Clintonville Passive House

The opportunity is here to own your very own unicorn for the bargain price of $967,000.  He’s life sized, has a goatee, and is exceptionally well behaved.  His name is Cappy, and he’s magnificent.  The best part?  No need to arrange transportation to your home.  Oh, no.  Cappy already has his forever home and is searching for a new housemate.  You’ll be moving in with him at his compound, complete with a total of three dwellings, one of which is almost as special as Cappy himself.

Read more: Unicorn For Sale

A few notes on one of the dwellings before we get back to Cappy.  Shortly before I completed work on the Clintonville Passive House, I became connected with a few individuals who had big ideas for their own certified passive project in Columbus.  It was to be a fairly small space, about the size of an accessory dwelling unit, on an empty parcel next to the owner’s existing century-old home and carriage house in Columbus’s great Olde Towne East neighborhood.  What this right-sized building would lack in simple square footage, it would compensate several times over in spirit.

The vision called for levels of health, sustainability, comfort, and durability that far exceeds basic levels of code-minimum compliance.  Non-toxic materials create a healthy, healing space.  Walls are insulated to twice the required amount with wood fiber and superbly hand-finished with earthen plaster in the loft and lime plaster (which actually has the ability to absorb and convert CO₂ into limestone!) everywhere else.  Highly efficient triple-pane windows keep the inside comfortable in the dead of winter while allowing for natural ventilation in more temperate periods of weather.  In true passive fashion, the envelope is extremely airtight but vapor open for a structure that’s highly durable against moisture.  An energy recovery ventilator rounds out the mini-split heat pump HVAC system to deliver constant, filtered fresh air.  And the fully-owned solar array mounted on the attached garage pushes this passive house across the net zero energy mark.

But this place is way more than just its list of features. Once you step inside, you can feel that there’s an indescribable quality about the space that makes it feel truly special. Dubbed the Codex Temple, this is a truly one-of-a-kind structure.

It was an absolute honor to work on this project and to be part of a team that achieved Phius ZERO certification (and only the second single-family home in Columbus to do so).  It’s not an easy mark to hit.  The team included designer Jeremy Miller (of GeoAlchemy Studio) whom I collaborated with on the technical aspects of the design.  Laboring alongside Phius Certified Passive House Builder (CPHC) Nick Stevens during construction was a pleasure as we air sealed, insulated, and commissioned the mechanical systems.  His commitment to getting a job done well is second to none.  Blake Compton (client and owner of Compton Construction) had the vision to set out on this bold path, and none of this would have been possible without his dedication from start to finish. This team truly put some magic into this project.

Check out more of what Blake’s company does at https://comptonllc.com

See more of Jeremy Miller’s work at https://www.geoalchemy.studio

Visit the Phius certified project database for technical details on the Codex Temple: https://www.phius.org/certified-project-database/codex-home

This is the first certified passive house ever offered for sale in Columbus, Ohio. It’s one unique breed with lots of special features.  You might even call it a unicorn too.

The sale is by owner and is a package deal along with the original 100-year-old home next door plus its carriage house on two parcels. It deserves special consideration. Find out all the details of the sale at 998oakstreet.com.  Schedule a showing to meet your potential new housemate, Cappy.  Put in an offer for both unicorns.