Kiley Jacques

Kiley Jacques joined the Fine Homebuilding team as a senior editor in spring 2018. After years spent writing for home magazines, she is thrilled to be developing the department’s design content. The annual HOUSES, Kitchens & Baths, and Downsize issues are her purview, which means her time is spent looking for projects that are remarkable not only for their aesthetic appeal but also for the lessons they offer—her aim is to give readers thoroughly researched information that inspires. Kiley brings to the table a deep appreciation for design done right and an equally deep respect for the underlying construction methods and systems that make it work.

Recent Articles

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  Green Advocate

  Deep-Energy Retrofit of an Old Timber Frame

  Built c. 1780, this timber-framed house sits on nearly 200 acres in Washington Depot, CT. The client purchased the property in November 2019, and it has been in the hands…

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  Green Advocate

  Designing for Solar Panels

  It’s been interesting to watch the evolution of solar power over the last three decades—so many advances, a few stubborn hurdles. One thing that remains a constant is the importance…

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  Green Advocate

  Rammed Earth: Creating a 500-Year House

  The rammed-earth construction technique is several thousand years old and is thought to have originated independently in both China, where original rammed-earth sections of the Great Wall are still standing,…

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  Green Advocate

  Technologies Take Priority

  This recently completed 2540-sq.-ft. one-and-a-half-story single-family home is something of an experiment in new technologies. Located in Everson, Washington, the Built Green−certified 5-star project features an advanced HVAC system for…

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  Green Advocate

  A Wood-Centric Build

  Matt O’Malia and the team at Maine-based GO Logic have been on the leading edge of prefab Passive House design and construction since gaining a strong foothold with their GO Home…

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  Green Advocate

  Building Against the Grain

  Steve Weise is trying to move the needle. A seasoned builder, first-time developer, and owner of Leading Force Energy & Design Center based in Yakima, Washington, he finds himself in…

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  Green Advocate

  Proof of Concept

  “Every good design solution solves at least two problems.” —Michael Klement, architect Marti and Tom Burbeck think about things like the shrinking Arctic ice cap, the global pandemic that is…

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  Green Building Blog

  Another Take on a Concrete-Free Slab

  Randy Williams of Willcon Inc. recently contacted me regarding a project he is wrapping up in northern Minnesota. I was intrigued because he has eliminated the concrete slab foundation altogether,…

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  Green Building Blog

  Living Building Challenge Met

  The Living Building Challenge (LBC)— designed by the International Living Future Institute (ILFI)—is considered to be the world’s most rigorous green-building standard. The LBC is organized into seven performance areas…

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  Green Advocate

  A Look at Low Carbon Homes

  “If you are building a house in 2019, all of the embodied energy gets burned this year, which means that all of the carbon associated with that embodied energy is…