ABOVE: South-facing solar panels collect energy from the sun. Roofing 

 shingles look like slate, but are made from recycled rubber and plastic 

 materials. RIGHT: The Arizona-style home is nestled among live oak trees. 



CONSERVATION BY DESIGN: VARIATIONS ON A THEME 



ALL THINGS 

 Renew, Reeve 



EWAGA 

 e, Reuse 



"A 



Fv. one with Nature" may sound a 

 bit Zen, but it aptly describes the home Nancy 

 White and Dennis Saver designed and built in 

 the Town of Kitty Hawk. 



The couple has incorporated environ- 

 mentally friendly design principles, building 

 materials and systems from foundation to roof 

 — all with minimal disturbance to their one- 

 acre home site. 



To achieve and maintain sustainable 

 building goals, the couple draws from their 

 combined expertise. White, founding director 

 of the University of North Carolina Coastal 

 Studies Institute in Manteo, holds a doctorate 

 in forestry and a master's in landscape 

 architecture. Her research is on water resources 

 and water quality issues. Saver is a licensed 



general contractor and owner of Earth Saver, an 

 enterprise that focuses on "green" building and 

 specialty commercial construction. 



Even so, it took more than two years for 

 the couple to research and design their home 

 — and to identify sources for materials within 

 a 500-mile radius to help support the regional 

 economy. 



"So-called 'green' building is really a tool 

 box," Saver says. "You pick what works best 

 for individual lifestyles and sites. It incorporates 

 renewable resources, recycled or reused 

 materials." 



Building "green" takes patience and 

 planning — and more planning. Inspiration 

 sometimes comes in surprising places, White 

 points out. 



"We were on vacation in Barbados," she 

 recalls. "We drew the house plan out in sand on 

 a beach and began to walk through it to get a 

 feel for the flow." 



"That's when we decided to move the 

 staircase," Saver points out. "It added two feet 

 to the middle of the house." 



More importantly, it improved the 

 function of a significant sustainable feature 

 — the central, open stairwell helps circulate 

 warm or cool air through all three living levels. 



NATURE'S BOUNDARIES 



The home site itself plays an important 

 role in achieving sustainable building goals, 

 says White. A crucial first step is getting to 



Continued 



COASTWATCH 1 1 



