Solar panels provide about 60% of the electrical requirements of this home. |
This is a small home located on 1/2 acre of land near downtown Fallbrook. We are remodeling with the goal of using reasonably priced sustainable materials that will improve our quality of life and the value of our home. We also preserved much of the original tile and fixtures to reduce waste.
Features include a 2kw PV Solar system, a patio of tiles made from recycled tires, bamboo countertops, Solatube, environmentally friendly paint and concrete stain, and drought tolerant landscaping.
Builder
owners
Project size
640 sq. ft.
Building envelope
Blown cellulose (recycled paper) insulation in attic floor
Active solar
2kW solar electric system (300 kWh/month, about 60% of their load); separate solar powered waterfall
Energy efficiency
Energy efficient appliances: LG front-loading washing machine, Amana refrigerator, Bosch dishwasher; CF lights throughout the house; LED pucklights in kitchen
Windows/daylighting
Tubular skylight
Water efficiency
Low-flow showerhead
Engineered materials
Plyboo countertops
Nontoxic materials
Home Depot “Fresh Air” paint in kitchen; Safecoat AMF low VOC paint in bedroom
Reused/recycled materials
Garden walls made of stacked waste concrete covered with stucco; garden steps & water feature built using native stone; recycled tire pavers on back patio Landscaping
Landscaped primarily with native & drought tolerant plants; soycrete concrete stain on outside paths and front patio compost pile; organic vegetable garden & fruit trees; chicken coop
|
Remodeling our home has been a fun and challenging experience. We spent many hours researching sustainable materials to find the best products for our various projects and we have done all of the installation ourselves. Our improvements have made our home more functional, more attractive, and lowered the operating costs. The attic insulation has reduced our need to run our small electric heater (the only heat in the house) and the PV has reduced our overall electic bill considerably.
We have more projects planned (solar hot water, recycled denim insulation, solar spa) that we hope to display on next year’s tour.
–– Susan Liebes, owner
Recycled tire pavers make a soft, child-safe surface in the back year. |
 |
earthdayweb.org