Another Passive House

I found another Passive House under construction or rather retrofit.  It is in Austin and is a young couple who are doing most of the work themselves. They almost totally torn down the house but due to lead and asbestos, they decided it was cheaper to cover it up instead of take it down.  This is the result.

It started with a small 1000 sq ft house clad with limestone which Nick tore off and gave away to neighbors.  He raised the roof 2.5 ft and incorporated the one-car garage to bring the size up to 1800 sq ft.  He used high efficiency INLINE windows that are not cheap at first but over time will prove to be one of his best investments.

Notice how the windows are casement (no air infiltration) and set back in the wall so that they set over the insulation.  His walls have an R value of over 50 since he was required to build two entire walls-one to cover the old asbestos wall and one for extra insulation and wiring.  He only requires a 3/4 ton mini split heat pump for heat and A/C.  Notice the ceiling has been raised and the use of lights to even increase the feeling of openness in the house.

Nick even salvaged the old growth pine from the old house for use around the ceiling.  He also has a Hybrid Heat Pump Water Heater which is useful to keep humidity down and to add to the cooling of the house.  His house is all electric and his bills ran $91/m for this past  horrible hot summer and that was even with an Energy Recovery Ventilator that wasn't operating as efficiently as it should have.

As for my land, TDOT did me another favor and put my mailbox on a regular stand.  I have even received mail at my new address.

We have another road going in behind my property...about a mile from me.  It is an extension of the Ronald Reagan Blvd that will eventually tie into IH 35 north of Georgetown and connect to the toll road 130.  This is also the road that will encourage travel along the road next to my property: CR 245 which will be a major cut-thru from RR 2338.  That is probably why the intersection at CR 245 and RR 2338 will also have a traffic light.

This area is just exploding with growth---of roads.  At least the roads are ahead of the development but as soon as the developers see the economy change, they will also take off.  My property is next to one developer's property on two sides and he told me this week, when he sees who gets in as President, he will be ready to build..he has over 1500 acres and is on both sides of the road above.

Still no Electricity to my property yet.  PEC seems to be having trouble getting an easement across the 5-lane road.  At least I don't have to pay for that!!