Tune Your Garden in the Summer of 2011

It is said that it’s not easy to make a home out of a house. It requires times, precision, dedication and, most of all, budget. However, don’t think that the interior of your home is the only one that needs attention; having a beautiful garden outside is as important as the interior. I even dare to say that it’s more important to have a nice shaped garden that welcomes sjr luxuria you in and offers you that feeling of security and belonging; and while you might trick your guests with improvised furniture or low budget, yet nice decorations, when it comes to plants and landscapes, everything has to be perfect.

                And, as everything goes fashion and trends, no wonder gardens need their landscapers annually for some in-style finishing. But one thing is for sure, whether you have a beautiful house with plentiful of green space in the garden, whether you live in a flat with just a terrace, or, on the contrary, you plan your idea of garden on the roof or on the balcony, no home is completed without a tiny green corner. Feng-shui or not, green spots create a touch of energy and help you relax after a stressful day at work, or exhaustive afternoon with the kids. Below are some tips to keep your soul, mind and garden into the trends for the 2011 summer:

·         One of the latest trends in landscaping your garden is to recreate a fairytale garden; plant a mini-sized wooden bridge across an improvised fountain leak and decorate the area near it with rocks of different sizes and shapes. Spotlights and hand lamps are also needed, while a jack-o’-lamp is an alternative for gardens with kids as owners.

·         Gardens on the roofs or on spacious balconies are perfect for a more modern, minimalistic look. In trend this summer, especially for these areas, is combining minimalistic pieces of furniture such as sofas, chairs and tables in monochrome design with wooden floors. Make a miniature fence out of decorative rocks and add various plants from small sized pine trees to yuccas. Create a perfect harmony between these elements and enjoy endless benefits from the peace corner created.

·         If you have a spacious garden, the possibilities are just countless; blessed with loads of space, almost all designs are in trend. Combine various plants, furniture and other decorative elements in a fabulous ensemble. If you go for the “secret garden” look, make sure you make a stone foot path that will lead you to a marvelous wooden gazebo. Decorate the nearest exterior with hammock chairs, colored ballast and trees, and don’t forget about the lawn.

·         For a more versatile garden, decorate the porch as a wooden deck. Make a terrace in layers with wooden furniture and massive wood table with a big, exotic bamboo umbrella. Decorate the nearest layer to the patio with stones and colorful orchids, while for the last one adopt a flowing water design. Hand lamps and small trees are also benefic, but make sure to devote special attention to the selection of plants and furniture so that the whole ensemble will blend perfectly with the style of the house.

·         If you own a pool yard, integrate it with the rest of the garden by adding some brick/stone design to its edges. Decorate the nearest area of the pool not with bricks or marble, but with lawn, grass and small trees and flowers. Build a small, wooden gazebo right next to it and you can use it to serve cold drinks. Perfect for night time parties, pool areas need colorful spots to create a delicate, soft or vivid atmosphere. Don’t forget about sun beds and umbrellas.

Top 10 Green Buildings in the United States

One of the best things about our today’s society is that it seems that we finally get the importance of nature in our lives and we struggle to integrate it as much as possible, daily, in everything we do. Years ago, there were only polluters, massive garbage and chemicals leaks and spills, polluting cars and people that did not care about recycling. Nowadays, thanks to numerous campaigns group bookings as well as loads of taxes and laws imposed by governments in the entire world, we finally get to see the green as it once used to be, green and not gray.

                In this process of self consciousness and self awareness, an important role had the construction and the spread of the so-called green buildings. No, I don’t refer to green painted walls and some grass plot thrown near a big building, I’m talking about real cost effective that take the best out of nature and integrate it. Everything from solar panels, natural shading, green roofs, ultra-efficient heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems that use alternative sources of energy to make you comfortable in your own house – this is what green constructions is about.

                Thanks to the LEED-certified buildings and structures, estates from across all America can benefit from credits and run for the greenest buildings in the country. Below is a list to what we can think of the greenest buildings in the United States:

1.       Yale University Sculpture Building and Gallery

The building is the winner of a 2008 green project contest and it achieved platinum LEED certification for the struggle of conserving features like rainwater, natural ventilation, as well as recycling materials, reclaimed cedar and growing own products.

2.       Almaden Tower, San Jose, California

The Adobe Systems is the first corporation to be awarded the platinum LEED rating, setting an example to all other businesses. The company started making gradual changes since 2001 by investing millions to implement projects regarding conservation and sustainability. Due to their efforts and devotement, the entire Adobe System complex, including the Almaden Tower, has succeeded reducing water usage by 22% and natural gas consumption by 41%.

3.       Banner Bank Building, Boise, Idaho         

As strange as it might seem, a Bank headquarter can be one of the greenest constructions in the country. Among other green-related features, the building offers inside bike storage and shower stalls to encourage employees to sustain green causes. The building itself was made out of  40% recycled materials and its back-up generations run on used vegetable oil.

4.       Lusby Tiny House

The Tumbleweed Tiny House Company was based with the purpose of building small area houses with few consumption and resources usage. It only costs you around $170 to heat the house for the entire winter and the construction make use of plenty energy-efficient and recycled materials.

5.       Cherokee Studios, Los Angeles

The apartment and office complex is the home of one of the greenest buildings across the country. It uses passive cooling thanks to the Southern California specific climate and the day lighting really narrows down the need for electric lights.

6.       Kiowa County Schools, Greensburg, Kansas

After a tornado nearly destroyed the entire town in 2007, its reconstruction took advantage of all green technologies. The K-12 school is a living proof that natural ventilation, alongside day lightning and wind energy is the right solution to keep a place harmless to nature.

7.       Lance Armstrong Foundation, Austin, Texas

The Foundation is situated in an old, restored warehouse. The construction used 88% recycled materials from the old building and is a gold-certified LEED building.

8.       Global Ecology Research Center, Stanford, California

9.       Helios House Gas Station, Los Angeles, California

10.   OS House, Racine, Wisconsin.

The Dream House

I am sure each and any of you have thought, at least once, about your dream house, the ultimate luxury from your imagination. You might say, what is the point of dreaming if I cannot afford it in this lifetime anyway? Well, things might get lucky for you and, who knows, with a little bit of effort, you too can build or just move into your own dream house.

                From big chandeliers to luxury faun in the backyard, pools and thousands of exotic plants and trees, patios, tree houses, or, on the contrary, futurist and minimalistic design with glass walls and floors, marble ceilings, everything is permitted in the fantasy of creating your sjr builders dream house. But not only that, experts say that, by making this mind exercise of imagining what your dream home might look like, you will actually improve your spirit state, find your inner peace and be more productive at your work or in your daily activities.

                However, as mentioned before, only dreaming about your perfect house is not permitted – you have to make all the possible arrangements to fulfill your wish and become the owner of what you will call “my dream home”. Good thing we have real estate agencies that, with some luck and extra cash, can make all your dreams come true. And while luxurious estates in exotic resorts or destinations might cost you a fortune, I suggest you don’t turn the back on smaller properties in the cities.

                Each property has its own charm and sometimes, more comfy and intimate houses can top outrageously spacious mansions with hundreds of square feet emptiness. Usually, this type of properties don’t cost over $1,000,000 depending on the area and the entire surface, but they are for sure a future investment.

                Or maybe you dream about living in a chateau? While France and Europe in general might seem like an extreme decision to make, you can build your own dream house and shape it as a chateau, if you hire the right firm and architects. Architect John Henry has been designing the plans for dream houses for about 20 years now and his experience will for sure be appreciated. Just by looking at some of his sketches and plans, you will encounter various buildings with bold shapes and corners, luxury houses raging from the Californian and Florida styles to the Mediterranean, French and Italian ones. Nevertheless, by going online to www.dreamhomedesignsusa.com you will enter to a world where fantasies can come true and you can sketch your dream house to best suit your interests.      

                However, if you feel a little bit grumpy with your imagination and it would be much simpler to decide upon your own dream based on previous sketches or pictures, you can have a quick search on the Internet by the name of “dream homes” and you will for sure build your own dream regarding the property. You can also browse from numerous real estate agencies that sell these luxurious properties, have a virtual tour to one of the most beautiful residences in the United States, or even book a meeting if you are interested in one of the properties. Just as an old saying might add, money is all you need, because extravagant dreams you can always make. Or, go grab a fantasy magazine from the Dream Communication Inc. publisher and take a look at the most beautiful buildings and houses.

                I dream of a last-floor penthouse, with tall glass windows, platform second floor and a big pool on the terrace. What do you dream of?

Taking Full Advantage of Small Spaces

Where we live is not always where we chose to do so, but where we can afford, given circumstances. How many of you after moving out from your parents  SJR builders had as first residence a 12 bedroom and pool mansion? Or, how many of you even afforded a good condo? Aiming for a bigger place to live is something we all should do, but dealing with what we have and making the best out it – that is a true challenge.

                People from big cities, especially residents of New York should know better than anyone else how it is to live in homes like boxes, crowded and sometimes without too much of a natural light, with a small kitchen and a window with a view to your neighbor’s bathroom. Things are not always perfect or the way we want them to be, but dealing with them, turning them into something we are proud of, that is what we should do. And look no further than your own home: crowded apartment, small bathroom, not enough space to cook in the kitchen – these are only some of the problems we come across to whenever we decide to move to a new place; but, luckily, with a bit of help and some ingenious ideas, you can turn your corners and all other small spaces that might look unusual into something fashionable and efficient, you just need a touch of imagination and some cash to spend.

                First of all, focus on the light because, the fastest way to enlarge a space without breaking walls is to add more light. Keep window sheers but don’t abuse and take advantage of any natural light you can get. By placing a mirror or decorating walls with a bank of them can really reflect the light that comes in the room, making it seem bigger.

                In terms of colors and shades, small places are synonyms with warm, light paint colors. Of course, the first suggestion to optically enlarge a crowded room is to paint your walls in whole white, but going for more neutral colors raging from butter to lemon cake, even cream with touches of gold, would offer a more distinguish fingerprint to the place.

                When choosing furniture, you might want to opt for a corner sofa or a corner bed to best take advantage of any space you can get. Thus, you will make the whole ensemble look bigger and more airy. Also, avoid any dark or bulky elements such as coaches, massive wood tables or massive libraries. Keep things bright and as versatile as possible and you will pleasure more your little apartment.

                Also, when dealing with small or crowded areas in the kitchen or in the bathroom, a good thing to bear in mind is that, if there isn’t enough space on the horizontal, make room on the vertical. Use special, vertical shelves that fit perfectly into a corner and add space instantaneously to deposit all small things from toothbrushes to soaps, bath treats and even cosmetics. In addition, try to keep away from spotlights that are placed on the mirror; besides from the fact that artificial lighting so close to the face will make your flaws look ten times bigger than they are, it also creates a narrowing effect. Better, use ceiling spotlight and stay away from heavy or long and big chandeliers because they only create the effect of being too close to ground.