For regular readers of GBA, the Pretty Good House is a familiar concept. And the original Pretty Good House tenets of finding the right balance between construction cost and energy performance seems to be a common goal among GBA members. Since Michael Maines’ original article on the topic however, the idea has evolved, and now includes, among other things, the goal of reducing embodied carbon.

On this episode of The BS* + Beer Show, Michael, Dan Kolbert, Jeff Adams and Allison Bailes share the spotlight and offer introductions and case studies to the basics (and beyond) of the Pretty Good House concept in climate zones from the cool northeast to the hot southeast to the mild Sierra Nevada mountains in California. If you want to catch up on the eight-year history of the Pretty Good House on GBA and in Fine Homebuilding magazine, here are some links:

• The original “Pretty Good House” article by Michael Maines
• Martin Holladay’s “Pretty Good House Manifesto”
• And update, or “Pretty Good House 2.0,” by Michael Maines
• A look at Jeffrey Adams’ “Pretty Good House in the Sierra Nevada”
• Michael Maines recent FHB article “The Evolution of a Pretty Good House”

Enjoy the show!

The next show is Thursday, June 11, from 6 to 7:30 pm: Do I need a vapor barrier? Our panelists will include Doug Horgan, a highly credentialed builder, speaker, author, educator, and vice president of best practices at BOWA and building scientist, educator, and creator of @buildingsciencefightclub on Instagram, Christine Williamson, plus the regular show hosts and likely a few guest appearances. Use this link to register for The BS* + Beer Show.

Brian Pontolilo is a former editor at Fine Homebuilding magazine and Green Building Advisor.

Want to learn more about building a pretty good house? Sign up for the Sustainable Building Accelerator and learn directly from author and architect Emily Mottram.

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