text: Linda first called us to help her save energy on her next home, which she intends to be her “Forever Home”. Solar panels and a battery back-up were first on her list. Her chosen site had a considerable slope to it, which provided the opportunity for a daylight basement. Since she wanted her home to be suitable for “aging in place”, all her living areas needed to be on the main floor. This opened the possibility of using the large basement area for water storage tanks, allowing her to use rainwater for irrigation and domestic uses. One thing led to another, with the greenhouse for growing her own food, both cold and warm storage rooms in the basement, and an electric car and charger in the garage.
  Of course we used all zero-VOC finishes and sealants, with no finish on the all cedar exterior (letting it age naturally). This leaves Linda with a net-zero-energy, net-zero water, net-zero food (when her “farm” is completed), zero-VOC home with a near-zero carbon footprint over the remainder of her years. Thank you Linda, for giving us the opportunity to be a part of your life!