The House that Saved the World...

Great title. The House that Saved the World is a thirteen part production featuring  Eco-Home Builders that are breaking the trail for sustainable buildings. The production will feature the different phases of project development and critical stages of construction on these integrated energy efficient homes. The owners, designers, craftsmen and crew will share their challenges and triumphs as construction moves along. For those of you that have been following our blogs, you’ll recognize Dan Whitmore’s house as one of the homes featured in the production. I...

Passive House Video...

This is a great little video feature by CNN about a Swedish Passive House and what it’s like to live in this ultra efficient...

Passive House-Letter to the Editor...

A few weeks ago John Dodge of the Olympian wrote a great article introducing the concepts of Passive House. I subsequently noticed a few comments on-line that prompted this ‘letter to the editor’ as a way to clarify a few points about the Passive House Standard. Dear Editor- It was strikingly dramatic for me to read John Dodge’s recent article about the Passive House movement, and even more poignant to consider that The Olympian’s readership is becoming more keenly aware of this amazing approach to energy efficient homes.  I am Tessa Smith, Certified...

Passive House-Olympian Article...

John Dodge, of The Olympian, wrote an article about us that appeared on the front page of last Sunday’s paper. You can read the online article here. This is reposted. Passive homes for those committed to the environment THE OLYMPIAN | • Published May 16, 2010 The next generation of energy-efficient homes is about to make its debut in South Sound. Passive homes is an architectural design that eliminates the need for a central heating and cooling system in a building through super insulation, airtight construction that wipes out thermal bridges, and ...

Best Whole-House Remodel Award...

The Olympia Master Builders graciously hosted the annual Remodel Excellence Awards (REX) this past week. There were many beautiful projects submitted and it’s always a delight to see the craftsmanship of all the fine builders in Olympia. We were greatly pleased to win the award for the Best Whole House Remodel in the $150,000-500,000 category. The home we submitted was a charming and modest, albeit, funky waterfront home that was due for some serious attention. I wrote up a three part posting on it a few months back if you are interested in the full story. The short...

South Sound Green Tour Success...

Despite driving rains and aggressive squalls on Saturday, the turn out for the tour was outstanding, and even better on Sunday with the beautiful sunny weather! Folks are genuinely intrigued and curious to learn more about the new efficient technologies and how they can play an active role in a ‘greener’ or more sustainable lifestyle. Mid Century Modern ~ Passive House by Tessa Smith Our designer, Tessa Smith, presented on Passive House design and the inherent lifestyle value, environmental benefits and the surprising cost savings of designing and building to...

South Sound Green Tour Reminder...

South Sound Green Tour Just a last reminder to check out the South Sound Green Tour this weekend April 17 &18. The Tour sites are open from 10am to 4pm, there is a schedule and map of the workshops and demonstrations here. Tuesday’s Olympian featured a front page article about the Cooper Residence, which will be on the tour. Tessa Smith, our building designer at The Artisans Group, designed the home and it was built by Cory Eckert, owner of Laupen Homes. It’s a PNW Mediterranean-style home with many green features that come together in a very impressive...

Green Tour Workshops at The Artisans Gro...

For the full list of all workshops and demonstrations at the South Sound Green Tour. Schedule of Workshops and Resources at The Artisans Group Design Center : Sat | Sun | 12pm | The Artisans Group Design Center | 1508 Fourth Avenue David Jennings of Rainier Renewable Energy will provide an opportunity for the public to view renewable energy systems up close – Wind, Solar Hot Water, Solar Electric, Geothermal, and Greywater recycling systems – that anyone can add to their homes to save money, live greener,  and be more energy independent.   Experts will...

Passive House NW Regional Meeting...

Last Friday, three of us from The Artisans Group attended the first regional meeting of Passive House Northwest. (Randy Foster, Owner, Tessa Smith PH Consultant, and me Zeta Kelly, Marketing Director.) (If you are up on these standards, skip this note in italics: Passive House standards, out of Germany, are the most rigorous energy efficiency building standards in the industry today (not to be confused with a passive solar home). A home built to Passive House standards can be certified once the completed building performance is measured and verified. As a result of ...

Best of South Sound Contractors...

Pretty exciting news first thing Monday morning! It appears we took the highest place in The Olympian newspaper’s on-line poll for  “Best of South Sound” contractors. What is Best of South Sound? Best of South Sound is an annual special section published by The Olympian that showcases businesses chosen by the community as the “Best of South Sound” for the previous year. How does it work? The Olympian’s readers may vote online from February 8th until March 8th. Each reader will be limited to one ballot and one vote per ...