Abdallah House - Redesigning a Home

Principle 7: Design from patterns to details We are once again in Owner Builder magazine , this time with a focus on storage solutions. For those of you who have come to this blog via the magazine I've included a few links to expand on the info in the article. Cellar / Water tank / Cool Cupboard - there's quite a few posts here Firewood and shoe cabinet / bookshelf - check out the Storage systems from marginal materials post Laundry bench and shelving / ladder shelf - see Creating space post Timber rack - see the post Stack 'em up Tidy workshp - there's a bit in the One rubbish and recycle bin for a year post about how we've reused metal containers for storage in the shed

Principle 4: Apply self-regulation and accept feedback We found that when Sen does not where pants he is much more likely to let us know when he needs to use the toilet We had been encouraging Sen to use the potty for quite a while before he started walking, watching out for the unmistakable facial expressions. His first 'direct hit' was a very exciting time for all of us. We even wrote it up on our calendar! While Kai took to the potty early and could pretty well look after himself, Sen liked the idea of using the toilet like the rest of us. Early on there were several attempts before the business was deposited in the toilet, but it eventually was, which was a cause for further celebration. Sen was quite late in getting off the ground. He took his first steps at around 18 months, but it was a few months after that before he was regularly on his feet. At this time we started having more nappy free time in the hope that Sen would let us know when he needed to go. W

Principle 11: Use edges and value the marginal Have you ever been frustrated that you can't find what you are looking for? I have. The other day, while my family was away in Japan, I was searching through my drawers for a pair of clean undies. I just about emptied it out before I found my last pair, then I had to pack everything else back away. That was it! I was going to deal with problem once and for all. With bits of scrap plywood I worked on an idea that I had of creating dividers. Rather than build boxes, I made a 'H' type frame which created 5 spaces using just 4 pieces of ply. The two sides could be adjusted by sliding the 'unit' to one side. I decided to create another smaller one to further divide the space, which was useful for smaller items. Dividing the large space in the drawers into smaller spaces (creating edge) I could place like items together, and make it easy to find what I'm looking for. Not only that but it's much easier to pack st