Pretty Good House 2.0: Practical Low Carbon
High-performance-home designer Michael Maines presents a collection of easy-to-implement construction details for building more environmentally friendly houses.
Building on the basics of the now popular “Pretty Good House” movement, Michael Maines will make a case for what’s next: a focus on low carbon. Attendees will learn why it’s critically important to reduce the embodied carbon, as well as the operating carbon, in our buildings, and discuss a range of realistic ways to do so. The majority of this session will focus on construction details and materials that are practical and effective.
Browse or download a PDF of the seminar slideshow below
Fine Homebuilding Recommended Products
Fine Homebuilding receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.
A House Needs to Breathe...Or Does It?: An Introduction to Building Science
Musings of an Energy Nerd: Toward an Energy-Efficient Home
All New Kitchen Ideas that Work
View Comments
One of the most critical low-C building is the choice of insulation: See "Insulation Products for Green Homes", Corrinne Segura, 10/26/22. XPS is really terrible. We used dense-pack (walls) and loose pack cellulose (ceiling) -- they actually have a net negative impact on CO2. Most of cellulose these days comes from cardboard, not just recycled paper/newspaper.