San Diego Community

Del Sur, San Diego’s most eco-friendly new master-planned community, will be a featured stop on the self-guided GreenBuilt Tour 2008 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 5. Organized by San Diego EARTHWorks, the annual event is open to the public.

The Del Sur Ranch House is among the growing number of San Diego County homes and businesses that feature sustainable building practices. Designed to be one of the most environmentally friendly buildings in the country, the Del Sur Ranch House received Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) in 2007. The Ranch House is California’s first private enterprise, new construction building to earn the Platinum designation.

While stylishly designed to look like it had been an original working ranch from 150 years ago, Del Sur’s Ranch House incorporates many forward-thinking green features. Some highlights to look for on the Del Sur Ranch House tour include:

•  Timbers from an old pier in Portland were repurposed as ceiling trusses and trellises;
•  Reclaimed oak from a 19th century barn was given new life as the Ranch House floor;
•  Stones quarried from on-site were used to create the building’s impressive fireplace, façade and signature landscape walls;
•  Cabinetry and ceilings are built with recycled sunflower husks and wheat waste creating a beautiful, sustainable option to hardwood;
•  Recycled denim insulation, air-tight ductwork, low-emission windows, fluorescent lighting and sun-sheltering deep eaves greatly reduce energy loss;
•  Pervious concrete is used for the driveway and parking lot to allow water and rain to filter through rather than run off into the storm drains and out to the ocean;
•  Photovoltaic (solar) energy system, with solar arrays installed on the Ranch House’s south- and west-facing roofs, helps reduce peak energy loads.

Nearly every new home at Del Sur is outfitted with a core set of standard “green” features that help make the entire community more sustainable. These features are demonstrated at the Del Sur Ranch House as well, including: tank-less water heaters, weather-based satellite irrigation, drought-resistant landscaping, energy-saving appliances, and energy-efficient windows and heating and cooling systems.

Del Sur’s water-saving measures alone can save more than 40,000 gallons of water per home, per year. Communitywide, at least 20 percent of the homes in each neighborhood must incorporate photovoltaic (solar) energy systems. The community’s ongoing construction recycling program successfully diverted over 90 percent of construction waste in 2006.

In addition to Platinum LEED certification, Del Sur has earned numerous awards, including California’s highest environmental recognition, the Governor’s Environmental & Economic Leadership Award (GEELA), presented in 2007 for comprehensive land use planning. Earlier this year, the community was named Mixed-use Development of the Year at the 2008 National Green Building Awards sponsored by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).

The annual GreenBuilt Tour is organized by San Diego EARTHWorks, a committed network of volunteers in service for a healthy, prosperous and sustainable future for all living things. In 2006, San Diego EARTHWorks presented Del Sur and developer Black Mountain Ranch LLC with an Earth Award for the Ranch House. The GreenBuilt Tour cost is $20 before Sept. 30, $25 after. For more information visit http://www.earthdayweb.org

To learn more about the new home neighborhoods in Del Sur, visit the Ranch House, the community’s information center. Take SR-56 to Camino Del Sur, turn north for approximately four miles, and follow the signs to the Ranch House, which is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  For more information, call 858-481-4200 or see www.DelSurLiving.com.