Elora Schoolhouse - 37 McNab Street
The homeowner purchased an eroding log schoolhouse in Elora, Ontario with an ambitious vision to turn it into a high-performance spec home. Quantum Passivhaus was hired to tackle this project, based on the firm’s prefab Passive House experience, and took it beyond expectations. In this ultimate makeover plus addition of a new 3,400sf structure, the finished home protects a local heritage while incorporating innovative Passive House design, products, and craftsmanship. The new part of the home was built using Quantum’s prefabricated panels.
The guidelines set by the local Wellington Heritage Committee to protect the heritage features of the log school house required that heritage appreciation of all three sides of the log structure had to be preserved from both inside and outside. Essentially this requirement meant that no visible insulation could be added. To add to the high-performance hurdles, having the three exterior sides of the log schoolhouse exposed greatly increases the surface area-to-volume ratio of the building.
This project also faced several other significant challenges such as having to lift the three-wall heritage building in order to install a foundation under it and put it back into place without breaking a window! To move the three walls while keeping the two corners intact, despite not having a floor or roof to help tie it together, we designed, engineered, and manufactured bracing, lifting, and connecting components for the task. (The three log walls had been estimated to weigh 11,000 lbs but actually weighed just under 30,000 lbs due to petrification of the wood, requiring a much heavier crane than anticipated, and even greater attention to technique and safety.) Less dramatic difficulties included low-hanging hydro lines, narrow site conditions, and shading of the site.
