House Gadgets And Appliances
Posted on Nov 22, 2008 06:39:45 PM
What utilities do you need and what do you want in your micro house? It is interesting to contemplate what modern living has brought us with all the conveniences of ‘home’.
What does that mean to you? Obviously we have come to take for granted many of the amenities that a contemporary modern house contains.
A lot of the appliances and gadgets that we use daily depend on large inputs of energy, whether a small continuous supply such as chargers or electronics on standby, or periodic peaks of high usage by such things as air conditioners, ovens, and water heaters.
As economic times have changed, the last few decades have seen an explosion of gadgets and utilities that we have enjoyed, from telephone, broadcast and cable television, to high speed Internet and mobile voice & data.
If the economy tanks to the level of a widespread depression, what services would you consider mandatory and what are discretionary? What gadget would you be prepared to give up? Take a look around your home or apartment now and consider how much stuff requires a supply of electricity. Check how many items are ‘on’ but not in use. It is amazing how much energy is used by TVs waiting for a remote control command, DVD players, Audio systems, cable boxes, cordless phones, electric toothbrush, shaver, curlers, vacuum, cellphone chargers, laptop, desktop computers on sleep or hibernate, router or hub, numerous electric clocks and alarms, night lights, timers, coffee makers; can you find more? Any adapter or transformer plugged in to an outlet is using electricity even if the appliance is not in use. Every LED and LCD display is consuming milliwatts, 24 hours a day.
How many of these things could you unplug and not miss? If you had to live in a time when power supply was intermittent or unpredictable, or extremely expensive, what would you eliminate?
Or, in a different scenario, what appliances and gadgets would you like to add or replace over the one’s you have now? Can that rat’s nest of cables connecting the VHS, cable converter, DVD, TV, receiver, and audio entertainment be replaced by AppleTV instead of video editing production equipment?
How often have you used that 30″ oven to cook a 20lb turkey? Perhaps a dual microwave or halogen mini-oven could serve better.
Perhaps the landline telephone is redundant. Maybe a data-enabled cellphone service could combine several utilities such as phone, Internet, TV.
Consider all the facilities you have now both coming into your house and leaving. Water, electricity, sewer, solid waste, phone, TV, and how much or how many of them do you feel provides you with the most effective use of resources.
Needs Based Tiny House
Posted on Oct 21, 2008 04:16:31 PM
What would be a good size for a tiny house, or micro house? How much space do you need?
What criteria can we use to come up with needs and wants?
Firstly, let’s consider the hierarchy of needs as depicted by Maslow. These consist of physiology, safety, love, esteem, and purpose. At the physical level let’s look at the first and second needs.
Since we no longer live in perfect climates, clothing and protection from inclement weather are mandatory. A crowded planet means we depend on specialization of production to trade food and services.
The fundamental need is a place to sleep protected from weather and from predators, both small critters and other humans. We also need access to the goods and services we can’t provide for ourselves. The latter factor influences the choice of location of our shelter.
A space big enough for just bedding and shelter is actually simple to supply. Think of how camping equipment can be all you need for night time rest.
But then consider how long could you keep camping in say a one or two person tent. Overnight sleep can work, and has been offered, in as little as a 2×1x1 meter capsule.
In this exercise let’s consider some other criteria that may be more appealing but still address the basic needs.
- Sleeping/relaxing
- Standing
- ‘Climate controlled’
- Securable
- Eating
- Ablution/excretion
When considering what can satisfy these criteria consider what has been achieved in motorhomes, RV’s, campers, boats, and transfer that to a cabin-like tiny house.
Also keep in mind what external services are required and available in the location you might choose to spend time. A log cabin in the woods and a pied-a-terre in a modern city center will have completely different parameters.
Micro House
Posted on Oct 1, 2008 02:18:50 PM
A micro house can be considered a rational alternative to the obsolete suburban ranch house or patio home that has become mortgage bailout fodder.
As waistlines ballooned with western living, cars and houses became just as obese.
Considering what we really need in the way of shelter with comfort can lead to a enormous variety in habitat outcomes. Each house is as individual as the person who makes it their home.
But the typical house has not changed much in many decades besides getting bigger. Is that because it has been perfected or is it because mass production has dumbed it down to the lowest common denominator?
As the limits of space, energy, and economy are being reached now is a good time to reassess what housing could work for the not so average person.
A house on a diet gets healthier, fitter, stronger, and has more fun.
One possibility is to consider the micro house. In this field do not think that less is just less. By paring away excess and using spaces for multiple purposes, there are enormous benefits in cost, efficiency, and convenience.
The micro house is also the receptacle of micro technology. Here, less is much more. More function, more speed, and again more convenience.
What are the features of a modern home that you really need, want, and benefit from? What are the short-term requirements and what are the long-term rewards?
Look at the micro house as a new and not so new review of how do we want to live in the 21st century. Do you still need a buggy whip? Do you really need a 36″ wide oven?