TerraMai makes Dwell magazine’s
“best-dressed” list


Dwell Labs
Chelsea Holden Baker
September, 2007

I've already found a company that will recycle my old vinyl siding. Now I'm looking for a fresh, sustainable alternative. Any suggestions?
-Roger Knight, Hillside, Illinois

Roger that. Leave the vinyl for your turntable, not your house. One rule of (green) thumb: Stick with materials found in a forest or on the periodic table. Production practices, longevity, and recycled content should also be among your criteria. Here are some solid options to put your well-clad house on the best-dressed list.

D: Reclaimed Wood by TerraMai /   
Redwood / www.terramai.com /
For out-and-out oenophiles, what could be more satisfying than a house ensconced in redwood reclaimed from wine tanks? TerraMai’s siding – redwood, teak, Douglas fir, or pine – provides the beauty of aged hardwood without the guilt of clear-cutting (reclaiming about one million board feet of lumber saves a thousand acres of old-growth forest). On average, less embodied energy is used in its productin than with other siding, and the wood has the nonwarping stability that comes with age.