When it came to sustainably updating her home, Bridget Rost asked “why not?”
It all started with recycling and buying a hybrid car, but Rost wondered why she shouldn’t extend this mentality to her home.
“If I can choose to get reclaimed lumber instead of cutting down a tree, why not?” she questioned. Reconfiguring old kitchen cabinets: no problem. Using paint made with no volatile organic compounds and installing dimmed fluorescent lights: sure.
What resulted from a series of practical and smart decisions is a GreenPoint-certified remodel of Rost’s 1945 home in Midtown. This is one of three sustainable Palo Alto homes that will be on display during early October’s Build It Green (the nonprofit organization behind the GreenPoint rating system) showcase tour.
After raising three children, the Rosts added a 500-square-foot family room to the footprint of their house and a 500-square-foot second story. They watched a home across the street receive a “green-180” by architect Tali Hardonag and Rost recalled thinking, “If we’re going to spend all of this time making the home comfortable and renovated, why not also spend the time to make it green?”