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Summer 2003 Sunday, July 20th, 2003 Mt. Washington Aerie Eco-Home™ Members Free Guests $5
Jerry Schneider picked me up at the bus stop at Jessica and Division in his electric blue Toyota Prius hybrid. We wound through the hills and dales of Mt. Washington, to finally arrive at his “eco-home” at 4113 Sea View Avenue. And, indeed, upon walking in the front door the view is of the sea, a far-off gleam beckoning from across and beyond the striated basin of Los Angeles.
Jerry Schneider is a retired LADWP civil engineer turned Cal Poly Pomona landscape architect graduate. His home and landscape evidence his engineering background, in their many effective systems designed for minimizing environmental impact and maximizing living comfort, and his landscape architecture training, in the aesthetic integration of systems and environmental sensitivity.
Gloria Schneider greets us warmly at the door and escorts us into the entryway with sea view straight ahead and vaulted living room to the right, with west-facing french doors and high transom east windows inviting cooling breezes to sweep through on summer evenings.
Turning on the kitchen hot water faucet, Jerry invites me to sample the hot water that instantly splashes forth. He explains that thermostatically controlled pumps recirculate water to provide instant hot water at water faucets furthest from the hot water heater. No water is wasted here waiting for it to heat up!
Everywhere we go the upstairs interior is filled with daylight. Gloria points out that there are even rainbows that appear momentarily throughout the house as the sun passes through beveled glass in the stair landing handrail above the entry. Downstairs is darker, but cozy, as the east side of the lower floor is earth sheltered, excavated into the hillside to provide greater thermal mass and even out diurnal temperature swings. The bedrooms are here, two bathrooms, the laundry room and
Jerry’s study. Upstairs and downstairs together express the dual need that humans have, as articulated by Jerry, for prospect and refuge. Outside, downslope of the house and lower deck, I admire the large in-ground vermiculture (worm compost bed) installation and the custom designed rainwater drainage and dispersal system integrated into a gracefully curving gravel-filled walk. This elegant system provides additional water for the native black walnut trees and, ultimately, raised vegetable beds below. The vegetable beds hadn’t yet been constructed when I visited in April, but we may see them in July during our Open House, if Jerry doesn’t get sidetracked with other projects.
Through his meticulous attention to fulfilling every opportunity to mitigate impact on the land and in every detail of architecture, landscaping, equipment and environmental home systems, Jerry’s dedication to living consciously within the circle of life is evident. Jerry and Gloria’s deep commitment to a home in harmony with the earth has found beautiful and moving expression in their Mt. Washington aerie on Sea View Avenue. The Schneiders have invited their architect, Edmund McCormick, to be present for the Open House and they are looking forward to sharing their fascinating home with us all on Sunday, July 20, 2003. I’ll be there. I hope you will be, too. Julia S. Russell Directions to 4113 Sea View Avenue
Sustainable Features of the Schneider Home
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The southwestern style home, designed by architect Edmund McCormick, is set solidly into a west-facing hillside, its slightly rounded contours blending nicely with the topography and native plant landscape surrounding it. Its warm golden beige stucco exterior echoes the color of the sandstone bedrock into which it is anchored. Sandstone rocks from the excavation are used on-site for paving and terracing.
Walking across the driveway of permeable concrete and down the gravel path to the front door, Jerry explains that both surfaces allow rainwater to percolate down into the soil to help provide moisture for the native landscaping, instead of running off uselessly into storm drains. The abundant California poppies and penstemon along the path nod their appreciation.
As Jerry explains how the Sautillo tile floors in the solarium breakfast area absorb the winter sun to add warmth, while the overhang completely shades the same area in the summer, I am reminded again that designing and living in an “eco-home” tunes one into nature’s seasonal, daily and even hourly environmental changes that a standard home actually hides from us. 
Jerry and Gloria are proud of using a clothes line for “solar clothes drying” and Jerry’s engineering background pops up again as he looks at his watch and says they’ve missed the optimum time for washing the clothes to get peak solar drying on their line today!
Jerry’s awareness and commitment to the environment may have started as early as his youth in Boy Scouts and in his hobbies of gardening and propagating native trees. As a civil engineer for large-scale electric generating stations and transmission lines, he was responsible for environmental compliance measures. Gradually he linked his hobbies and work, pursuing environmental site development and ecological restoration of native landscapes. In the Cal Poly landscape architecture graduate program, Jerry learned about regenerative systems design and sustainable development. The project of building a new home became a natural opportunity to showcase this knowledge and “walk the talk.”