Sarah Whitman

Sarah Whitman's Posts

• San Diego

  2007 Builder's Choice Winner: Del Sur Ranch House

  by Sarah Whitman

  This 3,000-square-foot, ranch-style welcome center is a prototype whose earth-savvy building practices earned it a platinum LEED ranking from the U.S. Green Building Council. Sustainable features include salvaged construction-site stone for the fireplace and chimney, and ceiling trusses that were reconstructed from a dismantled pier, along with wheat-board cabinets, cork kitchen flooring, and sunflower husk countertops. More than 90 percent of construction debris was separated at the site and recycled.

• Pajaro, Calif.

  2007 Builder's Choice Winner: Nuevo Amanecer

  by Sarah Whitman

  Until recently, migrant and resident farm workers in Pajaro, Calif., had no choice but to live in sub-standard, one-story units that often flooded. While many residents were temporarily housed in trailers, KTGY Group and South County Housing replaced the deficient housing stock with 63 two-story homes, each featuring living spaces that are elevated above the flood plain. Efficient and high density by design, the new homes are affordable by nature of their size, and long-term utility expenses are reduced with solar roof panels that generate 100 percent of the community's electricity needs.

• New Canaan, Conn.

  2007 Builder's Choice Winner: Butman Barn

  by Sarah Whitman

  Agoos/Lovera Architects was challenged with converting an early–20th-century Connecticut horse barn into a recreation facility and guesthouse for family gatherings. Although most of the changes were internal, the team carefully considered the barn's history and architectural details when choosing finishes and furnishings for an open gathering space complete with a great room, bar, kitchen, billiard room, and upstairs guest quarters. It also opened and widened the barn doors to connect the interior more directly with the picturesque landscape.

• Morgan Hill, Calif.

  2007 Builder's Choice Winner: Royal Court

  by Sarah Whitman

  The median home price in Morgan Hill, Calif., is $750,000, far out of reach of service workers such as teachers and police officers. To mitigate the area's workforce housing shortage, architect KTGY Group teamed up with South County Housing to give families earning below the area median income of $106,000 an affordable place to call home.