by Jill Williams | May, 2023 | Article, Design + Architecture, Green Building, Living, Tips + Inspiration
Shou Sugi Ban solution detail on the front entry.
The clouds parted and we collectively opened our doors and cautiously stepped outside. As excitement continues to brew for the amazing PNW seasons ahead, we’ve started spending more time on the outside of our homes and scrutinizing a number of things about our homes and gardens — which might include our siding. Some of you may find as you look a little closer that your siding could use a little love. Maybe sections show wear and tear (or worse)… but how to proceed – repair, cover, or replace?
1. Repair: Is it a small amount of damage? Then repair is likely doable, depending on if you need new material and if it is available anywhere. You will want to take note if the existing material has asbestos in it. While the amount of potential asbestos dust is minimal in many repairs. Rules for contractors working with asbestos materials are much more strict than you as a homeowner.
A mix of corten steel and
repurposed barn wood.
2. Cover: it was super popular mid- and later last century to cover wood siding with aluminum or vinyl siding. Sometimes the wood was damaged, sometimes the homeowner was wooed by the lack of maintenance. Depending on a whole slew of things, sometimes the “cover-up” trapped moisture and made matters much worse. It’s one of the reasons we are not fans of just covering problems. If you’re going to replace siding, we recommend demo’ing the existing and taking the opportunity to improve your insulation, shear walls, and weather-resistant barriers.
3. Replace: Replacement can be a full overhaul or partial. Think about what angles you and others see two sides of your home together – it may be possible to lessen the cost impact and just repair one or two sides. Sometimes the effort for repair isn’t worth the difference in cost between that and replace, given a variety of circumstances. Plus, there are some pretty cool, eco-friendly options out there that can also give your house a simple face-lift.
All in all, there are some pretty incredible sustainable, functional, and aesthetic solutions that can stand-alone or be combined with other new and old solutions. From cement board and trim made with concrete waste (called fly ash) to recycled compressed paper, thermally-treated hardwoods that don’t need any maintenance, and even siding made from rice husks (a by-product of the rice industry)! They all come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors to meet a plethora of aesthetic needs. To view more projects, visit our Project page .
by Jill Williams | Apr, 2023 | Design + Architecture, Events - Workshops, Featured Projects, Green Building, Tips + Inspiration
Visit our Site on the Northwest Green Home Tour!
FREE Sat, April 29, 2023 from 11:00am-5:00pm
Westside Kitchen, Bath, and Basement Remodel
4931 SW Forney St, Seattle, WA 98116
This family of five had outgrown the functionality of their 1955 main floor kitchen & bathroom as well as the funky and lackluster basement and decided it was well past time to optimize those spaces. Designed by Lucy Johnson & remodeled by Mighty House, they found the sweet spot of beauty, function, and healthy solutions. Deciding the boundaries of your remodel is as important to what you want to use in your remodel. Come see the choices this family made to mitigate scope creep.
The Northwest Green Home Tour is a FREE educational community event. You’ll see and learn first-hand how your neighbors are generating their own electricity with solar panels, lowering their energy bills with insulation, and creating healthier home environments for their families with better building materials and systems. Get your FREE tickets here.
by Jill Williams | Apr, 2023 | Living, Tips + Inspiration
Spring is here, and the sun is finally starting to shine through. This is the perfect time to get out and give your home a post-winter maintenance overhaul. Here are a few things to look for now that you can see EVERYTHING in the sunlight.
ON THE EXTERIOR:
- Check for any gutter for damages
- Make sure downspouts are pointed away from the house
- Look for unearthed electrical lines that may have eroded over winter
- Check for compromised exterior paint problems that should be addressed during the summer
- Bounce on your deck boards to make sure no boards have rotted
- Need to water your lawn? Consider an automatic system that will run in the coolest part of the night to use the least amount of reduce the amount of evaporation and thus use the least amount of water.
ON THE INTERIOR:
Remember that your house needs a few months of warm sunshine to dry out from the long, cold, and wet winter season. In the meantime, here are few suggestions of things you can do to prepare for summer and keep the inside of your home healthy and clean:
- Cleaning windows and skylights to look out more brilliantly and clear away pine needles and accumulated dirt that can slowly cause problems
- Change out vinyl shower curtains for nylon
- Replace bulbs with LEDS
- Water leak detectors under your sink to alert you to any water leaks
- Make sure vacuums have a HEPA filter
And, always use earth-friendly cleaning solutions that you can make yourself with common household products. Here are a couple of our favorite recipes!
All-Purpose Cleaner (Great for Glass)
- 1 cups white distilled vinegar
- 1 cups water
- 4 drops essential oil (optional)
- 2 drops liquid dish detergent
Natural Disinfectant Spray
- 1 cup distilled water
- 1/2 cups white-grain vinegar
- 4 drops lavender oil
- 4 drops tea tree oil
by Jill Williams | Mar, 2023 | Article, Events - Workshops, Green Building, Living
2023 Northwest Green Home Tour
April 29, 2023 from 11:00am-5:00pm
We are excited to announce that we will be co-hosting a site again this year on the Northwest Green Home Tour with Lucy Johnson Interior Design. Come see the rest of the kitchen this pictured “family member” gets to enjoy!
The Northwest Green Home Tour is a FREE educational community event. You’ll see and learn first-hand how your neighbors are generating their own electricity with solar panels, lowering their energy bills with insulation, and creating healthier home environments for their families with better building materials and systems. Get your FREE tickets here.
by Jill Williams | Mar, 2023 | Article, Green Building, Living, Material Salvage + Reuse, Tips + Inspiration
3 Eco-friendly Essentials to Include in Your Upcoming Remodel
Focusing on the quality and purity of the air in your home.
This might not be top of mind for most homeowners, but any well-insulated building also needs excellent airflow. This ensures that moist, stale, and contaminated air moves out of the home and prevents the accumulation of mold and mildew. This is why a powerful air renewal system is highly desired in the sustainable design world. Many of our design partners consider air quality in their design work and have seen an uptick in demand lately – especially with the rise of summer wildfires over the past few years. Read more on breathing clean air and what can you do to minimize your chances of breathing viral particles and standing smoke.
Thermal insulation is an eco-friendly home essential.
Insulating your home will make your space more comfortable throughout the year as you will enjoy consistent indoor temperatures. In many cases. Intentional design that creates passive heating and cooling through the tactical placement of windows and shading is an environmentally conscious strategy for keeping temperatures comfortable. But it’s those intentional choices made during the construction process that helps turns the home into a self-contained, eco-friendly oasis.
Using salvaged materials.
Salvaged or reclaimed materials are building materials that have been recycled specifically for reuse. Sometimes it is merely reusing the materials already available in your home, but most are building materials that were carefully deconstructed from other homes or buildings for reuse and can greatly lighten your remodel’s carbon impact. Not only does the reuse of materials lessen the overall impact on the planet, but it also can lessen the impact on your wallet while also adding a unique character that is hard (and sometimes impossible) to replicate. Learn more about the benefits of using salvaged materials.
