Eastside Harvest House Week 26: Growing Up Green

The steel decks and bridge have been installed, all but completing the exterior. We chose steel because it looks better than wood when viewed from below and because it is strong and durable. For the decking boards that are the walking surface we used tigerwood, a naturally rot resistant tropical wood that has a color and figure suiting its name.

All of the steel for this project is recycled steel from the rolling mill. After cutting, drilling and welding in the shop to fabricate the specific pieces needed for this house, it is sent for finishing. We used a polyester powdercoat that is baked on. The advantages over paint are several: it is almost impossible to scratch, it never needs to be recoated and it requires no solvent chemical to apply.

Before any steel is fabricated, each piece is drawn by hand by a detailer, in this case Ty Torjussen. He is careful and thorough and I really enjoyed working through the nitty gritty issues with him. Despite our care, it is always a nervous moment when the steel gets delivered and installed. Will it all fit? Sure enough, we overlooked one place where it was impossible to install screws into the decking boards. So Model Remodel had to remove and alter a few pieces of steel to make it work.

The decks allow the homeowners to step outside and the stairs lead down to the garden. For the first time, it feels like the home is connected to its garden.

George Ostrow is principal of VELOCIPEDE architects and member of Northwest EcoBuilding Guild, U.S. Green Building Council, Passivehouse Northwest and Built Green.