Modified Wakefield Plan

The home owners modified our original Wakefield design, which began its life as a 1,216 sq ft bungalow with a smart loft that offers “bonus” sleeping and storage space.

For this project, the floorplan was expanded to include a slightly larger ground floor (1,540 sq ft) and a partial second floor (737 sq ft) for a total footprint just shy of 2,300 square feet.

A screened in porch adds another 204 square feet of flexible living space for this Ontario, Canada based home.

The main living spaces, including three bedrooms and two bathrooms, are included in the ground floor layout, while “away” spaces are incorporated into the upper level: an open loft area for relaxing and a separate sewing / music room with additional storage.

The integrated garage also includes loft storage that can be accessed from the rear of the space. We include more photos below.

Amazing Fresh Air

This home features our suggested approach to fresh air and uses the Jablotron Futura unit described on our Mechanical Systems page and on our blog. Some folks will be familiar with Heat Recovery Ventilator (HRV), but we prefer the Energy Recovery Ventilator as it also manages moisture, making it the perfect machine for any climate.

“We are so amazed at how fresh the air is in our Passive House with the Jablotron Futura. You can almost taste it when you breathe inside with the fresh air. Yet, it’s interior comfortable—like being in a coniferous forest after a rain.

“With the Jablotron app, we can see the boost lower the humidity after a shower, and the CO₂ and other parameters changing on ‘Auto.’ Our plumber who has done some boilers & HVAC suggested we shouldn’t have it on constantly or it could cool the house in winter. So we tested and even when I put a thermometer in front of the supply duct closest to the unit, it was still coming out of the duct at 20°C in February.

“Jablotron occupies a very strategic part in our energy efficient house. The Jablotron Rep for Canada was helpful in the install & launch and support. This system is so much more advanced over the regular HRV in our previous house. HVAC installers need to follow the install procedure carefully right from early ducting stages and check in with Jablotron if they have questions, to harness the full potential from this awesome technology.”

Passive House owner, Victoria Harbour ON

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Jablotron App

As noted by the home owners, the Jablotron Futura ERV app gives tremendous control over its key features, including:

• moisture management, including in humid summer months
• carbon monoxide readings and the ability to tweak fan speeds (readings over 1,000 ppm can feel stale; we find 500 ppm can be pretty ideal, but you can monitor how your home feels and then target the best fan speed for comfort and energy efficiency)