http://www.househacker.com/ househacker/tags/bath Brondell Swash, the Harmony toilet seat seems like a pretty ingenious product. The seat makes use of a small connector that runs from the bottom of the toilet seat latching mechanism to a float that you place in the toilet tank. When the toilet is flushed, the float lowers with the water in the tank which triggers a lever on the connector under the seat, which in turn releases a latch that activates the seat closing action. The seat closes very slowly for, as the company refers to it, a pinch-free close.

The unit is currently only available in Home Depots of the American Midwest.

Also: Froogle Search gives a price of about $80.
Promo Video of the seat in action.

Link: Harmony Toilet Seat]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Harmony-Flush-Activated-Toilet-Seat
Skills and materials honed and tested in the demanding boatbuilding industry mean you don't have to worry about your bath ever springing a leak. Indeed, keep the stopper firmly in and you could probably paddle your bath quite safely. And because our baths rely on marine technology they are designed for a far more ravaging environment then your bathroom.

Furthermore:

Each wall is built using a strip building technique where narrow wooden strips are locked one to the next using a boat building technique called cove and beading. This technique means the walls behave as single sheets of wood. Each strip is individually cut, placed and bent to perfectly shape and seal your bath. The floors of each bath are built from over 25mm (1 inch) of wood. This might sound excessive but it prevents any possibility of creep and sagging with age, ensuring your bath floor will always remain sound and true.

The baths must be quite a hit with people as the site is closed to new orders, according to a notice on the homepage. That or it just takes them years to build one.

Via Trendir]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Nice-Handmade-Wooden-Baths-by-Driftwood
View the complete process with pics and video here.]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Tile-Over-Laminate-Countertops-with-Tavy-Thin-Skin-Underlay-System
The Internet claimed that disassembling a toilet to check the flange or to replace the wax ring was easy. Invariably, the same sites that talked about how easy this task was would follow that up by saying, "A TOILET BREAKS EASILY BE CAREFUL!!!!" The sites also varied in how detailed their instructions were, in one case even going so far as to skip the whole "removing the tank" part. As a public service, I'm going to give you the definitive step-by-step guide to disassembling a toilet to repair it.

Also be sure not to miss the toilet diagram Stephen has created, which, although highly technical and beyond the comprehension of the layman, is a useful toilet anatomy nonetheless.

Link: How To Disassemble a Toilet In Many Easy Steps]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Funny-Toilet-Disassembly-Howto LEDs everywhere will be shunned by civilized society. Children will ask their parents to tell them what it was like having to live before LED toilet seats and blue LED faucet lights, like this one.

This particular life-improving gadget attaches to your bathroom faucet with its included universal adapter and is activated as the water flows through. Once the LEDs are on, the water glows space-age blue. The unit happens to be watch-battery powered, but wouldn't it be cool if it were powered by generating electricity from the water passing through it - would that be even possible or is the gadget simply too small to contain something like that? Anyone know?

Dave, thanks for the tip. ]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/LED-Faucet-Light Michael Douglas. Eliminate the risk with this sweet wireless, remote controlled, programmable, digital shower from Grohe. The Grohtherm allows to you wake up in the morning, push a button on the remote and have the shower ready and waiting - at your predetermined temperature and flow rates, no less.

Via Gizmodo.]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Grohe-Grohtherm--Wireless-Programmable-Remote-Controlled-Shower bathroom gallery available for your viewing pleasure, and it's filled with some seriously nice bathrooms. The gallery is divided into three categories: contemporary, traditional and eclectic.

Of course if you were looking for something classy, like LED toilet seats, you'd want to go here.]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Kohler-Bathroom-Design-Gallery
VIOlight uses a germicidal UV bulb - the same technology used in hospitals - to kill germs. Sanitization is activated with a simple push of a button. A blue-violet glow on top of the VIOlight lets you know the sanitizer is working. The entire process takes only 10 minutes. When finished, the bulb automatically shuts off and your toothbrush is fresh, clean, and safely stored for the next time you brush!

A travel version is also available.




via popgadget]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Germ-Eliminating-Ultra-Violet-Toothbrush-Sanitizer here are some tips on making the most out of the space you have available to you, including things like where to place the toilet, amount of space required for sinks, showers and baths, as well as storage and safety ideas.]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Good-List-of-Bathroom-Design-Tips
Enter the room to motion activated lights. Work your magic. Catch a squirt of soap from your touchless soap dispenser. Wash your hands under your hands free faucet. Finish up by drying your hands sans towel.

Leave.]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Make-Your-Own-Hands-Free-Bathroom http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Uber-Sleek-Italian-Faucets Dave Samuel. The one time dot com entrepreneur was not content to simply relax on some Caribbean island after co-founding and subsequently selling internet radio company "Spinner" to AOL for $320 million. No, Samuel combined a fascination with high end electronic Japanese toilets with a mind for business to produce a start-up called Brondell. Samuel's goal is to bring Japanese toilet technology to America, and the Brondell Swash 600 is his first offering (along with the non-bum-drying Swash 400).

The 600 offers a warm-air dryer, temperature-controlled heated seat, remote control, massage, dual nozzle action, and gentle close lid. ]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Brondell-Swash-600-High-Tech-Toilet-Seat diynetwork that covers template construction, mold making, pouring, and finishing up.

Here's another very detailed tutorial from NaturalHandyman.com. Both are good, but the diynetwork breaks down the materials needed in a nicer format.

For some inspiration, take a look at Cheng Design to see some amazing examples of what's possible to accomplish with concrete.]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Concrete-Countertop-HowTos
* Saves water consumption by one third
* Highly energy-saving
* User-friendly in every way
* Minor extra costs compared to standard toilet units


Ecoplay estimates that the unit will pay for itself in 6 years. Perhaps if this catches on, Ecoplay will be able to afford to have people other than their children* drawing diagrams of the unit.

*Update: Looks like they've updated their site with really nice diagrams now.

via City Hippy]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Ecoplay-Reroutes-Shower-Water-for-Toilet-Use
From the Depot's useful Know-How page.]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Big-Home-Depot-Plumbing-HowTo-List