You can burn pine cones in heaters like these 🙂 small ceramic wood burning heaters.
Who doesn’t like a warm fire in their house? While we enjoy the heat, it’s sometimes inconvenient to get (or buy) wood, chop it up, store it, let it dry, move it in small bunches inside the house, before burning it. It means you need access to wood and transportation for it and a wood shed, and maybe a wheelbarrow.
There’s a couple versions of these wood stoves, and they’re made by a few companies. The one in the image up above is the “Freestanding Pellet Stove” by Vescovi.
There’s a gallery of their options. For more Vescovi information, find them in our Home Designers and Builders Directory.
Unique Wooden Bathtubs Design
I have always had a standard ceramic bath tub, and in some places there’s only been a shower. So this is something I haven’t even thought of before: a wooden bathtub.
These are a specialty home item. And there are a number of styles. One of the ones you probably noticed though, are those curved ones. They are hardwood tubs made by a company called NK Woodworking.
According to NK Woodworking, “We handcraft our wood bathtubs from distinctive sustainable domestic and exotic hardwoods. Each is then finished with a specialized clear composite barrier for unmatched durability and longevity.
“These wood bathtubs offer you the luxury of fine art furniture as the centerpiece of your bathroom. Not to mention an unparalleled soak. From our studio in Seattle, Washington, we can ship our custom wood bathtubs anywhere in the world.”
NK is from Seattle, and is run by a 27-year old former boat builder. They run around from $15,000 to $30,000. Some of the other pictures show things that can be done for those with a different idea of spending money.
Green Zero – A Comfortable Prefab Home that Builds Energy-Saving into Design
A small prefab house that can be located just about anywhere a home owner wants to put it has been designed to integrate green concerns into prefab modular design aesthetics.
“Green Zero,” a punnish name derivative of “ground zero,” it seems, is by Studio di Architetttura Daniele Menichini, and among the harmonizing work to make green part of design, the exterior of this modular home is wood and it sits on a natural stone foundation. You can see from the photo above how the rainwater management and drainage systems are integrated into the architectural design.
The prefab house is smallish. It can be thought of in terms of a bare-minimum for living. It could be used as a retreat from everyday life, a guest house, or a backyard shed that can be used for accomodations as well.
Since it has a deck and a bathroom, while being small and transportable, it can be set anywhere and be used for just about anything.
The interior space can accomodate at least two people. There are glass windows and doors, even in the bedroom, to provide scenic views of wherever the owner of this modular house puts it. And behind the bed is a colorful (purple, green and beige) design based off of the forms of trees (also keeping within the green theme). This prefab is actually built and is located in Italy where the design team is from. To see more of the prefab home design team, click here for our directory.
