Modular passive house solution

We have developed what we believe to be the most affordable passive house solution in North America. We’re based in Ottawa, Canada, and while we can handle complete builds for our local customers, we had to find a way to share our approach with homeowners across Canada and the US.

Enter the passive house kit. Our pre-certified passive house components have been refined to make local builds easy, which is where the idea of “modular” comes into play.

There is no specialized knowledge required; any experienced carpenter or builder can put together our kit. We also offer direct support to answer any questions that may arise.

Once the core kit has been assembled, it’s simply a question of lining up the appropriate trades for finishes, as per your home’s design and your particular preferences.

So how do you get from a floorplan and a kit to this, a finished passive home? Read on!

Finding a passive house builder

You don’t need to find a builder who uses the “passive house” descriptor.

We find it’s best to do one of the following:

• Conduct a locally focused internet search for “”custom builders” or “carpenter builders near me”. Both of these will turn up options. Do your research, and select 3 or 4 that standout as strong options.
• Speak with your local building supply centre; these folks work closely with builders and carpenters and may have good suggestions.
• Get a recommendation from a neighbour or friend who has been through a home build or major renovation recently.

What to look for in a builder

Beyond the obvious steps you should take in verifying a builder’s credibility and track record, including public reviews and references, the following are very important:

1. Experience in building wood framed homes
2. Interest in building energy efficient buildings
3. Openness to working within a model where materials for the Passive House building envelope (wall & roof assembly, windows, and doors) are provided by EkoBuilt, while the builder handles installation and sources all other parts of the home build.
4. Availability to start your foundation and build within your required timeline

What a potential builder will need

We provide turnkey cost analysis documents for building with any of our existing floorplans, but you will need to verify actual costs for your builder and any selected finishes for the home.

In order to provide a quote, a builder is going to typically need these three things:

• Design and architecture drawings: our drawings will include the construction specifications and detailed drawings for your house (this is an output of our design process with you). 
• List of EkoBuilt inclusions, and what the builder needs to provide and price. (We include a full list when you work with us.)
• Call with EkoBuilt for clarifications and questions on wall / roof assemblies and inclusions / exclusions.  Normally a short phone call with potential builders is all that’s required to understand the simplicity of our system and to provide direction for the project.

Passive House Floorplan by EkoBuilt

In Summary

We’re here to guide you and your builder through the process.

We created a webinar for homeowners that will answer all of your questions. It’s led by EkoBuilt’s president and visionary, Paul Kealey.

For your builder, we’re here to answer their questions to make sure your project moves forward and is successful.

You will want to make sure that the carpenter or builder you choose understands what is required and will guarantee the cost of installing the wall assembly, roof assembly, windows, doors and interior partitions.

In the next parts of this series, we’ll address topics like project management, pricing expectations from builders, and issues to anticipate.

Our next webinar is June 6th, 2023 from 7 – 9pm EDT.

Ready to move forward with your project? Give us a shout, we’re here and ready to help.