I looked into building a Net Zero Passive home 2 years ago in southern Wisconsin. We were quoted $800,000 for a 1500 sq. ft. home on a 5 acre lot which we owned. Considerably more than 2-10% more in cost. We didn't proceed since we felt we could never recover the $500/sq ft in energy savings or future sale price.
The 2%-10% figures get quoted a lot by Passive House builders but don't seem to translate to real life. Cost difference also depends heavily on your local building prices and code. For example in Connecticut the minimum to build a good single family house to code is already $400/sf but in a warmer climate with looser building code the base price of a code-built house might be like $200/sf. Upgrading to a $500/sf Passive House would obviously be a much bigger difference in those markets.
I'm building a passive house (or close to it) and can positively say 2-10% is not an accurate representation. The trades and GCs have not caught up with the tech, yet. Those that have charge a premium. Look at it this way: The HVAC contractor wants to punch a giant hole in your building envelope. It's fast and easy. Passive says lots of small holes that can be easily sealed. This takes time and attention to detail. The market constraints (labor) mean this dynamic will persist; it's not worth it for the HVAC guy to change practices and if he does, he's going to jack up the price. Now magnify this 100X for all the trades and details. I hate to be a cynic here and I want this for the future. But, we gotta be honest with the public here.
People are just not creative enough. Do the freaking homework and everyone can build a net zero home … i am gonna do this myself by myself over a year and then repeat it. For syracuse ny area,
Of all the building standards out there (LEED, HERS, etc.), Passivhaus is the one that has the greatest potential for positive, real change in the building industry at large IMO. 8:40 It's a noble goal to use less concrete, but I would have some real concerns about the long term durability of a plywood foundation. Engineered wood products (e.g. plywood) in particular are susceptible to damage from moisture. It's not a question of "if" but "when" water _will_ get in, whether it's from the outside (e.g. a damaged or faulty barrier sheet) or the inside (e.g. a broken pipe). Concrete is _far_ more durable to water. The thing I'd be asking: "Is it worth it if you end up having to rebuild the house in 30 years because of foundational water damage?" Personally, I rather use concrete if it meant the house could still be standing 100+ years from now. Also, since you brought up earthships, their use of concrete is intentional...and not just for the need of a foundation. It is used as a thermal mass to keep the temperature more consistent. In the winter, the sun hits it during the day and slowly releases the stored heat into the night. In the summer, the direct sun is blocked by the roof overhang, but because of its mass it heats up much more slowly compared to outside helping to keep the house cooler. Most other materials that are appropriate for flooring don't have as much thermal mass as concrete. That is one of the big reasons why they use concrete. 29:50 I disagree. Air control is not the most important...it's water control. Building control layers in order of importance: Water, Air, Vapor, Thermal. _If you do not control water, your building will not last._
Nice job. So happy to see this type of construction taking hold. The editing on this episode made perfect sense and is professional grade. An enjoyable and informative show.
Outstanding presentation! I am in the early stages of planning my home build and, although I don't plan to pursue passive house certification, I'm definitely going all-electric net zero and a lot of the same principles apply to both. This wall system is effective, but quite complex and costly. For my home, I'm leaning toward a simple double stud wall assembly with 2x6 exterior structural wall, 3 inch gap, 2x4 interior wall, allowing for 12 inches of cellulose insulation. Of course there will be other high efficiency details involved, but the budget will be pretty tight for me, so it's all about bang for buck.
GREAT VIDEO, THANKS TO ALL INVOLVED. It's a real service to builders and consumers to educate everyone about what is possible and the factors involved in the decision-making process. More videos please. Cheers! :)
I *REALLY* enjoyed this! Passivhaus construction is absolutely the way to go and in all of our futures, where possible. Evan Hallas was great - knowledgeable and good at describing the why's and wherefore's. But Summer was very naughty at 41:34 - squirrel hole indeed! Smacked legs, Summer; go sit on the naughty step.
An energy efficient home or business is more comfortable and saves money in the long run. Solar energy on your roof combined with battery storage can make people more independent from the grid and natural gas supplies. Add solar and supplemental electric heating or a heat pump for home heating.. Added insulation, triple glaze windows, energy efficient doors, energy efficient heating and cooling systems, energy efficient appliances, LED lighting, smart thermostats, solar panels combined with battery storage and a electric vehicle charger in the garage or car park. People are too focused on the short term costs and miss out on long term savings and comfort. Blower door testing and air sealing are under appreciated tools.Even if you have money to burn you should not waste it. Climate Change will impact everyone. Leave a better future for your children and grandchildren. Join in and speak up for the future of the planet.
Our super-insulated home has 30cm/12in. thick double-stud walls, insulated with blown-in cellulose. We cut the nailing flanges off our modestly priced vinyl triple-glazed windows and mounted them about four inches back of the exterior face. This resulted in narrower sills on the interior. Why? Because, in my opinion, most people don't like wide, wide sills; it feels like living in a basement. Ours are about seven inches. Also, setting the glass back for the external face slightly improves the thermal performance of the windows by protecting them from the icy winter winds. Yes, it was much more trouble to install the windows this way, but it was just my time.
I know durability is a big consideration for passive houses, but windows don't maintain their insulative value forever (sunlight and time degrade seals) and when they aren't wood sash, they usually are not repairable. Would the entire exterior need to be redone to replace the windows on this project in 25-30 years when the seals start to fail or do they anticipate that the sashes would be replaceable or maybe removable for repair/rebuild?
We had to recently replace all the windows in the Common House at Flock because they were 30 years old and very leaky. And within those past 30 years, there has been dramatic improvements with windows. Windows have rough openings (RO), so you are able to remove them from the walls and re-seal them back into those ROs when you need to change them in/out, with doing minimal damage to any of the surrounding areas of the house. We had to replace the outer edges of the windows and fix some of the insulation, but the improvements it made to reduce the airflow from the previous windows and the UV that it cuts from having different type of glass was such an improvement. Imagine it'll be the same here.
Hi Ulla - This is a great point. It is always important to think about what happens when building components need to be replaced and/or repaired. We anticipate the windows lasting much longer than 25-30 years. If there are issues with the window sashes/glazing, these components can be replaced without replacing the frame. But your point is valid and if a window did need to be replaced it would require exterior/interior trim removal, which is common with today's window installation procedures.
For the Foundations, you could have the foundations under the Walls in Concete and then in the Miiddle, Compacred Crushed Stone covered by a layer of Clay..finished afterwards with Linessed Oil and Natural Stains like they do in New Mexico..
Many, many years ago we considered building super insulated house. If I remember correctly, which I usually don’t, it was going to be built out of cinder block plus all of the extra insulation that needed to go with making an air tight house. Back in the day the idea was an excellent one but the cost was astronomical. 🌷💚🙃
According to the folks we interviewed here, it can add 2-10% on top of the ordinary cost of a home build. So it's important for folks going into this to realize that and if they can, budget accordingly.
If you had built a super-insulated home using double-stud construction and walls twelve plus inches think (like ours) instead of cold concrete it would have been affordable. Plus, subtrades know how to put up stud walls; there's a minimal learning curve.
Dream house for many, to be able to consider so many home improvement factors in preparation for an unknown future. Is it actually a spaceship? Good wishes for your new home. Don't forget smoke detectors. How will it perform, in a high wind storm? Thanks.❤
At @15:54 you need to counter sink those screws so they will be flush with the wood. If not you will have tiny bumps all along the siding as the building ages.
I would like to see new BIO POLYMER MARINE RESINS with A DURABLE FIBER MATERIAL COMPOSITE PANELS STRUCTURAL FOUNDATION developed that would give water proof strong foundation with even better strength than concrete and durability.
Good heavens! I LOVE this video... would you be able to add links to the building science training he was referring to? I am a scientist myself- life sciences just like you and I am would love to take those courses!!
The problem with energy modeling is that those models don’t take into account the difference in efficiency between foam and non foam insulations that have equal r values. You could foam this house with less r value than what they used to batt these 14” walls and 22” ceilings and still have it be more energy efficient without using all the extra framing/tapes/gaskets. This process is cool from a theoretical stand point but it’s not practical. I tell customers that insulation is like vodka! Most premium vodkas are triple distilled and are 99.9% pure. You could spend the time and money to distill another 3, 4, 5 times but you’re only going to get a fraction of a percent better each time with a diminished return on investment with each additional process. Insulation is the same way. Once you foam the building and are at 99.9% efficiency, it doesn’t make sense to keep spending money on more and more to chase 0.01% improvements.
R-value is thermal resistance of a material. If two materials have identical R-values, they have identical thermal performance. R-values are established through material testing. Energy modelling is based on building science and provides a more realistic assessment of a buildings thermal performance than prescriptive standards. Modelling accounts for thermal bridges in the building envelope for example. Foam-in-place insulation has its uses but suffers from wide misuse in the construction industry and I wouldn’t use it personally or professionally throughout an entire home. High performance building is partly more expensive because the wider industry isn’t familiar with the methods and materials. Whether the premium is worth it is a personal choice but it will result in a more comfortable and significantly better quality building.
But if you care for the planet and pollution, you're better off using something that's better for the environment and the people making it than foam is.
@@debbies5839 I hear you but foams are made of recycled plastics and reduce the pollution used to heat/cool the house for the lifetime of the house after it’s installed.
@@bopodoq3069 r value is a measure of conductive thermal resistance. Foam beats fiberglass/rockwool/cellulose at the same r values because it eliminates convective heat transfer which accounts for more energy loss that r value does. Energy modeling, such as Res Checks, don’t account for convection and will tell you that a foamed house and a fiberglass house at the same r value will perform the same. It’s well established that foam houses are entirely more energy efficient which isn’t recognized in these models. And yeah you def don’t want knuckle heads doing your foam at your house due to the risk of installer error. It’s more critical with foam to not hire the cheapest bidder than it is with most of the other trades. My company has been installing foam for 20 years with no issues. There are good companies out there ✌🏻
To avoid having deep Foundations and save on the amount of Concrete, you could have Good Drainage underneath..good Crush Stone..in Hilly Terrain, consider using Pilons in Steel or Recycled Steel Columns on a Concrete Footing..also, gives you storage space for the Boat or a Carport.....lol..
For me, I would want these buildings to be bungalows to reduce the exposure and I think in a time of so much excess, these homes should be limited to 2000 Sq ft to reduce material use. Furthermore, I think we should be using the smallest dimensional lumber as possible. That way we can get more sticks out of a tree. So, I would opt for double walls of 2 x 3 or 2 x 4 with a 12" spacing blown full with that powdered insulation. I think there should be a higher standard where such a home is completely off grid for power, water and sewer. Then even though they'd be off grid, I would then limit energy and water use to some responsible global norm. Further a budget of all the carbon emitted in all forms during construction would be computed and such a home would be required to offset that in 5 years or less.
Concrete is a miracle and a blessing. Yes, it can certainly be over used, but trying to eliminate its use altogether is unwise. It's silly how some of these members of the climate change religion do such strange things because of their faith.
The respirator hanging from the light switch at the end of the video is an OSHA violation. All respirators including disposables must be stored in bags or thrown away when not in use. I get it, we all do it, but take care what your filming on job sites. You could get people in some hot water.
Rockwool on the inside of the VB and woodfiber on the outside just makes absolutely zero sense to this European. Is it to comply with fireregs, or what is up with that exactly? Usually around here it wouldn't be something an extra layer of sheetrock wouldn't be able to remedy, and then have full eco friendly insulation in stead. Weird choice IMHO. Around here we also have airflow requirements to the rainscreen framing to circulate and let air out from all cavities. It looks like most of it will be blocked by the siding, the way this is done, and the trimming around the windows might get a little funky too?
is it possible to revisit this home to see mechanical choices? i'm curious how they filtered the make up air. like, is it an outside unit like for restaurants or is it some indoor filter which gets dirty incredibly fast? same with the other filters, can we see them?
Not sure if you are asking about the ERV Filter or make-up air. But the make-up air system, which is only on when the stove exhaust fan is on, has a simple thin mesh filter. It is closed with a damper when the fan is not on, so it only runs 20 minutesa day max. The make-up air damper, fan, and heater is inside the mech room. So not like a restaurant. I'm the owner.
@@Siry2000I’ve noticed a lot of these passive house folk are not big into cooking. Even a gourmet type home cook with large induction range is going to need 800-1200 cfm to match high heat greasy cooking. The home owners will end up having to have makeup air preheated like fantechs system. That is a ton of air coming in that needs to be preheated. Same for ERV when it’s freezing unless they going to have some geothermal loop to preheat the air.
@mattffleague6041 Yes, that makes sense. Our setup is relatively simple and completely separate from the ERV. But we do also have a heater for preheating the makeup air during winter, which was only recently installed.
All round very good video, informative and educational but... 2 to 10% extra for Passive standard seems seriously optimistic when all is considered incl. thicker walls, insulation, consultant checks and extra care and time required by builders. In my country the figure routinely quoted is 20%. However even as high as 20% I think it is worth it.
The windows are Klearwall. I would stay away from them. They were not properly shipped, were cosmetically damaged and multiple panes had to be replaced due to quality issues (fingerprints, scratches, paint/marker/dust on the inside panes). Two windows still will not seal properly, and we were told they need to be "adjusted after construction". If one breaks, it will need to be shipped from Ireland and you'll wait months. Two replacement doors (correcting wrong swings) arrived damaged. If you're in the US or Canada, there are better options. I'm the homeowner, btw.
@@Siry2000 I’m sorry to hear about your troubles. What a pain. Good information for us researching triple pane windows to go with known reputable manufacturers.
Any particular reason not to reduce the inner 2x6" to a 2x4" to reduce thermal bridging even more? Could definitely also make it easier on the wall infrastructure, maybe especially for the electrician
Thicker 2x actually has a higher R value. What can help is going to 24" oc on the wall framing. Also if they are using the zip-r sheathing that will also reduce the amount of thermal bridging.
It probably is more than 10% more expensive but the cost will come down considerably with a contractor that is familiar with the methods and materials and has embraced high-performance building. If you are getting a higher quality, better performing house, it would justify some kind of additional cost if thats what you were after.
RESPECT YOUR OPINION. BUT FAMILIAR OR NOT. CORPORATIONS DON'T LOWER THEIR PRICES JUST BECAUSE YOU KNOW HOW TO USE THEM. WHEN THEY GET MORE POPULAR THEY RAISE THE PRICE.@@bopodoq3069
This is a great house. However, what's happening here is happening in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Scandinavian countries for a long time. It's mind boggling that there isn't any knowledge transfer happening to the USA. Is this a language issue. Time is of essence. Why waste time, when know how is available, just copy and paste. In Europe now the organic hemp and strawbale is now standardized and part of any normal building specifications. That we should completely move away from oil based products like Styrofoam or poly based insulation products is a total must. Subsoil solutions are also available without using such horrible non breathing insulation material. Further, there are finished modelling concept available. Just check any architecture school in major cities in Europe, like Vienna, Berlin, etc. All know how available for free.
The windows are Klearwall. They're manufactured by Munster Joinery in Ireland. They are of shockingly poor quality and i would stay very, very far away from them. This is the number 1 regret on this project. I am the owner.
Почему в США люди строят дома только из каркаса? В России все частные дома строят из бетона и из кирпича? Неужели у вас у американцев нет денег на качественные дома? Почему вы выбираете такие смешные строительные материалы?
Building like this relies heavily on very expensive, sophisticated HVAC systems to provide fresh air. When the HVAC goes down, all that money you saved from low energy use goes down the toilet to pay thousands of dollars in repairs. This entire passive push is a scam to push more expensive new products that won’t save you money, because you’ll spend a fortune upfront, and to repair them. Same with all those doors and windows. This is all a feel good circle jerk for people that think using energy is bad and that carbon is bad. CO2 gets absorbed by plants, they need it to grow. More CO2 helps plants grow more. Farmers have used smoke to help increase CO2 to help yield more crops.
And energy use is not bad. Monopolies from power companies are the real crime. There could be nearly endless energy for very low cost if there was a competitive free market for independent power companies.
Wow. Just wow. Can we assume you get your paycheque through the fossil fuel industry? Why else would a naysayer like you be looking at energy-efficient homes?
How many plants have you killed building this house? How many trees were cut down to build it? How much carbon would be produced if this was a concrete house and how muchcarbon would those trees you cut down eliminate during their lifetime? Do you have those numbers?
I feel sorta bad for the couple who's paying for all the experimental design elements and materials. The "senior energy analyst" sounds like your typical snake oil salesman. Go Logic in Maine would have been a safer bet - more time-tested experience.
Hi GG - I'm glad to hear you are aware of GO Logic in Maine. They are a great firm. In fact, we collaborate with their sister company OPAL Architecture and the design of commercial passive house projects. The methods we are using for this home are time-tested and based on the latest building science and the wall/slab system is almost identical to what GO Logic uses. GO Logic's other sister company, GO Lab, is the company I mentioned that is bringing wood fiber insulation to the US market. We're happy to be bringing a durable, efficient, and comfortable home to our clients.
Why would you feel bad for them? They appear happy with their decisions. The materials are not experimental (the membranes and tapes in particular) but address real building science issues.
Вопрос к строителям из США. Мышей в ваших домах много! Пожарная опасность ужасная! Дерево гниёт! Плесень в таких домах живет! Вы почему такое говно строите??? Неужели каменные дома вам (американцам) недоступны по деньгам? Приезжайте в Россию, мы вас научим нормально строить !
Built properly, you will have no mice in the house. The wood elements are separated from the interior by gypsum board which is not flammable. Wood is used in locations raised off the ground. When wet wood is allowed to dry, it will not rot. The wood structure is protected from moisture through proper design of the building envelope. Properly designed, mold is not a problem. You’ll find mold in concrete buildings that are constantly wet. There is a well developed building science behind light wood construction and properly built and maintained will last a hundred years and well beyond.
He has a point, masonry withstands small arm fire and artillery shrapnel much better than any stick built, an important consideration if you live near Russia.
Oh you're talking about the great country that can't even win a war against Ukraine no thank you all pass anyways to understand the quality of the American house you need to come over here
Uptalk makes one sound unprofessional and it hurts your credibility with listeners - always. Even though it was difficult to listen to, it is a good clip.
Good to see US builders increase their focus on passive homes. The Scandinavians are way ahead of us.
I looked into building a Net Zero Passive home 2 years ago in southern Wisconsin. We were quoted $800,000 for a 1500 sq. ft. home on a 5 acre lot which we owned. Considerably more than 2-10% more in cost. We didn't proceed since we felt we could never recover the $500/sq ft in energy savings or future sale price.
That's a ripoff, I'm sorry they quoted you that much. I hope to save enough and build a passive house soon
The 2%-10% figures get quoted a lot by Passive House builders but don't seem to translate to real life. Cost difference also depends heavily on your local building prices and code. For example in Connecticut the minimum to build a good single family house to code is already $400/sf but in a warmer climate with looser building code the base price of a code-built house might be like $200/sf. Upgrading to a $500/sf Passive House would obviously be a much bigger difference in those markets.
I'm building a passive house (or close to it) and can positively say 2-10% is not an accurate representation. The trades and GCs have not caught up with the tech, yet. Those that have charge a premium.
Look at it this way: The HVAC contractor wants to punch a giant hole in your building envelope. It's fast and easy. Passive says lots of small holes that can be easily sealed. This takes time and attention to detail.
The market constraints (labor) mean this dynamic will persist; it's not worth it for the HVAC guy to change practices and if he does, he's going to jack up the price. Now magnify this 100X for all the trades and details.
I hate to be a cynic here and I want this for the future. But, we gotta be honest with the public here.
Super informative video... the best I have seen yet! Very well done & great questions asked! Also, what windows were used?
People are just not creative enough. Do the freaking homework and everyone can build a net zero home … i am gonna do this myself by myself over a year and then repeat it. For syracuse ny area,
The energy efficient guy was GREAT!
He's very informative.
Of all the building standards out there (LEED, HERS, etc.), Passivhaus is the one that has the greatest potential for positive, real change in the building industry at large IMO.
8:40 It's a noble goal to use less concrete, but I would have some real concerns about the long term durability of a plywood foundation. Engineered wood products (e.g. plywood) in particular are susceptible to damage from moisture. It's not a question of "if" but "when" water _will_ get in, whether it's from the outside (e.g. a damaged or faulty barrier sheet) or the inside (e.g. a broken pipe). Concrete is _far_ more durable to water. The thing I'd be asking: "Is it worth it if you end up having to rebuild the house in 30 years because of foundational water damage?" Personally, I rather use concrete if it meant the house could still be standing 100+ years from now.
Also, since you brought up earthships, their use of concrete is intentional...and not just for the need of a foundation. It is used as a thermal mass to keep the temperature more consistent. In the winter, the sun hits it during the day and slowly releases the stored heat into the night. In the summer, the direct sun is blocked by the roof overhang, but because of its mass it heats up much more slowly compared to outside helping to keep the house cooler. Most other materials that are appropriate for flooring don't have as much thermal mass as concrete. That is one of the big reasons why they use concrete.
29:50 I disagree. Air control is not the most important...it's water control. Building control layers in order of importance: Water, Air, Vapor, Thermal. _If you do not control water, your building will not last._
I've watched a ton of videos on efficient home building and this is one of the best. Great explanations and practical advice. Well done. 👍
Nice job. So happy to see this type of construction taking hold. The editing on this episode made perfect sense and is professional grade. An enjoyable and informative show.
Thank you. Such a lovely compliment.
Love the concept of this whole new building science. What an interesting feature
I liked how you and the guy with you asked the exact questions on my mind.
Outstanding presentation! I am in the early stages of planning my home build and, although I don't plan to pursue passive house certification, I'm definitely going all-electric net zero and a lot of the same principles apply to both. This wall system is effective, but quite complex and costly. For my home, I'm leaning toward a simple double stud wall assembly with 2x6 exterior structural wall, 3 inch gap, 2x4 interior wall, allowing for 12 inches of cellulose insulation. Of course there will be other high efficiency details involved, but the budget will be pretty tight for me, so it's all about bang for buck.
That sounds like a really energy efficient wall assembly as well! Good luck!
GREAT VIDEO, THANKS TO ALL INVOLVED. It's a real service to builders and consumers to educate everyone about what is possible and the factors involved in the decision-making process. More videos please. Cheers! :)
I *REALLY* enjoyed this! Passivhaus construction is absolutely the way to go and in all of our futures, where possible. Evan Hallas was great - knowledgeable and good at describing the why's and wherefore's. But Summer was very naughty at 41:34 - squirrel hole indeed! Smacked legs, Summer; go sit on the naughty step.
An energy efficient home or business is more comfortable and saves money in the long run.
Solar energy on your roof combined with battery storage can make people more independent from the grid and natural gas supplies. Add solar and supplemental electric heating or a heat pump for home heating..
Added insulation, triple glaze windows, energy efficient doors, energy efficient heating and cooling systems, energy efficient appliances, LED lighting, smart thermostats, solar panels combined with battery storage and a electric vehicle charger in the garage or car park. People are too focused on the short term costs and miss out on long term savings and comfort. Blower door testing and air sealing are under appreciated tools.Even if you have money to burn you should not waste it. Climate Change will impact everyone. Leave a better future for your children and grandchildren. Join in and speak up for the future of the planet.
Our super-insulated home has 30cm/12in. thick double-stud walls, insulated with blown-in cellulose. We cut the nailing flanges off our modestly priced vinyl triple-glazed windows and mounted them about four inches back of the exterior face. This resulted in narrower sills on the interior. Why? Because, in my opinion, most people don't like wide, wide sills; it feels like living in a basement. Ours are about seven inches. Also, setting the glass back for the external face slightly improves the thermal performance of the windows by protecting them from the icy winter winds. Yes, it was much more trouble to install the windows this way, but it was just my time.
Nice to hear a discussion on the range hood and bathrooms exhaust ducts. I've wondered about that.
Really honest and straight forward! I love the practical verses the ideal.
I know durability is a big consideration for passive houses, but windows don't maintain their insulative value forever (sunlight and time degrade seals) and when they aren't wood sash, they usually are not repairable. Would the entire exterior need to be redone to replace the windows on this project in 25-30 years when the seals start to fail or do they anticipate that the sashes would be replaceable or maybe removable for repair/rebuild?
It’s a consumer based house and i guess being a consumer is a passive stance
We had to recently replace all the windows in the Common House at Flock because they were 30 years old and very leaky. And within those past 30 years, there has been dramatic improvements with windows. Windows have rough openings (RO), so you are able to remove them from the walls and re-seal them back into those ROs when you need to change them in/out, with doing minimal damage to any of the surrounding areas of the house. We had to replace the outer edges of the windows and fix some of the insulation, but the improvements it made to reduce the airflow from the previous windows and the UV that it cuts from having different type of glass was such an improvement. Imagine it'll be the same here.
Hi Ulla - This is a great point. It is always important to think about what happens when building components need to be replaced and/or repaired. We anticipate the windows lasting much longer than 25-30 years. If there are issues with the window sashes/glazing, these components can be replaced without replacing the frame. But your point is valid and if a window did need to be replaced it would require exterior/interior trim removal, which is common with today's window installation procedures.
Great video thanks team, Evan is very knowledgeable!
Thanks!
I had to re-run to make sure the cooktop was induction. I love my induction stove !!!!
Thank you Ms. Summer that was very interesting.I have to say the house were living in now is anything but efficient 🙁🌷💚🙃
Ours too! But we've been able to incorporate some of these principles into our renovations, which has been monumentally helpful!
For the Foundations, you could have the foundations under the Walls in Concete and then in the Miiddle, Compacred Crushed Stone covered by a layer of Clay..finished afterwards with Linessed Oil and Natural Stains like they do in New Mexico..
I also wonder whether a portion of the foundation could be made of urbanite?
You could also have a moisture barrier in the foundation along with some insulation. All of this could be put under an earthen floor.
I love theses home so cool but I can only imagine if this home ever has water damage it will be a nightmare
Many, many years ago we considered building super insulated house. If I remember correctly, which I usually don’t, it was going to be built out of cinder block plus all of the extra insulation that needed to go with making an air tight house. Back in the day the idea was an excellent one but the cost was astronomical. 🌷💚🙃
According to the folks we interviewed here, it can add 2-10% on top of the ordinary cost of a home build. So it's important for folks going into this to realize that and if they can, budget accordingly.
If you had built a super-insulated home using double-stud construction and walls twelve plus inches think (like ours) instead of cold concrete it would have been affordable. Plus, subtrades know how to put up stud walls; there's a minimal learning curve.
Dream house for many, to be able to consider so many home improvement factors in preparation for an unknown future. Is it actually a spaceship? Good wishes for your new home. Don't forget smoke detectors. How will it perform, in a high wind storm? Thanks.❤
At @15:54 you need to counter sink those screws so they will be flush with the wood. If not you will have tiny bumps all along the siding as the building ages.
Your videos are always informative to new concepts and ideas...and are always interesting. Thank you.🙂
You're most welcome.
Thank you. This was informative and wonderful
Glad you enjoyed.
I would like to see new BIO POLYMER MARINE RESINS with A DURABLE FIBER MATERIAL COMPOSITE PANELS STRUCTURAL FOUNDATION developed that would give water proof strong foundation with even better strength than concrete and durability.
Good heavens! I LOVE this video... would you be able to add links to the building science training he was referring to? I am a scientist myself- life sciences just like you and I am would love to take those courses!!
There are green builders that use tamped dirt as flooring. And also cob floors.
Awesome! Thanks for all this useful information!
You're welcome.
Interesting. We are starting to build our passive house in Nova Scotia. We are building on stilts has we are on a hill and bedrock.
The problem with energy modeling is that those models don’t take into account the difference in efficiency between foam and non foam insulations that have equal r values. You could foam this house with less r value than what they used to batt these 14” walls and 22” ceilings and still have it be more energy efficient without using all the extra framing/tapes/gaskets. This process is cool from a theoretical stand point but it’s not practical. I tell customers that insulation is like vodka! Most premium vodkas are triple distilled and are 99.9% pure. You could spend the time and money to distill another 3, 4, 5 times but you’re only going to get a fraction of a percent better each time with a diminished return on investment with each additional process. Insulation is the same way. Once you foam the building and are at 99.9% efficiency, it doesn’t make sense to keep spending money on more and more to chase 0.01% improvements.
R-value is thermal resistance of a material. If two materials have identical R-values, they have identical thermal performance. R-values are established through material testing. Energy modelling is based on building science and provides a more realistic assessment of a buildings thermal performance than prescriptive standards. Modelling accounts for thermal bridges in the building envelope for example. Foam-in-place insulation has its uses but suffers from wide misuse in the construction industry and I wouldn’t use it personally or professionally throughout an entire home. High performance building is partly more expensive because the wider industry isn’t familiar with the methods and materials. Whether the premium is worth it is a personal choice but it will result in a more comfortable and significantly better quality building.
But if you care for the planet and pollution, you're better off using something that's better for the environment and the people making it than foam is.
@@debbies5839 I hear you but foams are made of recycled plastics and reduce the pollution used to heat/cool the house for the lifetime of the house after it’s installed.
@@bopodoq3069 r value is a measure of conductive thermal resistance. Foam beats fiberglass/rockwool/cellulose at the same r values because it eliminates convective heat transfer which accounts for more energy loss that r value does. Energy modeling, such as Res Checks, don’t account for convection and will tell you that a foamed house and a fiberglass house at the same r value will perform the same. It’s well established that foam houses are entirely more energy efficient which isn’t recognized in these models.
And yeah you def don’t want knuckle heads doing your foam at your house due to the risk of installer error. It’s more critical with foam to not hire the cheapest bidder than it is with most of the other trades. My company has been installing foam for 20 years with no issues. There are good companies out there ✌🏻
Fantastic interview! Thanks for sharing! 💯
the future! nice one. congrats! the way to do things nowadays
I like passive house but 2-10% more money over standard is just not being honest.
😅😅eine tolle Entwicklung. Fensterlaibung mit Dämmung. Isofloc als Dämmstoff. Aber ihr seid 30 Jahre hinten dran!!!!!!👍🇩🇪
Stimmt, in Deutschland seit Jahren Standard.
This is how we build wooden houses in Germany. There's a lot of German products throughout
To avoid having deep Foundations and save on the amount of Concrete, you could have Good Drainage underneath..good Crush Stone..in Hilly Terrain, consider using Pilons in Steel or Recycled Steel Columns on a Concrete Footing..also, gives you storage space for the Boat or a Carport.....lol..
For me, I would want these buildings to be bungalows to reduce the exposure and I think in a time of so much excess, these homes should be limited to 2000 Sq ft to reduce material use.
Furthermore, I think we should be using the smallest dimensional lumber as possible. That way we can get more sticks out of a tree. So, I would opt for double walls of 2 x 3 or 2 x 4 with a 12" spacing blown full with that powdered insulation.
I think there should be a higher standard where such a home is completely off grid for power, water and sewer. Then even though they'd be off grid, I would then limit energy and water use to some responsible global norm. Further a budget of all the carbon emitted in all forms during construction would be computed and such a home would be required to offset that in 5 years or less.
Great video - so much info! Thanks! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Concrete is a miracle and a blessing. Yes, it can certainly be over used, but trying to eliminate its use altogether is unwise.
It's silly how some of these members of the climate change religion do such strange things because of their faith.
The respirator hanging from the light switch at the end of the video is an OSHA violation. All respirators including disposables must be stored in bags or thrown away when not in use. I get it, we all do it, but take care what your filming on job sites. You could get people in some hot water.
Rockwool on the inside of the VB and woodfiber on the outside just makes absolutely zero sense to this European. Is it to comply with fireregs, or what is up with that exactly? Usually around here it wouldn't be something an extra layer of sheetrock wouldn't be able to remedy, and then have full eco friendly insulation in stead. Weird choice IMHO.
Around here we also have airflow requirements to the rainscreen framing to circulate and let air out from all cavities. It looks like most of it will be blocked by the siding, the way this is done, and the trimming around the windows might get a little funky too?
I also wondered about the rock wool. It's not a good ecological choice since there's high energy used to make the rock wool.
is it possible to revisit this home to see mechanical choices? i'm curious how they filtered the make up air. like, is it an outside unit like for restaurants or is it some indoor filter which gets dirty incredibly fast? same with the other filters, can we see them?
Not sure if you are asking about the ERV Filter or make-up air. But the make-up air system, which is only on when the stove exhaust fan is on, has a simple thin mesh filter. It is closed with a damper when the fan is not on, so it only runs 20 minutesa day max. The make-up air damper, fan, and heater is inside the mech room. So not like a restaurant. I'm the owner.
@@Siry2000I’ve noticed a lot of these passive house folk are not big into cooking. Even a gourmet type home cook with large induction range is going to need 800-1200 cfm to match high heat greasy cooking. The home owners will end up having to have makeup air preheated like fantechs system. That is a ton of air coming in that needs to be preheated. Same for ERV when it’s freezing unless they going to have some geothermal loop to preheat the air.
@mattffleague6041 Yes, that makes sense. Our setup is relatively simple and completely separate from the ERV. But we do also have a heater for preheating the makeup air during winter, which was only recently installed.
Good to see post-modernism still alive
Great video!
All round very good video, informative and educational but... 2 to 10% extra for Passive standard seems seriously optimistic when all is considered incl. thicker walls, insulation, consultant checks and extra care and time required by builders. In my country the figure routinely quoted is 20%.
However even as high as 20% I think it is worth it.
That was great information. !!
I wonder how long it takes to recover from the aroma of burning the broccoli?
Just open the window
I enjoyed the video. Great information here. What brand of window did you use?
The windows are Klearwall. I would stay away from them. They were not properly shipped, were cosmetically damaged and multiple panes had to be replaced due to quality issues (fingerprints, scratches, paint/marker/dust on the inside panes). Two windows still will not seal properly, and we were told they need to be "adjusted after construction". If one breaks, it will need to be shipped from Ireland and you'll wait months. Two replacement doors (correcting wrong swings) arrived damaged. If you're in the US or Canada, there are better options. I'm the homeowner, btw.
@@Siry2000 I’m sorry to hear about your troubles. What a pain. Good information for us researching triple pane windows to go with known reputable manufacturers.
I like the wood fiber insulation, hmmm
I love how Americans are amazed at 4” (10cm) of insulation!
what would be the total cost for this whole project? I'm interested
Any particular reason not to reduce the inner 2x6" to a 2x4" to reduce thermal bridging even more? Could definitely also make it easier on the wall infrastructure, maybe especially for the electrician
Thicker 2x actually has a higher R value. What can help is going to 24" oc on the wall framing. Also if they are using the zip-r sheathing that will also reduce the amount of thermal bridging.
2- 10 % 😂😂😂 great looking house, though!
wood fiber board is R3.8 per inch
What was the ACH on this house?
10% HIGHER TO BUILD?
COMPARED TO WHAT?
THIS HAS GOT TO BE WAY MORE THAN A STANDARD BUILD.
It probably is more than 10% more expensive but the cost will come down considerably with a contractor that is familiar with the methods and materials and has embraced high-performance building. If you are getting a higher quality, better performing house, it would justify some kind of additional cost if thats what you were after.
RESPECT YOUR OPINION. BUT FAMILIAR OR NOT. CORPORATIONS DON'T LOWER THEIR PRICES JUST BECAUSE YOU KNOW HOW TO USE THEM. WHEN THEY GET MORE POPULAR THEY RAISE THE PRICE.@@bopodoq3069
Concrete has been used for thousands of years. Ask the Romans.
That doesn't mean that there aren't more efficient materials now. A rubble trench foundation could replace concrete.
How does the fiber board on the outside walls handle water that gets past the rain screen?
Also wonder about mold and fire susceptibility.
HEY!? I LIKE!!
This is a great house. However, what's happening here is happening in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Scandinavian countries for a long time. It's mind boggling that there isn't any knowledge transfer happening to the USA. Is this a language issue. Time is of essence. Why waste time, when know how is available, just copy and paste. In Europe now the organic hemp and strawbale is now standardized and part of any normal building specifications. That we should completely move away from oil based products like Styrofoam or poly based insulation products is a total must. Subsoil solutions are also available without using such horrible non breathing insulation material. Further, there are finished modelling concept available. Just check any architecture school in major cities in Europe, like Vienna, Berlin, etc. All know how available for free.
I would build with hemp or straw before using all the high embedded energy and also highly polluting products used in this house.
47:07
If the third party verifier finds faults, who pays to fix them?
Imagine calling concrete a 'legacy product' JFC
вы так до винтовых металлических свай докатитесь.
they'll never moving in 2 months
If hes anti concrete then why not put the house on posts?
what window manufacturer?
The windows are Klearwall. They're manufactured by Munster Joinery in Ireland. They are of shockingly poor quality and i would stay very, very far away from them. This is the number 1 regret on this project. I am the owner.
Почему в США люди строят дома только из каркаса?
В России все частные дома строят из бетона и из кирпича?
Неужели у вас у американцев нет денег на качественные дома?
Почему вы выбираете такие смешные строительные материалы?
Building like this relies heavily on very expensive, sophisticated HVAC systems to provide fresh air. When the HVAC goes down, all that money you saved from low energy use goes down the toilet to pay thousands of dollars in repairs. This entire passive push is a scam to push more expensive new products that won’t save you money, because you’ll spend a fortune upfront, and to repair them. Same with all those doors and windows. This is all a feel good circle jerk for people that think using energy is bad and that carbon is bad. CO2 gets absorbed by plants, they need it to grow. More CO2 helps plants grow more. Farmers have used smoke to help increase CO2 to help yield more crops.
And energy use is not bad. Monopolies from power companies are the real crime. There could be nearly endless energy for very low cost if there was a competitive free market for independent power companies.
Interesting view.
Wow. Just wow. Can we assume you get your paycheque through the fossil fuel industry? Why else would a naysayer like you be looking at energy-efficient homes?
@@paulmaxwell8851 I’m just a regular dude. A carpenter. I happen to enjoy fresh air and good health.
😃👍🏻👊🏻
If all else fails you csn whip out the duct tape
How many plants have you killed building this house? How many trees were cut down to build it? How much carbon would be produced if this was a concrete house and how muchcarbon would those trees you cut down eliminate during their lifetime? Do you have those numbers?
I mean, they didn’t kill the trees personally. They hired someone else to kill them…
😂😂😂😂😂😂
I feel sorta bad for the couple who's paying for all the experimental design elements and materials. The "senior energy analyst" sounds like your typical snake oil salesman. Go Logic in Maine would have been a safer bet - more time-tested experience.
Hi GG - I'm glad to hear you are aware of GO Logic in Maine. They are a great firm. In fact, we collaborate with their sister company OPAL Architecture and the design of commercial passive house projects. The methods we are using for this home are time-tested and based on the latest building science and the wall/slab system is almost identical to what GO Logic uses. GO Logic's other sister company, GO Lab, is the company I mentioned that is bringing wood fiber insulation to the US market. We're happy to be bringing a durable, efficient, and comfortable home to our clients.
Why would you feel bad for them? They appear happy with their decisions. The materials are not experimental (the membranes and tapes in particular) but address real building science issues.
I would just be happy to just keep mice out of my old house
Haha. Welcome to the country! We are constantly plugging up holes where mice have seem to come in!
Who can afford those houses?!?!?
the homeowners are featured early in the video. so to answer your question, them.
The energy efficiency guy definitely isn't used to talking so much, his voice must be wearing out with all the times his voice was cracking.
It happens to the best of us!
Вопрос к строителям из США.
Мышей в ваших домах много!
Пожарная опасность ужасная!
Дерево гниёт!
Плесень в таких домах живет!
Вы почему такое говно строите???
Неужели каменные дома вам (американцам) недоступны по деньгам?
Приезжайте в Россию, мы вас научим нормально строить !
Built properly, you will have no mice in the house.
The wood elements are separated from the interior by gypsum board which is not flammable.
Wood is used in locations raised off the ground. When wet wood is allowed to dry, it will not rot. The wood structure is protected from moisture through proper design of the building envelope.
Properly designed, mold is not a problem. You’ll find mold in concrete buildings that are constantly wet.
There is a well developed building science behind light wood construction and properly built and maintained will last a hundred years and well beyond.
He has a point, masonry withstands small arm fire and artillery shrapnel much better than any stick built, an important consideration if you live near Russia.
Oh you're talking about the great country that can't even win a war against Ukraine no thank you all pass anyways to understand the quality of the American house you need to come over here
First
His up talk makes the video unwatchable.
Sorry to hear you feel that way.
@@FlockFingerLakes You do great work - the offset. 🙂
But you managed to watch it anyway…
Uptalk makes one sound unprofessional and it hurts your credibility with listeners - always. Even though it was difficult to listen to, it is a good clip.
Democrat voters
You have to inject politics into everything, don’t you.