Space efficiency?
Net-User
Is there a website or book with information or links about how to save
space in a very small house, condo, motorhome or apartment? I'm looking
for a
one-stop solution with info on Murphy beds, closet organizors,
space-saving kitchen appliances, mini-stereo systems (BOSE etc.),
folding treadmills and other exercise equiptment, space-saving
computer and home entertainment system furniture, tv/monitor arms and so
on. Isn't there a magazine like this called "Apartment Life" or
something similar? Can you recommend another source of tips on making
the most out of small living quarters?
net-...@usa.net
BD
Simply get rid of most of your STUFF... I've a small 3 bedroom house that's
pretty much been emptied since realizing that most of my STUFF either just
sat there unused or 'kept' me from doing important things... Like visiting
friends, hiking/biking thru the woods, taking time to play with my nephew at
his babysitter (I work a different shift than his parents), etc... The
stereo and tv were the worst. The computer too, but that habit's just a bit
harder to break!
Net-User wrote in article <33ECB2...@usa.nettt>...
Karen Wheless
> >Is there a website or book with information or links about how to save
> >space in a very small house, condo, motorhome or apartment? I'm looking
> >for a
> >one-stop solution with info on Murphy beds, closet organizors,
> >space-saving kitchen appliances, mini-stereo systems (BOSE etc.),
> >folding treadmills and other exercise equiptment, space-saving
> >computer and home entertainment system furniture, tv/monitor arms and so
> >on. Isn't there a magazine like this called "Apartment Life" or
Unfortunately, I can't remember the exact title, but there is a book,
one of the Sunset series, about saving space. Something like
"decorating in small spaces". It's very oriented toward buying
space-saving things like closet organizers (or building them), rather
than making use of what you already have, which is why I got rid of it.
But check your library and/or bookstore. Also, an older book is The
Apartment Book. Once you get past the 70's decor (lots of orange and
green!) there is good info, especially if you are handy enough to build
things (there are plans inside). Check the library.
Even though I don't use everything all the time, I don't want to get rid
of many sentimental things like Christmas decorations and photo albums.
Plus, books are my passion, and they take up a lot of space! I think
bookshelves are the most useful pieces of furniture, since you can run
them up to the ceiling. I have them hanging on every door and sitting
in many corners. (Not very useful for motorhomes, though!) My next
purchase may be a bookshelf with a pulldown desk, so I can get rid of
the space-eating table that isn't as good for storage. Also, there's a
lot of room under your bed, especially if you put a block or two under
the legs. That's where all of my bulk items from Costco end up.
If there's a web site on this (or a magazine, I've never seen one), I'd
love to hear about it.
--
Karen Wheless
kwhe...@rockland.net
Russell Turpin
-*-------
Net-User wrote in article <33ECB2...@usa.nettt>...
>> to save space in a very small house, condo, motorhome or apartment?
In article <5sidtj$9...@lepton.startext.net>, BD <bo...@juno.com> wrote:
> Simply get rid of most of your STUFF... I've a small 3 bedroom house
> that's pretty much been emptied since realizing that most of my STUFF
> either just sat there unused or 'kept' me from doing important
> things...
Amen.
If you *really* want to learn space efficiency, move onto a boat.
Russell
--
An atheist doesn't have to be someone who thinks he has a proof that
there can't be a god. He only has to be someone who believes that
the evidence on the God question is at a similar level to the evidence
on the werewolf question. -- John McCarthy
DH in Denver
Net-User wrote:
>
> Is there a website or book with information or links about how to save
> for a
> one-stop solution with info on Murphy beds, closet organizors,
> space-saving kitchen appliances, mini-stereo systems (BOSE etc.),
> folding treadmills and other exercise equiptment, space-saving
> computer and home entertainment system furniture, tv/monitor arms and so
> on. Isn't there a magazine like this called "Apartment Life" or
> the most out of small living quarters?
> net-...@usa.net
misc.consumers.house
might be a good place to post questions like yours.
==============================>>> <<<=============================
Before replying, delete the X in my address.
My home page:
http://www.geocities.com/vienna/7034
(Nothing else to do?)
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/7022/monacooo.gif
Net-User
DH in Denver wrote:
> misc.consumers.house
> might be a good place to post questions like yours.
> ==============================>>> <<<========
I posted the same question there last month and got zero responses.
net-...@usa.net
Elaine Gallegos
I think that a fun, nifty space saver would be a loft bed. Sleep in the
loft, then put all of your storage and a desk underneath. This would save
a lot of floorspace.
Net-User <net-...@usa.netttt> wrote:
: Is there a website or book with information or links about how to save
: space in a very small house, condo, motorhome or apartment? I'm looking
: for a
: one-stop solution with info on Murphy beds, closet organizors,
: space-saving kitchen appliances, mini-stereo systems (BOSE etc.),
: folding treadmills and other exercise equiptment, space-saving
: computer and home entertainment system furniture, tv/monitor arms and so
: on. Isn't there a magazine like this called "Apartment Life" or
: something similar? Can you recommend another source of tips on making
: the most out of small living quarters?
: net-...@usa.net
--
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elaine Gallegos
sat...@primenet.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
John & Mari Morgan
On 10 Aug 1997 23:23:00 -0700, Elaine Gallegos <sat...@primenet.com>
wrote:
> I think that a fun, nifty space saver would be a loft bed. Sleep in the
>loft, then put all of your storage and a desk underneath. This would save
>a lot of floorspace.
These are common in dorms. One problem is that you really need pretty
high ceilings to successfully do this, unless you are _very_ short. I
briefly had a loft bed in my youth and since our ceilings were fairly
low as is common in older New England homes, I was _always_ nailing my
noggin on the ceiling when getting in or out of the bed, or whacking
my head on the underside of the loft when doing something underneath.
(And I am not exceptionally tall.)
Another sensible plan for loft bed users is to keep a rolled-up
camping pad somewhere in the living space. It is _very_ hard to climb
up onto or down from a loft bed with a sprained ankle. :-)
---------------------------------------------------
Mari E. Morgan, morgans1 AT mindspring DOT com
"...ever get the feeling that the story's too damn real
and in the present tense?"
Yes, that's a spamblock. Replace it with mindspring.com to email me.
Aspen
In article <EEnwy...@nonexistent.com>, kwhe...@rockland.net (Karen
Wheless) wrote:
> Plus, books are my passion, and they take up a lot of space! I think
> bookshelves are the most useful pieces of furniture, since you can run
> them up to the ceiling. I have them hanging on every door and sitting
> in many corners.
I'm to the point of trying to figure out how to hang bookcases from the
ceiling. <SIGH>
--
"Every group has a couple of experts. And every group has at least one idiot. Thus are balance and harmony (and discord) maintained. It's sometimes hard to remember this in the bulk of the flamewars that all of the hassle and pain is generally caused by one or two highly-motivated, caustic twits."
-- Chuq Von Rospach, about Usenet
Ruth Anne Francis
In article <33f41b0f....@news.mindspring.com>,
John & Mari Morgan <morgans1@outoutdamnedspam> wrote:
>On 10 Aug 1997 23:23:00 -0700, Elaine Gallegos <sat...@primenet.com>
>wrote:
>> I think that a fun, nifty space saver would be a loft bed. Sleep in the
>>loft, then put all of your storage and a desk underneath. This would save
>>a lot of floorspace.
>These are common in dorms. One problem is that you really need pretty
>high ceilings to successfully do this, unless you are _very_ short. I
>briefly had a loft bed in my youth and since our ceilings were fairly
>low as is common in older New England homes, I was _always_ nailing my
>noggin on the ceiling when getting in or out of the bed, or whacking
>my head on the underside of the loft when doing something underneath.
>(And I am not exceptionally tall.)
Another option is to build a deck. I've seen this done in some dorm
rooms, but less often than lofts.
The idea is that you build another floor in the room, about 2 feet or so
off the original floor. Sleep under the deck (put the mattress on the
floor, don't do this if claustophobic) have a full room of floor space
on top. This does effectivly lower the ceiling in the room, but as long
as you've got at least 8 foot ceilings and you aren't more than 6 feet
tall, you're fine.
I missed the original thread on this, but if someone is thinking of
putting a loft in a college dorm room, check out the fire codes. At
Georgia Tech, in the dorms, all resident built lofts are required to be
a certain number of inches from the ceiling and the room is required to
have a smoke detector and a card from housing saying that they have
permission to build the loft.
Ruth Ann
--
Ruth Ann Francis - A Misplaced Michigander at Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech - AE Senior. Gulfstream Aerospace Co-op.
DramaTech Theater Production Manager - gt0...@prism.gatech.edu
"Second star to the right and straight on 'til morning" - Peter Pan
Enid Yvonne Karr
Lofts vary in height, as well.
We purchased a loft bed for my younger daughter
(she took the MUCH smaller bedroom in return for
a promise of cool new furniture... now my older
daughter regrets she passed up first dibs!).
Since
1) We live in one of those 'older new england'
homes with the low ceilings
and
2) the child is only 6 and quite petite
we opted for a short loft. This means she won't be able
to have a desk and chair under when she's a teen
(although she certainly can for a few more years)
but we can have her dresser, bookshelves and storage
under, and she has plenty of headroom above.
It is really a splendid loft bed, so sturdy amd smooth
and pretty. If anyone needs a recommendation
in the New England area. It is a pretty out of the way place,
but great service, prices and very friendly and helpful,
too.
It wasn't cheap, but cheaper and nicer than the chain
stores. And a very good value, in that in takes
a small space and makes it quite liveable.
Enid
In <5spfs4$5...@voyager.eng.gulfaero.com>
jacque greenleaf
> Net-User <net-...@usa.netttt> wrote:
> : Is there a website or book with information or links about how to save
> : space in a very small house, condo, motorhome or apartment? I'm looking
> : for a
> : one-stop solution with info on Murphy beds, closet organizors,
> : space-saving kitchen appliances, mini-stereo systems (BOSE etc.),
> : folding treadmills and other exercise equiptment, space-saving
> : computer and home entertainment system furniture, tv/monitor arms and so
> : on. Isn't there a magazine like this called "Apartment Life" or
> : something similar? Can you recommend another source of tips on making
> : the most out of small living quarters?
> : net-...@usa.net
Alas, Apartment Life turned into Metropolitan Home some time ago, and is
no longer interested in those of us with modest incomes/tastes.
But - before it morphed - it published a book called The Apartment Book in
1979 (and an updated version a few years later) which has lots of ideas.
This book turns up in used book stores, and may also be found in your
library. Other books from the 70s and early 80s can be found on this topic
in libraries as well. One of my favorites is called Your Space by Jon Naar
and Mary Ellen Moore. There were also a couple of books called (I think)
Nomadics I & II. Look in the home improvement/DIY section as well as the
interior decorating section. What you are looking for is books from before
baby boomers quit being interested in the original Mother Earth News and
sold out by turning into yuppies instead. Also, some used book stores also
sell used mags, and I've seen actual issues of
Apartment Life in those stacks.
(p.s. - I can slam baby boomers, I are one! and many of us have yet to buy
a Beamer, new or used - although many of us have a used volvo somewhere in
our history)
--
jacque greenleaf
salem, oregon
to send email to me, remove ".spam.block" from my address
Michelle Friend
On Mon, 11 Aug 1997 14:05:13 GMT, John & Mari Morgan
<morgans1@outoutdamnedspam> expounded:
>On 10 Aug 1997 23:23:00 -0700, Elaine Gallegos <sat...@primenet.com>
>wrote:
>
>> I think that a fun, nifty space saver would be a loft bed. Sleep in the
>>loft, then put all of your storage and a desk underneath. This would save
>>a lot of floorspace.
>
>These are common in dorms. One problem is that you really need pretty
>high ceilings to successfully do this, unless you are _very_ short. I
>briefly had a loft bed in my youth and since our ceilings were fairly
>low as is common in older New England homes, I was _always_ nailing my
>noggin on the ceiling when getting in or out of the bed, or whacking
>my head on the underside of the loft when doing something underneath.
A friend of mine has built something better than a loft. His bed is
suspended from the ceiling and can be raised or lowered. During the day
he raises it (by the press of a button) and he has a couch and desk underneath
and at night he lowers it. He has it lower to the exact height so it won't
hit the furniture. His motivation was that he *hates* to make the bed and
this literally means no one can see it - It is against the ceiling all day.
It is made of a mattress in a wood box which is held up using rock-climbing
ropes. They are in a pulley arrangement and attached to a garage door opener.
He presses the button on the remote and it works, well, like a garage door.
This is the most creative method I've ever seen of making more space in a room.
The section of room under the bed is only about 1-2 feet shorter than the
regular ceiling and wow - it is just neat!
--
--Michelle
Any man who thinks he is smarter than his wife
has a very clever wife.
Ruth Anne Francis
In article <5sq8dj$q...@dfw-ixnews11.ix.netcom.com>,
Enid Yvonne Karr <ek...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
>It is really a splendid loft bed, so sturdy amd smooth
>and pretty. If anyone needs a recommendation
>in the New England area. It is a pretty out of the way place,
>but great service, prices and very friendly and helpful,
>too.
>It wasn't cheap, but cheaper and nicer than the chain
>stores. And a very good value, in that in takes
>a small space and makes it quite liveable.
Buying lofts is the way to go if you don't any experience in building
wooden constructions, but if you do, there's no reason you can't build
your own. It does take a bit of work and if you're not careful about
the type of wood that you buy, can take a lot of sanding to get it nice
and smooth (painting it helps, as does a couple of thick coats of
varnish) but, you can save a lot by doing so.
there are a couple of books at Home Depot type stores that have easy to
follow instructions for lots of different lofts (check out the one that
talks about furniture for children's rooms.) Or, talk to some college
students, if they've lived in the dorms for any length of time, they've
probably seen all manner of lofts and bunk beds. And, you can make them
fit whatever space you've got as well as adding bookshelves or a desk
built right in.
I'm currently working on the plans to build myself and my roommate lofts
for our room next year. Under mine will be shelves and a desk (with the
top hopefully made with a counter top remnant and specifically sized to
fit my comptuer.) My roommate will have shallow bookshelves on one end
(for her collection of paperbacks) and a couple of rods to hang clothes on.
P.Moravek
In article <aspen-11089...@port15.idtslw1.idir.net> as...@idir.net (Aspen) writes:
>In article <EEnwy...@nonexistent.com>, kwhe...@rockland.net (Karen
>Wheless) wrote:
>
> > Plus, books are my passion, and they take up a lot of space! I think
> > bookshelves are the most useful pieces of furniture, since you can run
> > them up to the ceiling. I have them hanging on every door and sitting
> > in many corners.
>
>I'm to the point of trying to figure out how to hang bookcases from the
>ceiling. <SIGH>
Two suggestions:
1. Instally a row or two of bookshelves near the ceiling, above other
furniture, in your most appropriate room for "storage" books (seldom
used, but you wish to keep them). My friend's mom did this in the
<ahem> "reading room", better known as the downstairs powder room.
2. Hang shelves from the rafters. My dad did this with hardware and
boards from the hardware store (chains, hooks, eyes, etc). Link on as many
shelves as you think you need. Move or remove them when you rearrange
furniture.
Best part, they don't rest on the floor so vacuuming is easy!
george k
And provide a way for the cats to get to these shelves , They love high
places and this sounds ideal to my "inner" cat.
Neil Koomen
> Net-User <net-...@usa.nettt> wrote:
>
> >Is there a website or book with information or links about how to save
> >space in a very small house, condo, motorhome or apartment? I'm looking
> >for a
> >one-stop solution with info on Murphy beds, closet organizors,
> >space-saving kitchen appliances, mini-stereo systems (BOSE etc.),
> >folding treadmills and other exercise equiptment, space-saving
> >computer and home entertainment system furniture, tv/monitor arms and so
> >on. Isn't there a magazine like this called "Apartment Life" or
> >something similar? Can you recommend another source of tips on making
> >the most out of small living quarters?
> >net-...@usa.net
"Apartment Life" changed its name to "Metropolitan Home" years ago.
Back when it was "AL," they had a lot of useful ideas on space-saving.
Think they also published some books too. You might want to call your
largest local library and ask about back issues of "AL."
I think Sunset (a book publisher) and "Better Homes & Gardens" magazine
have also published books on this topic. Check bookstores and libraries.
Also ask reference librarian at your library.