High-End Design, World-Class Green

The McDonald family home is many things; it is beautiful, it’s large but also cozy, and it’s perfect for parties. McDonald has always been a bit of a promotional whiz, and loves to create partnerships and excitement. “I had no idea it would turn into the show home that it did. It really came out of all the collaborative partnerships we created. Once partners invested in the success of the home, they wanted to be around it more and show it off. It happened organically,” McDonald says, referring to the many parties hosted at his home for more than 3,000 industry partners, colleagues and community leaders.

“Ultimately, I host these events to create inspiration and acknowledgement of what’s possible in high design, high sustainability in a collaborative approach to design/build,” he says. “For the most part they’re all connected to the built environment: members of the press, builders, architects, etc. It’s not about the house; it’s about the process of bringing like-minded people together, getting inspired. They walk away believing anything’s possible if you actually embrace collaboration and do what turns you on.”

McDonald Construction & Development
Oakland, Calif.
m-c-d.net

Project Stats
Location: Oakland Hills, Calif.
Size: 4,700 sq. ft.

Exterior
Folding doors: NanaWall
Permeable pavers: Pavestone
Windows/Doors: Aluma Therm
Architectural steel: Chris French Metal
Siding: Western Red Cedar
Rainwater tank: Jensen Precast
Decking: TimberTech
Weatherproofing: Dupont Tyvek

Bath/Kitchen
Appliances: Whirlpool, KitchenAid
Faucets: Hansgrohe
Sinks/Toilets: Toto
Bath hardware: Sonia
Ventilation: Fantech
Surfaces: Vetrazzo

Interior
Fireplaces: Spark Modern Fire
Closets: California Closets

Home Technology
Home control: Colorado vNet
Motorized shades: Lutron

Local Suppliers

• Heath Ceramics -- heathceramics.com
  
• Concreteworks -- concreteworks.com
  
• Chris French Metal -- cfrenchmetal.com

Margarido House
The McDonald family home on Margarido Drive is also known, fittingly, as the Margarido House. More information can be found at margaridohouse.com.

In his own words; Mike McDonald’s favorite green features

• How quiet the home is
  
• The green rooftop garden
  
• Beautiful, durable surfaces
  
• No off-gassing of nasty materials
  
• Recycled heath ceramic kiln trays reused as entry tile and wall skins
  
• The natural light that fills all rooms allowing minimal use of artificial lighting
  
• How comfortable the interior of the home feels on a cold windy day or a warm day
  
• Low electric bill — more than 70 percent of electric needs offset with solar PV system
  
  

Complete list of Green/Sustainable features

• Certified LEED-H Platinum by the U.S. Green Building Council.
  
• Certified GreenPoint Rated with score of 210 by BuilditGreen.org
  
• First dual rated LEED-H/GreenPoint Rated home in California
  
• Passive cooling: takes advantage of prevailing bay winds
  
• Passive geothermal: hillside bunker uses Earth’s constant temperature
  
• Passive solar: operable and non-operable glazing uses south and west sun for heat and natural light
  
• Active solar: 4 KW active solar PV system provides up to 80percent of electric needs
  
• Active solar thermal: solar-assist hot water system supplies up to 80 percent of domestic hot water and in-floor radiant heat
  
• Custom recycled aluminum and steel sun shade
  
• 90 percent permeable site
  
• 98 percent drought-tolerant landscape
  
• Recycled 85 percent of construction waste
  
• Maximum use of sustainable framing, engineered and recycled lumber and steel
  
• 4,000 gallon rainwater and groundwater catchment cistern
  
• All concrete contains recycled content of 25 percent to 35 percent flyash
  
• Automatic window shading system
  
• 1,000 sq. ft. planted intensive green roof and deck
  
• Single-ply PVC cool roof by IB Roofing Systems
  
• Solar-fed radiant hydronic in-floor heating
  
• Durable polished, poured-in-place concrete flooring
  
• Engineered American black walnut flooring
  
• Locally made recycled-content concrete countertops
  
• Locally made ceramic tiles
  
• Low-flow toilets and plumbing fixtures
  
• Energy Star appliances
  
• Interior air quality management system
  
• Smart lighting and automation system
  
• Extensive use of florescent and LED lighting inside and out
  
• 90 percent efficient natural gas fireplaces
  
• Zero VOC paints and finishes
  
• Maximum use of locally sourced and sustainable building products
  
• Aggressive sustainability educational component: website, press/PR, events, learning landscape
  
• Durable factory-stained Western Red Cedar Siding
  
• Sure Cavity and Dupont Tyvek breathable air gap and vapor barrier
  
• Thermally broken, locally made aluminum windows/doors with Solarban coating
  
• Recycled Heath Ceramic kiln tray flooring and exterior cladding
  
• D'Mand hot water recirculation system