Author Archives for mbuehler

McMinnville Montessori School Community Work Party to Launch Native Plant Project

October 22, 2013 1:17 pm Published by Comments Off on McMinnville Montessori School Community Work Party to Launch Native Plant Project

With an outpouring of community enthusiasm and involvement the McMinnville Montessori School embarks on a year-long curriculum project that will result in a whole new, native landscape adorning their outdoor space. The idea to replace the front landscaping of the Montessori School with all native landscaping started, appropriately, quite organically.  Maria Eustrom, the elementary school teacher at... Read More

Dream Home, Green Home

July 27, 2012 1:37 pm Published by Comments Off on Dream Home, Green Home

Light pours into Bill and Janet Decker’s new energy-efficient home in McMinnville, but excess heat stays out, along with wintry chill, noise and other worldly elements. Built by Winsome Construction, a local green builder, the house has all the features today’s homeowners crave: skylights, wood and tile floors, custom-finished wood cabinets and granite and quartz... Read More

Green Guild Looking for a Few Good Members

April 27, 2011 1:55 pm Published by Comments Off on Green Guild Looking for a Few Good Members

The Green Building Guild of Yamhill County has been around for several years. However, it was just registered as a nonprofit less than a year ago. Based at 166 S.W. Eckman St. in McMinnville, it is an association of building professionals dedicated to promoting green building practices like those demanded by Leadership in Energy and... Read More

Old or New, It Can Still Go Green

April 27, 2011 1:45 pm Published by Comments Off on Old or New, It Can Still Go Green

How old is the green building movement? That’s hard to say. But even a hundred years ago, downtown Newberg and McMinnville planners were very “green” in some ways, according to board members of the Green Building Guild of Yamhill County. They staged a tour last week of a perfect example – the Chehalem Parks and... Read More

Home Show a Big Hit

April 6, 2011 2:03 pm Published by Comments Off on Home Show a Big Hit

Dave Goetz of Grand Ronde was methodical about his inquiries. The retired Spirit Mountain electrician wants to add a room onto his home, so he and his wife, Kathy, headed to the big Home & Garden Show held over the weekend at the McMinnville Community Center. They visited almost all the 40-plus booths at the... Read More

ICF Construction

Weathering the Storm with ICFs

August 7, 2010 2:12 pm Published by Comments Off on Weathering the Storm with ICFs

Because ICFs form solid concrete walls, the planning process is naturally more involved than that of a stick-built house. There is less room for error or improvisation. ‘You need extra planning, especially when it comes to the windows and the electrical and plumbing penetrations,’ says Shan Stassens, owner of Winsome Homes. Despite this extra planning,... Read More