Knocking It Out of the Park in Oakland

Mike McDonald is a builder who thinks like a movie producer.

In Oakland, his Margarido House is built into a steep slope so the five-bedroom, 4,700 square foot home overlooks the Bay Bridge and San Francisco.

“I treat building projects like a producer creates films,” he said. “I have to get everybody pointed in the same direction, get them all to feel special and line up the financing.”

He finds his inspiration in the work of Richard Neutra, in Frank Lloyd Wright and in Bob Swatt. Ultimately, though, he says he’s inspired by the designs of his brother Tim, and the artisanship of designer Ian Read. He put both to work on the Margarido House.

“We built that house in 18 months, and we kind of knocked it out of the park,” he said. “Our biggest challenge was keeping costs and features under control while we were pushing the envelope to make it really cutting-edge.”

They aimed for LEED Silver, and achieved Platinum. “We signed up for the “LEED for Homes” pilot program,” he said. “We started out at a negative eleven rating because it was so big. But we actually climbed up to 107.”

The home features a 600-square-foot green roof garden, septic tanks to reclaim water, a photovoltaic panel system that generates all electricity and solar panels for hot water and radiant heat. It has no air-conditioning, but, through carefully placed windows, uses cross ventilation to take advantage of breezes off the bay. It’s the first LEED-H custom home to achieve Platinum in Northern California, and the second in the state.

Along the way, the home has garnered recognition as the start of something new for design-build in the state. “Instead of an architect handing us 200 pages of drawings, we’re hearkening back to Frank Lloyd Wright, where we design and build everything, right down to the furniture,” Mike said.

For more information on the Margarido House, go to http://www.margaridohouse.com. For more information on architect Tim MccDonald, go to http://www.onionflats.com/#/Firm/. For more information on designer Ian Read, go to http://www.mediumplenty.com/studio.html.