Total comfort. Zero bills. By design.
Glass walls and open rooms look incredible. But in most custom homes, they make your home bake in the summer, freeze in the winter, cost a ton to operate and maintain, and worse - leak wildfire smoke.
We fix that.
I'm Brett Sichello, founder of NIDO. I've spent over 20 years focused on residential design — and for over five-plus years, I didn't just practice Passive House design, I taught it, training Passive House Canada's professional courses across Western Canada. That's the standard every NIDO commission is built to.
I don't just design buildings.
I create quiet, unshakeable sanctuaries: massive views without temperature swings, noise, bad air, and high operating costs. Total comfort. Zero bills. By design.
Trained the Standard, Then Built to It
Training other designers means I didn't just meet the Passive House standard — I helped shape how an entire region of professionals approaches it. For over five years, I taught Passive House Canada's certification courses across Western Canada, working directly with the designers and builders now practicing throughout Western Canada.
That depth carries into every project. I've designed over 20 high-performance homes across the Pacific Northwest, including Certified Passive Houses and Certified Multifamily Passive Houses, each modeled for its own microclimate — lakeside wind exposure, wildfire-interface zoning, heavy snow loads, high summer heat, and difficult mountainous terrain. I'm a Registered Applied Science Technologist (AScT) specializing in Building Design through ASTTBC, and a Certified Passive House Designer trained on Passive House Institute modeling standards.
Working directly with a specialist means no hand-offs, no junior associates relearning your project — the person who designed your home is the person accountable for it, from first sketch through post-occupancy support.
Every project is a balance. Strict Passive House compliance isn't right for every budget or every aesthetic vision, so I evaluate your goals, budget, and design priorities first, then build a plan that hits the outcomes that matter most to you.
Complete Risk Reversal for Your Peace of Mind
Designing and building a custom home is notoriously complex. We believe the designer should shoulder the technical risks, not the homeowner. We back our commissions with a rigorous performance guarantee and four proactive oversight programs.
1. Guaranteed Performance Modeling
We don't guess — we calculate. Our designs are backed by advanced energy performance modeling using the Passive House Energy Modeling Software and a seamless builder handoff specifically designed to prevent design-clash change orders before ground is ever broken.
2. Permit Assurance Roadmap
Navigating municipal regulations shouldn't stall your dream. We utilize a highly refined, pre-design audit framework backed by a 100% historical municipal permit approval track record.
3. Construction Oversight & Site Administration
Designing, drawing, and creating equipment specifications the home is only half the battle. We conduct periodic site reviews and ongoing construction administration to ensure your general contractor executes every high-performance detail strictly according to the blueprint.
4. Post-Occupancy Smart Home Support
Sophisticated homes require ongoing care. We provide a proactive remote diagnostics program and annual system maintenance to assist with smart home updates, software, and mechanical system tuning.