How do we choose to live? How do we choose to walk on this earth through our lives? More importantly than our lives, what kind of earth do we wish to leave for our children? A better place? Hopefully, yes.
Recycle, reuse, restore, and most importantly, preserve. Preserve our resources, our independence, our individuality, our passion for life, our families, our faith, and our country.
Walk lightly, walk honestly.
We seek to live in a house that is an expression of our lives in harmony with its environment. Reflecting our interest, our taste, our funkiness, our passions, our personalities, a house that mirrors our soul as unique creatures of god. Not right or wrong, or better or worse, big or small… just our house.
This was our ethos written three years ago. Today, we live in a zero energy home that nurtures us, it’s occupants. It is an incredible experience when you work with mother nature as a partner in the construction of your home.
–– Peder Norby
Architect
DZN Partners
Builder
Bendt Norby & Kris Norby
Landscape Architect
Richard Risner
Project size
4,500 sq. ft.
Alternative building envelope
Steel Moment frame; 2x6 and 2x8 walls; exceeds Title 24 standards by 200% and more
Engineered materials
Engineered laminated beams; strand board; chipboard
Active solar
4.4 kW photovoltaic system
Passive solar
House is oriented with a south face and thermal mass to absorb heat and transfer into the home in the evening
Energy efficiency
All appliances are energy star rated
Windows/daylighting
100 Pella wood windows, Energy Star, dual glazed low emissive; 2 NANAWALL systems open the whole kitchen and living area to the outside; abundant natural lighting and access points to the outside
Ventilation/air crculation
All glass wall systems open for cooling and close for heating; extensive use of indoor/outdoor spaces under roof
Water conservation
Tankless water heater; low water use front loading washing; low water use dishwashers and toilets
Water recycling
Rainwater from roof conveyed to the vineyard
Landscaping
Drought-tolerant native plant species; grape vineyard needs no water half of the year; 76% of lot is permeable surface
Construction waste management
98% of demolition of partial structure was recycled; 1200 sq. ft. of existing 1970 home was reused and upgraded
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This statement by owner Peder Norby clearly describes the spirit and intention behind the creation of this truly amazing home. To fully describe how completely this intention is expressed in the structure would require far more than the few short paragraphs we have here.
The home’s sustainablilty credentials are substantial. A combination of features, including thick walls and heavy insulation (R22), careful selection of building materials, planned orientation of the house to optimize the thermal mass for heating, openable wall systems to utilize the prevailing ocean breeze for cooling, energy-efficient everything, and photovoltaic panels for electricity have made this a zero-energy home. In March of this year the California Center for Sustainable Energy awarded Herons’ House the 2007 Sandee Award for this accomplishment.
The object rising from the corner of the second floor balcony is a metal sculpture of a Heron, the house's namesake. |
The landscaping is almost all California natives, with the exception of some herbs, vegetables and roses.
And, of course the vineyard: Peder grows his own grapes and bottles wine. The details of this “hobby” illustrate, in a microcosm, the principals that have gone into the entire project:
- Only salad oil is used for pest control on the vines.
- Water from the roof is cleverly collected on the deck of the upper story and conducted underground to the grape vines.
- The bottled wine is stored in his wine cellar which, being underground, does not require cooling.
- Once the wine barrels reach the end of their useful life, he has them turned into furniture.
There are many other ways in which this home reflects Peder’s sensibilities. He plans to spend the rest of his life here, and pass it on to future generations. If you are interested in energy efficiency and intentional design, visit Heron’s House.
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