Portsmouth Home a Green Alliance Stronghold

As members of a local green business and consumers union called the Green Alliance, Chris & Alison Pyott knew they wanted to incorporate as many local and sustainable features as possible when they began renovating their mid-19th century carriage house earlier this year.

The Pyotts, who live in Portsmouth, fell in love with their Middle Street house in 1998 because of its unique space, compact size, affordability and location. But after nearly 13 years, they say their home needs some overhauling. After five rounds of architectural drawings and an aborted attempt to add on, the couple ultimately decided additional space wasn't as important as creating the right space.

Over the years we've really become accustomed to the flexibility our home provides, says Chris Pyott. We love to travel, we love to enjoy life, and we just decided to stick with what was most important to us and refresh it in a responsible way.

Once clear on that, the couple hired Henningsen Home Inspections to conduct an energy audit. That pointed out that the 25-year-old casement windows were still efficient, which meant they could save money on other cosmetic improvements. So they turned to another Green Alliance member, Greenovations, a catch-all store for green building and remodeling, which was launched last year. There they met owner Christopher Ring.

Right away I saw their commitment and desire to be as sustainable and local as possible, so I tried to help them achieve both of those goals, says Ring. He helped the couple purchase an all natural, non-toxic wool carpet and pad for the carriage home's bedrooms. Soon afterwards, the conversation turned to flooring options for the open concept first floor. Ring had for months been a distributor for Jewett Farms & Co., the Newburyport, Massachusetts purveyor of sustainable wood flooring and cabinetry and he eventually sold the Pyott's on Jewett's locally grown and sustainably harvested wood countertops and wide-plank pine flooring, the latter of which was finished using a non-volatile organic compound finish made partially from cheese whey.

For his part, Ring was excited by the prospect of working with clients who were as interested in green improvements as they were in maintaining the home's unique charm.

Non-VOC paints, EnergyStar appliances and skylights, Water Sense plumbing fixtures, on-demand hot water heaters, organic linens, all natural cleaning supplies and organic lawn care rounded out the home's expansive green roster. Even when the couple took to discarding unwanted materials or appliances, they contracted the help of yet another Green Alliance business the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store to haul away old appliances and cabinets.

Chris is an environmental scientist with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and Alison is a financial planner and wealth manager with Veris Wealth Partners say they have long held green issues close to their hearts. No surprise, then, that the couple would succeed in rendering their home a truer reflection of that ethos.

We work as a team to make conscious decisions that are in line with our values of financial flexibility, adventure, community, environmental and social concern, says Alison Pyott. Our home is small in size, but big in character it's close to town, and provides us with the ability to travel, be philanthropic and maintain a small carbon footprint.

To read more about Greenovations, go to www.seacoastgreenovations.com

For Henningson Home Inspections, visit www.henningsen-inspections.com

For Jewett Farms & Co., go to www.jewettfarms.com

To read more about ReStore, visit www.senhhabitat.org/restore