Along with the standard water, electric and / or gas meter, I propose that every home should have a scale for determining the weight of its contents.
This could be fairly easily implemented in new construction, and retrofitted at a cost, using strain gauges / load cells. Vertical apartments could subtract the weight of apartments above them.
Simply a gauge/meter which displays the home's actual weight above the foundation. Could be logged by a PC, or just displayed on a readout in the home. Alarms could be triggered when you have accumulated too much stuff!
Why? You might ask? - Possibly to see if your family has simply gained a bit of weight, need to restock the freezer, or have a severe need to hold a garage / rumble / jumble / rummage sale! (Conceivably could be designed to measure each room / appliance separately. Suitable sensor placement / software could show separate areas / sum to a total.)
(Inspired by my elderly Mom, who suffers with a form of packratitis, i.e. OCD. Symptoms evidenced by accumulating random stuff/junk from floor to ceiling.)-- csea, Jul 17 2007 Load Cell background info http://www.omega.co...info/loadcells.htmlMeans to measure weight electrically [csea, Jul 17 2007] How Much Does a House Weigh? http://forums.jlcon...wthread.php?t=24928discussion and estimate of 60lbs per square foot of fioor space [csea, Jul 17 2007] Calculate House Weight http://www.foretruss.com/WTMAT.pdfReference table for doing your own calculation [csea, Jul 17 2007] Anyone have a notion of the weight of an typical house / apartment / flat ? I'm too tired research that tonight!-- csea, Jul 17 2007 Similar techniques could be used on vehicles, storage units, and practically anywhere stuff collects!-- csea, Jul 17 2007 my home contents insurance is due - I'm wondering if this would affect the cost. also, worrying that my council tax might be inflated by the amount of stuff I have acquired over the years.-- po, Jul 17 2007 It would be a very dedicated insurance company that attempted to calculate the value of your belongings against how much a thief could carry or pack into a van.-- marklar, Jul 17 2007 I once proposed this as a method for determining if cars had been booby trapped... ie fit them with weight monitoring devices. It was at a time when under car booby-trap bombs were being used frequently to kill members of the security forces where I live.
I like the idea of fitting this to a house... I think I have the packratitis that inflicts your mother [csea]. I envision a large calibrated meter recording yet more plastic, fake miniature meals foolishly acquired at the Dollar Tree store when recently in Chelsea, Massachusetts (maybe they are everywhere in US) +-- xenzag, Jul 17 2007 for [xenzag]---yes the Dollar Trees are coming to a town near you, but you were in Chelsea, Ma and didn't call me? I'm an hour or so away from there!-- xandram, Jul 17 2007 Just think.... we could have fought over who would get the last Chuck E. Cheese's Play Food Set, currently tipping the scales into overload in my studio room.-- xenzag, Jul 17 2007 Why didn't I think of this! I suffer from packratitis that my parent's both have (my mom's case is more severe).-- BJS, Jul 17 2007 okay, I was tired last night. [+] to this idea becasue it would intresting to know exactly how much your house weighed. I imagine looking at the numerical readout when I have a party, and seeing how many people are there.
"Hey I need at least 300 lbs of you guys to leave right now!, And who left 2 lbs in the bathroom?"-- evilpenguin, Jul 17 2007 I suppose there should be a "tare" function, in order to subtract out the current weight, and just display the difference since you last measured.
Added a couple of [links].-- csea, Jul 17 2007 My sympathies, [csea], my mother has a similar affliction. Oh, and she collects stray dogs as well.-- normzone, Jul 17 2007 random, halfbakery