New Backyard Pool House, Outdoor Kitchen & Gym – Los Altos

Green Building - New Construction Pool House

Healthy Home New Construction – Summary

Los Altos

This property had a big backyard with a pool, but the ambiance was lacking. The owners wanted something beautiful and healthy. They knew something about healthy materials and EMF, but really wanted a top-notch, safe and healthy building. HBS was brought in during design and saw the project through to completion.

Green Building – Process

“Very early on we established overarching project goals that helped steer future discussions and decisions throughout the project. HBS worked closely with the architect, interior designer, and general contractor the whole way through. Team members would frequently have questions about materials or EMF mitigation techniques and HBS was always available to field their questions without slowing things down. Several times HBS found mistakes during construction and alerted us and the general contractor; we’re lucky these pitfalls were identified before it was too late.”

New Construction – Pool Terrace

New Construction – Pool

Throughout the project, HBS conducted healthy building material reviews and collaborated with the contractor, designer, and homeowners. Beyond tracking GPR requirements, resources such as the Living Building Challenge Red List and Perkins+Will Precautionary List were considered. HBS translated MSDS reviews into easy-to-understand terms, and contacted manufacturers for more information when needed. A large spreadsheet, the “materials matrix”, was updated and maintained throughout the construction process. Of greatest value was the cooperation between HBS and the contractor, the balance of information and experience with product content and performance. For the homeowners, it was valuable to hear from the experts, ask questions, and be a part of the process.

Green Feature Highlights

EMR mitigation measures for RF, low-frequency electric and magnetic fields (EMF), and dirty electricity.
Designed to be a net-zero water backyard. Nearly 100,000 gallons of rainwater storage buried underground and used for landscape irrigation.
Alternative water filtration doesn’t require adding chlorine to the pool.
Solar panels (PV)
Solar thermal (hot water) collection via pipes buried in the hardscape
Healthy material specification
Magnesium oxide wall paneling
Low and Zero VOC adhesives, sealants and primers
Low EMF electric radiant heating system
LED lighting