A builder on Martha's Vineyard used this cottage for himself and his family to learn the process of building a certified passive house.
Farley Pedler A builder on Martha's Vineyard used this cottage for himself and his family to learn the process of building a certified passive house.

I've been building houses off and on since high school and have always been a conservationist at heart. When I started my own building company on Martha's Vineyard in 2006, my goal was to build houses that were more energy efficient, but it was difficult to find like-minded clients. The first time I built a home using efficient framing techniques and closed-cell foam insulation was in 2009; it was much more energy efficient than most spec houses at the time. My understanding of how to create a truly efficient home was still in the formative stages, though, and I've built eight houses since then, each one better than the last.

For some time, I've been intrigued by the Passive House movement in Europe, as well as in this country, and last year, I began exploring the possibility of building a passive house for myself. Through the Passive House Institute US (PHIUS), I learned of several passive homes on the mainland, which in turn led me to architect Steve Baczek, who...

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