Materials Category

Architectural Steel

My friend Brady Foster, a local metal artisan, tours us through his shop in prep for a custom stair fabrication and install in our Holly Street Project. Doug Cameron is a Healthy, High-Performance Builder & Remodeler with EcoSafe Spaces Design+Build in Austin, TX.

Read More

Balloon Framing & LSL Lumber

Balloon Framing is a 200+ year old technique we employ on this custom home in Austin, TX. LSL (laminated strand lumber) helps make this possible, while also allowing for perfectly straight walls. Doug Cameron is a Healthy, High-Performance Builder & Remodeler with EcoSafe Spaces Design+Build in Austin, TX.

Read More

Combining Structural Steel and Wood

Structural steel can span significantly greater distances than wood. Watch the video below to see how the two materials are used in conjunction with another, to achieve a dramatic cantilever effect. Doug Cameron is a Healthy, High-Performance Builder & Remodeler with EcoSafe Spaces Design+Build in Austin, TX.

Read More

Cement Tile, a Time Honored Tradition

Cement tile is a fantastic way of adding color, personality, and excitement to any space. Authentic cement tile is hand poured by artisans from around the globe; no single tile is exactly the same. Big box stores have caught on, and now produce ceramic tile that mimics some of today’s most popular cement tile patterns. Ceramics are less costly and […]

Read More

Lending a Hand with Engineered Beams

When this historic church was originally restored after a fire in the 1930’s, engineered beams didn’t exist. You had to use really long pieces of wood /stone or sophisticated and time consuming jointing methods. Times have changed. Today we are able to use much smaller trees for much larger beams.  Would-be wood scraps/waste are used […]

Read More

High End Hemp?

I field a lot of questions about carpet, and personally I’m not a big fan. I prefer hard surface flooring with throw rugs where desired. Hard surfaces are easy to clean and don’t harbor dust mites like traditional carpet (wool carpet-e.g. Nature Carpet being an exception). Hard surface flooring includes: wood, tile, concrete, cork, sheet […]

Read More

Reclaimed Materials: Saving History, while Saving Cash!!

Reclaiming old materials is a great way to green up your new home or renovation. Our client “Mrs.D” gets into the action of refinishing these super cool old doors (over 100 years old). She found them nearby in Georgetown, TX for less than $10 a piece. Wait a go Mrs.D!! To see these doors completely […]

Read More

Engineered Lumber Rafters

Personally, I am a big fan of engineered lumber of all kinds. It is straighter, stronger, and way more environmentally friendly.  

Read More

Natural Berms

In previous posts, we showed you a few good ways to incorporate sustainable site work into your next construction project. Natural berms are yet another great way to “use what you have.” A big part of “green building” is just being creative. Take a look…

Read More

%d