Whether you’ve been taking steps toward green living or you’re a newbie and want to jump start your efforts and reduce your carbon footprint on earth, one area of opportunity is your toddler’s room. Two interior design instructors from The Art Institutes share how to make your toddler’s room sustainable. This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →

With all of the high-speed communications available today, it is easy to do research. One topic that seems to be showing itself in parents’ magazines, newspapers, and television shows is lead usage. Studies have shown that lead in our bodies causes harm in many ways. The group that can suffer the most damage are children six and under and pregnant women. Children can have learning difficulties and behavioral problems as a result of lead exposure. Adults are also affected with kidney problems, blood... more

If you’re buying or selling a home, you’ve probably been advised by your realtors to test for radon levels. For the rest of us, though, radon testing probably hasn’t made it onto our home improvement to-do lists. But, according to public health officials and agencies, radon should be at the top of everyone’s list — especially those of us who live in Oregon. This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →

Funny thing about houses — they don’t comprehend that the economy is less than stellar. They still need regular maintenance. January is my time for organizing, cleaning closets, tidying cabinets, and overall rearranging. This creates lots of opportunities to notice all the things I want to fix and update in our home. Unfortunately, with the holidays just finishing and a tight budget, much of our home improvements may need to be put on the back burner for a while. This is just a preview...Read... more

The bathroom fan has come a long way in just the past year. With the introduction of the dual-sensor fan that monitors both humidity and motion, the bathroom fan has become mostly automatic. For many years the bath fan was turned on like a light with a switch or a timer. Now the Panasonic WhisperSense fans come on only when moisture or motion in the bathroom is detected. It saves energy by not working when it is not needed. Why operate the fan when there is no moisture, and you are not there? By... more

Tucked away on a quiet side street in a peaceful neighborhood in north Portland is a small business on an oversized lot. It boasts one really big garden. A design studio. And a nursery. There’s also a client base that travels up the west coast to buy plants and order custom woodwork. This enterprise is called Bamboo Craftsman, and the company has grown its reputation largely through word-of-mouth, charming designs, and the owner’s business savvy. This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →

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 →