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Community Corner

A Sustainable Lifestyle From Floor to Ceiling

The Mahoney Family of Newton Centre built a new home that is not only wheelchair accessible, it is also sustainable.

When Peter Mahoney and Joanne Mead’s family of five began to outgrow their house in Newton Centre, they tried to figure out how they could make a new, sustainable home.

But it was not just sustainability the family had to consider; they also had to build a home that was wheelchair accessible for their young daughter, Marianne, who has spina bifida.

Initially, the Mahoneys hoped to find a larger home in their neighborhood, since it’s often more sustainable to upgrade an existing structure than to start from scratch.  They found a charming carriage house in Newton Centre, but sadly, in order to renovate it to meet their accessibility and sustainability needs, they would have had to alter almost every part of the existing home.  

The Mahoneys ultimately made the choice to build a new home with plans to make it as sustainable and accessible as possible.   Amy Bauman of greenGoat showed them how to save 6.3 tons of material in the house from going to landfills; greenGoat coordinated the recycling of building parts such as cabinetry, appliances, leaded windows, heart pine flooring, oak wainscoting as well as lighting and plumbing fixtures. The reuse of materials from this project alone prevented 6.31 tons of new carbon dioxide emissions and saved 118.56 BTUs of energy, or 34,747 kWh. Amazing!  

For the design of their new home, the family contacted LDa Architects, who had worked to make the first floor of their previous home more accessible.  Some of the accessibility features in the new house are zero-step transitions, wide passages, universally-designed bathrooms and an elevator.  

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The architects and owners also worked together to put sustainability goals into practice.  The Mahoneys’ home is registered as part of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Homes program with a target rating of LEED Silver. The Silver Certification translates to a score between 60-74 of a possible 136 points awarded on a scale of eight criteria including sustainability of materials, innovation and design process and water efficiency. 

Some of sustainable features in the home include:

  • South-facing windows with shade structures that allow passive heating from the low-angle winter sun while blocking heat gain from higher-angle summer rays.
  • Environmentally preferable products like white cedar shingles from a local source (Maine) and certified, sustainably-harvested tropical hardwood decking (the Garapa decking is from SterrittLumber in Watertown, which holds a Chain-of-Custody certificate from the Forest Stewardship Council.)
  • High-efficiency heating and AC systems, windows, lighting, appliances and insulation together achieved a Home Energy Rating System (HERS) index of 50, meaning this home uses only 50% of the energy consumed by a new code-compliant home.  The house  also meets ENERGY STAR requirements. 
  • Sustainable landscape design with drought-tolerant turf and other plants.
  • Water-conserving plumbing fixtures such as dual-flush toilets and high-efficiency bathroom faucets.

It’s exciting to see Newton families with such commitments to going green.  From the upcycled parts of their home to the efficient plumbing and more, it’s inspirational.  And the best part is that Marianne can get in, out, and around their new sustainable home with ease.  

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