MNN - Mother Nature Network

Some interesting real estate news out of the Bay Area today:

 

David Gottfried, founder of the U.S. Green Building Council, is selling his 1915 Craftsman bungalow on 63rd Street in Oakland’s Rockridge District that, in 2008, underwent an extensive renovation and emerged as the greenest home in the country, at least by LEED standards. Scoring LEED Platinum (natch), with a total of 106.5 points out of a possible 136 (80 points are required for a small home to gain LEED Platinum status), for a time Gottfried’s abode was the most eco-friendly in all the land until another deep-green renovation, Chicago’s Helenowski Residence, bumped it out first place with a whopping 119 points.

 

Needless to say, the home, which Gottfried shares with his wife, Sara, and two daughters, is a stunner. Dubbed the “Tesla Home” in honor of the Tesla Roadster which also “exemplifies the utmost in human engineering, environmental performance and beauty,” the three-bedroom home boasts a staggering laundry list of green features including solar photovoltaic and hot water systems, LED lighting, Energy Star-rated Bosch appliances, dual-flush Caroma toilets, radiant heating, recycled content countertops, zero-VOC paints, dual-pane windows, three types of insulation, and an all-important Walk Score of 92. Thanks to a masterful, preservation-minded job by Canyon Construction, all of the home's original Craftsman woodwork remains intact.

 

Outside, there’s a reclaimed cedar deck, an outdoor shower, rainwater recycling, drought-resistant landscaping, a composting and vermicomposting area, a vegetable garden, and a self-sufficient LifePod garden studio from that Gottfried wrote his second memoir, “Greening My Life,” in and uses as a painting studio (the guy’s a true renaissance man).

 

Of course, a charming historic home boasting such impressive “eco-bling” (as Sara Gottfried calls it) comes with a price. Geared towards the “discerning ecologically and aesthetic minded buyer,” the 1,440-square-foot home is selling for $1,295,000 (that's nearly $900 per square foot!) through the Grubb Company. Included in the sale are the LEED Platinum plaque and certificate, the home’s website, and a Lucid home performance monitoring dashboard. 

 

It’s unclear as to why Gottfried is selling his award-winning, high-profile home. Perhaps he’s embarking on a new renovation project (net-zero energy, perhaps?) that will one-up the Helenowski residence.

 

For more info on the sale, the home’s numerous green features and products, and plenty of before-and-after photos, head on over to the home’s official website. You can also check out the listing at Grubb Company and take a tour from Gottfried himself in the below video from Smart Planet.