Make MySelf at HoMe by Sarah Sinclair
Address: 101 North Alisos Street Status: On the market Price: $729,500
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101 North Alisos Street is currently for sale in Santa Barbara, listed by Kathy Hughes of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices. Reach Kathy at 448-4881 or kathyhughes7@cox.net.
Skylights can bring comfort and Joy excessive sunlight and heat is to buy skylights with integral blinds or shades, or in the worst case, to install them separately. As with windows, it is important to select skylights with the best specifications and performance that you can afford. In our region, that means double-pane units to provide good insulation, plus glazing coatings (usually low emissivity coatings called low-e) to keep exterior summer heat out and interior heat in during the winter. To create an effective passive solar house, skylights are often a key component, designed to bring in the sun’s warmth when needed. The sun’s entering infrared rays need to be accompanied by sufficient thermal mass to distribute the heat and avoid big temperature swings. Another feature that skylights can provide is ventilation. Venting a building with an operable skylight releases the heat that naturally accumulates near the ceiling. This stack effect venting of hot
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kylights can brighten a home with abundant natural light, especially during the winter months when days are shorter and tend to be darker. Strategically placed, skylights can lighten the gloomiest corners of a house without resorting to artificial light during daytime hours. And, of course, this saves electricity and reduces utility bills. Interestingly, the same area of glass in a window as in a skylight does not provide the same effectiveness of illumination. However, because skylights penetrate the roof, they have the negative reputa-
tion of almost automatically leading to leaks. Any penetration of a roof should always be given careful consideration, but leaks need not be the result. When installing a skylight, always use the best water management materials and methods, and hire a reputable contractor to do the job. Installing a skylight is not a do-ityourself project, unless you wish to be placing buckets beneath it with each future rain storm. Two other potential downsides of skylights, depending on the orientation and size, are (1) making the room too bright and glary and (2) overheating. These tend to occur in summertime but can happen even on a sunny winter day. Installing the unit on a north-facing roof can mitigate both these drawbacks. A different strategy to address these issues, but only applicable in homes with attics, is to place the skylight higher up on the roof to take advantage of a longer light well. (Make sure the shaft is well insulated to avoid unwanted heat loss in winter.) Another effective solution to keeping out
realestate.independent.com
Green your crib
FEBRUARY 18, 2016
I said good-bye to Dave and walked down North Alisos Street, feeling hopeful that this adorable home will find a new owner to love it as much as the current family has and to enjoy the neighborhood as much as Dave and his family do.
independent real estate
he cute green house for sale at 101 North Alisos Street is almost 100 years old. Built in 1925, it has many charming trademark details of that era: built-in cabinets and display cases, crown moldings, period hardware and wall sconces, and an arched doorway between the living and dining rooms. It has a wide front porch and a floor plan reminiscent of craftsman homes of the same period, but it sports a distinctive difference: a quintessential Santa Barbara Spanish-style red-tiled roof up top and wrought-iron railings all around. Another atypical feature of this home is the large size of the rooms. The living room and bedrooms are much larger than expected, giving the entire house an open, airy feeling. There are three bedrooms and two baths, including one bedroom/bathroom suite with a separate entrance, offering privacy and options to a future new owner. The house sits on a large corner lot, so passersby can admire its clean lines and design details. When I went to see it last week, I had the rare pleasure of meeting the owner.
In visiting open houses, one rarely sees the possessions of the owner, let alone the owners themselves. But sitting quietly in the back bedroom was the 104-year-old matriarch of the family who has lived in and cared for this home for 58 years. I felt honored to meet her and to see her in her element. Walking outside to check out the yard and the fruit trees, I had one of those smalltown Santa Barbara moments when my friend Dave Fortson walked up. It turns out that Dave and his wife, Terra, have lived on this block for the past 14 years. “We love this neighborhood,” said Dave. “We’re huge fans of walking and biking. The beach and the Bowl are within a five-minute bike ride of home.” Dave says they walk their daughter to Adelante Charter School every morning and mosey down to East Beach in the evenings. “For us, the lower Eastside is one of the most vibrant and special places in Santa Barbara, a beautiful mix of people and lifestyles.”
Ken Pfeiffer
Spanish-Style cottage on the lower l eastside
by Dennis Allen air is often an important part of natural cooling in a passive solar house. When skylights bring in controlled light and brightness, together with desired cold weather warmth and cool replacement air in summertime, they are an outright boon.
Dennis Allen is chair of Allen Construction, an employee-owned company committed to building and operating sustainably. He also serves as chair of the Dean’s Council at the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management at UCSB and as a boardmember of the Community Environmental Council.