CATEGORY / Materials
Energy & Materials
WSEC, heat pumps, envelope detailing, and finishes that survive Pacific Northwest weather.
Jul 2025 · 9 min
Heat pump sizing for Puget Sound ADUs
Why oversizing kills efficiency, what the 2021 Washington Energy Code actually requires, and how we size mini-splits for a marine climate.
Read article →Feb 2025 · 8 min
Passive House for a Puget Sound ADU — does it pencil?
PHIUS-certified envelope, solar-ready roof, NEEA incentives. A real cost-benefit analysis from our last two PH projects.
Read article →Jan 2025 · 7 min
The 2021 Washington Energy Code, applied to ADUs
WA Energy Code 2021 is one of the most aggressive in the United States. Here's what it actually requires of a new DADU.
Read article →Dec 2024 · 7 min
Detailing an ADU for Pacific Northwest rain
Building Science Corp + ASHRAE 160, applied to the wall, roof, and window details that fail in our climate.
Read article →Nov 2024 · 7 min
Materials that age well in the Pacific Northwest
Our material palette after a decade of building in Seattle weather: what we still spec, what we stopped specifying, and why.
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