I am not one to push or tout trends. My belief is that your home should reflect you, your family, your lifestyle, and the way you live in your home. The reality is, as consumers we tend to want a lot of the same things. This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →

Home renovators who purchase an energy-efficient refrigerator, washer, dryer, or other qualifying home appliance may be eligible to receive a $50 to $200 rebate from the federal government. The money is available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act — also known as the stimulus package. But the bigger reward offers homeowners a tax credit that can add up to thousands of dollars for qualifying home improvements that increase energy-efficiency. This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →

People who love the charm and character of old Portland homes don’t have to deal with high heating bills and drafty bedrooms forever. Many energy efficient upgrades can make a tremendous change in your comfort, safety, and utility cost. This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →

A custom-designed daybed makes room for sewing and crafts by day and rolls out to provide a queen-size bed by night. The above photo shows the bed closed The under-sized entry into the attic space was moved and incorporated as a cabinet door (far left) into the entertainment center, which now commits the room to a new statement and purpose. This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →

This issue’s musings ponders how to be sure a contractor’s competitive bid is fair, accurate, and complete. Not only is comparing apples to apples important, getting to the apple core is equally essential. This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →

Have you ever noticed how the sound of running water gets your attention? I have a water feature in my front yard that you can hear from the street and I’ve noticed how people walking by actually stop and say, “Do you hear that?” It is so soothing and inviting. When I bought my house it had a huge pond in the front, complete with a waterfall — except for the fact that it didn’t work nor was it likely to in the near future. We spent years trying to get it working and no matter what we did,... more

For this how-to we are using limited installation guidelines and photos for a Laurelhurst Fan. If installing a Laurelhurst Fan, a more custom installation brochure comes with the fan. We would like to thank the owners of the Laurelhurst Fan Company for providing this information. This basic overview should work with many wall mounted exhaust fans. Every fan has its own characteristics so check with the installation guide that came with your fan before attempting any installation. This is just a... more

This month’s musings from across the architect’s drawing board reflect on matching the client with the architect. Most articles about selecting an architect suggest checking references, viewing previous work, and taking the time to talk to a number of architects before hiring one. These are important aspects in the selection process, and should be followed. But I would like to introduce another idea that may be even more important: Defining who you are as a client. This is just a preview...Read... more