Portola Valley native Linda Yates and her husband Paul Holland are grappling with how to build a home “bigger than 2,500 square feet” that continues to serve as “a gathering place for the community” while being as inoffensive as possible in terms of CO2 emissions.
If their efforts serve as a lesson in how to build green — really, really green — so much the better.
The couples’ plans, three years in the making, include creating rooms that serve multiple uses, such as a home office/bedroom; gauging the probable energy needs of each room; locating trees for best shade; using the home’s ability to hold and release heat; and buying carbon credits, Ms. Yates tells the Almanac.
It doesn’t stop there. After learning that a neighbor had finished with a temporary gravel driveway, they are seeking the town’s permission to have the gravel trucked to their site, thus conserving the energy needed to haul used gravel out of town and later haul new gravel into town for their driveway.
“We want to basically create a role model in the whole area of sustainability,” she says. “If these towns are serious about wanting to have more sustainable buildings, they’re going to have to be more knowledgeable (so as to) to educate the public.”
The couple have an ambitious education scheme of their own. They hope to influence mainstream building practices by hiring high-end construction and design professionals not known for building green and team them with colleagues proficient in green practices.
“Our decision was to get the best in the business and put the green experts around them. Then we will have the best leverage,” she says.
By David Boyce
