Wattle and daub with hair?

According to an article in Britain's Telegraph there is Paula Sunshine is planning to use human hair as she carries out renovation work to the rest of her magnificent timber-framed house.  She told the paper "I do wattle and daub here using straw and the lime render on the outside is lime plaster and hair.

To read the rest of the story click here.

Homes by Famed Architects on Market in Droves?

Ran across a article in the Times today talking about a sudden upsurge in the availability of houses designed by well-known architects.  Frank Lloyd Wright, Rudolph Schindler and Richard Neutra designed homes are all on the market right now.  While the real estate market continues in murky waters, the chance to snap up an architectural classic for an affordable price is helping this sub-market reach a faster pace.

To read the article click here.

Famous Cantilevered House to be Demolished??

According to AOL's Weird News in the Neighborhood, the Chicago house and glass pavilion made famous in the 1980's movie "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" could be demolished if some have their way.

Rose House, located in Chicago's Highland Park neighborhood, now tops the Landmarks Illinois' list of significant historical homes in danger of being "demolished or substantial alteration," according to a story in the Chicago Tribune. The house is on the market for $2.3 million, but several possible buyers have inquired about tearing it down and dividing up the land.

The 4-bedroom, 4-bathroom house with the pavilion cantilevered over the ravine can't be duplicated; shortly after the movie scene featuring a Ferrari crashing through the glass wall, Highland Park officials refused to let any more cantilevered homes to be built.

Al Capone's Hideout Up for Action in October

The Wisconsin lodge that was used as a hideout by Al Capone is up for auction in October after the bank foreclosed on the property.

Read about it in the Chicago Tribune.

Frank Lloyd Wright in Second Life

The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation has created a Museum in the virtual world of Second Life.   I did a brief run through of the museum complex and liked what I saw. 

The main building has two wings; personal photographs and biographical information in one side and a Gallery on the Mayer May House on the other side. 

There is also a rooftop area showing note cards on various buildings from his career.

The remainder of the complex houses various shops and information centers along with a sprinkling of virtual recreations of several of his more well known projects.  Each of these recreations has an information card with a photograph of the real life version.

There is a museum gift shop as well as several shops unaffiliated with the museum that offers virtual goods. 

I greatly enjoyed my tour of the Frank Lloyd Wright Museum in Second Life.

Certified Wood credit for LEED

Reallifeleed.com recently posted an article the New LEED MRc7, Certified Wood Credit. 

On September 15, 2009... "the USGBC released the 2nd draft of the proposal for a new MRc7, Certified Wood credit for LEED-NC, LEED-Schools, LEED-CI, LEED-CS, and LEED-EBOM. You may remember that this was ultimately spurred by the lumber industry's complaints about how their own certification label, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), was unfairly excluded from the LEED credit which only recognized the Forest Stewardship Council's (FSC) more rigorous requirements. You can view the results of a report comparing various lumber certification schemes here. The new proposal is lengthy enough that I thought a summary here, with some commentary, might be useful to you guys."

To read the rest of this article click here.

Kodak Theatre Retrofits to Accommodate Cirque du Soleil?

The City of Los Angeles may agree to a multi-million dollar loan to the owner of the Kodak Theatre for modifications to accommodate Cirque du Soleil. The hope is to keep the theatre active in between red carpet events.

Click here for the LA Times article.

Solar Power Pays Off Sooner?

According to an article in the New York Times, "Panel prices have fallen about 40 percent since the middle of last year..."  Click here to continue reading the article.

Sixwise.com asks:

Should You be Worried About Chinese drywall? What it Is, and Why Thousands of Homeowners’ Health May be at Risk

Contaminated drywall from China, used to build more than 60,000 homes in at least a dozen states, may be emitting toxic levels of chemical pollutants like sulfur into new homes.

More than 500 million pounds of potentially tainted Chinese building materials may have been imported into the United States, particularly to Florida, at the height of the housing boom, according to shipping records reviewed by The Associated Press (AP).

The drywall lets off fumes that smell like rotten eggs and are potent enough to corrode copper pipes and make jewelry and silverware turn black. In fact, one of the telltale signs that a home may contain Chinese drywall is corroded piping and wiring that causes electronics and appliances, including air conditioners, to fail.
Some homeowners have also issued lawsuits alleging the drywall has caused health effects ranging from headaches and sore throats to dizziness and respiratory illness.

"This is a traumatic problem of extraordinary proportions," said U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler in an AP article.
Wexler has introduced a bill calling for a temporary ban on Chinese-made building imports until their chemical makeup is investigated further. Florida has been particularly hard-hit with Chinese drywall problems.

click here to read the rest of the story...

Happy Labor Day!

Have a great Labor Day!  Hope the long weekend treated you well.

Buzzword Overload

Marlys Harris with moneywatch.bnet.com has a great post about Words You Should Never Use at the Office Unless You Have To.  What word do you want to add to the list?