Ideas within topic home,design: (click suns to rate or comment on ideas)

1		Transparent roof-top water tanks will allow easier checking of amount & cleanliness of stored water. With Sun-rays on water, much lesser chance of mosquito / insect larva growth in it.	E-mail
2		How many times have you gone into the basement with your hands full, fumbling for the light switch? Rig power outlet or light with a passive infrared (pir) sensor to turn on the light when it detects a person nearby, for security or convenience.	E-mail
3		A lawn mower that has a bottle that you can fill with fertilizer, pesticide, etc. While you mow the lawn, the fertilizer can be spread so that you can feed and mow at the same time!	E-mail
4		Design buildings to use dimensional lumber to reduce the measuring and cutting. So, if plywood and underlayment come in 1x3 m pieces, houses should be 9 m or 12 m long. (I think I should credit Rex Roberts for this advice).
5		On toilets, have two levers or two levers intergrated into one, so that you can choose the amount of water flow down the toilet. If there is a lot or heavy material, then choose high flow, or small flow for small amounts or liquids. This would save water.	E-mail
6		Plants can help save energy. Deciduous trees let winter sun through bare branches and block summer sun with leaves. Ivy can trap a layer of air near the building (reducing convective air movement that steals heat).	E-mail
7		A tarp or tent that covers your air conditioning unit to protect it against weathering, kind of like a carport to protect your car.	E-mail
8		Rain water can be collected from building roofs to store in underground tanks. Washing clothes, watering plants in the garden or washing our cars can be done with that water. It may even be fit for drinking if it were purified.	E-mail
9		The hot-cold water taps should have scale marking on the knob for quick setting. This will save water and time in adjusting mixed water temp.	E-mail
10		On a clear empty wall, put peacock feathers like X (with 2) or \|/ (with 3). It looks so nice, especially if the wall is on the opposite side of a fluorescent light. Very cheap but nice room decoration.	E-mail
11		To reduce road sound inside the room put two (outer & inner) thick curtains on the road side wall with 4-6 inch gap in between. If there are two similar glass / wooden shutters in the window then it will be better.	E-mail
12		Infra Red reflective architectural coatings that I have developed reduce energy use by 20-40%. Almost any color available. $2000 tax credit for use of energy barrier system per house in US. 1-800-224-2344 (energy conservation)	E-mail
13		Organize and find papers fast: Fold a throw-away sheet in half, title it on the folded edge, and slip in over the papers. It's much faster to finger your way through the titles than with file folders, because they have some depth.	E-mail
14		To save space and energy, use a tankless water heater. (Example.) They last 30+ years and are safer. They are common in crowded places such as Hong Kong.	E-mail
15		Spring arrangement in electric plug and socket may avoid loose contacts, thus improving the efficiency of electricity consumption.	E-mail
16		When people in homes open their doors to strangers, the old chain doesn't do the trick. So how about a pop-up security stop that can be installed in the floor? You can simply step on it to pop it up and the door can only be opened a few inches.	E-mail
17		The black & white colors of zebras get unevenly hot in the sun and induce localised air flow to cool them. Similarly the roof top water tanks or outside walls of buildings in hot countries can be painted in zebra/chequered colors to reduce heating.	E-mail
18		Improvements in voice recognition should allow home user to program light configuration (eg. "outside lights","cellar lights", "start coffee, raise temperature") and then speak it into sensors located in house wirelessly.	E-mail
19		To keep mosquitoes out, use roll-up screens on windows and sliding doors. They fit snugly in their own frame and roll up or sideways into a hidden roll after a tug on a string.	E-mail
20		An ideal accessory for the foyer is a mirror. This allows light to reflect down the hallways, and illuminate the rest of the corridor.	E-mail
21		To inexpensively change the look of a carpeted room, add a small area carpet over top of an existing carpet.	E-mail
22		To prevent bathroom falls, use rubber mats on the floor. Handles can also be fixed in the side walls to hold when needed.	E-mail
23		To avoid falls, be sure to have natural light in bathrooms (windows, skylights, or "sun pipes"). This way, folks would have light to find their way even if the power is out during the day.	E-mail
24		Teach old or sick people to leave the shoes outside the bathroom. Use inside slippers and don't lock from inside. Everyone will know someone is inside, and after abnormal delay, at least you can check what's wrong with the person and maybe save a life.	E-mail
25		A rubber cover 0.3 m underground around the perimeter of the lot to drain or catch water.	E-mail
26		Have a sound switch so when you say "LIGHTS" the lights get switched on, & when you say "OFF" they go off; all hands free--just a verbal command!! Contact Som Derashri, 820 Siddarth Complex R C Dutt Road, Baroda Gujarat, India 390 007 tel++912652325024.	E-mail
27		Prevent burglary via windows left open to get fresh air. Window companies should make some much smaller window openings that can be left wide open without the risk of some low life getting into your property.	E-mail
28		Make a centerpiece by putting foam for flower arrangement inside big seashell, and adding flowers.
29		Do not mess up your daily routine by misplacing things. Put them in their proper place such that, if you go blindly, your hand should be on it.
30		Cut the pictures from a favorite monthly wall calendar and frame them as a much cheaper alternative to prints. 12 for the price of 1! Please let me know how it turns out if you do it.	E-mail
31		A Papasan chair cushion cover.	E-mail
32		To reduce water consumption, use smaller than average buckets, mugs, tubs etc. and if possible taps, flush & bathtubs also. You can reduce consumption by 10 - 15%. But do not make devices too much smaller; it may not help.	E-mail
33		Make a wooden showcase or cabinet shaped like a cross, with glass shutters having an etched figure of crucified Jesus. Then put two identical X-mas trees or beautiful plants (maybe red roses) under the arms of the cross.	E-mail
34		To save on heating costs, use ceiling fans. Since hot air rises, fans set on low will circulate the warm air from the ceiling down to where people are.	E-mail
35		Each housing tract could have a closed-in park with a chute to each house. Each one would be set with an appointment time so that dogs can take themselves for a walk and play in the park without the owner or restricting leash.	E-mail
36		To make safe bathrooms, it is important to make the flooring non-slippery. Many a fall could be avoided. I think we can do it with rubber mats.	E-mail
37		In hot countries, on roof of buildings, put water sprinklers and temperature sensors to sprinkle water when the roof is hot. This will reduce heat in rooms under the roof. Small water spraying system can be put on Sun-facing walls also.	E-mail
38		Make candles by filling unused glasses with wax. Use a string as a wick.
39		To prevent mosquitoes from entering windows, use mesh made up of very thin steel or plastic wires. These stop insects and let in air.	E-mail
40		In areas where there are frequent hazards like twisters or hurricanes, it's a good idea to build house on concrete slab that's 1 meter below grade level and build a complete survival unit underneath with all living requirements and a generator.	E-mail
41		Consider installing a fire sprinkler in your home. In 2000, 85% of fires occurred in the home, resulting in 3,420 deaths; yet no fire has killed more than two people in a fully sprinklered facility. (appliances)	E-mail
42		If you're short on storage space, design a closet in a wall so that the closet door is flush with surface of the wall. No door handle is needed--use simple magnetic spring latches and open the door by pressing on it--thus the wall looks continuous.	E-mail
43		Energy and money-saving miniature power station in every household. Heat from fires used to heat water to steam and move turbine to generate electricity for the home. Steam is cooled and used again.	E-mail
44		Make a finial for the end of a curtain rod by hollowing out a tennis ball and covering with fabric, or using a big seashell.
45		Paint a room the same color as the most important item in the room.
46		Make a framed mirror by buying a painting with a nice frame and adding a mirror.
47		One kitchen appliance for an oven and dishwasher. Save money and space by replacing 2 appliances with one. Cleans your oven as it washes the dishes.	E-mail
48		Hang pictures flexibly around room by attaching wood strip along top of wall, adding nails at intervals, and hanging unframed pictures by chain draped in a W pattern over the nails.
49		Now is the time for someone to produce Buckminster Fuller's Dymaxion House. It beats trailers as it is portable, and at present there is a slump in the metal production industry.	E-mail
50		For decoration, use throws (fringed cloth) draped over chairs, sofas, piano, or tables.