S7, E4: Building a High-Performance Legacy

SEASON SEVEN, EPISODE FOUR | TRANSCRIPT

Every homebuilder has a few projects that change the way they build — and the way they think.

In today's episode of our look at 20 Homes for 20 Years, we reflect on two groundbreaking homes that put Hibbs Homes on the map for energy-efficient and sustainable construction: Active House USA in Webster Groves and The Proud Green Home in Wildwood, Missouri.

Together, these homes not only shaped the company’s philosophy but also helped inspire builders, architects, and homeowners around the world to think differently about what “green building” really means.

Sustainable, High-Performance Homes

The Active House USA project, completed in 2013 for homeowners David and Thuy Smith, was one of the first homes in North America built to the Active House international building standard.

The goal was ambitious: create a home that balanced energy efficiency, indoor air quality, and comfort without compromising design or aesthetics. Working with architect Jeff Day, the Hibbs team built a home that fit seamlessly into the historic Webster Groves neighborhood while performing far above standard building codes.

The Smiths were skeptical at first, worried their green home might look like a futuristic dome. But what they ended up with was a beautiful, timeless, and highly livable home that exceeded expectations.

Life Inside Active House USA

David and Thuy joined the team in the studio to share what it’s been like living in their high-performance home more than a decade later.

Built using Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs), the home is airtight, quiet, and incredibly consistent in temperature. The Smiths describe it as “living inside a cooler” - comfortable in every season, without hot or cold spots.

Beyond comfort, they also noticed a major improvement in indoor air quality. Thuy, who suffers from allergies, says her symptoms nearly disappeared after moving in. The home’s tight building envelope, efficient ventilation, and low-VOC materials make the air noticeably cleaner, which is a benefit that’s only grown more important with time.

Even 13 years later, neighbors still stop by to ask about the paint color (James Hardie Iron Ore siding) and to admire how naturally the home fits into its surroundings.

Design and Construction Details

One of the most striking features of Active House USA is its vaulted ceilings and abundant natural light. With more than a dozen skylights and strategically placed windows, daylight fills every room and reduces the need for artificial lighting.

The design also maximizes space efficiency. Above the detached garage, a finished carriage suite has served as a home brewery, a family hangout, and now a workout space.

While the project’s energy systems were advanced for their time, what made it truly unique was its educational mission. Hibbs Homes partnered with Habitat for Humanity, local trade schools, and the University of Missouri–Columbia to make the project a hands-on learning lab. Students, architects, and builders toured the home to study its envelope design, energy modeling, and advanced insulation system.

From Active House to Proud Green Home

Three years later, Hibbs Homes was at the helm of another landmark green construction project - Proud Green Home St Louis expanded on the lessons learned from Active House USA.

Completed in 2016 for the Kuentz family, the home was recognized as:

• The Most Energy-Efficient Home in Missouri by Build Magazine
• The Most Advanced Home of the Year by the St. Louis Home Builders Association

Like Active House, it served as a living learning lab, bringing together builders, students, and trade partners to explore the science of high-performance construction.

Where Active House focused on building science and envelope efficiency, Proud Green Home advanced indoor air quality, geothermal heating and cooling, and overall home performance. Both homes achieved national and global recognition, promoting sustainable homebuilding in the U.S.

Clean Indoor Air and True Comfort

Both the Smith and Kuentz families shared similar outcomes: healthier, quieter, and more resource efficient living.

By focusing on sealed building envelopes, filtered air systems, and no-VOC construction materials, these homes eliminated the new home smell that often signals chemical off-gassing.

Kim and Chris Pedigo, Hibbs Homes’ General Manager, note that this kind of performance doesn’t require futuristic technology. It comes from smart planning, quality craftsmanship, and attention to detail.

Building Above Code

For Hibbs Homes, these projects reinforced the high-performance building standards and centered that standard in our practices. Every home built is tested to perform above code, incorporating and improving through what’s been learned over decades of green home building, testing, and certification.

Each home is evaluated using a Home Energy Rating System (HERS) score, much like a miles-per-gallon rating for cars.

• A typical code-built home scores around 100.
• Older homes average 140–145.
• Hibbs Homes consistently achieves scores between 30 and 45, which makes a Hibbs Healthy Home up to 70% more efficient than standard construction.

Active House USA achieved a pre-solar HERS rating of 29, while Proud Green Home reached the low 40s - proof that smart design and careful construction can make an enormous difference in the way a home lives.

Lessons That Still Apply Today

These homes became blueprints for what Hibbs Homes continues to build today: high-performance, healthy, and sustainable custom homes tailored to their owners.

Whether using SIPs, geothermal systems, or advanced heat pumps, the team focuses on balancing efficiency, comfort, and design integrity. Every detail matters — and every project is an opportunity to educate and inspire both clients and future builders.

Kim sums it up best:

“We never want to be a code builder. We want to be above code — focused on quality, performance, and clean indoor air. That’s our standard.”

Active House USA and The Proud Green Home proved that sustainable design and luxury living can go hand in hand. They showed that performance homes aren’t just better for the planet, they are better for the people who live in them.

These two projects remain cornerstones in Hibbs Homes’ 20-year journey, symbolizing how thoughtful design and a commitment to education can reshape an entire industry.

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