Despite such hurdles, public awareness is gradually starting to change, catalyzing a demand for eco-conscious construction. Just ask ZeroEnergy Design (ZED). Located in the Financial District, this eight-year-old firm has been at the forefront of sustainable building, garnering design awards from the Boston Society of Architects, Mayor Menino and EcoHome magazine.Sustainability has been a buzzword for years now, but in the realm of home design, there’s a long way to go. Despite increases in LEED-certified buildings and Boston’s E+ Green Building Program, an initiative put forth to spur regenerative multifamily development, designers and architects say they see plenty of policy roadblocks. Until there are more financial incentives to go green, the shift toward environmentally responsible development will be slow, says Michael LeBlanc, a principal at local design firm Utile. “There are countries like Switzerland where if you build to certain more-sustainable specifications you can get a 100-year mortgage, for example. The government there understands the value of having a house that will only have to be built once over 100 years as opposed to three times,” he says. “It allows people a much more reasonable mortgage and a sort of legacy to leave to their family—there are all kinds of benefits. My question for financial institutions is, how can they, through creative mortgages, make the financing of these projects easier and more attractive?”

“The term ‘green,’ for us, encompasses more than just sustainability and lower carbon emissions,” explains ZED co-founder Ben Uyeda, who’s also a founder of FreeGreen, billed as the world’s largest provider of customizable green house plans. “It’s also about the overall health effects of the home. It’s as much about lifestyle and shaping healthy habits as it is about putting solar panels on your roof,” he says, emphasizing that many building materials contain toxins and allergens unknown to most people.

Here’s a look at what’s possible when you throw out the rules of conventional construction while dramatically decreasing your home’s eco-footprint.

Built in the early 1950s, this formerly Cape-style home in Needham suffered from a lack of spaciousness, with small, dark and drafty rooms, low ceilings and no garage. Few updates had been made since the homeowner, an avid photographer, purchased it in 1989. ZED got involved in 2010, drawing up plans for a much-needed renovation and expansion.

To address the cramped interior, architect and ZED managing director Stephanie Horowitz designed an upper-level addition and an attached two-story garage with a photography studio above, more than doubling the existing living space from 1,176 to 3,100 square feet. The first level now features an open floor plan, with the kitchen flowing into the sunny living room.

That kitchen was updated with formaldehyde-free maple cabinets with a low-VOC finish. (For the uninitiated, VOCs, or volatile organic compounds, are potentially toxic chemicals found in many materials, including wood stains.) Energy Star appliances replaced old, worn-out models, and a hybrid induction range was introduced to quickly and efficiently heat pots and pans. Water-conserving fixtures were also installed throughout the home.

Natural light has long been important to the client as an artist; now it’s also instrumental in warming the home. The living room, which now enjoys a double-height ceiling, was outfitted with large, south-facing floor-to-ceiling windows that allow light to penetrate deep into the back of house. The upper level benefits as well: ZED opened up the two bedrooms on the second floor to overlook the living room, offering welcomed views and sunshine.

Upgrades were also made to the heating and cooling systems, which are supported by improved insulation. “Often, older homes have little to no insulation depending on age,” Horowitz says. For this project, she and her team decided to use continuous foam insulation: two layers of two-inch-thick rigid insulation around the entire exterior of the building, including the frame, which is more effective than the traditional cavity insulation that lines most homes. (As Horowitz explains, at least 25 percent of a typical wall consists of the wood framing, which, in most cases, means less than 75 percent of each wall is actually insulated.) Here, a cellulose insulation made of recycled newsprint was introduced in conjunction with the continuous insulation, helping the house to become virtually airtight.

Electric heat is cheap to install but generally quite costly from month to month. In this case, however, with the upgraded window placement and airtight closure, the heating demand was dramatically reduced, making electric heat a reasonable investment. To further reduce waste, a special heat recovery ventilator was installed to pull fresh air into the home while transferring the existing warmth to the chilly incoming air.

Although it’s been less than a year since the homeowner moved back in, the folks at ZED estimate that the home will be 88 percent more energy efficient than a home built to today’s energy codes—and the existing house had been far less efficient than what’s standard today. “While the new home is nearly three times larger,” says business development principal Adam Prince, “it has a net annual use of between 0 and -5 percent of the old home’s energy consumption.” In fact, with help from the solar panels that were installed on the new roof, it’s anticipated that the home will operate long-term with net-zero energy usage, producing as much energy as it consumes over the course of a year—and helping ZeroEnergy Design live up to its name.

DIY Décor

Not in the market to remodel?  Easy projects from HomeMade Modern can brighten  your home while decreasing your eco footprint.

“Making something yourself is one of the greenest things you can do,” Ben Uyeda says. He should know: Uyeda is also the director of HomeMade Modern, a web resource featuring detailed instructions for creating sophisticated DIY home furnishings. Launched in 2012, the site has guided projects on five continents and inspired a book, slated for release early next year. “When you want to eat healthy, you make your own food,” Uyeda says. “In the same respect, if you’re on a budget, you can make your own housewares out of recycled materials; you can source locally and reduce waste associated with manufacturing and shipping.

Get started with some industrial-chic desktop planters. “A couple years ago, a friend gave me a fantastic bottle of whiskey, which we drank, and ultimately laughed all night,” Uyeda says. “Now it sits on my desk with a beautiful succulent growing out of it. It is nice to know that the byproduct of a night of drinking can be a smart garden.”

Materials:

• Glass cutter (We like the “Generation Green g2,” made in the U.S. from
recycled aluminum.)

• Various glass wine bottles. “Keep extra on hand since you’re bound to break a
few when you first try cutting,” Uyeda says. Mix and match colors for contrast.

• Adhesive remover like Goo Gone to help get rid of sticky label residue

• A small pot or tea kettle

• Sandpaper

• Pliers

• A cork

• A drill

Step One: Choose and clean your bottles
Soaking the bottles overnight will loosen the labels, but if you’re in a hurry just use a dull knife to scrape off what you can; then liberally apply Goo Gone and submerge the bottle in water for five minutes. The rough end of a sponge or a rag should wipe clean any remaining gunk.

Step Two: Score
The glass cutter makes this step easy. Just follow the instructions in the manual to create a scratch mark around the entire circumference of the bottle. “Where you cut it will depend on the bottle itself, but make sure to leave enough of the bottom half to fit the neck of the bottle inside it,” Uyeda says.

Step Three: Separate
Lay the bottle down horizontally in the sink. Slowly drizzle boiling water over the score mark while carefully rolling the bottle so it’s heated evenly. Once it’s hot, run cold tap water over the entire score line until it splits. “The key is in raising and lowering the temperature right along the score line,” Uyeda says. “It normally takes two to three times before it will fully separate.” Don’t be discouraged if your bottle breaks: “Different thicknesses and qualities of glass behave differently,” he says. “About 50 percent of them will crack and break during this step!”

Step Four: Sand
Using 80-, 100- or 120-grit sandpaper, smooth out the freshly cut edges of the glass.

Step Five Cork it!
“The cork allows you to control drainage,” Uyeda says. “I recommend drilling a 1/4th-inch-diameter hole in it, using vice lock pliers or a clamp to hold it in place.”

After that, you’re done! Put your pieces together and find some greenery at a nearby florist. Happy planting!