Our Garden Room had a setback last spring when we discovered that moisture was wreaking havoc with the walls.

In December we took the time to host local 4th and 5th grade extended study students participating in a unit on Historic Preservation.

As delighted as Randy is with his weather station, I am equally thrilled with the cove heaters!

Randy is like a kid with a new toy! He now has his weather station functioning at full capacity.

Guess who showed up today??? Good Earth Works is back to finish most of the landscaping in the front yard.

The Indoor Air Quality Test Results Part 1 came in the mail today. The specific categories listed were Volatile Organic Compounds, Carbon Monoxide and Carbon Dioxide, and Airborne Particulate.

I was really struck by the magnitude of wood mass that grows every year in Montana compared to the amount that is harvested.

We are proud to announce an extremely exciting renovation project! It’s been so hard for us to keep quiet about this until now.

“Use lots of wood in building? No way—I’m a green architect!” That was my sentiment when I was a design student and beginning my architectural career.

We have had several Blower Door Tests performed to determine if there were any significant leaks where cold in the winter or heat in the summer could infiltrate into the house.

The Billings Gazette featured this photo and caption in their March 1 edition: THIS FEBRUARY WAS BILLINGS’ SECOND-SNOWIEST EVER.

Before we can start monitoring our Twelve Month Performance Period (the 12 months where we track all sorts of data for the Living Building Challenge documentation), we need to have an Indoor Air Quality Test performed.

Our two granddaughters (and their parents) came for a visit toward the end of March.

While I have been working on painting the upstairs linen closet and guest bedroom closet, Randy started building the spiral staircase to the Crow’s Nest.

It seems like Randy has clipboards everywhere. He has a clipboard to track the rainwater level in our water tanks.

Platinum is the highest level attainable on the LEED scale (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).

High Plains Architects is now a League of American Bicyclists recognized Silver Bicycle Friendly Business (BFBSM)!

This “comb”-style bike rack, unfortunately, is only functionally useful for locking up one bike since one end is against the wall.

This rack is worth more as scrap metal than as a rack. Riders cannot lock up the frame with a u-lock and the bike wheels are easily bent.

What is a biking post doing on an architecture firm’s blog? We’re glad you asked!