Flourish Magazine

From left: Eric Rogers and Brock Wagstaff of Wagstaff Architects. "A wrecking ball would have taken two days but this took two The Uhrlaub boys enjoy some old fashioned fun on the tire swing tethered to the original backyard oak. With the help of fine furniture and cabinet maker Johannes weeks," she explains. "It costs more in man hours but you get a VanMourick of VM Woodworking, Sonoma County, they added break because TRP is a non-profit. It helped minimize the pain and beautiful built-ins constructed from reclaimed Douglas fir, suffering." Once the 1918 house was razed, the house designed by Wagstaff Architects, and certified by the non-profit Build It Green organization, took shape. Green Points The Uhrlaubs wanted a "medium-sized, well-built, classic home in the California Bungalow/Arts and Crafts style," explains Eric "A wrecking ball would have taken two days but this took two weeks." Rogers, the project's manager for Wagstaff Architects, the Mill Valley firm lead by Brock Wagstaff. As well as intense attention to the interior's detail and craftsmanship, the Uhrlaubs insisted on an energy-efficient home using as many green and locally-sourced materials as possible. including the kitchen island and cabinets, the dining room buffet, the family room entertainment center, bookcases, and the office's armoire and two desks. Their green efforts extended to the grounds, and before work Using a green building checklist from Build It Green, the Uhr- began, the Uhrlaubs carefully removed many plants for reuse in laubs began accruing points for their brown-shingled home, using their own garden or give to neighbors. "We tried not to kill too engineered lumber for beams, headers and floor trusses and For- much," she says. est Stewardship Certified (FSC) lumber for any piece of wood over Landscape architect Brian Powell honored the home's architec- 2x6. The design featured deep overhangs to shade a portion of the tural heritage with a soft colorful palette of old-fashioned and wa- exterior walls, solar panels on the roof to give back to the energy ter-conserving favorites like catmint, lavender and penstemon and grid, and an exhaust fan in the garage to prevent carbon monoxide ornamental grasses. "They're all drought-resistant and most attract from entering the house, protecting the home's indoor air quality. bees and butterflies," Powell notes. "The shrubs are on an auto- The hot water pipes were insulated and seams and joints of the ducted furnace were sealed to conserve energy. Radiant floor heat- mated drip irrigation system." He spread bark mulch underneath the valley oak to retain moisture and retard weeds. ing was then overlaid with sustainably grown hickory wood; in the By the time the home was finished, it had earned 112 green bedrooms, by low-emitting carpet. The homeowners installed En- points to become San Anselmo's first house to be Green Point Rat- ergy Star-rated appliances, low-flow showerheads and faucets, low ed after the city's Green Building Ordinance went into effect. VOC paints and finishes for better indoor air quality, and a built-in recycling center in the kitchen. 18 FLOURISH • SUMMER 2013  Jon Mitguard of Aurora Building Performance was the home's Green Point rater, documenting its points according to Build It

• Cover