DOS CEIBAS Building Green

This video is the 2nd of a 4 part series featuring Dos Ceibas entitled "Conscious Living." These videos by MTV Networks tell the story of our collaboration with BigPrototype as we explore sustainable strategies building custom tropical homes here in Rincón, PR.

Some of these strategies are dramatic, like the green roof on the Little Malibu House. Others, like orienting each home to take advantage of the prevailing trade winds, are more subtle, but equally significant.

Shot in Rincón, PR in December 2008, the videos would not have been possible without the help of the Uncharted Studio's Tony Dooley who saved the shoot. And, big ups to the Little Malibu boys for taking the plunge and making this thing real.

Check out the video above or watch it here, then please share it with friends and family.

Solar Hot Water Heater

We recently made the switch from our dinosaur electric hot water heater to our spiffy new modern solar hot water heater. Can I tell you how smart I felt by doing so?

It all started back in May when Leon and I discovered a leak coming through our fairly newly installed IKEA light fixture over the kitchen sink. As new home owners that don't know anything about home repairs, we went into a state of panic. Our one saving grace was that our "miracle leak" occurred right over the kitchen sink. You really can't ask for a better spot to have a leak. We felt blessed.

We consulted with a handful of contractors, roofers and handymen. The first thing we did was pull the entire seal off our roof to determine what kind of crack we were dealing with. Well....let me tell you, one doesn't realize one has a leak until it's rainy season in the tropics. One also doesn't realize how bad the leak is until one has no seal on the roof.

Once the seal was removed and we discovered enough cracks to break my mothers back. Our miracle leak turned into multiple miracle leaks. We got another one directly over the bathroom shower, and another one over our kitchen cabinet that just so happened to have a chip and dip platter resting directly beneath it. I was finally able to prove my point to Leon that the platter would someday be used. Chips it hasn't held, water is has.

We finally got a break in the weather and were able to seal the roof with Crossco 8500, a product that seems to be working ok and is available at Home Depot. The following day we had PR Solar Products come out to install the solar hot water heater. We purchased an 80 gallon tank with three panels. Basically we have enough hot water for our entire neighborhood to take showers, do laundry, wash dishes and do whatever else one does with hot water. It took less than 2 hours for the entire system to be installed and we had scalding hot water immediately.

The best part about it is that we get a 50% tax credit on the total amount paid ($2000). If we had installed it last year we would have received a 75% tax credit. Now our electric bill should be reduced significantly. I'm actually looking forward to receiving our next electric bill so I can see the reduction. Not only will we be saving money but other added values of the solar hot water heater are reduced CO2 emissions, added value to our home, free hot water and we can feel good about being environmentally friendly.

Coming Soon to Vieques

One of the most interesting and innovative building projects we've encountered in PR is El Blok, a 22 room boutique hotel in enchanting Esperanza, Vieques "that is part sculpture and part contemporary tropical oasis."

This hotel will be LEED certified, features a roof top pool and will include a bar and restaurant serving locally grown food. It will be a while before you can book a reservation (set to open in late 2010), but once you can, be sure you do. Beyond the green design and mission, El Blok will unquestionably feature some of PR's finest hospitality. We should know... The owners are our friends Simon and Marija and we have experienced their special breed of hospitality on many occasions.

Read more about the project as reported in Caribbean Business.

DOS CEIBAS Planning Green

This video is the 1st of a 4 part series featuring Dos Ceibas entitled "Conscious Living." These videos by MTV Networks tell the story of our collaboration with BigPrototype as we explore sustainable strategies building custom tropical homes here in Rincón, PR.

Some of these strategies are dramatic, like the green roof on the Little Malibu House. Others, like orienting each home to take advantage of the prevailing trade winds, are more subtle, but equally significant.

The videos are airing on Logo Network and are part of the launch of the Saturn VUE Hybrid.

Shot in Rincón, PR in December 2008, the videos would not have been possible without the help of the Uncharted Studio's Tony Dooley who saved the shoot.

Check out the video above or watch it here, then please share it with friends and family.

Caribbean Coralina

This is one of the best local materials we came across in our Puerto Rico building adventure! Coralina or Coral Stone is quarried from multiple locations in the Caribbean - our lot was sourced from our stone supplier in Puerto Rico, but originated from the Dominican Republic. Coralina is a sedimentary rock composed of compressed shells and corals rendering it with some interesting properties.


Coralina is a pale pinkish/orange stone that bleaches out to almost white with intense sun exposure. Due to its composition, many tiny air bubbles are trapped within its layers making this stone an excellent insulator. BigPrototype used the stone on all of the exterior surfaces of the Little Malibu House. On the upper deck the coralina insulates the bedrooms below - using a passive cooling strategy to reduce or eliminate the need for AC.

In addition to having exceptional insulating properties, the surface is wonderful for barefoot traction. The porous finish is not slippery and is the perfect material to use around the saltwater pool. It should, however, be grouted and sealed to maintain a pristine surface - the tiny holes will otherwise trap water and cause mildew.

To find out more or to buy coralina tile, contact Yaniel Merced from Northwest Rustic Tile at 787-882-0520 or go visit them at: Carr 2 KM 118.1, Interior Carr #110, Bo. Ceiba Baja in Aguadilla

Rainwater Harvesting Rincon, Puerto Rico

The tropical climate in the Carribean is ideal for collecting rainwater. With daily afternoon showers, and heavy downpours in the rainy months, clean fresh water is plentiful. Bigprototype designed a rainwater catchment system to take advantage of this resource for the Little Malibu house at Dos Ceibas.

On the upper floor of the house a shade structure doubles as a water funnel to collect fresh rainwater. The rainwater catchment is located high up on the structure to keep the pan clear of dirt and debris. The total area is 128 sqft that gently slopes to a drain at the edge of the catchment.

From the drain the water flows down thru the center of concrete column in a 2" diameter PVC pipe which terminates in a 600 gallon tank. We use this tank to run our toilets throughout the house and to water the landscape. This also provides the opportuity to maintain a local source of freshwater when the municipal supply is down - a frequent occurence in Puerto Rico!

Our system is gravity fed, taking advantage of the topography of our site. A 2" overflow valve is run from the top of our tank to an external drain preventing backups when we have unusually heavy rains.