When a beachfront home built in the 1940s was hit by hurricane Sandy on October 29, 2012, it was rendered uninhabitable and unsafe. Once the flooding receded, it was clear that it would have to be rebuilt.
Kim Erle, a sustainability professional with LEED AP Homes accreditation, and founder of Sunset Green Home, took on the project with zeal. Since the new home and site would have to undergo considerable updates to meet current building codes anyway, why not take it a step further and make it as resilient as possible so it could withstand the storms of the future?
During the design phase, the town passed property tax exemptions for LEED certified homes and they added sustainability to the list of things the rebuild would accomplish.
Daltile was one of the companies to step forward and partner up with Sunset Green Home to sponsor the project. We provided a selection of products that were a perfect fit for this project and helped to meet the goal of earning LEED credits and , ultimately, certification.
The Sunset Green Home selected Modern Dimensions™ ceramic tile, which has 34% recycled content and Veranda Solids™ porcelain tile with 17% recycled content. This helped the Sunset Green Home meet its sustainability goals.
Additionally, the Sunset Green Home is installing 100% hard flooring surfaces, which earns credits for Environmentally Preferable Products. They selected Daltile’s Calacatta Gold honed marble for the luxurious master bathroom flooring and shower to help them achieve the 100% hard flooring standard.
Master Bathroom
Tile subcontractor, Frank Caputo, installed beautiful 24 x 24 inch honed Calacatta Gold marble on the master bathroom floor. He dry fit them to ensure a perfect fit then installed them with great the attention to detail that sets this project apart (Coastal Management LLC, general contractor).
On the shower floor, Frank custom cut the shower tiles to 3 x 3 inches and sanded the edges so they were even before fitting and then installing them.
The master bath vanity walls and shower walls are covered with 12 x 24 marble tiles. The care taken in selecting and installing the marble in the master bath is reflected in the opulence of the finished room.
Upstairs Bathrooms, Guest Bathrooms, and Mud Room
All bathroom floors were carefully prepared before the tile went down. Frank laid a layer of mortar and embedded metal mesh as an underlayment. The underlayment is a very important foundation for tile, especially large format tile—15 inches and larger. It creates a level and stable surface that supports the tile and protects it from breakage.
Daltile’s Veranda Solids™ Colorbody porcelain tiles in Fog, a very light gray, were installed in the upstairs and guest bathrooms. Linear tile was used in the guest bath and a larger format 13 x 20 tile in the upstairs bathrooms.
Shower floors are covered in 3 x 3 tile. Daltile recommends tile 4 x 4 or smaller for shower floors because it increases grip in a wet environment. Veranda Solids comes in 3 x 3 individual tiles or laid out in 13 x 13 mesh-mounted sheets (16 tiles per sheet) for easier installation. It also comes in 3 x 20 and 6 ½ x 20 for linear options. 
Maintaining the same tile and same color tile throughout the house serves to harmonize the design and forms the perfect backdrop for décor and furnishings in any style.
The Sunset Green Home is a triumph. It is weather resistant, sustainable, and a beautiful beachfront property rolled into one. Daltile was proud to support these initiatives and will continue to provide plenty of options for other sustainable projects with our Greenworks program and online LEED tools.
