The Margarido House is beginning to take shape and gain the eye of a few shelter magazines and television shows. The former This Old House host Steve Thomas was on hand for the preparation of the planted roof as well as the installation of the Permeable Pavets driveway.

(photo courtesy of melissa kaseman)
The new permeable driveway system allows rain water to permeate through and be captured in a large cistern, which can then be stored and used for irrigation later in the year. The entire drive was prepped and installed in a matter of 2-3 days.

(photo courtesy of melissa kaseman)
The planted roof material was craned into place and planted with native, drought tolerant plants. The soil used a mixture of lightweight humus and additives, helping to keep water retention high while keeping the weight down on the overall roof.

(photo courtesy of melissa kaseman)
The inside of the house is also beginning to take shape with the installation of the Hansgrohe fixtures. The house has a combination of the Axor Steel and Axor Uno collections, with the LEED 1.5 gallon per minute restrictors. The combination of the stainless steel and Heath Ceramics tiles is turning out quite stunning.

The Luminas LED Lights are also currently being installed in several areas of the home such as in the bar area below. In the great room, the switch from the standard 30 watt MR-16 to the Luminas 5 watt LED MR-16 will cut the energy consumption by over 80% from 1,200 total watts to 200 total watts.

For more images of the ongoing project visit www.melissakaseman.com/margarido