WEB Freebies
We've added three pictorial checklists: “Laundry Room Design,” “Kitchen Design,” and “Oops!” These lists are chock-full of insightful information to help design function into your new home. And you know what they say: “A picture is worth a thousand words!” For more information, Click for FREEBIES !
Planning for Your Pets
There are so many ideas we can incorporate into a new home or remodeling project to make our daily lives easier, and planning for pets is a perfect example. As huge pet lovers, my husband and I added several conveniences for both our comfort and that of our cats.
Pet Door: Wouldn't  you love to have the cat's litter box outside of the house or to enjoy the convenience of the dog being able to let himself in and out. A pet door leading onto an enclosed porch or screened-in lanai provides easy access to an outdoor litter box while still maintaining security for you pet. The door shown to the right, which can be installed in a concrete block or frame wall, opens from the middle like a set of barroom doors. Our experience has been that this type of opening is quieter, a bit more energy efficient, and easier for our pets to use than the typical flap-style arrangement. (For more ideas on pet doors, visit Pet Doors USA WEB Site).
Solo Pet Doors manufactures an electronic door operated by a sensor on the pet's collar (also available at the above link). As the pet draws near, the transparent Lexan door retracts upward into the wall, allowing the pet to enter or leave the house. This is the most energy-efficient door I've seen, plus it will allow only your pet to come and go; the raccoon will have to stay out! The on/off switch allows you to keep your pets inside when necessary. (Note that this door will need to be hard wired at the electrical stage of construction.)
 Combination Drip-Dry Hanging Space and Dog Shower: Would you like your new home to include a location for washing your pet? The step-down "shower" pictured to the right just might be the answer. Located in the laundry room, it serves double duty as both a place to drip-dry clothing and a convenient spot to wash the dog.
Built-in Dog Crate Storage: Have you thought about where you're going to store the dog crate? How about in the laundry room? An open area under the countertop, as pictured to the right, provides an out-of-the-way yet accessible location. This same idea also works for litter box placement.
Cozy Pet Refuge: Although this picture was included in last month's ezine entitled "Hidden Storage Revealed", it is also appropriate for this release. There wasn't a huge amount of room under these stairs, but the space available was a perfect retreat for the dog. Is this cute or what!
In addition to the ideas listed above, remember to consider where you will feed your pets and store their food.
All past issues of this ezine are in the Ezine Archives on our web site. Click here for Ezine Archives !
Copyright © 2007 Tracy DeCarlo - All Right Reserved
WANT A CHECK LIST OF HUNDREDS OF TIPS
AND IDEAS FOR DESIGNING A FUNCTIONAL HOME?
If you liked today’s tips you’ll love the book “Don’t Forget the Linen Closets!” It’s packed with over 240 ideas and reminders to help you incorporate function, organization, and efficiency into your home without breaking the bank.
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To us, it [“Don’t Forget the Linen Closets”] is the most thorough guide to building a house, regardless of size, in the industry. Most importantly, it is geared toward the folks who will actually live in the house.
By following your guidelines, we are confident that we will have a far more functional home than if we had been on our own. Also, we know that we and the builder have saved thousands of dollars by avoiding rework and non-functional design flaws. In fact we have dubbed the book, “The Home Buyers’ Essential Handbook for Design and Construction in Less Than 50 Pages.”
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences in such a concise and useful way.
Bill and Yvonne Dunbar
Homeowners building a custom home
Orlando, FL – February 2006
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If you’d like more personalized help, Tracy’s plan-review service will walk you through the process in detail. In either case, planning the details in the beginning can save thousands in the end! To see more testimonials and/or to place your order, visit Detailed Solutions WEB site now.
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR ON YOUR WEB SITE?
You can, as long as you include the following blurb in its entirety:
Tracy DeCarlo, author of “Don’t Forget the Linen Closets!” publishes the idea-packed, monthly e-zine “Tips for Designing a Functional Home.” If you’re ready to learn how to incorporate organization, function, and efficiency into your new home or remodeling project without breaking the bank, get your FR*EE tips now at www.BuildingTips.net.
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