ECOHAUS, a green candyland

I've never claimed that the new house on Southeast Rex Street would be completely green. My goal was to eliminate waste.

But I do want to make environmentally friendly choices.

With the new house being built at warp speed, I was biting my nails, worried about where I could find a variety of green interior products without shopping the entire metro area. It didn't take long to discover Ecohaus.

In a short time and with a tremendous amount of hand-holding from Ecohaus' Sadie Carney and Karla Martin and Abode Design's Trisha Anderson, I managed to find my dual-flushing Caroma toilets and sinks, Yolo Colorhouse paint, cork and wood flooring, tile and countertops all in one swoop.

Not only are all of the materials environmentally friendly, they are drop-dead gorgeous, too.

But, remember, these new things are replacing materials that are being put to new uses: The old carpet is the weed barrier in the flower beds, for example, and the outdated parquet flooring is turning into play blocks for children.

Each day, the pile of the old house gets smaller and smaller. I'm loving it.

Green Painters Extraordinaire at the REX Project

The crew of Paintegrity, a green painting company is in the middle of painting the interior of the REX Project. Using YOLO Colorhouse paint, a noVOC paint, they are painting nearly 20 different colors throughout the house. Plus at the same time educating me on how to paint the most perfect edge. Their secret...Appy blue masking tape on the ceiling then add a bead of clear cauking. Start painting immediately. Peel back the tape before the caulk dries and voila, you have a perfect edge. Thanks Paintegrity.

Reused original front door

The original front door of the little REX house has found a new location as the backdoor in the new house. Aspen Siding and Windows installed this 1920's dental work design wood door and it looks wonderful. But the best part is I saved nearly $400.00 by not having to buy a new door!

Stairway to Heaven

My siding company Aspen Siding and Windows who are an amazing group of guys have begun the exterior transformation of the REX Project. They will be infusing the old lath as a rain screen, incorporate my old siding with the new along with all the other bells and whistles. At times I do drive the crew crazy with my eye for detail. Mike D. from Aspen Siding and Windows knows that first hand. All in fun though. In the end we will be reusing a ton of original materials from the little house that once was there.

REX project framing

James Ray Arnold Green Building Construction (my framers) have been the most amazing group of guys to work with. On a daily basis I witness first hand the way they care for our environment. At the end of each work day they sort all building materials, reuse and recycle and even search through the scrap wood for framing construction. That saves me money.

ROOM WITH A VIEW

As I grow older the winter's blues or should I say Portland grays are
wearing me down. When designing the REX house one of my top priorities was
having an abundance of windows. When the sun is shining, I want it pouring
inside. Well my wish has come true but I think I might have over done it a
bit. Every room has a view, some are spectacular, overlooking the blooming
camellia's that we transplanted and a glimpse of Westmoreland*cq park. The
south side is a reality check that we live in the city. Roof tops, backyard
toys and storage sheds.

To be honest, that doesn't bother me one bit. What I am really biting my
nails about is I chose windows over walls. The main floor feels like we are
out in the open. I could bump into one of my neighbors at the grocery store
and they could say "So I noticed you were watching Survivor last night."

The R in R.E.X. stands for Reuse. With all the sunlight streaming in, I
think I will bottle it up and reuse it when I invite friends over to watch a
little telly.

Shannon

Because I Can

Constant change is happening daily at the REX Project. James Ray Arnold*cq head framer, and his framing crew can take credit for that. Their team effort and work ethic are beyond all my expectations. On a regular basis, James will phone me (I switched to an unlimited minute package) and suggest different ways to safe money and build our home more efficiently. For example, our original plans showed a partial enclosed staircase. We wanted an open stair case so changes needed to be made. Instead of bulldozing ahead and charging us an arm and a leg, he spoke with Mike Perrotti*cq our number one plumber, and they decided that it would be less expensive to relocated the plumbing rather than rebuild the structure of the building. Savings, close to $500.00

It’s also the little things that make a big difference. James’s crew spends time recycling everything they can, no garbage is tossed around, and the attitude is always positive. They will take the time and rummage through smaller pieces of wood instead of cutting up new boards. That is saving me money on new lumber.

Growing up in my household, we were not allowed to say the word “can’t” and I believe that way of thinking has given me the courage to try new things. And believe you, me, the REX Project is definitely something new.



Shannon