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Green from the Ground Up: Castro Valley, CA

This homeowner-designed residence incorporates many sustainable technologies and building techniques, including a well-insulated shell, energy-efficient heating and cooling equipment and appliances, solar electric power, high-volume flyash in the concrete and an array of finishes made with recycled or sustainably harvested materials.
 
The 2,746-square-foot house is constructed on a drilled pier and grade beam foundation on a sloping lot. Canyon Construction built the shell of this three-story, three-bedroom house, while the owner, Gary Wolff, acted as the general contractor for all other phases of construction. Designed to take advantage of views to the east, the house has no south-facing roof slope on which to mount solar electric panels, so Wolff had the panels installed on poles on the hillside above the house.
 
Click the Download button to read the complete case study from StopWaste's 2005 Green Home Tour.
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