The project is the renovation of a 90-year old home in the heart of Rosedale, a neighbourhood in Toronto, Canada. 

I have the great honour of transforming my husband’s family home from its almost original 90 year old condition into one of the most energy efficient houses in Ontario.  In order to accomplish this, we are using the Passive House method, a cutting edge holistic energy modeling concept pioneered in Germany.

The goal of the project is to dedicate our efforts into improving the building envelope so that it only requires 50kwh/m2 to heat the house during the winter.  In comparison, 100kwh/m2 is considered a low energy house and 15kwh/m2 is the requirement for a Passive House.  Ours will be very efficient but will not attain the amazingly low standard of a Passive House.   I will explain why I will not or cannot meet the standard in my blog.

The blog will be a real time commentary with detailed information on the “What and Why” of everything related to this renovation.  It will include videos and photos on many of the interesting aspects of the project. Please join me on a journey that is a culmination of my 20 years of practicing sustainable design.

There are 3 R’s in my Rosedale House
Reduce the energy use 90%
Rejuvenate the beauty of a 90 year old house
Rejoice in saving the house and the planet.