Green Remodel with Audrey Sato

Audrey Sato is a licensed architect in the state of California and Principal at Sato Architects, Inc. and has specialized in residential design since 2008 and founded Sato Architects, Inc. in 2010.  She is a LEED AP, and is committed to green building design.  Growing up in Hawaii, she gained an appreciation for the beauty of nature and the importance of community. Here are some talking points:

• Her clients appreciate that she is knowledgeable about sustainability, and they want to build a home that’s healthier and better for the environment. They’re not necessarily looking for plaque or label.  They do want help with materials that have lesser impact on the environment or what’s most durable.
• For the sustainable remodel with limited budget, she wanted to make sure to integrate some of the principles and not just look at everything from a cost perspective, and it made sense to spend money on certain features.  For example, if you spend more on efficient heating system and insulating the house right up front, there will be a lot of cost savings in a long run.  They also spent more money on windows because that would make a huge long-term impact. 
• The use of rapidly renewable products make a big difference in not taking old growth or resources, cork and bamboos were used for flooring.
• Some challenges when remodeling an old home like this one to make it a “green home” but not break the bank are that contractors may be familiar with new materials that they don’t know how to handle them.
• With strategy not to dump as much as possible, they salvaged a lot of materials and donated to Habitat for Humanity.

You can find Audrey at satoarchitects.com, or @audreysatodesigns on Instagram!