Community

Part of Maine Passive House’s mission is to build meaningful relationships and extend opportunities to the communities we operate in and affect as well as to to make the benefits of passive house design available to an ever-widening population. One of the ways we do this is by offering reduced markups for community-based projects and seeking out other ways to curtail costs for these projects. In addition, we coordinate volunteer days where we pay our crew members to spend their workday(s) assisting with these community-based projects or volunteering for programs such as Community Concepts’ Self-Help Homeownership Program.

We also strive to be a part of community workshops to not only educate those who are new to carpentry, but to further educate experienced builders as well.

Community projects

We worked with the team behind the Gemini Café & Bakery in Bethel to transform an old KeyBank building into a modern bakery that encompasses passive house principles. This project was an incredible community collaboration that called for ingenuity, patience and lots of hard work from all team members. We knew from the start that converting a bank into a bakery would not be a simple task! From cutting through 12" concrete vault walls to figuring out electrical loads for industrial size appliances, there was plenty of problem-solving to be had. Luckily, we worked with Flanders Electric on the project. Their team provided tons of support and generosity as we worked around supply chain issues (like waiting almost 9 months for our electrical panels), a very tight budget, and the challenges that come with wiring one of the first "all electric" bakeries in the State.

Collaborating with the bakers (Anna Sysko and Nicole Pellegrin), we removed the old oil furnace and the large chimney that was in the middle of the bakery. We then installed a continuous air barrier, generously donated by 475 High Performance Building Supply, and added a 3-1/2" wire-chase to the inside of the walls. This service cavity was insulated with dense packed cellulose, creating a R-38 wall assembly.  We also added 16" of loose fill cellulose insulation in the attic. This allows for heating and cooling the building with a series of Air Source Heat Pumps. We also added a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery. Materials salvaged from the project were used to build the service cavity and all the existing fiberglass insulation was also reused.

Aside from our regular carpenters working on the project, the whole MPH team came together for a company-sponsored volunteer day to push the project forward. In one day, we built railings, installed venting, interior paneling, window trim, baseboard, freezer paneling, and completed a variety of other tasks.

The bakery is 100% electric, avoiding the use of on site fossil fuels. This is the first project where we have ever installed an 800 Amp service.

Future Community Projects

We are always looking for ways to be a good neighbor to the communities we operate in and benefit from. As a building company, we are acutely aware of the cost of construction these days and the serious housing shortage in the State of Maine. For this reason, if you know of a feasible project (new build or remodel) that could use a reduced mark-up rate, please let us know!

Ideal projects would possess:

  • A clear objective and idea of what success would look like

  • Partners who are willing to help plan, finance, and support the process

  • Plans, land or building secured, or available

  • Demonstrated need for reduced rate

Please submit project ideas to us here!

Workshops

In October 2020, our project managers, Anna and Katrina, led the "We Built This: A Women's Carpentry Workshop" hosted by the Center for an Ecology-Based Economy at our barn in Bryant Pond. Participants learned tool and plan basics and built sawhorses and toolboxes. Community workshops like this can have a real impact on making good job accessible to those traditionally excluded from the trades.

MPH plans to sponsor a workshop curated by We Built This annually.

Upcoming events

  • Join us on September 15th, 2023 at our barn in Bryant Pond for a full day of training that will teach new and experienced builders about meeting the new MUBEC building codes, as well as understanding and implementing the most effective and modern practices for building long-lasting, low-carbon structures. For more details and to sign up visit PassivHaus Maine’s website and click “Register Now!”