This sustainable project was completed on a private 80 acre view parcel in the hills above Corralitos. The owners were drawn to us through the Green Building link on our website and after an initial meeting, hired us to manage the preliminary feasibility studies, site work, design, and eventual home construction.
With this type of project, we start at the beginning: making sure that development on the site is both possible and practical before we spend a lot of our clients budget on plans that may not be suitable. In order to determine that building on the property would be permitted by the Santa Cruz County Building and Planning department, we next completed several feasibility steps that included: geological review, percolation test, water well probability analysis, grading analysis, biologic review, site survey, topographical mapping, earthquake zone and archaeological clearances.
With these steps completed, we assisted the client in selecting a local Architect who quickly gave his attention to the preliminary design plans. After client design approval, we had completed construction documents ready to submit for permits in just 10 weeks.
An extensive amount of grading was called for in order to cite the new 4600 square-foot home at the Owners: preferred building location, which offered spectacular Ocean Forest view is from Carmel to Bonny Doon. An engineered concrete slab foundation was chosen to rein costs and provide maximum stability for the new home. Passive solar heating, energy efficient cooling and heating systems, fire resistive roof and exterior walls, along with many other green building applications were incorporated into the new construction.
The building time from start of site work and grading to completion of the building process and final occupancy was only 10 months ! This included access road and driveway paving, new stamped concrete parking round-about, basement wine cellar and tasting room all ready to use.
If you have dreams of a new home and want guidance from land purchase through completion of your new residence, please click the link below and one our company owners, Jeff Thranow, will contact you right away to get acquainted and see if we are the right fit for one another.