April Fool's Day Blog Post

Don't cha just hate those Blogs that take a new posting every 6 months?

OK, I know it's been a while but I have made the decision to get more involved with my Blogg'n. And that ain't an April Fool's Day Prank. Yes we're still alive after treading the storms of the great recession for the past few years.

Here at the Inter-Galactic Headquarters of Korel Home Designs I have been studying and gearing up to get heavily involved in Video Production. My camera gear is something that's been in the hall closet for nearly ten years but it does have digital capabilities. One of the first to have something called a Fire Wire Socket that plugs directly into a computer. I'm glad I never tried to sell it on eBay. Interesting, I just right now noticed a button on the top of my blog posting editor that says "Add Video". I will have to explore that some more.

Above is a photo of the Somerset House in Rockwall County. It is coming along very well and we are all excited about seeing completed. I am working on a short video of it that I will be uploading to my You Tube Channel soon. Yes there is a You Tube Channel at:

http://www.youtube.com/korelhomedesigns

I just bought a little bitty laptop called a "Netbook". With it I will be keeping my blogs more up-to-date. I've gotta get to work now so we'll share some more tomorrow. :)

Don't forget my House Plan Web Site: http://www.korel.com

Doodling In 3D, No Paper Napkins Required

Doodling In 3D

How many Home Designs would you guess got their start on a napkin? A napkin and ball point pen is all you really need to layout a floor plan, right? Sure, we've all done it. Even in this super duper high tech world, I still doodle out my better design concepts on tracing vellum and just using a Sharpie. OK, Do you wanna take your doodling to the next level? How about doodling in 3D? A few years ago Google, the search the Internet people, came out with a nifty little FREE program called SKETCHUP. (They do have a more potent Sketchup for $$$). Now the first time I looked at Sketchup, it looked to me like a simple little program used to draw cubes and cylinders for all those Dilbert types so they could make their Power Point Presentations more interesting. A few years later I looked at it again. I discovered a great little 3D modeling tool I could use to create objects for my 3D Architectural Modeling Software, Home Designer Pro 9. The first night I downloaded it, I sat on the couch watching a Bogart movie with my wife and in just minutes I drew this Kitchen Range Hood right on my laptop. Yea I know, pretty romantic guy, huh? No, she wasn't as impressed.

My 3D Architectural Modeling Software is written by a bunch of folks up in Idaho and so are the Stock Objects that come with the software. These objects are things like doors, windows, toilets, cabinet units, etc.. Now the object libraries in the software is a bit limited and you will wish there were more things, like Old World Kitchen Hoods. This is what makes Sketchup so welcomed is that I can create a 3D model of almost anything. Since the beginning I have created quite a few objects. Objects like stone headers for arched windows, rustic old world shutters, stone entry archways, and much more.

Maybe you have been thinking about one of those CAD programs you can use to express some of your own Home Design Ideas? AutoCAD is way too expensive and difficult to learn. Besides, you can't begin drawing house plans using AutoCAD right out of the box. Let me recommend the Chief Architect's line of products. You can start out with HGTV Home and Landscape Platinum Suite for about $90.00. There are lesser priced HGTV programs but believe me, as soon as you work on one of those for a little while you'll be asking for a program with more features. Now the HGTV programs are written by the same people that writes the Chief Architect program. When the time comes to upgrade, you will be able to open all your home designs in the more potent design software.

For the past few months we have been building 3D models of the plans we offer over the Internet using this 3D modeling software. Since the beginning of the 2008-2009 recession, we wanted to make good use of the extra time we have on our hands so it was a no brainer to get started. Our web site illustrations could use it too. Besides, one color rendering from a Professional Delineator cost what the larger version of the software cost. To the left is one of the first 3D models we did. Click Here and you will see the plan page where with just the click of the mouse we now have the side and rear views. Do you see the little dog on the back porch? Scroll down the page to see these. It's time consuming to create these models but with laptop in hand and a few Bogart movies (and an understanding wifey), I will have plenty more 3D models on our web site very soon.

Building a Tornado Safe Room in your home.

Building a Tornado Safe Room in your home.
Every family needs to have a designated space in their home to use as a shelter from a tornado.

Caveat emptor - The following is just an opinion built on personal experience and expert training.
Use at your own discretion.

I live in north Texas, just north of the Dallas and Fort Worth Metroplex. Every couple of years or so we have a storm large enough to produce tornadoes, and they do. We have seen what the weather service call EF1, EF2 or maybe as large as a EF3 tornado. So far the big EF5, which they say we're over due for, hasn't happened. Tornadoes are rated by the National Weather Service on the Enhanced Fujita scale. An EF3 is strong enough to do serious damage to your home but leave interior walls standing. So it make sense to take shelter in an interior part of your home during a tornado warning. A room like a walk-in closet that IS NOT on an exterior wall. If you live in a home that has a crawl space or basement, then getting below the floor is the best place to take cover. But here in Texas and Oklahoma, most all new homes are built on concrete slabs.

But what can you do to build a shelter in your home to protect yourself from the damaging winds of a tornado? You can build an interior room with additional strength to give it the ability to remain standing if your home is in the path of a tornado. It all depends on how much you are willing to spend to reinforce this room. My clients take this matter seriously and so do I. Although I realize that here in Texas we have more State Lottery winners than we have tornado victims. Meaning, you have a better chance of winning the Lottery than being a victim of a tornado. However, more and more of our clients are asking what can they do to protect themselves from a tornado.

To continue reading this article, go to: Tornado Safe Rooms

It seems we're going back to some basics.

It's the first of August 2009. The present recession has taken a huge toll on those who were not prepared for the past two years of the down turn in the economy. New Homes are still being started but the rate of housing starts have taken a nose dive. (Am I preach'n to the choir here?)

From our website, http://www.korel.com/ , we are still getting traffic but it's different traffic from the past six years. I'm hearing from those Baby Boomers. Retiring Baby Boomers who probably haven't lost everything in the markets, but have taken losses! The focus is not on high glamour in the Home Designs or House Plans but getting back to the modest basics. Roof pitches were going higher and higher a few years back.

Now, an 8-12 roof pitch seems close to being excessible to these Baby Boomers. I recently modified a plan from 10' ceilings down to 9' ceilings plus the doors went from the 8' tall to the old standard of 6'-8" tall. The Master Ensuites are holding. My recent clients are still wanting the Walk-in Shower and Soaker Tubs. Oh, now is a good time to invest in the Grab Bar manufacturing companies. Builders take note. Start providing solid blocking around toilets, showers and bath tubs for future grab bars.

Another is 36" doors through out the home.

Another is a place to park the RV. I never thought of that one before. We now have several RV Garage/Work Shoppe Plans in or collection.

The National Association of Home Builders have a Professional Designation called "Certified Aging-In-Place Specialist", or CAPS for short. I haven't looked into taking the course, yet. I'm getting quite an education here On The Job. Maybe I can teach them a thing or two.

Later, Stay Thirsty My Friends.