Sustainability: The First Platinum LEED Home in Carmel

Carmel-by-the-sea is a quaint little California town filled with mid-century style houses characteristic of the 1950’s era. One of these mid-century homes is the Burnett residence, the first remodel to achieve Platinum LEED certification in Carmel. Jason and Melissa Burnett converted their old, drafty home into an eco-friendly abode with 21^st century energy saving features, without compromising its mid-century architectural integrity. Since Jason Burnett runs an eco-consulting firm and is a member of the Carmel city council, he has strong views about protecting the environment. Having an environmentally-friendly home was very important to the couple. Like most mid-century homes, the original floor plan had a great layout and flow to it, but air and heat passed through easily because of poor insulation, substandard windows and doors, and outdated mechanical systems. They wanted to modernize the outdated home technology using more energy-efficient features like photovoltaic power generation, plus they needed extra space and updated kitchen and bathrooms. Architect firm Carver + Schicketanz assisted the Burnetts in creating a modern mid-century style home with the highest possible LEED rating: Platinum. They chose to use LEED standards as a guideline for remodeling in order to implement good building practices. Smart, energy-efficient decisions helped LEED points stack up quickly. Energy-Saving Features:

• Spray-foam and recycled-denim insulation and double-paned windows & doors
• Retractable skylight in the dining room and NanaWall door system in the master bedroom for natural ventilation and sunshine
• In-floor radiant heating and fan coils as heat exchangers
• Landscaping with native plants and a drought- friendly irrigation system
• Solar panels and a vegetable garden on the rooftop
• Non-toxic paint

Our favorite part of the modern eco-friendly home is the retractable skylight in the Burnett’s dining room. Like a folding system, on sunny days it can be opened up to create an outdoor courtyard feel. It’s a great complementary product to use with NanaWall operable glass walls to completely transform an indoor space into an outdoor one. What is your favorite feature of this wonderfully executed mid-century-modern remodel?