You will not look at houses the same way after reading Midori Haus

Transformation from Old House to Green Future with Passive House

Get Your Copy Today!

In this delightful book, Chie Kawahara, describes the process she and her husband went through to purchase a 1920s bungalow and turn it into a state-of-the-art, healthy, green, Passive House. This account of their experiences is highly instructional for anyone considering buying and renovating a house, and it's a wonderful read!

-- Alex Wilson, Founder, BuildingGreen, Inc.​

Praise for Midori Haus

A Green Building Journey

Midori Haus serves as a journey of adapting, learning, greening, nurturing, and caring for an old house by renewing the house to address current and future environmental challenges. The narrative is delightfully educational - the design process of achieving the Passive House standard will be better understood through these stories and conversations.

-- Alison G. Kwok, PhD., AIA, CPHC, University of Oregon​

Compelling Story

Midori Haus tells a compelling story in a conversational style about a couple who wanted to remodel an older home that would use as little energy as possible and comfortable and healthy to live in. Anyone who has an interest in green building -- doing right for oneself and the planet -- will find a friend in this book.

-- Jim Gunshinan, Editor, Home Energy Magazine​

For Homeowners

Midori Haus  introduces the readers to Passive House through the eyes of a homeowner undertaking a remodeling project. Chie Kawahara takes readers on her journey giving practical tools readers can use on their own Passive House projects. There's nothing like a good case study told by the people involved to bring abstract concepts to life.

--  Elrond Burrell, Architect, CPHD, blogger​

Stories from Behind the Scene

Midori Haus book narrates the homeowner experience of navigating through a green home remodel. You'll find answers to these questions: "How did you choose your architect and contractor?" "What lessons did you learn?" "How did you choose what building standard to use?" "Why did you stop construction" "How did your thoughts about green building shift during the project?"

The blogposts and the book complement each other. The book tells the story from soup to nuts as if you're having a conversation over tea. The blogposts report on specific events that took place during the project as well as data. Below are blogposts with short excerpts from the book:

Interviewing Architects, Contractors, and Homeowners

Have you asked yourself, “What do I want to get out of this home tour?” or “What do I want to get out of this meeting with a contractor my friend recommended?” or “What should I ask this homeowner who is a reference from this contractor I’m checking out?” Preparing a list of questions ahead of time will make the visit or meeting more productive, especially if there is a decision to make afterward. read more ...

Why We Chose Passive House

When bought the 88-year old bungalow in 2010 we didn't know about Passive House. Up until then, our notion of green sustainable house had been to install solar panels, use recycled materials, and use low flow water fixtures. I didn't "get" the importance and the advantage of having the house built like a thermos rather than a coffee maker. At that time, I felt that a green home was focused on using the materials considered green. Nobody we talked to seemed to be focused on the actual performance of the house. read more ...

Built-in Shoes Storage

This post is about a piece of furniture that solved a conflicting priority problem. Shoes-off home is great because it contains any dirt tracked in to the entrance area. But what do you do with the shoes? In my experience this practice resulted in shoes cluttering the entrance area after a just a few days. Despite the neat shoe organizers in the bedroom closet the entrance area becomes cluttered with various footwear -- running shoes, sandals, dress shoes, boots, and flip-flops. I like the convenience of having the shoes by the door but the visual clutter is annoying. How can we have both the convenience and a tidy look? read more ...