Tree Protection

LEED rewards projects that preserve existing trees - after all, you can never have enough trees! In order to receive points the landscaping plans must delineate a tree preservation plan and the site must reflect some sort of protected no-disturbance zone.

Here you can see the tree preservation plan in effect at the Sumer Residence:

LEED Project Details

Rainwater from the roof flows through the catchment filter (currently tipped up) into these pipes and is directed towards the 3,800 gal tank in the yard.

For LEED, the HVAC system needs to have a minimum of a MERV 8 filter. The MERV rating indicates the tightness of the mesh. The higher the rating, the tighter the filter,  which means more particles are caught. Higher does not always mean better though, as they need changing more often and can make the HVAC system work harder to blow air through if not sized properly.

This project has all low or no VOC content caulking, sealants, and adhesives, which will earn 1 LEED point in Environmentally Preferable Materials.

3,800 gallon of rainwater catchment installed!

A 3,800 gallon rainwater collection tank getting rolled to its new home

Collected rainwater from the roof runs through these pipes to the storage tank

Rainwater and greywater collection

The rainwater and greywater system is being implemented this week! Designed by our friends at Catching H2O, the two 1320 cisterns should be plenty of storage for collected water and be able to serve the majority of the site's irrigation needs.

LEED Project Team Meeting - Onsite water collection

Last week our Project Team met to discuss one of the most important aspects of sustainable building in San Diego - what to do with the water that falls onsite. With little annual rainfall and regional mandatory water restrictions, it is important to plant drought-tolerant and native species and implement efficient irrigation design. Although it does not rain very often in San Diego, many people would be surprised at how much water you can capture during short rainfall events and even from the marine layer that often clouds the morning sky. You can harvest 600 gallons of rainwater off a 1000 square foot roof in only 1 inch of rain! So, it is important to size the cisterns appropriately to capture as much water as possible during these rainfall events. The Sumer Residence will place two 1,320 gallon cisterns in the backyard that will serve as plenty of storage for the rainwater that falls on the roof and the greywater that is collected from indoor sources such as sink faucets and showers.

Pictured here from left to right: Mike Callahan (Rainwater consultant, Catching H2O), Chris Kresge (site supervisor, Naylor Construction, Rosalind Haselbeck, (Rainwater consultant, Catching H2O) , Bob Scott (LEED Green Rater, RJS Planning), Katie Teare (LEED Consultant, Alliance Green Builders). Not pictured: Ahmet Sumer, Homeowner

Bring on the sunshine!

Solar panels are great investments in a sunny areas such as Solana Beach. San Diego County Solar just installed a south-facing 9.53 kW PV system that will annually produce an estimated 16,266 kWh. According to the Title 24 energy usage calculations, this production will offset more than 60% of the home's estimated annual energy usage, which has earned the project 10/10 LEED points in the Energy & Atmosphere category.

FSC Certification for Teak Flooring

Poor forestry practices continue to degrade many tropical rain forests, resulting in significant climate change impacts as well as irreversible harm to biological diversity. Certification by the Forest stewardship Council (FSC) is a seal of approval awarded to forest managers who adopt environmentally and socially responsible forest management practices.

At the Sumer Residence, the floors are going to be teak, a tropical wood imported from Indonesia. The supplier is a reclaimed teak company that manufactures beautiful products made of FSC Certified recycled teak.

Below is an FSC compliance sticker on the floorboards. The supplier will also provide a Chain of Custody certificate, which is an information trail about the path taken by products from the forest or, in the case of recycled materials, from the reclamation site to the consumer including each stage of processing, transformation, manufacturing, and distribution where progress to the next stage of the supply chain involves a change of ownership.