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Latest Articles
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An Ode to the IKEA Cabinet
Joining the Grecian urn, the much-rhapsodized IKEA cabinet finally gets its poetic due as a heroic ode. Anyone who owns a set may verily be inclined to put quill to paper and dash off a few stanzas...
written by: Dan Maginn01.30.09 -
The Food Zone
Fine-tuning your cooking and dining areas pays off in more ways than just saving resources. As in other functional zones, their success starts with awareness: Where exactly does your food come from...
written by: Dan Maginn01.01.09 -
The Living Zone
Let’s talk design for a minute. It’s important to remember that potential modifications to your home must be carefully considered before you implement them. If you blindly follow the...
written by: Dan Maginn01.01.09 -
The Sleeping Zone
Sleep on this: You probably spend more time in your bedroom than any other home zone, so it’s important to get it right.1 Reducing your resource consumption here requires a close look at how...
written by: Dan Maginn01.01.09 -
The Bathroom Zone
Reducing your water usage is easy, and it doesn’t mean you have to brush your teeth with a pinecone or weep with remorse every time you flush the can. As is the case with all resource usage,...
written by: Dan Maginn01.01.09 -
The Utility Zone
Your garage, laundry room, basement, and other nonglam support areas: These are the silent killers of energy-efficiency in your home.1 Because these spaces are largely “unseen” (and...
written by: Dan Maginn01.01.09 -
The Yard Zone
The space outside your walls should be as thoughtfully considered as the space within. Aside from contributing to pleasant, functioning outdoor space, well-placed landscaping can protect your house...
written by: Dan Maginn01.01.09 -
An Introduction to Contractors
Architect-author, Dan Maginn of El Dorado Inc., in Kansas City, Missouri, gives us the inside track on one of his favorite subjects: contractors. Learn what makes them tick, how to work with them,...
written by: Dan Maginn01.26.10 -
Why Is Jane Smiling?
So you’ve brought home an ebullient new contractor to turn your wreck into the Ritz. How to do it? Read on.
written by: Dan Maginn01.25.10 -
Why Is Joe Frowning?
So you’ve brought home a bumbling new contractor who’ll turn your Ritz into a wreck. How to avoid it? Read on.
written by: Dan Maginn01.25.10 -
In the Nick of Time
Though contractors are unusually deft with tools, accidents do happen. SawStop puts an end to that.
written by: Dan Maginn01.25.10 -
Building Tomorrow
What will the future hold for contractors and builders? We asked three industry leaders for their prognostications.
written by: Dan Maginn01.25.10 -
Words You Should Know
Bid: How much the contractor will charge to build the house. Different than “estimate.” (“Bid” is to “estimate” as “getting wife flowers” is to ...
written by: Dan Maginn01.25.10 -
Underdone
At least 19 unfinished renovation projects currently reside within the crotchety old puzzle box of a house that I share with my wife, Keri. Together, the 21 of us live in a spirit of communal...
written by: Dan Maginn03.20.10 -
An Introduction to Architects
Aside from that mischievous caveperson in France who used a piece of charcoal to draw a line around some stick figures that suggested some kind of manmade shelter, it is generally acknowledged that...
written by: Dan Maginn10.12.10 -
Exploded View
There is so much rolled up in a building—form, function, historical reference, materials, craftsmanship—that developing a comprehensive opinion on its design can be daunting. If you...
written by: Dan Maginn10.12.10 -
Beyond Thunderdome
Ten years from now, a hundred, a thousand? Yeah, we know what architecture will look like then.
written by: Dan Maginn10.12.10 -
Permission Denied
Muculus Grigsby runs afoul of the permits department, costing him a chunk of change and loads of time.
written by: Dan Maginn09.29.11 -
Measure Your Life
With less stuff, you’ll need fewer square feet to jam it into. But how small is too small?
written by: Dan Maginn11.17.12 -
Think Outside the Box
The final step in the creation of a Good Small Space involves its connection to the 2.5 zillion square feet that exist outside your 900.1
written by: Dan Maginn11.17.12 -
Let's Get Small
A five-step program for those suffering from too much stuff and not enough space.
written by: Dan Maginn11.17.12 -
An Introduction to Building Codes
Fuss all you like about sprinklers and guardrails, we need building codes. Here's how to get your architect to play along.
written by: Dan Maginn09.29.11 -
Ill Communication
The Joneses went for a splashy starchitect to design their new home. Then things took a turn for the worse.
written by: Dan Maginn10.12.10 -
Ich Bin Ein Mulcher
When, at cocktail parties, the conversation turns from the fleeting news of the day to the subject of sublime beauty, Dan Maginn often find himself smiling, for soon, he will speak of mulch.
written by: Dan Maginn02.04.09
