ᐅ Smart ideas that make everyday life easier incorporated into the home

Koempy schrieb:
I never thought of using the TV as a recipe display. That’s a good idea. It’s just a pity that we removed the TV from the kitchen again because we didn’t really need it there. What was important for us was having TV and network connections everywhere. Even more important was the service shaft so we can easily pull cables or install something later if something is missing anywhere.

Thank you!

The TV connection in the kitchen is really just for this idea—not for actually watching TV there, because that doesn’t make much sense. I’m not a great cook and usually need a cookbook to get the ingredients and quantities right. By now, all my cookbooks are on my tablet.

But the idea is definitely pure luxury. I’d need to buy a telescopic wall mount, a TV, and an additional Apple TV. Maybe someday. For now, I want to finish the important outdoor tasks first: sowing the lawn, paving the driveway, and building a garden shed.

Service shaft / installation level: I omitted this due to cost and space constraints (the house is already small enough). That’s not ideal. I tried to plan meticulously so that the necessary cables—or cables that might be needed later—are installed everywhere. It’s a hopeful plan that seems to be working so far.

Thorsten

T21150 schrieb:
Thanks!
I'm just not a good cook and usually need a cookbook to get the ingredients and quantities right. By now, all my cookbooks are on the tablet.
But the idea really is pure luxury. I would need to buy a telescopic wall mount, an FS, plus another Apple TV.
Maybe someday. First, I want to finish the important outdoor tasks: sowing the lawn, paving the driveway with slabs, and building a garden shed.

Priorities, of course. Those things usually come last.
We just use a regular Lenovo Yoga tablet for recipes. Very practical. I wouldn’t want to be without it anymore.

T21150 schrieb:
Utility shaft / service zone: I omitted it due to cost and space constraints (the house is already small enough). That’s not ideal. I tried to carefully plan to have cables everywhere they might be needed or possibly needed in the future. Just hoping the plan works out. So far: yes.

Hope is always good. Eventually, you find a spot where something could have fit perfectly.
For us, there was no other option regarding the utility shaft, but I think it’s a good solution too.

Oh, and a very important thing we just realized again: an electrical outlet next to every window. It’s really important for the lady of the house to be able to easily set up or hang Christmas lights.

Koempy schrieb:

Oh yes, and very important, something we just realized again. An electrical outlet next to every window. This is really important for the dear spouse, so that Christmas lights can be conveniently placed or hung up.

It’s great to see that in other families these details are just as important as in ours. I can’t help but smile inside.

My wife’s hobby is interior design and decoration.

That’s why she has an outlet next to every window, for things like that...
The usage rate of these outlets is amazing and strikingly high, effectively 100.0%.

My hope that the outdoor outlet, quickly installed especially for the “outdoor Christmas tree,” would be well received has also been fulfilled.
All kinds of alternative uses for this outlet, which was actually dedicated for that purpose, are being or will be made. Apparently, besides Christmas, there are about 380 other celebrations each year that require some kind of special decorative lighting. Well... it’s her hobby.

My hope of no longer having to set up an indoor tree is fading more and more each day as Christmas 2015 approaches... hmm.

Yes, we also installed decorative power outlets – controllable with a central timer. Apparently, women often share the same hobbies.

Sebastian79 schrieb:
Yeah, we also installed the decorative outlets – controllable with a timer from a central location. Apparently, women often have the same hobbies

Sometimes I feel a bit like Chevy Chase in "National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation."

I’m so glad we didn’t install any outlets on the roof of the house. If we had and it got out, I’d probably have to put a 65,535-bulb flashing light chain back on the roof repeatedly! Hopefully, no one ever invents something like that with LEDs…

I think it’s great when everyone shares their personal building quirks here. The list isn’t meant to suggest that every quirk is a MUST-HAVE, but it’s helpful when you’re in the planning stage and thinking about what future-proof features you can still include during construction, or when you get a reminder that certain things have always annoyed you and you want to have them.

Who would have thought 20 years ago that installing network outlets everywhere would be best? Nowadays, phone, TV, music, etc. are often distributed as standard only via CAT cables/Wi-Fi.

Although I moved into an apartment renovated by my landlord, I was able to have all my wishes implemented. My highlight features:

• Power outlets in every window recess on a separate circuit, controlled by a timer switch in the breaker panel. Christmas lights can be programmed to automatically turn on and off at the right times. Very convenient.
• Hallway lighting with motion detectors... guests and I never forget to turn off the lights again.
• TV connections in all rooms except the bathroom (which is too small), also on the terrace (watching TV with neighbors while doing laundry or something).
• Outdoor lighting and power switches for the terrace.
• Speakers integrated into the ceiling in all rooms... central music distribution for casual listeners.
• Two-way light switches at the bed and bedroom entrance.
• Double network outlets in all rooms except the bathroom (like I said, too small, and I don’t listen to the radio there in the morning).
• All windows have fixed parapet elements about 50cm (20 inches) high at the bottom. The window sashes above can easily be opened for ventilation (no mechanical ventilation system), without having to remove decorations (the windows are about 165cm (65 inches) tall since it’s an older building).
• Power outlets truly in every corner of the room, on every wall section.