Beautiful weather to go to a home show!

Tickets on sale now!  Go to: www.streetofaffordablehomes.com to get your tickets!  Enter discount code "affordable" to get $2.00 off per ticket!

Professional Shots of Completed Homes 4 of 6!

House 5 - "Cascade Pearl" By JT Smith & Companies

House 6 - "The Heartland" By Stone Bridge Homes NW

House 3 - "Grande Vin" By Stone Bridge Homes NW

House 4 - "The Viking House" By The Forest Grove High School

Forest Grove Schools — Across the Board Achievement

By PHIL FAVORITE

It started 10 years ago with a community-wide commitment to transformational reform.

Now Forest Grove High School is considered a national model for improved academic achievement, lower dropout rates and higher reading and math levels across the board. Forest Grove students are outperforming their peers at the district and state levels, and reaping the benefits when it comes time for college.

For the discerning new-home shopper, schools matter. And with two new-home communities in Forest Grove — The Parks at Forest Grove and Pacific Crossing — Stone Bridge Homes NW is invested in the success of local schools. 

Available home at The Parks in Forest Grove. Lot 101.

"If you're someone who's raising a family, you're going to care about the quality of schools where you live," said Kelly Ritz, president of Stone Bridge Homes NW. "For some people, that's the number one thing."

According the district superintendent Yvonne Curtis, the commitment of local parents and the leadership from teachers and school administrators has changed the culture in Forest Grove schools.

   

"Our teachers have made a more concerted effort to make sure our students are performing at their grade level," Curtis said. "We've focused on personalization. The students need access to grade-level content and also the support to understand the material."

Yvonne Curtis, Forest Grove School District Superintendent.

In 2011, Forest Grove High School was named a Continuing Success School for boosting student achievement. It marked the fifth time the school has been recognized for improved test scores and achievement.  The school currently holds a score of 8 (out of 10) from www.greatschools.org based on test results in comparison to all schools in the state.

Students in the Class of 2011 garnered $3.5 million in college scholarships. Three of the school's athletic teams were ranked in the top ten in the state for academic achievement. And 70 percent of the Class of 2010 attended a two- or four-year college.

Forest Grove High School offers 20 advanced places (AP) classes, one of the largest selections of any school in the state. The district is also offering AP classes in middle schools as well as music and language immersion as early as third and fourth grade.

"We believe all students can achieve at a high level, and we think everybody can take AP classes," Curtis said.

Forest Grove High School also features strong vocational learning programs in variety of areas, from welding to culinary arts to web design. Students receive experience in both the shop and in the field, including horticultural and agricultural programs.

Forest Grove students working at the Viking House site

The school's Viking House program allows selected students to develop and apply their vocational and carpentry skills in the annual building a new, single-family home. The program, started in 1975, is going strong with its 38th project currently underway.

This year, the Viking House — a three-bedroom, two-bath, single-level home — will be featured in the Street of Affordable Homes show at Pacific Crossing from July 5-29. 

A rendering of "The Viking House."

 "The school system in Forest Grove is truly committed and trying to do better all the time," Ritz said. "That's why we invited them to be part of the show."

 For Curtis, it's another part of helping students from kindergarten on up improve as they grow and reach for their dreams.

"All of it's connected," Curtis said. "The goal is that every student reaches a certain level of school can also achieve a higher level of education."

"The Viking House" Getting Ready for Show Time

By PHIL FAVORITE

Of the six state-of-the-art homes being built for the 2012 Street of Affordable Homes at Pacific Crossing in Forest Grove, one speaks particularly well for the future of homebuilding in Oregon.

"The Viking House" — a 2,230-square-foot, one-level single-family — is being built by students from Forest Grove High School, where each year a select number of students participate in a homebuilding project designed to put the practical shop-class skills into action.

A rendering of "The Viking House."

The program’s motto, Learn By Doing, is the principle that has guided "The Viking House" operation since its launch in 1975. This year's project is the 38th in the program's history.

“It’s very exciting for us to have them in our show,” said Kelly Ritz, president of Stone Bridge Homes NW, host of this year’s Street of Affordable Homes. “We’re proud of our business and proud of what we do, and excited to work with a school program that promotes the business of building.”

Chris Higginbotham, the 45-year-old teacher who has guided the program since 1995, said his students welcome the opportunity to display the results of their hard work in the spotlight of a summer home show.

Chris Higginbotham

 "It was an unexpected surprise to build for the show,” Higginbotham said. “When someone makes the biggest investment they'll ever make, you can expect them to want a high-quality product. It was decided that our focus would be on high-quality homes and to try to offer them at an affordable price."

The first step in building a high-quality product, Higginbotham said, is assembling the best possible team of students. Each year, members of "The Viking House" construction crew are selected from a group of applicants enrolled in Forest Grove High School's advanced shop classes.

Once selected, the students are expected to be unfailingly dedicated to the project. They work three hours every other school day on the home; construction begins at the start of each school year and is completed before school lets out in June.

"We try to assemble a little dream team every year," said Higginbotham, who was a long-time construction superintendent before becoming a teacher. "They're really young adults, and I like to think they're the best this generation has to offer. We have several high academic achievers, and several who have displayed great talent for the building trades. What they all have in common is that they're very dedicated."

This year's "Viking House" will be feature three bedrooms and two baths. In step with the other homes at this year's Street of Affordable Homes, it will be built to Earth Advantage standards for energy efficiency, resource management and healthy living.

During construction, students serve as the finish carpenters and are guided in almost every phase of construction by professional volunteers who demonstrate good building practices and answer questions from the students.

"They're getting great experience working side by side with professionals, which is a big help," Higginbotham said.

Over the years, that type of experience has launched the careers of many "Viking House" alumni. Some have started construction companies. Others have gone on to become engineers. Many have specialized in other building trades.

"The Viking House" project is self-funded with proceeds from the sale of the previous project and receives special pricing and donations in materials from partnering companies. Past donations have included solar panels, granite, paint, roofing, floor joists, various plumbing and light fixtures, stone veneer, gas fireplaces and insulation.

This year’s home includes a high-efficiency furnace donated by Lennox and a water heater courtesy of NW Natural.

Forest Grove High's shop program continues to thrive, going against a national trend of cutbacks which Higginbotham said "has been painful to watch."

"Not everybody is cut out for the cubicle," he said. "We still need to build houses. We still need to fix cars. Someone who has learned these trades is a valuable member of society.

"If you had a chance to work with these kids, you'd have a much more optimistic view of the future of this country."

 The Street of Affordable Homes will run July 5 through 29 at the Pacific Crossing neighborhood in Forest Grove.

2012 Street of Affordable Homes at Pacific Crossing in Forest Grove, OR

Kelly Ritz, President of Stone Bridge Homes NW

Stone Bridge Homes NW, LLC is proud to be hosting this year’s “Street of Affordable Homes" show in its “Pacific Crossing” community located in Forest Grove, Oregon. “We are excited to bring the Show back to Forest Grove but this time to host it in our Pacific Crossing neighborhood.” said Kelly Ritz President of Stone Bridge Homes NW. The 2010 Street of Affordable Homes was held at Stone Bridge’s other Forest Grove neighborhood, The Parks. This year the Show will feature six homes of exceptional design with an emphasis on energy efficiency and affordability. The participating builders in the 2012 show are Stone Bridge Homes NW, Skyline Homes and Design, J.T. Smith, and the Forest Grove High School. “We have some superb builders participating in this year’s show and we are especially pleased to have Forest Grove High School build with us this year” said Kelly Ritz. Show homes will vary in size from 2,200 square feet to approximately 3,500 square feet and will be priced from the low $200,000. The houses are already underway and the show will take place this summer running from July 5 to 29, 2012.

The Pacific Crossing neighborhood is a beautiful planned community complete with a pool, club house, play equipment and walking trails. While the neighborhood is located in Forest Grove with views of the Coast Range it is strategically located only 15 minutes from Hillsboro’s high tech employment corridor and, 40 minutes from downtown Portland. The town of Forest Grove affords residents with a small town community feel but within close proximity to Washington County jobs. Forest Grove was incorporated in 1872; it contains 10 structures on the National Register of Historic Places and is home to some of the state’s best wineries, as well as the acclaimed Pacific University.

Stone Bridge Homes NW, the home builder who is hosting the 2012 Street of Affordable Homes is a local Oregon builder who specializes in building semi-custom homes, giving buyers a choice of 130+ floor plans, including individual buyer-identified modifications and upgrades. Besides Forest Grove, Stone Bridge Homes has communities located in Lake Oswego, Tigard, and Wilsonville in the greater Portland area, as well as in Bend and Eugene.  Stone Bridge Homes NW has adopted solar and sustainable practices as one of its signatures and builds all of its homes to Earth Advantage Silver standard or higher.

http://www.streetofaffordablehomes.com

Forest Grove News Times Piece

The Forest Grove News Times wrote an article about "The Viking House," the student built home that will be featured in this year's show. The article was published earlier this month but is still a great read.  Forest Grove High School is one of the few schools in Oregon offering a construction program that allows students to learn and participate in the construction industry. To learn more about the program lead by construction teacher Chris Higginbotham go to: http://fghsvikinghouse.com/default.aspx.

You can also get a sneak peak of "The Viking House" at the Street of Affordable Homes website here: http://www.streetofaffordablehomes.com/showhomes.html.

Click here to read the full article from FG News Times.

Welcome!

Don't just dream about the perfect home... see it! Visit the 2012 Street of Affordable Homes presented by NW Natural and tour four new Energy Trust rated homes built to Earth Advantage Silver specifications in one beautiful Forest Grove community, Pacific Crossing!

Last year, the event took place at Arlingron Heights community in Tigard, only 15 minutes from Portland, Oregon and featured amazing new homes. This year will be no different, get an exclusive look at the future of affordable luxury and the hottest trends in new home building. Prominent Pacific Northwest builders showcase new homes ranging in size from 2,200-3,500 square feet and priced between $300,000 and $470,000.