Green Studio Blog

Sunny Outlook During Hurricane Ike

"Ike is coming to Houston and there is little chance that it will miss", a poetic paraphrasing of the message from my email buddy PHD in Meteorology from MIT, which gave me the inevitable news with one day to go before Ike made landfall. I was paralyzed with fear; so I worked, because work is therapy for me. I use artistry, pshycology, and research in creating and materializing my vision. My vision was cloudy that day.

After a full day of work, I put in a full night of preparing for IKE. I made my list; a sample of which follows:

#3- Pick up Bocci balls left on the lawn from the last party.

#12- Trash/recycle the empty cans of Pittsburgh semitransparent fence stain the painters disposed of 2 years ago behind the A/C units.

#15- Move the giant -and I MEAN giant at 2feet in length and 6inches in diameter- steel bolt that my friend Karen left me as a present, from the side of the pool into the herb garden so that it doesn't float into the pool

#20- Try to lock the antique bronze gates into the entry courtyard, dating from the Peron era in Argentina-with the original bullet holes to prove it- with the most random of antique keys which does not belong to the doors.

#21- Try to unlock the antique bronze gates in case we need to flee

#24- Find the smallest of phillips head screw driver to insert rechargeable batteries into my 4 Casa Concept solar LED lamps and place on the window sill while there is still sunlight.

Like my friend Karen said about moving to NYC, "you can't make this stuff up".
I kept my list, perhaps to laugh later, or to reuse it next year. It took me all night to come up with the 49 preparation items, but-hands down- it was the 4 solar lamps that made our life safer and better. With 7 hours of light every night, that saw us through that harrowing long night of IKE and through the next 6 days without electricity, we now swear by our lamps. Visit our webstore.

Hurricane Irene- how to weather the real deal

Not wanting to sound like a victim, but more like an adventurer, shall I count how many extreme natural disasters I've been through? Counting backwards: Hurricane Ike, evacuation of Hurricane Rita, Tropical Storm Allison, 4 major earthquakes in El Salvador and Mexico, draught and heat of 1980 and 2011 in Texas...I seem to be at the right place at the right time, except for Irene. I was almost there this time, but luck would have it that taking my son to University in the east is scheduled for a few days after Irene hits NYC.

Aunt Betty, from NYC, vacationing in the Jersey shore for the summer, didn't believe anything could happen in Bay Head. Her hosts said they will prepare for Irene by bringing in the outdoor furniture. I couldn't convince them that this is the real deal.

Karen, from NYC didn't take seriously my offer to fly to quake and Irene-free Houston while her house in the Village has 7500 lbs of steel scaffolding hugging the exterior walls.

I just realized why I'm glued to the TV and watchful of Irene: I've not processed the fear that gripped me, my family and my city as the 80 yr. old trees bent to the point of no return, as the wind created missiles out of the clay tiles on my roof, as the rain pounded on my windows and on the confines of my stressed mind.

I hope Aunt Betty doesn't have to experience this fear.

I wish Karen would just get out.

It's too late to tell you that you need filtered water for five days, and coolers full of ice for keeping food, as the power grids fail. Forget the duct tape, I still don't know what it's for. My solar flashlight was the high LIGHT of 8 days of total darkeness.

But I'm not too late in telling you to find the darkest place, furthest from the windows of wherever you chose to ride this monster out. Stay there and resist the temptation to look the beast in the eye. Stay, and if you know how to pray, pray.

Be well Richard in the Hamptons, Cornelia and Billy in Bedford, Karen in NYC, Aunt Betty in the Bay Head. I'll be watching, and praying.

MLS Listing going green... or greenwashing?

The Houston Area Realtors have their heart in the right place: address in the MLS listing the Green -or high efficiency- features in homes that are better built. Having designed my Green home, and knowing that it is as high performing as designed -after living in it for three years-, it has been painful to sit on the sidelines of the ongoing discussions of realtors about how to place a value on Green homes. Thankfully, I didn't build it to flip it, because it is only now that we are acknowledging the intrinsic value of Green homes, not only to the planet, but to potential buyers.

Unfortunately, the new Energy Feature check list is too simplistic for the purpose of placing a value on the Green features of a home, if they are even Green at all. The real value has to be ascertained within the context of a synergistic analysis of the materials, systems and performance of the home. An example that I've had to study and have real-life trials on are the Tank-less water heaters The tank-less water heaters can be a real energy saver. You can read an in-depth description of their benefits in my blog about going tank-less. The fact is that the Noritz whole house tank-less, of which I own two ( installed in tandem for bigger homes), have a lifespan of 20 years. To pay 3 X more for tank-less, save in energy for 20 years, and have unlimited hot water on demand sounds like a worthwhile long term investment and solution.

 NOT TOO FAST!

Do you know what the lifespan of a tank-less is if it is installed without a whole house filter and a whole house descalinator? 2 or 3 years. I've already had that experience, when 21 years ago I installed one in my first house. This time around, I did the research, installed the filter and descalinator, and three years after installation, the filter basket in the coils of the water heaters are INTACT, free of debris or scale that ruin the coils and render the unit useless. The system is working, and I should be able to use my water heaters beyond their projected lifespan, given the little-to-no wear and tear that has happened in their first three years of usage.

WHAT IS A POTENTIAL HOME BUYER TO DO?

For starters, the largest monthly expenditure of a house is its energy bills, so an Energy Study of the house in question should become as important as the home inspection, given that it is only then that one can get a clear picture of how efficiently the systems and materials in the house are working. According to the National Association of Realtors, 43% of recent home buyers considered the energy bills of a house as very important. That number may never reach 100%, but it will get close. To get an idea of what to expect from a first rate Energy Study of a house, see one that we did of one of the Green remodels that we are doing. This study will go a long way towards understanding how energy features work together to make the home a high efficiency home.

The MLS is also adding a certification checklist, to accommodate the different independent studies and certifications that high-efficiency homes may have. Most of my clients have not wanted to go for a LEED certification due to cost, but are willing to get a Casa Concept/Blue Gill Energy Study to be included in the MLS certification checklist of the home. See a partial Casa Concept Energy Study report.

Realtors, homeowners and home buyers need to get up to speed with the environmental movement that is engulfing us, and how it pertains to homes and their market value. This Green Ball is rolling!

Big Things, Little Things

My High School classmates from the Escuela Americana in San Salvador met for our 30th class reunion at the beach. I’m sad that I couldn’t attend; it just wasn’t in the cards for me this time. My friend Juanito Mejia, the author of the most sublime of thoughts, wrote the class, and wrote me specifically, some heartfelt words. I should add that at no time during my 12 years of school with him did his exceptional writing abilities appear in my radar . What he wrote to me this time is about his memory of me during a senior trip to Panchimalco, a world patrimony town of Colonial architecture, and how he remembers me making something festive out of ordinary things. “Hacias de una cosa ordinaria algo festivo”. Maybe he meant that I have a knack of making big things out of little things. I don’t remember showing that trait that early, but I have to say, Juanito is the owner of a powerful emotional memory- a trait that also went below the radar- therefore I take him at his word. Fastforward 30 years: my definition of a little thing is to be a participant of life. Just check in. Remind myself that” life” – like the Beatles sung- “ is what happens while you’re making other plans”. Remember to be a part of the family, neighborhood, city, nation, hemisphere, world, planet everyday. Contribute in a small way to better building, to helping families live better, to provoking dialogue. Now for bigger things: save the planet. Perhaps Juanito is right. Perhaps I made a big things out of the simple things of everyday nature to salvadoreans, like the fact that to me water was life, and a precious commodity. I was reminded daily by the young children whose family chore it was to awaken before dawn and go fill the clay jarra with water and deliver it by foot, on their heads to their homes for their daily needs. You see, I passed these children every day on my way to school, not one child like me, but many, not one day, but every day. I tried lifting to my head one of these jarras full of water, wanting to believe that they weren’t as heavy as they seemed; I still suffer from overextended shoulders and headaches from that little social experiment… Big thing: we are completely dependant on water, most importantly on clean purified water. Little thing: invest in a good water filter for your home or apartment. Casa Concept can put you in the direction of a good one.

green home, giving garden

Is it possible to live sustainably, in the middle of the 4rth largest city in the US? No doubt about it. And it has little to do with space, and more to do with sun, and an intense inner need to see life grow, and experience the fruits of one's little efforts.

To Build or not to Build...

The markets continue to tank. It's a bear out there. We don't understand what will happen in the next week, month, or year. What should one do if, like my potential client Marina, one needs a bigger house, one's existing house needs repairs and investment, and one can't find a suitable house in the area?

To build or not to build...how does Marina answer that question? After analyzing this dilema from all angles, it is still not clear what she is to do, given that the price of land, of construction, of services, are all in question at the moment. We don't know if they will hold. The demand is shrinking, people are nervous about the future, and it feels like and odd time to stretch into one's next house.

"Can we build green, at a moderate price per square foot?" Marina asked. "It's not even in question", I answered. To make any move towards the future, to take risk at this moment in time, it's GOT TO BE GREEN.

I tell my clients that, not unlike the correction in attitude that is happenning in the markets, we must correct the reasons and expectations behind building a house, altering the human landscape, changing the Google map cyber space.

#1- It's not worth our collective effort and price to build anything but green.
#2- It's important that we build green for our personal enjoyment and not just for resale value.
#3- Expect that if you are building green and the house of your dreams, that you should live in it at least 5, probably 10 years to capitalize on your investment.
#4- Embrace the lifestyle and new and different joys that come with living in a green house
#5- In the resale market of the near future, the inventory will be divided into green and not green. Green will always be a better investment.

As I write this blog, I'm already planning on picking the perfectly ripe, sweet papaya from my backyard for breakfast; a perk of having a green home and garden. As for the stock market, I called my husband to buy me Apple, and he asked how many, and did I need milk too. I meant for him to buy me Apple stock, when it was at an all-time low. Monday we will have a new chance to build green or to buy Apple. It's all about investing for the future, wouldn't you agree?

Could the Radon in your granite make you sick?

My friend Connie called today. She is remodeling her country house kitchen, wants to do it as a green
remodel, and prefers to use granite for its natural and longevity qualities, but is concerned about the possibility that the granite she has chosen emits Radon. Did I have a list of countries from which one should avoid getting granite slabs?

Connie- I don't have such list, but I have some knowledge about naturally occuring Radon. For the record, I tested my granite slabs for Radon, 6 months ago, under the pilot program in Houston conducted by the non-profit Build Clean, and the tests were negative. It was important to ascertain this, because - unlike Connie's 100 year old farm house that is built like "swiss cheese"- my green, Energy Star, high efficiency home is built tightly, and Radon can and will acumulate in the indoor air.

Is it possible that we are endangering our families by introducing natural stone in our homes? It is.
The best research on this subject has been done by Rice University Professor W.J. Llope, who published his research in April of 2008. According to Professor Llope,"naturally occurring Uranium nuclei decay into
an element called Radium, which produces an unstable gas called Radon. Breathing airthat contains radon thus deposits radioactive elements directly into the soft-tissues of the lungs and can cause lung cancer."

Is it possible to test the material before purchasing it? Not easily at the moment, but that time is coming, and it will depend on consumers getting serious about ascertaining that these natural materials don't come from quarries that have a high ocurrance of Radon. I'd like to see testing happening before the imported slabs arrive at our ports, given that in this capitalistic nation, if the material is here, it will show up in some unsuspecting victim's home.

If you are ready to know if your existing granite or stone countertop or floors are emitting radon ( it takes guts to deal with the possibility of having to change your countertops or floors), hardware stores sell Radon testing kits. Make sure that the one you buy states "“meets EPA requirements" and that it is listed in the National Radon Safety Board's devices list.

As for acceptable concentrations of Radon in your house, Dr. Llope states:"The EPA suggests
remediation for radon concentrations exceeding 2 pCi/L, and strongly recommends remediation for concentrations exceeding 4 pCi/L. These administrative limits are our best guide of what levels of exposure are dangerous and what levels aren’t. However, there is no safe amount of radiation or radon."

What can we do if we find the aforementioned levels of Radon in our homes?

If you own natural stone countertops, here are some suggestions from Dr. Llope's report:" Ventilate your home as often as possible by opening windows - this exchanges potentially radon-laden air from
the inside of your home with essentially radon-free air (at least in the Houston area)
from the outside. The radon concentration in an unventilated volume of air reaches its
saturation density in about 27 days - so open your windows for a half-day once every few
weeks. Make sure that you follow the manufacturer’s recommendations on the regular maintenance of your countertops, which typically call for regular resealing of the surface (once per year)."

Connie, I will add that before installation, the granite slabs can and should be sealed on all four sides. I don't believe in too much regulation, but when it come to our collective health, green building equals best practices, and our government needs to protect our people from ending up with high radon stone. Thank you for asking Connie.

Unsustainable Greed

Open your eyes, as we are living a history we thought only existed in the stories of the Great Depression of the older generation. We are now the generation with a story, and it's an unsustainable one. It is a story of boundless and irrepressible greed that didn't regard the well being of all Americans. It is also a story of lack of personal responsibility with regard to how we conduct ourselves, how much debt we have accumulated, and what value, if any, we are creating in society.

I sound old fashioned, but doing things right, for the good of society, and making sound decisions are not old fashioned notions; on the contrary, they are back in vogue. I didn't read that anywhere. I just know that after we come out of this economic and financial debacle, we will start seeing the return of principled thinking.

Principled thinking is what the new green economy is about. Green thinking was taking a hold in America, and my prediction is that it will grow faster as a direct result of the collective dissappointment we are experiencing in government and the financial institutions that were once the pillars of our country. It's about sustainability, dummy.

Our economy couldn't keep growing at the pace that it was growing. Our houses couldn't keep appreciating endlesslyat the rate they were; our debt -personal and national- couldn't keep accumulating without consequence. We were living unsustainably, and it has come back to bite us.

We continue to live unsustainably, given that all the arguments above can be used on the environment, on our communities, on our unsustainable houses. Principled thinking is what we need to use to do the right thing for our houses, our workplaces, our schools, our communities.

Principled thinking is green thinking without greed. Lets make sure ( without issuing credit default swaps) that our children inherit a sustainable world....even though it doesn't look good right now. ">Judge for yourself.

Durability- a True Measure of Green for Homes

What is the lifetime of a typical house? Define typical.

The typical house in the developing countries is either made of all recycled materials such as cardboard and corrugated scrap metal, and is meant to last until the next big rain, or is made of cement and lifetime materials such as clay tile roof, cement block, aluminum windows, and is meant to last a lifetime. The later type of house has been around since colonial times, and continues to be the vernacular architectural legacy of those cultures. They are built for durability.

Why is durable GREEN? It’s a simple concept: durable homes are structures and materials that don’t end up in municipal landfills. They are built environments that give shelter and sustain the living of many generations, and that stand the test of time. They are a good initial investment of natural resources; products that keeps on giving.

What is our vernacular architectural legacy in America? It is disappearing, unless we green( verb to green) older homes and make new ones more durable.

The houses built in suburban America circa 1970’s, 80’s and 90’s took a turn for the worse in the history of home construction. The clearing of lands that were serving as lungs for the big cities, with mature trees and underbrush threw a huge punch to the environment. The race to build faster and cheaper houses by the hundreds threw the next punch, and that speaks to the issue of durability.

What is the target lifespan of your house?

I’ve asked three realtors if buyers ever ask point blank that question. So far no one ever has. That doesn’t surprise me, given that we stopped thinking of houses as family and intergenerational homes. Houses became commodities such as cars, that we change every certain number of years for location, style, or number of bedrooms. If the intent is to stay temporarily in a house, then it is reasonable to not ask such a far-reaching question. It’s the “don’t ask, don’t tell” of architecture…

I learned early in my career as a designer to ask the client a more relevant question:
How long do you intend to live in the house that you want to build or remodel?

I asked that question to my good friend Dr. Billy C., as he talked about the drafty windows and high energy bills that he pays, in the home where he has grown three beautiful boys and two huge Labradors. We got a little green talk in while my new puppy Seamus ( pronounced Shamis) got to meet his two dogs. Before he answered, I warned him that if the answer is more than three years, we should be replacing all the windows in his house with energy efficient windows next week.

The math is simple: if it costs him $15,000 to replace his windows, and he could potentially save $400 per month in energy bills, it would take 3 years and one month to re-pay his investment.

Dr. C’s response to my question was: “We are here, we can’t afford to move”.

Dr. C- if you chose to replace the original windows in your house with lifelong windows, double insulated, low-E coating, thermal break- if metal- or clad if wood, you will not only be saving money, but also making your lovely family older home more durable.

Way to go Billy! You’re already on your way to thinking and being green! And when you do decide to green your house, and to preserve it for another generation of family, call me. It will be my honor to help preserve the beautiful memories of our children- and now dogs- playing together in that wonderfully older house you call home.

Indoor-Outdoor Living..and POLLEN

Since I’m in the business of designing houses, I make it my priority to do constant research on what is in the marketplace locally as well as anywhere I go. I mean anywhere! I’ve been known to knock on the door of strangers in Antigua Guatemala (my favorite World Patrimony), as well as calling on architects in Venice, Santiago, and Barcelona to show me the the concepts of living that pervade those cultures.

Many standards are different by city, country, and culture. But a few important ones unite us, including putting a premium on indoor-outdoor living. From the large balconies and endless rooftop parks of La Pedrera building by Gaudi in Barcelona, to the colonial entry courtyards, or patios, in Antigua, quality of life is gauged by the availability of views, natural light and natural ventilation.

This concept of living is important to our health, both physical and mental. Studies have shown for years that natural light and green outdoors can stave off depression and boost immune systems. The bottom line is that our homes need to be part of our healthy living.
Natural ventilation is not being taken seriously enough in the construction of new housing, and in remodeling of older homes. The reason is simple: the differential in price of an operable window and a stationary one starts at $30 and can get much larger than that. The construction budget is in a different league if the window package becomes a premium one, to include operable windows and screens in every part of the house.

It will be up to every client, or potential buyer like you, to demand that windows are operable, and that our homes can be ventilated naturally in beautiful days. But what to do about POLLEN season? Keep your house closed. Keep an eye on the fine greenish dust that covers cars and everything outdoors. Don’t let that get into your air system indoors. Go a step further: after the pollen season is over, start opening windows and doors and clean with wet disposable rags the windows, doors and sills, where pollen has accumulated and can be blown indoors when you open your house. If you believe in screens the way I do, this is a good time to wash them.

Your energy bill will shrink when you manage your naturally ventilated home throughout the year. Every day or night of using less energy will save you money. And what about your sanity and well-being? Priceless.