Josh Wynne’s client for this Sarasota, Fla., vacation residence took more of an interest in the building process than a typical homeowner does, due to his professional background. As a builder who specializes in multifamily projects, the client holds practical views on energy and resource conservation that shaped Wynne’s approach to designing and building the home. “He and his wife felt that if they were going to have a part-time house, they had a responsibility to make it as efficient as possible and use as few materials as possible,” Wynne says.

The couple had hoped to remodel the site’s modest bungalow, but complex FEMA regulations made building new more practical. Wynne and his crew put their salvage skills to work throughout deconstruction and building, recycling or reusing up to 92 percent of the project’s construction waste. Many additional materials for the new Caribbean Dutch Colonial–style house were made locally or salvaged from other projects.

Wynne called the waterfront home Trade Winds, after the breezes that come in from Sarasota Bay, and he designed the house to take full advantage of their natural cooling effect. Openings placed for cross-ventilation, an existing shade tree, and argon-filled low-E windows all do their part; during extremely warm periods, a five-zone, 20.5-SEER air conditioning system kicks in.

While Wynne takes great pride in the home’s LEED Platinum and NGBS Emerald ratings, the environmental outcome that pleases him the most has nothing to do with the house itself. It’s the fact that the client now incorporates energy-efficient building techniques into his multifamily work. Says Wynne: “When people take green ideas and knowledge and put it into mass-produced housing, it’s substantially more than I can do by myself.”

Read more about Josh Wynne Construction in EcoHome's profile.