Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/641736
Over the years, Don and Amy Bowen reckon they've owned almost a dozen homes. But this, the 2,400- square-foot modern house they just built in Hamilton, surpasses anything they ever imagined they could attain. "I've dreamt about building some- thing like this since I was a teenager," says Don, who was deeply disturbed by the energy crisis in the 1970s. The three-bedroom, one-story property sits on seven acres, where a typical day involves spotting deer, fox, owls, or a red-tailed hawk in the backyard meadow, not to mention a fierce sunset. What is not so typical is that everything on the property is sustainable. "I mean everything," says Don, a civil engineer and principal of local engineering firm Meridian Associates. "The heat, the water, the electricity are all net zero emissions. We literally have no utility bills." Water? The Bowens have their own well (and their own sewer and disposal systems). Heat? They installed an air source heat pump. Finally, for the big one, electricity, the Bowens hired Solect Energy (solect.com) to place 52 solar panels on the roof with a 15-kilowatt system. "We overpro- duce electricity in the summer months," says Don. But make no mistake, no utility bills do not mean no luxury. A walk-in shower, spacious deck, high- end kitchen, and fire pit highlight the modern residence, designed by Reading architect Steven Baczek (stevenbaczekarchitect .com). Recycled granite was used to build countertops, repur- posed glass sourced for the bathrooms, and wooden beams reprocessed for flooring and ceilings. Heavily fortified Shuco aluminum provided by Yaro (yarowindows.com) was chosen for the windows, producing a thermal rating of R-7.5 (well exceeding the average of R-3.25), a critical element for containing heat or cool air indoors. "Every decision was carefully weighed," says Don, who opted for no-mow ornamental grass to keep maintenance demands at a mini- mum. "We call it smart living. It is the most luxurious home we have ever lived in." . Positive EnErgy Two green champions go for The gusTo wiTh a 100-percenT susTainable dream home. Wooden beams were repurposed for the home's interior supports and reprocessed for the ceilings and floors. Tying the home together, local architect Steven Baczek's clean, modern design is punctuated by carefully deployed pops of color. bostoncommon-magazine.com 121