The growth of Hampstead-based Mancusi Builders from traditional home construction company to local leader in green building was very much an inter-generational phenomenon. Owner Norm Mancusi’s son, Nick, had been attending the prestigious Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture for a few years, along the way learning the ins and outs of green building which he then started introducing to his father, who wound up taking a few courses at the school himself. Mancusi augmented these experiences by going to seminars, conferences, as well as conducting his own independent research, all of which culminated in the construction of the state’s first LEED certified home back in 2008. From there, Mancusi decided that making each and every home he built as green as possible would fall squarely at the top of the priority list. 

Mancusi and Company know a little something about quality home-building; they’ve been doing it for 25 years, framing and building hundreds of home in the process, along the way building a solid reputation for their quality and attention to detail. As a proud member of the U.S. Building Council, the Homebuilders and Remodelers Association of America, Build Green New Hampshire, and other groups, Mancusi plans on advocating and advancing green technologies, techniques, and services for every aspect of the home-building business.

What exactly does it mean to “build green”? Everything from the positioning of the home to optimize the availability of natural light, to having the house face south to help heating and cooling efficiency, to utilizing only environmentally friendly products and high-quality windows – even rainwater collection systems.

While the recession has slowed business somewhat, and though a majority of the contracts serviced by Mancusi as of late involve more additions and smaller projects as opposed to start-to-finish homes, Mancusi is currently discussing the prospects of another home in Bedford. While it won’t be officially LEED-certified, the prospective home will meet most of the targets typically laid out by the famed green construction certifier. Either way, Mancusi is quick to stress that, while taking such steps to green your home – from the envelope to the positioning on the land to what kind of heating or cooling system you choose to install – may cost more up front, the opportunities for higher resale value and savings down the road render it as much an investment as the home itself. There’s also the issue of rebates – both federal and state – which Mancusi hopes will continue to be offered in the short run, while the hobbled housing market regains its legs. To read the full story