A "Green" House

Heather's floors are made from bamboo (a rapidly renewable resource, as anyone who's tried to get rid of the plant in her yard can attest) and polished concrete (an inexpensive material that retains heat during the winter and stays cool in the summer).

Leaves fell on wet concrete during construction of the porch. "We tried to pick them out but decided to leave them," Heather says. "They're even inside the house—it's like going back to nature." The chaise is from Ikea.