Hood River Modern Home, Compact and Green

Mounthoodmodern

I was completely intrigued by this article in the New York Times about two architects' vacation getaway, which just so happens to be green built. And before everyone flips out saying "second homes aren't green," I'm going to preempt that by not getting into it. The house itself is an example of good design, small living, and green construction. The 935 sf modern home has a living roof, FSC-certified tigerwood flooring with vegetable wax finish, water-efficient toilet, on-demand water heater, and solar tube in the bathroom, etc.

The owners, Paul McKean and Amy Donohue, bought the two acre parcel and inherited a bunch of issues -- issues that many modern/prefab enthusiasts will face if they want to build a green home. The site had flood plain issues, so the home had to built up off the ground. There was a deed restriction requiring homes to be at least 1,400 sf (and those are no joke). The various lenders didn't have comparables for modern, compact, green vacation homes, either. The couple also looked into prefab, but as you may have guessed, it was too expensive. I mean, when you do things that are different, you run into people that don't know how to handle it. You have to be prepared to educate and advocate. Great article.

Greenmodern