Past and present designs combine to create a timeless and sustainable home.
There are numerous factors one needs to consider when building a home in a rural environment—from sensible exterior design to ease of maintenance. If one then adds sustainable energy usage to their list of requirements, the project can become even more daunting.
The Fairview Passive, however, checks all the boxes when it comes to upkeep, aesthetic appeal, and cost-effectiveness, thanks in no small part to its impressive net zero energy usage.
That eco-friendly effort has resulted in Fairview Passive being named Green Builder’s 2026 Green Home of the Year (GHOTY) winner in the Net Zero Carbon category.
Located in historic Grantsville, Md., the Fairview Passive is a two-story, single-family residence designed from the ground up to be budget-friendly and environmentally conscious. Modeled to meet the Passive House U.S. Standard, the unit produces more energy than it consumes—even with its almost entirely electric appliances—thanks to an 8.8-kilowatt rooftop solar array.
From the Judges:“Excellent focus on sustainability, resilience, essential living, and budget.”
The only piece of equipment that doesn’t draw from solar panels is a quaint wood-burning stove, which serves as the primary heat source. Backup heating (and cooling, in the warmer summer months) is provided by a 1.5-ton, wall-mounted Mitsubishi mini-split HVAC system, while a RenewAire ERV provides constant fresh air and exhaust.
None of that air leaks out of the unit thanks to a completely sealed, dense-packed cellulose envelope that frames nearly the entire house. The only exception is the concrete foundation, which instead has bags of perlite beneath it to round out the insulation without the use of any foam.
Let the Sunshine In
Even with its impressive airtightness, the Fairview Passive’s project team initially had difficulties keeping the unit at a comfortable temperature when faced with the prospect of cold Maryland winters. “The heat from the wood-burning stove and wall-mounted mini-split does not reach the second-floor bedrooms or bathrooms,” notes Carri Beer, lead architect for project designer Common Ecology Architecture in Baltimore. “I would have instead installed a ducted heat pump to serve those rooms with heat.”
To compensate for the limitations of the chosen heating systems, the team turned to the most powerful source of heat around: the sun. IKON triple-pane windows and doors let in light and heat from the low sun in the winter months. Combined with high insulation, this provides the entire home with radiant heat. During the summer, expertly designed shading and overhangs prevent overheating from the higher sun.
The Fairview Passive was already perfectly set up to make the most of this design choice; the first step in the home’s design had been to orient it along the east-west axis to ensure the maximum possible yield from its south-facing solar panels. The large, southside windows provide the most radiant heat possible to complement the home’s minimally sized heating systems. Those same windows give the owner an impressive view of the beautiful surrounding landscape, and they provide a pleasing natural light.
Drawing upon the surrounding environment is one of the core concepts of the Fairview Passive, with most of its features and materials being locally sourced. Its metal roof, constructed by AB Martin, and metal siding are sourced from within a 200-mile radius of the property.
The cedar used in the home’s siding and oak used for the floors, doors, cabinets, built-ins and trim are similarly local. And, in an inter-home example, condensate water from the Whirlpool heat pump clothes dryer and A.O. Smith heat pump water heater is captured for reuse in either of those systems, as well as a Whirlpool dishwasher, or any of the home’s other efficient plumbing fixtures, such as its dual-flush toilets or Water Sense faucets.
Plans are in place to continue these sustainable sourcing practices, with rain cisterns being added to the downspouts for irrigation, and a nearby meadow being rewilded for the continuity of the native ecology.
Above all, the Fairview Passive was a labor of love for the design team, who shared the owner’s vision for a quiet, peaceful home, as well as their values for an energy-efficient, low-maintenance, and low-cost living space. In fact, the owner was personally involved in the project, constructing the cabinets, doors, stairs, and built-ins, and completing all of the unit’s trim work.
Sometimes, this led to unpleasant surprises, Beer recalls. “The owner took over the door and window order, and unfortunately no one caught that the 36-inch front door was for the opening size, not the frame,” she notes. “When ordering a high-performance door, this meant the opening was only 30 inches. We had to wait several months to get a new door from overseas!”
The delay reminded Beer that project timelines “should always be doubled or even tripled.”
Overall, the project reinforced Beer’s belief in the beauty of collaboration, and the joy of establishing long-lasting friendships with her clients. The impressive results of this sort of collaboration speak for themselves.
IKON triple-glazedwindows let in light and heat from the low sun in the winter months, providing a natural form of indoor environmental control. Credit: Frazier Springfield Photography
A wood-burning stove serves as the home’s primary heat source, and is one of its only non-electric appliances. Credit: Common Ecology Architecture/Carri Beer
The cedar used in the home’s siding and oak used for the floors, doors, cabinets, built-ins and trim are from locally felled trees. Credit: Common Ecology Architecture/Carri Beer
The Fairview Passive home produces more energy than it consumes thanks to an 8.8-kilowatt rooftop solar array. Credit: Frazier Springfield Photography
Durable metal siding, high-quality glass and repurposed wood make The Fairview Passive a grand example of sustainable building. Credit: Frazier Springfield Photography
The metal for the home’s roof and siding is designed to withstand the harshest weather. Credit: Frazier Springfield Photography
Key Components
Appliances: LG refrigerator, induction cooktop, convection wall oven; Bosch dishwasher; Whirlpool heat pump clothes dryer and washer. Building envelope: Featuring 2-by-12, dense pack cellulose insulation walls; TJI roof framing with dense-pack cellulose insulation; slab on grade with perlite below-slab insulation. Cabinets, shelves, millwork: Built by owner from local fallen wood. Countertops: Made from locally sourced granite. Doors and hardware: Door panels are built by owner from local fallen wood. Exterior finishes: Siding is locally sourced and milled from local fallen cedar; metal wall panels are by AB Martin. Flooring: Features a concrete slab first floor; locally sourced white oak second floor. HVAC/ducts: Mitsubishi heat pump mini-split wall-mounted unit; Vermont Castings wood burning stove. Insulation: Blown-in cellulose. Roof: Metal roof by A.B. Martin. Ventilation: RenewAire Energy Recovery Ventilator. Water heating: A.O. Smith heat pump water heater. Windows, skylights, patio doors: IKON triple-pane wood windows and doors.
Alan Naditz is managing editor of Green Builder Magazine. He has covered numerous industries in his extensive career, including residential and commercial construction, small and corporate business, real estate and sustainability.
Net Zero Carbon Home Winner
Past and present designs combine to create a timeless and sustainable home.
The Fairview Passive, however, checks all the boxes when it comes to upkeep, aesthetic appeal, and cost-effectiveness, thanks in no small part to its impressive net zero energy usage.
That eco-friendly effort has resulted in Fairview Passive being named Green Builder’s 2026 Green Home of the Year (GHOTY) winner in the Net Zero Carbon category.
Located in historic Grantsville, Md., the Fairview Passive is a two-story, single-family residence designed from the ground up to be budget-friendly and environmentally conscious. Modeled to meet the Passive House U.S. Standard, the unit produces more energy than it consumes—even with its almost entirely electric appliances—thanks to an 8.8-kilowatt rooftop solar array.
From the Judges:“Excellent focus on sustainability, resilience, essential living, and budget.”
The only piece of equipment that doesn’t draw from solar panels is a quaint wood-burning stove, which serves as the primary heat source. Backup heating (and cooling, in the warmer summer months) is provided by a 1.5-ton, wall-mounted Mitsubishi mini-split HVAC system, while a RenewAire ERV provides constant fresh air and exhaust.
None of that air leaks out of the unit thanks to a completely sealed, dense-packed cellulose envelope that frames nearly the entire house. The only exception is the concrete foundation, which instead has bags of perlite beneath it to round out the insulation without the use of any foam.
Let the Sunshine In
Even with its impressive airtightness, the Fairview Passive’s project team initially had difficulties keeping the unit at a comfortable temperature when faced with the prospect of cold Maryland winters. “The heat from the wood-burning stove and wall-mounted mini-split does not reach the second-floor bedrooms or bathrooms,” notes Carri Beer, lead architect for project designer Common Ecology Architecture in Baltimore. “I would have instead installed a ducted heat pump to serve those rooms with heat.”
To compensate for the limitations of the chosen heating systems, the team turned to the most powerful source of heat around: the sun. IKON triple-pane windows and doors let in light and heat from the low sun in the winter months. Combined with high insulation, this provides the entire home with radiant heat. During the summer, expertly designed shading and overhangs prevent overheating from the higher sun.
The Fairview Passive was already perfectly set up to make the most of this design choice; the first step in the home’s design had been to orient it along the east-west axis to ensure the maximum possible yield from its south-facing solar panels. The large, southside windows provide the most radiant heat possible to complement the home’s minimally sized heating systems. Those same windows give the owner an impressive view of the beautiful surrounding landscape, and they provide a pleasing natural light.
Click to view a larger image
Love Where You Live
Drawing upon the surrounding environment is one of the core concepts of the Fairview Passive, with most of its features and materials being locally sourced. Its metal roof, constructed by AB Martin, and metal siding are sourced from within a 200-mile radius of the property.
The cedar used in the home’s siding and oak used for the floors, doors, cabinets, built-ins and trim are similarly local. And, in an inter-home example, condensate water from the Whirlpool heat pump clothes dryer and A.O. Smith heat pump water heater is captured for reuse in either of those systems, as well as a Whirlpool dishwasher, or any of the home’s other efficient plumbing fixtures, such as its dual-flush toilets or Water Sense faucets.
Plans are in place to continue these sustainable sourcing practices, with rain cisterns being added to the downspouts for irrigation, and a nearby meadow being rewilded for the continuity of the native ecology.
Above all, the Fairview Passive was a labor of love for the design team, who shared the owner’s vision for a quiet, peaceful home, as well as their values for an energy-efficient, low-maintenance, and low-cost living space. In fact, the owner was personally involved in the project, constructing the cabinets, doors, stairs, and built-ins, and completing all of the unit’s trim work.
Sometimes, this led to unpleasant surprises, Beer recalls. “The owner took over the door and window order, and unfortunately no one caught that the 36-inch front door was for the opening size, not the frame,” she notes. “When ordering a high-performance door, this meant the opening was only 30 inches. We had to wait several months to get a new door from overseas!”
The delay reminded Beer that project timelines “should always be doubled or even tripled.”
Overall, the project reinforced Beer’s belief in the beauty of collaboration, and the joy of establishing long-lasting friendships with her clients. The impressive results of this sort of collaboration speak for themselves.
IKON triple-glazedwindows let in light and heat from the low sun in the winter months, providing a natural form of indoor environmental control. Credit: Frazier Springfield Photography
A wood-burning stove serves as the home’s primary heat source, and is one of its only non-electric appliances. Credit: Common Ecology Architecture/Carri Beer
The cedar used in the home’s siding and oak used for the floors, doors, cabinets, built-ins and trim are from locally felled trees. Credit: Common Ecology Architecture/Carri Beer
The Fairview Passive home produces more energy than it consumes thanks to an 8.8-kilowatt rooftop solar array. Credit: Frazier Springfield Photography
Durable metal siding, high-quality glass and repurposed wood make The Fairview Passive a grand example of sustainable building. Credit: Frazier Springfield Photography
The metal for the home’s roof and siding is designed to withstand the harshest weather. Credit: Frazier Springfield Photography
Key Components
Appliances: LG refrigerator, induction cooktop, convection wall oven; Bosch dishwasher; Whirlpool heat pump clothes dryer and washer.
Building envelope: Featuring 2-by-12, dense pack cellulose insulation walls; TJI roof framing with dense-pack cellulose insulation; slab on grade with perlite below-slab insulation.
Cabinets, shelves, millwork: Built by owner from local fallen wood.
Countertops: Made from locally sourced granite.
Doors and hardware: Door panels are built by owner from local fallen wood.
Exterior finishes: Siding is locally sourced and milled from local fallen cedar; metal wall panels are by AB Martin.
Flooring: Features a concrete slab first floor; locally sourced white oak second floor.
HVAC/ducts: Mitsubishi heat pump mini-split wall-mounted unit; Vermont Castings wood burning stove.
Insulation: Blown-in cellulose.
Roof: Metal roof by A.B. Martin.
Ventilation: RenewAire Energy Recovery Ventilator.
Water heating: A.O. Smith heat pump water heater.
Windows, skylights, patio doors: IKON triple-pane wood windows and doors.
By Alan Naditz
Alan Naditz is managing editor of Green Builder Magazine. He has covered numerous industries in his extensive career, including residential and commercial construction, small and corporate business, real estate and sustainability.Also Read