Homebuilding blog
Share our passion for net-zero home design and construction.
Addressing Middle Housing Concerns
Are you concerned about what the addition of middle housing is going to do to your neighborhood? Are you concerned about it changing the character of the houses, or make your street too busy? Maybe you are all for middle housing but just don’t want it near you. Or...
12 Shocking Housing Statistics You Should Know!
When talking about where we need to go next in the housing industry, it's important to look at where we are currently and what our trajectory is. This will help us determine the needs of our current and future communities and what we can do to help them. To do this,...
Unstoppable : Housing Innovation Awards Winner AGAIN
The U.S. Department of Energy announced that the submission for the Samish Solar Home from Powerhouse Designs and TC Legend Homes has been selected as a 2023 Housing Innovation Awards Winner! This national award represents a significant achievement,...
2023 INDOOR AIRPLUS LEADER AWARD WINNER
Our sister company, TC Legend Homes, has been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a 2023 Indoor airPLUS Leader Award winner for our ongoing commitment to building homes with improved indoor air quality through participation in the Indoor airPLUS...
Home Featured in The Northern Light
Our Point Whitehorn net-zero home was featured in The Northern Light - Blaine & Birch Bay's Community Newspaper! "Nestled adjacent to wetlands and with views of Birch Bay State Park, TC Legend Homes’ Point Whitehorn house is not your average house. The home has a...
5 Sustainable Interior Design Choices
When discussing sustainable, net-zero, healthy homes, we often talk about the envelope and mechanics of the house. But what about the interior? How can our interior finishes affect the house’s overall carbon footprint, indoor air quality, water and energy efficiency?...
Educated Design: A year in the Murphy Home
There’s a right & a wrong way to design windows on the southside of a house. The Murphy Home windows are done the right way, are a bit high, tucked up towards the eaves to admit the low winter sunshine yet shade-out the unwanted high summer sun so it can’t enter...
Discover The Benefits of Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) Foundations
What are the benefits of using insulated concrete forms, otherwise known as ICFs and how does it relate to Net-Zero housing? A Net-Zero house is insulated on all (6) sides, and Powerhouse designs with structural insulated panels (SIPs), so we have R-29 SIPs walls all...
Embodied Carbon: A Simplified Introduction
At Powerhouse Designs, we have dedicated ourselves to pursing the vision of zero-energy homes for all. We strive to be pioneers in energy efficiency, seeking to create a healthy and clean carbon neutral future that allows the next generation to thrive. Our history of...
What are SIPs?
What are SIPs you might be wondering? The short answer: Structural. Insulated. Panels. SIPs are wall, roof (and sometimes floor) panels. Fabricated from a slab of foam sandwiched between two OSBs (oriented strand board). The sandwich-panels can be up to 24’x8’ and are...