Our sustainable practice portfolio projects.

England Comes to Redmond – Board & Vellum
New Construction Sustainable Living

England Comes to Redmond

This sustainable home in Redmond features a rainwater catchment system, super-insulated 12" thick walls, passive solar design, ground-source heating, and reclaimed materials.

Our First Bale House – Straw Bale Construction – Board & Vellum
A New Home Built with Straw Bale Construction

Our First Bale House

Affectionately dubbed, “The First Straw,” this straw bale home is the product of Terry Phelan’s first straw bale construction workshop.

Our sustainable practice posts.

Custom Residential, Sustainable Practice

Going the Extra Mile for an Unusual Addition

Living in a log cabin just might be one of the more sustainable things you can do. If you’re a city-dweller, you might never get the chance to do so unless you’re like one of our scrappy clients who saved a log cabin by attaching it to their home as an addition.

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Interior Design, Sustainable Practice

Sustainable Bedding Options for Your Home

Many of us are making an effort to live our lives with a critical eye on our environmental impact. Building homes following sustainable practices is incredibly important, but don’t forget to also give that attention to the materials and products you put inside it. This primer on sustainable bedding options can get you started.

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Custom Residential, Sustainable Practice

Designing a Sustainable Remodel

Designing a high-performance new home is straight-forward and time-tested. Designing a high-performance remodel can be a bit more complex and nuanced. Here are areas in which to focus your efforts so you can maximize the sustainable impact of your project, remodeling your space into a beautiful and high-performing home.

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Sustainable Practice

Questions To Ask About Sustainability

Board & Vellum’s first employee is starting off on a new adventure. As a farewell blog post, he asked people around the office about something really important to him: what questions they ask themselves — and think others should ask — about sustainability in terms of homes, landscapes, and workplaces.

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Landscape Architecture, Sustainable Practice

Planting for Bees: Sustainable & Bee-utiful Landscapes

In honor of Earth Day, let’s talk about a crucial part of our global ecosystem that needs our help: bees. How can you help? Lots of ways! Read on for a few to get you started, including how you can support bees in your garden, or even from a tiny balcony.

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Custom Residential, Sustainable Practice

Approachable, Sustainable Ideas to Save Money in Your Home

People assume that green building, or using sustainable practices, will cost them more money. But, while some upfront costs may be higher, often, the long-term costs are lower. Here are five approachable and sustainable ideas you can explore to help make your home healthier for you and your family while being better for the environment.

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Our Story

Board & Vellum is vibrant design firm built on the idea that an informed and engaged team leads to better design and happy clients. We wouldn’t be where we are today without passion and hard work, and those same two things keep us going strong today.

Our Process

Bringing your project from “idea” to fruition is a little different at Board & Vellum. We give personal care to each of our projects, and you’ll be in the loop every step the way. The bonus: we are an integrated firm, so each project has access to plenty of great knowledge — and that leads to better design.

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