NaturalHomeMarchApril08FeichtmeirHome FF2 Copy

8/3/2019 NaturalHomeMarchApril08FeichtmeirHome FF2 Copy

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40 www.NulHmMgzin.m40 www.NulHmMgzin.m40 www.NulHmMgzin.m

Hme t an array f widife, MarkFeichtmeir and Karen Bnesssprperty is fficiay recnized asa certified widife habitat by theNatina Widife Federatin andisted as part f the Natina Reistryf Backyard Widife Habitats.


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Eight years ago, when Karen Boness andMark Feichtmeir got the opportunity

to create their dream home, they didnt

know they would end up building an

almost entirely self-sufficient house.

Unsure of what they wanted, they head-

ed to the bookstore where they found a wealth

of information about environmental living. Id

dreamed for many years of building an ecological

home, but I really didnt know much about it, says

Karen, a computer programmer at the time.

The couples research led them to he concept of

passive-solar design, a variety of green materials,and perma-culturean ecological design practice

that creates functional, interdependent systems that

serve both nature and humans. Using these prin-

ciples, they began to envision a modern homestead

where they could live off the land and eliminate their

need for fossil fuels.

Building wih h lndMark and Karen bought five acres in Sonoma

County, California. We didnt necessarily want to

live in wine country, says Mark, who works in prop-

erty management, but we were lured by the oaksavannas with all their trees and open space. The

propertys southern exposure enables passive-solar

designorienting a house so the sun warms its ther-

mal mass (rock, brick, concrete, adobe), which stores

the heat and releases it throughout the evening.

The couple enlisted Berkeley architect Todd

Jersey, who specializes in sustainable building and

has studied permaculture. While Karen and Mark

were specific about their goals regarding perma-

culture design and energy use, their only aesthetic

request was that the home be simple, natural and

organic. We wanted it to blend in with the environ-ment as much as possible, Karen says.

Jersey let the propertys sloping topography guide

him in designing a three-bedroom, 2,700-square-

foot structure tucked into the sites south-facing

slope. The faades series of gentle curves appears

to be an organic extension of the hillside. For

passive-solar heating, the couple needed walls with

high thermal mass. They chose a method of earth

construction called PISE (pneumatically installed,

stabilized earth), a mix of locally mined earthen

material and concrete.

Mark and Karen,bth seris cks,ve the kitchensampe cnterspace, ckbkstrae and bit-inbanqette.


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Nul Hm March/a pril 2008 4

Permaculture:An ecologicaldesign practice that creates functional,interdependent systems that serve both

nature and humans.

Master

BedrooM

MasterBat h

dressing area

office

study

Laundry

BedBed

L iving

d ining

K itchen

nooK

entry

Bath

Bat h

Mech

a c o n v e r s a t i o n w i t h t h eh o M e o w n e r s

What do you love most about your house?

KareN BoNess: My fvi m i hdining m, bu I n vyhing I

lv fm h: ll h uv, h living m,h bnqu, h kihn viw, h gdn.

MarK FeIcHtMeIr : exp f h gubdm, w u ll h h m n gul bi, whih i diffn fm upviu hm.

Did you save money where you didnt expect to?

KareN: W ving l n pdu h dy!

How can people who arent building a newhome connect to their land?

MarK: Gw yu wn fd. Yu n gw nmzing mun f fd n ju blny. I lmmnd bing w f h nvinmnnd niu f wh yu numh hbginning f h p.

The frnt ates desin, by meta artist Amy Backstne, incrprates symbs frmnatre that Karen seected frm a permactre handbk.

In the haway, iht prsthrh the pper windws.The paster wa was treated tdpicate the exterir PISE was.

Mark and Karen stand beneath the cvered wakwaybetween their hse and arae.

If you have a green home-building project of

your own, submit photos, comments and ques-

tions on our new photo-sharing web feature:

http://CU.NaturalHomeMagazine.com.


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Jerseys team calculated optimal dimensions for the over-hangs and windows with a heliodon, a device that models the

suns path across a site. Deep roof overhangs provide relief

from the brutal summer sun, and high, operable clerestory

windows enable night-flushingwherein the cool night

air can flow through the house and pull out the daytime heat

thats been absorbed by all the thermal mass.

tuly lf-uffiinIn addition to using passive-solar gain for heat, the home

is equipped with 96 photovoltaic panels that provide all the

electricity needed on the property year-round. In the sum-

mer, the panels produce more energy than Karen and Markconsume. They send the excess back to the electrical grid for

credit, which they use in winter when they need more energy

than the panels can provide.

Heat and energy arent all nature gives them: With veg-

etable and herb gardens; almond, citrus and fruit trees; berry

bushes and an olive orchard, the couple has little need for

outside produce. Theyre also able to collect much of their

own water in a 50,000-gallon rainwater cistern. Run-off from

the green roofs on the house and garage fills the cistern, which

provides water for the home and irrigation for the land from

November through midsummer.

This niqey shaped arden ses a permactre methd t createa keyhe arden. When tw ecsystems cme tether, theede where they meet is the mst diverse, and the keyhe desincreates the mst edes.

A retainin wa frms the back f the ivinqarters, which heps keep the hme c andaws the strctre t neste int the hiside.The hmes 96 sar panes are paced n therf f the arae/wrkshp and abve thecvered wakway.

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suinbl iniBefore breaking ground, the couple teamed up with

interior designer and color consultant Deborah Coburn

of Naturally Inspired in San Rafael to create rooms

that connected the home with nature. Coburn used all-

natural pigments and stains to bring the warm colors of

the hillside indoors. She recycled many furnishings from

the couples previous home and seamlessly incorporated

wall niches for their display pieces.

Coburn chose new furniture made from recycled orrenewable materials and nonsynthetic fabrics when pos-

sible. The kitchens backsplash is made of recycled, vin-

tage-stone pavers, and she used remnants from the stone

yards boneyard for the granite breakfast table.

I never imagined I would live in such a beautiful

place, Karen says. She now holds certificates in per-

maculture design, landscape design and landscape hor-

ticulture. She recently founded Wild Willow Landscape

Design, which provides design and consulting ser-

vices. Karen and Mark are also developing Kenwood

Permaculture, through which they offer educational

programs on sustainable living.

In the master bath, desiner DebrahCbrn sed a mderatey priced fiedtie t ine the shwer and sakin tb.Tmbed marbe adds a avish accent.

A kitchen ardenn ne f the

reen rfs cn-

tains herbs andan espaiered Fjiappe tree aainst

the arae wa.

The exterir wa atthe riht f the masterbedrm is PISE with

n treatment. The therwas are paster with

intera cr veneerpaster t maintainthe warm tne and

ranic k. Karen

made the screen thathans abve the head-

bard frm recycedmaterias.

ARCHITECT: Tdd Jersey Architectre,(510) 528-5477; www.TddJerseyArchitectre.cmINTERIoR DESIgNER: Debrah Cbrn, NatrayInspired, (415) 258-0543; www.NatrayInspired.netSuSTAINABlE TouRS AND CoNSulTINg:

www.KenwdPermactre.cm



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The pen reat rm etsests minewhethertheyre sittin at the taber reaxin by the fire.


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t h e G o o d s t u f f

WEb Extra: To find items used in this

house, visit www.NaturalHomeMagazine.com.

NaturalHomeMarchApril08FeichtmeirHome FF2 Copy

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