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Energy-Efficient San Francisco Remodel
1 commentThe Kumar Residence, nestled in the hills of Belmont, CA is an 1100 square foot addition and remodel of an existing 1950′s mid-century modern ranch house that needed updating, and more living...
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All concrete home, 3 stories ICF block construction
All ICF exterior walls, 3 stories! 10,000 heated sq. ft., six car garage, indoor shooting range! Custom wood windows with 12" jams, ZO6 glass. Hers rating of 52!
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Puget Sound Woodworking - The Shop
This is the studio for Puget Sound Woodworking, located in downtown Snohomish, Washington. It is a small woodworking school and custom woodworking studio. The shop was designed in Sketchup by the...
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Sustainable Living Shed in a Midwest Suburb
This shed was built with the intention of serving as many purposes as possible on as small a piece of land as possible. Because we live on a corner lot where it would be very visible, we also...
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House Crashers and EnvironmentalLights.com Transform Fourth Home Renovation Together
EnvironmentalLights.com featured in its fourth episode of House Crashers, a hit TV show on the DIY Network EnvironmentalLights.com, a leading source for high-quality, energy-efficient LED lighting...
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The Concepts of "Owning Land" and "Green Building"
5 commentsDoes my lot extend vertically down into the center of the earth and up to the outer reaches of the ionosphere? Once you start thinking about land "ownership" there is a lot to consider. In terms of green building, what makes one option green while another is merely "green-washed"?
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Kerhonkson General: Update on a green renovation in Hudson Valley
Ok, things are starting to pick up. I just finished the business plan and submitted all documents to the bank. Now it's about a 3 week wait to get approvals and start work so over the course of the...
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Pull out cabinet in full bath
This was a 2nd Floor bathroom remodel ( 5' x 9' ) So space is a premium at best for storage. We came up with the idea of using a media full extension swivel pull out by...
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Insulating behind a brick wall?
2 commentsI audited a brick house this week. There's no insulation in the walls. The customer doesn't want to blow from the inside (b/c the inside walls are papered and they're concerned about how the finishes...
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Low voltage Landscape lighting Enjoy your yard 24/7
The house is built, everything is in it's place. You are working hard and when you get home you would like to enjoy the beautiful landscaped yard, but it's now getting dark. Solution, landscape...
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Flashing Windows in Walls with Exterior XPS Insulating Sheathing
2 commentsThe exterior insulation adds thermal efficiency. Perhaps even more important, in our marine climate, our code (Portland, OR) then allows us to omit the interior vapor barrier, and we can build...
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Disaster Relief Housing
6 commentsThis is a project I worked on and I still feel it is a viable solution for disaster relief housing. It is completely self sustainable; providing enough electricity and hot water to comfortably house...
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Tucker Timber Frame
This home is a two story 2000 SF timber frame built from old growth doug fir. All timber recycled from Pier 3 in Astoria OR (built in 1913). All cabinets and trim are built from the same...
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New Hampshire 30'x36' story and a half, locally grown Hemlock
Locally grown Hemlock timbers frame this Mascoma riverfront home in NH. Special thanks to Great Northern Barns who prefabed most of the frame at their shop less than a mile awaynbsp...
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House of 9 Gables in Alabama
This is the house I built for my family. I did 90% of the work over 15 months. This is built in one of the oldest neighborhoods in Opelika, AL, now a historic district. On this site...
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Radiant barrier in attic
I sprayed radiant barrier paint a few years ago, but wanted more savings. So I recently installed Energy Q foil on the attic floor. Awesome savings! Tips are at...
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Fait Accompli: Our First House...Finished
5 commentsAfter almost two years of steady work our passive-solar house is now "officially" built. Looking back it hardly seems possible... Thanks to a combination of mutual enthusiasm, several talented...
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Award Winning Restoration
1 commentWinner of the Griffin Award for residential rehabilitation in Asheville, NC, this home went from "in the rough" to "high-end, green restoration". As part of a whole house restoration, the...
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Turning the Corner
2 commentsI tend toward obsessive when it comes to efficiency, so for me the layout of our kitchen was labored over during many a restless night. Back in 1952 when our house was constructed, I’m sure the...
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Livingroom makeover
100 y/o old was remodelled 20+ years ago with lots of paneling that was "in" at the time, I guess. Fireplace was just a cinderblock opening. Woodwork was very very dark. We stripped...
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Converting a New England Carriage House into a Ranch-Style Home
Last summer we purchased a 10,000 sq foot lot with a carriage house and in-ground swimming pool. With this I restored the turn-of-the-century carriage house and built an 1100 sq foot house around it...
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1950 CA Bungalow Bath Remodel
This bath remodel includes a HydroMassage whirllpool, custom cherry vanity with granite top, ThinWire floor heat, and Title 24 compliant halogen lighting. The vanity was designed to...
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Building Our First House: Floor Plan & Elevations Tour
After our house was featured in Fine Homebuilding (February) we've had requests to see our floor plan. For those interested this page shows the working plan - minus dimensions & notes - from...
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1930s American Foursquare
1 commentWe bought a 1930 American Foursquare in 2006 which we are still restoring and updating. There was only one outlet on the second floor in the hallway for 4 bedrooms & 1 bathroom! The house had the...
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Small Bath Re
1950 California bungalow bath remodel. Expanded floor space by moving closet in adjacent bedroom. Custom designed bow front vanity saves floor space while maximizing storage. Hydro...
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From Washington to Maine: Building A House for the First Time
19 commentsIn April 2007 my wife and I, both in our thirties, left our home town of Point Roberts, Washington and moved across country to the small town of Belfast, Maine. With little construction experience...
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Concentrating Solar Heating on purpose built shop
2 commentsThis Project has been 24 years in the making, however only the last 6 years in earnest. As the concentrating solar thermal collector prototypes were tested in quick succession, this...
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Rustic Modern Custom Home
A custom home built with both rustic and modern elements. Home features wide plank pine and slate flooring, combined with wrought iron light fixtures and iron stair railing. High ceilings and clean...
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Modern Farmhouse
This New Home is in the historic district of an old Texas Railroad town...located two blocks from a light rail station. The Lot is very Small...No Homes were torn down to make...
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Designers Office
6 commentsLocated in Western Massachusetts, this 650 square foot designers studio contains a small vaulted workspace and meeting room. The building is positioned on a southerly axis for maximum...
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200 s.f. Art Studio
7 commentsSmall art studio I built for a good friend of mine. In Olympia you can build a freestanding structure up to 200 s.f. (recently raised from 100 s.f.) without a permit. It was...
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How to Paint Fiber-Cement Siding
Painter Jim Lacey shares some tips for caulking and painting fiber-cement siding. read more
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