Passive House Remodel in a Historic Neighborhood

Merely exterior of downtown Austin, Texas, our 1914 Craftsman-style home is a case analysis for Passive House renovation, attaining and in a hot-humid native climate. This renovation fulfilled every a personal {{and professional}} mission. My partner, Adrienne, and I bought the house better than a decade previously after falling in love with the neighborhood. We had been always keen about what it is perhaps and deliberate to exchange it. Given my experience as an architect at , and with Adrienne’s emphasis on healthful and sustainable interiors at her company,  we observed this as our different to indicate the probabilities for a small, healthful, high-performance residence.

Collectively, we improved the setting up envelope, which lacked insulation; added sq. footage with a recent addition; and created a flexible flooring plan that matched our youthful family’s life-style whereas sustaining the integrity of the historic development. Electrification is a priority for any Passive House problem, so we moreover added a 6.3kw PV array and battery backup.

Starting from near scratch

The house is positioned in a Nationwide Register Historic District, so we would have liked to keep up as numerous the prevailing development as attainable. We met with a buddy who oversees Preservation Austin to talk by way of our proposed changes. The plan was to avoid wasting a number of all the framing, nonetheless as quickly because the siding bought right here off and we observed the extent of the water and termite hurt, the plans modified. What stays of the distinctive development is the porch and columns (the piers had been redone inside the ’80s).

Starting from near scratch allowed us to transition from 2×4 framing to 2×6, offering a deeper cavity for insulation and extra true partitions. We moreover wanted to take care of a foundation that was 2 in. out of diploma. New piers had been put in to…