Home Depot discounts

While I generally prefer salvaged building materials and small community hardware stores,  it is sometimes more efficient and cost effective to shop at large "home improvement" stores like Home Depot, Lowe's and Calif.-based Orchard Supply. I seem to gravitate towards Home Depot because of familiarity and large product selection, and I simply accept that I'm on my own there unless I can somehow abduct one of those evasive orange-festooned employees.

Still, the bill can add up quickly at Home Depot, so any type of discount is welcome. The "Pro Rewards" discount program is targeted at contractors, although anyone can enroll in one of the stores. The discount ranges from 0% to 3% depending on annual spending (once you reach a certain tier you remain at that discount level indefinitely until your annual spending bumps you to a higher tier), and you get access to a secure customer portal that appears to be a convenient way to track projects and transactions. In addition, you can submit any project over $2,500 to their Pro Desk for a volume pricing quote (I haven't done this yet, but plan to try it).

I have to confess that the growing number of frequent customer programs, from airlines to sandwich shops, can be overwhelming and sometimes of dubious value. However, for anyone undertaking even a moderate building or renovation project, the savings for programs such as this one can be nontrivial and ultimately worth the time to enroll.

Parklets please

Over the past year parklets have been sprouting up throughout San Francisco in what seems to be a very simple community-building trend with minimal downside. A business or neighborhood group gets approval from the city, pays applicable fees, and has the parklet constructed (and continues to maintain it) in usually two contiguous parallel parking spaces. The parklets, open to everyone, are generally comfortable, relaxing, outdoor patios, a brief reprieve in an urban concrete jungle. They are great for meeting and talking with people, or enjoying a snack while taking in the sights and sounds of the big city from a little island sanctuary.

The fees ensure SF still receives the money it would normally get from parking meters, and fewer parking spaces is generally a good thing (at least in SF) because it encourages walking, biking, public transit, carpooling, etc. Outside of some heavy-handed commercialism, which hopefully the city would reject anyway, it's difficult to imagine what, if any, negative impact parklets have. An unlucky parklet could experience disuse and become unsightly if the sponsor loses interest or goes out of business. However, permits must be annually renewed and can be revoked. The relatively simple design and scope allows the parklet to be refurbished or completely dismantled so the space can immediately revert to its previous role as a couple of parking spots.

SF is exploring other forms of micro-parks such as "parkmobiles", mobile dumpsters which include plants and integrated seating, as well actively transforming underutilized spaces, like intersections. Other cities, like NYC, have installed or are experimenting with parklets or similar concepts for a simple win-win: inexpensive parklets generally promote a sense of community and contribute to a city's overall livability, all the while benefiting surrounding merchants who sell coffee, food and drinks to people who linger more because they now have a cozy place to do so (resulting in increased tax revenue). To be fair, SF is blessed with a Mediterranean climate, but the simple design and scope enables even locales with harsh winters to seasonally utilize parklets. Most importantly, it doesn't have to be a full-blown parklet either:  a table, some chairs, a few plants, a bench, etc. can miraculously transform a cold, bleak storefront into an inviting, active member of the community while helping strengthen that community by providing a convenient, comfortable refuge for its inhabitants.

Mission District

It spans both side of street and is the most commercial parklet I've seen (fencing resembles sponsor's (Audi) logo), but it's not too bad, especially given it's location at Union Square, which was long ago ceded to tourists. Plus, I like the solar panels.

A sizable Eucalyptus trunk and plenty of driftwood are well suited for this Outer Sunset parklet a few blocks from the beach

Mission District: notice vines in foreground and vertical bike parking in background

My neighborhood parklet in front of the delicious Devil's Teeth Baking

The simple combination of driftwood and a few stones creates a comfortable spot near the beach to enjoy morning coffee

Wikipedia disclosure

I am an avid fan of Wikipedia, and will frequently include links to Wikipedia entries for readers interested in additional info. The dynamic nature of the content (frequently and rapidly updated), as well as Wikipedia's accessibility (web-based) and usability (clean interface without advertisements or embedded tracking software) all appeal to me. In addition, I believe the crowdsourcing aspect, which relies on multiple content authors with potentially different perspectives, generally results in relatively balanced content.

Unfortunately, the nature of Wikipedia makes it susceptible to vandalism and content authors intent on promoting a personal or corporate agenda. As a result the primary complaint often seems to be Wikipedia's reliability. However, a 2005 study by the publication Nature indicated that Wikipedia scientific entries had a higher, but generally similar rate of "serious errors" as Encyclopaedia Britannica. I might even suggest that at least some of those inaccuracies are easy to spot because individuals promoting a specific agenda often do so with limited use of subtlety. While Wikipedia may not be the definitive source of knowledge, it is, in my opinion, often a good place to start.

Design Elements: Planter seat

As a boater and a tiny home enthusiast I appreciate anything that successfully serves multiple purposes such as this simple but effective planter bench seat (though the seat itself could be a little deeper). Relatively easy to construct with salvaged wood or inexpensive wood from your local lumber yard. One could even imagine storage under a deeper bench for tools and supplies used to maintain the integrated garden flora (ideally native species that require minimum energy and inputs). Google "planter seats" images and you'll see a variety of interesting designs.

While thinking about fertilizer for the planter flora it struck me that one could design an outhouse where human excrement is composted and then directly used as fertilizer in the integrated planter (containing non-edible plants to be safe). A multifunctional closed system containing an integrated outhouse (with rain catchment), composting system, and planter (with a few pungent plants) where use of the outhouse helps adjoining flora thrive.

Salvaged/Reclaimed building materials

Salvaged and reclaimed building materials can be found in a wide variety of places including salvage yards, job sites, craigslist and weekend garage sales. With enough time spent searching one can locate some amazing deals. Architectural salvage yards with their wide selection of building & landscaping materials can be a good starting place to get an idea of what's available, or if you simply don't have the time to search for that killer bargain. And you can generally drop off surplus/unwanted building materials there too. Here are a few of my favorite salvage yards in Northern California. I'll also post these in the Resources section, and I encourage others to send me suggestions including those from other regions.

• Building REsources (San Francisco): Good selection of salvaged doors, windows, sinks, tubs, toilets, etc. Nonprofit that also hosts workshops. Also has funky recycled glass for which I may someday find a use.
• Heritage Salvage (Petaluma): Great selection of reclaimed wood of all types. Also has doors, windows, etc. and plenty of oddities. Their web site does great job of listing inventory. Located in So. Sonoma County.
• Ohmega Salvage (Berkeley): Good selection of various building materials with an emphasis on "vintage" architectural materials. Web site does great job of listing inventory. Has an interesting collection of large carved stone deities.
• Urban Ore (Berkeley): Bay Area landmark whose 3-acre facility is split between an enormous warehouse with furniture, clothes, books, household items, etc. and an outdoor area with large selection of doors, windows, sinks, tubs, toilets, wood, etc. Close to Ohmega so it's easy to hit both.

Design Elements

While walking through my neighborhood recently I was intrigued by the simple yet relatively unique design of these exterior window shutters. They seem to fit in well because the design is similar to what your mind expects.

Mike Reynolds is far more than a "Garbage Warrior"!

I recently saw and thoroughly enjoyed the 2007 documentary film Garbage Warrior about the visionary architect Mike Reynolds, who developed and has been building "radically sustainable" earthship homes for decades. While his designs consistently and ingeniously employ "garbage" throughout, reuse is only one of the important aspects of his amazing work.

Of course, reuse of frequently discarded items is an integral part of earthship design, minimizing footprint and cost, as well as required construction skills. With the help of concrete, used cans and bottles become both structural and aesthetic elements, and used tires rammed with dirt from the site help form strong walls and act as thermal mass to store passive solar heat gain.

In addition to reuse, Mike Reynolds fully recognizes that properly designed homes can actually help actively sustain their occupants while simultaneously reducing costs and ongoing impact on the planet. Earthships are incredibly self-sufficient, providing their own power, heat, water (rainwater harvesting), sewage treatment, as well as year-round (indoor) food-growing capabilities. It's amazing that since the early 1970's Reynolds has been thinking, designing and building outside the box, literally and figuratively, of conventional architecture and homes, which generally seem inanimate compared to earthships. Through years of experimentation and design evolution, he and his company Earthship Biotecture have remained focused on structures which may look unorthodox, but are very deliberately designed to meet the needs of the occupants as well as the planet itself. I encourage you to see this film.