DESIGN
by William Sampson
wsampson@wattnet.net
This 5,000-square-foot home was
awarded the first LEED Platinum
designation for a private
residence in Orange
County, Calif.
Cabinetmaker contributes to
breakthrough green home
Problem:
How to achieve maximum
sustainability in cabinetry for
a LEED Platinum home when
you’ve never built green before?
Solution:
Partner with knowledgeable
distributors and suppliers.
For many cabinet shops
green building is still something that is
not part of their daily diet. Still, it’s hard
not to notice all the business doors going green could open. So, how do you
get up to speed?
That was the situation Bill VaVerka of
Verk’s Custom Cabinets found himself
in. He was offered the opportunity to get
involved in a project building what some
claim is one the most sustainably built
houses in the country. Dubbed the Costa
Mesa Green Home, it is the first private
residence in Orange County, Calif., to
be certified Platinum by the U.S. Green
Building Council’s Leadership in Energy
The home features six bedrooms and six and a half bathrooms with sustainable
materials a focus throughout.
and Environmental Design (LEED) for
Homes Program. The home was awarded
104 points, four more than needed to
achieve Platinum status.
The private residence of local real
estate developer Steve Blanchard, the
home of 5,000 square feet includes six
bedrooms, six and a half bathrooms, an
office, and a kid’s family room. At center
stage is a 1,000-square-foot kitchen.
“In addition to durability, my require-
ments for cabinets were low emitting glues,
adhesives and finishes used on woods and
panels that were FSC-certified and con-
tained no added urea formaldehyde,” says
architect David Gangloff of Ladera Ranch,
Calif., who designed the home.
