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When David Shephard shows his Victorian worker's cottage in downtown Toronto, he starts in the basement. It's where his pride and joy is: A mechanical system incorporating the most up-to-date "green" technology.

The semi-detached house at 12 Sackville Place in Cabbagetown looks much like it must have when it was built in the 1890s. You'd never suspect it's a unique example of environmentally responsible residential architecture.

Six months in the planning, the dwelling's "envelope" and mechanics were designed to ultimately make it independent of fossil fuels.

Mr. Shephard owns the house with his wife, architect Monica Kuhn, who is known in environmental circles for her involvement in projects such as the Hugh Garner Co-op Green Roof. He's an engineering technologist and biologist who works in the practice, Monica E. Kuhn Architect Inc. With living space on the second floor, the architectural offices are located downstairs. (The other half of the semi, No. 14, also figures in the story: It was once shared by the firm and the family, but is now occupied only by the couple and their children.)

"No. 12 … is a demonstration of the fact that it is possible to have new, modern, energy-saving technology without putting up an entirely new building from scratch," Ms. Kuhn explains. "It can be put in place in a retrofit, and not be out of character. We have preserved the facade of this building."

While the Victorian exterior of the house has been preserved, its interior has been completely gutted, and fitted out with every modern energy-saving and energy-harvesting device.

The project "is … an excuse to try every green technology and adapt it to a workable use," Mr. Shephard says.

The mechanical system — with boiler, water holding tanks, and cooling coils buried in sandy soil near an underground stream — is carbon neutral, Mr. Shephard says. It's a hands-on set-up: Using paper and wood for fuel, he fires up the boiler once a day for a four- or five-hour burn during the winter months. The boiler heats both of the 750-litre water tanks — one for heating and one for domestic hot water. Fuel costs have been reduced by a whopping 45 per cent, partly because the wood the couple uses consists of off-cuts and demolition waste from their projects, supplied by contractors.

"This is just construction waste," Mr. Shephard explains. "The contractors call us and I pick it up." But he adds that last winter, he did buy a face cord of wood.

The hot-water system's low-energy pumps send the water to radiators, he continues. "In the summer, when the temperature is below 26 Celsius, the system is convection, with the windows and roof skylight allowing the air to circulate. On hotter days, we have a choice of two additional cooling systems, with the goal of reducing our dependence on using fossil fuels.

"What I love about this place is that it holds heat in the winter and radiates it or throws it off in the summer."

T he second key feature of the project is the structure's "envelope." For instance, exterior walls have insulation rated R20, and the roof R50, while windows are triple-glazed. Marmoleum (marbleized linoleum) flooring, made with renewable linseed oil and jute backing, is also used. Carpeting has a high recycled-fibre content, a low rating for emissions of volatile organic compounds, and comes in the form of tiles so that worn parts can be replaced without the throwing out the whole thing.

"I like things to be both natural and beautiful," Ms. Kuhn comments.

This is a tale of two houses. Mr. Shephard's great grandfather was born in 1905 in the other half of the semi, 14 Sackville. Mr. Shephard purchased it in 1986, and immediately fell in love with the downtown lifestyle. After he and Ms. Kuhn were married a decade later, they lived there, confining the architectural practise to what is now its living room.

"We began to talk to the owners of No. 12 a few years ago," Mr. Shephard explains. With the completion of that home in 2006, they and their two children — Rosemarie, 7, and Jonathan, 6 — were able to completely take over No. 14's 1,000 square feet of living space: living room, dining room and kitchen on the ground floor, three bedrooms upstairs. Meanwhile, the firm could spread out next door.

Unlike No. 12, its twin still has many of its original features: plaster and lathe walls, wainscotting, pine floors and detailed door and window trim. It's cozy and quaint, but its walls and floors are a bit crooked after more than a century of use.

But it also has its bit of green. Atop the house is a roof garden where edible plants and vegetables are grown. "We have four to six inches of soil," Mr. Shephard explains. "The plants are just the frills of what we eat. We grow heritage tomatoes and raspberries and herbs. Monica has a number of teas she prepares."

This spring, No. 12 will get its own roof garden, where the couple envision a meadow of wildflowers and other plants.

"The roof gardens have a cooling effect, enable the collection of rainwater and have aesthetic value," Mr. Shephard notes. "Everyone in the family is into gardening in a big way. Even though I am a biologist, it's Monica who is the best gardener."

Nos. 12 and 14 are linked by doors in the basement and the top floors, so when the children come home from school, they can see their mom and play knowing she is nearby.

"This setup with the office next door makes so much sense. We can both walk to work and we can see the kids," Mr. Shephard says.

What does this environmentally designed office look like? Contemporary and classic, simple and spare, it's a demonstration of Ms. Kuhn's design ethos.

"I like clean design," she says. "I am incredibly space conscious, and circulation and flexibility in design are important to me. For example, this space could easily be used as a single-family dwelling again. I also like to maximize light. I don't like things to be gaudy or fussy."

The project will continue to evolve: In a few years, if everything goes as planned, solar panels will be installed to provide energy to fire the boiler and heat the water. And a system for capturing rainwater will be completed.

"We plan to collect our rainwater in cisterns and use the water for flushing toilets, laundry and outside irrigation," Mr. Shephard says.

A backup electrical system is also planned. "The house is wired so that it will have one outlet and one light in each room, with power supplied from a backup system," Mr. Shephard explains. "We would be able to go for a few days without power."

Meanwhile, the Victorian facade, with its painstakingly-made architectural features, remains.

"The wooden, double-hung windows, the style of the door, the restoration of the basement window and removal of the paint from the brick — as well as [the] retention and repair of the brick — were all done in the style of the original construction," Ms. Kuhn explains.

"Preserving the ambience of the era is best for this neighbourhood."

Special to The Globe and Mail