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 countertops. But it’s the things you don’t see — well-insulated walls, fresh-air recovery ventilators, radiant heat, on-demand hot water and the construction process itself — that make the home so comfortable and environmentally friendly.

“It’s a very attractive house,” said Bill Decker, a former NASA aeronautical engineer. “We’re blessed to be able to live in it.”

He and his wife, who worked for a school district, said they were fortunate to be able to retire to what they are calling a “permanent vacation home.”

Finding Winsome Construction helped make the home of their dreams possible, they said. They were impressed that owner Shan Stassens and other members of the Winsome  crew focused on making the house energy efficient.

This is an excerpt, read the entire article “Dream home, green home,” News Register – July 25, 2012

Stone tiles continue in the kitchen, which features an island created from standard cabinetry with custom facings done by a local artisan. Starting with standard cabinets actually can be more ‘green,’ builders said, because there’s almost no waste in the manufacturing process.

There’s plenty of room for Bill Decker’s hobbies in the spacious daylight basement. He’s planning an extensive model train layout.

Photo credits: Marcus Larson/News-Register

Categories: In the Press, Willamette Valley Custom Homes