Here at the Accelerator it’s retrofit month, and Jesper Kruse, owner of Maine Passive House, got us off to a great start describing the retrofit of his own house—a multi-year project. For reasons that will resonate with many homeowners, Kruse took a step-by-step approach to spread out the work and the costs over three years. While he initially had planned to renovate one side of his house each year, by the third year he was ready to be done and he finished the last two walls. Kruse was particularly generous about sharing the specific tactics he used to create an airtight, well-insulated, ventilated-right home—and he doesn’t shy away from revealing the costs of his methods.
Kruse and his family lived in the home throughout the retrofit work, which all took place from the exterior, except for the attic work. “The attic was the biggest challenge,” Kruse said, practically groaning. He provided great in-the-trenches details about the strategies he used to prevent moisture from the home’s interior migrating into the attic and condensing there and why he’s so grateful that work is over and done. Audience questions, as usual, were lively and knowledgeable. Right near the end, there’s a great tip on how to more easily remove plywood using a modified nail gun. So many great details. Be sure to catch them all!