If a modern sustainable house is built in the Oregon Forrest, will anyone hear it? That and more questions were answered (or at least asked) by the builders of this Neal Creek residence near the Hood River gorge.

This two bedroom house serves as a weekend retreat for the owners who are big windsurfing (the area is one of the best in the world) and snowboarding types that want to reduce their eco-footprint. We think this is a good way of doing just that.

A number of design decisions that help not to disturb the two acre parcel more than was necessary also serve other practical purposes. Elevating the house protects it from brush fire, creates storage below, and improves the view from the interior.

The house was built with mostly local, renewable, recyclable, and FSC certified wood. A rain screen protects the house from rain (did we say this was in Oregon), duel flush toilets reduce water usage, and a dual stage septic system saves the creek as waste water quality is monitored. Read post in GLiving.