The Sunnyvale Sun
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Photograph by Neal Waters
Workers on the roof position a green panel as it is lifted by crane over the top of an environmentally friendly in-law cottage being built in Sunnyvale.
New material turns Sunnyvale house green
By Cody Kraatz
A Sunnyvale green building professional decided to put her money where her mouth is by building an environmentally friendly in-law cottage for her daughter and son-in-law to live in.
Sue Harrison, a certified green building professional and Green Point Rater working for a kitchen and bath remodeling company, wanted to try something new--a material called structural insulated panels (SIPs)--before recommending it to customers.
"This is one of several methods that are much more resource- and energy-efficient," said Harrison. "I usually do remodels and don't usually get this kind of opportunity."
SIPs are made with 6 inches of solid foam sandwiched between wood, so they reduce the energy needed to heat and cool a home. They are best suited to new construction.
"The sections slide together sort of like Tinker Toys," said Harrison.
Harrison said her house will be the highest Green Point Rated house in Sunnyvale, based on a system created by California Build It Green. The system is similar to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification, but for residential buildings.
Harrison spent about $300,000 on a 1,500-square-foot garage, built traditionally, and a 700-square-foot living space, built with SIPs, on top.
A 3.2-kilowatt photovoltaic system will cost $19,300 up front after a $5,800 rebate from PG&E. The system will pay for itself in about 10 years in energy savings, she estimates. She also thinks she will get a 30 percent tax credit.
Harrison can sell back any excess energy the panels produce to erase her future energy costs, which a solar water heater on the roof will also reduce, but she cannot turn a profit.
"We're not trying to save money, per sé. We're trying to build better," said David Edwards, owner of Santa Clara-based Earth Bound Homes, the contractor.
The SIPs took about four days to erect to form walls and a roof, less time than standard construction. But they cost more, so any savings in labor cost goes into more expensive but higher-quality materials, meaning that SIPs homes cost within 5 percent of standard construction, he said.
However, Harrison, whose husband George is involved with the new Full Circle Farm at Peterson Middle School, was not primarily concerned with economics. She said her family considered moving to Montana to experiment with a sustainable brand of "homesteading," but decided to give it a go in Sunnyvale with a garden, composting, a planned orchard and maybe even chickens.
"We just really wanted to be as self-sufficient as we can be," said Harrison, describing a gray water reclamation system that would filter shower water through three tiers of plants and gravel.
Her daughter, Meryl Lane, 24, who will live in the apartment with her husband Tim Knoll, 26, said she looks forward to having a green home. The couple has been sleeping in the living room, and she looks forward to having their own space.
"If I could afford to build something from the ground up and we were in the same position, needing green building products to be the norm, then I would," said Lane, adding that younger people who cannot afford to buy a home could find green-built apartments attractive.
"The next generation will be even more into what is green," she said.
