Home Green Homes

"...you get the best value when you're designing this way (using the rating systems) with a green home, this intent to finding the most durable building materials and then also the types of equipment and finishes and so on, that will be as efficient as possible over the long term."

Alison Kendall is a California licensed Architect and LEED Accredited Professional with specialty in Building Design and Construction.  She has a Masters of Architecture and Masters of City Planning from University of California at Berkeley, where she taught Environmental Design and Energy Efficient Architecture.  She is also a GreenPoint Rater for New and Existing single and multi-family dwelling and a Building Performance Institute Building Analyst specialized in energy efficiency. She has taught sustainable architecture and planning to students and professionals in California and in France.  She founded Kendall Planning + Design as Sole Proprietor in 1997 in the San Francicso Bay Area and relocated the practice to Santa Monica in 2003.

Alison discusses the purpose and benefits of the two primary rating systems, LEED and Green Point Ratings using the illustration of her current townhouse project in Culver City, what these certification systems address in their rating process.

We also discuss the challenges and prospect for the rating systems in the state and nation levels.

The biggest progress of Green Building is that more people recognize the value of green building; and the biggest challenge is it's not enough people yet.

Mary Love is the Broker-In-Charge for her real estate company, Love The Green, as well as her property management company, Town Mountain Properties. She is also President of Mary Love Consulting Firm.  With a long list of qualifications, Mary has been inspiring, training and teaching for over thirty years, and is affectionately called, the “Grandmother of Green.”  She presents facts and detailed information with a sense of humor and great passion.  Mary’s love for nature and humanity has guided her to be one of the top presenters in the Green Building Industry.  Mary believes that individual actions create massive change when done with purpose and intend.  Her motto is, “A little bit of something is a whole lot better than nothing.”  Mary sees the world as one big Green Project and her passion is helping everyone understand how we are all connected. Here are the talking points:

What was it like 30 years ago to be talking about “green homes”?I imagine things are quite different now compared to back then.  In your observation, what is the biggest progress in the business of green homes and what is still the biggest challenge in your  work?What do you think is the most effective term to use to describe the homes you and I are promoting?  “Green,” “eco,” “healthy,” and/or “high performance.”?What is your advice for me to reach more of the right people who would be more receptive of the idea of “green,” “healthy,” or “high performance” homes?

“…the comparison isn't so much about the rate, it's about your house, and what other alternatives you have.”

 

William Brown is the National Renovation Sales Manager at Finance of America Mortgage, LLC. He brings a depth of knowledge and insights, gained over time, with more than 20 years of experience in construction trades and 15 years in the mortgage and housing industries.  

During the past 10 years, he has built and managed renovation and construction ops for two national lenders which served retail, wholesale, NDC and delegated origination channels. Close to 8000 renovation or construction loans have gone through his operations centers. Each received project management support to assist the borrower, mortgage adviser, realtor and contractor prior to closing, and high touch draw administration services post-closing. In the interests of improving the product throughout its lifespan, William has also written product guidelines, training, and marketing materials for all participants in the renovation loan process.

Talking Points:

What are renovation loans?What types of “green” mortgages are available for consumers?Can you explain HomeStyle loans, Green Choice, and EEM?What are the advantages of “green mortgages” as opposed to conventional mortgages?In this unprecedented time of low interest, can “green mortgage” compete with other products?

William Brown contact info:  [email protected], 317-371-6127

Chris Stratton and Wen Lee moved into Wen’s childhood home, which was built in 1963.  Wen has a background in environmental studies and education, and Chris in building science and architecture.  They decided to convert this very typical suburban house into a Net-Zero sustainable house via DIY, which took almost 4 years in total.

 

This was a house in a suburb of Pasadena with three bedrooms and two bathrooms, which looks a like typical suburban ranch style house from the outside.  It was a pretty like standard house for this era and it was in fine condition but it wasn’t very energy efficient. There was very little insulation and the air conditioner and furnace were oversized.

Their goals were for Chris to learn about the process of home renovation; to reduce the home's carbon footprint (hopefully to net-zero), make it more efficient, pleasant/interesting, and comfortable; and finally to achieve financial viability in terms of value and also reduced living costs.

See their blog:  frugal happy

Home is where we get healed and energized.

Deanne Dalton, a founder/design and project manager for Eco Design and Build Studio.  Her purpose is to "Bridge design with a state of well being"   She has been designing since she played Barbies as a child.  While in college as a nutrition major she fell in love with her Art History class and changed her major to structural design and also received an interior design and landscape design cert.  She has been designing homes, small Commercial TI and Landscapes for 37 years.   Gardening is a passion of hers and therefore she is very in touch with nature.  It wasn't until she was construction manager on homes that she was a witness to  the daily waste and trash that our industry produces.  It was then that she knew she could only design for the planet and focused on passive design for  homes/structures and rain gardens for the landscapes.  Outdoor kitchens in California really enhances the quality of our lives and planting a landscape with low maintenance plants with a kitchen garden compliment and softens the hard surfaces.

Some tips and ideas for consideration of wellbeing at home, especially during the pandemic:

Kitchen garden: minimum a herb garden to grow food to reconnect with natureOutdoor kitchen with solid coveringsIf you don’t have an outdoor space, have potted plants on windows, or other indoor plants inside to purify airBring mirrors inside to reflect more lightsCreate a meditation space – also consider gardening as a form of meditation

“Looking at what is our furniture made of and understanding the importance of good quality indoor air will ensure that we experience wellbeing in the spaces we live and work in.”

Originally from Paris, Sophie Castro, an interior designer, a LEED Green Associate,  studied Interior Design at the Parsons School of Design New York City.  She thrives to create well balanced, healthy, and beautiful spaces, committed to eco-friendly and sustainable interior design, considering indoor air quality, energy conservation, and how furniture and furnishings are made of.  Here are some take away from the conversation:

EPA reports the average American spends 87% of their time indoors - likely more in the time of pandemic.  It’s the foremost importance to ensure the indoor air quality.  The starting point is to ask “what are things made of?”Whenever you bring new items into your home, leave it outside or in an empty room and keep the windows open for several days.When repainting, make sure to use zero VOC paint.For flooring, consider:  FSC Certified wood, reclaimed wood, cork, and Marmoleum; or tiles with post-industrial recycled content.For rugs and carpets:  Natural fibers such as wool, cotton, silk, natural grasses with non-toxic backing and adhesives.For counter tops, Vetrazzo (cement or resin mixed with pieces of recycled glass), Paperstone (mixture of recycled paper with non-petroleum base rsin.)Great resources to find sustainably oriented materials:  GreenBuildingSupply.com

"We need to radically reconsider what home means, and what’s beautiful and healthy."  - Mariam Mojdehi

MAAM, founded by Meredith McDaniel and Mariam Mojdehi, is a collaborative design studio specializing in architecture and interior design. They believe good design is rooted in sustainability and resilience. Taking a pragmatic approach, they look for opportunities to incorporate sustainability into all their work, which might be in systems that you cannot see, insulation, water treatment, etc. as well as finishes.  Their work aspires to not only "be less bad" but to actually improve our environment.

The idea of  “less bad” is an approach to materials and manufacturing that considers more cyclical view as oppose to linear of extraction, manufacture, use, and disposal, which reframes our mindset to look for opportunities to use the waste of one system that would become fuel to another. “Carbon sequestering materials” removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and stores as either liquid or solid.  While there are traditional building materials and techniques that help to sequester carbons, there are many new innovations and technologies: ex. hempcrete, strawbale, cellulose,  Blue Planet concrete, CarbonCure.Building industry is doing a good job of improving their products.  It is our responsibility as architects to specify products.  Once we help them understand what’s at stake for individuals, especially from the health perspective and it is for their own good and for their subs, everybody starts to get more invested and it becomes a win-win situation.

“Planting a native garden has endless upward spiral of benefits to homes, schools, communities and environment.“

Cassy Aoyagi is a LEED accredited practitioner, a board member of the USGBCLA and president of FormLA Landscaping, a full-service design+build and maintenance firm. She believes LA’s authentic, native beauty can save LA - from drought, fire, flooding and slides, all while improving our health and economic resilience. During more than 20 years in business, Cassy’s firm, FormLA has added nearly 1.5 million square feet of authentic, native habitat to Los Angeles, ranging from Tujunga to Playa Del Rey, western Malibu to the San Marina foothills. That involved removing about 200,000 square feet of thirsty lawn – the rough equivalent of 40 football fields or 750 tennis courts!

Cassy offers various observation and practical tips in the topic of sustainable residential landscaping:

Current trends in the residential landscapes: Downward spiral effect of having lawn:  “Cost savings out of lawn can amount to college tuition after 10 years.”Benefit of planting a native garden.Actionable and simples tips to start:If you don’t have a yard, planting a window garden with something edible or something that attracts butterflies can be a good investment for you, especially for kids to learn.A few tips for fire-prevention.

Norma and Alan Williamson are a husband / wife team who in 2003 renovated their home into an energy efficient solar home.  As it generates more energy than it consumes, it is technically a zero energy building. Alan is a certified Building Performance Institute technician and photovoltaic specialist with 20 years of experience.  Norma is a retired teacher, environmental project leader, and was named 2020 Woman of the Year by Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia from Assembly District 58.  ​For several years, from 2004 – 2008, they opened their solar, net zero, energy efficient home to the public for the annual National Solar Tour, sponsored by American Solar Energy Society. On one Saturday, they received 250 visitors, which led them to an invitation to submit an article on their home to Solar Today magazine, which became a cover story.

Let’s hear from you for the general audience why “Net Zero Energy”?When you bought your home in 2003, were you already planning to do the net-zero conversion and looked for a property with that in mind?We can see all the details on your website about what you did to transform your home  from the ‘60s, but can you please briefly tell us some of the key elements you did in your make-over process?Did you do all the research in deciding the technology to implement, sourcing the materials, vendors and contractors?  And how was that process look like?You have been actively promoting this concept of retrofitting existing old homes to net-zero or near-net-zero.  Tell me about where you have been presenting and how the audience is responding.I've been trying to promote the idea by trying to reach the builders who are flipping old homes, but I find it hard to convince them from the investment stand point from time and money standpoint. Do you have any suggestion?

Audrey Sato is a licensed architect in the state of California and Principal at Sato Architects, Inc. and has specialized in residential design since 2008 and founded Sato Architects, Inc. in 2010.  She is a LEED AP, and is committed to green building design.  Growing up in Hawaii, she gained an appreciation for the beauty of nature and the importance of community. Here are some talking points:

Her clients appreciate that she is knowledgeable about sustainability, and they want to build a home that’s healthier and better for the environment. They’re not necessarily looking for plaque or label.  They do want help with materials that have lesser impact on the environment or what’s most durable.For the sustainable remodel with limited budget, she wanted to make sure to integrate some of the principles and not just look at everything from a cost perspective, and it made sense to spend money on certain features.  For example, if you spend more on efficient heating system and insulating the house right up front, there will be a lot of cost savings in a long run.  They also spent more money on windows because that would make a huge long-term impact. The use of rapidly renewable products make a big difference in not taking old growth or resources, cork and bamboos were used for flooring.Some challenges when remodeling an old home like this one to make it a “green home” but not break the bank are that contractors may be familiar with new materials that they don’t know how to handle them.With strategy not to dump as much as possible, they salvaged a lot of materials and donated to Habitat for Humanity.

You can find Audrey at satoarchitects.com, or @audreysatodesigns on Instagram!