The Scope of Green Building Q&A...

A recent inquiry on our website rendered some great feedback from our designer, Tessa Smith, worthy of sharing: Query: After doing my homework, I believe the best green building standard is the ultra-efficient Passive House. That said, I know Passive House focus’ mainly on energy use (or conservation rather). Because designing and building a house is a complicated and involved process, I want to consider a full scope of ‘green’ while I’m at it. What else should I have in mind while I’m talking to designers and builders? Answer: Great Question,...

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 Remodel Portland Oregon...

I wrote a few days ago California’s first certified Passive House remodel coming on board in July. As Passive House design picks up momentum, I thought you might enjoy reading about other projects around the nation. Here is an article about a 1997 Portland based home that was remodeled to Passive stands in 2009. Coincidentally, the owner of this home was at our regional Passive House meeting a few weeks ago as a speaker, talking about the process of remodeling his relatively new home to a high performance Passive House. In closing, he was asked what it’s like...

Passive House Design-The Heating System...

We talk about Passive House quite a lot and will likely continue since it’s one of our favorite subjects. I’m excited to report that Tessa, our designer, has three Passive Houses in Design Development right now and we receive questions daily from folks cruising the web. The Passive House ‘buzz’ that is starting to happen is very energizing for all of us at The Artisans Group! I have a favorite question that gets asked in response to when a person discovers that a Passive House requires no heating system. No heating system is so revolutionary a...

Fuel Cells: The Bloom Box...

This is an interesting article on the next generation of de-centralized fuel cells… like much of technology, it won’t be long before we all have our own clean power sources generated right at home!… I hope. Christian Science Monitor. Click here to link to the original article. By Husna Haq Correspondent / February 22, 2010 It’s being hailed as the Holy Grail of clean energy: a refrigerator-sized personal power plant that produces energy cheaply and cleanly and may one day replace the traditional power grid....

How is Energy Efficiency Measured?...

HOW IS ENERGY EFFICIENCY MEASURED?* If you’ve read my previous posts on the origin of Passive House, you’ll know it originated out of Europe and the Passive House standards were born of the Low Energy House standards. The chart below references European homes and is in kWh per square meters per year, but you can imagine use patterns are not extremely dissimilar in the U.S. On the other hand, since we are notoriously heavy energy consumers, the energy savings indicated would be that much more graphic! Energy efficiency ratings of cars are measured in miles per...

June 25 Insulating Concrete Forms –...

Insulating Concrete Forms – Installation Training  Thursday June 25th 9am-4pm The is the next course in our Green Building Education Series. Everyone completing the course will receive an Amvic ICF Installation Training Certificate Registration: Contact classreg.ecobuilding@gmail.com or call 360. 754. 6152 Sign-in: Begins at 8:30 Location: Regional Education & Training Center @ Satsop | 150 Technology Way, Building 34 , Elma WA Cost: $95 Class Description: This Construction Course is part of the Green Envelope Series. A one-day seminar on construction using...

April 17 & 18 South Sound Green Tou...

The South Sound ECO-Builders-Guild Hosts: The South Sound Green Tour Innovation – Education – Inspiration April 17th and 18th, 2010 A community event to celebrate green innovations through education in sustainable building and inspired living. This year’s tour will showcase the greenest homes and buildings in our area that incorporate significant use of solar or other renewable energies, new and reclaimed materials, low energy consumption and water conservation technologies, and sustainable design techniques. Educational sessions will be held at various...

Ultra Grip Green Primer...

Ultra Grip Multi Purpose Primer. Though I just discovered a write up on this product, and haven’t tried it yet, it looks like one of those products that  could carry the weight of “making the job”.These are the kinds of products everyone should have in their arsenal for home projects. Dunn-Edwards Corporation is the manufacturer. They claim this primer is suitable for interior and exterior surfaces including wood, masonry, metal (non ferrous), drywall, and fiberglass, it even sticks to old enamel paint. It’s 100% acrylic and functions as a stain...

Our Own Passive House Consultant...

We received notice yesterday of news we’ve longed to hear… our  lead building designer, Tessa Smith, passed her grueling exams to achieve status as a Passive House consultant! Tessa is one of fewer than 300 certified Passive House Consultants in the United States. Tessa has been with The Artisans Group for 4 years; she’s been consistently producing award-winning remodel and new construction designs for us.  Her designs speak for themselves. Tessa has a deep background in sustainable design, and is very much a part of the new generation of designers that...