Originally published in the Summer 2020 issue of SPOKE+BLOSSOM

Sustainable living focuses on a lifestyle that avoids the depletion of natural resources and one’s personal resources in order to maintain an ecological balance. Many people and communities are shifting their choices to be more sustainable. The folks at Phoenix Haus are helping people do this with their homes. The Grand Junction-based company is committed to solving unhealthy housing with a “prefabricated passive house” design and construction.

“The focus is on the healthy outdoors-type of person who is looking to do high performance with low energy,” says Bill McDonald, founder of Phoenix Haus.

McDonald’s inspiration for this building process stems from his childhood. He grew up in Michigan as one of three children. McDonald suffered from severe allergies that triggered life- threatening breathing issues — those that were further exacerbated by dirt, dust, mold and mildew, both indoors and out. In the mid 90s, filtered fresh air ventilation was not a readily available technology.

A few years later McDonald’s nuclear family dissolved. His mother and siblings moved into a big beautiful home on 85 acres in rural Michigan.

“The family home had land to explore and it felt empty. It was literally cold and disconnected,” he shares. It lacked a community filled with neighbors and friends. “I watched and witnessed the lack of efficiency and the wasted space for a family of four,” adds McDonald.

Even at that young age, he knew there must be a better way to live and create more health from your home. This was and is still the driving force behind his career path and a foundation for the values of Phoenix Haus.

HEALTHY MATERIALS

Phoenix Haus relocated to Grand Junction in 2017 from Detroit, Michigan. They saw the majority of their orders and clientele coming from Colorado and started exploring new locations for their facility.

“Colorado is more progressive than the Midwest, which seems surprising since the west and east coasts tend to be even more progressive. We call it the Rocky Mountain client,” McDonald explains.

Within close proximity to their immediate clients, Phoenix Haus is able to provide the best service from design to construction by working with the homeowner and designers on the multiple uses of their home and property.

“We are talking beyond actually manufacturing a panel. We get more involved with how we offer a designer the end use; how we are programming the end use is really important,” he shares.

Their facility is owned by Colorado Mesa University (CMU). McDonald says the Phoenix Haus team enjoys the community connection this provides. They have developed a training program for CMU students to develop new skills and labor opportunities.

“It creates a nice young attitude and a fresh look at things,” says McDonald. “Even though the students are not as experienced to the extent that we are, they have been in a training program with us the whole time.”

Phoenix Haus is working to dial in the process of experiencing their product fully.

“You see model homes and house walks,” shares McDonald. “We are taking that to the next level and making it available for people to be able to make a booking and stay for a night.”

The first model show house, Homestead 19, is being completed up at Powderhorn Mountain Resort. Phoenix Haus will be hosting a grand opening weekend September 5 and 6, 2020, at 408 Coyote Run from 12 to 5 p.m. each day. Visitors can sign up at the open house to win a two-night stay at Homestead 19.

“We did it using our system, using healthy materials,” McDonald explains. “We do not use any foam or oil-based chemicals. We are wood based, cutting and processing everything here in Grand Junction.”

Once Homestead 19 is complete, curious potential clients will be able to book a stay to get a hands-on experience with how Phoenix Haus homes look, feel and perform.

PARADIGM OF SUSTAINABILITY

The cost of owning a home continues to rise with the cost of construction. Demand is rising too — in some areas, contractors have a waiting period of two to three years. The prefabricated home from Phoenix Haus is competitively priced and cuts the construction time down dramatically.

“On top of that, what we bring to the table is a paradigm shift,” says McDonald. “Yes, we are building it off-site. That has been done for some time, but what we are adding to that equation is what we call “healthiness” — we design these houses to run with renewable or solar systems.”

Phoenix Haus has localized this European- inspired building system and also made it more approachable and affordable. In addition, Phoenix Haus is integrating a multi-generational option to their builds.

“Housing has become so expensive, and generally folks are finding ways to innovate their housing units and how they live,” McDonald says. “What I see evolving a lot now are attached additional housing units that can have a multi- generational use.”

Phoenix Haus has been working in the single-family arena, and McDonald says they plan to continue that while still evolving.

“Building homes is what we do, but our ‘why’ also deals with solving this housing crisis, as it’s called,” McDonald shares. “Talking about what the next generation wants for housing units stays front-of-mind for Phoenix Haus. As people are ready to buy or go somewhere long- term, the equation is very different than it was 10 years ago or even five years ago. So, if we are coming up with better platforms and ways to do that more creatively and competitively-priced, that is when people get excited.”

Community is something that was lacking in McDonald’s childhood home. As people start to shift into more permanent living situations, Phoenix Haus is able to pivot with them. Options like co-living can be helpful by cutting down the overall cost of housing for developers and owners.

“With the communities that exist in the outdoor and family sectors, we can create living environments that are mixed-use. These create little communities and are pretty sharp looking and powerful,” explains McDonald. “It is not just the materials, is it? It is how we actually live and who we are living with.”

Phoenix Haus’s next public project is Homestead 30 and it will be developed in Mesa County. The co-living space is designed to reduce rental costs for the end users. They will be looking for an outdoor adventure-seeking type to live among other like-minded individuals.

As they evolve, Phoenix Haus is committed to creating communities that are developed and nurtured with a paradigm of sustainability.

Phoenix Haus: Healthy And Affordable Living Can Start With A More Sustainable Home