insulation – there is 8″ of mineral fiber insulation for a total of 14” wall thickness, 6″ of EPS under the floor and an average of 8″ of polyisocyanurate insulation on the roof. The windows also add to the high performance – they are triple-glazed, high-performance glazed units in PHI certified fiberglass frames. The design also utilises passive measures to keep the house cool and comfortable. For example, the house is purposely protected by large Douglas fir trees, which provide shading during high noon in the summer. The home is eye-catching and appealing in its own right – the ‘Best Single Family Home’ award is evidence of that. On that score, Tavis believes the most striking element is the custom white oak floating staircase, which took “immense collaboration” between their team, the engineers, the steel fabricators, the railing specialist, and even the homeowner, who fabricated the white oak treads himself. Tavis says the end result is “show stopping.” In general, Tavis credits much of the project’s success to the collaboration between the different stakeholders. In particular, he says Fold Architecture deserves a lot of the acclaim. In fact, they were the ones that brought Griffith Homes on to the project: “They had some clients who were interested in building a passive house,” Tavis recalls. “They contacted us and interviewed us, and eventually they rewarded us the project.” By all accounts, they were happy they made that decision. Mark Ashby, architect for Fold Architecture, told the Comox Valley Record that “Griffith Homes exceeded our expectations.” “It was important for us to have a contractor who understood good design and quality,” Mark said. “There are a lot of wins with the quality of the space and the energy efficiency, and Griffith met the owners’ needs with very little compromise.” MARCH 2022 Photo: LSP Media Photo: LSP Media
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