Luxury craftsmanship and a healthy living environment
Mike and Tina Rosenthal wanted a healthy lifestyle that went beyond just eating right and getting daily exercise. Surviving the diagnosis and subsequent treatment of stage 4 melanoma set them on a quest to create the healthiest home for for their family to live in.
“It’s a dream come true to get the word out” about creating a healthy home, says Mike.
“The way we build homes makes a huge impact on the health of our families and children,” adds Tina who celebrates 13 cancer free years. Both encourage others to educate themselves and be aware that you do have a choice when selecting materials that will go into your home.
The couple purchased the approximately quarter-acre lot on a quiet cul-de-sac in a coveted Los Gatos neighborhood, demolished the small old structure that was on the property, and set out to design and build the home of their dreams, completing it in 2013. Researching the construction process, Mike soon learned that almost everything used to build a home was carcinogenic or had deleterious effects, and they often lasted for decades. “The process of building a home with safer materials isn’t any different from building a home with the “standard” building materials,” he says. Healthier products are readily available, and Mike estimates that choosing “healthier materials” like zero VOC paint and non-toxic drywall, only add about 1.5 to 2 percent to the total build cost. The problem is, the majority of other homes don’t use these healthy materials, and instead use their much more toxic counterparts, because home owners and contractors are uneducted about the risks.
Importantly, the healthy materials look just the same as the unhealthy ones. So you wouldn’t know just by looking, that 16021 Winterbrook Road in Los Gatos, is a healthy home. It features a gorgeous Mediterranean design drafted by Tina to capture an historical California feeling, she says, and one inspired by her childhood home growing up in Los Altos.
Relying on Tina’s “incredible eye and sense of aesthetics,” says Mike, she took charge of the design while he managed the construction process. The home features almost 4,100 square feet of light-filled living space with five bedrooms, an office/sixth bedroom, four and a half bathrooms, formal rooms, family/media room, temperature controlled wine cellar, and sauna.
Decorative wrought iron accents, hardwood floors, colorful tile stair risers, arched windows, classic white stucco walls, a tile roof, high ceilings, and an Old World charm are featured throughout. Its craftsmanship is superb and the reflection of renowned Los Gatos contractor Ed Lazzarini of Lazzarini Construction.
You may not see any differences, but you can certainly feel a difference. Lazzarini, a contractor for more than 40 years said in a video about the home that through his entire career in home building, he would come home from every single job site suffering from chronic headaches. Those headaches, however, disappeared during the yearlong construction of Mike and Tina’s home. The experience was so profound for Lazzarini, that he changed every one of his construction processes, he adds in the video, and he will only build healthy houses like Mike and Tina’s from now on.
The natural features and topography of the property also inspired the home’s two-level design. The home backs up to a creek and is surrounded by mature trees creating an idyllic park-like retreat and hidden gem in this South Bay town.
Beyond the welcoming foyer are comfortable and inviting rooms including the living room featuring a gas fireplace with a marble surround and carved mantel clerestory and French doors to the outdoor tiled terrace. The living room is open to the beautifully designed kitchen with granite counters, island/breakfast bar, a full tile backsplash, and custom cabinetry accented with decorative corbels and trim. The formal dining room also features a coffered ceiling and a wall of window framing a garden view.
The expansive family room on the lower level is an inviting gathering space with a walk-around bar and French door access to the expansive loggia and lush gardens. The luxurious master suite has a coffered ceiling and French doors to a private terrace, stacked washer and dryer, and two walkin closets. A dual sink vanity with a decorative mosaic tile backsplash, soaking tub, and a steam shower with multiple showerheads.
“Most people don’t take the opportunity to knock down a home and rebuild from the ground up,” says Mike, but choosing healthier materials for your family can be made in any remodel or renovation project too. “It’s exactly the same principle on a smaller scale. Everyone can take advantage of healthier choices if they are just a little more aware,” he adds. “The extra steps make a huge difference in our health,” says Mike. Choosing less toxic materials is “a logical choice to make.”
Mike and Tina created the website http://www.constructforhealth.com in which they bring awareness to the choice of building materials and why the public should care. They hope to broaden their sphere of influence and reach more people seeking to build a healthier living environment for their family. They outline various components of the building materials and offer suggestions for better, healthier options. For example, it all begins with a good foundation. Literally, the concrete you choose is important. Avoid framing woods that use toxic or pressure treatments. Choose low VOC (Volatile Organic Chemicals) or zero VOC materials such as low VOC plywood, and the same goes for drywall.
Minutes from downtown shopping and dining, the neighborhood is also close to top-rated Los Gatos schools including Blossom Hill Elementary, Fisher Middle, and Los Gatos High School, several parks, and freeway access into Silicon Valley and San Francisco.