The decaying 1917 craftsman cottage in Austin that architect Joe Bennett and his wife bought in 1995 exuded old Texas charm. But it was obvious that some of the quaint elements of the one-bedroom, one-story house would challenge Bennett's green philosophy. "We wanted a house with warmth and character," Bennett says. "I decided to show that you could do green building in a style other than modern and minimalist." For the first 12 years, Bennett focused on the basics. On the porch, he replaced rotting columns with tapered ones typical of Craftsman design, replaced 11 cedar posts with concrete piers for support, and resurfaced it with rock veneer.
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