Live/Work

Found this very interesting product this afternoon - 100% recycled brick pavers made from shredded tires and plastic bottles - Made by Vast.

Seems like a great alternative to poured concrete or traditional brick. I’ll look into pricing to see what it might cost. One of the most exciting features of this product is that the “bricks” can be cut with standard woodworking tools. Anyone who’s ever used a brick saw knows what I’m talking about!

Did I mention these bricks are 1/3 the weight of traditional pavers? Hello deck!

Eric Strong is an Ashland-based woodworker who specializes in one-of-a-kind furniture. One of the coolest things about his work is his commitment to using local and recycled wood. Check out his site here.

Bench made from concrete and reclaimed fir from an old pickle barrel.

The folks over at 100k House are having an interesting discussion on ceiling fans and lighting. Chad’s found some great ceiling fan fixtures (designed for industrial applications). The downside? No integrated light source.

One idea is to separate the light from fan function. Here’s an example of what we’re doing in the ADU bedroom: lights mounted on top of the closet “wash” the ceiling with light. Nice and indirect, you can still use less expensive industrial fans (click on the image for a larger view).

Anyone who owns dogs knows how tough it is to keep them from ruining your landscaping. We love our pups, but nothing kills a plant faster than a 90lb Saint Bernhard.
So, as part of our ongoing battle to save our vegetation, I’m designing a new fence around one of our planting beds. It won’t keep the dogs out entirely, but it should provide a degree of protection. Raina and I have discovered the trick isn’t so much to stop the dogs as it is to provide them with “paths of least resistance.”

I’ll update as the project progresses. I’ve also included some past reference photos below. Fun fun! Read the rest of this entry »

The city of Portland recently announced its winners in the first ever “Courtyard Housing” design competition. In the process of reviewing the winners I stumbled across one of the most succinct, thoughtful graphics explaining the benefit of accessory units. The graphic is part of the proposal by the very talented architect/designer/graphic guru Ryan Sullivan at Sparkynino. (I’m hoping Ryan doesn’t mind that I share his super-cool design). Check it out:

One of the things that’s great about this graphic is that it shows the sustainable nature of accessory units. These additional units allow families to stay on their property, even as housing needs change over the years. Rather than selling the house as children move in (or out), the family can simply move in (or out) of the accessory unit.

Take a look at Ryan’s website, along with his full proposal here.

There’s a real movement afoot to design sophisticated “sheds” as part of the back yard. These range from small, functional buildings to elaborate artist’s spaced and spare bedrooms. Here are just a few great examples.

Milton Studio, by Timber Design Limited:

Check out the interior!

You can also find some additional resources at the website Shedworking. For the ambitious DIYer, check out Readymade Magazine. They’ve got a new issue for FREE online viewing. You can see all sorts of great designs, and even buy a shed-kit!

A few US-based sources:

Moderncabana

Metro Shed

Modern Shed

Taking a break from the project…needed some fresh perspective. Headed south and found some wonderful architecture along the waterfront.

Well, we’ve officially moved into the painful, “lose the frills” phase of the project. Because the cost of the project exceeds our lender requirements, we’ve started hacking and slashing to cut costs. A big portion of these costs? Windows.

Here’s how the math works out:

Removing 8 windows saves us a total of  $2400 in costs, plus another $500 in labor. It’s tough to give up the natural light, especially on the south side of the building. However, this is part of the reality of building. Windows are a major expense to any project, and we made the decision to go with fewer windows that were higher quality, rather than a lot of cheap-o vinyl windows. It’s part of my philosophy that we should strive for quality over quantity…even if it means going with “less” for a time.

Here’s a few images of how the building will look with the windows removed: Read the rest of this entry »

I’m just as guilty as the next person - there are a few rooms in my house with the ass-ugly venetian blinds. If I had my way, I’d replace them all tomorrow. Eric over at Longhouse has found a nice modern solution from Ikea. Take a look:

Well, to placate the city, we’ve removed our glass roll-up door. While a bit of a hit for the design, there are some functional benefits. Namely:

• Standard French doors are more energy efficient
• It would be easier to convert the lower level to a living space at some point in the future.
• It will help the appraisal - apprasers, lenders, and just about everyone else sees the roll-up door and thinks “Garage!” The French doors say, “house” which has a higher value

Here’s a few renderings: