Greg Dalton and Lucia Choi-Dalton have lived in urban locales around the world, but after a 2012 kayaking outing on Tomales Bay, the San Francisco residents knew they wanted to put down roots in rural West Marin. With its small-town community feeling and scenic setting surrounded by rolling hills, Nicasio proved to be the ideal choice. That same year, the couple purchased a four-bedroom, four-bath contemporary farmhouse-style home built in 1994 in the tiny town, which has fewer than 1,000 residents. “Having lived in San Francisco, New York, Vancouver and Hong Kong, we love the fact that we can walk to the Rancho for a meal, listen to music and pick up our mail,” Lucia says.
While the home was in relatively good condition when the couple purchased it, they hoped to install a pool and make other updates eventually. Greg also wanted to expand the separate garage on the property and convert it into a studio where he could record episodes of Climate One from the Commonwealth Club, the climate change-focused podcast he launched nearly two decades ago following a transformative trip to the Arctic in 2007, and which is now broadcasted on NPR stations across the country.
A decade passed before Greg and Lucia were ready to remodel. As the couple began to explore the possibilities, however, their desire to prioritize sustainability grew, and the scope quickly expanded. They wanted to convert the property to all electric using solar power, harden the home against wildfires and reduce their carbon emissions overall. In addition, they wanted to conserve water, including by avoiding having to draw water from the community well to maintain the new pool they planned to install. “It’s easy to check boxes and think, ‘We’re good people being green,’” Greg says. “But really, being green requires dedication and working through complicated details about materials (no linoleum!), sourcing (East Coast is not local) and balancing performance and lifecycle impacts of water and energy.”
Greg and Lucia started assembling a diverse team of specialists to execute the complex project. A friend introduced Greg and Lucia to Cass Calder Smith Architecture + Interiors, which has offices in San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles. And they hired an owner’s rep and general contractor, Richard Wodehouse of West Coast Project Management, tasked with holding all consultants accountable to achieving their sustainability and energy conservation standards. Ann Edminster of Design AVEnues contributed green building and zero-energy design expertise; Summit Technology Group installed the solar energy system; and Shades of Green designed the native, drought-tolerant landscaping, among a number of other experts on board. “We had an ambitious project with a great team that everyone feels proud of,” Lucia says.
One of the first things the team did was to remove the property’s propane tank in preparation to convert the home to electric power, including installing induction cooktops and heat pumps to cool and heat the main house and garage studio. “No fossil fuels are used in the home,” Greg says.
In terms of the architecture, architect and founding principal Cass Calder Smith and project architect Björn Steudte focused on creating clean, modern-looking design based on the existing structures while emphasizing sustainability. Siting the pool presented one of the first challenges. “We were kind of boxed in,” Smith recalls. “There was a minimum distance required from the well and there is also a creek that runs through the back edge of the property.” They also had to consider that the house was elevated due to the risk of potential flooding from the creek.
Surrounded by stone pavers set in sand to support drainage, the new lap pool with an integrated hot tub is located a few steps down from the main house. Most notable, the pool features an electric heating system versus relying on methane gas, which is typically used to heat pools. “We added an extra heat pump on the advice of a professor at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, who says all-electric pools are now being installed by institutional and residential early adopters around the state,” Greg says. “This is the cutting edge.”
A new 7,000-gallon tank captures rainwater runoff from the rooftops and patios, which Greg and Lucia use to top up the pool and nourish the landscaping, along with the vegetable garden and orchard, via a new high-efficiency irrigation system. The system also incorporates gray water from the washing machine.
Offering respite from hot days, the pool is partially shaded by a new louvered wood and high recycled-content steel shade structure, and a corresponding shade structure covers an adjacent deck with a seating area and fire pit, constructed with reused composite decking. A covered porch addition that is semi-enclosed with retractable glass offers more protection from increasing temperatures as well as mitigates heat gain inside the home. A shade trellis attached to the garage studio serves a similar purpose. “We tried to make it as livable as possible outside because it gets really hot in Nicasio,” Smith says.
A new standing seam metal roof provides an ember-proof barrier that contributes to the fire safety of the property, and a rooftop solar system connected to Enphase Encharge 10 batteries powers the pool and home. “We still connect to the grid, but recent reports show that the home produces far more energy than it consumes, even in December, when the home is heated and solar generation is at a seasonal low,” Greg says. “Rooftop solar locks in our electricity price and shields us from PG&E rates, which have increased 50% in just three years and will keep rising.” Helping to reduce the need for heating and cooling, the team strove to seal the building envelope by installing sustainable wool insulation under the floors and in the attic, cellulose insulation in the walls and Gutex wood fiberboard under the roof.
The project complete, Greg and Lucia’s home now serves not only as their residence and a workspace, but also as a testament to how innovative design and sustainability can coexist. “This is our country oasis, and we take pride in knowing that we challenged the architects, installers and subcontractors to push the edge on rainwater capture, sealing the building envelope and getting off fossil fuels,” Greg says. “An all-electric house is a joy and a smart investment.”
Homeowner Resources
Drawing from his own experience, Climate One from the Commonwealth Club podcast founder Greg Dalton has provided a list of resources for home-owners who are exploring a sustainable remodel.
The Switch Is On
Provides a comprehensive guide to electrifying homes, including incentives and contractor connections.
Rewiring America
Focuses on advocacy and educational resources for electrifying homes.
Bayren
Free service for Bay Area residents offering guidance on energy-saving home improvements, including available rebates and incentives.
Homeintel
Analyzes individual energy usage patterns to provide customized energy-saving recommendations.
Lotus Abrams has covered everything from beauty to business to tech in her editorial career, but it might be writing about her native Bay Area that inspires her most. She lives with her husband and two daughters in the San Francisco Peninsula, where they enjoy spending time outdoors at the area’s many open spaces protected and preserved by her favorite local nonprofit, the Peninsula Open Space Trust.
