The Electrifying Saga of "Marie's Folly"

When Marie Stiefel decided to build an energy-efficient home, she knew that it’s not easy being green.

The Electrifying Saga Of “Marie’s Folly”

When Marie Stiefel decided to build an energy-efficient home, she knew that it’s not easy being green.

But now she’s planning on selling power back to Vero Beach Utilities.

The electrifying saga of “marie’s folly” by charlotte terry Photography by denise ritchie

Marie Stiefel renovated this 1950s home to be extremely energy efficient. The home, located on Riomar Golf Course, was already well sited, taking advantage of the early morning sunlight and prevailing breezes.

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arie Stiefel says “I am old enough to have lived through the energy crisis of the ’70s, which taught me a few things.” Waiting in line for hours for gas started her thinking about energy and began what has become a passion for her: learning about alternative energy. Today she and her daughter, Lili, fund bright energy ideas with their family foundation.

Even before that, she was inspired by her late husband, a chemical engineer and owner of an international pharmaceutical company, who had built an energy-efficient home in the 1950s in Green County in upstate New York.

(He was green before Kermit or the Green Movement!)

Unlike Florida, the issue in New York was heat preservation. Mr. Stiefel used the traditional technology of that day, which is still used today, that of hyper-insulation of

walls and roof.

The Stiefels decided to move south when “my husband got tired of seeing his breath.” They read an article in the Harvard Business Review “extolling the virtues of the multi-national community of Coral Gables,” in Miami. It sounded interesting and more importantly, it was a tropical climate. So they moved their international company and themselves to Coral Gables in 1979. There, they used solar heat for all of their hot-water needs. Stiefel says the challenge back then was conforming to strict building codes that focused on aesthetics, not energy conservation. Solar panels, for example, were considered “too unattractive.”

In 2005 the Stiefels began looking for their next place in the sun, a small town where the pace was slower and

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Marie Stiefel, here with her two Maltese Amo and Kylie, overlooks her gardens of native plants. “Living here is like being on retreat all of the time,” she says.

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Folly’s east loggia looks over the Montgomery palm-lined lap pool. The home already had an expansive view of palmettos and palm trees undulating over the golf course that seemed to merge into the Atlantic.

farther from the madding crowd. Following the advice of friends, they came to Vero Beach and were intrigued by the cultural and especially medical facilities available considering her husband’s declining health. They decided to settle in Vero Beach and bought two apartments in an oceanside condominium.

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everal years later, now widowed, Marie decided to build her dream green home based on the many lessons she and her husband had learned over the years. “I wanted to create a home that was energy independent.” Stiefel admits that “making a decision to do one thing can have interesting unintended consequences.” She thought qualifying for LEED certification would be fairly simple. “The process turned out to be not so simple. Our way to LEED certification will run through a series of tests by third-party Raters to assure that Folly is, indeed, energy and water-efficient. This job presented special challenges, i.e. the challenge to produce all, or almost all of my own power.”

Marie wanted to work with people who would understand her desire to balance personal aesthetic, work style and know-how. Compatibility would be a key for this two-year project.

But first came the hunt for the ideal location. The collaboration with others came later. After looking up and down Vero Beach’s barrier island, she decided that she loved the area of Riomar with its oak-canopied roads and its old-fashioned neighborhood feel. From there she could bike or walk to the town, shop at the farmers’ market, have lunch at the Ocean Grill, see the latest exhibit at the Vero Beach Museum or walk the Riverside Fitness Trail.

The property she finally settled on had a 1950’s home on it and was located on the Riomar Country Club golf course.

It had an expansive view of palmettos and palm trees undulating over the golf course that seemed to merge into the Atlantic. “When I walked onto this property, my blood pressure actually went down. I looked across the golf course to the ocean and could feel the breezes,” she recalls. Marie had found her place in the sun.

The home was already well sited, taking advantage of the early morning sunlight and prevailing breezes.

Since the property, one of the largest in Riomar, is more than an acre in size, it afforded ample space for a pool, gardens and privacy.

On most days, a glimpse of the ocean’s blue can be clearly seen and when Marie and her contractor climbed up on the roof, they realized that there would be a stunning

The summer kitchen can be protected from pesky insects by screens that electrically slide open or closed with the press of a button. To help make her dream for a green home a reality, she hired architect Matthew Gore, builder Chuck Roberts and landscape architect Dan Ford.

vista of the ocean from that height. That was when she decided to add a second story.

The house had been renovated numerous times, but its current condition did not meet Marie’s criteria for what she wished to achieve. She wanted the “building to fulfill two functions: to fit into the neighborhood in scale and aesthetic, and to be an energy-efficient and have a non-toxic living environment.” Her quest was to find professionals who would work well as a team and be patient with her desire to learn and experiment with the ins and outs of building a truly green house. She was going to need an architect, builder and landscape architect to adapt it to her needs. She chose Matthew Gore, who has been designing in Vero Beach since 1978, for her architect because “he shared her interests in energy-efficient design” and Chuck Roberts of Roberts Construction for her builder. Chuck’s son, a Certified Green Builder, would be working with his father. Gore and Roberts had worked together before and were eager to learn with Marie about being greener. Marie hired landscape architect Dan Ford to design her gardens.

To help with her LEED certification, she found local consultant Amy Thoma of TierraVerde Inc. to “keep her on track to meet U.S. Green Building Council standards.”

Her team was ready to get to work.

To apply for LEED certification the first step is to give the project a name. Tall Oaks is the official name though its owner has nicknamed it “Marie’s Folly.” Because she hoped to inspire others by her successes and educate by her mistakes, she started a blog.

Marie points out that there are many price point choices that can be made along the way to work towards an environmentally healthy and economically viable lifestyle. The first thing anyone should do to make their home more energy efficient is to “seal the envelopes: roof, windows and doors.” She chose Kolbe windows and doors which are aluminum-clad wood frames with insulated low e glass. “A film between the layers block 80 percent of the sun’s rays … This keeps the radiant heat from entering the house, reducing the energy load on the a/c system.

The second thing to do is replace all light bulbs with LED bulbs and dimmers. Admittedly, at $40 a bulb, they are an expensive investment, but over time, they save lots of money. I’ll leave changing light bulbs to my grandchildren – these bulbs last 40,000 hours!” Another tip is to put all of your duct work INSIDE your house, NOT in hot attic spaces or garages. It makes good sense not to send your cool air through the hottest part of the house, she

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What do you call a …?

In renovating a house so that it is “green” (that’s the first new word; it is overused), you will be introduced to many new words. Here is a list of just a few to start. conditioned-space: A space in which an HVAC system supplies conditioned air to produce acceptable thermal comfort and indoor air quality conditions.

cool roof: A roofing system (often metal) with high solar reflectance (reflecting visible, infrared and ultraviolet light) and high thermal emittance (releasing a large percentage of absorbed and non-reflected, solar energy). This reduces heat transfer to the building and energy needed for cooling. dsire: Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency provides state-by-state information on tax credits and rebates.

Windows were saved from the original house and repurposed into dining room cabinet doors. The glass bowl on the table, crafted by Penland, N.C. artist Mark Peiser, is part of Marie’s collection. She spent lots of time in local galleries searching for pieces to complement the home.

Energy Star: A joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Dept. of Energy begun in 1992. It helps consumers identify energy-efficient products and also identifies tax credits.

HERS : A scoring system established by the Residential Energy Services Network that compares the energy use of a home to a reference home. The reference home has a score of 100; a zero energy home scores 0.

green power: A source of regenerative or virtually inexhaustible energy considered to be non-polluting and environmentally friendly.

green roof: A roof that is partially or mostly covered with vegetation and soil (or a growing medium), planted over a waterproofing membrane. Such roofs reduce heating/cooling loads. Also called eco-roofs, vegetated roofs and living roofs. green wash: To falsely claim a product is environmentally sound.

HVAC: A term generally used to describe a building’s comfort system. In older buildings, heating (radiators), ventilation (windows), and air-conditioning (window units) may be separate, but usually these services are integrated into a single system that conditions air throughout the zones of a building.

icynene: A spray foam insulation with superior air-sealing capabilities. Qualifies for a Home Improvement Tax Credit up to $1,500.

inverter: A device that converts Direct Current (DC) generated by solar panels to Alternating Current (AC)

LEED: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a certification process established by the U.S. Green Building Council.

low-e: Low emissivity windows have special coatings that transmit most of the sun’s light but block heat radiation from passing through.

out-gas: The emitting of fumes into the air that are unpleasant to breathe and may be hazardous to occupant health. Many new paints, carpeting, sealants, adhesives and other building materials will do this for a time after installation. overhang: A projecting part such as an architectural structure.

photovoltaics: A solar power technology consisting of devices or an array of devices that convert light into electricity.

post consumer: Material taken from used consumer products that is used again, e.g. paper, cardboard, wood, stone, concrete, glass.

recycle: To extract and reuse useful substances from waste; to use again; to reprocess. renewable: Relating to a natural source which is never used up.

renewable energy: Also “green power” and “alternative energy.” A source of regenerative or virtually inexhaustible energy considered to be non-polluting and environmentally friendly, such as geothermal, wind, water, biomass and solar power.

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seer: Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio measures the efficiency of an air conditioner with the BTU of cooling output during its normal annual usage divided by the total electric energy input in watt-hours during the same period. The higher the number, the more efficient the device. sustainablity: Improving the quality of human life while living within the carrying capacity of supporting eco-systems.

The chandelier in the 22-foot foyer has 16 pearlescent globes lit with LED light bulbs. The whole fixture uses the same amount of electricity as one 60-watt bulb.

The American walnut floors are considered forest-sustainable wood and certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

points out. Icenyne foam, an environmentally safe insulation made of castor oil, was sprayed in the attic and on the walls of the building. Stiefel says, “In thermal barrier terms, i.e. keeping the hot, humid air out of the building, this is great.” She expects to save 50 percent on the a/c bill, if she were paying an electric bill!

During the renovation, she was careful to save everything she could, since one of the cardinal rules for being green is to recycle what you can. For example, the old home’s wooden beams were later used in the interior and exterior of the porch and in some of the outdoor furniture in her garden sitting areas. Chicago brick that had been used in the indoor fireplace was recycled in the outdoor garden wall and grill area. The front door of the home had an original painting of birds in a swamp that was relocated to an exterior wall in the garden area.

Rainwater harvesting was implemented by utilizing a Japanese rain chain that funnels rainwater into large decorative clay pots that drain to one of the two 4,000 gallon underground cisterns for storage, which will be used for irrigation. In the end, Marie will not be completely off the grid because she will be using some water from the city

but allows that she also has a whole-house purification system.

Marie looked at three different roofing systems and ultimately decided on the Building Integrated Photo Voltaic (BIPV) embedded photo voltaic (PV) tiles which blend beautifully with the roof’s cement tiles. “A feature of this project which excites me is the opportunity to teach local tradesmen how to work with new technology,” she says.

She loved that Folly became a classroom for the electricians and roofers.

The home’s 22-foot high foyer showcases a stunning chandelier that is 7 feet by 31/2 feet in size. Lighted by LED bulbs, its 16 pearlescent globes lights only use the electric power of a single 60-watt bulb. Marie uses LED light bulbs and a few fluorescents throughout the house.

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igher ceilings in a warm climate allow the heat to rise above peoples’ heads. A whole house fan draws all hot air up and out the cupola, dramatically changing the temperature of the home in 15-20 minutes. Since the a/c ducts are inside the home and run above the nine-foot ceiling it makes the

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Marie rakes her Zen garden with a rake made on site by her carpenter. “There is no absolute green house,” says Marie. “Just greener! … This is just the beginning of a new era.”

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second floor slightly higher than normal. The staircase has 19 steps, which Marie says “is an added benefit. Who needs a Stairmaster?”

This roof installation is what will allow Marie to “be off the grid” and able to sell energy back to the City of Vero Beach Utilities. “When the inverters are installed, we can watch the electric meter spin backwards as we sell electricity to the grid!” Who wouldn’t want to do that?

A good friend of Marie’s, Christine, accompanied her on one of her adventures to find a piece of granite that they could use in the kitchen. The piece she fell in love with was 4 feet wide, 10 feet long and was called the Mona Lisa. Marie hesitated on this purchase because of the cost but finally decided that she and “Mona Lisa would age well together.” The piece is now installed as a centerpiece in her kitchen/family room.

Stiefel haunted local galleries for local art and has a number of their paintings scattered throughout Folly. To celebrate the loggerhead and leatherback turtles that nest annually along the Treasure Coast, Marie hired local artist Sharon Sexton, well known for her ceramic work, to make a family of turtles to go swimming on the floor of her pool. Glenda Taylor, another local ceramicist, designed a

sink for the pool bath which has seaweed winding up the pedestal and turtles swimming in the bowl.

The foyer also has exquisite wooden panels made by artisans from the Turquoise Mountain in Kubul, Afghanistan, a project which the Stiefel Foundation funds.

Betty Manry, her interior designer, helped her pull the interior aesthetics together, turning her house into a home.

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olly is now a completed work of art, that is not only pleasing to the eye, but allows Marie to live her personal philosophy of always being open to learning more and educating others in how to live life in tune with the environment.

“There is no absolute green house,” says Marie. “Just greener!” Like all technology, it is an ever-evolving world.

“New technologies will enable homeowners to build even more energy-efficient houses – this is just the beginning of a new era!”

Marie was ready to follow her dream to wherever it took her, and Tall Oaks is it.

“Living here is like being on retreat all of the time,” she says contentedly. `