FHB Podcast Segment: How Do You Find an Affordable Way to Do High-Performance?
In this Fine Homebuilding Podcast Segment, the team provides expert advice on affordable prefab options for high-performance homes.
In this FHB Podcast Segment from episode 639, J. writes in to Green Building Advisor about finding an affordable way to build high-performance homes. Below is a summary of his question (you can jump to the conversation start at 2:45).
J. is planning to build a 3-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom house (under 2000 sq. ft.) in the Catskills (Climate Zone 6) near Kingston, N.Y., with a construction budget of $550k, excluding sitework. He wants a passive house or something close to it but lacks DIY skills and plans to fully contract out the work. Local bespoke construction seems too expensive, with quotes between $400 to $600 per sq. ft., excluding sitework and design fees. A local builder offers $280 per sq. ft. but may not meet passive house standards despite including an HRV system.
J’s Options
J. is considering prefab options from Ecocor, Unity Homes, and GO Home:
- Ecocor: Passive houses, potentially within budget with their Solsken designs.
- Unity Homes: Not passive houses, but might meet Pretty Good House standards, though some designs have thermal bridges.
- GO Home: Passive houses.
J. seeks advice on experiences with the listed prefab options including build process and quality, how to find local builders/designers capable of delivering a supertight and efficient house, and any recommended resources or forums for learning more.
Listen to the Full Episode
Want more advice from experts on topics like building affordable high performance homes and so much more? Then be sure to subscribe to the Fine Homebuilding Podcast! The show is driven by our listeners, so please subscribe and rate us on iTunes, Spotify, YouTube Music, or wherever you prefer to listen. If you have any questions you would like us to dig into for a future show, shoot an email our way: [email protected].
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