Construction & Repair News
News: Stone Workers Play Dominoes with Bricks to Create Perfectly-Aligned Wall Cap
Usually, when I see a video that is captioned "wait for it," I'm quick to dismiss what could possibly come at the end of the clip. In this case, however, I was totally wrong and the final result was definitely worth the wait.
News: YouTuber Surprises Biggest Fan with Giant Playhouse Version of 'Rogue One' AT-ACT
The force is strong with this project. Colin Furze is a British YouTuber who is a self-proclaimed "garage inventor and video maker." In a recent collaboration with eBay, Furze created the "ultimate Star Wars project," an 18-feet-tall playhouse version of the AT-ACT from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
News: DIY Foldable Table
DIY foldable table for small apartments and workshops. It has unique way of folding. This one is made from old computer desk. It is an easy do-it-yourself project, even for woodworking beginners. See whole tutorial here: Foldable table, recycling of old table.
News: Bat Cave in San Francisco
What do you do when you desperately need to put a parking garage into the bottom floor of your Victorian apartment building, but the city's Department of Planning says "No". The simple and expensive answer: Create an elaborate secret garage door. If you own a pretty building, it is well within the jurisdiction of the Landmark Commission to inform you that even though you own the piece of property, you cannot remodel it any way you want. Seems un-American. But in San Francisco, specifically th...
Shortcut: Fix a Scratched Window with Toothpaste
ApartmentTherapy reminds us of a fine fix for scratches on glassy surfaces like mirrors and windows—toothpaste!
News: Quick and Clever Drill Hacks
Two easy solutions for avoiding pesky drill dust. You will need: a Post-it and/or a disposable paper cup.
News: Barn as a Balancing Act
Here in Los Angeles, there are a plethora of amazing houses precariously perched on the hillsides of Hollywood, Pacific Palisades and Malibu. Striking to look at, the thought "earthquake" is never far from one's mind, however.
News: Old Fishing Boats Upcycled to Architectural Wonders
The resourceful fisherman of Holy Island (Lindisfarne, Northumberland, UK) are upcycling beautiful old fishing vessels into storage sheds. Flip it upside down, add a door, and the result is striking.
News: Careful. Swim off the Edge, Fall 55 Stories to Your Death
This is one serious example of trophy architecture. Extreme engineering in prosperous countries like this one in Singapore is meant to stir envy. The Marina Bay Sands infinity pool opened this month, and is located 200 meters off the ground, 150 meters in length. The entire hotel complex is part of a $5 billion investment, and the opposite of a DIY sensibility.
News: Flipper Bridge
These Dutch architects fear that those Chinese drivers might get confused! You may think I'm making a cheap joke about Chinese drivers. But I'm not. The Hong Kong-Zhuai-Macau bridge is a 31-mile, $10.7 billion project and this unique design is meant to address a clash of two driving conventions.
News: The Secret Ingredient to Indestructible 1,500-Year-Old Chinese Architecture
It is widely known that sticky rice is an essential staple in the Chinese diet. But did you know it also plays an important role in their ancient architecture?
WARNING: House-On-the-Go May Induce Nausea
Experimental house, "Roll It", is a collaborative project within Germany's University of Karlsruhe. The basic concept is as follows: using a cylindrical design to maximize space within a minimum housing unit. Not sure how "space efficient" this would actually be, but using it as transport could be fun (until the nausea inevitably sets in).
News: The World's Biggest Machine
Introducing the Bagger 288, built by Krupps in Germany. Weighing in at 45,000 tons, this bad boy is the biggest moving machine on the planet.
News: World's Most Magical Treehouses
What is it about the fantasy of the treehouse? Escapism. Other worldly, bird-like elevation. Beauty and peacefulness. Backwoods simplicity (although in some cases, truly elaborate works of fine architecture). Whatever the draw is, I'm dying to have my own treehouse in the woods, and I'd gladly take any of the examples below.
News: Roly-Poly Bridge
Heatherwick Studio's London based rolling bridge is an engineering marvel. Lots of fun, and immensely satisfying to watch (via YouTube, assuming you can't see it in person).
News: Why Not Swing Indoors
Who wouldn't love an indoor swing? The upcoming cold winter season is one good reason to build one, but truly, an indoor swing is just plain fun all year round. Luckily Apartment Therapy has posted a How-To on building a simple wooden plank swing.
News: Insanely GINORMOUS Treehouse
Whoa, presenting the world's hugest, tallest, largest Treehouse built by Horace Burgess of Crossville, Tennessee.
News: Architecture With a 720º Panaramic View
Evolver is a fun little piece of architecture with an incredible 720º panoramic view of Zermatt, Switzerland. The structure was built by second year students of the ALICE Studio at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL).
News: Make a compact chair from (free) post office boxes
Because of this one video, the company mail room can once again reclaim its destiny as a cultural Mecca. Face the facts: xeroxing your behind-crack during lunch break is so ... yesterday.