The Unhurried House

This home is a net-zero ready restoration of an 1871 farmhouse by the owner. The project blended heritage charm with sustainable innovation and repurposed materials for resilient, mindful living.

Building Type	Single-Family 2+ Stories	Location	Wolfe Island, ON
Year Built	1871	Foundation Type	Dry Stacked Limestone Rocks (Crawlspace)
Structure Type	Post and Beam	Total Floor Area	167.2m²
Climate Zone	6	Heating Degree Days	4000
Retrofit Status	Complete	Year Completed	2025
Retrofit Phasing	No	Geometry Changed	No

Project Team

Heidi Mack ( Homeowner/Self-Builder )
Ian Kilborn ( Energy Advisor )
West Edwards ( Structural Engineer )

Project Priorities

Reduce Energy Consumption
Repair and/or Renew Exterior
Improve Home Value

Project Goals

By thoughtfully sourcing and repurposing materials, honoring Elders’ wisdom, growing food, reducing operational costs, and choosing to deconstruct and rebuild rather than demolish, Heidi Mack embraced a regenerative approach to sustainable living through this retrofit.

Upgrades

Rigid insulation installed on exterior walls
Roof cavity filled with closed cell spray foam
Ductless HRV’s (upstairs and downstairs)
Mini Split Air Source Heat Pumps
All new windows and doors
Foundation wall completely re-built, sealed and insulated

Project Description

Planning the Retrofit

The Unhurried House is a deep energy retrofit of an 1871 farmhouse on Wolfe Island, completed by the homeowner, Heidi Mack, and envisioned as a model of ecological mindfulness, reuse, and resilience. The project followed a slow, thoughtful approach, deconstructing rather than demolishing, repurposing salvaged materials, and learning building science along the way. The plan was to rebuild the envelope using the “perfect wall” system, upgrading all mechanical systems, restoring the foundation, and prioritizing airtightness, insulation, and low energy use. The goal was to create a warm, efficient, and light-filled home that honors the house’s heritage while inviting slowness, creativity, and conscious, sustainable living.

Getting to Net Zero

The plan was to add solar to the finished product, unfortunately, the orientation and complex geometry of the roof made solar uneconomical compared to buying electricity from the grid. Wolfe Island has also met its net metering capacity and so feeding the grid from our prospective panels is not possible. A cost assessment was completed by Ian Kilborn and by the St Lawrence college sustainability program students and both found a solar array to not be necessary or effective. They are now looking into a GENEREX battery system on the new rebate program with the possibility of charging it in ultra low Hydro One night usage costs and timing peak usage to switch to the battery.

Before & After

General
	Before	After
Building Condition	Before Aged looking, damaged siding, stone foundation, many dated in building practices.	After Maintained rustic charm while markedly improving the building envelope assemblies.

Envelope
	Before	After
Ceiling/Attic Insulation	Before 2×6 rough-cut trusses w/ newspaper insulation, asphalt roofing.	After Ceiling frame filled with closed cell spray foam insulation (6″), strapped and finished.
Ceiling/Attic Insulation	Before 10.5 R	After 30.35 R
Foundation Insulation	Before Bare dry stacked limestone foundation walls, bedrock slab. Some large holes through foundation stones leading to significant air leakage and heat loss.	After Poured concrete over top of exterior limestone rocks to add smooth finish. 4″ of HALO subterra GPS on exterior wall.
Foundation Insulation	Before 0 R	After 21.89 R
Wall Insulation	Before The majority of exterior walls had full height concrete in the walls to the ceiling, these areas had no insulation.	After Concrete removed from walls, walls reinsulated from the interior. 5″ of HALO Exterra GPS board added to the exterior wall overtop of existing siding, strapped and finished with new siding.
Wall Insulation	Before 3 R	After 43.57 R
Windows and Doors	Before Updated 90’s era windows and doors	After Upgraded dual pane Low-E windows
Air Sealing	Before None & presence of chimneys	After Continuous air and thermal barriers over roof and walls. Taped and sealed with care.
Air Changes per Hour	Before No Data	After 4.3 ACH50

Mechanical & Electrical
	Before	After
Heating	Before Induced Draft Oil Furnace, 80% AFUE	After Two Mini-split heat pumps, 12000 Btu each
Cooling	Before None	After Two Mini-split heat pumps, 12000 Btu each
Hot Water	Before Conventional oil	After Instantaneous electrical (tankless)
Ventilation	Before “Natural Ventilation”	After Ductless LUNOS HRV system
Electrical Service	Before 100 Amps	After 100 Amps

The Unhurried House

Project Team

Project Priorities

Project Goals

Upgrades

Project Description

Planning the Retrofit

Getting to Net Zero

Before & After

General

Building Condition

Before

After

Envelope

Ceiling/Attic Insulation

Before

After

Ceiling/Attic Insulation

Before

After

Foundation Insulation

Before

After

Foundation Insulation

Before

After

Wall Insulation

Before

After

Wall Insulation

Before

After

Windows and Doors

Before

After

Air Sealing

Before

After

Air Changes per Hour

Before

After

Mechanical & Electrical

Heating

Before

After

Cooling

Before

After

Hot Water

Before

After

Ventilation

Before

After

Electrical Service

Before

After

Photos

Pre Retrofit

During Construction

Post Retrofit