Nice People Thread Number 10 -the official residence of Nice People

Doozergirl

vivatifosi wrote: »

I like the fact that it is the only one that tries to look like something other than a box or lump that you stick to a ceiling. Personally I'd prefer something more architectural, that looks like ship sails, or that is made of wood or something more unusual. My favourite one is probably the last one that I posted separately. I'm quite happy with my new one, it is unobstrusive and doesn't look like I've stuck an egg box to the ceiling. In my book this is progress. Besides, I live in a house with artex ceilings:(. That's a far greater travesty than anything that a smoke detector can manage.

I liked the last one for the reason that I picked up you can wave in front of it to make it stop if you've only burned dinner and not the entire kitchen. That is inspired.

lostinrates

PasturesNew wrote: »

The only reason there isn't more choice in smoke detectors is that not enough people care .... and nobody's cared enough to write a blog about it and start creating prettier ones to sell on etsy

That's all it'd take .... some middle class person with time on their hands ..... who likes to blog and use words like "adorable" ...... and bob's your uncle.

First you create a blog post and whitter on about the fabulous day you had drinking coffee with your friend - cue cute dog photo - then you whitter on about the adorable material samples you've sent for. Then you whitter on about how excited you are that your adorable samples have arrived.... I hope you're not forgetting to tweet and facebook at this !!!!!!..... then you show the finished product, upload it to etsy and whitter on about how it's now for sale in your etsy shop .... tweet, facebook, like ...... and answer all the cooing messages about how adorable it is that rack up on your blog.

Job done.

Edit - oh, and don't forget to run a contest to win one ..... and run regular polls to vote for which design is best ......

Edit 2: Oh - and take a photo of the winner's product in the box being lovingly wrapped (in nest-like packaging and straw if it's a bird design, for example) .... then write a blog post about how excited the winner will be when the adorable, well over-priced detector arrives to ensure her family/dog (cue cute photo of dog sleeping peacefully) ..... are all safe if there's ever a fire.

Its not just smoke detectors.

I'm afraid I was a pita about window furniture, and well, all sorts of things really. Potential is so great, and America increasingly is getting deign details better than Europe. Our 'normal price point' acceptance threshold for poor detailing seems high to me.

lostinrates

Doozergirl wrote: »

I liked the last one for the reason that I picked up you can wave in front of it to make it stop if you've only burned dinner and not the entire kitchen. That is inspired.

Ah, that is sensible.

PasturesNew

chewmylegoff wrote: »

What is an etsy? I want one.

It's a site where yummy mummys sell tat they made at home, for over-inflated prices .......

Er, I mean, it's a website where handcrafted and adorable unique gifts can be purchased by ladies who lunch, or those who would like to be ladies who lunch but are really on benefits in council flats.

vivatifosi

lostinrates wrote: »

Its not just smoke detectors.

I'm afraid I was a pita about window furniture, and well, all sorts of things really. Potential is so great, and America increasingly is getting deign details better than Europe. Our 'normal price point' acceptance threshold for poor detailing seems high to me.

I wish we had stores like Restoration Hardware and Z Gallerie here. I love their stores, but differing electrical standards, and shipping and customs costs make them prohibitive.

http://www.zgallerie.com/
http://www.restorationhardware.com/

Doozergirl

I stumbled across a house for neverdespairgirl on twitter.

Kitchen is a bit [STRIKE]missing[/STRIKE] arty but I love the look of it from the outside, and other things.

http://www.themodernhouse.net/sales-list/padbury-court-london-e2/description-813/

Doozergirl

The house that featured in Sherlock tonight is something else!

http://www.swinhay.com/residential-projects/swinhay-house/

PasturesNew

Doozergirl wrote: »

I stumbled across a house for neverdespairgirl on twitter.

Kitchen is a bit [STRIKE]missing[/STRIKE] arty but I love the look of it from the outside, and other things.

http://www.themodernhouse.net/sales-list/padbury-court-london-e2/description-813/

Only £875,000 - so I've left a message on their answerphone; hoping to snap it up tomorrow!

PasturesNew

Doozergirl wrote: »

http://www.themodernhouse.net/sales-list/padbury-court-london-e2/description-813/

How can they legally get away with describing image 5 as the "second bedroom"? It's a tiny crawl space without ... well, anything!

"Storage space for bog rolls and shoes" would be about right.

Doozergirl

silvercar wrote: »

I'm sure I read it when reading about kit homes and one of the reasons they were so super at heat retention was that the windows were small.

On the escape a fire front, when we changed our windows the guy said that there were regulations on minimum size openings to allow escape. There was a question of us having to have a double hinged window, but then there is a rule that allows you to get away with less than the requirements if it is a replacement rather than new opening. Which probably means we need to watch any weight gain or we won't be able to escape our room.

Yes, I don't think that building regulations have got anywhere far enough to affect window size, it's still a matter of choice. Solar gain should play just as important a part in house design, so large expanses of glass on the south side, little on the north. You can buy windows with tiny u values now - it's about insulating the frames as the glass is nearing as good as it can get.

With houses built by the big developers, I think the ridiculously smaller windows on some plots has more to do with planning guidelines on privacy. Make the windows smaller and there's less to affect the magic 45 degree rule and more chance of another planning approval. It's bad design sneaking through on big projects.

For replacement windows, you can't make the opening area any worse than it was before, that's the only rule.