Home Construction

With uninterrupted sea views, the two-bedroom unit with a den is on the 10th floor of the South End's Concordia East tower. Christine Davis  |  Special to the Daily News Like many Palm Beach homeowners, Marcie and Lou Collie started out renting. They leased oceanview penthouse No. 1 at Concordia East on the South End — and later began shopping for an apartment to buy.  "We looked at 50 condominiums, but we loved it so much here, I said, 'You know what? There's no better place,'" Marcie Collie recalls. "It's such a premier unit and so private. What we found at other condominiums, you look out your bedroom window and into someone else's. Here, you can't see a single, solitary person." They signed the contract for the penthouse at 3560 S. Ocean Blvd. in 2018.  Marcie credits the building's height and its design for delivering the views that sold her on the apartment. "Being direct oceanfront and on the 10th fl...

A Dutch couple recently became the first people in Europe to move into a 3D-printed home, so we have rounded up seven examples of 3D-printed houses from around the world. 3D printing has long been hailed as a potential solution for quickly and efficiently building housing, and this promise is now becoming a reality. Here are seven examples of 3D-printed homes that have already been built, including a bio-plastic micro home and a house printed from a mixture of soil, straw and rice husks. Bio-plastic micro-home, The Netherlands, by DUS Architects Dutch architecture studio DUS Architects used sustainable bio-plastic to print and construct this eight-square-metre micro cabin in Amsterdam. The structure used deposition modelling, a form of additive manufacturing typically used in household 3D printers, to create its geometric walls. Inside, the cabin has just enough space for a small sleeping area, with a bed that can be put away when not in use. A 3D-printed bath constructed u...

Brooklyn Council member Alicka Ampry-Samuel and Real Estate Board of New York President James Whelan. (Getty) In January, Mayor Bill de Blasio vowed to ban fossil fuel hookups in new buildings by 2030. Now, the City Council is trying to bump up that deadline. The council on Thursday introduced a bill that would effectively bar the use of natural gas in any new building or property that undergoes a major renovation. The measure, sponsored by Brooklyn Council member Alicka Ampry-Samuel, would kick in two years after it passes, several years ahead of de Blasio's goal. The proposal is already facing pushback from the real estate industry, which has argued that the costs of forced upgrades would likely be passed along to tenants. Real Estate Board of New York President James Whelan said the goal of phasing out the use of fossil fuels in buildings is "laudable," but should follow recommendations being contemplated by state and city advisory groups. For example, the st...

David Geffen has gotten back in his neighbor's good graces, thanks to some big bucks. The media mogul — who was sued by other residents of his posh Fifth Avenue co-op after moving in in 2012 — is now popular around the building after agreeing to pay the lion's share of the cost to renovate the lobby, Page Six has learned.  "It was wonderful of David," said one insider. "He said he wanted to do it because he wanted the renovations to be a certain way." The music mogul paid close to half of the costs after deciding that the entryway wasn't on the same level of quality as the $55 million penthouse that he owns. "I spent a fortune on a penthouse that has a s–t looking lobby," the mogul reportedly groused, according to one insider. A building resident told Page Six that in addition to Geffen's large portion of the renovation costs, another shareholder paid a smaller amount while the rest of the tenants saved a bundle by only having to ...

But I am nearly out of time, and have to make speedy decisions about, say, the melon scooper that I didn't even know I owned until I dug through this drawer. And the extra apple slicer. For some inexplicable reason we own two — but maybe one will break, so do we keep the spare? And how many cookie cutters does one family actually need? I called up Faith Roberson, a Manhattan home organizer. Before Ms. Roberson began organizing New Yorkers' homes, she prepared their meals as a personal chef. She also renovated her own kitchen in Queens in October. Even this professional organizer discovered that she had too much stuff. "I was just confronted with all the things that ever existed in my kitchen," she said. "I didn't realize it until I brought it out into my living room. It was too much." Ms. Roberson met me at my house recently to talk about her process, and how homeowners should approach clearing out the stuff that stays so long they no longer can see ...

A boulder-shaped concrete house in the Netherlands has become the first lived-in 3D-printed home in the country after its tenants received the key on April 30. Located in a suburb of Eindhoven, the single-storey home was built as part of a five-home 3D printing scheme named Project Milestone, and is said to be the first 3D-printed home in Europe where people actually live. Top: the home forms part of a series of 3D-printed homes. Above: it has a boulder-like appearance The project was first announced in 2018 with the intention of building the world's first 3D-printed houses to use as rental properties. On April 30, Dutch couple Elize Lutz and Harrie Dekkers received the keys to their home in Project Milestone. "I saw the drawing of this house and it was exactly like a fairytale garden," Lutz explained to The Guardian. "It is beautiful." "It has the feel of a bunker – it feels safe," said Dekkers. Residential real estate investor Vesteda is the ...

The Flintstones-style home in Eindhoven is the first legally habitable house in Europe with 3D-printed load-bearing walls. 3D-printed homes have made headlines in recent years, but most have been more conceptual than practical. Now a boulder-shaped home in the Eindhoven suburb of Bosrijk has become the first legally habitable property with 3D-printed load-bearing walls—and on August 1, a retired Dutch couple, Elize Lutz and Harrie Dekkers, will officially move in. "My first feeling when I saw the picture [of the house] was like a child in wonder," recalls Elize. "It's a fairytale house—a gigantic boulder!" Dutch couple Elize Lutz, 70, and Harrie Dekkers, 67, are the tenants of the 3D-printed home near Eindhoven's Beatrix canal. They picked up their digital access key on April 30, and they will officially move in on August 1. The retired shopkeepers from Amsterdam applied to live in the property for six months following a call for applicants, and th...

If pretty porches are what you're after, look no further than the Bucketmouth Bungalow. The first story offers three porch variations—a covered entryway, a side deck, and a screened-in area. This plan could appeal to growing families or homeowners aging in place, with the main bedroom and open concept kitchen-and-living areas on the first floor. Kids or grandkids can retreat to the two bedrooms and game room upstairs.    Three bedrooms, three baths 1,970 square feet See plan: Bucketmouth Bungalow (SL-1382)

The Pleasanton City Council is set take a look at an existing policy in the Downtown Specific Plan (DSP) meant to "enliven" the downtown core with more shoppers and pedestrians, and consider potential changes to allow some more "non-active" use on the ground floor of retail and commercial spaces at its regular meeting on Tuesday, starting 7 p.m. Though stemming from a specific item that came to the city recently, staff said the presentation "provides an opportunity for discussion of all aspects of the active ground floor use policy." Last updated in 2019, the DSP's "active ground floor use overlay" policy prohibits non-active first-floor uses along Main Street, with some exceptions. According to a staff report, the policy aims to promote "an active pedestrian environment on the ground floor of a commercial building, and includes retail establishments, restaurants, bars and brew pubs, art and crafts studios." Staff said that ...

As much as we love to deny it there is almost nothing more exciting than bumping into a big celeb right on your doorstep. Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds are luckier in this respect than most, as we are blessed to be surrounded by gorgeous scenery and quaint little towns / villages - perfect for a big time celebrity to get away from the noise of the big cities and flashing cameras. It was even revealed this month that we could be welcoming even more royalty to our beautiful corner of the world, in the form of the glamorous Princess Beatrice. The granddaughter of the Queen has been in the spotlight a lot recently as the Royal Family social media accounts announced that she was pregnant with her first child with husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. She will join her aunt Princess Anne, Zara and Mike Tindall and even future king Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall as they too boast a getaway home near Minchinhampton. But it's not just royal blood you could spot if ou...

The second bedroom, to the rear of the house, offers the same spaciousness and built-in cupboard. However, this one is also ideal for the most glamorous of residents, thanks to a perfectly placed vanity table and large mirror. The back bedroom also overlooks the "secret" garden, from which the perfume of bluebells and magnolia can drift in through the open window on particularly toasty days. This is also the only room serviced by its own en-suite bathroom, complete with a built-in shower. Our favourite of the three bedrooms, however, was tucked away behind a small wooden door. A short flight of stairs leads up into the attic of the house, which has been converted into a delightful double bedroom complete with low wooden beams and a small window that looks out over the scenic views of the surrounding town. Though the loft bedroom does not have built-in storage, there is plenty of room, as well as a few small cupboards and shelving spaces, and clothes rail for items...

Lauren and Brittan Ellingson, the owners of Notice Snowboards, a custom snowboard and wakesurf company in Whitefish, Montana, approached Workaday Design and builder Mindful Designs to concoct a new lake home for their family. The brief was, perhaps unsurprisingly, focused on getting the family outdoors as much as possible.

There is a wealth of quaint beach villages along both the east and west coasts of South Africa that offer some amazing places to stay if you are looking for a quiet, secluded escape from the city. Here are our top picks for the best beach cottages to head to for a laid-back, relaxing weekend getaway. The best beach getaways West of the Moon – Churchhaven, Cape West Coast Churchhaven is the ultimate getaway if you just want to swim, bird-watch, and relax and West of the Moon is the perfect place to do just that. Nestled in the West Coast National Park, the charming whitewashed cottage boasts a rustic beach feel with weathered décor and a vintage touch. Designed to mirror an original West Coast fisherman's cottage, the cozy abode has low doorways, small windows with red and green window frames, and a thatched roof. The cottage is a stone's throw away from the Langebaan lagoon and has a lovely veranda with daybeds and loungers for lounging in the sun and soaking up...

Janis Fontaine  |  Special to The Palm Beach Post With rental cars so expensive and airplane travel so stressful, consider a driving vacation in your own car. You can find a prime location within a few hours' drive or, if that's too far, in the next town over. And lucky you, deals for Florida residents abound. One caveat: Specials are subject to change and may have other restrictions like black-out days or advance registration requirements. Deals may be "subject to availability," and others are non-refundable. Check the hotel's website for the latest info and whenever possible book your room through the hotel. Don't be shy but do be friendly and polite. Ask if there's any other way you can save a few dollars. Don't even think about bundling: Almost every deal has language that says, "Cannot be combined with any other offer." Also, read the fine print or you may find nasty surprise charges at checkout. Ask about those charges ...