In an affluent neighborhood north of San Diego, the Sea Cliff real estate development appears to be yet another series of expensive homes sprouting across California. However, the million-dollar custom houses have an innovative feature that makes them different and extremely useful during drought.
In the past years, the state has been suffering a major case of drought. To ensure that prospective owners of the homes do not run out of water, KB Home, the developer behind Sea Cliff, experimented with built-in gray water recycling systems.
Gray water is the soapy water that drains from showers, bathrooms sinks and washing machines. In most homes, this water flows down to sewers. For Sea Cliff homes, however, it goes straight to the recycling system that treats the soapy water so it can be reused to irrigate yards and flush toilets. As a result, homeowners can save on potable water as not one drop of it is wasted on landscaping or down the drain.
KB Home Senior Director of Corporate Communications Craig LeMessurier explained, "Buyers want features that will save them money."
Sea Cliff is the first KB development that features recycling systems in every home. Aside from the built-in water conservation system, Sea Cliff homes also have motion-sense kitchen faucets that turn the water off as soon as the person using it moves away from the sink. The development also has barrels that capture rainwater from gutter spouts saving Sea Cliff homeowners an estimated 100,000 gallons a year.
But that is not all! The homes also come equipped with state-of-the-art dishwashers that save water used in a rinse cycle for the wash cycle of the next load. This kind of dishwasher is 30 percent more water efficient compared to regular ones.
A similar development is also sprouting in Central Valley. Kings River Village will include senior housing, apartments, townhomes and single-family homes that feature water conservation technology.
Experts are optimistic that the success of both Sea Cliff and Kinds River could spur similar real estate developments in California.