"tiny house"

tiny house / Green Building & Sustainable Home Renovation Information & Advice

Excavation

Things to look for when purchasing land for building a house

...house you want, or any house at all, so before you make a purchase make sure you can proceed with your plans. Issues to consider before making an offer: Zoning: First check that you are allowed to build a house on the lot in question. Don't rely solely on the word of the seller or agent; confirm this with the local mun...

Slab on Grade

How to build a slab-on-grade on standard soil

...house sits at about grade at the north side, but needed about 3 feet of fill at the south edge to level the building site. Compacted slab on grade base © Ecohome A plate packer was used to tamp the ground in stages to ensure a solid base, as seen above. A retaining wall was built using rocks from the site to hold the...

Off-grid and Net-Zero Housing

The Kenogami House: Energy systems in Net Zero Energy home design

...house in a harsh climate possibly the most efficient house ever made, even exceeding Passive House levels of performance. But how does Passive House compare to Net Zero Energy homes in terms of efficiency and energy consumption? While both prioritize reducing energy use, their approach and certification requirements di...

LEED Homes

Quebec carpentry students to build LEED house for Habitat for Humanity

...house building project, and so far it looks like they will do very well. The design is by no means completed; it is still in the very early stages. The teachers are taking advantage of this opportunity to come up with any and all green features they can think of, all while ensuring this house fits in with its future ne...

Heat pumps, geothermal and AC

How mini split heat pumps work in a LEED or Passive House high efficiency zero net energy home - video

...House certified home? Really well as it happens, see a great example of a split system heat pump installation in the Edelweiss LEED Platinum V4 Home below: The Edelweiss House has a radiant floor to keep our feet comfortable but we rely on a Mitsubishi Mr. Slim ductless mini-split air source heat pump to heat the air ...

Air and vapour barriers

What is an air barrier?

...house wrap, even the polyethylene we normally install as a vapour barrier can act as an effective air barrier, but only if you set out with that in mind and properly seal it. The difference between air barriers and vapor barriers © Ecohome What the above diagram attempts to illustrate, is how much moisture g...

Air and vapour barriers

The difference between air barriers and vapor barriers

...house analogy, hope it helps. Since warm air expands, there is more space between its molecules compared to cold air. Water vapor is found in that space. When warm air cools as it passes through your walls, it contracts and squeezes out the moisture, leaving you with condensation. In order to prevent condensation fr...

Air and vapour barriers

How to install an air barrier for reduced air leakage - video

The Ecohome Demo House has a vapor permeable exterior air barrier, and with an ACH rate of .69 it is several times more airtight than the average new home. Air leakage can be responsible for up to 1/3 of the total heat loss of a home and cause significant moisture damage in walls, as one small hole can be responsible ...

Windows and doors

Installing doors & windows for the best performance in high efficiency homes, LEED & Passive House

...House, Zero Net Energy or those that are LEED certified, all rely on the building envelope having a high level of insulation and being airtight. In a sealed building, moisture is removed and fresh air injected via an HRV or ERV unit to control the energy losses from essential ventilation. To put it simply, the US Depar...

Kitchens

Choosing green kitchen countertops for sustainable homes Including LEED v4 & Passive House PHIUS+ certified

...House PHIUS+ certification or LEED v4 certification standards, not just for the look, but also for the material composition, durability & sustainability. Recycled quartz kitchen counters This counter is a ground-up mix of glass, porcelain and quartz heated to over 1,000 degrees Celsius and compressed underneath 25...

Insulation and soundproofing

How much insulation is too much in attics and walls?

...house is, for many reasons, usually more durable and more valuable in terms of resale. It also means that if you plan on occupying that house for the next 50 years, then it's possible to save $20,000 for a $2,000 investment. But there's more to it than this simple calculation of ROI. How much loose blown cellulose in...