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Introducing TrekHaus

It’s been a while since the CoreHaus was finished but that doesn’t mean we’ve been sipping margaritas on the beach (although that does sound tempting). Bart and I are thrilled to have been working with Portland residents Ella Wong and Randy Hayslip to design and build their new home, a two-unit townhouse project in SE Portland. They were attracted to the Passivhaus features of the CoreHaus but wanted to take the next step to site net-zero energy use.  We worked with them to design a home that fits their site, project requirements, and budget, and are now under construction. Ella has put together a great website at www.trekhauspdx.com where you can find out more about the project and follow the construction.

Below are a couple images of the project.

View from the front

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Snowy day

Just a dash of snow makes for some nice pictures. Thanks T!

A New Era

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The CoreHaus has found a new owner and it looks like it will be well loved. I’ll respect the new owner’s privacy but I will say that the house will definitely be in good hands. We both look forward to seeing how the house will be used but also appreciate spaces prior to furniture and [...]

BIG Tour! September 25th!

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Discounted tickets are available through August 12th for the annual BIG (Build It Green) tour put on by the city of Portland on September 25th. This will another chance to see and learn about the CoreHaus and twenty other “green” homes in the Portland area. I believe all three Portland Passive Houses under construction will be [...]

Something old, something new

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Last week we finished up siding. For most of the house we chose durable, low-maintenance cementitious siding. Near the front door and along the side yard, however, we used reclaimed wood from the house that used to be at this location. We took the old structural 2×4s, many of them old-growth fir, and cut them [...]

Now available on DVD and YouTube…

Bart put together a short video highlighting the “sucker door test” we performed a few months back. This test, in which we put the house under very high negative pressure, was very helpful in locating air leakage. The video demonstrates just how much pressure the test created…. and how much fun we had. Check out [...]