Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) is known throughout the world as the great American architect who designed such icons as Falling Water, the Robie House, and the Guggenheim Museum. His most influential accomplishment may well be his series of small and practical Usonian houses built between 1938 and the 1960s. Many features commonly found in mainstream home styles of the 1950s and 1960s were first popularized by Wright in his Usonian prototypes: one-story horizontal plans, walls of windows (often opening... more

Have you considered building a rain garden in your yard? Many of us in Portland, OR have seen the swales being built all around the city to manage storm water runoff and protect our rivers. Did you know that you, too, can do the same thing in your own yard? When we build swales in our yards, we call them rain gardens, and they are just as effective at capturing runoff from the roof and driveway. Above is an example of a faux riverrock stream that the rain water from the roof is redirected towards. What... more

More than 80% of all decks in the United States are built entirely or partially with pressure-treated wood. While the market for composite, low maintenance, decking materials continues to grow, the posts, beams, and joists are usually made from pressure-treated wood — known for its structural strength. An unprotected deck absorbs water, softening and swelling the wood fibers. The sun’s heat dries the wood, which makes the wood shrink. Without protection, even the wood of a pressure-treated deck... more

Americans love to paint. Each year they buy an average of 2.3 gallons of paint. A 2007 Environmental Protection Agency study estimates that about 10% of the house paint purchased annually ends up as leftover or unused. In Oregon and Washington State about 2.322 million gallons of paint is leftover annually. A study spearheaded by the nonprofit Product Stewardship Institute finds that people will hold their leftover paint for about seven years before they dispose of it through municipal household... more

In the past few years “green” eco-friendly buildings have been receiving a lot of notice. Most of this attention has been directed at constructing new green buildings. But those wanting to restore an older house or business are also finding more products and services available to them. Cork flooring was used extensively in mid-century homes and is popular again today as a green alternative.Photo courtesy of Arciform LLC Refurbishing older cabinets, rather than replacing them... more

The First Cordless Drill Here we are in the 21st century, and everything is just so high-tech. There are exceptions of course, and in the world of cool tools, there are plenty of oldies that serve a useful function while still having a neutral carbon footprint. So today I give you the Yankee Screwdriver, still the quickest “green” way to turn a screw. The earliest versions of this tool were manufactured by the Decatur Coffin Company in the late 19th century and were not reversible, leading... more

The simplest thing everyone can do to make a difference in global warming is to replace incandescent lightbulbs with more energy-efficient compact fluorescent lightbulbs. These lightbulbs produce more light than heat with the electricity they use. As a result, they can provide the same amount of light as standard incandescent lightbulbs but use only one-quarter to one-third as much energy, and they last up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs. Compact fluorescent lightbulbs have come a long... more

Back in 1930, it took six tries before Dwight Parr senior succeeded in opening a lumber store that 75 years later has 25 locations in Oregon and Washington and employs more than 600 people. With a focus on customer service that encourages both consumers and contractors to make Parr Lumber their first choice for building supplies, the family-owned company today ranks 23rd in the nation, with sales revenue eclipsing... more