Cold Climate Passive House Retrofit in Connecticut

A collection of five videos on a #PassiveHouse #Retrofit in Sharon, CT (climate zone 5) executed by Ben Bogie, Built to Last Design & Build, LLC.

This is by no means an exhaustive dissection of the construction process, but it gives a good overview of what they did, why they did it, and exactly how it was done.

This building has since been certified as PHIUS+ from the Passive House Institute US.

THICKENING THE WALLS AND ROOF

A Modified Larsen Truss Using I-Joists on a Passive House Retrofit

Screwing I-joists to the outside of a wall—really—makes a lot more room for insulation on a deep energy retrofit in NW Connecticut 

Modified Larsen Truss Retrofit: I-Joists on a Roof

Framing a roof with I-joists over the existing roof makes a ton of room for insulation and offers a short lesson in vapor movement through assemblies

WINDOW INSTALLATION

Installing an In-Betweenie Window (1): Sill Pan Flashing

Flashing an In-Betweenie window is a lot like flashing an Innie or an Outie, only it is somewhere in between.

Installing an In-Betweenie (2): Jamb and Head Flashing

With the sill pan flashed, Ben turns to flashing the jambs of a window opening in this passive house retrofit

In-Betweenie Window Install (3): Put the Window in the Hole

The final step: center it in the opening, and seal the perimeter.

?This collection of videos recently won the Gold Medal at the American Society Of Business Publication Editors' Azbee Awards for Editorial Excellence in the Video Tutorial category. The house won an award for awesomeness from NESEA, the New England Sustainable Energy Association. Yay!