The Greenest House in Santa Cruz

With a system that recycles shower water into garden irrigation and uses solar panels and rainwater for the washing machine, the new house at 325 John St. is being called the greenest home in the city.

Developer Marcus Pohlmann is building what he hopes will be the first platinum-rated Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) home in Santa Cruz County. This is the highest certification given by the U.S Green Building Council, a nonprofit that promotes sustainable design and construction. 

"I am thinking long term, it will pay off to build it this way,” says Pohlmann, who says he expects utility prices will go up. The house will cost him 20-30 percent more then if he had built a standard home, but he considers it an investment for long-term savings.

Among the energy-saving methods that will drive down the cost of utilities are solar panels, double-pane windows for better insulation, a water system that makes use of rainwater for things such as laundry and that also recycles water for watering the garden. 

The process of LEED certification can be rigorous, and not all contractors are willing to go through with it.

“The paper is endless; the documentation is endless,” said Matt Steele, who handles public relations for Testorff Construction. “Most contractors won't touch or try to do a LEED-certified house."

The paperwork is what proves that the house is meeting the requirements necessary for platinum certification. It takes into account not only the energy and water-saving technologies of the house once it is finished, but also the building materials.

This calls for a lot of discipline, and no one knows this better then Derik Grover, the foreman in charge of building the home. 

“We have to have a percentage of recycling versus garbage … we had to make sure we had enough recycled material to even out the garbage,” said Grover. 

Despite the difficulties and necessary attention for detail, the owner of Testorff Construction is confident that the U.S Green Building Council will award the platinum certification. 

“I’m right where I should be,” Pete Testorff, owner of Aptos-based Testorff Construction, said in a press release.  

The home, which was started in March, is scheduled to finish by October.