“How much more does it cost to build a Passive House?”
It’s a question we hear often and the answer is much more nuanced than “it’s more expensive.”
At Bauen Build, we find it helpful to think about the ‘total cost of ownership’—what you pay upfront plus what you spend (or save) over the decades you live in your home. We’ve found that most people building a home are just thinking about the cost to build, not the associated costs to simply building to local code (i.e. “code built”.) When you look at the whole picture, building to a higher standard almost always pays for itself in comfort, durability, and less maintenance.
A Few Line Items, A Big Difference
When we look at the budget to build a house, there are roughly five line items (out of 150 total line items) that are higher when building a high-performance or Passive House versus a code built home. You still need framing, tile, doors, roofing, drywall, and other finishes. The difference lies in how well those elements are executed.
A better wall assembly or roof system adds cost but delivers tangible benefits you’ll feel every day: consistent temperatures, quieter rooms, and clean, healthy air. High-quality windows, for example, not only insulate against weather but also against noise, creating a calm interior that feels noticeably different from a code-built home.
“By spending a little more on what’s inside the walls, you end up with a home that lasts for generations.”
– Matt Brill, Founder
Durability is the Real Savings
Much of what makes a Passive House exceptional is invisible once the drywall goes up. Details like water and vapor management, insulation continuity, and airtight construction all prevent the silent failures that plague conventional homes: condensation, mold, and rot.
Those failures are expensive to fix, often go unnoticed for years, and can lead to health issues. A well-designed wall system with a rain screen, for example, allows a house to breathe while keeping moisture out, eliminating the risk of trapped water and mold growth. That’s not just a comfort issue; it’s a long-term financial one. Preventing a single instance of mold remediation or structural rot can offset the client’s initial investment in building better.
This is what we mean by total cost of ownership: the sum of the upfront investment plus the avoided costs of problems you are less likely to have.
Rethinking the “More Expensive” Myth
Many homeowners (and even some architects) assume Passive House means premium materials and therefore higher costs. In reality, it’s often a matter of education and transparency.
Triple-pane windows, once considered a luxury item, have become far more mainstream in recent years thanks to broader availability and improved manufacturing efficiency. They can now be less expensive than some popular double-pane brands that don’t provide the same value and function and can fail over time. The perception that “more insulation equals more cost” also doesn’t hold up—an extra few thousand dollars in framing or insulation on a multi-million-dollar home represents a fraction of the overall budget, yet delivers enormous performance gains.
And if the budget is tight, there are simple ways to rebalance without giving up performance: you might choose a more modest tile or flooring finish, or slightly reduce the overall square footage. These adjustments can easily offset the cost of better windows, insulation, or air sealing—helping you meet your budget without compromising comfort or quality.
“People say Passive House costs way more, but rarely define what that means. When you actually quantify it, the delta doesn’t need to be big—and the return is huge.”
– Michael Wilks, Operations Director
Comfort You Can Feel (Even If You Can’t Measure It)
Yes, you do spend more on certain parts of your home when you build to Passive standards, but those upgrades are what transform a typical house into one that feels great to live in. It’s the warmth you feel underfoot on a winter morning, the quiet that comes from triple-pane windows, and the steady comfort that makes every room usable all year long.
These are the everyday experiences that make a home feel truly comfortable and worth the investment. That extra care and precision is what gives the home its lasting quality.
Comfort also extends to the air you breathe. In a Passive House, a continuous ventilation system—called an ERV (Energy Recovery Ventilator)—constantly refreshes and filters the air, removing stale air and bringing in clean, tempered air without losing heat or comfort. This creates a quiet, balanced indoor environment that’s free of drafts, pollutants, and seasonal allergens. Families notice the difference immediately, especially those with allergies or asthma.
And for anyone working or spending more time at home, that stable temperature and clean air mean clearer thinking, better sleep, and a more consistent sense of well-being. Those are the kinds of returns that can’t be calculated but are felt every single day.
Ask a Different Question
If you’re deciding whether to build a Passive House, ask yourself this: How long do you want your home to last, and what kind of environment do you want to live in every day?
A standard home might meet code, but a high-performance home exceeds it in every way that matters—durability, comfort, efficiency, and peace of mind. When you consider the total cost of ownership, the question isn’t “Does it cost more?”, it’s “What am I getting in return?”
At Bauen Build, we think that’s the real value worth building for.
