http://solace-house.squarespace.com/contact daily 0.75 2025-02-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56ad4df507eaa07f7b99f858/1470515944544-5LUBCE1ERHSYRIY0LV40/Empty_Nest.JPG contact http://solace-house.squarespace.com/the-story daily 1.0 2016-08-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56ad4df507eaa07f7b99f858/1467065730916-GDFNGZL6IBF22G9KHMFZ/409247_1876733013786_1223226215_n.jpg The Story Historically, insulation in Canadian prairie homes has been remarkably poor. Salt-box-style houses of the 1930s benefited from multiple stories, but had next to no insulation. The typical bungalow-style home of 1980 had R12 insulation filling 2 x 4 frame walls, but suffered from an inefficient shape with a greater exterior-surface-to-volume ratio. Solace House incorporates super-insulation, a compact footprint with an open-space vertical layout, and movable window insulation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56ad4df507eaa07f7b99f858/1470579206260-OG2Z9EQH0FK6F49L99XE/421213_1876732573775_28625059_n.jpg The Story Most people know how Insulation works to prevent the loss of heat. Mammals grow thicker fur in winter, birds fluff up their down when it’s cold, and a deep blanket of snow acts as a protective layer for the earth. Efficient low-energy housing starts with air-tight construction and good insulation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56ad4df507eaa07f7b99f858/1470579167780-NNTU8BONZMCLQOP5C3U7/430519_1876735493848_1959644513_n.jpg The Story The core principle for passive solar capture is Insolation, which means “to place in the sun” or expose to the sun. Flowers teach us this lesson beautifully, opening and turning to face the source of life. The solar energy absorbed by Earth in one hour is greater than all the energy humans currently use in a full year. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56ad4df507eaa07f7b99f858/1467065691659-4NX7DF1289RZLM7ZBAP3/429917_1876736453872_493113910_n.jpg The Story A key design principle for passive solar energy capture is to make good use of the differing sun-angles in summer and winter, e.g. through appropriate placement of windows (for heat-gain in winter) and incorporating optimal overhangs (for shading in summer). Solace House is situated at 50 degrees N. latitude.   https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56ad4df507eaa07f7b99f858/1467065650600-EAQBHJ6DOR0JFLM1PHUL/401465_1876735893858_2140348634_n.jpg The Story Capturing the sun to heat living spaces is not “rocket science” — humans understood this as far back as the Neolithic. Ancient cave dwellers observed naturally what is missed by many in the modern rat-race — the fact that, thanks to the tilt of the earth’s axis, the sun angle is high in summer and low in winter. In summer they would move to the front of their caves to enjoy shade and cooling breezes. In winter, they would simply move to the back of the cave where they would be out of the wind, warmed by low-angled sun, and perhaps a small fire that would heat the rock around them. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56ad4df507eaa07f7b99f858/1467065719957-W0SVTKTYVCJNG6Q76VR2/427307_1876743014036_1247413975_n.jpg The Story This is a cross-section of Solace House. Aside from moderately-sized windows on the east and west side that allow for side-ventilation, all glazing is on the south facade. A cut-back main floor allows the winter sun to heat the thermal mass in the lower level. Insulation on the outside of the exposed concrete allows the mass and tons of granite around an airtight woodstove to act as a thermal storage battery. Precisely-calculated overhangs ensure full sun penetration in winter and full shading in summer (when the house stays beautifully cool with no need for air conditioning). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56ad4df507eaa07f7b99f858/1467065681321-J3BAQU7LMXH3VNJEZPRZ/397955_1876733773805_1141991643_n.jpg The Story This is a double wall section, showing how three layers of fiberglass insulation are incorporated. An interior 2 x 6 load-bearing frame wall with structural sheathing is mirrored on the outside with a non-load-bearing 2 x 3 wall that holds the siding. The two stud walls are tied together with a plywood sill plate. A continuous 6-mil poly vapor barrier is protected by the structural sheathing and allows for efficient sealing between floors. Electrical wiring, switches, and outlets are all installed without puncturing the vapor barrier, which makes a huge difference in terms of air-tightness. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56ad4df507eaa07f7b99f858/1470579185098-A9TYV0GFS07CPPMFEHOW/409500_1876710573225_592353120_n.jpg The Story Manitoba has the clearest skies and the greatest number of sunny winter days in Canada. It is truly shocking how poorly most Canadian homes are insulated, and it seems insane that so few people are building solar-heated structures when there is such an abundance of winter sunshine. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56ad4df507eaa07f7b99f858/1466959856748-HAWF8S6FDBMFDPI2TUOT/house.jpg The Story http://solace-house.squarespace.com/read-me-alex daily 0.75 2025-05-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53d7e714e4b0cb1125a8185a/1408051210145-TJZIWROSOKJNXSL492HI/image-asset.png Read Me https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53d7e714e4b0cb1125a8185a/1408051089601-1FGOGC94AFH3382KHIDS/image-asset.png Read Me https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53d7e714e4b0cb1125a8185a/1408049628553-DI4M8C71OPT845LWBJZI/img_0843.jpg Read Me