding of architectural engineering with his respect for humble, vernacular structures. He produced designs that are modern yet imbued with the handmade quality and values of a bygone era, and they continue to inspire new generations.

Nakashima embraced construction as a kind of improvisation, noting that "the house was built without plans, and the detailing was developed from the material on hand or that which was available." The house was constructed without nails, and Nakashima employed prefabricated industrialized materials like corrugated concrete panels for the roof, which were purchased cheaply as army surplus. It is this unlikely marriage between American vernacular influences and Japanese sensibilities, along with a willingness to embrace the engineered forms of the modern age, that lends Nakashima's work its beauty and vitality. But Nakashima believed that it was the methods underlying design, and not (what he considered to be) superficial forms, that imparted integrity. "Perhaps the greatest drawback in domestic architecture is that only the forms change," he said, "but the methods are the same, whereas the greatest need today is a creative study of the 'method'-not merely the mulling of forms on paper or the building of models, but a synthesis of the techniques of building within our present requirements."

Most of the designs that Nakashima used in his home were replicated for sale at his shop. One of his most popular designs was a diminutive three-legged chair called "Mira" after his daughter, for whom it was first fashioned. Nakashima's furniture had clear lines of reference to early American furniture, such as traditional Windsor chairs, captain's chairs, and trestle tables, but Nakashima developed those basic style tenets further and produced his own unique models, creating, for example, a Windsor-derived chaise longue, or retrofitting the bases of trestle tables to chairs. Nakashima also admired the simple domestic interiors of the American Shaker community, and joked that he was a "Japanese Shaker," seeing the confluence of aesthetics between the two cultures.
Over time, Nakashima became increasingly drawn to irregular shapes in wood, which he sought to preserve in his tabletops and chair arms; these irregularities became a hallmark of his work.

Just as he had been experimental with his furniture designs, Nakashima sought variety and contrast in the complex of buildings on his property. Only a few years after completing his home, he built a thin-shell, conoidal concrete studio with the help of famous engineers Paul Wedlinger and Mario Salvadori: The team created a soaring, arched ceiling that resembled a giant seashell. Nakashima also built a showroom and guesthouse, where visitors could view his furniture in a domestic environment. He added, over time, an expanded workshop, offices, an arts building, pool house, and a reception house to complete his compound. Maintaining Nakashima's home and business since his death, Mira Nakashima, who was trained in woodworking by her father, has developed her own line of furniture, some of it based on her father's original prototypes. Mira continues the evolution of design in which divisions between historical and modern are erased in the quest for structural integrity, innovative methods, and sculptural form.

Sigh -- we can't get enough of this place. If you're left craving more handmade house tours, pick up a copy of "Artists' Handmade Houses"!

Or check out:
House Tour: Industrial Designer Joe Doucet's NYC Apartment
House Tour: Vidal Sassoon's Modernist Bel Air Home
Celebrity Decorator Kevin Haley's Hollywood Hideout

 

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Source: http://www.diylife.com/2011/08/29/nakashima-artists-handmade-houses/

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Check out our review of an inexpensive, DIY-friendly, battery powered, wireless alarm system that works on both windows and doors and can be installed in minutes. Watch this video to find out more.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/danny-lipford/~3/zKFficQ5tyo/

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I got my parents an Oxo Good Grips Jar Opener for Christmas, and it's surprising how delighted my mom in particular has been about it. Who knew you could win big with a $12 gift? She has trouble with her...

Source: http://www.luxuryhousingtrends.com/archives/2009/01/oxo_good_grips.php

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Hey guys this is my first intractable, so please go easy on me.. What I have built in this intractable is a Robot. I call it a spy Robot (cos if built small and if a camera is added it will act as a spy). Any ways, due to time constrain and lack of sufficient funds, I could only build a basic (a h...
By: poovakoot

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Source: http://www.instructables.com/id/A-very-cost-effective-ROBOT-using-microcontroller-/

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Ill show you how to make a minecraft rocket!
By: sharlston

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Source: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-minecraft-rocket/

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There is always a scramble to find supplies when it's time to play charades. For each team, you need some paper (to make the challenges), a pen (of course), and a bag to let the other team's players draw their charade challenge from. I decided to make a nice charades kit. Added bonus: it will be ...
By: sabbott

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Source: http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-your-own-charades-kit/

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Filed under: Crafts, Essential Skills, Know-How, Crafts & Celebrations

Looking for a gentle alternative to chemical-based interior paint? Stir up this simple, four-ingredient recipe.
Cavemen did it. The early Egyptians did it. American Colonists did it. And even today, many people are rediscovering the art of making interior paint for the home.

In an age of store-bought paints with high performance finishes, you may ask yourself, why make paint? For me, it's the natural, handcrafted look -- along with the satisfaction of being self-reliant. For others, it may be because homemade paint is the greenest and least toxic alternative possible to traditional paint. Homemade paints aren't based upon petrochemicals and they're far less toxic than commercial paints -- even the many zero-VOC paints now emerging on the market.

The easiest to make and least expensive homemade paints consist of milk, lime, and pigment. For additional body a filler, such as chalk powder or plaster can be added. My preferred recipe is simplicity itself:

-- Hydrated lime (available at most home and garden supply stores)
-- Water
-- Pigment (powder or liquid)
-- Whole milk (at room temperature)

1. Fill a container with one to two cups of hydrated lime. Gradually add water and stir until you have a thick paste.

2. In a separate container, do the same with the pigment powder. For a small batch like this, 2 to 4 tablespoons of pigment is typically sufficient.

3. Gradually add milk to the lime paste until you achieve the consistency of sour cream. Then add the pigment paste and mix thoroughly.

Safety tip: Despite the relative low toxicity of the ingredients, wear vinyl gloves and a dust mask when working with lime and pigment.

ADDING PIGMENTS TO HOMEMADE PAINT
You can buy pigmentsat many hardware and artist supply stores. Avoid using pigments made from toxic compounds, otherwise you'll defeat the purpose of making your own paint. Some common toxins used in pigments include cadmium, lead, mercury, and cobalt. Here's a good online source for non-toxic pigments. You will have to experiment with pigments to achieve the color you want. Be sure to buy plenty of white pigment, as you'll be using a lot of it. It comes in two forms: titanium dioxide and zinc. The former is a bit more opaque.

You can make many of your own colorants using natural ingredients but the process is a lot more time-consuming than making paint alone. Also, the colors produced through home-brewed dyes are more subtle than store-bought pigments. If you do want to make homemade pigment, try these methods:

-- Add water to steel wool for a red rust coloring.
-- Try simmering everything from berries and vegetables to bark and leaves to create the dyes. Blackberries, for example, make a strong dye.
-- Brew coffee or many tea to create neutral tones.
-- Boil peach or crab apple leaves for greens.
-- Use store-bought juice concentrates, such as blueberry and cranberry, to create pleasing tints.

ADDITIONAL TIPS ABOUT HOMEMADE PAINT
-- Milk paint is not as scrubbable as its commercial cousins. In areas subject to spills, apply a protective coat of shellac or oil finish. If you choose the latter, stay green with a plant oil-based finish.

-- The shelf life for milk paint is short. Store unused paint in the refrigerator. It can be used until the milk sours. Brushes clean easily with soap and water.

SEE ALSO:
Before & After: Aging Furniture with Milk Paint (Design*Sponge)
Paint Color Trends to Move On From (ShelterPop)
Create a Crackled Paint Finish with Plain School Glue

 

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Source: http://www.diylife.com/2011/09/11/homemade-paint/

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