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Not as the land beneath your feet but as an alternate building material that makes sense for it’s almost everywhere and it is dirt after all so it is much cheaper. Combine earth’s wonderful insulating properties and the modern amenities of life such as plumbing, pipes and electrical conduits, it works better than more traditional building materials.
The use of earth as building material dates back to ancient times for they are still used in Africa, long hailed to be the birthplace of humanity. Earth is a very good insulator and allows the proper balance of moisture that makes good living. Temperature is also regulated naturally but as said, there’s always the option of modern cooling and heating technologies that can be integrated well with the said natural building material. Rammed earth homes are making a comeback as modern building materials are getting more and more expensive. Their production also causes pollution so the best natural option to our building needs may have been staring at us all this time, under our feet and in our yards.

Who says luxury spaces always has to have the function of opulence, take a look at some of the greenest homes around and they are all of the criteria you may look for in a luxury home. There are however sacrifices that have to be made in terms of the way you live and how you live life outside of the home to be truly committed to the greening of the world. Light bulbs are one simple way to help reduce carbon emissions, switching to LED or CFL’s are proven to reduce some of the energy needs. Most appliances today come with stand-by options that leads to vampire power, or power that is minimal yet still consumes a few hundred dollars a year as it piles up. Better to install switched Read the rest…

Several model gardens that are not only green but sustainable as well, with sensors that monitors the soil moisture, delivering only the necessary amount required by the plant to thrive. Waste water management has also been addressed with some gardens using nature to filter household waste water from the many sources into a natural recycling and filtration system that gives water so clean even fish can thrive. Weeds, rotting trees and other garden refuse are turned into compost, along with animal waste making the soil naturally rich and fertile. Refraining from using insecticides Read the rest…

The term bio gas or methane, has been around for a long long time and it is once again a promising source of free energy in a home where waste (the stuff you flush down the toilet) is fed to billions of bacteria that in turn produces methane, a highly flammable gas that if released to the atmosphere would be like sending energy to the clouds. It is also a greenhouse gas which makes disposal of the gas for other, more greener uses a must. Commercial farms have realized the benefits of self-power generation through bio gas digesters and the same can be said for the home, especially large ones with many occupants. Laboratories in waste management have been developing ways of harnessing this free energy source, minus the foul odor that is, turning it into free energy by Read the rest…

Are you ready for the world’s first billion-dollar home? In this age of economic crisis, the idea of such extravagance feels like its bordering on sinful. Well, apparently to Mukesh Ambani, the fifth richest man in the world, and his wife Nita, if you’ve got it, flaunt it. The head of Mumbai, India-based petrochemical giant Reliance Industries is building the world’s largest and most expensive home: a 27-story skyscraper in downtown Mumbai that will be 50 feet high with 400,000 square feet of interior space, all with a cost nearing $2 billion. They contracted the services of architecture firms Perkins + Will and Hirsch Bedner Associates, the designers behind the Mandarin Oriental, based in Dallas and Los Angeles. Once finished, the Ambani home, called Antilla, is set to have six stories of parking lots, a lobby with nine elevators, a ballroom, a health level with an ice room where guests can escape the Mumbai heat with man-made snow, a four-story open garden and entertaining spaces for the business guests.

Image Source: www.bornrich.org
Luxurious condos are also on the rise. While the ownership of these are centered more around a buyer looking for a quality lifestyle, extravagant amenities, and great locations, there are many that are willing to pay the price. In Florida last year, a 4,800 square foot condominium was sold for $4.65 million dollars. In 2005, California experienced a 90% jump in condominiums priced over one million. There were 1,677 condo sales, all in the one million dollar price range. Many of these luxury condominiums are located in areas of wealth and many have top-notch views. Amenities in such luxury condos may include quality furnishings, such as appliances, granite counter tops, and window treatments. Many luxury condo buyers like the fact that the properties are secure and feel their items of wealth are protected in this type of environment and they don’t have to pay the added cost of security. Condo hotel developments are on the rise in larger cities, as well. This type of luxury living affords one the opportunity of living in their own condominium with all the amenities of hotel living, such as room service, maid service, and concierge service. Research shows the average condo hotel buyer to be between the ages of 35 and 50 years old and many simply are purchasing them as both an investment property and vacation property.

In a city where 6 million people live in dilapidated and unsanitary houses and where the rent for apartments cost around $20,000 a month, makes the rich people live with their poor servants.

Ambani’s extravagance has drawn flak from critics. One local columnist called Ambani’s house “a manifestation of ego.” While majority of the populace languish in poverty, one critic likened Ambani to India’s rulers who live in excess.

Ambani, with a personal net worth of $22 billion is the world’s 14th-wealthiest man, his earnings largely due to his Reliance Industries Ltd.

You think that only the middle calls feels the Housing slump? Think Again. It affected the Hamptons, the summer vacation site of the Manhattan elite. In a case where falling prices and home sales surplus are no longer limited to the nation’s waning rust-belt cities, prices for luxurious properties in East Hampton and Southampton have dropped sharply.