The Good Old Days in Gym Class

I think everyone has a memory (or two) about gym class and P.E. teachers, but Matt and Tina Ford are creating new and favorable memories in the Shade House Condos with those same floors. After contacting a local school in the Houston area which was ready to be demolished, they were able to salvage the planks and utilized them for the stairs and floors in the units.

Radiant Barrier Wrap

Another green feature of the Shade House Condos in Houston is the radiant barrier wrap the builders used underneath the exterior. Radiant heat is reflected away by the tin-foil looking material, officially named "radiant barrier wrap."

It's most effective when using two layers of the material, with firring strips between it and the foam, inside walls of homes.

Shady House Condos

Every month, I look forward to the latest issue of Dwell to arrive in my mailbox and this month did not disappoint. All this week, I'll be featuring snippets from the November issue, starting with the Shade House Condos project in Houston, TX.

These compelling units utilize a number of green aspects, starting with the builder's (Matt Ford) innovative method to reduce heating and cooling costs. Simply by increasing the space between the roof and attic floor and adding a large vent, the hot air rises and leaves the building. In addition, when the Houston sun really gets kicking, fans powered by solar panels on the roof can blow the hot air out of the roof space as well.

Vintage Barns

Reclaimed lumber from vintage barns - A small company in Pennsylvania is changing the way houses are built. If you are in the market for wooden flooring, panel or beams, check out their web site for a list of recently collected materials. By reusing this lumber, you can have the vintage look and preserve trees.