The Hardworking Home presents a wide range of achievable home improvements that will help you upgrade your home to better meet your needs in this shifting world.
From home office to home school to home entertaining, today's households have necessarily become functional microcosms of society. Before the pandemic, less than five percent of full-time employees worked remotely from home. At the height of the outbreak, more than half did. And even when the dust has settled, it is estimated that at least a quarter of us will be performing our jobs from offices in our homes. Distance learning also will endure as an important educational tool. And while we back into less restrictive social distancing guidelines, it nevertheless makes sense to create a fun, vibrant atmosphere for entertaining ourselves and our guests within the safe confines of our homes. Some of the projects in The Hardworking Home are quite simple and others require a little more DIY experience. But the overriding commonality is that they have been curated with the forward-looking filter of making our lives better, more efficient, and more satisfying in a changing world landscape. Content includes:
Introduction
- How we got here - Goals and considerations - Where to work? - Distance learning - Multipurpose spaces - Repurposing what you already have
Adapting Space
- Lamps and lighting choices - Wall color and painting - Practical home dcor - Noise reduction - Air quality and whole-house ventilation - Furnishings - Separation tips for open spaces - Making room for recess and relaxation - Private spaces for external communication - Work-related meeting areas - Technology issues (Wi-Fi and beyond) - Ergonomic solutions for working at the dining table - Protecting furnishings and surfaces - Efficient ways to stash your stuff - Working together - Convertible work spaces and desktops - Partition wall - Modifying countertops and cabinets - Tambour hideaway (protecting electronics and equipment) - Pantry conversion - Island bumpout - Slide-out work surfaces (and keyboard trays, printer bays, etc.) - Under-cabinet lighting - Under-cabinet storage - Cord management - Adapting dining rooms - Adapting kitchens - Adapting family rooms - Creating activity/recess areas - Movable work centers - Dividing space - Workspace under loft bed - Corner workspace - Creating living/working space separation - Adapting bedrooms - Renovating a spare room
Creating Space
- Renovating a spare room (Features: ways to improve lighting) - Creating an office in an unfinished basement (Features: furring walls, suspended ceiling, raised subfloor panels) - Closet office conversion - Renovating a garage (Features: garage floor refinish, new garage window, garage skylight, storage projects) - Making an outbuilding habitable (Features: making a shed livable) - Feature project: closet office
Easy DIY Projects
- Rolling - Modular - Drop-down - Kids - Space-saving - Rolling - Hidden - File-friendly - Room dividers - Plexiglass protectors - Carrel curtains - Desks - Storage - Privacy barriers
By:
Mark Johanson
Imprint: Cool Springs Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 275mm,
Width: 210mm,
Weight: 689g
ISBN: 9780760372777
ISBN 10: 0760372772
Series: Black & Decker
Pages: 176
Publication Date: 16 March 2022
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
INTRODUCTION What Makes a Hardworking Home? SECTION 1: ADAPTING SPACE Tips and Solutions for Any Room Home Office Décor Dining and Living Rooms Kitchens Family Rooms Bedrooms SECTION 2: CREATING SPACE Renovating a Spare Room Lighting Improvements Creating an Office or “Recess Area” in a Basement Is Your Basement Livable? Basement Humidity Basement Space Basement Building Codes Controlling Basement Moisture Furred-Out Basement Walls Upgrading Basement Ventilation Replacing Basement Windows Basement Floors Basement Ceilings Installing Direct-Mounted Basement Ceiling Panels Closet Offices Closet Office Conversion Creating Living Space in a Garage Garage Renovation Potential The Garage Door Improving Garage Lighting Rehabbing a Garage Floor Interior Garage Walls Garage Windows and Skylights Making a Shed Habitable Shed Requirements Getting Power to a Shed Shed Lighting Shed Walls and Ceilings Shed Ventilation Shed Heating and Cooling Shed Floors SECTION 3: EASY DIY PROJECTS FOR THE HARDWORKING HOME Privacy Barriers & Room Dividers Folding Room Dividers Kneewalls Partition Walls Doors Door Types Bookcase Room Dividers Built-In Room-Divider Bookcase Desks, Shelving, and Storage Foldaway Wall Bench/Desk Understairs Solutions Finishing an Understairs Area Utility Shelves Pegboard Storage Custom Storage Loft Special-Purpose Carts Adjustable Shelves Photo Credits Metric Conversion Charts Index
Mark Johanson is an experienced home improvement, woodworking and gardening writer and editor. He has collaborated and directed the production of more than 400 do-it-yourself books, including over 75 under the BLACK+DECKER brand. He has also written numerous magazine and online articles on DIY topics. He lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
