what is a passive house building?
Whether you are interested in a certified Passive House, a Net Zero home, or simply want to build a healthier, better-performing custom home using proven Passive House principles, we can help guide the process from early planning through construction.
Delarue Building Company is one of the few Passive Home Builders in Colorado! We are certified both by PHIUS and by the Passive House Institute as a Passive House Tradesperson for both specialties of BUILDING ENVELOPE and BUILDING SERVICES.
A Better Way to Build a Healthy, Comfortable Home
Passive House building is often known for energy efficiency — but the real benefit is how the home feels every day.
A home built with Passive House principles is designed to be quieter, healthier, more comfortable, and more resilient. It helps reduce drafts, control outside air coming in, filter fresh air, and create a more consistent indoor environment through every season.
In Colorado, where we deal with cold winters, intense sun, high winds, dust, pollen, and wildfire smoke, the way a home is built can make a meaningful difference.
Healthier Indoor Air during smoke, dust and allergy season
In a typical home, outside air often sneaks in through cracks, gaps, attics, crawlspaces, windows, doors, and wall cavities. That air can bring in dust, pollen, smoke, exhaust, and other outdoor pollutants. With a tighter building envelope and balanced ventilation, fresh air is brought into the home intentionally, filtered, and exchanged with stale indoor air. Instead of your home “breathing” through random leaks, it breathes through a designed system. The result is cleaner, fresher indoor air and a healthier living environment.
Quiet, Calm, and Comfortable
Passive House principles also create a noticeably more peaceful home. High-performance windows, better insulation, and airtight construction help reduce outside noise from wind, traffic, and neighborhood activity. Inside, the home feels calmer and more private. It is the kind of comfort you do not just see on a utility bill — you feel it.
Built for Colorado Resilience
In Chaffee County and the surrounding mountain communities, homes need to handle real conditions: cold, heat, wind, snow, smoke, dry air, and wildfire risk. Passive House principles support a stronger, more resilient home by focusing on airtight construction, continuous insulation, high-quality windows and doors, moisture control, and thoughtful ventilation.
Energy Efficiency means money and energy savings
The energy savings are real — they are just not the whole story. By reducing heat loss, air leakage, and energy demand, Passive House principles can dramatically lower the amount of energy needed to heat and cool a home. That makes it easier to move toward Net Zero or Net Positive living while also lowering long-term operating costs.
ready to explore passive house building?
If you are planning a custom home in Chaffee County or the surrounding mountain communities, DeLarue Building Company can help you explore how Passive House or Net Zero principles can be incorporated into a home designed for the way you want to live.