Local Options

by Home and Gardens ( Oregonian )

May 17, 2007

Sustainable materials. Recycled content. Reclaimed lumber. All good things, right? How about all that and Oregon-grown and produced, too? The idea to explore "embodied energy".... Read the full article

When Building 'Green', It's Still Tough to Find a Builder

by NY Times

October 1, 2006

After considering nearly a dozen contractors, Mr. Temple and his wife chose Stephen Aiguier of Green Hammer Inc., whom Mr. Temple had met at a trade show. Mr. Aiguier didn’t hesitate when Mr. Temple showed up with an old school chalkboard and asked him to turn it into a countertop. Mr. Aiguier also reused lumber from the demolition, fashioning discarded ceiling panels into wainscoting and framing lumber into stairway balusters. “We probably saved $6,000 to $7,000 by using salvage,”.... Read the full article

Building Local Connections

by Ecotrust

August 10, 2006

At Zena Timber, it's common to see small piles of felled trees awaiting transport to the lumber mill. But here, alongside a rutted dirt road and amid two thousand acres of firs, cedars, oaks and other native trees, one ordinary looking stack of Douglas fir logs is about to embark an unusual journey .... Read the full article

An Interview with Stephen

by Sierra Club

July 6, 2007

Although he comes from a long line of builders, and put himself through college as a journeyman carpenter, Stephen Aiguier didn't cut a straight line back to his family profession. Only after getting a degree in community development and applied economics, working for an organic chocolate company, and putting in a short stint at a securities brokerage did he found his Portland, Oregon-based contracting firm.... Read the full interview