RENEWABLE ENERGY & EFFICIENCY:

• Rooftop solar: a 10-year lease through a now-defunct company called Sungevity. Once the lease expired, we chose not to renew. The successor company that owned the lease forfeited the system to us and we now own it. We have a 1 KW system, the smallest they would install, and it met 100% of our solar needs until we got an electric car and now added heating and hot water to our load.

• Clothesline: from Ace Ellis Hardware in Oakland. Any well-stocked Ace should have both 100-foot clothesline and the wheels for each end. Throw in some stainless cable clamps and you’ve got a carbon-free clothes dryer ready to roll!

ELECTRIFICATION:

• HVAC: Central, ducted heat pump system installed by EcoPerformance Builders. (High efficiency, electric, 19.7 SEER 11.3 HSPF Fujitsu ARURLF ducted mini split heat pump air handler)

• Heat Pump Water Heater: High efficiency 83 gallon SandenCO2 (Eco2) heat pump water heater with a 3.75 Energy Factor. The stainless steel is installed in the dugout section of the crawlspace and the condenser in a designated outdoor location. Specified and installed by EcoPerformance Builders.

• EV charger: 40A Level 2 EVSE HCS-50P with NEMA 6-50 | ClipperCreek 

WATER CONSERVATION:

• High Sierra low-flow shower head: These are the best! We had a previous low-flow years ago that got clogged and was not repairable. This showerhead never clogs and produces a lot of pressure with less water.

SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS:

• Fireclay tiles: the kitchen backsplash used their “Debris” line, which included recycled porcelain from old fixtures like sinks and toilets.

• Paperstone Counters: “Mocha” color, made from recycled paper and resin. Even 12 years later, the counters look great and have held up really well. We refinished them once. In theory I think we should be fine-sanding and refinishing them every few years but we never get around to it and they still look good.

• Marmoleum Flooring: “Sahara” color, from Forbo. This flooring has lasted well and the mottled pattern hides nicks and scratches. We had a tile floor previously, and Marmoleum is much more forgiving on our feet and on glass jars or other things we might drop now and then.

• Bamboo floors: prefinished Plyboo Strand, which is a compressed bamboo product that’s more durable than other bamboo floors. But we picked it because it had a bit more of a wood look than a typical bamboo floor. It’s in great shape after 15+ years. Like other prefinished flooring, the varnish on the product is super durable, but also difficult to repair if it does get damaged. We live with a few dents and nicks, and that’s fine.

• Kitchen cabinets, which I built in 2010, were made with FSC-certified prefinished maple plywood and solid maple. In the past, the best source for FSC-certified lumber in the East Bay was Plywood and Lumber Sales/EarthSource, but they shut down after a slow collapse following the 2008 housing crisis and it’s been harder since then to get certified sustainable wood for small projects.

• Bedroom closet is made in part with urban reclaim eucalyptus. In 2006, I met a couple of people who were harvesting the trees and milling flooring from it. Eucalyptus is a tricky wood, with twists and cracks, but it’s super hard and durable for a flooring application. I bought some rough wood (before it became flooring) and milled door panels from it.

• Sources for reclaimed lumber slabs: Ponderosa Millworks, which I think will also design and build furniture for clients. Heritage Salvage in Petaluma for eucalyptus slabs as well as reclaimed redwood staves from large wine tanks.

• Denim insulation by Springwood Builders 

SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPE:

• BioStack Composter: We love this composter, and most other people who have it do too. Unfortunately, it’s no longer available. It was made by Smith & Hawken but after they shut down in 2009, no one makes it anymore. In 2018 there was even a petition to convince Target, which owns the Smith & Hawken brand now, to resume manufacture. But to no avail. If you ever see one out on the street, grab it! They are the best.

• Native plant landscaping.