Self Sufficiency in the City

Smart Home Owner - Nov/Dec 2006

Lorax Development
San Francisco, Calif.
Five years ago, Mike Kerwin, Joel Micucci and Pat Loughran, partners in the San Francisco-based contracting firm Lorax Development, came together with a single goal in mind: "To build environmentally friendly homes with renewable materials, energy-efficient systems and smart technologies," says Kerwin. Since then, the three contractors have worked together on a number of building and remodeling projects, including Clipper House, a recently completed green home located in the Noe Valley region of San Francisco. Clipper House is unique not only because it is one of the greenest homes in the Bay Area but also because it is the first residence in the city to include a rainwater catchment system on its property. The system catches rainwater (18,000 to 20,000 gallons a year) as it runs off of the specially designed roof, then cleans and stores the water for later use. "All water needs can be met for non-potable [non-drinking and bathing] uses," Kerwin notes.

To install the system, the contractors first had to receive approval from the city, which proved to be a tricky process. Initially, city building officials were tentative about providing a permit for the system because they were not familiar with the technology and had concerns about cross-contamination with the drinking water supply. However, after a number of meetings and discussions, officials finally approved the system.

Kerwin hopes that rainwater catchment systems similar to the one installed at Clipper House will soon become standard on all new homes.

"There will come a time when architects and engineers will include a location for the catchment tanks in the early stages of home design and development," he predicts.

In addition to harvesting rainwater, Clipper House also harvests sunlight. Solar photovoltaic on the roof generate enough electricity to power the whole house. "In theory, the home could sustain itself with minor modifications to allow for storage of energy," says Kerwin. Rooftop solar thermal panels also heat water both for domestic use and for the home's Warmboard radiant floor heating system.

The home's green components also include recycled insulation made from denim, low-VOC paints, reclaimed hardwood flooring, fiber cement siding, skylights for day lighting, eco-friendly kitchen cabinets, low-e windows and energy-efficient doors.

Although all those components resulted in a building cost of around $350 per square foot (comparable to high-end construction in the city), Kerwin believes the result justifies the costs. "What is the value of the decreased load on the planet?" he asks. To him and his partners, at Lorax Development, that is the ultimate payback.