My effective home design

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Home design in Blender

My effective home design

One of the most expensive things that people buy in their whole life is their homes, so I think it would be a good idea to know very well and early what we're generally looking for.

I'm looking for a home design that makes me productive with the least possible effort, and does not hinder with useless stuff. I want a design to not have problems.

Over time I have realized that most of the stuff that I'm supposed to need for me is just trash. I don't need lots of different clothing, since I had lots of them in the past, and I ended up naturally using the same few clothes everyday. I don't even need a bed. Personally, I sleep better in the floor than in a bed. I use a tatami with futon. Much simpler.

I'm trying to reduce the amount of stuff like cables, batteries, broken pens all around the house... so I try to have only a few quality electronic products with USB-C ports to recharge them. I also want to remove potentially useful things that I use so rarely that when I need them, I don't even know where they are, or I don't even remember that I have them.

I like to build and design things, so I will add a workshop. The same applies here: I will try to use standard Torx screws whenever possible, but I will have lots of different bits if I need them. I want simplicity, but not problems.

In this search, I will look for the best climates, the best states (for my liberal-libertarian taste), and the best home layout for my case in different scenarios, like a city apartment, a country home with cheaper land, living alone or with a family... I think this might be useful for other people. I might add accurate 3d renders made with Blender in the future.

https://home.by.me/en/project/4428974

Climate

Look for an apartment or a house with big land, near the west coast of a country in the Ferrel cell, so that the air blows over big bodies of water from west to east, stabilizing its temperature before reaching us. I prefer temperatures near 23ºC, between 15 and 30 Celsius. Probably there are other climates that work.

To achieve frequent blue skies, locate near the subtropical high latitude, that is, near the lower region of the Ferrel cell, ~40º.

Generally there's a trade here where blue skies require warm climates, so choose colder winds or a higher-latitude sunny place. Cold Atlantic Wind or locally dry wind with sparse rain. Climate similar to Lisbon's.

What is global circulation? - Met Office

https://medium.com/@BambouClub/which-city-has-the-best-climate-in-the-world-355e013e9e95

Country

Liberal country with powerful economy.

http://www.bitcoinnomads.com/http://www.400cities.com/

Location

Ideally, a coastal region with a mountain next to it.

If independent house, have a wall of tall trees around it. Notice the roof must be higher than the trees so that the solar panels can work. Also consider an attic in the northern part.

Tall shade trees at west south-west of the home, with lower leaves pruned at a high level, to not block views or sunsets, and more trees right at the North, to provide shade at the garden. The house must withstand big nearby trees (roots etc).

Add very big trees with a high surface area, and fruit trees.

Plants

Big trees: Oak, poplar or cottonwood, Ash, maple, Redwood or sequoia, pine, Buckeye, Willow.

Fruit trees: Fig, Apple, Strawberry, Loquat, Quince, mulberry, Sweet Almond.

More fruit plants: Raspberry, Blueberry, Gooseberry, Currant, Blackberry (spikes), Honeyberry, Goji berry,

Grass-like: Dwarf Carpet of Stars,

Single-person apartment design - The basics

Design to not have problems.

Few rooms. Loft style. Lots of diffuse natural light, and smart bulbs.

Lots of tubing for water, electricity, and general-purpose empty tubing around the walls of the house.

Glass walls to the outside when possible (glass curtain) and otherwise white walls. White painted concrete (lime?), tinted glass, clear wood (plywood)… I like some texture.

In an apartment, with neighbours, have some noise isolation around the house. Look for GreenGlue for holes, Acoustic Panels, Mass loaded vinyl between 2 layers of drywall, Acoustic Coat/Paint, Acoustic sealant, acoustic drywall... Also use bookcases or carpet for noise absorption.

Alongside the noise isolation goes the thermal isolation, and inside this barrier goes the thermal mass. Try to have thermal mass with slabs, water, paraffin wax phase-change material... And look for the HVAC stuff to save energy.

Laminated or pallet floor mainly, concrete slab, epoxy or cement on the entryway, marble for the bathroom.

Entrance

Entrance to leave jacket, umbrella, wet clothes, electric unicycle, bike, dirty objects and other electric PM vehicles charging.

It's at a lower level than the rest of the house, with a more resistant sturdy floor. With a Japanese-style step/shoe place, creating 2 outside/inside places. One clean and comfortable and the other more dirty and resistant.

There's the electric dashboard, that shows energy consumption per room and plug, home controls, the breakers, the mailbox, to throw packages from above outside and take them from below inside, the manual vacuum cleaner, the broom, and the emergency kit. Consider a protecting metal box for big EV batteries.

Warehouse with sliding boxes in a rail on the ceiling (Up Rite Storage Rack), over the Japanese step. Store foldable/stackable stools, chairs, tables...

Places

Reading place in HAVSTEN Armchair, in a place without distractions, with natural light, smart bulb, shelving with books, white carpet, sockets...

Work place with a Huge table (~90cm high, >=1x2 m) at a corner with adjustable height and bin holes, that turns around the user.

With a pegboard with tools separated in sections, and a shelving wall. Modular? ~1.5m tall? Transparent pegboard? Lots of sockets (~32) on the pegboard. Type N, and universal (C,F,G,A,B,L,J,...) sockets. Also USB-C with USB-4 standard protocol, and USB-A.

Smart section (likely in shelving wall) with google home max, nest hub, Alexa, smart thermostat (Nest learning thermostat, NetAtmo...), router, robot vacuum (Deebot Ozmo 950)

Kitchen

American kitchen with the sink and tap in the island table (to fill glasses of water directly and clean the dishware next to where they’re used), and a quartz, light granite, or stainless steel high countertop, with high windows that don't hinder.

A hanging shelving over the island table with salt, oil, vinegar, pepper, the dishware (above, near the sink), bread, etc. with a magnetic surface around that stores the silverware, light bulbs and sockets below, USB-C and wireless chargers above, and paper dispensers (normal kitchen paper, film and aluminium).

Big shelving with food next to the fridge. Without drawers nor lids (At most a curtain). Transparent plastic boxes as drawers.

At the corner of the countertop is the induction hob, and a cooking robot nearby. Cut, heat, weight, measure temperature, etc.

From the corner is much easier to absorb the fumes of the cooking, and the person cooking hinders less there. Also the cooking mess won’t dirty the eating table.

Bedroom

Tiny, simple, relaxing and cozy bedroom, with tatami and futon. Try an elevated platform instead of a full room. Otherwise carpet tiles, windows, smart bulb, assistant.

Bathroom

I change my clothes in the bathroom everyday, when I shower, so the clothes must be stored and cleaned there.

The dresser, washing machine, wet cleaning products near the washing machine (To scrub you need water, and bleach is often used in the bathroom) all inside the bathroom.

It’s warm and makes me not accumulate clothes. The bathroom must have ventilation (HVAC in addition to a window) and the closet may have a ~curtain to keep it dry. Wet clothes will dry there. I have tested it and my clothes are perfect in the bathroom.

A mirror wall (or ceiling?), marble or pallet floor that does not slip, and white ceramic tiles, marble or wood for the rest.

Layout: At the entrance of the bathroom the toilet and the sink at each side. Then the dresser next to the sink, with free space next to the toilet, and a glass wall shower (without door? maybe movable for extra space) next to the dresser, with a window to the exterior, and maybe a balcony to dry clothes.

Shower with fixed water outlet from the ceiling and a water outlet with handle that can be placed in a hanger like a normal tap, with a control for the water flow of both exits and another one for the temperature (with thermometer?). With soap dispensers (shampoo, gel, cream). The drain at one border of the floor.

The dresser is a tall (modular?) shelving with hangers in its vertical structure. Shoes, flip flops, and socks stored at floor level. Pants, shorts and swimsuits above. T-shirts and sweatshirts at shoulder height. Scarfs, hats, and gloves higher.

Toilet with central jet to clean (normal or smart), without washbasin nor bathtub. Joystick or electronic toilet.

All towels stored at the shower entry. The washing machine inside the dresser or at the shower entry also, and the water heater nearby (if not access to the roof nor shared heater). Just unboxing's holder stuck to the mirror with a sucker.

Workshop

Think about movable pegboard with tools, to use at the loft or the workshop. With magnetic bar to stick random stuff and separate categorically.

Allen and torx key sets and a box or magnetic pad for the rest of random keys. They should fit in the key sets. Also a drill and electric screwdriver with lots of bits. Nothing more about screws.

Some stuff: General pliers, scissors, cable peelers, metal rulers, bubble level, multimeter, oscilloscope, soldering iron set, TIG welding, grinder, circular saw, clamp, laser meter and thermometer + measure tape, digital caliper, Snatch block, Multitool, Grinder, Jigsaw, safety stuff, hot glue, superglue, epoxy, tape, Have powerful impact drill, cordless driver drill with torque control, mini electric screwdriver, torx keys, and multi-tip screwdriver. Also socket wrenches (torx/hex nuts with torx screws with the same external head, + torx screw head flush), power source, electronic component shelving, cutter, dust extractor, fan with tube to exit (soldering) fumes...

Doors

Few hinge or sliding doors with magnetic latches on both ends to fix them open or closed.

  • Bathroom: Sliding with public bathroom indicator.
  • Entrance: Smart lock that connects to the key/knob from inside, maybe with a double clutch to still be able to use keys.
  • Workshop doors: Sliding or hinge in both directions, with magnetic locks only.

Curtains

No external (Spanish) blinds. Opaque insulating blinds (blockout) + thick translucent sheer curtains.

Normal or roller, both smart. Would be super cool to have smart film on the glass, to regulate the temperature for free, making the glass change from transparent to white translucent or change the reflectivity.

Examples:

  • Luminette privacy sheers (smart, translucent + opaque)

  • S Fold. Open/close automatically depending on the temperature and routines.

  • Rose Home Fashion Blackout curtains

HVAC

Ventilate automatically. An air input with a filter (Look at bladeless fan with built-in air purifier, with a standard filter), and a valve that redirects the air through a heat exchanger (ducted plate or heat wheel rotary heat exchanger) or directly into the house.

Geothermal, phase-change material, air, or water tank heat pump. Add machine learning thermostat that adjusts to the characteristics of the room.

Slabs, water storage tank or paraffin wax deposit provide huge thermal mass. Circulate it to an outside radiator depending on the temperature conditions. Use the water tank as an intermediate step for the HVAC system.

Maybe use Phase Change Material (PCM). Some paraffin waxes could stabilize 23ºC with prefab homes. Be careful to use it in a house with a constant desired temperature. If the house is manually ventilated with undesired air temperatures, or the user wants high temperature changes, it can increase the energy consumption (obviously). For example: In the summer cool the tank at night with the exterior radiator, and at daytime let the heat pump use the water tank instead of the exterior hot air to cool the house. In the winter, heat the water at 3pm with the exterior radiator, and let the heat pump extract that heat at night (more efficiency and less problems with freezing…).

Water filled passive radiator? Very simple and stabilizes the temperature. Transfer heat through air convection.

Country house design

Take advantage of the low land cost and buy an independent house with no nearby neighbours. Place a tree wall at the borders for privacy, noise, wind, air quality, aesthetics... Increase the size of the workshop and plan solar panels (Tesla solar roof), batteries, rainwater collection and filtering, general shape and placing of the house (more light angles available).

Add a balcony with an outside table at the other side of the kitchen wall. Wall with big doors and big high windows.

Family design

Several independent rooms with the equivalent of work and study places, with common places to eat, read, play...

Several bathrooms (~2 for 4 people), each with a washing machine a clothing space for 2 people. Obviously the design will change if someone spends long time inside the bathroom, or wants a full bathtub.

Tiny House

https://tinyhouselistings.com/

Products

Backpack with: smartphone, headphones, laptop, wallet, battery, chargers, bottle, swiss knife.

References that can be useful

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