By Jim Cavan

When Norm Mancusi started conceptualizing what would become New Hampshire’s first LEED-certified “spec” home back in 2007, “going green” was still very much a fringe idea. Now, less than two years later, Mancusi has transformed his entire Hampstead-based company into one dedicated to building green whenever possible.

The Sandown home, which was sold to an active-duty military family, features a geothermal heating and cooling system, highly efficient spray-foam insulation, a rainwater collection system, and drought-resistant landscaping. Yet despite how long it took to sell, Mancusi was confident all along that they had built the right home at the right time. “We were lucky we had done our research and had all our ducks in a row that early on,” says Mancusi. “When we were finished we had lots of people asking us about these features they’d never heard of – the geothermal and the spray-foam, for instance.”

As if building and selling a custom made green home in a horrible economic climate weren’t impressive enough, consider this: Mancusi’s team for that project included him, and exactly one other worker. “Most houses we build are done in three months and we have people working on the siding, the porch, the interior, all at once,” says Mancusi. “Unfortunately for this one it was just me and one other guy, and it took us six months from start to finish.”

Mancusi first became aware of trends in green building through his son Nicholas, who is a graduate student at the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture. Mancusi has himself taken a number of classes at the famed architecture school; along the way working to develop further his company’s commitment to building greener homes.

The Sandown LEED-certified home was a spec home – in contrast with a strictly contracted home, wherein buyers dictate the specifics of the project – leaving Mancusi and his team free to design it as they saw fit. Far from mimicking other contracted LEED homes, which are often built not so much for style as for efficiency, Mancusi’s home was constructed with the subdivision’s New Englander feel squarely in mind. “It’s a common misconception that LEED homes have to look a certain way,” says Mancusi. “As long as you hit all the [LEED] targets, you can make it look however you want, if you do it right.”

In the end, Norm Mancusi cannot control how quickly the housing market rebounds. He can and will, however, continue to build quality homes that are as long-lasting and durable as they are stylish and comfortable. And as long as he does that, and as long as green building as a whole continues to creep its way into the mainstream, Mancusi Builders can continue to expect success.