New York City – New York – USA (by Henry Hemming)
Whether you’ve relocating out of your parents’ home, across town, or across the country, moving can be a challenge. With a few steps, you can make this life journey less stressful and the start of the exciting new adventure it should be. A significant consideration of moving is cost. Let’s face facts, it’s expensive. Here we’ll look at some money-saving tips to make the transition easier.
A significant consideration of moving is cost. Let’s face facts, it’s expensive. Here we’ll look at some money-saving tips to make the transition easier.
The key to saving money is making a budget. Start planning your move well in advance and decide how much you’re willing to spend.
For a short or local move, start by calling companies to get quotes on truck rentals. Make sure the truck you’re renting can accommodate your belongings. It doesn’t make sense to save money by renting a small truck, or one that’s too large, only to find that your belongings won’t fit properly. Remember to factor fuel costs into the moving equation since this can also add up.
Enlist the help of dependable friends and family in advance of the move so everyone has the date scheduled on their calendars. You don’t want to find yourself stranded on the big day because someone did not show up.
See Also: 5 Smart Tips to Get More Organized For Your Moving Day
For long distances, make some calls to reputable moving companies and get quotes. Try to get price quotes from at least three moving companies. Talk to friends, neighbors, and family about movers they have used in the past. Check reviews online. Research about hidden fees, such as extra costs for moving to a building without an elevator.
You may find yourself in the situation of having to ship a car. Again, do your homework. There are specialized shippers for this. Costs are determined by distance, make of car, time of year, whether your car ships covered or uncovered. It can take up to a month for your car to be delivered so plan well in advance.
Ask about insurance for the protection of your valuables. Most moving companies offer some basic coverage against damage. If you have very valuable possessions, you may want to consider adding some additional insurance to cover potential damages.
If you’re moving because of a company relocation, ask your employer about recommendations. In this scenario, your new employer may pick up some of your costs. You might also be able to get a break on your taxes because of the move.
Moving is a great chance to clear out all the old stuff you no longer use, things that are worn or broken, or things you have outgrown. You’ll have less to pack and make room for all the new things in store for you. You may want to sell some things. Better yet, give them away to a local charity. At the end of the year, you’ll get some tax credit for your in-kind donations.
This is also the time to begin collecting packing materials such as boxes and bubble wrap. Scour local stores for boxes and wrap. It’s cheaper to find packing supplies yourself rather than buying them from a moving company.
Use blankets and sweaters to wrap delicate items. Allow yourself plenty of time to pack so when the day of the move comes you’re ready to go. Many movers will pack for you, but you’ll end up paying for this service. You’ll save time and money by doing the job yourself.
See Also: Protect Your Breakable Items By Following These Packing Tips
Moving does not have to be stressful with ample preplanning. With some advance work, you can make the transition smoother and easier on yourself, your family, and your budget.
The post Penny Packers: How to Move on a Budget appeared first on Dumb Little Man.
From the architect. We have designed the extension for a single family house, which is settled in an urban fabric that has been consolidated since long ago. The existing atmosphere of the neighbourhood -facades, colors, materials, trees- is legally protected by urban regulations. The design also faces the wishes of the client to take the maximum profit from the spare square meters, always within a low budget and some reasonable programmatic requirements. There are also some specific urban regulations on regard to the new volumes and its aesthetics that we have to deal with, along with the inherent technological restrictions of a small construction company from Southern Spain. All these issues come together to build up a way of working, a way we feel comfortable with, which we use to call “Critical Pragmatism”
Through this approach we build a project of the tangible matter, a project that regards all contingencies as new possibilities and potentialities, and never as an abdication. We then combine all contingencies into one which is the construction itself.
Our proposal respects the personality and context of the existing building by either changing nothing (we avoid modifying its original structure and external aesthetics) or changing everything (adopting a completely different language for the design of the extension). Through the reverberation of curves we also gain visual coherence, some coherence that works for us in the design process, but also for the client in the understanding of the project. To simply put it, the curves help to indicate the new elements and spaces added.
The result is a project slowly developed and slowly built. Too slowy probably, and we are perfectly aware of the fact that this is some kind of luxury nowadays. This methodology of work, within the current economical situation of the profession, heads unavoidably towards extinction.
Lahdelma & Mahlamäki, with associate architect Arkkitehdit m3, has won a competition for the design of a new Travel Services Center and residential block to be located in the city of Oulu, Finland. Located between the low-lying neighborhood of Puu-Raksila and the high-rising city center, the complex will connect districts through large, arching openings puncturing through a dynamic, horizontal profile, while providing new housing for the city.
The heart of the development will be the Travel Services Center and its two public open urban spaces. Here, two large openings in the triangular profile provide access to a bus terminal, train and bus passenger services, a multipurpose hall for sports and culture, a hotel, and shopping and restaurant areas.
“The curvilinear shapes of the Travel Services Centre and the multi-arena belonging to it radiate the impact of their urban image far beyond both sides of the railway,” explain the architects. “The Travel Services Centre also forms a natural hub of public transport, where it is made easy to change from one transport mode to another.”
Extending from the southwest end of the Travel Services Center, three courtyard typology housing blocks will combine the scale of nearby apartment blocks and the architecture of small-scale residential buildings. The blocks will reach up to eight floors, creating wind-protected communal spaces within.
Employing a significant change in elevation, each face of the building responds to its corresponding neighborhood in scale: towards Puu-Raksila, the building meets datum lines established by existing buildings, while to the city, the hub’s distinctive profile will stand out along the skyline.
Gross floor areas
Residential blocks: 65,000 square meters (700,000 square feet)
Office buildings: 10,000 square meters (108,000 square feet)
Travel Services Center: 32,800 square meters (353,000 square feet)
News via Lahdelma & Mahlamäki.
The combined net worth of President-elect Donald Trump’s nominees for Cabinet posts and appointments to White House jobs is in excess of $10 billion, and that wealth comes with ties to the financial, oil, steel, entertainment, and healthcare industries.
From the architect. Gdanski Business Center comprises four office buildings totalling approximately 100,000 sq m of modern Class A office space. HB Reavis broke ground on the first of the complex’s four buildings in 2012. Since then, each distinctly designed standalone building has contributed to brownfield revival of this former Warsaw bus depot area. The first phase designed by E&L Architects has been delivered in 2014, while the second phase created by Hermanowicz Rewski Architects has been completed in 2016.
Gdanski Business Centre is home to over 9600 employees working across tech, media, shared service and finance sectors. More than just an office compound, this is a vibrant, mixed-use offering that seamlessly blends in with the surrounding residential neighbourhood.
Apart from the excellent accessibility, employees benefit also from a wide range of amenities including shops, bars and restaurants available in the close vicinity. Additionally, HB Reavis has provided a kindergarten and a dedicated playground for employees and a green courtyard that is open to the public. Roof-top terraces are also available to buildings’ tenants.
The office complex is ideally located in the highly sought-after city fringe of Warsaw, with excellent communication links just minutes away allowing staff to easily get to work and to meetings. It is considered the best connected office complex in Warsaw, with unrivalled access to public transportation due to its close proximity to the Dworzec Gdanski metro station, numerous bus and tram stops, Warszawa Gdanska railway station and with the municipal rental bikes Veturilo located nearby.
The entire complex has been delivered in line with the requirement of sustainable BREEAM “Excellent” certification.
The homemaker has the ultimate career of all. She has regular work hours, makes each day both useful and pleasant, and proves the worth of time by employing it well. Whoever is stuck on the myth that a housewife has no other work to do than cooking for her husband and kids and watching daily soaps has never seen a homemaker for an entire day.
People like you and I, who go out to earn and come back to the comforts of a ‘home’, should not forget that it is a homemaker that makes the house a comfort zone. She is on duty 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. She’s an alarm clock, a cook, a maid, a teacher, a waiter, a nurse, a security officer, a counselor, and a comforter. She doesn’t get a holiday the entire year, and still gets asked, ‘What do you do all day?’
She doesn’t get a holiday the entire year, and still gets asked, ‘What do you do all day?’
Here’s to all the hard-working homemakers. Here are 8 ways you can save your time and energy, and work efficiently.
Like every other profession, homemaking in itself is a profession that demands perfection, and nothing less. As much as being organized in any other profession is important, homemaking too, should be done in an organized manner. The first step to this is to keep a to-do list ready for every day. Keeping a list ready helps you sort between important and unimportant, urgent, and not so urgent work, and you can plan your day accordingly.
The first step to this is to keep a to-do list ready for every day. Keeping a list ready helps you sort between important and unimportant, urgent, and not so urgent work, and you can plan your day accordingly.
See Also: Todo List Apps for People Who Don’t Like Todo Lists
This is yet another important thing that all homemakers should implement. Keep a copy of your important documents ready, a first aid box readily available, a list of emergency contacts and some extra cash for those contingencies. After all, it is better to be prepared than to panic.
Social media is not just a waste of time. Nowadays, with YouTube, Instagram and Facebook streaming with hundreds of DIY videos and hacks, there are so many lessons that you can learn and put into use immediately. There are cooking hacks, home décor ideas and time-saving tricks that are easy to learn and implement.
I see people who think that the only thing that a homemaker does is cooking. False. There are so many other things that she does daily. It is just that cooking occupies most of her time.
There is always a solution to a problem. Homemakers should learn easy cooking tricks, start using the microwave often, and learn quick and healthy recipes. These cooking hacks will save you enough time for your hobbies.
I’ve seen people who spend a large chunk of their day just cleaning the mess around. This especially becomes tedious when you have kids and guests visiting you very often.
Mums have a tough time keeping things in place and maintaining the house well. This is where storage ideas come into play. Keep light-weight baskets and bins around the house where you can quickly dump the mess when a guest is expected, or a toy basket to stuff all your kids’ toys once they’re done playing. They’re quick as well as less tiresome than cleaning the entire house twice or thrice a day.
Depending on where you live and if you have the means, you can hire domestic help or outsource some of your daily chores. You can employ a helper or a cook, or even hire an assistant to help you with household tasks.
With so many advances in technology, it is only fair that homemakers also update themselves with the latest advancements in e-commerce and shopping. Instead of standing in long queues at the supermarket or traveling to stores, you can try the convenience of online shopping. It is easier, more reasonable, and you get to choose from a range of products without even moving an inch. This also saves you the extra bucks that you spend on in-store compulsive shopping.
Homemakers work a 24×7 shift especially when there are sick kids. There’s no pause button to their routine. They keep working from dawn to dusk and hardly get any time to stop and relax. This affects both their mental and physical health. It is important that they take at least one power nap, or relax for a short time in the middle of the day. This little break or power nap helps reduce stress and rejuvenates them for the latter half of the day.
See Also: 7 Easy Tips on How to Get the Perfect Nap
Homemakers work harder and longer than any other class of worker. They go through stress and anxiety just like anybody. By applying these time-saving hacks, the busy homemaker earns some precious “me” time for much-needed rest and relaxation.
The post 8 Time-Saving Hacks for Busy Moms appeared first on Dumb Little Man.
A country known for economic dependency on its rich oil deposits, Norway is now looking toward the future of energy production: net-positive architecture. Taking the lead in this initiative, developer Emil Eriksrød has commissioned American-Norwegian firm Snøhetta to design Norway’s first energy positive building, Powerhouse Telemark, a 6,500 square meter (70,000 square foot) office building located in the tiny Norwegian town of Porsgunn, home to just 35,000 people. When completed, it will be the world’s northernmost plus-energy building.
The form of the 11-story building is dictated by site and environmental conditions, resulting in a diamond-shaped structure optimized for capturing and retaining solar energy. A system of heat exchangers and heat pumps will also contribute to producing energy for the building.
“Powerhouse Telemark will put Norway on the map when it comes to energy solutions and architecture,” said Snøhetta founding partner Kjetil Trædal Thorsen. “The future is all about thinking big, bold and long term, and we need someone to pave the way. With its innovative solutions and design, we believe this building will inspire commercial real estate developers worldwide to push the limits of what buildings can accomplish.”
Tenants will have access to modern office facilities, a foyer, gym, cafeteria and a open, vegetated roof terrace with views into town and of the water that the developers are considering opening up for public access.
“I hope we will be plagiarised and copied, replicated in all seven continents,” said Eriksrød, CEO of R8 Property.
“This building should do wonders in lowering the bar for daring to do both spectacular and environmentally forward buildings, hopefully in a combination. Just imagine, when Porsgrunn has the customer base for such a building, imagine how many other places that have the same potential. There are tens of thousands of cities with a bigger population in the world,” Eriksrød continued.
The Powerhouse Telemark team will also include real estate company Entra Eiendom, construction and development company Skanska, environmental NGO ZERO, aluminium company Hydro, aluminium profile company Sapa and consulting firm Asplan Viak. Together they will create a structure that is aimed at achieving a energy-positive metric over a life cycle of 60 years.
“The combination of extreme energy performance and a favourable indoor climate, low environmental impact and robust solutions at commercial terms requires a different approach than in most traditional building projects. Buildings that produce the same or a greater amount of energy than they consume could be an important contribution to reducing global energy consumption – and consequently also greenhouse gas emissions,” says Kim Robert Lisø, Chief Innovation Officer at Skanska and Managing Director of the Powerhouse collaboration.
Initial cost estimates for the project come in at $17 million USD. The project is scheduled for completion in 2019.
News via R8 Group.
Sig Nordal 