When Vineyards Inn chef/owner Steve Rose and his wife, Colleen, began talking about building a house on their six-plus acres near Kenwood, there was no way they could know where the journey would take them. “We knew we wanted to build ‘green,’ but we didn’t have a clue as to how,” Steve remembers. “Soon, we were in an architect’s office, sharing thoughts and making plans.”
Today, the three-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath Casa Verde can be found alongside Sonoma Creek, about a half-mile from the restaurant, accompanied by a one-bedroom rentable cottage. Steve tells the story:
Once our plans were complete, we found Bob West Construction, a builder without “green” experience but who was willing to learn. Bob and I enrolled in a two-day seminar by Build It Green (a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote healthy, energy- and resource-efficient building practices in California). At the end of the seminar, we each took a three-hour test and became certified Green Building Professionals.
In addition to using a lot of the green building materials that are starting to gain acceptance—things like formaldehyde-free products, low- and no-VOC paints and finishes, FSC-certified lumber and solar panels—we also decided to use as much reclaimed material as possible. It began with some doors I had in storage in San Francisco. All the interior doors were reclaimed from my family’s properties—I knew I’d kept them for a reason. All were professionally stripped of their lead paint then refinished with VOC-free stains and finishes by Colleen and her mother.
The subfloor is 3/4-inch plywood that was removed from a deconstructed GAP mezzanine in San Francisco. The main truss members came from an old warehouse. All other truss members were milled to our specs from urban salvaged trees that had fallen in Santa Cruz during storms. All the ceiling decking was milled from an assortment of trees that had fallen in Golden Gate Park.
As our odyssey progressed, we realized the use of reclaimed materials requires an open mind. Unlike conventional construction, you design and build according to what materials you find. Staying ahead of the contractor is a must. A perfect example: One day, Colleen and I came across a full pallet of thin brick in a salvage yard. We decided the bricks would work well as baseboards; the entire pallet cost $40.
Another day, in a yard in San Pablo, we stumbled across four laminated beams, which we bought for $450. They now sit atop the 6-inch reclaimed steel well casings supporting our solar panels. We built this around a cement slab salvaged from an old barn that now serves as a nice covered patio. The beam remnants not used for the solar structure were made into the kitchen island and dual chopping blocks.
The bathroom, kitchen and utility room sinks (eight in total) are all reclaimed from salvage yards throughout the Bay Area. The cabinets were salvaged from a Santa Rosa stereo store that had closed. Purchasing these “like new” cabinets probably saved us at least $50,000 to $75,000. Salvaged granite counter tops were trimmed and shaped to fit the cabinets. Many of the interior lighting fixtures and smoke detectors were purchased at a deconstruction sale. (These sales are held at houses being torn down. Show up with your toolbox, buy the fixtures that interest you and remove them).
Another day, another salvage yard. A few crates of reclaimed industrial pendant light fixtures from a movie set were split in half and now serve as wall sconces for exterior wall lights. We also found interior glass sconces, for the great room, and some reclaimed fireplace mantels and picture frames to serve as mirror frames.
Stairs to the second floor were milled from a black walnut tree that had fallen on the property. A few steps up from the second floor is a room that resembles a water tower. Windows on all sides effectively vect warm summer air from the house. This, in conjunction with good insulation, valley oak tree shading, efficient exterior windows and a large expanse of cement floors, eliminates the need for mechanical air conditioning. Last summer, the interior temperature never rose above 71 degrees. All appliances are Energy Star-rated, and the whole building project exceeded Title 24, California’s Energy Efficiency Standard, by 37 percent. Our electric bill averages about $7 per month.
The roof is made of 150-year-old clay tiles salvaged from a Buddhist monastery in Ukiah. Trim scrap from those tiles was used for mosaics on steps (made of reclaimed cinder block) that lead to the garden, where drought-tolerant native plantings abound with weather-sensitive drip irrigation controllers. Garden ground cover is chipped grapevine prunings. Rock walls use rusted wire fencing and reclaimed metal vineyard stakes. The electric entry gate and fencing around the garden consist entirely of reclaimed wrought iron panels. Reclaimed chain is used for rain downspouts, and the entire entry road and driveway is made of crushed, recycled sidewalk.
Upon its completion, Casa Verde was awarded 206 points out of a possible 224 by Build It Green and was featured on the organization’s 2007 Green Home Tour.
