About Us
Michele and Peter with kids Adam and Evelyn
Services
Green Living Sonoma offers several different services to meet all of your new construction and remodeling needs.
1) New construction: If you are starting from scratch, we can help you through every detail of your project from choosing the best site to build on, to the kind of paint you want to finish your home with. As experienced general contractors, we know what it takes to get the job done right.
2) Remodeling and retrofitting: We understand that there are many “shades of green”, and we can customize your project to fit your needs and financial situation. Even if you are only redoing your kitchen or bathroom, we can help. Our resources will save you time and ensure you reach all your project goals.
3) Project management: Green Living Sonoma can help you through every step along the way--from finding you the right materials and suppliers, to managing your job site to ensure work is carried out in an efficient and high quality manner. Let us take the stress out of your next construction project.
4) Green building consulting: If you just need help figuring out how to incorporate energy and water saving technologies into your project or filling out the necessary paperwork to get your project certified, we can assist you with that, too.
Professional Affiliations
Build It Green Certified Green Building Professional
Western Regional Master Builders Association
Principals
Peter Tovar 
Co-Founder, General Contractor, CGBP, GBP-SSU less...
Peter was born and educated in Leoben, Austria. He holds a Master’s degree in engineering and has spent 18 years in the automotive industry. Working for premier Italian manufacturers (Lamborghini, Ferrari and Maserati), he specialized in German and Italian car troubleshooting and restoration, and had his own business until he and wife Michele moved to Sonoma in 1998, where they started a bed and breakfast. He traded his auto repair tools for home building equipment and apprenticed for 6 years before becoming a general contractor. With his background and upbringing, he knew he had to build sustainably, prompting him to enroll in Sonoma State University’s Professional Green Builder Certification Program, which follows the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED standards. He also holds a Residential Green Building Certificate from the Build It Green Organization based in Berkeley, CA.
Peter played professional hockey in Austria’s premier league as well as their national team and initially moved to the Americas to pursue his childhood dream of playing in the U.S. He enjoys the outdoors (hiking and biking) and is a gardening enthusiast.His current hobby are palm trees.
Michele Tovar
Co-Founder, Business Manager more...
For the last nine years Michele has owned and operated a bed and breakfast with husband Peter Tovar. Michele was a member of the board of directors for the Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau, serving as vice president for three years. She also fulfilled her role as president of the Sonoma Valley Bed and Breakfast Association for 5 years and is currently a member of the Sonoma Valley Marketing Committee. She holds a degree in business marketing and spent nine years in the sports nutrition field where she worked with collegiate and Olympic athletes. She is a lifetime member of the Amateur Athletic Union and served as official hostess at the 1988 games in Seoul, Korea. She has worked with athletes at UCLA, University of Toronto and University of Sydney. She was a competitive runner for ten years.
Currently, she enjoys mountain biking and hiking and travels extensively with her family. Her passion, besides protecting the environment, is adoption awareness. Michele and Peter have a daughter from China and are currently in the process of adopting a son from Vietnam.
Hetty is a graduate of Sonoma State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Planning (summa cum laude and Graduation with Distinction). Her graduating class’ collaborative senior project won the 2007 Education Award from the Northern Section, California Chapter American Planning Association. She worked for several years in business and marketing before returning to school to pursue her post-secondary education. A personal interest in green building and new technology originally inspired her choice to study environmental planning. She also brings experience with city planning policy and urban design.
Hetty has a passion for conserving our community’s outstanding natural resources. She’s an active outdoor enthusiast and loves to hike all over the Bay Area whenever she gets the chance – rain or shine!
Hetty currently works for Green Living Sonoma as a Project Manager. She is a Certified Green Building Professional through Build It Green and continues to educate herself through professional publications and workshops.
Jesse Roll-Beyea is currently a senior at Sonoma State University majoring in Environmental Planning. He has worked in construction for several years and hopes to use what he has learned to make a positive change in the world.
Jesse is an avid outdoorsman. He loves to travel and believes we should start the work of building a better tomorrow today.
Jesse is currently an intern for Green Living Sonoma. He hopes to further his education with the company and eventually become a full-time member of the team.
Build It Green Certified Green Building Professional
Western Regional Master Builders Association
Green Drinks Sonoma, every 1st Thursday of the month at 6:30pm at The Lodge, www.greendrinks.org
** TIP OF THE MONTH **
Radiant heating systems are a comfortable way to heat your home and can be energy efficient as well as cost effective - if they are designed properly. Every project is different and your radiant system should be tailored to meet your specific heating needs. There are several options to keep in mind including radiant floors, radiant baseboard heaters and radiant walls.