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Press

September 17, 2007
UPDATE: PLAYA PROJECT UNDERWAY

The project we call Playa is a 4,391 square foot home we are building in the Westchester area of Los Angeles. It is a living laboratory of green design, materials and innovation; check our website for more information at gogreencalifornia.blogspot.com. Today we met with Shellie Collier, our LEED A.P. (Leadership in Energy Efficiency and Design - Accredited Professional) who will guide us through the process of becoming LEED certified. We are aiming for Platinum, the highest rating granted by the United States Green Building Council.

Shellie documents the entire pre-construction and construction process, and at its conclusion submits a notebook to the USGBC for review and certification. This notebook details each step taken, from preservation of existing landscape to ordering of materials to installation of Forest Stewardship Council-certified framing products.

We are maintaining our own notebook to mirror Shellie's, page for page, notation for notation. Every detail is documented: for example, one LEED requirement stipulates the home must be located near open space. This is established using Google maps; the page is printed, the URL noted and copies inserted into each notebook. LEED demands this same attention to detail for every aspect of the building that has the potential to earn points.

Shellie is an independent contractor working for Davis Energy Group, a USGBC-designated LEED for Homes organization in California. She is a designer-builder-project manager in her own right; check out her webpage at www.homeagedesign.com. .

July 11, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Foundation excavation underway at Gregorio residence

Today we are pouring the concrete foundation of the Gregorio residence remodeling project in Lake Balboa, CA. We utilized a high-fly ash content concrete as part of our commitment to make this remodel as "green" as possible.

Over half the electricity produced in the U.S. comes from coal-fired power plants. Fly ash is a byproduct of coal burning and can be substituted for more than half of the Portland cement typically used in a concrete mixture. Use of fly ash in concrete is beneficial to the environment in several ways:

1. It keeps the fly ash from entering the waste stream
2. It saves the energy ordinarily used to manufacture Portland cement
3. It needs 10% less water than traditional concrete

Because less water is used with high fly ash concrete, and because of the chemical reaction between the fly ash and lime which is given off in cement hydration, the end product is denser and stronger than traditional Portland cement-based concrete. Fly ash is made up of tiny, glassy beads; its physical composition creates a lubricating effect which enables the concrete to flow and pump better, filling the forms more completely. Additionally, high-fly ash concrete costs the same as or sometimes slightly less than traditional concrete.

According to Headwaters Resources, for every ton of cement manufactured about one ton of carbon dioxide is released. Replacing that ton of cement with fly ash saves enough electricity to power the average American home for 24 days, and reduces carbon dioxide emissions equal to two months' use of an automobile.

Producer R. J. Bain from Discovery Home's "Green That House" program was onsite today filming the pour - they've been tracking the progress and filming various "green" elements as the remodel moves forward.

June 25, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Excavation Underway at Gregorio Residence

The mini-excavator and our crew were busy digging the foundation of the green addition to the Gregorio residence. For this adaptive-reuse project we're using Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) that are put together like a puzzle. These will create the floors and walls of the addition. SIPs consist of a dense, 10" layer of foam sandwiched between large sheets of engineered wood panels. This combination creates an insulation barrier that outperforms traditional fiberglass batt insulation up to 300%.