The plan of my little dream house and the offer were finished and the guy in charge from Fischerhaus invited me to come to Nuremberg to see the new Passivhaus Fischerhaus had built there and discuss the plan, the offer and the next steps with me. Accompaning me was my aunt who built a house from Fischerhaus herself and so was very valuable in consulting me.
A Passivhaus is a house that generates more energy than it needs for heating the house itself and the warm water needed. Mainly this is accomplished by using the sun for electricity for heating water by using solar panels on the roof and big south-side windows vs. small north-side windows. Also an important part is the reuse of heat from waste water to refill the hot-water boiler. The most important part of course is just very good isolation.
My house of course wouldn't be a Passivhaus because I just can't afford the cost of the extra technology neccessary. However the isolation of new houses is very good in general, so it's still a low-cost house heating-wise.
This is the outside of the house, the north-side. Immediately apparent are the small windows on this side. The little orange construct to the front is a tool shed, which is also passive in the sense that it stays above freezing all year without the need to heat. The south-side is mostly a huge glass front, catching the sun. Some of the pipes of the ventilation system. The island kitchen of the combined kitchen-dining room area. The gallery looking along the first floor. A look inside the bedroom from the door of the gallery. The bedroom can also be reached via the bathroom. The upper-story office. The single child's room. The bathroom was very spacious with the tub in the middle against a free-standing wall. Behind the wall was another wall, making the free-standing wall a T. One one side of it was the shower on the other the toilet (what you can see is the bidet). A look at the bathroom from the door connecting the bedroom with the bathroom. Behind the beds the wall was done with a faux-marble plastering. The dark grey fitted very well with the purble sheets, though I am not sure if every color would work. The gallery looking to the south side, the bedroom is to the right, the upper-story office to the left. This shows the dressing area of the bedroom. If you look closely, you can see that it has no ordinary cupboard, but sliding doors and shelfs behind it. The sliding doors have just been attached to the floor and ceiling of the room, creating a compartment for clothes. I like that arrangement, as one has more freedom what to put behind it. Here you can see how the slides for the doors are put directly on the floor without the need for special installation. This is a look behind the slides of the office. Another picture of the bedroom dressing area. The living room as seen from the gallery. The living room was feeling quite open as it wasn't closed off from the floor and the gallery, but the interior architect opted against a big living space in this house, like it's fashionable this days. Rather he divided the floor space into a separate living room and rather bundled the dining area with the kitchen. The wardrobe.