ZEN AND RAGE

A debut memoir recounts a husband and wife’s plan to build a “super-energy-efficient house.”

“For the reader who is relatively unschooled in building or renovations, this book may serve as something of a ‘how-to,’ ” remarks Formica in her introduction. Those more experienced in this area may pick up useful suggestions about energy-efficient building, although the work is not intended as a technical guide. The author’s story begins in 1996 in Connecticut with Formica and her husband, Tim, a contractor on renovation jobs, upgrading their starter home for a profitable sale. The renovations met calamity when the author, who was pregnant at the time, found that Tim had accidentally caused flooding in the basement. Formica balances such moments of panic with contemplative reflections founded in her understanding of Zen Buddhism. The couple went on to build an energy-efficient passive house, a project that would take over 10 years. Formica’s fun and informative memoir covers all aspects of the project, from the importance of properly ventilating a passive house to issues of financing. The author also candidly describes the impact of the project on her relationship with her husband as they pushed toward realizing their dream. Formica has a matter-of-fact approach to writing, meticulously recording the progress of the renovation: “Air-sealing tape on every seam of plywood and OSB; house wrap over the entire outer structure to prevent moisture and air penetration.” This approach may seem dry on occasion, but it allows readers to understand the project in step-by-step detail. Any factual dullness is offset by the author’s wry sense of humor. Regarding Tim’s ambitions to build an energy-efficient house, she muses: “His standing joke was that he wanted to be able to heat it ‘with a candle or a fart.’ What woman could resist?” The Zen element of the memoir is enlightening as it explains how the author let go of her perfectionism. Still, some readers may feel that the intersection of Zen and renovation could be explored even further. Illustrated with Formica’s black-and-white photographs of the enterprise throughout, this well-written book will be of particular interest to readers wishing to build their own passive houses.

An ambitious project deftly recalled with precision and levity.