Remember the tree house you had growing up? Or the one you always wanted? You can have it now. In the summer of 2010, Matt Siegel and his company Building Blocks, LLC, were presented with a golden, albeit unusual, opportunity: to build a children’s playhouse. While Siegel is well versed in the construction and renovation of family homes, this particular kind of project was a first. This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →

The Arts & Crafts or Craftsman movement came to the U.S. from England around the early 1900s as a reaction to the “soulless machine-made production” of the Industrial Revolution with the belief that aesthetics would help society to be more “rational and harmonious.” Many tile artisans considered the machine as the cause of “repetitive and mundane evils” and encouraged the movement towards handcraft work. The goal was for more authentic design and decoration. Design elements of this... more

Interior decorating books recommend perfectly matching the colors of paint with existing decor. As the gallons of unused paint turned in for recycling reveals, matching colors is easier said then done. This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →

Since the dawn of time the natural process of convection has been the most energy-efficient method of heat transfer. With the many benefits of convection heating, it is clear why people have for so long followed the lead of nature by letting convection electric heaters warm their homes. This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →

If you live in North Portland you now have your own vintage house parts business. Salvage Works is located in the historic North Portland Kenton neighborhood, and offers a wide array of reclaimed vintage architectural salvaged house parts. Salvage Works also offers handmade custom furniture and collectables and hosts shows by local furniture makers and artists as part of Kenton’s Third Thursday Art Walk. This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →

On Tuesday afternoon at 4:53 pm on January 12, 2010, a devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake shook for nearly 35 seconds near the heart of the most densely populated portions of Haiti, including the capital city of Port-au-Prince. Since that first quake, nearly 60 aftershocks, some near a magnitude of 6.0, have left the people of Haiti fearful to return to what is left of their homes. Many still live in tent cities. This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →

When it comes to carpentry, I would have to say that stair building requires a very high degree of skill. It is generally not a do-it-yourself activity unless you have skill, patience, tools, and money — the latter because of the likelihood of miscuts and of needing to buy more parts. So it is generally advised, when redoing your stairs or building new stairs, to hire a carpenter who specializes in stairs. This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →

The post World War II building boom in Portland presented many opportunities for architects and builders to express their own interpretation of the “Modern” home. Designer/Builder Kenneth L. Birkemeier built approximately 700 homes and apartment units in Portland during the mid-century period. Although credited with building some Colonial, English, and conventional Ranch-style homes, it is the Birkemeier Modern house that remains his most recognizable house style today. These brick (or partial-brick)... more