Posing as an unusual nuclear family, Fellows went shopping for a new home in Portland. The US housing market has slowed to the lowest pace in decades, and real estate agents were happy to show Fellows newly constructed homes lingering on the market. This was an opportunity to compare construction practices and living styles between cultures, and to better understand the American lifestyle that drives the US lumber industry and economy.
The tour was of particular interest to Korean Fellow Namgon Kwag, who works for Eagon Ltd., a luxury building products supplier and builder. For his project, Namgon is searching for innovative home products that could be introduced to the Korean market, particularly in flooring or windows. Namgon paid special attention to heating systems, which are done quite differently in the US. Korea has a unique radiant flooring system for heating called the “Ondol.”
The average American house size has more than doubled since the 1950s and now stands at 2,300 square feet, although Fellows saw homes double that size with price tags of up to USD $700,000. Some memorable features included Brazilian hardwood flooring, extensive use of OSB, large kitchens, media and wine rooms, and creative storm water management systems.
Click on the giant house for more photos.
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