TV Show Review: Small Space, Big Style

I set my MythTV to record a new show out there on HGTV. It's called Small Space, Big Style. and it's covering decorating and design in real small spaces. This is not your typical HGTV show where they call a home with 1800sq foot, "A very small home"... They showcased a 450 sq. foot apartment and other real small living spaces. This show is realistic! Some fantastic ideas and great design examples.... Although I seem to notice a trend... A Lot of the people they are choosing are incredibly "quirky" and a bit out there. I have watched over 3 of the episodes already and have enjoyed every one of them, finding that I have been rewinding to rewatch a part about a item over and over to get more info about how they did that change or storage, etc....

My wife commented and said.... Are you going back to your Christopher Lowe phase again? I laughed, but wondered if the beer I was drinking would stain the cashmere sweater I just got :-)

Hey manly men can enjoy design!

Smaller Winter stuff: Cleaning out the closets.

I went looking in our vacuum bags that are stacked in the top of the hall closet for my ski mask. It's 16 degreesF out and I needed to snow-blow the driveway. After opening the last bag, I counted 6 winter coats, 32 pairs of gloves, 18 scarves.... the list went on and the living room is full of stuff. Go through your winter coats and stuff and pare it down a lot. take the rest to your local homeless shelter so that the unfortunate can have something warm to wear this winter.

I really do not need 6 winter coats. I need 2. and that really is a want and not a need.

Now my wife will not part with her 8 coats... but that's another story....

how automation makes smaller living bigger. the PVR

Instead of having 3 big cable boxes at home to record the TV shows, I have it all tucked away in a nice cabinet/technology rack. I also for-go the cable boxes and use a computer running a system called "MYTHTV" that allows me to record what I want and save it for me to watch later, watch on my laptop/ipod/etc... we eliminated the TV in the bedrooms because the mythtv can stream to the laptops to watch TV and recordings there. sick in bed? grab the laptop and watch live tv you can pause, or watch your recordings. in the kitchen? set the laptop down and catch your food tv shows as you cook. It eliminated a lot of equipment and makes TV do what we want instead of doing what it wants.

A mythtv is a high end solution. it takes lots of computer skill and is more expensive than most solutions. but it's the most usable. Any skilled computer shop can build you one for well under $800.00 with 2-3 tuner cards in it by using a easy to install setup called Mythbuntu..

It's not a toaster. it's a complex computer. But it made a HUGE difference in my home. It does things we need that TiVO can not do.

Smaller living goes mainstream...

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/09/garden/09small.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1&ref=todayspaper&oref=slogin


quickie update today. It seems that smaller living is catching on! check out this article from the NYT!

Old Knowlege: Solar and Energy efficiency.

Lately the news and "experts" have been touting how to save money with solar heating and insulation and other "innovative" techniques and devices. How great of them to invent things that are saving our money and energy..... Or are they?

I just got my hands on a book from 1981. "solarizing your present home" by Joe Carter. This coupled with my brothers 1972 book on residential home engineering have angered me with the current experts and every home builder and architect that has designed or built a home since the mid 70's.

Every breakthrough they toute today have been known about and in use for over 30 years now. This book talks about things that should be standard in home designs. When was the last time you saw a home with the correct eaves for the climate to reduce solar gain in the summer but enhance it in the winter? how about being built for the site and energy efficency?

Most homes are not designed right. your Architect and builder is doing you a disservice by not talking about efficency and showing you what your home could do if designed right instead of incorrectly to look like the next door neighbors.

I am starting to explore a few options to go along with smaller living that will further enhance ecological living that will not only make it incredibly cheap to live, but the side effect of reducing your carbon footprint as well. Homes can easily be designed this way. It's just that the architects have not been doing their job as experts in home design. They let the uneducated whims of their clients dictate design.

A drawback of smaller living...

If you are a "handyman" or like to fix your own vehicles and save thousands of dollars a year fixing it yourself, smaller living can be a disadvantage if you dont plan ahead. Build that small home, but build a seperate workshop to fit your needs. If you rent or buy a condo you may be stuck. They typically have rules keeping you from working on your vehicles.

Be sure to check first on rules and the possibility of having a workshop if you are a handyman or a "gearhead" that works on cars (or builds hotrods.)

Reduction process..

I started my reduction process this week. 5 garbage bags full of stuff I do not need. and honestly after looking at it all, I need a LOT more garbage bags. It takes a ton of energy and positive thinking to get rid of your stuff. I'm not blindly throwing things away, but I am looking at each item and asking myself the following....


1. Have I touched this in the past 12 months?
2. does this have a HIGH value?
3. Is this a family heirloom?
4. Do I really need this?

If I do not get a yes then the item goes away. I am having trouble with deciding about my musical instruments, I have not touched my guitar for over 2 years, I really want to get back to it, but cant see when I will.

Also this shows how much stuff you really have. I mean WAY too much stuff.