Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Join GHI member and builder Paul Abueve for a quick tour of this home built in Southwest Michigan. This ranch-style home features a 4-season breezeway that connects the home to a garage/storage/workshop. The home was designed to be affordable, energy efficient, and environmentally friendly. The exterior shell combines ICF walls with a frost-protected slab-on-grade foundation, featuring near Passive House air sealing details that significantly reduce heating and cooling requirements. The HVAC system utilizes a CERV demand-controlled ventilation system that detects poor air quality and only ventilates as needed, in conjunction with a ducted mini-split system featuring integrated control mechanisms. This combination provides a quiet, efficient, and comfortable environment with superior indoor air quality.
Environmentally conscious highlights include wood trim and cabinetry made from hickory harvested on-site, water-conserving plumbing features, low-maintenance natural landscaping that provides habitat for birds and other pollinators, and a Tulikivi soapstone fireplace, engineered to be one of the most energy-efficient, exceptionally clean methods of burning wood available. Additionally, the home was designed with accessibility in mind, featuring a zero-clearance entry, wide doorways, and curbless showers.
Download the project handout here for additional information
greenhomeinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/HANDOUT-PITSFIELD-TOUR.pdf
Join GHI member and builder Paul Abueve for a quick tour of this home built in Southwest Michigan. This ranch-style home features a 4-season breezeway that connects the home to a garage/storage/workshop. The home was designed to be affordable, energy efficient, and environmentally friendly. The exterior shell combines ICF walls with a frost-protected slab-on-grade foundation, featuring near Passive House air sealing details that significantly reduce heating and cooling requirements. The HVAC system utilizes a CERV demand-controlled ventilation system that detects poor air quality and only ventilates as needed, in conjunction with a ducted mini-split system featuring integrated control mechanisms. This combination provides a quiet, efficient, and comfortable environment with superior indoor air quality.
Environmentally conscious highlights include wood trim and cabinetry made from hickory harvested on-site, water-conserving plumbing features, low-maintenance natural landscaping that provides habitat for birds and other pollinators, and a Tulikivi soapstone fireplace, engineered to be one of the most energy-efficient, exceptionally clean methods of burning wood available. Additionally, the home was designed with accessibility in mind, featuring a zero-clearance entry, wide doorways, and curbless showers.
Download the project handout here for additional information
greenhomeinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/HANDOUT-PITSFIELD-TOUR.pdf
