The GBA Conversation: An Architect Renovates Her Own Home

Duluth architect Rachel Wagner bought her 1903 house in 2005 and spent roughly the next decade upgrading it piece by piece rather than all at once. Her project list covered most of the big-ticket items homeowners weigh for an old house: air sealing (closing up gaps that let conditioned air escape), insulation, new windows, foundation work, continuous insulation added to the exterior walls, a rebuilt roof, mechanical system upgrades, and a solar electric (photovoltaic) system.

Wagner, who runs the firm Just Housing, says some of those choices paid off as planned, while others she'd do differently if she were starting over now. She traces her interest in energy efficiency back to a frugal upbringing and a college course on solar design, then to more than 30 years working in Duluth, where the cold climate pushes energy performance, durability, and comfort to the front of any renovation decision.

For a homeowner with an older house, the takeaway isn't a specific product or rebate, but the reminder that a deep energy retrofit rarely happens in one project. Wagner's decade-long, step-by-step approach, tackling air sealing and insulation before or alongside windows, foundation, roofing, and mechanicals, reflects how many older homes get upgraded in practice: in phases, as budget and priorities allow, with lessons learned along the way shaping the next phase.