'Made in America' house in Lake Oswego highlights domestically sourced building

made in america westlake homeView full size Westlake Development Group's "Made in America" house in Lake Oswego, shown while under construction in April, was made entirely with products sourced or manufactured in the U.S.

Politicians love to say Americans don't make things anymore. That might be an exaggeration, but one thing's for sure: we don't make doorstops.

Just ask

owner Gerald Rowlett, who built a Lake Oswego house entirely with domestic components.

He and his subcontractors used 234 parts -- from glue, nails and lumber to finishing touches like sink basins and light switch cover plates -- all made in the United States and many made in the Northwest. But they couldn't find a reasonably priced American-made doorstop. (In the end, they crafted their own.)

Made in America house





Oregon suppliers:


Washington suppliers:


Component miles traveled:


Component miles if shipped from Beijing, China:

1.2 million

Cost of U.S.-made box of screws:


Cost of imported box of screws:


If you go

Westlake Development Group's "Made in America" house is part of the Ultimate Open House Tour concluding Sunday.


16173 SW Bonaire Ave. in Lake Oswego


11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

When it comes to building a house, it turns out "Made in America" is easier said than done.

It's not necessarily a matter of cost. The house, at a purchase price of $550,000, cost just 1 or 2 percent more than it might have otherwise.

Instead, the difficulty comes from finding suppliers that make their products domestically. Sometimes, the suppliers don't even know.

Consider wood products: Even in the heart of timber country, good luck trying to figure out whether your two-by-four came from an Oregon forest or just across the Canadian border.

"I had a learning curve on a lot of product, especially product you're used to having just show up at the curb," Rowlett said. "I didn't ask where my shoes come from, either, but I ask now. It's inspired us to ask."

Rowlett got the idea from


The idea is to amplify the construction industry's already considerable -- at least, in a stronger economy -- job creation engine and investment impact.

If it catches on, that could help create jobs in the manufacturing industry and all the industries that support it by providing raw materials or moving goods.

"Manufacturing has a high multiplying effect, the highest multiplying effect of all industries," said Amy Vander Vliet, a regional economist for the Oregon Employment Office. "Manufacturing uses materials to create a product, and that material has to come from somewhere."

One or two domestically-sourced houses is largely symbolic. But Rowlett says he hopes to use what he's learned to train other area builders in the benefits of buying local and increasing the share of domestic products used in housing.

"Now we know where the bones are buried," he said. "If a client wants a finish that's not made in America, am I going to say I'm not building your house? No. But I can direct components of the house toward made-in-America products."