CloCkwise from upper left

Salvaged, 60-year-old redwood siding from a

Palo Alto house is set up on site to be reused

as interior paneling. Solar panels are laid out

for installation on the home’s roof. Peter Lyon,

a Campbell-based general contractor, has spe-

cialized in green building for the last five years.

bay area life | Vibrant HealtH | eCo-liVing euCalyptusmagazine.Com

greenbuilding

As we strive to live an eco-friendly life, we carefully consider the clothes we wear,

the food we eat, and the cars we drive. But what about our homes and our office

buildings? What kind of imprint do they leave on our health and on the earth?

Green building, also known as sustainable building, is a relatively new field, but

it is quickly gaining momentum, especially since the election of President Barack

Obama in 2008. The core concept of green building is to use sustainable materials

and more efficient resources in the areas of construction, operation, maintenance,

and demolition.

The need for greener construction practices is obvious. According to the U.S. De-

partment of Energy’s Center for Sustainable Development, buildings consume 40%

of the world’s total energy, 25% of its wood harvest, and 16% of its water. Sustain-

able building practices should produce several key benefits. They should lower

electric and water utility costs while increasing energy efficiency, promote water

and other resource conservation, create healthy indoor air quality, and produce

better neighborhoods and livable communities, with greater reduction of pollution

in all areas.

What does green building mean for

individual contractors, or for someone

trying to remodel their own home?

Peter Lyon, a Campbell-based general

contractor, has spent 32 years in the

construction business, the last five spe-

cializing in green building. Lyon and his

staff help their clients navigate through

the green building process, and that

often includes dispelling the belief that

green building is too expensive.

“It’s a mistake for people to think that

they can’t afford green. It’s just not the case. There are things that can be done

that don’t cost a thing,” Lyon says. “When there are greater up-front costs, they are

often offset by lower maintenance and service expenses over the years ahead.”

changingthe world

one building at a time

by brandi-ann uyemura and ann marie brownpHotograpHy by kyle CHesser

Anchors are installed to support the

rooftop photovoltaic system. opposite,

CloCkwise from upper left: No-

VOC paints, low-VOC paints, and recycled

paints can be used in any house remodel.

A bank of dual-pane windows is installed

alongside a passive solar hallway. These

skylights open up to create a “thermal

chimney” effect, allowing unwanted heat

to escape from the house.

Start Small when you think GreenOne misconception is that green building has to start from the

ground up, or that you have to completely remodel your home in

order to make it greener. In construction, there are many differ-

ent levels of going green. The greenest buildings are “zero green,”

which means the building creates its own heat and air-conditioning

and powers its own food sources and water. But small changes

can make a big difference, too, such as replacing old windows with

double-paned, energy-efficient models, or installing a whole-house

fan or solar attic fan. Other low-cost green modifications include

installing high R-value wall and ceiling insulation, or adding lighting

controls such as motion sensors and dimmer switches.

Sustainable plumbing fixes are also relatively inexpensive. Hom-

eowners can minimize wastewater by using ultra-low-flush toilets

and low-flow showerheads. Tankless or point-of-use water heaters

may seem costly to install, but soon pay for themselves in terms of

energy savings. A gray water system can recover rainwater or other

non-potable water for landscape irrigation.

“Building green isn’t an all or nothing proposition,” Lyon says. “It’s

a matter of making choices, and deciding what makes sense for your

home and lifestyle.”

With the growing popularity of the green movement, an industry

has boomed. More products and greater choices can leave con-

sumers confused about what’s out there. (See our green building

guidelines on page 24 to help navigate the choices).

“We evaluate the good and bad, because not every product that’s

‘green’ is good. Many companies are trying to ride the coattails of

the green movement. Some products are expensive to put in and

more expensive to take out, so we try to steer our clients away from

them,” says Lyon. His company’s standard policy is to install only

products that have had at least five years of testing in the field.

out with the old, in with the old In sustainable building, the re-use of old materials is as important

as incorporating new, eco-friendly technologies. One of Lyon’s

recent projects was the transformation of a 60-year-old Palo Alto

house by gutting, reframing, and rewiring it. One of the greenest

aspects of the job was removing the house’s exterior redwood sid-

ing, then sandblasting, cleaning, and reinstalling it in the interior

hallways as paneling.

“We didn’t have to throw away all that redwood. We recycled and

reused it, and it’s the focal point, the center of the house,” says

Lyon. “It’s gorgeous and highly green.”

GreeninG the Great indoorS For a building to be green, it must be healthy for the environment

and healthy for its occupants, too. Lyon states that this is in direct

opposition to “sick-building syndrome, which is all about concrete,

steel, bad air, and fluorescent lighting.” On average, Americans

spend about 90% of their time indoors, and yet the air inside new

or remodeled homes and office buildings is often much more pol-

luted than outdoor air. This is largely due to the toxic chemicals

found in some building materials, such as kitchen cabinets and

shelving made from particleboard or medium-density fiberboard.

This type of “wood” is held together with adhesives that release

urea formaldehyde for years after installation.

Again, making the green building choice to improve indoor air

quality is not necessarily costly or difficult.

Most homeowners repaint at least one room

in their house once a year. It is easy and

healthful to switch to no- or low-VOC paint,

since volatile organic compounds have

been found to have adverse health effects.

Homes with wood-burning fireplaces can be

retrofitted with low-emissions wood stoves

or inserts that are certified by the Environ-

mental Protection Agency. Flooring choices

like carpeting and hardwood floor finishes can be made from either

toxic or non-toxic materials, so home remodelers can simply select

the healthier version.

To learn more about green building practices, or to find local sup-

pliers of green building products, visit builditgreen.org. Build it Green

is a non-profit organization based in Berkeley whose mission is to

promote healthy, energy- and resource-efficient homes in California.

This article was published in Eucalyptus Magazine, September 2009.

top In this Palo Alto home, old redwood siding

was stripped from the house’s exterior and

“repurposed” as interior paneling.

special thanks to our subcontractors

Vision Design 408-749-1622

s.r. freeman framing 408-364-2200

Dallas Carlock plumbing 408-354-5413

building solutions 866-899-2517

performance foam tech 831-784-1376

Hammerness Drywall 408-266-0150

Dan boulware Custom tile 408-846-0700

authentic Cabinetry 408-559-9475

kevin Copley painting 408-370-2496

PeTer Lyon GeneraL ConTraCTor, InC.Campbell 408-871-8665 www.peterlyon.com