Accessory dwelling units (ADUs) offer a perfect opportunity to test your hand at an energy-efficient or sustainable structure. Small in size but large in environmental significance, the ADU helps to reinforce the community nature of the neighborhood, and as such should be in harmony with its surroundings. While this doesn’t mean you have to build a mini-earthship or use a recycled shipping container, an ADU can be a miniature example of the most advanced sustainability models. This is just... more

Now that the green movement is driving the vast majority of new flooring products toward sustainability, it’s time to discuss the use of floors that can be installed over the top of existing floors without adhesive. Marmoleum Click This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →

Winter in the Pacific Northwest has officially arrived, with a familiar sting from the higher utility bills and extra maintenance to go with it. This year, instead of feeling trapped by winter’s demands, make some changes to improve the efficiency and longevity of your home. This begins with an energy audit. This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →

I once saw in a catalog an air freshener with the “new-car smell.” I’ve never seen an air freshener with the “just-painted smell.” Decorators say that the easiest way to “freshen” a room is to paint it, but no one likes the smell of new paint. We even pay more for paints marketed as low odor. This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →

Hydrotherapy has come a long way since its inception in the 1800s. Until the Jacuzzi Brothers came out with the first home unit in the 1950s, hydrotherapy was used in hospitals, mostly for patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The first unit was revolutionary in its day but primitive by today’s standards. It was a pump that hooked onto the edge of an existing bathtub to create the whirlpool effect. In the 1960s Jacuzzi came out with a whirlpool similar to the ones we know today. That unit had integral... more

Anyone with an interest in historic architecture will find Newport, RI, among the most interesting cities in America to visit. I was there for the first time this October, taking an all-day side trip from the Boston area. I will return again, as one single day was not enough time to take in all the city’s architectural treasures. I will share with you, good readers of Northwest Renovation magazine, some of the things that I saw and learned in my one day in this remarkable city. This is just a... more

Looking to get more living space out of your home and don’t know whether to go up, down, or out? We asked Anne DeWolf, co-owner and designer of Arciform LLC for her advice on what a homeowner needs to know before you “go below.” This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →

On October 1, 2010, ECOpdx hosted over 100 guests for the grand opening of their 10,000-square-foot  design shop in southeast Portland. Local members of the woodworking and sustainability community as well as valued ECOpdx customers were in attendance. The shop is a co-op venture with local woodworkers and craftspeople. “The idea is to pool our resources with local craftsmen to provide our customers with more services at better prices,” said Darren Morgan, co-owner of ECOpdx. The addition of... more