Alviston Blog

For the past twelve years we’ve been working to make buildings more energy efficient and sustainable. We started by working with materials like insulated concrete forms, structural insulated panels, and photovoltaic systems.  We’ve not only walked the walk, but we’ve also talked the talk, in the form of seminars, presentations, on-site training and more.

Somehow, though, it doesn’t seem enough.  Things just aren’t changing fast enough. Even though many of the elements of sustainable living are being adopted, there has only been an incremental overall improvement. This shouldn’t be too surprising, as many of us are still unaware of just how tenuous our current situation is.  It’s not that we don’t know what to do.  And that’s what makes it so very sad: We know what we need to do and we have the tools to do it.  We just aren’t doing it.  Lot’s of people think that there’s just nothing we can do. That the only thing that will motivate people is money.  Well, if that is actually true, then the answer isn’t all that difficult.  Because we already have cars that can run on electricity instead of gas.  We already have houses that make more power than they use.  The real issue is getting the message out.

So what do we do?  The first thing to do is to ask the right question. The second thing to do, is to realize that everyday we have more tools to work with. We are really good a making them. What we’re not so good at is changing our minds.

–Mark Alvis

My Grandmother planted the tree.

I was only two years old when she died.  I don’t remember her.  But a lot of the things she did in her life affected mine.  Still do.

One of the things she did around the time that the house was being built was to plant trees, a lot of trees.  She planted two redwood trees: A giant Sequoia, the biggest trees in the world, and a coastal redwood. She planted two Sycamores and a couple types of Oak.  She planted several Incense Cedars and some pine and Juniper trees too.  And later, they planted an orange grove which now surrounds the house.

I remember climbing the Sequoia Gigantea with my brothers and friends when I was a kid.  You could see for miles and miles when you got up to the top.

Seven or eight years ago, something started to happen to the trees.  They didn’t look right somehow and started to lean.  Then about four years ago, the giant redwood fell over.  Two years ago, the coastal redwood met the same fate.  And this year, just a few weeks ago, the largest of all the trees in the yard, a majestic Valley Oak, fell during a storm. It missed the house, but took mom and dad’s Prius.

The Oak was a huge tree.  It was taller than the three story house and its trunk was over five feet in diameter. You could see the tree from space.

Now, the great tree is gone.  I’ve been cutting it up for a week, turning it slowly into firewood.  I guess I thought that the huge oak would always be there, shading the house, protecting the yard and providing homes for hawks.  I took the tree for granted. I knew people would die, we are taught that people die and how to prepare for it.  But we have no defense for trees dieing.  Some trees live to be thousands of years old.  I thought I had plenty of time.  I wasn’t prepared for the death of the giant Oak.

–Mark Alvis

You can recognize Waihe e’ on Google Earth by its dunes a very unique feature in the Hawaiian Islands. The dunes were created a long time ago when things were different on the island. We went there for a nature walk and to learn about the history of the area. There were several people there from the organization that did the work to preserve the area in its natural state.  The first one we met was Dale Bonar who introduced us to Scott Fisher who led the hike. Susan Bradford was also there, but didn’t say anything for a long time, but eventually made up for her initial silence.

Susan Bradford is a force of nature. Like lightening, she is both beautiful and scary at the same time. When I first met her, she seemed unnecessarily loud and impatient. We were on a guided walk at Waihe e’ near Wailuku on Maui.  It is one of the pieces of Hawaii that have been protected from development by the Hawaiian Islands Land Trust.

Scott is one of those guys that has so much information packed in his brain he can’t talk enough. As we walked, Scott told the history of the place, both recent and long ago.  He talked about how the ancient Mauians farmed taro here because of the area’s consistent source of water.

The Hawaiian word mauka means mountain.  Instead of giving directions in reference to north, south, east or west, people usually say where something is in relation to the ocean or the mountain.  So when Scott said that mauka from the dunes were the rivers that flowed out of the West Maui mountains, he meant they were just uphill from where we were.  Because of this plentiful source of water, Waihe e’ grew more taro than any other region in Hawaii.  Just like now, having a source of water meant food and food meant power.

Scott told us of the farming techniques the Hawaiians used to raise taro. He told us about medicinal plants and let us sample some. He described how the fish ponds worked.  Every time we stopped Scott would launch into another piece of history.  And Waihe e’ has a lot of it.

Locals call the place “Skull Hill,” because just about anywhere you dig, you find bones. When the company that was planning on developing the area did the required archaeological survey, they found ninety-three geological sites: Ninety-three because that’s how many holes they dug.

Scott was describing one of the battles that took place nearby when Susan, in her amazingly powerful voice, alerted the group that, “We better get going, or we’re never going to get to the point!”

The pattern was set, so off we went.  We would hike for ten or fifteen minutes, stop and Scott would start in, talking about how at one time, there were 2000 war canoes just offshore. He was describing what the scene must have looked like when Susan barked, “OK, time to go!”

It wasn’t until we stopped at a raised area near the fish ponds that Susan got her turn to talk. It was a spot where you could literally feel the presence of the ancients.  Susan started with a quick history of how the Hawaiian Islands Land Trust began.  Had it not been for the failure of another project, this place might be golf courses and condos now.  It wasn’t until then that I understood Susan’s brusqueness. It wasn’t because she likes being pushy.  It is because she understands the urgency that we are faced with in preserving these types of places and for that matter, the world. This understanding sets the pace of her life.  We literally don’t have time to waste.

When I was in my twenties, I spent a lot of time working in Maui, ultimately, making the decision not to live there.  My reason was simple: I could see what development was doing to Hawaii and didn’t want to be a part of the destruction.

When Susan first came to the islands, she saw pretty much the same issues, but reacted differently. She decided to save as much as she could.

Since then, I’ve slowly come to the realization that we can’t simply walk away, and it isn’t just about an island chain in the Pacific.  It’s about the entire planet.

So, like Susan would say, “Come on! It’s time to get going.”

–Mark Alvis

We are now underway on the Tankhouse Project, restoring a 1930’s era two-story farmhouse in California’s San Joaquin Valley.

It’s an ambitious project that integrates numerous layers of green: Technology, education, history, sustainability and family. The house has been home to four generations.  Now, in these uncertain economic times, the family faces some very difficult decisions.  Do they sell the house knowing almost certainly this will mean the destruction of the home.  Can they afford to fix up the house and stay in it?

From an energy perspective, the house has a few problems. Single pane wood windows, poor insulation, old appliances, lighting and wiring. From an aesthetic point of view, it just looks like hell.  It is sided with cedar shingles that to my knowledge, have never been painted. We put a roof on it several years ago, because the existing shingle version was leaking in at least fifty places. Most people would probably take one look at the house and say it probably isn’t worth saving.

But I have a different perspective.  My grandfather and great grandfather built the house. My mom grew up in the house and still lives there with my dad.  And I grew up in the house too.  Everyone that has ever visited, over the long history of the home, comes away feeling as though the house itself has welcomed them in.

Over the years, as my parents have grown older, we’ve struggled with what to do. We’ve considered a number of possibilities but have never made a final decision.

A little over three years ago, I came up with the idea of using the restoration of the house as focal point of a TV show. We could highlight green materials and systems while at the same time telling the story of the history of the home.  We had the know-how, but had no idea of how we would pay for it.

My interest in energy efficient construction and education, has taken me to a lot of trade shows and seminars.  Sometimes the people you meet at these events call you up and ask you if you want to know more. So one day I got a call from Cathi McDade who works for Owens Corning and she told me about a new insulation system they had.  I told her about my Tankhouse idea.  And she said, she would like to know more.

Cathi came down to Reedley and looked at the project and offered to help. It’s because of her that the idea is now becoming a reality. The goal is not to just restore the house, but to make it “energy net positive,” a house that actually makes more energy than it consumes. The goal is to transform the house from a perfect example of inefficiency into a shining beacon of energy efficiency and comfort. The goal is to save the family house and to do it all while providing solid information about a variety of energy efficient materials and systems.

A lot of people have advised me not to invest so much time and money in this big old house. But for me, it turns out to be one of those things that really is worth saving.

–Mark Alvis

We’ve been working on a big remodel in Kula, Maui for the past year. The three acre property has a 3,500 square foot main house and a separate building that houses a four car garage, gallery, and a studio apartment.  When I was there the first time in January, I noticed a lot of building materials still there from when the house was built in 1991.  I started to get the feeling.

I’d felt it many times before: it was the anxiety of the unused wood. Lumber that had many years earlier been brought from far away forests with the promise of becoming something wonderful: a house on the side of Haleakala with an incredible view of the island and the amazing Hawaiian sunsets.

While most of the wood purchased for the job was used, a great stash of lumber had remained untouched, lonely and unfulfilled for over twenty years. As is common, the builder had obtained extra lumber, (always better to have extra than not enough) and some of it was big:  4 X 8s, 4 X 10s and even some 6 X 12s. Plus a ton of 2Xs.  This wood had some time ago resigned itself to an existence of dimness and the muffled sounds of humans from upstairs;  so close to the dream but never quite able to see it.  Still, after all this time, the wood looked on the bright side. The lumber had been stored in a dry place under the house. Which meant, although dusty and occasionally visited by mice, it was perfectly fine. Its destiny might one day still be fulfilled.

I think it was Michelangelo who thought, that when he sculpted he wasn’t creating a statue as much as releasing it from the marble.  That’s the sense I had of all the unused lumber laying under the house.  It was meant for something much more.

Contractors sometimes call this “repurposing.”  To me, it’s more like helping the wood to find the true expression of its soul.  We got to work.

Using some of the old beams, we built the structure of a new deck in front of the house.  Inside, we used the 2 X 4s to frame the walls of a new bedroom.  But there was still more.  So once the deck was done, we built two massive benches out of the 6 X 12s and placed them at the ends of the deck. Next, we built a set of hand rails out of the 4 X 8s.  It took some time to do the work on the big pieces of lumber, cutting and shaping them to match the contours of the house.

It took a while, but once the benches were done they seemed to fit right in, like they had been there all along.

–Mark Alvis

“When one tugs on a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.” –John Muir

We held “An Evening of Natural Energy” last week at the Riding Ranch in Sanger. The food was great and the music was even greater. Virginia ended up doing tours because Bob was still working on his presentation. It was great to see her leading around groups of 30 and 40 people, eager to learn more about native plants and LED lighting.

The concept of the event was to entice people to come together to have some fun with “green.” The Ridings have spent the past several years turning their home into a showcase of cost effective, energy efficiency.

At the beginning of the year, we did a major remodel of the kitchen and dining room, plus we turned the third bay of their garage into a “meeting hall” complete with LED and skylighting, and of course, evaporative cooling. The kitchen received new, locally sourced granite counters, new high efficiency bay windows, high efficiency appliances, and LEDs who’s wattage totals less than one of the lights we replaced.

Bob gave a talk about how they did it and about how our history effects who we are.

And then Lance Canales and the Flood took to the Solar Powered Mobile Party Stage.  They were simply fabulous.  If you’ve never heard Lance and the band, go find out where they are playing next. They are a treasure.

Lots of people asked me how it could be a solar powered party when we had it at night?  This is exactly the kind of question I hoped people would ask, it is the reason for holding this series of events: to get people to really think about what we can do with “green.” The Solar Power Mobile Party uses a bank of batteries that are charged by an array of photovoltaic panels.  We can power lights, amps, mixers, and projectors for hours.  Plus, the electricity supplied by the system is very “clean,” and maybe it’s just me, but I think it actually sounds better than when you plug-in.  The lights are all LED so they make plenty of light without draining the batteries. We have a big screen so we can show movies too!

Oh, we nicknamed the stage “the Noodle” because it’s so long and floppity when it’s moving.  Once it’s set up though, it is solid green.  Who knew “green” could be so much fun.

–Mark Alvis

We haven’t worked a great deal with solar thermal, solar panels that make hot water using the sun, but after our experience installing a Velux system on Maui, I’m sure we are going to do a lot more.

Like many of our projects, we didn’t shy away from complexity. It was a job just getting the parts out to Hawaii. Plus, we didn’t just install a stand alone system: we tied it into and existing tankless unit, and added a hydronic, forced air heating system to it as well.  It was complicated, and a lot of work, right on the edge of being too much for the client, which is never a good thing.

Fortunately, Mike Rhoden from Velux had consented to help us out as it was a very complicated system.

The house we were working on was up around three thousand feet on the side of Haleakala so it had an incredible view of the island. But being up this high also meant that it actually gets cold.  In fact, it was the need for a heat source that led me to recommend the Velux system with hydronic heat.  The house was built on a slope so there was a basement size space under it. This is where the tankless heater was located so it was the natural place for the solar storage tank as well.  We built a retaining wall and poured a small pad and then started running pipe.

It took a couple days, but we had most of it done before Mike arrived.  We had a little trouble finding the right pump to pressurize the system, but once we did it went fine.  By the time we got the thermistors hooked up, the panel temperature was already 140 degrees.  Thermistors are like thermometers that measure the temperature of the fluid in the system.

Once we had the the solar panels on line, we made sure that the tie-in to the tankless worked properly, and then we tied in the hydronic heating system. By the evening, we were using the Sun’s energy to make domestic hot water and to heat the house.

It was a lot of work and wasn’t cheap.  But in the end, I think it was one of the most satisfying jobs we’ve ever done.  It’s easy to do the “no-brainers” like insulation and windows. But a complex project like this is something different.  Most home owners don’t like being the guinea pig.  It takes a very special effort on everyone’s part to make this kind of leap forward.  It’s not just thinking outside the box, it’s thinking into the future and realizing that it’s up to us if things are going to change.

Thanks to Mike from Velux, Cameron Park from Bella Sol and our intrepid home owner, Frances, we were able to put together a system that instead of using propane, uses an energy source that there’s a lot of on Maui, the Sun.

–Mark Alvis

I didn’t really plan it, but somehow, in each of the past three months, I’ve ended up at a dump. One here in Fresno County, one on Maui, and one in Sonoma County.

Now I don’t imagine visiting a dump would be the ususal tourist destination when in Hawaii, but I was working there, not on vacation. The first thing that struck me about the dump on Maui was that believe it or not, it’s free. My guess is that it’s the only way they could figure out to keep their island from being burried in trash, as it’s not a very big island and while throwing garbage into the ocean may be tempting, fortunately, the Hawaiians have a great respect for the sea.

The Fresno County dump impressed me by it’s orginization. And amazingly, virtually no smell. I went there to get some video for a TV show we are doing called “Green Planet.” One of the employees there offered to drive me around the site and I was amazed at how much things have changed in the world of landfills. For one thing, there were pipes running all over. My guide told me they were gas pipes that were collecting methane, which was brilliant, fuel from our garbage.

Last week, I went to the Sonoma County dump near Petaluma. And like the Fresno County dump, they were collecting methane as well. Another thing they were doing is carefully seperating the “trash” the stuff that really was garbage, from things that could be recycled, which turned out to be almost everything.

But by far, the most impressive thing about all three dumps was their immense size. Though the roads were just dirt, they were litterally as big as freeways. They were huge. And even though they are all called land “fills” they did way more than just “fill:” they were making mountains, by far larger than the pyramids in Eqypt. I wonder, in two thousand years, with all the money and effort it must have taken to building these mountains, will people think that we were making mounuments to our trash?

–Mark Alvis

I have to tell you, we here in Alviston are just bustin’ at the seems to bust out the latest version of the Sun Stage: aka, “the Solar Powered Mobile Party.”  We now have a professional PA system and professional video  system complete with cameras, projector and big screen.  And of course we have our 32 foot, mobile stage, “the Noodle.”  But the best part is all of it is powered by the Sun, which means we can go just about anywhere pollution free.

I’ve been working with Mike Avila setting up Solar Powered Events for several local businesses here in the Valley.  We are talking with four or five bands about doing special events in places where there is no power and where a noisy generator would just be awful.  Just imagine a small concert or wedding right next to a beautiful Sierra Nevada stream. Or a party out in an orange grove or in your vineyard.  Peaceful and serene.

Or really loud and obnoxious. Yes you can actually watch your favorite game on a 35 foot screen wherever your heart desires.  (That is as long as it’s legal.) 

I think a lot of people think that being “green” means having to sacrifice.  But it seems to me, that if we work with nature instead of against it, it’s going to be one big party.

–Mark Alvis