How Ziman Development is shaping the future of homebuilding through sustainable practices
Over the last 26 years, Ziman Development (Ziman) has earned a reputation as the top custom homebuilder and luxury home remodeler operating in Long Beach Island, New Jersey. Although the business has evolved significantly since its inception, in terms of both project numbers and types, its collaborative and customer-centric approach has remained.
Working in Barnegat Light, Harvey Cedars, Long Beach Township, Surf City, Ship Bottom, and Beach Haven, Ziman has adapted to design trends while implementing customer preferences, whether it means upholding traditional regional architectural styles or creating unique, individualized designs. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, Ziman’s priorities have shifted towards sustainability, including energy-efficient processes, greener materials, and offsetting carbon emissions.
Based on years of experience and industry expertise, Ziman established ‘The 5 Simple Steps’ process as a collaborative system for customers to work with the design team, with the five steps including: let’s talk, storyboard process, rendering to scale, the big event, and happily ever after. From an initial discussion, creating preliminary floor plans, and completing bidding procedures to construction and completion, Ziman supports clients throughout the homebuilding process, promising to deliver a five-star experience.
To learn more about the development of Ziman, we sit down with President and owner, Michael Ziman, who is keen to share why sustainability has become one of the company’s key areas of focus. First reflecting on the foundation of the business, Michael begins: “My father started the roots of Ziman in the late 1990s, and I was fascinated by his entrepreneurial spirit from an early age. As I finished college, I started learning from him directly and the business gradually grew from building summer homes into a full-scale development and custom home business.
“Once I became officially involved, we began to focus on unique properties, utilizing views and including innovative materials or processes. When Covid hit, it gave me time to reflect and reevaluate my priorities. I’m passionate about sustainability, and realized I wanted to be a good steward to the environment and align the business with my personal values.
“As a business we have a unique opportunity to provide beautiful homes for families to create priceless memories,” he states. “Inspired by my own childhood spending time outdoors with my family, we strive to create environments for people to enjoy the beaches and beautiful Long Beach Island during their vacation.”
Green strategies
Turning specifically to how Ziman is embracing sustainability, Michael continues: “Although there has been lots of research and sustainable product development in recent years, I realized that certain aspects of homebuilding have a particularly negative environmental impact. On a mission to change this, I’ve created a strategy focusing on three key areas: local sourcing, sustainable materials, and minimizing emissions.
“Firstly, we’re emphasizing sourcing products as locally as possible to reduce our reliance on using barges and the subsequent emissions. Secondly, we’re also using sustainable materials where possible, thinking about how the production process of each material impacts the environment. Lastly, in the broad category of reducing emissions, we’re making conscious decisions and educating our customers on more sustainable energy generation. This could be using renewable energy to power the home, creating very airtight houses that don’t trap moisture, or using air exchange systems. There’s no perfect system, but we’re trying to balance normal air flow by utilizing natural heating elements and implementing passive principles. 
“On a slightly different note, we launched the One Tree Pledge in partnership with American Forest in 2020 and formed a new partnership with One Tree Planted in 2021,” he shares. “The concept of these initiatives is to help mitigate the carbon emissions of a home’s electricity and natural gas usage by planting trees to protect and restore our forests. We plant one tree per square foot of the home, which negates the emissions over the course of the home’s lifecycle. One Tree Planted is a non-profit organization with multiple planting projects in the US and across the globe, and our partnership with them gives our trees the best chance of survival, as they are planted in federal or protected lands.”
Emerging trends
Delving into specific projects, Michael explains how Ziman can deliver excellence on both the oceanfront and bay sides of the island. “We built an oceanfront property in North Beach for one of our clients, and about 18 months later, they purchased the neighboring plot and approached us to design and build a connected guesthouse,” he reflects. “This provided us with creative freedom to create a truly special home; we not only used sustainable, low-maintenance products, but also maximized the views by including lots of glass and a pool overlooking the ocean.
“On the other hand, we’ve just started work on a large bayfront estate in Loveladies, which is situated on a 13,000-square-foot lot. The house plan is 5500 square feet, and the home will be elevated to exceed the highest of all flood and advisory codes, which is becoming more important as extreme weather events continue. With extensive south-facing views, the design of this property focuses on the outdoor space with outdoor kitchens and pools, as well as a dock for boats and sporting equipment.
“This project is just one example of an emerging trend for multi-generational homes. Our clients want spaces that accommodate their entire family and enable them to spend quality time together. This concept ties in with our passion for sustainability, as we intend to positively impact the planet for the sake of our children and grandchildren.”
In closing, Michael discusses the future of Ziman. “While we inevitably want to grow, we’re motivated not by revenue growth, but instead by the prospect of providing even more families with the chance to create memories at their dream home or vacation property,” Michael concludes. “Over the last year, we’ve delivered around ten homes, but I’d like us to double that number over the next five years or so. Alongside such growth, we want to do more for the planet by continuing to build more sustainably and inspiring other companies to take the tree planting pledge. The future of Ziman is all about aligning our actions with sustainable practices to ensure a better and secure future for the next generation.”