VERO BEACH — Let’s face it, after 10 years of talking about it, sustainability can be boring. High-efficiency air conditioners and Low-E glass are getting to be old hat. They save energy and protect the environment but there isn’t a lot of sizzle.
But sustainability can be exciting and delightful in the right hands.
The gut-rehab Marie Stiefel and her team just completed on Club Drive in Riomar falls into the second category.
“So many sustainable houses have an industrial look that doesn’t appeal to the average homeowner,” says Stiefel. “I wanted to build a house that was beautiful but that also performed.”
“I think people need to see sustainability in action. You can talk about it all you want, but unless they see the house operate it doesn’t mean as much. I wanted a house people would visit and enjoy and at the end of the day I could tell them that my electric bill is $20 a month!”
Besides standard sustainable features – photovoltaic panels on the roof that make the home’s electricity, superior insulation, high performance windows and the latest generation of energy-efficient air-conditioning and water-heating appliances – Stiefel’s home incorporates a host of other creative green elements that help make it a showplace for the future of housing.
There is a whole-house fan at the top of the stairwell that pulls air through the entire structure, in part via louvers built over most interior doors. HVAC ductwork runs through conditioned spaces instead of hot attic areas to minimize energy loss and rainwater is captured and stored in two 4,000-gallon tanks for use in irrigation.
And much of the house – which is truly beautiful in fit, finish and design – was reused from the original structure. That material includes clear cedar beams, leaded glass windows, brick, paving stones and common lumber that builder Chuck Roberts and his crew painstakingly dismantled, cleaned up, stored and incorporated seamlessly into the new structure.
“Marie was very patient with us during the time it took to pull the nails and clean up the old wood,” says Roberts.
In some cases it would have been cheaper to buy new lumber, Roberts adds, but reusing material already on the site, instead of cutting new trees, milling new lumber and transporting it across the country, goes to the organic heart of what sustainability is all about and gives the house a special quality.
The project began when Stiefel purchased the property on Club Drive in June 2009 and hired Roberts and his son Adam Roberts to renovate the home.
The contractors took the house all the way down to its poured concrete skeleton and rebuilt it into a masterpiece of energy efficiency and architectural elegance, adding a second story and a guest house.
Stiefel made a point to employ all local subcontractors to give Vero tradesmen experience in green construction and incorporated art from local artists into the design.
Chuck Roberts had not built a green home before meeting Stiefel, but Adam had just been certified as a green builder by the National Homebuilders Association when he and his father got the contract, so they were prepared for the challenge.
“It is interesting to see how the threads of life combine,” Stiefel says.
Besides absurdly low energy bills, homeowners get a range of other benefits from green construction.
“There is a 30 percent tax credit on the photovoltaic system we used on Marie’s house,” says Adam Roberts. “She will also get tax credits for the high-efficiency hot water and air conditioning units.”
Enhanced livability is another big plus.
“I have been here three weeks and I just love it,” says Stiefel. “It is an incredibly comfortable house to live in. Because it is so solid and tight it is very quiet inside and the air conditioning doesn’t blast you when it comes on.”
Building green also benefits contractors and developers and helps homes sell in a tough real estate market.
“If two homes were otherwise equal, I think most buyers would go for the green one,” says Sotheby’s Treasure Coast Broker Michael Thorpe. “Energy efficiency is especially appealing to overseas buyers from areas where energy costs have traditionally been a lot higher than they are here.”
Helen Ederer, a broker-associate with Alex MacWilliam Real Estate, says she is encountering more clients looking for sustainable homes.
“There are a lot of people who are concerned about the environment and want their homes to be as healthy and sustainable as possible,” she says. “Green houses will sell faster and in some cases fetch a better price.”
Premier Estate Properties Broker Clark French tells builders who plan to list with him about the sales advantages of sustainable houses when he consults with them prior to construction.
“Buyers are asking questions they didn’t ask five or ten years ago about windows and insulation,” French says.
Vic Lombardi, co-owner of Water’s Edge Development, says green construction is a smart strategy for builders.
“We have been building that way since 2004,” he says. “We take pride in making sure our homes are very energy efficient.”
Lombardi has a new British West Indies waterfront home in the Moorings listed with French that he cites as an example of his company’s sustainable construction practices.
“It is 11,000 square feet with approximately 7,500 square feet under air and the electric bill will probably average about $300 a month, compared to $1,000 a month for a house the same size without the features we build in.”
Lombardi says 30 percent of the homes enhanced energy efficiency comes from the use of Icynene foam insulation, which is sprayed on the interior of the roof frame and sheathing so the attic stays temperate instead becoming a hothouse during the steamy part of the year.
“Even in summer, you can walk up in the attic and it will be 75 or 80 degrees, instead of 120 degrees,” Lombardi says.
Another third of the house’s energy savings comes from high-efficiency air-conditioning and hot water units and Energy Star-rated appliances.
Covered lanais and deep porches that block out the heat of the sun while letting in light and air are another main energy-saving feature.
“You pay for your house once, but the energy bill comes every month,” Lombardi says.
Located at 1906 Mooringline Drive, Lombardi’s house has 117 feet of sheltered deep-water frontage that can accommodate up to a 100-foot vessel. It is a superb example of the British Colonial style carried out in a wealth of authentic details with the finest materials and craftsmanship.
Stiefel’s house, which also employs Icynene insulation, sprayed on the interior wall frames as well as the attic ceiling, was designed by Architect Matt Gore. The property was listed for sale by Realtor Karen Abell with the Charlotte Terry real estate group, part of Alex MacWilliam, Inc., and sold by Christine Feist, another Alex MacWilliam agent.
According to Chuck Roberts the house will soon be rated LEED Gold, an elite designation given by the U.S. Green Building Council, the leading nationwide organization promoting and certifying sustainable structures.
You can read more about the construction history, technical details and philosophical underpinnings of Marie Stiefel’s home at her blog: www.mariesfolly.blogspot.com