Meet Nathan Cooprider- Artist, World Traveler and our newest Featured Architect

Nathan Cooprider is a registered architect with over 15 years of professional experience.  Growing up in McMinnville, OR he was always interested in drawing and inventing.  His path to architecture was a winding one of self discovery.  After high school, Nathan spent some time working in Israel, which he credits with awakening his interest in architecture.  "I was fascinated with the ancient buildings and urban spaces I was never exposed to growing up in McMinnville," he explained, "I loved visiting the ancient city of Akka, with narrow cobblestone streets, courtyards and caravanserai.  Israel has so many layers of history and culture in its buildings and ruins."

After his work in Israel, Nathan returned to Oregon to study architecture at the University of Oregon where he appreciated the broad perspective and the expanded vision of the art of architecture.  "The U of O focuses on environmental design," he said, "but not just from the perspective of preserving the natural environment.  The emphasis was on shaping the environment we live in.  It broadened my outlook on design."

As an architect, Nathan spent time working in Hawaii where he learned that there is no one size fits all for design and how important the specifics of the place, the climate and the client are in determining the specifics for any given project.  "For example," Nathan explains, "in Oregon sunlight is a premium and we design to welcome the sun in for most of the year.  In Hawaii, on the other hand, you want almost no direct sunlight and shade is a premium.  In Oregon you orient to sunlight and in Hawaii you orient to ventilation and natural breezes.  A room without breezes in Hawaii is like a room without sunlight in Oregon."

Nathan has worked with many prominent architects and architectural firms in Oregon including Waterleaf, Terraforma and Nathan Good architects.  Nathan says that he has learned so much from these architects and has been fortunate to have had such great mentors in his career.  "My experience with these architects helped me consider how a building impacts a place and environment not just from the perspective of resources, but also from the perspective of culture and history.  The greenest building is the one that is not torn down in 20 years.  A building that works and that people love will be taken care of and should last for centuries."

Nathan is now back in McMinnville working with KAOS Development and Winsome Construction on the newest addition to 3rd Street, the KAOS  restaurant and wine village that is scheduled to break ground this fall 2012.  When asked what it feels like to be designing a building on the main street of his home town, Nathan said, "it is a rare opportunity to be involved in adding a new building in the historic district.  I grew up 9 blocks from the project site, so it has been a real benefit for me to have a built-in understanding of the history and culture of the town.  I feel fortunate to have clients who are also long time residents and are very committed to a high quality building that will benefit the community for years to come."  We couldn't agree more!

Visit Winsome Construction's website to read Nathan's full interview and to learn more about the KAOS project 

Winsome Welcomes New Commercial Construction Partner and Manager

The Winsome Construction team is happy to welcome a new team member.  Matt Seagren has partnered with Shan and Wendy Stassens in launching the commercial division of Winsome Construction. With over 10 years of commercial construction management experience, Matt comes to us from North Carolina where he worked for Rodgers Builders Inc., a large commercial construction company, as a Project Manager.    Matt started his career in construction by earning a Bachelors of Science in Civil Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York.  Always interested in hands on construction, Matt decided to apply his degree in the construction management field instead of on the side of design.  Matt is a LEED Accredited Professional (AP) and brings with him a wealth of commercial project management experience from his work in Boston and North Carolina with projects ranging from $2 to $27 million dollars in size in his portfolio.

Matt hit the ground running and will be utilizing his extensive project management experience with the upcoming KAOS restaurant, wine village and hotel slated to break ground this fall on 3rd Street in McMinnville.  

Check out our team page to learn more about Matt and our other team members.

The iPhone Controlled Home

Today we rely so much on our iphones and other smart phones.  Just a few short years ago we had to wait until we got back to the office or home to check our email.  Math was done in our heads or on a piece of paper.  And we lived without Aunt Bertha's recent tweet that she just got to the grocery store.  The iPhone and the smartphone revolution has changed our world in so many ways.  There are apps to do almost anything you want.  Research and reviews on a particular product are at your fingertips in the store.

Todays home has become the new frontier in the smartphone revolution.  All those things that we never thought were problems in the past have now been solved with our battery powered personal assistants.

Security Digitized
With an Alarm.com enabled security system you can do more than turn your system on and off from your phone.  You can see when your daughter comes home from school or if you left the garage door open by mistake.  Sensors could be put on nearly anything to let you know if anything happens in or around your home, even viewing security camera footage

WiFi Enabled Light Bulb
Insteon has created a light bulb that you can turn on and off from your phone.  The bulb screws into a standard lamp or any other light fixture.  It connects to your home WiFi connection then sends the signal to your iphone.  You can turn the bulb on or off whenever you want or even dim it at a whim.  Turn the porch light on before you get home or make it look like you are home when you are not.  You can even program a series of these bulbs to work together.  Touch a button and have all the lighting change to "Movie" mode or "Working."

The Digital Sprinkler System

If you are in the market for a new sprinkler system controller you might want to look at CyberRain.  Turn your sprinklers on or off from home or the car.  If an unseasonal hot streak is coming you can give your vegetables some extra water.  The system can even detect problems and alert you to them.

Remotely Control Thermostats

The new thermostat series from Filtrete let you control your homes temperature from your smartphone.  Ever wake up in the middle of the night freezing cold.  But getting out of bed would be just too much work.  If the smartphone is right by your side you can turn up the heat, without pulling back the covers.   The connivence of the iphone makes it easy to set up the system but may affect your utility bill.

Digital Door Locks
Have you ever locked yourself out of the house and need to call your wife to bring you her key?  Now you can just use your phone to unlock the Lockitron door lock.  The app lets you control all the locks you are registered to at home or work.  The door locks can even be operated by text message, simply text your code to a designated number and the door opens.  This would be nice if you need to let plumbers or various people into your home, but don't want to give out a key.  Simply have them call  you when they are there and unlock the door for them.

The Wizardry of Walls

As you can guess, the past month has been about erecting exterior walls for our home - I call this wizardry!

Much has been made of wizardry since Harry Potter wielded his first wand, but "The Wizardry of Walls" is an entirely different kind of casting.  In this case, we are casting spells in concrete using  ICF (Insulated Concrete Form) construction.  

ICF construction has been in existence for decades, but it's not yet typical in this area for residential construction.  Typically, walls are framed in wood, sheathed in wood and insulated.  ICF walls cost an additional 20% or more than wood-framed walls.  However, to achieve the same level of integrity and energy efficiency in a wood-framed wall you would spend at least 20% more.   We opted for ICF, for various reasons, but mainly because ICF walls are more fire-resistant (we live an unsafe distance from the closest fire station, and even further from a water supply that might deter a fire, as we learned from the Amity Fire Chief in the last chapter of this blog).  

There are many manufacturers and types of ICF blocks, but, universally, interlocking blocks with a cavity for rebar and poured concrete are stacked to form the walls.  Commonly, there are internal furring strips sandwiched between two 2.5" layers of polystyrene insulating foam (hence the name, Insulated Concrete Form).  The furring strips hold the two sides of the block together and allow exterior siding and interior wall board to be attached to the walls - different block manufacturers use different types of material for this furring, typically plastic or steel.

A Team of Wizards

There are four wizards involved in giving our house a proper foundation and exterior walls:  the structural engineer, the excavation contractor, the foundation contractor and the ICF contractor.  We might not see a magic wand in their tool boxes, but each one employs a certain art, if not magic, to their trade.  Each one studies the building plans, internalizes the numbers, maps the result in his mind, measures and measures again, and then finally builds their portion of the exterior wall, each one counting on the other.  We are fortunate to not only have the best wizards on the job, but also ones who are willing to collaborate with each other for the best possible result.    

In the planning stage, a structural engineer is involved in the design of the walls, taking into account materials and other factors that affect the integrity of the structure.  The engineer drafts instructions and graphics, determining how each element of a wall will be constructed.  Although some structural details are typical, often in custom buildings the engineering is enormously complicated.  Our design includes 3 gables ("A" shaped rooflines) that require special consideration because, in these particular walls, there is more window than wall.

The excavation contractor, while not actively involved in building walls, meticulously carves out the ground to the exact footprint of the house, plus working room, and sets the stage for the foundation.  Using a machine called an excavator (a 30,000 lb. monster with a big scoop on an arm) and a laser level, the excavation of the site is done to reach the correct soil and exact depth prescribed by the plans for the concrete footings.  A difficult dig or sloppy excavation means that corrections will have to be made to build the footings.  Our excavation seemed to be perfect, with no surprises (like giant boulders or unexpected soil types)- it looks like a big chocolate layer cake.

Excavation, Forms and Footings

Next, the foundation contractor builds wooden forms around the footprint of the building and in other locations under the structure as prescribed by the plans, and he fills the cavity inside the wooden forms with a network of rebar (steel rods) to strengthen the concrete.  The lower part of the wooden form shapes the footing and the upper part shapes the wall and determines the height of the wall.  For example, basement walls are typically poured as part of the foundation of a home.  Since we will have ICF walls, we will only need footings without a poured concrete upper wall.

After the construction of wooden forms, and an inspection by a county building inspector, forms are filled with concrete.  When the concrete it set, the wooden forms are stripped away.  The footings are stage two of walls.  The placement of every foundation is obviously critical to both the site of the building as well as a final result of a building constructed according to its plans.  The placement of our foundation is meant to maximize the site lines of our beautiful view, and the excavation and foundation contractors studied and measured and truly labored with us to be sure we had it right.  

ICF blocks, from footings to first floor

For the past two weeks, the ICF wizard has been meticulously stacking blocks, measuring and cutting each block to construct walls and building a wooden frame ("window buck") to hold the poured concrete out of the opening for each window.  Tomorrow (7-23-12), there will be another parade of concrete trucks up, up, up our driveway to fill the first level of foam blocks with concrete.  Once the concrete is poured, the walls, location of windows and other openings, are literally, written in stone.  The second level of the home will follow after the rough plumbing, radiant heat tubing system and main floor framing. 

    

The next blog in this series, "Monkey Do [It Yourself]" will bring you news of our first D.I.Y. projects in the construction of our home.

Winsome awarded McMinnville's new downtown Wine Village build

Welcome to Oregon's favorite main street...Third Street, McMinnville, Oregon.  This tree lined, turn of the century downtown boasts quaint shops, award winning restaurants, a thriving local bookstore, old time ice cream parlor, coffee shops and cafes, wine bars, art galleries...you name it, you'll find it here.   With so much already to discover on a stroll down this bustling downtown street, what more could be added...welcome KAOS Wine Village. 

Tucked near one end of Third Street on a site that formerly housed an old glass shop Bob Emrick, former CEO of Western Oregon Waste, Mike Hanks, a local entrepreneur and developer, and Dustin Wyant, local restauranteur who owns and manages the Recipe restaurant in Newberg, partnered up with assistance from Liz Heller, local realtor, to bring McMinnville a new hotel, restaurant and wine village.  This 21,156-square-foot, three story structure will feature a restaurant with outdoor dining plaza, a "wine village" where patrons will be able to taste the wines of 12 different wineries, an 11-room hotel and rooftop patio seating with views to the south, east and west.

City Planning welcomed the project as a positive addition to the downtown core, according to an article announcing the project that was featured on the front page of the News Register in May.  "The planning department liked the concept of replacing a vacant glass shop at Third and Galloway with a boutique hotel and restaurant.  It said the project would be 'positive and far reaching,' its central location promising to 'bring many more visitors to the city's core.'  It continued, 'Use of a property that is currently not in use is greatly supported. Additionally, staff appreciates the high level of detail that has gone into the design of this building.'"1

Nathan Cooprider, the architect working with the KAOS partners on the design, stated in the application to the City, "'The building design was carefully considered to match the pedestrian scale and details of the buildings in the downtown core,'" In a recent meeting before the Historic Landmark Committee he explained, "...the building would feature rustic golden brick below with dark earth-toned wood above.  'The intent of the design is to have timeless and authentic local materials that provide interest through a highly textural quality,'”1

There is much to be enthusiastic about in this new addition to the downtown core of McMinnville.  Winsome is proud to be a part of the team that will be working to make the vision and plans a reality to serve the Willamette Valley community and its visitors for generations to come.

For More Information

 New hotel complex displays confidence in Mac downtown, News Register, May 26, 2012

1 Downtown hotel wins 'landmark' OK, News Register, May 30, 2012

Plans for new hotel, Oregon Wine Press, June 1, 2012

 KAOS Wine Village official website

A Groundbreaking Experience

This is the second in this series.  Use this link to read the previous post:  "No Noise and Plenty of View"

When I broke ground on the first house I built, in 1988, I spray-painted a shovel bright gold, chilled a case of champagne, gathered a bunch of friends, and made it a party.  Many years, and a few new houses have since come to pass, and I thought I might not need to commemorate the start of a new building.  Then the Amity Fire District agreed to use our "old house" as a "Burn to Learn" training exercise, and a reason to party was reignited, quite literally.  It was a fabulous bonfire, including a gathering of friends, neighbors, dozens of volunteer firemen (and women), lots of big shiny firetrucks, and a hot chili lunch on a cold rainy day.  I'm grateful to the firefighters, not only for giving their personal time to protect our community, but also for turning 20 dumpsters of trash into 1 dumpster of ash.  Of course, there is a cost to the environment of burning a house, but we weighed in favor of not adding a whole house to a landfill and also saved money on the dumpsters.

We played by the rules and tested the old house for asbestos.  The results required that we contract for professional removal and disposal of the kitchen and bathroom sheet flooring.  We would've incurred this expense ($500 for the testing and $1,000 for removal and disposal) regardless of whether we burned or trucked-out the old house, as a landfill, too, would require documentation.  

We are not planning to place the new house on exactly the same site as the old house, so we've contracted for removal and recycling of the concrete to a local quarry.  We also removed most of the useable and recycle-able materials from the house before the fire.  We scrapped all of the metal, including siding and appliances, and we found Craigslist and Habitat for Humanity to be very helpful ways to re-home what we could not re-use.

MAKE A HOLE

Our building project just moved from the years-long "planning phase" to the "doing phase."  The paperwork is done, our building permit application is being reviewed by Polk County, and it's time to make a hole.  You don't need a permit to dig a hole, and by moving forward with the clean-up of the old site and excavation of the new site, we will be ready to start a foundation and walls as soon as we have the permit in hand.

When we contracted with an excavation company to dig up the power line from the old house last month (and used an electrical contractor and PGE to move the power to a temporary pole) we piggy-backed some preliminary site-work into the day.  While we had the excavation equipment on site, test holes were prepared for the septic field, allowing for an immediate soil and site inspection for approval of our septic permit.  We also removed a few trees and laid-out the driveway and work site.  A house may only sit on a 30 x 60 footprint, but 3 - 4 times that much space is needed to comfortably get around it and build it.

Site work is expected to take 5 days, followed by a day to construct forms for footings, a county inspection of the concrete forms, and then the first of a long line of concrete trucks will parade up our steep driveway.

The next installment of my story will be "The Wizardry of Walls" - stay tuned!

Nathan Good Vineyard Home: Structure From the Ground Up

This is the second in this series.  Use the link below to read the previous post.
"Design And Preparation"

Daylight Basement 

     At the base of this magnificent home is the foundation.  A daylight basement exits the back of the home just above the vineyard.  The footings and stem walls were poured with concrete that included 25% fly ash, a by-product of coal fired power plants.   By having fly ash in the mix, we save a substantial  amount from being disposed in a landfill.  Fiberglass fibers are also added to the concrete to act as an added reinforcement to the rebar it incases.  

Woodgrain texture in wine cellar.

     An old world look was achieved in the concrete walls of the wine cellar by placing rough cedar boards on the inside of the concrete forms, imprinting the character and grain of the wood into the walls.  The lower level features a slab floor which provides a base for radiant heat below the oak flooring.

Rainwater Cistern

      One of the most prominent features of the house is the large protruding porch on the back side of the home overlooking the vineyard. The foundation pour included the formation of a cistern under this porch  A 10,000 gallon tank will  serve as a rainwater collection system.  A typical system would have tanks in the basement or outside the home, either taking up storage space or detracting from the esthetics of the home.

     The upper floor has been value engineered by the architect to save lumber, using advanced framing techniques.  The walls are 6” thick which allow for a better insulation package (covered in the next blog). The stud layout also works to minimize thermal bridging, which prevents the movement of heat through the walls. The floors are constructed with open web floor trusses.  These trusses allow all the electrical, plumbing, heating and cooling to run completely concealed in the floor. There is rarely a need to build a chase or take up room or closet space for ductwork.  In addition to the wood framing steel was used to achieve higher ceilings and larger spans.  When the home is finished the steel will not be visible.

Hand cut roofline 

     Roofs are commonly constructed with pre-engineered trusses.  While they are less expensive, there are times they just can’t be used, due to the design.  The layered roofline of this home and the insulation package simply did not allow for trusses to be made off site.   So this roof was built the tried and true method of hand cutting.  It takes a bit longer but the results are truly stunning.

Watch for the next blog in this series which will cover insulation, windows, and doors.

Complete structure, ready for windows and insulation. 

Stag Hollow Home a Carefully Crafted Masterpiece

It was three years ago now that Jim and Betty, owners of the newly completed Stag Hollow Home wandered into a Winsome Insulated Concrete Form Event one Saturday with their 10 years worth of thoughts and questions about ICF construction and building their dream home at the forefront of their minds.  Now, three years later, Jim and Betty have labored alongside Winsome to create the masterpiece that is the culmination of their years of research, planning and hard work.

Nestled on a picturesque vineyard property, the Stag Hollow Home is an ICF construction home designed and built to maximize comfort and efficiency.  It boasts hydronic radiant heat, a dual fuel fireplace which can use both wood and gas and a Noritz on demand hot water heater.  The functionality of the home is matched by the artistic expression captured in its custom woodwork and handcrafted finishes.  The home boasts Quarter Sawn White Oak staircase, trim, moldings and kitchen cabinets and Native Oregon Walnut bathroom vanity.

You can feel the love and focused attention that went into the careful planning and crafting of this home.  The culmination of years of planning, dreaming and laboring have paid off for these happy homeowners ready to move in and start enjoying the fruits of their labor.

Visit our website to see photos of the Stag Hollow Home from construction to completion.

No Noise and Plenty of View

My name is Michelle, I'm a Construction Manager for Winsome Construction, and I also draft custom home designs through Custom Home Planet, LLC.  I'm about to embark on the adventure of building a new home with my husband, and for the next 10 months I'll share our personal home building experiences through the Winsome Construction blog.

If this blog was started 15 years ago, it would include a pretty good "Boy Meets Girl" story.  Then Girl, me, wants a horse in my backyard and Boy, Tom, wants to plan for retirement, so they go looking across the country for the perfect place to live.  We were suburban-dwellers, working 10-hour-a-day desk jobs, living with plenty of noise and no view, who dreamed of something more soulful.

Ten years ago we took a "wrong turn" through some hazelnut orchards into the Eola Hills and found a "For Sale" sign at the top of the steepest gravel driveway we had ever seen, and the perfect place for us.  A plan began to take shape...

Fast forward to present day and now Boy and Girl are married with plans to break ground on a new home in the next two months and live happily ever-after with two horses, no noise and plenty of view.  Oh, that makes it all sound so simple, and I hope it will be!  I invite you to follow along.

The Design

Every step of building a new home is the most important step.  But the first, most important step is the home design.  Tom and I worked on our design for three years, and, in the words of a very good builder (and my boss), there was "a lot of pressure to get it right."  Not only was there added pressure working as my own designer, but the home site is spectacular, with 180 degree views of the coastal mountain range.  Our greatest challenge would be to best capture the view without going broke on windows!

  

Our situation is not unique.  All custom home design presents the same initial challenges:

-  design within your budget (know your budget)

-  design to meet your needs (know your priorities)

-  design to fit the site and other constraints (know the site and land use limits)

When I draft a custom home design, the best results come from a balance of a client knowing what they want and need, good communication, and willingness to compromise on details based on what they can afford.  Before I can begin drafting, whoever I am drafting for (including myself) needs to understand all of the material,  mechanical and structural choices, either by education and research or good guidance from a builder, or both.     

For example, we wanted all of our home to be on one floor, but our site choice for the best views dictated a more costly two-level design.  We also planned for the future for things we can't afford or don't need now, like audio/ visual, security, fire suppression and back-up power systems.  We don't have children, but we left options open for future residents of this home to adapt it to their needs.

We also incorporated Universal Design elements and tried to plan for our needs as we age, which I believe is just smart design.  We included features such as 36" doorways, 4' hallways, optimized natural lighting and solar gain, added as much energy efficiency as we could afford in wall and window upgrades, zoned heating, a well-insulated roof, and pre-wiring for alternative power like wind and solar when/if those resources become affordable for us.  

Our big ticket luxury items are a dream Kitchen for a couple who enjoy cooking together, and a Great Room with a revolving floor to capture every sunset, entertain, sit by the fire or watch a movie.

Our design is now final and we've moved ahead to engineering, bidding, contracts, permits, financing, and site preparation, including the task of demolishing the existing farm house happening at the middle of this month.

While that might sound daunting, it is also completely amazing to watch the project come to life, to see renderings become tiny steps closer to reality, and to dive into our many decisions and surface a bit closer to living our dream.  If you've ever built a home or planned to build, you know that this is just a gigantic crossword puzzle.  The answer to one part of the puzzle often leads to other answers and, eventually, we fill in all of the blanks and it comes together as a new home.

The next installment of my story will be "Groundbreaking" - stay tuned! 

SPECIAL DELIVERY

Joe and Marilyn Merritt took delivery of a brand new Winsome Construction home at the end of last month.  The home is nestled into the five-acre "Big Cheese Vineyard," owned and farmed by the Merritts.  The design captures surrounding views from vines to snow-capped mountains, and includes a stunning two-story wall of windows in the living room.  While the home is not oversized, it has a unique, open and inviting floorplan with ten-foot ceilings, a spacious kitchen, and comfortable private bedroom suites on both first and second floors.

The home also features a large south porch where the Merritts can enjoy spectacular Cascade mountain range sunrises (something all of the Winsome tradesmen appreciated on this job site) and shaded, summer-evening barbecues.  Custom outdoor spaces, designed to capture the best features of a home site, are as important as the home itself.  We predict you'll often find the Merritts and guests of Big Cheese Vineyard, sipping Pinot and enjoying their home from the south porch.

When homeowners contract with Winsome Construction to build their custom home, there are many details to decide.  Marilyn Merritt championed the design process, determinedly and lovingly bringing together the details of her home and working closely with Winsome throughout the seven month building project. The granite countertops, hardwood flooring, tile work, cabinetry, millwork and finish carpentry of the home are truly magnificent details.  We are as proud of Marilyn and her vision for her home as we are of the finished product and the skilled tradesmen who made it a reality.

If you are considering a new custom home, or remodeling of an existing home, contact Winsome Construction for quality design and craftsmanship.  Visit our website for more information about the Big Cheese Vineyard project.

Nathan Good Vineyard Home: Site Design and Preparation

With any homesite you have various considerations when deciding the location and orientation of the home. When you have 60 acres of vineyard at the homesite the challenges get even greater. The home is nestled directly into the corner of the existing vineyard.

A geotechnical report was created to help guide the development of the site. This report helps the us the builder as well as landscape architects develop appropriately on the site. It covers topics such as, types and quality of soils, drainage, and elevation changes. The report then goes on to give recommendations on how to prepare foundations, retaining walls and how to control water on the site.

First completed is the boulder retaining wall. Instead of lining up rows of boulders to create a true wall, Landscape Designer Clark Matschek & Associates created a naturalized boulder wall. The 400 tons of rock were brought in from a local quarry. Each boulder was strategically placed to allow paths and several mini gardens. When the build is complete the pockets between the rocks will be filled with local drought tolerant plants. These plantings will not need watering once established. Larger beds have also been created to be the homeowners vegetable vegetable and herb gardens. It also serves to hide the homes propane tank and other utilities.

Once the wall had been established the homesite could be dug out. Great care needed to be taken to avoid damage to the existing vineyard just feet away from the homesite. In addition the soil that the home sits on has already been prepared for the grapes. The soil had been ripped to help the roots travel deep into the soil. For a foundation this would provide weak points. It was necessary to dig below these rips. In some areas the foundation was dug out an extra 4 feet in order to get down to undisturbed soil. In all, over 40 loads of soil were removed and re-purposed around the property. And most importantly no grapes were harmed in the process.

LEED points are to be awarded in both these portions of the build. The retaining wall will acquire points for it’s method of managing surface water and the use of native plants. Since the wall is made to look like a natural barrier innovation credits will also be given. The foundation dig out meets several point criteria in minimizing the disturbance to adjacent plants and soils.

Winsome Talks to Featured Architect- Andre DeBar

Starting in Minnesota and making his way through the University of Virginia and Yale, Andre DeBar took a circuitous route to the Pacific Northwest, but we sure are glad that he found us!  An acclaimed architect focusing on sustainable design and construction, Andre is passionate about practical, attainable solutions to solve building inefficiencies and simplicity of expression of materials that create efficient building systems.  In his mission statement, Andre states, “We take pride in crafting buildings that are high-performance yet simple, reflect and respect their place, and will serve their inhabitants well for many generations.”

Winsome is fortunate to have the opportunity to work with Andre on one of our upcoming build projects currently in design.  We sat down to interview Andre as this month's featured architect and enjoyed talking with Andre about his passion, advice and experience with green building.  

Since his experience with Earth Ships in Taos as a young architect right out of college, Andre has had a passion for designing homes and structures that "enhance our relationship with the environment while reducing our impact upon the ecosystem".  The obstacles to do this are not as great as some people think, Andre assures.  "It is not that expensive to get a big bump in performance, " he says.  The key to this, according to Andre, is focusing first on your systems and your shell that is not easily changed in the future. Good windows, well insulated walls, orientation and size are some good places to start.  You can design homes and structures to be flexible to change with changing needs and improved technologies in the future.  By not having interior bearing walls, for example, the walls can be more easily moved to adjust the use of the interior space in the future.  Even the mechanical systems, heating and cooling, can evolve in the future of a building.   "Designing our buildings to allow aging in place, " Andre says, "is an important part of the longevity of our buildings."  

Just this month Andre accepted a position as Earth Advantage's new Senior Green Building Consultant.  Not only will he be a liasion for Earth Advantage builders to help them to maneuver through the process of accreditation, but he will also be working on an innovative new program for accreditation of existing homes.  To date nobody has successfully launched a successful program for accreditation of existing homes.  Andre is particularly excited about this part of his job because of the potential impact it could have.  "If you can get every home to get 10 or 20 % greener you will have a far bigger impact on the environment, " he explains.  While working with existing homes can get pretty complex, they are trying to keep it simple.  They will have some pilot projects rolling out this spring.  Andre will still do design work even with this new position with Earth Advantage.  He is hoping to be able to do innovative, industry leading projects that can act as a model for change.

To view the full interview with Andre Debar, visit the Winsome Construction website at http://www.winsomeconstruction.com/building-with-us/design-services/andre-debar/.

         

Briar Rose Creamery

Winsome Construction is proud to include the Briar Rose Creamery state of the art cheese-making facility and storefront in Dundee, Oregon as part of our family of buildings.  Briar Rose Creamery, owned and operated by Co-Proprietors Sarah Marcus and Jim Hoffman, creates some of Oregon's most delicious and unique artisan cheeses.  Briar Rose Creamery cheeses are now handmade, still in small batches, in a custom commercial production space, designed and built precisely to their needs by Winsome Construction.

Sarah Marcus, Cheesemaker of Briar Rose Creamery, has as much passion for the environment in which she creates, ages and packages her cheeses as she does for each ounce of cheese.  She is an artist in a studio of stainless steel.  It might sound more appealing to your mental tastebuds to say that Briar Rose Creamery cheeses are homemade, but it's much more important that the places where cheeses are made and aged are dust-free, draft-free, and kept at precisely the right temperatures, and it doesn't hurt that the Cheesemaker is happy too.  "I love all of the natural light in the building," says Sarah.  

The building boasts radiant heat flooring and a FabricAir Dispersion System (www.fabricair.com) which creates a positive air environment, reducing or eliminating condensation, drafts, dust and other things you don't want in the cheese making process.  The lightweight fabric ducts are also noiseless and can be removed and washed for maintenance.  The radiant flooring maintains a consistent temperature without sacrificing efficiency.

Sarah says, "the building is designed with the intention that we will be growing."  If you've tasted Briar Rose Creamery cheese then you'll agree, Sarah and Jim were smart to think ahead when working with Winsome Construction to build.  Their cheeses are so good, there is no doubt as to why they are busy in their new digs and that they will be growing in the near future.      

  

You can learn more about the features of the Briar Rose Creamery building at www.WinsomeConstruction.com.  You can find out more about Briar Rose Creamery's rich, delicate cheeses at www.briarrosecreamery.com.

LEED Certification

If you do any amount of research into home building or new construction you will see or hear the acronym LEED. The US Green Building Council has developed LEED to certify homes, new construction and commercial building projects to achieve the highest level of quality and practices. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy

and Environmental Design. Since it’s development in 1989 it has become the only international standard for green or advanced practices certification.

Although third party certification is not needed to build a green or super efficient building, many choose to use the process to challenge their builder as well as their own choices. You may live in a LEED Platinum home and not have the certification ever completed. Many commercial projects are certified for advertising reasons, and homes are certified for resale re

asons. The average certification will cost the project owner about $2,000.

The process from the outside looks really simple, but once you take a closer look, the complexities come out. Basically the system works by earning points. The more points you earn the higher your rating is. Simple right? Not so fast. Below is a brief breakdown of the process:

1. Determine what version of LEED 2009 you will be using. There are 10 versions of the LEED program covering Homes, Schools, Health Care, Neighborhoods and Commercial Construction.

2. The version of LEED that best f

its your project will have 6 categories within it. Which include: Sustainable Sites, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, Innovation in Des

ign, Water Efficiency and Indoor Environmental Quality. The point values will vary depending on which version you end up using.

3. A meeting will be held with everyone involved in the project to determine what points can be awarded and what steps need to be taken to document those points. The goal of what level of certification is generally set at this meeting (Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum) Usually your builder, architect, designer and a third party LEED rater will be in attendance.

4. During the building process many regular meetings will be held to assure that the project is staying on track. Some points may fall to budget or specific design criteria. Other points may be added for various reasons. Th

ere will also be several site visits by your LEED rater to assure your builder is doing the things necessary to get you to your goal.

5. When the project is complete your builder will supply the LEED rater with all the documentation they will need to certify the project. This process can take as little as a few months and some projects may take years to fully rate.

Currently Winsome Construction has one project undergoing the LEED 2009 for Homes program. We’ve dubbed it the Nathan Good Vineyard Home. Keep watching this blog for specific projects that will earn the home points.

Eating An Elephant

How do you eat an elephant?  Easy.  One bite at a time.

How does this apply to building custom homes?  Contracting to build a custom home will be a major event in your life.  It has also been compared to running a marathon, climbing a mountain, or giving birth.  There are many analogies that come to mind, but no matter the comparison, building a custom home for yourself will be both the most fulfilling and one of the greatest challenges you might ever face in your life.

Whatever the major goal, whether it be running a marathon or building a custom home, once you commit to the result you'll need a plan as well the fortitude to go the distance.  Every step, or bite, you take is a decision toward the finish of your home, and it takes dedication and endurance, and miles and miles of decisions.

So, how do you develop a plan?  Here are a few essential decisions, to be made in advance, to help you map out a plan:

1.  Choose your coaches - choose a builder who you like and trust and have a rock solid contract to define your expectations.  It also helps to like your builder's other staff members since they will play a key role in the on-time, on-budget completion of your project.  Also, choose an architect or home designer who understands your needs and your vision for your new home and can clearly convey your vision to your builder.  Do your research on your coaches and find out their experience, expertise and expected longevity and stability in their business.

2.  Put your goals in writing - define your expectations through a detailed set of working plans and specifications for the home, and a budget that realistically defines the costs of completing your home within your expectations.  Your builder's expertise in estimating costs will be essential to a realistic budget.  Decide as much information as possible about your standards for your new home and you may more closely rely on your builder and avoid the disappointing news that your budget does not allow for the brand or style you wanted (doors, windows, millwork, cabinets, hardware, flooring, etc., etc.)

3.  Prepare body, mind and soul - before you start, bank your money as well as your decisions on styles, materials and finishes.  If you make your decisions about money or materials after you start, on a daily or weekly basis, your building project will not be timely, not run smoothly, and will not likely be within budget constraints.  Making decisions in advance will leave time for multiple bids, price shopping, and special order of materials during an economy when inventories are very low.

4.  Miles of training time - work backwards from the date you would like to start your new home and leave ample time for every aspect of the advanced planning and decision making that will be the groundwork for a less stressful building experience.  You can expect that the time it takes to make advanced decisions about your designer, general contractor, "must- have" features, finalizing a design and getting permits will be approximately as long as it might take to build the house itself.

5.  Countdown to the finish - understand the standard timeline for building your home, but expect delays and be flexible.    Don't make plans to move into your new home until the last punch list item is completed.  Again, your builder's expertise in estimating the time it will take to complete each phase of your project will be essential to a realistic timeline.

6.  Balance your dedication to the result with life as you know it - while your building project is in process it will almost assuredly interrupt every other aspect of your life, including your relationships, your personal time management and routines, and your finances.  Expect the added stress in your life and make sure your family is on board with the process.  Having a plan, including a well chosen builder, clear goals, and many decisions made in advance will minimize unexpected obstacles.

One thing that accomplishing all major goals have in common is a plan.  If you would like assistance in planning for your custom home building project, contact Winsome Construction, shan@winsomeconstruction.com or  503-472-7402.

Winsome Launches their Featured Architect Series with an Interview with Nathan Good

We have found that often the journey to find the right team of people to design and build is a daunting one for clients.  Your architect or designer and builder are such critical team members that will help to ensure that your building process is all that you want it to be, so how do you make sure that you make informed decisions about which one is a good fit for you and your project?  It is a good idea to check out their websites, to look at their work, to ask for referrals and to meet them and ask lots of questions to find out how they work and to be informed about what you should expect.  Trust and a good working relationship are essential.  

In our business, we have had the good fortune of meeting and working with many of the area’s finest architects and designers.  We felt that it would be helpful to have a place that clients and potential clients could go to learn about our local architects and designers to facilitate this difficult decision.  With this in mind, Winsome has launched the “Featured Architect of the Month” series.  Every month in 2012 we will be featuring an interview with a local architect or designer complete with extensive project photos, website information and contact information.  We will highlight the architect on our blog and a full, detailed interview with more photos to be found on our website.

  

For our first featured architect, we sat down with Nathan Good, an award winning green architect based in Portland, Oregon.  Here is a recap of our talk with Nathan.  Visit our website for the full interview and a more complete set of photos of his work.

Talking to Nathan, with his humble and down to earth style, you would never guess that he is one of the premier architects in Oregon and an internationally renowned green architect that has designed homes and commercial buildings across the United States and even internationally.  I had the good fortune of meeting Nathan back in the late 90s when he was still working with Portland General Electric (PGE) the then utility based energy conservation program, Earth Advantage Institute, which later became a highly successful independent green building resource.  He was innovating then in spectacular ways that continued to change the landscape of green building long after he moved on to other things.  Now he continues to change the landscape of green building through his creative and innovative designs.  He is clear about his vision and drive.  He thinks the future of green building needs to be that green building is standard building practice.   

 

Nathan was drawn to architecture as a child when his parent’s started working on designing a home.  Even as a child, Nathan found that he was fascinated with the decisions to be made in designing a home and how to help people to collaborate to create a final design together.  Even today, Nathan says, “If you were to ask my clients, they would say that negotiating win/win design agreements among couples is my greatest strength.”  Nathan uses a collaborative approach to design, where relationships and working together are emphasized.  “In the process of designing and building a project, I find that it works best to temper the ego and ask others for advice.”  Nathan explains,  “It produces a superior result when I suspend having to be right and ask others to contribute genius to the project.”

To see the full interview with Nathan, visit our website at http://www.winsomeconstruction.com/building-with-us/design-services/nathan-good/