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.