Kobey’s Dream
DreamBuilder Custom Homes, owned by Tim Walker, is helping make Kobey’s Dream come true. Kobey, a 13 year old from Banks, Oregon has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a genetic disorder causing the gradual weakening of all muscles in the body. Currently there is no cure and very little treatment for this genetic disorder affecting 1 out of every 3,500 boys in the U.S.
Tim’s passion for helping the Muscular Dystrophy Association comes from a life long friendship with Kobey’s dad, Dennis Bonin. In 2008, Tim and DreamBuilder Custom Homes built a new home for The Bonin Family. Their home is ADA compliant for Kobey and accommodates his needs in a wheelchair.
Thanks to the generous dedication of sponsors like DreamBuilder Custom Homes, the MDA is able to fund help and hope for over 1100 families served locally in SW Washington and Oregon. By “Making a Muscle” for MDA, the Koderra House gives our community a chance to see how they can do a small part to help. Donations to the MDA, go toward the services provided to MDA families. The MDA has funded local clinics at OHSU and Shriners Children’s Hospital. These clinics provide comprehensive services for families with muscle wasting diseases and makes sure they see specialists who are knowledgeable about their specific needs and care.
The Bonin & Walker Families
Tim Walker at Dream Builder Custom Homes is driven to help the MDA with funding toward research for a cure. MDA translational research holds the promises of minimizing symptoms, prolonging life and potentially reversing the course of diseases. MDA funded research has also lead to the FDA-approved drug Myozyme, which is today saving lives of children with Pompe Disease (acid maltase deficiency.) The Muscular Dystrophy Association spends $74 a minute in its worldwide research program, supporting more than 330 projects.
By giving at the Koderra House, the MDA Portland Chapter can continue with helping fund efforts for a cure to fight over 43 neuromuscular diseases including Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, which Kobey Bonin and his family are living with each day.
Proceeds from the sale of Koderra will help our local MDA Chapter fund research.
The Tim Walker Family, DreamBuilder Custom Homes, Kobey and The Bonin Family thank you for your support!
Posted in Press Release
NW Natural Street of Dreams Home Lowers Energy Use with a complete top of line Rain Screen system
Building a home for the NW Natural Street of Dreams means taking building concepts from the drawing board to reality. DreamBuilder Custom Homes has taken building science to another level with building concepts rarely used in our area. The idea of a vented siding system (a.k.a. Rainscreen) is not new, but it is not all that common yet either. With the concerns of water intrusion our rainscreen system ensures the best protection for the great northwest.
The idea of a Rainscreen is simple; create a small space between the siding and the wall to allow for moister to ventilate and drain. The benefits of doing this are as follows:
1) Equalized pressure means less air infiltration inside your building.
Since the pressure on both sides of the side will be the same, there are less chances of environmental infiltration into the home, making for a better airtight interior seal. A better inside seal translates into lower energy costs.
2) Water that makes it past the cladding will drain and dry out, keeping the moisture out of your walls.
Water will eventually make it through any and all cladding assemblies on a building. The vented rain screen makes sure that when water does get through it is able to drain down the face of the Water Resistive Barrier and out the bottom or simply dry out on its own in the air gap between the siding and the wall.
3) An extra layer of air keeps your building cooler.
In most homes, the sun hits your cladding that is in direct contact with the sheathing, transferring the heat directly into your walls. Less heat load on this Street of Dreams home will translate into less need for Air Conditioning in the warm Portland summers.
Posted in NW Natural Street of Dreams
What is an Earth Advantage Certified New Home?
DreamBuilder Custom Homes is building this year’s Koderra Street of Dreams home (as we do with all the homes we build) using the strict Earth Advantage and Energy Star Certification program.
An Earth Advantage home is certified by third-party inspections and performance tests. The foundation of the certification is built on:
- Indoor Air Quality
- Responsible use of Natural Resources
- Reduce/reuse/recycle
- Land Protection
- Lower Water Usage
The goal of the program is to protect the environment while improving performance of the home. On the foundation of the Earth Advantage home stands five pillars, they are:
Energy – using high performance equipment and increased insulation.
This lowers the average monthly energy costs and decreases carbon emissions into the environment, all while keeping the home comfortable for the occupants.
Health – using fewer products that off-gas.
Indoor air quality plays a major role in overall health and lifestyle. Improved ventilation and filtration reduces airborne contaminates decreases the chances of allergies, asthma and other serious health risks.
Water – using water-wise technologies.
Decreases water consumption while maintaining a comfortable lifestyle.
Materials – using natural resources.
The use of locally manufactured products helps the environment by decreasing the carbon footprint to bring the materials to the building site.
Land Development – diminish land degradation and deforestation.
Promotes healthy landscapes, reduces waste, and prevents potential erosion associated with lot development during the construction process.
I build every home as if my family was going to live in it.
Tim Walker
Dreambuilder Custom Homes
Posted in NW Natural Street of Dreams
What is in the “Street of Dreams” Home Name Koderra?
I jumped at the opportunity to build one of the homes on this year’s Street of Dreams. With every other home we’ve built, we first sought an understanding of the owner: their likes and dislikes, design preferences, etc. But with the Street of Dreams home, there is no owner yet. Without the ability to understand the owner, I had to be extra creative!
The homes on the Street of Dreams are always named and the names have a deeper meaning to the builder. I wanted a name that spoke to the core value I identified for this project–“family”. I could think of no other way to speak to the importance of family than to use my own family. The name Koderra is a combination of my children’s names, Kody and Sierra.
I love building homes for people. Crafting wood and metal together to create a dwelling that becomes the centerpiece for a family to experience life together is a magnificent job!
The idea behind the Street of Dreams is for people to be inspired and apply those ideas to their home. In addition to the beautiful architecture, the inspiration I hope people take away from Koderra is that a home is where a family grows together.
Over the coming weeks I will share my thoughts for each room in the home and what was dancing around in my dreams as I designed them.
Welcome to Koderra, a magnificent Pacific Northwest Contemporary family home.
Tim Walker
Dreambuilder Custom Homes
Posted in NW Natural Street of Dreams
