Craftsman Custom Passive House
The First Passive House in Corvallis
With a passion for sustainability and energy efficiency that was passed down by his father and founder of G. Christianson Construction, Carl Christianson, owner of G. Christianson Construction knew that he wanted to build a Passive House when beginning the process of building his family’s dream home in Corvallis. A Passive House is a building standard focused on creating energy-efficient, comfortable, and environmentally friendly structures that reduce energy consumption for heating and cooling. Carl’s home was the first Passive Home built in Corvallis, and since then, many other homeowners in the area have followed Carl’s lead. Designed by local architect, Jan Fillinger, this beautiful 2,253 sqft Craftsman-style custom build utilized Sarah Susanka’s “Not So Big House” principles to provide all the necessary features for this young family of five in minimal square footage, to lower the amount of energy required to heat and cool the home. The house design brims with personal touches, such as the hickory floor inlaid with a compass rose that recalls Julie Christianson’s summers on a tall ship, and the “reading cave,” an alcove under the stairs that reminds Carl of a childhood spent reading books beside his father’s rocking chair. The result is a gorgeous home built with details unique to the Christianson family and has a carbon footprint 20% of that of a typical home in Oregon, showing a Passive House doesn’t have to look modern. Solar panels were installed on the home, making this Passive House Net Zero. It is estimated that this home saves about $1,740 per year in energy costs!
“Carl’s house avoids 19 tons of CO2 every year compared to a code house. If all houses throughout the entire United States did that, it is possible to slow down carbon emissions to the point that we can slow down global warming and eventually, hopefully, reverse it.”
Jan Fillinger, Architect
Project Details
Passive House Key Features
This custom home was built to use 70% less energy than a code-built home by using Passive House standards. The following techniques are used to achieve this:
- Super Insulation in Walls: 12” thick with an R-value of 51.8, obtained with 2” of cork insulation over BIBS wall insulation
- Super Insulation in Roof: 32” thick with an R-value of 102.4
- Super Insulation in Floors: 17” with an R-value of 63.9
- High-efficiency doors and triple-paned windows
- Eliminate thermal bridges by preventing heat from bypassing insulation through conductive materials
- Air-sealing openings & adding a fresh air ventilation system
- Optimize solar heat gain design through 3D building modeling
Minimizing Seasonal Allergies
With superior insulation, air-sealing, and triple-paned windows, this custom home has no air leaks. An HRV unit is installed to filter fresh air into the home. Not only does this create a stable internal air temperature that makes the home more comfortable, it also severely reduces exposure to seasonal allergies, making this home a safe space during Corvallis’ notorious spring allergy season. You can achieve similar results with an energy retrofit to your existing home, without the need for a new fully Passive House build.
Effortlessly Comfortable
A reading nook under the stairs in the family room is a cozy spot to curl up with a book. Expansive views greet you through every tilt & swing triple paned window. Designed to be effortlessly comfortable using minimal energy, with exquisite finishes and details, this home is a beautiful and cozy retreat from the bustle of everyday life.
Crisp finishes
The bathroom has a curbless tile shower with mosaic accents and a modern vanity with clean lines. In addition, this gorgeous home boasts gray Cambria quartz countertops atop white and blue painted shaker cabinetry in the kitchen, black stainless steel appliances, and a subway tile backsplash.
Awards Earned
First Passive House in Corvallis, Oregon • Silver Medal Winner at the 2017 Annual North American Passive House Conference • PHIUS + 2015 Certified PHIUS + Source Zero Certified Project • Earth Advantage Platinum Certified • Dept. of Energy Zero Energy Home • Energy Star v.3 Certified
Why we believe in Passive House Construction
Our founder Greg, built energy efficient homes starting in the 1970’s. Greg’s son Carl, decided to build the first Certified Passive House in Corvallis. Carl & his team are passionate about energy efficient homes. We want our clients to be able to live carbon neutral lives in efficient, comfortable homes that will last a lifetime. Please give us a call for a Tour!
What our Clients are Saying
“G. Christianson recently completed a major kitchen and bath remodel for us. We really enjoyed working with this excellent firm from the day we walked in the door until the final sign off. Anna, Jon and Elizabeth created a design that incorporated our ideas with theirs that is wonderful. It opened up our 1980's kitchen and made it much more functional and beautiful. The cabinets that Ron, Eric and Bill built and installed are perfect for our space and the quality, fit and finish are absolutely top drawer. The construction team, Tony, Maria, Gavin, Eric, Dennis, Bill, and Cesar were outstanding. Always, courteous, professional and clean. There was never a mess left at the end of the day. Their attention to detail and quality of work from the framing to the finish work was fantastic. Similarly, the sub-contractors were excellent. Jon, did an amazing job juggling the order of work to address illnesses and other unexpected interruptions to keep the schedule on track. This was a 5 month project and it finished within a couple of weeks of the original completion date. I've done some project management myself, and know how difficult this can be. We are delighted with the results and love showing off our beautiful new kitchen and bath. G. Christianson Construction is as advertised, a high quality, professional team that delivers what the promise. We highly recommend them. ”
Susan & Marc Baldwin, Corvallis
“We love our remodeling and all the extra touches.”
Linda and Earl Hadfield, Corvallis
“G Christianson did a fantastic job on our kitchen remodel and enclosing an old sunroom. From the design to the last project, they worked with us on through all the unforseen challenges that come with a big project. Carl and the crew were reliable and the work was good quality. We couldn't be happier with the results.”
Phil & Amanda Bressler, Corvallis
