The Perfect Wall: Building a Passive House Envelope
Building Science | Airtightness, Building Enclosure, Continuous Insulation, Control Layers, Energy Code, High-Performance Homes, Huber, Passive House, Perfect Wall, Stone Wool, Thermal Control, Vapor Control, Water Management, Zip System
What makes a high-performance building enclosure work? In this video, the team looks at the wall, roof, and floor assemblies used to renovate a 1920s Atlanta home to the Passive House standard.
The discussion breaks the enclosure into its primary control layers—water, air, vapor, and thermal control—and explains why those layers need to remain continuous around the building. The project uses ZIP System sheathing with continuous exterior stone wool insulation to create an airtight, well-insulated assembly that can also manage moisture and drying.
You’ll also see how details such as roof overhangs and outriggers were designed to avoid unnecessary penetrations through the primary control layers.
Learn More
The Perfect Wall: Four Control Layers Every High-Performance Home Needs
Learn how water, air, vapor, and thermal control work together to create a durable, high-performance building enclosure.
From 20+ ACH50 to 0.3 ACH50: Air-Sealing a 1920s Atlanta Home
See how this same 1920s Atlanta house went from an extremely leaky existing enclosure to 0.3 ACH50 during its Passive House transformation.
What Is ACH50? Why Airtightness Matters for Atlanta Homes
Learn how we measure enclosure airtightness and why continuity of the air-control layer matters.
Planning a high-performance home or renovation in Atlanta?
Contact SawHorse to discuss your project.
