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The Home of the Future
January 25, 2012New York based journalist Charlie Hoxie recently made a documentary, Passive Passion, to help spread the word about designing and building using the Passive House methods. In his video clips he features the homeowner of the first certified Passive House …
Article: Passive House Retrofit
January 16, 2012Worth a quick read, is an article from the Star Tribune about a man who is retrofitting his 2000 sf, 1935 Minneapolis Tudor style home into a ultra energy efficient home for his family, using the Passive House design and …
Article: Tree Shaped Solar Arrays
December 14, 2011While out hiking in the Catskill mountains, Aiden discovered a new patterning sequence for solar photovoltaic panels based on deciduous tree branch design structure, resulting in a 20% increase in the energy output when compared to typical flat panel arrays! …
Reader Question:Insulation Levels Passive House
November 30, 2011[Recent Reader Question] Subject: Insulations levels in a passive solar house Question: I’m interested in building a passive solar house using Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) walls, R-60 ceiling. What’s appropriate for under-slab in total R value? Answer: I’ll quickly …
Q & A on Passive House Appliances
November 13, 2011We recently received a thoughtful email from prospective clients who have been giving energy efficiency and Passive House design some serious consideration; their primary concerns with such a well insulated and tight home is with ventilation of moisture, cooking smells, …
Heat Your Home for $1.63 a week!
October 26, 2011“Heat my home for $1.63 a week! Guaranteed comfort and warmth without a sweater in January?” That’s what I’m talkin’ about. With help from the United States Energy Information Administration, we’ve calculated projections related to the cost of heating our …
Women Making Marks in Construction
October 5, 2011Recently the Business Examiner printed a feature article about women in construction. Artisans Group Lead Designer and Co-owner, Tessa Smith, was interviewed to share her experiences as one who is at the leading edge of sustainable design and construction in …
Testimonials-Tooting our Horn
September 16, 2011Hey why not? Customer service is serious business around here and for good reason, without them there is no business. We’re grateful there are folks out there searching to lower their carbon footprint and build green and…who let us …
2011 Tour of Homes TOUR GUIDES AVAILABLE TODAY
August 18, 2011Olympia Master Builders Annual Tour of Homes Save the date: August 20 & 21 and 27 & 28 UPDATE: TOUR GUIDES AVAILABLE TODAY AUGUST 18TH! Look for insert in the Olympian newspaper, or swing by Olympia Master Builders (1211 …
Country Charm Gallery
August 16, 2011Another amazing example of the design flexibility of the unparalleled energy efficient building standard, Passive House! Green building at it’s most charming, this modern farmhouse, lightly French inspired, is a study in whimsy, drama, and eclecticism. Designed for a …