About Cottage in the Woods Custom Home

The dream of the Cottage in the Woods started in 1976, when a young graduate in Landscape Architecture at the University of Oregon desired something different for a home in rural Washington County. After searching for over a year for that unique home, it was clear that the home had to be custom built. Then the search for undeveloped acreage began. After looking at over 100 pieces of property, under the guise of test driving his father’s new car, he was thrilled to find an actual gorgeous chunk of land.

This was not going to be a typical home. It needed to be a home with character, which a log cabin provided, each log a unique specimen of Pacific Northwest White Pine. Each piece was carefully treated and crafted, set upon one another as the walls went up. The view from this cozy property in the foothills of the Coast Range overlooking the Tualitin Valley of Oregon, west of Portland, required huge picture windows to incorporate the outside into the inside. The character of this neighborhood needed to be preserved, especially the extensive wildlife that exists side-by-side with the human residents.

Built mostly by hand, the young man experienced the typical multitude of mistakes, otherwise called the learning curve, during the construction process. It was worth it all. A stunning home was completed, distinctive and unique, and totally appropriate for the terrain and natural environment. The results were so rich, a career of 35 years building custom homes commenced.

Thirty-five years later, with over a hundred homes completed, a new home was needed for this no longer young student. A smaller, more efficient, greener, less maintenance, and more sustainable home. A pleasant surprise was discovered in the land use laws of Washington County that allowed him to build on a parcel of his land and continue living in this close knit community.

Today begins the design of this new custom home, a dream home long imagined over the 35 year career of a custom home builder and landscaper. The home will be the culmination of the lessons of all the preceding homes while concentrating on livability and efficiency.

Fortunately a number of people have expressed interest this project, because of the prior experience of the builder, and because of the new direction we are taking. We already have a web page detailing the concept. We intend to recruit a number of our established craftsman, along with new technologies to create this new home.

To keep up with the construction and development of the home, check out the Current Home Plans, as well as the front page of the site.

About Rick Bernard

Rick Bernard of Bernard Custom Homes has been a leader in custom home development and construction, breaking records for the number of award-winning homes built for the annual Portland Street of Dreams showcase in Oregon. The homes have recieved some of the highest and most prestigious awards including Best of Show, Best Kitchen, Best Master Suite, Best Design, and Best Value.

Rick Bernard is very selective about his clients and projects, choosing to work on a limited number of projects each year. This gives him the time clients need for their home, and for their custom home builder to be responsive to their needs and the overall supervision of the site.

Bernard Custom Construction is a family organization, formed in 1976 and incorporated in 1979. Rick Bernard, President and Certified Master Builder, offers a degree in architectural design (BLA), a degree in Psychology, as well as extensive construction and business experience. His hands-on approach to homebuilding assures a Bernard project is never handed off to a job superintendent. Instead, Rick personally oversees every construction detail and remains directly or indirectly available to the client every minute of the day. Bernard Custom Construction has been a proud member of the Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Portland for over 20 years, with Rick Bernard serving as a director on its Board for five years, and is frequently interviewed in location media as a custom home building expert.

For more information on hiring Rick Bernard and Bernard Custom Home builders for your dream home, contact him to help make your dreams come true.