Green Demo House in Alameda Park Finished Demo House Prior to Move Moving Day Installation on Coyote Road Green and Fire Resistant Home Showcased at Earth Day Was Provided To Family in the Tea Fire Area Over 2,000 people visited the small, energy-efficient, and highly fire-resistant demonstration home that was showcased at the Community Environmental Council’s 2009 Earth Day Festival on Sunday April 19. This home, built from start to finish in just 10 days, was designed and built to educate the Santa Barbara community about the latest in fire protective designs and green building features. And, at the conclusion of the festival, the house was delivered to the property of underinsured Tea Fire survivor - Lisa Camarillo and her daughter, Bryana. The home’s fire resistant features include a standing seam metal roof, fiber cement siding, enclosed eaves and no vents. High performing spray foam insulation, efficient windows, Energy Star appliances, and an on-demand water heater are some of the energy efficient aspects of the project. A solar photovoltaic system provides a significant portion of the home’s energy. Other green features include strand board flooring, a beautiful wood type flooring made from bamboo fibers; recycled ceramic tiles, salvaged countertops, water efficient plumbing fixtures and a drought tolerant landscape. Allen Associates searched for over three months to find the right family and project site to accept the home. One family after another fell out of consideration due to issues such as the topography of the lot preventing access for the truck and crane that would deliver the home, not having sufficient funds to cover the recipient’s required financial contribution towards the total cost, or families that were too well insured to be eligible for a community-based project such as this one. Help came from Adele Goggia, with Harrison Design Associates, who had met just about every family in the Tea Fire area in her capacity as the volunteer architect at the Tea Fire Recovery Office at Cold Springs School. When it looked like the deadline to select a family for the project was about to pass without a good match, she suggested the Camarillo/Rivera family to Allen Associates. “The Camarillo’s were one of the first families that came and asked for help at the Recovery Office. They have been involved in the Mountain Drive Community for generations. Their daughter goes to Cold Springs School. Having them be recipient of this house helps tie these two communities together in a wonderful way.” “This is the most perfect family!” said Claire Gottsdanker, President of the Mountain Drive Community Association. “The Camarillo/Rivera Family has owned the property on Coyote Road since the early 1900’s. They have been a significant part of the history of the Mountain Drive area.” Wade Davis Design contributed numerous hours to design the Green Demonstration Home. Allen Associates worked hard to bring down the total cost of the project by securing donations of building materials and systems from many local vendors and subcontractors. “We did a very similar project after Hurricane Katrina where we worked with Santa Barbara Habitat for Humanity, Crane School families, and local vendors and subcontractors to build a home for a family in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi,” said Ian Cronshaw from Allen Associates. “We are very excited to be working with a local Tea Fire family and building them a new green, energy efficient and fire resistant home.” “Demonstrating real-life examples of home energy-efficiency and fire-safety at our Earth Day festival was a great addition to the event and the perfect opportunity for public education,” said Dave Davis, Executive Director of the CEC. “For the home to benefit a local Tea Fire survivor made this a real win-win situation. We were very happy to be a part of the project.”