Fonstad Residence

2010 USGBC Certified LEED Platinum as the Highest Scoring New Home in the United States. Awarded the 2008 "Green Building Award" from the town of Atherton, CA, in recognition of environmental leadership in Green Building Practices, EcoStruction recently completed this 5 bedroom, 5 bath home, featuring the latest in sustainable building practices.

Nestled in the hills above the San Francisco Bay, the home was built with Reclaimed Polystyrene ICF-Insulated Concrete Block exterior walls that have been finished with Papercrete stucco utilizing integrated color and paper waste from the construction site itself. The wall grout and concrete foundation contain 35% fly ash, offsetting the Portland cement content. The interior walls are all FSC certified lumber that have been finished with American Clay, a color-integrated earthen plaster that was finished with a soy-based sealer. All other painted surfaces are covered with non-toxic paints containing no VOC.

The wood flooring was salvaged from a tobacco drying barn in Tennessee and finished with all organic materials. The color is derived from a resin stain and natural oils, eliminating the need for the use of petroleum products. The bathrooms are artistically designed with reclaimed "bone yard" tiles, either rejects or extras, composed of 26% recycled glass and 26% granite from a nearby quarry within a 50 mile radius. The use of recycled glass requires less energy use in curing, and everything is fired and glazed in one process, conserving additional energy. The custom cabinets are all built with FSC Certified lumber with handcrafted dovetailed corners.

All of the lighting in the home is LED or High Efficiency. The Kolbe windows are all double- paned to conserve energy with wood trim on the inside and metal on the outside for both aesthetics and durability.

The Atherton house features an Uponor Radiant Heating System, with a warm board radiant sub floor used in conjunction with an Apricus solar panel system. The solar panels also serve to preheat the domestic hot water system and as a backup for the solar PV system. The house is divided into 8 zones, each with a separate thermostat control that allows individual zones to apply heat with precision. An additional heat/air exchanger utilizes the solar heated hot water to supply heated air to the secondary HVAV system, thereby eliminating the need for natural gas.

The dramatic roof features 100 year old reclaimed tiles from Spain accented with copper gutters. Spain is also the resource for the Satello tiles that are used in the front entry, dining room and patio. The driveway is constructed with pervious concrete that prevents runoff by allowing the water to soak into the earth. In addition, there is a 10,000 gallon underground rainwater collection system for the landscaping and adjacent vineyard, as well as, a grey water attachment for the laundry that allows for the reuse of wastewater. The landscaping features drought resistant plants and California Oat grass.

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