Tag Archives: Building

The irk of Opportunity Wasted

Okay, so I’m going to try real hard not to be mean, but seeing backward-ass decisions realized just really rub me the wrong way. Seeing squandered opportunity and fizzled potential is just so depressing… This past fall, I noticed a … Continue reading

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From field to finishes – agricultural waste transformed!

In a world of dwindling resources, shrinking forests and threatened ecological habitats, it is more important than ever to embrace sustainable, environmentally sound alternatives, and find ways to reduce waste. In my quest to become a full-fledged locavore, and make … Continue reading

Posted in Cool building materials, Local interest, On Design | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Magic and Mysticism in Scandinavian Vernacular Architecture – on Folklore, Superstition and on How the Gods Really Were in the Details…

The urge to decorate is as old as mankind. Since time immemorial, adornments have served as status indicators, cultural and national insignia, as well as tribal trademarks. Heraldic badges and coats of arms mark political and familial affiliations, and entire … Continue reading

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Celebration of the times before the big disconnect – how the old masters selected wood

I spent my childhood summers on a farm in a rather desolate part of northern Sweden. At one point, much later in life, we were looking into moving a small grain storage barn on the property. It was situated a … Continue reading

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Good Sources for Cool Building Materials that May Help Green Your Project

The exhibition catalog for the PNC SmartHome Cleveland (the Passive House I wrote about in my last post) – included a list of companies that provided the materials for that project. In an effort to spread the Sustainable Building Gospel, … Continue reading

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One quick amendment…

After sleeping on it, I would like to make one small amendment to yesterday’s blog posting on green roofs.  Sometimes, there actually exists a good reason not to employ the glorious expanses of chlorophyll I gushed so extensively about in … Continue reading

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Soften the Environmental Blow With a Green Roof!

Ever since I attended an architectural product luncheon back in 1993, where a Swiss rep was showing his wares – various sizes of the plastic, egg crate-looking modules holding the planting medium used to create planted roofs – and lauding … Continue reading

Posted in Client Education, Cool building materials, Environment, Gardening and Landscaping, Green Living, On Building, On Design | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Your very own personal pod…

Came across this on one of my favorite blogs Inhabitat.com and just had to pass it on! It’s so darn cute! It’s Archipod’s spherical garden office pod. Who wouldn’t want one of these to call your own! Very cool!

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Thinking about remodeling?

If you are doing it with the intention to sell, here is a great chart to consult, that will show you the ratio of cost vs. value in the case of a sale. If the planned renovation is for the … Continue reading

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HGTV is not Reality TV!

With the arrival of computers and programs like Illustrator and Photoshop, the world experienced a flood wave of newly hatched “graphic designers”. Sure, they might be prodigious navigators of the above mentioned programs, but were they really putting out good … Continue reading

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