Redstone volume footprint a problem

I want to use Redstone more but the inconvenience of a small "machine" taking up the space of a building has resulted in me never using it.
The volumetric footprint needed even for a simple contraption like opening doors is simply ridiculous.
I would suggest making Redstone something you add to existing blocks to make them conductive.
A subtle texture change would hint that a block is conductive or not.
Another alternative is to make special blocks where "Any" block + Redstone = conductive block.
This would result in a block that looks like your input, but with a Redstone "rod" through it making it conductive in one direction.
So in a nutshell, make Redstone have a smaller footprint to make it usable.