Meet our Team!

Caleb Quick
Title: Carpenter
Joined Houseworks Construction Company: 2005

I've been working at Houseworks since 2005. I'm married to my high school sweetheart and teach piano part time. I began carpentry in high school and received a degree in Sociology from Western Washington University.

Continuing Ed at Shoreline Community College

Houseworks owner Tim House and one of his project managers, Terry Bocian are going back to school this month for some continuing ed. They're taking a class at Shoreline Community College in Energy Auditing.

According to the course description, "This certificate includes training in the principles of energy auditing and weatherization inspection. Students will learn the principles of energy, energy and the building shell, energy auditing, air leakage, insulation, windows and doors, heating ad cooling systems, indoor air quality, lighting and appliances, and water heating."

This class is just one example of the ways Houseworks is dedicated to green building principles. And we're always interested in learning new methods and skills that we can pass on to our clients.

We'll check in with Tim and Terry as the course proceeds to see what they've learned.

Meet our Team!

Ryan Egan
Title: Carpenter
Joined Houseworks Construction Company: 1996

I started with Houseworks in June of 1995. I had known Tim in high school and had such a kinship, I have found it hard to leave. Though I have tried a time or two :) It has been my absolute pleasure getting to work with all of these fine people, I would be hard pressed to find a better group.

Green up your home to boost its sale price

The Daily Green has an interesting article on how to boost your home's value by greening it up before putting in on the market.

Author Kerry Mitchell is the founder and course developer of Green Real Estate Education, a certification course that teaches real estate professionals what makes a home green.

Mitchell has some great advice in this article, including the suggestion to, "put $15,000 in energy-efficient upgrades in your existing home, taking advantage of the tax incentives and rebates. Now, depending on the upgrades you have chosen, the property stands out in this development. With offering up to 65% lower energy bills alone. A buyer desiring your neighborhood may lean towards your home even if there is a short sale for less. The timing couldn't be better as most are curious on how to renovate to lower utility bills. Green renovations can make a difference in real estate values. Using healthy materials and installing more high efficiency systems will make a difference in quality of life."

Houseworks can help you make energy-efficient updates to your home, and we're happy to come over and give you a free assessment. Just give us a call at 425-483-3422.

Meet our Team!

Erik Hall
Title: Project Coordinator
Joined Houseworks Construction Company: 1998

I started with Houseworks in September 1998 when I moved back to Seattle after living in Boston for two years. It's been a pleasure working for Tim, and with his eclectic crew!

Modeco Flats - Built Green in West Seattle

Modeco Flats in West Seattle are the first four-star Built Green condominiums in West Seattle.

According to the Built Green Web site, in order for a building to be considered Built Green it must conform to the following features.

Energy Efficiency
Advanced Framing/Extra Insulation

High Efficiency Water Heater

Efficient Household Appliances

Air Sealing

Indoor Air Quality
Low-pile low allergen-attracting carpet

Low-VOC or low-toxic interior paints and finishes

Ventilation

Conserving Natural Resources
Plastic Lumber

Engineered Wood

Brick

Building Materials and Food Recycling

Water Quality Protection
Porous Paving Schemes

Rainwater Collection

Low Impact Development


Along those lines, Modeco Flats feature bamboo floors, low VOC paints used throughout, high efficiency Mitsubisi split ductless heating and cooling, Samsung high efficiency front loading washer and dryer and halogen pendant and under cabinet lighting.

Meet our Team!

Terry Bocian
Title: Project Coordinator
Joined Houseworks Construction Company: 1992

"Upon graduating from Western Washington University in 1980, I began a career in Education that spanned 11 years. In 1992, I decided on a change in vocation. Through a friend of a friend I was introduced to Tim House and signed on in October (of that year). It's been a great and rewarding move."

City of Seattle Green Building Guides

Photo courtesy of seattle.gov

Seattle's Department of Planning and Development has a great series of downloadable Green Home Guides which are a great resource for homeowners who are thinking of embarking on a green remodel.

Topics include: Remodel Overview, Bath & Laundry, Kitchen, Painting, Lighting, Landscape Materials, Roofing, Hiring a Pro, Salvage & Reuse, Do-It-Yourself Energy Guide and Green Home Buyer's Guide. All are available in PDF format.

Other helping tips include 10 easiest ways to green you home and a list of classes, lectures and other educational programs available locally.

The city's green building page is great, be sure to check it out!

Good on ya!

Houseworks clients Kris Larson and Richard Gemmell who won the visa gift card from the email sign up promotion we sponsored announced that they are donating the card to the School Supplies Drive of the Seattle Times Fund for the Needy. The money in this fund is divided among several agencies who help idenfity those most in need. We like that! Thanks, Kris and Richard!

Meet our Team!

Steve Wisman
Title: Project Coordinator
Joined Houseworks Construction Company: 1990

Construction became a summer job for me during high school and through college. Learning all phases of construction in Sitka, Alaska, I also learned to love what Alaska had to offer.

After graduation from college, I helped my father build his retirement home in Sequim, Washington. In 1990, I found employment with Houseworks Construction.

I am still here today due to the fact that Tim is a good employer and even better friend.

Backyard Cottages

Photo courtesy of Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce

Backyard cottages (also called detached accessory dwelling units) have been allowed in Southeast Seattle since 2006, but are not approved in the rest of the city. Considered by the City to be "a small dwelling unit that is on the same lot as, but physically separate from, a single-family house." The rules state that, "the owner must live in either the primary home or the backyard cottage." Only 18 households have applied for a permit since March 2009.

Mayor Nickels has proposed legislation to allow backyard cottages city-wide with an annual limit of 50 cottages per year. Yesterday, August 12, there was a backyard cottage briefing to the Planning, Land Use and Neighborhoods Committee and there will be a Public Hearing on backyard cottages in Council Chambers at City Hall at 5:30 p.m. on September 15.

According to the City's Web page on the topic:

To ensure the cottages fit within the neighborhood, the lot must be at least 4,000 square feet in area, with minimum width and depth requirements. The principal house and backyard cottage combined must not exceed the current 35% lot coverage limit for single family zones. The cottages can be no more than 800 square feet in area, with a height limit of 15 - 23 foot height depending on lot width, and parking is required.

If this proposed change in legislation passes, Houseworks can build your cottage for you! Think about it: extra income, a place for friends and family to stay when they're visiting, a home for your parents when they need extra help, or just a backyard retreat for your family.

Referendum 1

Photo courtesy of Archie McPhee


Not to get too political or up on a soap box, but it's almost time to vote in the August 18 primary. A big issue on the ballot is Referendum 1 which asks voters to approve or deny a 20 cent bag tax on disposable shopping bags.

The Seattle Times reported recently that The American Chemistry Council has donated $500,000 to fight the proposed plan while the Seattle Green Bag Campaign has so far raised about $65,000.

How about you? Where do you stand on the Ref 1 issue?

Meet our Team!

Welcome to a new weekly feature on the blog called "Meet our Team!" where we will introduce you to our talented employees who work so hard to make your house look perfect.

This week's team member is Tim House, owner and founder of Houseworks Construction.



Tim House started in the residential remodeling business in 1983 with The McAdams Company, a professional remodeling company in Kirkland. In 1985 he started Houseworks Company with partner Robert Wilcox, since an amicable dissolution of that partnership in 1991 Tim has been the president of Houseworks Construction Company.

Tim has been happily married to his wife Susan for twenty-six years; together they have two children and two grandchildren. Tim has been very involved in the Washington State lacrosse community and is a member of the Washington State Lacrosse Hall of Fame. A few of his other activities are skiing, boating and playing hockey.

And the winner is (drum roll please)

The winner of the $100 Visa card is Houseworks customer Kris Larson.

Thanks for signing up for our enewsletter!

10 low-tech ways to keep your house cooler

This list of low-tech tips from TreeHugger is chock full of useful tidbits on how to keep your house cool this summer without spending too much dough.

The list includes:

Use Awnings to reduce solar heat gain.

Plant a tree for shade.

Get a ceiling and/or attic fan.

Don't cook food indoors. Who doesn't love a cool meal made and eaten al fresco when it's unbearably hot outside?

Innovative and eco-friendly air conditioning

If you're in Seattle this week, this post needs no explanation.

This is the Free Wind ceiling mounted air conditioning unit with customizable airflow designed by Harc Lee. According to the designer's website, up to six directions, temperatures and strengths of air flow can be controlled for individual preferences.




The Frost Alternative Air Conditioner is a really cool and innovative concept. From designer Philip Stanka's website,"Frost aims to reduce dependency upon conventional air conditioning units by replacing outlet electricity with solar power and refrigerator freezer energy. The solar power panel gathers electricity during peak sunlight hours and stores the energy for later use in order to spin the fans for a fresh breeze. The freezer provides the second leg of energy creating a source of cold (freezer ice pack) for the fans to convert the heated summer air into a wintery breeze."



Stay cool!

Add some Salvaged Style to your home

If you're in the Seattle area and want to add some "found object" charm to your home or garden, check out the following local shops for reclaimed building materials, lighting, mirrors and a whole assortment of interesting odds and end. Check them often - you never know what you're going to uncover!

The Re-Store in Ballard has interesting workshops and how-to classes to choose from for your home improvements projects.

Second Use in South Park also has workshops and interesting stories on their website about salvaged success stories.

Earthwise in South Seattle updates their site often with what's for sale in their huge warehouse.

Photo courtesy of Re-Store.

Reclaimed style and rooftop garden at Seattle's Bastille Cafe & Bar

Bastille Cafe & Bar recently opened in an 85-year old for Machinist shop in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood. What's particularly cool about this new spot is the amount of reclaimed material that the owners have used in their interior.

In addition to bricks, clam shell shelving and a massive iron hood salvaged from the building itself, there are pendant lamps and buttresses salvaged from a French church, a Parisian Metro clock,and railing from a Seattle mansion and a bridge on the MLK causeway in Portland, circa 1930.

The result is a dining room and bar that have given new life to found objects, all the while maintaining the integrity of the original building.

Additionally, the owners have fortified the roof in order to support 15,000 lbs of soil in 12 beds filled with arugula and herbs. More and more chefs, community organizations and private citizens in dense, urban areas are taking advantage of usable space by planting gardens on their roofs.

You can't get anymore fresh or local than when the food grows right on your roof!

Modern-Shed

If you're looking for an eco-friendly alternative for a backyard shed, meet Modern-Shed, a Seattle-based company who designs and makes modern-looking prefabricated sheds and small buildings using eco-friendly materials.

The sheds range in size from 48 sq ft to 216 sq ft, range in price from $7,440 to $29,950 and include options like French doors and are fully insulated.

Eco-friendly options include denim wall insulation, which using 85% post industrial natural fibers, cork or linoleum flooring and Trek decking, which uses equal parts reclaimed, recycled plastic and reclaimed wood in its manufacturing. You can also choose to have a green roof put on to help reduce energy costs - green roofs also help keep the building cooler in the summer and help with rainwater runoff.

Modern-Sheds are made under one roof in a big warehouse in Seattle and the company tries to work as many local businesses as possible.

While the kits can be put together by a layperson, Modern Shed recommends you work with experienced carpenters (like our trusty Houseworks employees) who have prior building knowledge.

Illuminate your life with Solatube Daylighting System

All homes have their trouble spots and if your’s is too little natural light, you should know about Solatube, tubular daylighting devices.

Solatubes are reflective tubes that capture the outdoor light, redirecting it downward into the house. While they’re conceptually similar to skylights in that they allow in natural light, Solatubes don’t require any structural changes and fit easily between the rafters. The Solatube ends in an attractive dome on the ceiling of your room, providing so much natural light that there’s no need to turn on the lights, saving you money on your energy bills.





If you’re interested in Solatubes, but aren’t sure they’re the right solution for you, Houseworks can advise you on them and help you explore other options that suit your needs better.

In fact, now is the right time to make home improvement like Solatubes or skylights. Hire us for a job, big or small, before August 15, 2009 and receive 10% off labor costs!

Mark your calendars for the E-Waste Collection and Waste Alternatives BBQ Event on July 29 at Ecohaus

On Wednesday, July 29 from 4 to 8 p.m., Ecohaus and GreenDwellingSeattle will be hosting an E-Waste Collection and Waste Alternatives BBQ Event, and inviting people to drop off unwanted home electronics like computers, printers and fax machines for free.

This eco-friendly event will also include opportunities to chat with the people who have made figuring out waste alternative their business, from people who turn used paper into building materials to artists who use salvaged construction materials. There will be giveaways, including a prize for the person who brings in the oldest electronic gadget, live music by gypsy-swing band Hochiwichi and food.

The unwanted electronics will not be shipped overseas, but will be processed by local e-Steward recycling company Total Reclaim at their 6th Avenue plant.

Important Safety Reminder

A word of caution from Peggy, office manager extraordinaire at Houseworks Construction Company, about the dangers of improperly handling a rag soaked in oil-based stain!

"My husband stained our deck Sunday and when he finished for the day he left a towel outside in the open air that he had been using to wipe down excess oil base stain off of the deck. The towels self combusted and caught our house on fire!! So what we learned is that any rags/towels etc that have oil based solvent/paint/stain on them can and will self-combust. They need to be put in a metal/galvanized container with the lid securely put on top to prevent air from getting to the rags."

For more information on proper handling and removal of household waste in King County, click here and here for Snohomish County.

Tankless Hot Water Heaters

Tankless hot water heaters heat water on demand, rather than keeping gallons of hot water on stand-by, saving homeowners up to 50% on their energy bills. Plus, they're really sleek and compact.



Contact Houseworks Construction Company with questions about purchasing and installing a tankless hot water heater in your home.

Microsoft Hohm

Sign up now to be notified when Microsoft's new free online energy conservation service goes live.

From the website:

With Microsoft Hohm you can better understand your home energy usage, get recommendations to conserve energy and start saving. As with any recommendation engine, Hohm will provide increasingly more accurate and relevant suggestions for energy conservation as its users contribute home energy input and feedback.

For more information, read treehugger's informative post here.

Green Blocks Pilot Project

If you're friendly with your neighbors, get the word out about the Green Block Pilot Project, a program sponsored by the Environmental Outreach and Stewardship Alliance (EOS). EOS is recruiting Seattle homeowners to participate in free home environmental performance assessments from July 6 through August 21.

From their website:
These are the same professional assessments that cost $400 to $600 and include evaluations of home energy, water, fossil fuel, solid waste, and landscaping efficiency. Each participating home owner will receive a report outlining home performance; recommended improvements; applicable grants, rebates, and tax incentives; and available services and training.

The more homeowners in the same block that apply, the greater that chance of being chosen to participate.

Apply here.

Ideal Bite

Want tips on green living? Subscribe to Ideal Bite, a daily e-newsletter featuring green topics as diverse as pool covers to how to fix a leaky faucet.

Chose from Daily Tips, tips for Mamas or get city-specific and sign up for Seattle Tips.

You never know what you might learn that will help reduce your carbon footprint!

Ecohaus sells green building materials

Ecohaus, with locations in Seattle, Bellevue and Portland, has a fantastic selection of green building materials, from flooring to insulation.

According to an article in the May 2009 issue of Qualified Remodeler, Green Editor John D. Wagner writes that there are five benchmarks for a product to be considered green. Those are, it improves outdoor air quality, uses recycled and/or recyclable materials, reduces water consumption, is sustainably harvested and reduces fuel consumption during its manufacture, delivery, installation and use.

At Ecohaus, you'll find formaldehyde free plywood, 100% recycled-content insulation, non-toxic Marmoleum flooring and more that fit into the green product paradigm that Wagner explains.

Visit our links page for more eco-friendly companies that we endorse.

REX Awards

We've got a house up for consideration for a REX or Remodeling Excellence Award.

The Olney residence in Phinney Ridge:







From the Master Builders website:

Your 2009 REX Awards committee has come up with the theme, "A Night of Brilliance, Elegance and Excellence."Brilliance" invokes a 10-carat diamond, the gemstone traditionally associated with a 100-year anniversary; "Elegance" sets the tone for the upcoming evening; and "Excellence" well, excellence is REX's middle name.

REX is the time to recognize and honor the thinking, planning and hands-on doing that goes into creating the spaces homeowners dream about. And it's also the time to inspire and encourage those who are new this innovative profession.

Join us as we celebrate the best local remodeling projects. Only those with reservations will know the passion and the glamour of this year's event.

Formal attire is encouraged

The awards banquet takes place on Saturday, June 20 at 5 p.m. at the Lynnwood Convention Center
3711 196th St S.W.
Lynnwood, WA 98036

Cost is $100 for members, $110 for non members before June 16.

Click here for more info.

What is Green building?

Green building is ultimately about the relationship of a home and its occupants to the world around them. It is a process of design and construction that fosters conservation of energy and other natural resources, and promotes a healthy personal and global environment.

Houseworks Construction Company stays up-to-date on the growing variety of building strategies and skills that conserve natural resources while providing maximum benefit to the homeowner — such as lower costs and healthier environment.

We are informed on forward-thinking conservation methods:

* More efficient estimating
* Advanced framing techniques
* Usage of sustainable materials
* Water saving plumbing devices
* Recycling methods of job site waste
* Utilization of durable products to reduce waste
* Recycling content products which reuse natural resource

Our mission is to keep you aware to avoid/limit use of hazardous materials:

* Low V.O.C. paints
* Whole house ventilation systems
* Products containing harmful off gassing materials, such as certain carpets, and particleboard containing urea formaldehyde.

Here is a diagram of what elements go into the greening of a house:


Click here for a larger version.

Utilize all your valuable space with a basement remodel

The most under utilized space in a home is the basement. By converting this valuable space you can increase your living area as much as 50 % in some cases.

Over the years we have found ourselves finishing basements as part of a larger remodel, however, with the tight economy, staying within the footprint of your existing home might be just the ticket to increasing both your home’s value and your enjoyment of it.

Here are some things to consider when considering a basement remodel:

- Stay within original footprint of home. It is always less expensive to remodel existing space than to add on additional space, on average 25% less.
- Upgrade inefficient systems to higher efficiency furnaces, hot water heaters, windows and insulation, lowering heating bills.
- Water issues can be addressed by installing interior perimeter drains and wall barriers.
- Often times, the project duration is shorter and less disruptive on a basement remodel, depending on complexity of work.
- Increasing ceiling height would be an option.

Project/Room Ideas:

- Play room for children/teenagers
- Media/home theater room
- Exercise room
- Guest suite
- Sauna
- Wet bar/kitchenette
- Earthquake retrofitting
- Home office
- Mother-in-law apartment


Think your basement could use a remodel? Contact Houseworks for a complimentary basement assessment and project bid today.

Inaugural Post

Houseworks Construction Company has been remodeling homes in the Seattle area for over two decades. Our top priority is customer satisfaction. We achieve this goal by out outstanding craftsmanship, attention to details and respect of our customer’s individual needs. As a member of Built Green, Houseworks is committed to Green building practices as an integral part of our remodeling process.

Welcome to the new Houseworks blog where you’ll find information on what’s new in green building and remodeling. If you have any questions about what you read or want to know more about what Houseworks does, don’t hesitate to email us at remodel@houseworkscc.com or call us at 425-483-3422.