Five years ago, I decided to replace my house’s drafty metal casement windows. I’m pleased to report that this home improvement project has finally come to an end. Earlier today, the Open Enclose crew came and installed two new windows in the living room. But the old windows didn’t go down without a fight. The…
While I was visiting family in Pennsylvania, the septic tank backed up. This happened while my mother was running the dishwasher. The sight of icky liquid seeping into the house via the basement floor drain put Mom in a very bad mood. Did I mention that it was the day after Christmas and it was…
Since we’ve had a warm, dry fall here in Tucson, it’s been a good time for outdoor projects. My latest was getting the mortar and stucco repaired on my house’s exterior walls. Then it was time to freshen up the paint. Here’s Kurt (from Creative Kurt Painting) getting my studio windows taped… With all the…
My front yard was graced (if you want to call it that) by a crumbling brick retaining wall. The wall had no seep holes, which meant that it was gradually being weakened by moisture. Time to tear down the wall. I wanted replace the old wall with something more attractive. Since I’m a member of…
Every year on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Habitat for Humanity Tucson begins construction on several homes, building them from the ground up, to not only memorialize the victims, but to celebrate hope, community and the American dream at its annual Building Freedom Day. This past Friday was Habitat Tucson’s eighth annual Building Freedom…
Although I’m a big fan of renewable energy, I’m not thrilled with the price tag. Take solar power, for example. The equipment and installation costs of a household photovoltaic system can run well into the five figures. Or higher. Yes, I know that there are rebates and tax credits, but you still have to front…
I live and run my studio in a house that’s 53 years old. Like most houses its age, it has issues. (Translation: It’s an emotionally needy house.) Earlier this spring, I was repairing the plumbing in the shower. When I went outside to shut off the house water, I noticed that the water line was…
When you live on an eroding hillside, you’ve got a problem. Whenever it rains, valuable topsoil is being carried away. This past Sunday, members of the Watershed Management Group’s co-op program were hard at work, restoring a homeowner’s hillside. The goal is to prevent erosion and stabilize the hillside so that native plants can grow…
Been doing a window upgrade on my house for the past four years. The old casement windows are of the single pane variety. And they leak like a sieve. Last Friday, I cleared out my design studio and let the window replacement crew move their gear in. Then it was time to bid two more…
Who says that University of Arizona students won’t get up bright and early on a Saturday morning? Especially if that Saturday happens to coincide with Valentine’s Day? This past Saturday, I worked with UA water harvesting students in the Rincon Heights neighborhood, which is just south of the campus. The students were joined by a…
This past weekend, I worked with the Watershed Management Group on a greywater harvesting project. This project will take washing machine water and redirect it to plants outside the laundry room. These guys are dry-fitting the ABS pipes that are part of the greywater drainage… After they were finished with the pipe-fitting, we filled trenches…
This past November, I wrote a post on Tucson’s new ordinance that requires water harvesting for commercial developments. To show how this can be done, the Ward 1 City Council Office is creating a public demonstration site. Work on the Ward 1 site is now being completed. On Saturday, January 24, Watershed Management Group volunteers…
The people in these photos may look like they are doing a landscaping project, but there is much more to it than that. They are volunteers in a Watershed Management Group project that aims to improve urban water quality… The focus of the project is on reducing non-point source (NPS) pollutants like pet waste, auto…
Last month, Tucson became the first American city to require water harvesting for new commercial developments. The new city ordinance requires new developments to meet 50 percent of their landscaping water budget with water that falls on the property. To show how the ordinance will work, the Ward One City Council Office is creating a…
Was on my way to an early morning meeting just north of Tucson’s Rillito Creek. We had yet another rainstorm last night, which meant that the creek was running. But it wasn’t running as briskly as it had been on Labor Day weekend. So, no creek photos. This time, the eye-catcher was a construction site…
Today is the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Although much attention had been paid to what happened to New Orleans, Katrina’s devastation covered several states. And the reconstruction work still goes on. It will continue for several years. I took this photo in Moss Point, Mississippi, last month… The owners of this house are living…
This past Saturday, the Watershed Management Group helped me get my yard into better shape. Permit me to explain… After I moved in here, I set about the task of planting a xeriscape so I wouldn’t spend a fortune on water bills. In addition to planting low-water use plants, I tried to contour the property…
Just returned from another week of post-Katrina reconstruction in Mississippi. Although much appears to be back to normal, there’s still quite a bit of work to be done. Take, for example, this house. Almost three years after the storm (local people rarely call it Katrina), the owners are still living in a trailer. Since drywalling…
On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina came ashore along the Gulf Coast of the United States. It proved to be one of the most destructive storms in U.S. history. Although cleanup and rebuilding efforts are well underway, much work remains. San Diego-based International Relief Teams (IRT) is helping to rebuild Katrina-damaged homes in southern Mississippi….
This past Saturday, Habitat for Humanity Tucson started construction of its eighth Women Build home. The event drew approximately 100 women volunteers to the Habitat build site at Corazon del Pueblo. Once there, they got down to work with hammers… and saws… Then they put all the pieces together and raised the walls… Tip: I…
Last month, I wrote about a Watershed Management Group project that’s transforming a steep slope on a private property west of Downtown Tucson. I’m pleased to report that this project is now done. A small, but mighty band of WMG volunteers applied the finishing touches this past Sunday. Tip: I am available for construction photography…