The Pretty Good House: A Balanced Approach to Sustainable Building
How the 'Pretty Good House' concept is evolving to meet home performance, comfort, and carbon challenges head-on.
The Pretty Good House: Rethinking Sustainable Building
The housing and construction industry faces mounting pressure to reduce its carbon footprint while delivering safe, comfortable, and affordable homes. An innovative, grassroots standard—known as the Pretty Good House (PGH)—has emerged in this space. Rather than striving for perfection or adhering to rigid certifications, the PGH model offers a common-sense, holistic framework that adapts to changing climates, technologies, and social needs.
Origins of the Pretty Good House Concept
The Pretty Good House movement began in 2011 among building professionals in Maine who were frustrated by the limitations and costs associated with established green certifications. Rather than strict targets, the founders—builders, architects, and consultants—sought practical, impactful improvements attainable for most homeowners and builders. The goal was simple: create well-designed, durable, healthy, and comfortable houses that are energy efficient—and only as complex or costly as they need to be.
- Grassroots Approach: Initiated by builders seeking practical, flexible pathways to high performance without certification bureaucracy.
- No Official Checklist: PGH is defined by principles rather than rigid rules, allowing regionally-appropriate solutions and personal priorities.
- Building Science Roots: Informed by decades of experience from experts like Dr. Joseph Lstiburek and Harold Orr, who emphasized the relationship between insulation, airtightness, and durability.
The Philosophy of ‘Good Enough’
Unlike programs that chase technical perfection or award points for every detail, the PGH philosophy stresses diminishing returns. That means finding a rational compromise between cost, environmental benefit, and future-proofing. If performance gains in insulation, for example, no longer justify the cost or embodied carbon, PGH advocates for stopping at ‘good enough.’ The focus stays on what matters most for the client’s location, climate, and lifestyle.
Core Principles of the Pretty Good House
Though flexible, PGH homes tend to share several core qualities that set them apart from both code-minimum and ultra-high-performance builds. These include:
- Appropriate Insulation: Climate-specific insulation levels for slabs, foundations, walls, and roofs, often surpassing code but guided by performance per dollar and per unit of embodied carbon.
- Controlled Airtightness: A tight but durable building enclosure—with measured air leakage rates (e.g., 1.0–2.0 ACH50), using advanced membranes, tapes, and detailing. The goal is comfort, durability, indoor air quality, and energy efficiency.
- Efficient Use of Materials: Minimize waste and prioritize renewable, recycled, or local materials with low embodied carbon. Concrete, foam, and other high-carbon materials are used only as needed.
- Integrated Building Systems: Right-sized mechanicals (such as heat pumps), high-performance windows and doors, balanced ventilation, and smart water management.
- Functional Design: Home layouts that meet real occupant needs (rather than maximizing square footage) and support future adaptability and resilience.
- Long-Term Durability: Detailing for moisture control, rot prevention, and easy maintenance—ensuring the building lasts as long as possible.
- Good Design: Spaces that are attractive, pleasant, and enjoyable for people to live in, not just technical showpieces.
Why ‘Pretty Good’ Instead of ‘Perfect’?
Many classic green building certifications (e.g., Passive House, LEED) focus on prescribed checklists or ideal outcomes, which can inadvertently drive up cost, complexity, or the use of questionable materials. PGH’s flexible approach consciously avoids:
- Over-Designing: Piling on insulation or technology beyond where it delivers real-world benefits, often increasing embodied carbon and project cost.
- Unnecessary Certification: Competing for certificates and points can distract from practical solutions and add bureaucracy. PGH is about impact, not labels.
- Form Over Function: High-tech, award-winning homes may miss essential details—like ease of maintenance or real durability. PGH keeps an eye on everyday usability.
- One-Size-Fits-All: Climate, site, and client goals matter. PGH prizes adaptability, letting local builders and homeowners make informed, reasonable trade-offs for their unique scenario.
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Benchmarks and Building Science in PGH
While avoiding rigid rules, PGH does lean on established building science, offering guidance in line with proven research. Typical benchmarks in cold climates might include (all values approximate):
| Component | Suggested R-value |
|---|---|
| Sub-Slab Insulation | R-10+ |
| Foundation Walls | R-20 |
| Above-Grade Walls | R-40 |
| Roofs | R-60 |
| Max Air Leakage | 1.0–2.0 ACH50 |
These numbers should be adapted to climate and specific site context. The idea is to do enough for comfort and resilience—more if justified, but not less unless context dictates.
The Rising Importance of Embodied Carbon
One of the biggest updates to the PGH framework is a new emphasis on embodied carbon—the carbon footprint associated with materials, manufacturing, and construction, not just the energy a house uses once occupied.
- Modern insulation and airsealing can require high-carbon materials (e.g., foam, concrete). Adding more is not always better long-term if upfront emissions are too high.
- PGH encourages substituting materials like cellulose, mineral wool, or recycled products, and exploring innovative assemblies to maintain performance while shrinking embodied carbon.
- The ultimate goal: Balance operational and embodied carbon, achieving net-zero or low-carbon ready homes over their full lifecycle—not just during occupancy.
PGH in Practice: Key Features and Common-Sense Solutions
- Local, Low-Impact Materials: Use what’s close to your region—minimizing transportation impact and supporting the local economy.
- Service Core Layouts: Centralizing plumbing/electrical in an interior ‘core’ helps with airsealing, future upgrades, and reduces vulnerable penetrations.
- Owners’ Manuals: Provide clear, homeowner-friendly explanations of how systems work and how to maintain the house—supporting lasting high performance.
- Right-Sized Solar: Model energy needs carefully. Only add solar capacity to meet or slightly exceed actual needs, avoiding overbuild.
- Adaptability and Resilience: Design flexibility—supporting future renovations, durability during power outages, and response to climate shifts.
Through these practical measures, PGH delivers what matters for long-term comfort, health, and affordability—without greenwashing or overbuilding.
Case Study: Evolving Strategies for Carbon and Comfort
The latest PGH projects incorporate lessons learned from both successes and shortcomings of earlier green building approaches. For example:
- Careful energy modeling during design helps right-size insulation, mechanicals, and renewable energy—avoiding unnecessary expenditures.
- Switching to cellulose fill in assemblies can slash embodied carbon versus rigid foam, while still achieving key R-values.
- Owners and builders collaborate to identify the ‘sweet spot’ where investment delivers measurable benefits—using material swaps, layout tweaks, and updated climate data.
Comparing ‘Pretty Good’, ‘Passive’, and ‘Net Zero’
| Criterion | Pretty Good House | Passive House | Net Zero Home |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certification | Voluntary, principle-guided | Strict certification, global standards | Varies, based on net-zero performance |
| Insulation | High, but context-adapted | Ultra-high, per standards | Varies; modeled to neutralize loads |
| Airtightness | 1.0–2.0 ACH50 typical | ≤ 0.6 ACH50 required | Similar to PGH or Passive |
| Emphasis | Cost-benefit balance, embodied carbon | Operational energy performance | Total net-zero emissions, often solar |
| Complexity | Modest; encourages common sense | Higher | Varies |
Advantages of the Pretty Good House Approach
- Affordability: Focus on high-value interventions rather than perfection keeps costs down for more homeowners.
- Flexibility: Builders adapt PGH to local conditions, budget, and available materials without sacrificing key performance gains.
- Scalable Sustainability: By making improvements more accessible, a larger share of new and remodeled homes can improve energy, comfort, and carbon outcomes.
- Real-World Durability: PGH homes are easier to maintain, less likely to fail, and support the evolving needs of homeowners.
Frequently Asked Questions about Pretty Good House
Q: Is there a specific certification for Pretty Good House?
A: No. PGH is a voluntary, open framework based on best practices and building science rather than a branded checklist or certificate.
Q: Does Pretty Good House cost more than building to code?
A: Upgrades over code minimum do increase up-front costs, but many investments—particularly in insulation, airtightness, and systems right-sizing—pay back over time through lower energy bills and improved durability. Careful design helps avoid overspending on unnecessary features.
Q: Can a Pretty Good House be net zero?
A: Absolutely. While PGH does not mandate net-zero, many such homes are designed to be net zero ready with modest increases in renewable energy systems.
Q: What does ’embodied carbon’ mean, and why does it matter?
A: Embodied carbon refers to all greenhouse gases emitted during manufacturing, transporting, and installing building materials. As operational energy use drops, embodied carbon becomes a key factor in a home’s climate impact.
Q: How do I start building a Pretty Good House?
A: Work with a builder or designer familiar with high-performance construction and building science. Discuss local climate needs, appropriate benchmarks, and pragmatic improvements that fit your budget and carbon goals.
Final Thoughts: A Future Facing Standard
The Pretty Good House movement signals a turning point in sustainable homebuilding—championing measured improvement over idealized perfection. As the industry grapples with climate urgency, cost constraints, and evolving technologies, PGH serves as a flexible, science-driven approach built around durability, comfort, and environmental responsibility. By focusing on practical, balanced decisions, PGH holds the potential to mainstream better building for everyone—reducing carbon, raising livability, and supporting the needs of tomorrow’s world.
References
- https://www.finehomebuilding.com/project-guides/insulation/what-makes-a-pretty-good-house
- https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/article/the-pretty-good-house
- https://ekobuilt.com/blog/pretty-good-house-book-review/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEI-FDSwg48
- https://www.prettygoodhouse.org
- https://www.prettygoodhouse.org/pgh-20
- https://www.dwell.com/article/pretty-good-house-book-energy-efficient-home-building-655a8d47
- http://michaeljkenny.com/pretty-good-house-standard/
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