For Mark Darienzo and Robin Cash, building an energy efficient home wasn’t about the certifications or the recognition, though they received plenty of both, including the EA Platinum certification. Instead, it was about creating the sustainable living space they had dreamed about building for years. After speaking to remodelers and builders, considering renovating their 1939 N. Alberta St. home and seeing their neighbor build a sustainable house just down the road, they finally landed on an option that worked for them: the Passive House model.
“It’s rewarding that we received (the certifications), and they do signify that our house is very energy efficient” Darienzo said.
Robin and Mark worked closely with their builders, Green Hammer in planning and implementing their dream. And not only did they work to make their house as sustainable as possible, but they also practiced sustainability in the process of building their new home. They painted the interior, laid the car pad and patio pavers, designed the kitchen cabinets, countertops, and interiors of the bathrooms and closets and did site clean-up all themselves.
The result is a home with a waste water heat recovery system, solar PV array, ecoroof, bamboo floors and 3,000 gallon cistern and metal roof for harvesting rain water – which has allowed them to have used any city water since July 2012. These are only a few among many other features that contribute to their home’s overall energy and water efficiency, air quality and sustainability. Robin and Mark opened their home to the Build It Green tour in 2012, and hope that their home can serve as a model for others hoping to go as green as they have.
“We hope that we inspired others, who want to build, to consider building an energy efficient house,” Darienzo said.