Size is settled before anything else. It decides the framing, the heating load, the electrical service and what's left in the budget for the parts of the building you actually touch.

An ADU is new construction with no gas service to abandon, so we never run one. One managed 100 A panel carries a cold-climate heat pump, induction cooking and battery backup.

A south window admits winter sun and a roof overhang blocks summer sun: same glass, opposite results. It's geometry decided on the drawings, and it costs nothing to run.

The roof is the building's solar collector and its rain hat. Its direction, pitch and eave depth decide how much power it makes and how long the walls under it last.

Windows bring in daylight, views and winter sun, and lose heat five to fifteen times faster than the wall around them. We put each one where it earns its keep.

Advanced framing removes lumber that does no structural work, and continuous exterior insulation covers what's left, closing the gap between the R-value you specify and the one you get.

A conventional solar install is two roofs bolted together. An integrated roof makes the thing that generates power the thing that keeps the rain out, if the product actually ships.

A tight house holds onto whatever its finishes give off. We specify by tested emissions and certification tier, not adjectives, and pair it with balanced mechanical ventilation.

Reuse beats recycled content, and recycled content beats new. This is a design principle that runs through every material choice, decided before the material list exists.

Lawn irrigation is often the biggest water use on the property. Native plants evolved for your rainfall, soil and winters, and once established need little or nothing from you.