5 Cost Considerations When Designing Your Home Plan

Designing your dream home is an exciting and fulfilling process for many potential homeowners. However, you might get lost in your imagination and overlook essential aspects such as cost considerations. You don’t want to start the construction process only for it to reach halfway due to financial constraints. As you design your home, factor in […]

How to keep your home safe before and after the storm

Flooding will become more frequent as the environment warms.

Although Ireland is a country with relatively calm weather, we still have our shares of storms and other extreme weather conditions that often cause severe destruction to our homes. However, with proper preparation and protection in place, you can dramatically reduce the effect of these weather conditions on your home and properties, saving yourself not […]

Bookshelf House

Yokohama, Japan –  Shinsuke Fujii Architects Built area:    86.16 m2 Year built:    2014 Photographs: Tsukui Teruaki Bookshelf House’s design has smartly combined form with function. A diagonal wall in one side of the house was transformed into a bookshelf. Because it is inclined, a ladder is no longer needed to reach the top portion – […]

10 Awesome Gift Ideas Your Pets Will Love

Gift Ideas for Pets

So, you’ve got gifts for your family and friends… but do you have one for your fur babies? For all the love and happiness they bring us, our pets definitely deserve Christmas gifts as well! Whether you’ve got cats or dogs, we’ve got some really cool ideas below that your pets will like. We even have a […]

Wood-Fired Heating in the Age of Climate Change

Masonry Heater

Do you want a wood burning heater? Many people who would say ‘Yes’ emotionally then shy away from them because of their reputation for being polluting, dirty and hard work to operate and maintain. Click on any image to start lightbox display. Use your Esc key to close the lightbox. ? But what if a […]

Cob Homes

Hmmmm… seems like we’re still looking for some good examples. Do you know of any?    

Container Homes

CrossBox

Shipping container stacks are becoming an urban nightmare. Tens of thousands of unwanted containers piling up around the world because it often costs more to ship an empty container back to its port of origin than the container’s worth. This gallery will show you what imagination and effort can achieve in recycling shipping containers. Maybe […]

Our Media Kit

OK… we have to be upfront about this… There are Media Kits and then there are MEDIA KITS.  Ours is a media kit with lower case m and k  🙄  We figure that one day we’ll have the time to put a real one together. Right here and now, we can tell you that we […]

Start here

Pinterest snapshot for Start Here page

How to get the best from OBN With thousands of projects and something approaching 50,000 photos, you will find heaps here to keep you busy. Learn how to build a deck or how to make stardust playdough. There are projects here for every skill level and every age! And we add new projects and ideas […]

Not Just Another Brick On The Wall…

Climate change is real. Our world is getting warmer. It’s happening and it’s not going away unless we actually live the advocacy for a greener and sustainable environment. And just like what we value most in our lives, care for the environment starts at home, literally. Is your home green? We’re not talking about the color […]

Antonio La Cava’s Awesome Mobile Library

Antonio La Cava Mobile Library

A Mobile Library is a convenient way to get library services without having to come to the library. The Mobile Library visits locations throughout the city, making it easy for people to get the books and other materials they need. It is a great resource for people who are homebound, have transportation challenges, or simply […]

InSinkErator Evolution Excel – the Mercedez-Benz of food garbage disposals!

InSinkErator Evolution Excel

If you can’t compost your scraps, you have two options – landfill or a waste disposal unit. Surprisingly, a waste disposal unit (WDU) may be the more environmentally friendly option of the two! However, the challenge with many WDU’s is that they do not grind the waste sufficiently leading to clogging of your drains. Another […]

Mother’s Day Gift Ideas You Can Actually Make

Mothers Day Gifts

Though we don’t need and shouldn’t wait for any occasion to show how much we appreciate our love ones, certain events in the calendar help us make them feel really special. And now that Mother’s Day is just around the corner, we’ve collected some of the cutest DIY gifts anybody can do easily. Whether it’s a […]

The White House

The White House - Exterior

Isle of Coll, Inner Hebrides – WT Architecture Completion Date: June 2010 Photography: Andrew Lee Click on any image to start lightbox display. Use your Esc key to close the lightbox. You can also view the images as a slideshow if you prefer 😎   If you liked this project, you will also like viewing […]

Castle Rock House

Castle Rock House - Exterior

New Zealand – Herbst Architects Photography: Patrick Reynolds Click on any image to start lightbox display. Use your Esc key to close the lightbox. You can also view the images as a slideshow if you prefer    If you liked this project, you will also like viewing …

Holick Sea Resort

Holick Sea Resort - Exterior

Swedish Coast – Matts Ingman Architect Year built: 2010 Built area: 90 m2 (969 ft2) Photography: Jacob Nordström Click on any image to start lightbox display. Use your Esc key to close the lightbox. You can also view the images as a slideshow if you prefer  If you liked this project, you will also like […]

DIY Kitchen Storage

It seems there is never enough storage in the kitchen. Our busy lifestyles encourage us to buy more labour-saving devices, espresso machines and slow-cookers. Everything needs a space. We hope these ideas help you 🙂