A high-performance home comes together like a game of 3D Chess, where location, siting, climate and lifestyle align.
The latest edition of The Homeowner’s Handbook is a labor of love for me. I created the first version about 10 years ago, as a tool for homebuilders to hand out to their clients, to help them understand the fundamentals of sustainable building.
Over the years, I’ve tweaked, updated and revised many sections. This year is no exception. Enormous shifts at both the macro and micro level have elevated the importance of housing as a safe haven from the shocks of daily living.
Today’s home not only has to meet the low bar of being “comfortable,” it also has to anticipate extreme weather conditions, including life-threatening heat, and dire regional threats such as wildfire and flooding.
Fortunately, building scientists have not been idle, and we have both the knowledge and the products to build homes that can handle nature’s fury. You’ll find many of the most time-tested ones in this Handbook.
As you’ll learn by studying my “Green Builder Pyramid,” no single product makes a home sustainable. Some are foundational. Some boost performance only after insulation and other steps are complete. In the Handbook, you’ll learn how choices add up. Every coating, window, appliance and cabinet impacts the overall livability and performance of a home.
Make this the year where you harden, upgrade, and prepare your home for whatever the future holds. A resilient home can also be a beautiful, peaceful place.
Veteran journalist Matt Power has reported on innovation and sustainability in housing for nearly three decades. An award-winning writer, editor, and filmmaker, he has a long history of asking hard questions and adding depth and context as he unfolds complex issues.
Turning Home Dreams Into Themes
A high-performance home comes together like a game of 3D Chess, where location, siting, climate and lifestyle align.
Over the years, I’ve tweaked, updated and revised many sections. This year is no exception. Enormous shifts at both the macro and micro level have elevated the importance of housing as a safe haven from the shocks of daily living.
Today’s home not only has to meet the low bar of being “comfortable,” it also has to anticipate extreme weather conditions, including life-threatening heat, and dire regional threats such as wildfire and flooding.
Fortunately, building scientists have not been idle, and we have both the knowledge and the products to build homes that can handle nature’s fury. You’ll find many of the most time-tested ones in this Handbook.
As you’ll learn by studying my “Green Builder Pyramid,” no single product makes a home sustainable. Some are foundational. Some boost performance only after insulation and other steps are complete. In the Handbook, you’ll learn how choices add up. Every coating, window, appliance and cabinet impacts the overall livability and performance of a home.
Make this the year where you harden, upgrade, and prepare your home for whatever the future holds. A resilient home can also be a beautiful, peaceful place.
By Matt Power, Editor-In-Chief
Veteran journalist Matt Power has reported on innovation and sustainability in housing for nearly three decades. An award-winning writer, editor, and filmmaker, he has a long history of asking hard questions and adding depth and context as he unfolds complex issues.Also Read