Green Building in Bend, Oregon received another boost - Desert Rain has won the 2013 Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Award (residential) and we’re proud to be the builder involved with this project. Wood is a significant part of the winning combination of elements that bring Desert...
As construction on Desert Rain (a Living Building Challenge custom home) nears completion, we find ourselves reflecting on the process and on green building in Central Oregon. Sustainable building and healthy homes are at the core of the work we do and this project has...
The Desert Rain House has many elements that make it the most green custom home we have ever built. ...
ML Vidas, a local architect and sustainability consultant, gave a presentation that summarizes the thought behind Living Building Challenge – a program of the International Living Future Institute – and the seven performance areas for green building....
Desert Rain, the uber green, custom home we are building, is the first home in Bend, and in the entire state of Oregon, to receive a residential waste water permit. This means we have approval to use the grey water system that will treat and...
ome stuccos are greener than others and we’re just wrapping up work with one of the most sustainable stuccos available. ...
[caption id="attachment_1298" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Rainwater Collection System"][/caption] Water is one of the most basic needs for life. Yet, water management is far from simple. In our desire to provide safe, clean water, we have developed complicated, energy-intensive systems. These systems are expensive too. Keeping the United...
The latest in a series of Bend Bulletin articles chronicling the Desert Rain project, this article gives a brief overview of project parameters as well as insight in to some of the methodology behind the project....
Green Building is more than trendy phrase, it’s a huge movement in the construction industry for both residential and commercial buildings. But the term “green” can mean different things to different people. For some, green defines the way a building performs after it’s constructed. Others...
The foundation is well underway at Desert Rain, the Living Building Challenge home we are building in one of Bend, Oregon's older neighborhoods. At every step of the way, this project involves careful consideration of the materials used, where they come from, how they...