Our Portfolio

The Challenge

Young family wanted a home that'd barely touch the grid while still feeling spacious and bright. Toronto winters aren't exactly passive-house-friendly, so we had our work cut out for us. They also had this thing about not wanting it to look like a science experiment from the outside.

Our Approach

We oriented the main living spaces south to capture maximum solar gain during winter. Triple-glazed European windows (yeah, they're pricey, but worth it) and a super-insulated envelope that's basically airtight. The geothermal system handles heating and cooling through radiant floors - no forced air, no drafts. Added a heat recovery ventilator because you can't just seal a house up tight without thinking about air quality.

The real trick was making the thermal envelope work without breaking the bank or the aesthetic. Lots of coordination with trades who'd never done passive house before, which meant being on-site more than usual to troubleshoot.

Before & After Energy Performance

What We Learned

Details matter like crazy in passive house construction. One badly installed window can blow your air-tightness tests. Also, educating the homeowners about how to actually live in a passive house was huge - they needed to understand why they shouldn't block the south-facing windows with heavy curtains in January.