If you’re a parent or a parent-to-be, it’s inevitable that at some point you’ll want to enjoy a glass of pinot with friends in a living room cleared of LEGOs and My Little Ponies. Balancing the needs of children and adults is challenging throughout parenthood, and making changes to your house to accommodate a growing family is no exception. This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →

Two friends who wanted to save some really great wood from winding up in the landfill started Viridian Wood Products. It was that simple. When my business partner, Pierce Henley, moved into his current home in Scappoose he found a pile of discarded hardwood in his new yard. On the surface it didn’t look like much, but just beneath the rough exterior he found amazing beauty, and he began to use it for all sorts of projects around the house. This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →

On August 1, 2010, Oregon’s “Heat Smart for Clean Air Law” went into effect. This law is meant to protect homebuyers and clean our air of unnecessary wood-smoke pollution. This law requires a homeowner to remove and decommission an uncertified older woodstove or fireplace insert from a home at the point of sale. The law also applies to uncertified woodstoves located in outbuildings, shops, and garages. Uncertified wood stoves and inserts are required to be removed only when a home is sold.... more

Without an Indow Window With an Indow Window Brian McLean’s breakfast nook, with its seven windows looking out onto northeast Fremont Street in Portland, OR, was cold and drafty. The windows, in close proximity to the kitchen, also experienced condensation, with potential damage to the wood frame from water running down the cold panes and collecting on the muntins. This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →

Guess who’s coming to town? Old Man Winter and his entourage for some chilly days and frosty nights. Are you ready to bother through another season or two of cold carpet, bulky area rugs, and a family of stinky slippers? Or have you been considering a new radiant heating system with wood flooring for your home to warm it up, cut down on energy costs, and improve indoor air quality? Well, there’s quite a bit to consider, but knowing the basics behind this major home project can help you decide... more

Most of us have thought about barns at some point in our lives. For many of us, barns evoke a simpler time. A time when we were closer to the earth, we worked hard, and we knew where our food came from. Maybe like me, you grew up in the country seeing barns every day. Or possibly you drive past barns on the way to the coast, or driving down the Willamette Valley, or out through eastern Washington. We see them in all sorts of conditions: beautifully restored, in original and fine condition, or in... more

This year is the 10th anniversary of Build It Green! The tour sparks the imagination, provides resources, and presents green remodeling ideas. Ever since the first event in 2002, approximately 1000 do-it-yourselfers, contractors, students, homeowners, and renters buy tickets every September for the tour. Build It Green! is presented each year by the City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability. This year’s tour will be held on Saturday, September 24, 2011, from 11 am to 5 pm. Twenty-two... more

I recently had a customer come into the northeast Hollywood district A-Boy store, sit down at my desk and tell me about his recent remodel and his brand-new high-resolution 240Hz, plasma flat screen TV in his basement. The client then started to tell me about his leaky water heater. This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →