Better Builder Magazine, Fall Issue, 2014

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ISSUE 11 | FALL 2014 WWW.BETTERBUILDER.CA

The Healthy House

IssueGood Health Starts at Home

Some Lessons Learned Building HealthyTo Have an HRV or NotLiving in the ClearDaylight and Air Quality Become StandardTighter Homes with More Insulation –

Where Did the Water Go?Publ

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IN THIS ISSUE

2 ISSUE 10 | SUMMER 2014

A b r e a t h o f f r e s h a i r .

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FEATURE STORY16 People Like Us: Some Lessons Learned Building Healthy BY HILTON TUDHOPE

18 +House: Sustainability and Contemporary LEED Gold-Targeted Home BY DALJIT BASAN

INSIDE THIS ISSUE02 Publisher’s Note: Thinking Inside the Box BY JOHN GODDEN

03 The Bada Test: To Have an HRV or Not BY LOU BADA

04 Industry News: Engaging Sustainable Communities: Driving the Future of Homeowner Engagement BY ALEX NEWMAN

06 Industry Expert: Five Key Elements of Healthy Homes BY GORD COOKE

08 Builder News: Living in the Clear BY ALEX NEWMAN

13 Industry News: New Research for Healthier Homes BY MICHAEL LIO

22 :P[L�:WLJPÄJ! David Kelly Receives Dow Pinnacle Award for Selling Excellence BY THE DOW CHEMICAL COMPANY

24 Builder News: Follow the Leader: Daylight and Great Air Quality Become Standard in Subdivision Housing BY ALEX NEWMAN

27 From the Ground Up: Tighter Homes, More Insulation, Less Energy, but Where Did the Water Go? BY DOUG TARRY

31 Builder News:�)YVVRÄLSK�/VTLZ�9LJLP]LZ�(JJVSHKLZ� for High Performance and Healthy Housing BY BROOKFIELD RESIDENTIAL AND BETTER BUILDER

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ISSUE 11 | FALL 2014

WWW.BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 11 | FALL 2014

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2 WWW.BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 11 | FALL 2014

Publisher Better Builder Magazine 12 Rowley Avenue Toronto, ON M4P 2S8 416-481-4218 fax 416-481-4695 [email protected]

Better Builder Magazine is a sponsor of

Publishing editor John B. Godden

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To advertise, contribute a story, or join our distribution list, please contact [email protected]

Feature Writers Tracy Hanes, Alex Newman

ProoFreading Janet Dimond

creative Robert Robotham Graphicswww.RobertRobotham.ca

This magazine brings together premium product manufacturers and leading builders to create better, differentiated homes and buildings that use less energy, save water and reduce our impact on the environment.

Publication number 42408014

Copyright by Better Builder Magazine. Contents may not be reprinted or reproduced without written permission. The opinions expressed herein are exclusively those of the authors and assumed to be original work. Better Builder Magazine cannot be held liable for any damage as a result of publishing such works.

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undeliverable mail Better Builder Magazine 12 Rowley Avenue, Toronto, ON M4P 2S8. Better Builder Magazine is published four times a year.

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corpo-

ration (CMHC) recognizes builders

for constructing healthier homes in

Canada. To receive this honour builders must

embrace five principles – occupant health,

energy efficiency, resource efficiency, environ-

mental responsibility and affordability. I am

pleased to tell you that I received this recogni-

tion in 1997 as I incorporated these five prin-

ciples into every custom home I was involved

in building.

The interplay between occupant health/

safety and affordability has been a discussion

in residential housing

for almost 30 years.

The central issue is

that a healthy, more

durable box (house)

costs more money to

build. The very chemi-

cals that make building

materials inexpensive,

and quick to market, contain volatile organic

compounds (VOCs) that adversely affect hu-

man health.

So what’s the answer? It has been my

experience that the more educated both

builders and homebuyers are about the

building materials used in construction, the

more empowered both parties are to choose

materials that assure both occupant health

and environmental sustainability. It is the

educated selection of building materials and

mechanical systems that results in a win-win

situation. The builder can still turn a profit

and the homeowner receives the value they

are paying for.

Brookfield Homes is a great example of a

builder that has embraced the healthy home

approach to building. In this issue we have

included an article regarding Brookfield

Homes receiving the CMHC recognition at

their LEED Gold-certified model home in

Niagara. Brookfield has successfully sold

homebuyers on healthy home features and

upgrades through education, allowing the

homebuyer the full understanding of the ben-

efits they are paying for.

In this issue Lou Bada explores the why of

cost in his article “To Have an HRV or Not.”

His company has decided to balance efficien-

cy and occupant health by building Package

J for building permits. Michael Lio reminds

us of the growing concern about radon in

housing and that a closer investigation is

required.

Key to the discussion of healthy homes is

not only who builds

them, but how they

are designed. The

two homes featured

in this issue, +House

and the Active

House, were both

designed by superkül

architects. superkül

is pushing the boundaries of the definition of

green and sustainable homes. Their work with

private clients and builders like Great Gulf

help us all rethink what is healthy, durable

and affordable.

Alex Newman gives us two perspectives

on healthy building in this issue. The first is

of Great Gulf in her article on benefits and

building strategy behind the Active House.

The second is of a homeowner in her article

about a couple who has experienced the ben-

efits of living in a healthy home for years.

Gord Cooke has practical advice on how

builders can plan and integrate healthy hous-

ing into their programs. Doug Tarry raises key

questions about moisture management in our

current building practices.

As houses become more airtight and in-

sulated, the clear way to proceed is to think,

design and build both inside and outside the

box. Hopefully this issue opens up that pos-

sibility for you. BB

Thinking Inside the Box

publisher’snoteB y J o h n G o d d e n


The very chemicals that make building materials

inexpensive, and quick to market, contain volatile organic

compounds (VOCs) that adversely affect human health.

3WWW.BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 11 | FALL 2014

T o paraphrase Os-

car Wilde: A cynic

is a man [person]

who knows the cost of

everything and the value

of nothing. Despite my

last column, for which

I’ve received much-

appreciated and varied

feedback, I believe most

new homebuilders are

not cynical. The decision-

making process for me

has always considered

value rather than cost.

What you pay and what

you receive in exchange

rather than focusing on

what something costs.

The very first question

that needs to be asked,

before you get to what

and how and how much,

is Why? Indoor air qual-

ity (IAQ) is one of the

most important compo-

nents of any building,

especially a residential

building. “Build it tight and ventilate

it right” is one of the first principles

of energy-efficient housing. Moisture

control is also important for building

durability – an often overlooked com-

ponent of sustainable housing.

In an earlier article, I alluded to the

decision-making process around insu-

lated exterior sheathing and our deci-

sion to embrace Package J for SB-12

compliance. I believe I also stated that

Package J was not the least expensive

method of construction. One of the

more costly components of Package

J is a heat recovery ventilator (HRV).

The cost per unit is +/- $1,000. For

an average-sized subdivision of 200

detached homes, this cost for a single

building component is very significant.

This is something that could have been

omitted with a different compliance

package (A to D, K, L or M).

So, why do it? Value. Although

homes can be ventilated through a

principal fan, we know our custom-

ers rarely run them adequately. HRVs

[and energy recovery ventilators

(ERVs) more so] are great pieces of

equipment and provide a healthier in-

door environment for our homeown-

ers. Granted they must be cleaned

and maintained regularly, but they

also provide heat recovery

and energy savings. Blowing

expensive conditioned air out

through a vent or window nev-

er made sense to me. Living in

a home with poor air quality

makes even less sense.

Control systems for HRVs

also provide for relative hu-

midity control, and as such

can reduce customer calls to

our office regarding window

condensation in cold weather. I

understand that some exhaust

fan suppliers are integrating

new technologies to make

exhaust fans more HRV-like.

Although I currently have no

firsthand experience with these

products, I welcome the in-

novation and if I see the value,

may use them.

It is true that some things

cannot have a price assigned

to them. Their value is just too

great. Our health is obviously

one of them. Adoption of good

technologies, at a cost, pro-

motes their evolution into a better

product. It eventually drives costs

down through competition and econ-

omies of scale. It inspires competing

products to innovate and get better.

The result is very much win-win.

HRVs were not mandated by SB-12,

but through some flexibility, allowed

to builders in choosing a builder

option package, were facilitated by

crafting some good government regu-

lation. No cynicism here. BB

Lou Bada is construction & contracts manager for Starlane Homes.

To Have an HRV or Not

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If a house is not properly ventilated, its air quality will suffer.


A t the day-long

Engaging Sustain-

able Communities

event held in Toronto on

June 26, a diverse roster of

speakers delivered a con-

sistent message. Because

being green is not top of

mind for homeowners, the

way to create sustainable

housing and communities

is for builders, govern-

ment, banks and academics

to collaborate.

As keynote speaker for the event,

Ronn Stevenson said achieving col-

laboration would require a change of

thinking. “So many of us work on the

same thing, have the same ideas, but

because we work in silos we are not

aware of each other. Amazing things

could be accomplished if only groups

could get connected.”

The answer, Stevenson believes,

lies in accessible knowledge maps

that would enable groups to see who

is working on what. Not only would

this avoid reinventing the wheel, but it

makes collaboration a realizable goal.

When he attends meetings around the

city, he’s amazed at how easily ties

could be made if only each group and

organization knew what the others

were up to.

He cited a few examples. Recently,

a large unused west end lot was able

to realize its potential once interested

neighbourhood parties were brought

together. Research and neighbour-

hood studies conducted two decades

ago about the Woodbine

Racetrack redevelopment is

valuable info that could be

used now to great benefit

for groups working in the

area.

But it’s also necessary to

have a “champion” to drive

info and groups forward to

realize their goals, Ste-

venson adds. When Mary

Pickering of the Toronto

Atmospheric Fund, for

example, pushed for better

ways to implement rebates in sustain-

able energy programs, she paved the

way for the City of Toronto’s Home

Energy Loan program (HELP).

That program has made $10 mil-

lion available through long-term

loans for homeowners to make

energy-efficient

retrofits on existing

homes. Attached to

the property, and

not the owner, the

loan is passed on to

the next homeowner.

John Godden of Clearsphere noted

this kind of program “is a powerful

mechanism to finance improvements

for people who have reached the lim-

its of their lines of credit or mortgage

lending.”

Sonja Persram, president and CEO

of Sustainable Alternatives Consult-

ing, says loans like these (aka local

improvement charges or LICs) are

beneficial because they provide longer

terms, more security, and lower rates

that in turn encourage deeper green

upgrades and greater improvements.

She said these loans allow the munici-

pality to achieve energy use reduc-

tion, increase the quality of existing

housing stock, create jobs and protect

homeowners from future energy

poverty.

Encouraging people to apply for up

to 5 per cent of their home’s current

value, HELP aims to reach a thousand

homes. Phase one was launched in the

Beaches, Riverdale and South Scarbor-

ough, with expectations of rolling out

a second phase in soon-to-be-deter-

mined additional neighbourhoods.

To avoid getting snarled in com-

plicated procedure, the City has kept

things simple with five easy steps:

prequalification, home energy as-

sessment and fund request, property

owner agreement,

complete the im-

provements, repay-

ment. The aim is to

reduce energy con-

sumption by 25 per

cent. The hard part,

says Godden, is pounding the pave-

ment to get individual homeowners to

“buy in.”

Godden sees a role for business –

and banks – to play since government

doesn’t have the resources to con-

tinue funding this. He recently worked

with Scotiabank – and Enbridge – on

retrofits for existing homes to garner

a 25 per cent reduction in energy

use, and then again on the EcoLiving

Awards event.

Engaging Sustainable Communities:

Driving the Future of Homeowner Engagement

industrynewsB y A l e x N e w m a n

Ronn Stevenson

“Amazing things could be accomplished

if only groups could get connected.”

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Government’s role, says Godden,

would be better used for giving tax in-

centives, because with programs and

rebates the government is “really just

giving us our own money back. What

I’d prefer to see is giving tax breaks

to people who spend money on their

energy reduction.”

For example, the Home Energy Rat-

ing System (HERS) is another standard

recognized by ANSI (American Na-

tional Standards Institute) – and now

by Enbridge and the Ontario Building

Code (OBC). But Godden would like to

see the LIC type of programs do the

same.

Godden also recognizes a need for

greater general literacy about energy.

“Homeowners, builders and renova-

tors need to be better informed about

what we’re trying to sell, which means

more education and awareness of

what the choices are.”

Dr. Dan McGillivray, executive

director of Ryerson’s Centre for Urban

Energy, agrees that “energy literacy

is a real challenge.” Recognizing the

power in narrative storytelling, he is

trying to get journalism students at

Ryerson engaged

in writing about

it.

McGillivray

also sees other

challenges –

mainly in ex-

pectations. We

have rapid urban

growth and an

aging infrastructure. There’s also the

disparity between rural and urban

centres in supply of and demand for

energy. For example in rural areas,

there’s a rising supply and falling

demand for power, meaning they will

have a surplus of power in the future.

However, in the city the demand for

power is rising to the point of exceed-

ing supply.

Add in a consumer raised on a

“culture of plenty [who] expects cheap,

limitless, reliable power,” but is reluc-

tant to put a generator in the backyard.

McGillivray also sees an upcoming

shortage of skilled

workers in the

sustainable field,

and an even greater

knowledge gap with

the aging work-

force. For every

two people leaving

the sustainability

sector, he said, only

one is coming in.

The whole purpose of the event

was to engage a variety of responses

to sustainability and carry those into

a meaningful dialogue in the public

sphere. Many conversations were

started that day. The hope is they will

continue. BB

Alex Newman is a writer, editor and researcher at www.integritycommunications.ca.

“Homeowners, builders and renovators need to

be better informed about what we’re trying to sell,

which means more education and awareness of what the choices are.”


At the Spring Training Camp,

an advanced building science

symposium our company

co-hosted this April, I was reminisc-

ing with two great builders, Stephen

Tobey of Gordon Tobey Developments

in eastern Ontario, and Vic Pongetti

of Thomas Cochren Homes in south-

western Ontario, about the Healthy

Housing recognition sponsored by the

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corpo-

ration (CMHC) since the early 1990s.

Both companies were early recipients

of the program’s recognition of build-

ers and renovators having the knowl-

edge and skills necessary to construct

and renovate a healthier home in

response to client needs. Many of the

skills and principles of the Healthy

Housing initiative have in subsequent

years become either building code

requirements or at least common

practice for most professional build-

ers. Let’s look at the five key elements

identified by CMHC as characterizing

a healthy home and you can score

your skills and knowledge in each.

The actual checklist can be found at

www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/inpr/bude/

heho/heho_003.cfm

1. Occupant Health: Healthy Hous-ing promotes superior quality of indoor air, water and lighting.

The checklist for this element

includes effective and efficient ven-

tilation provided by a heat recovery

ventilator (HRV) or energy recovery

ventilator (ERV), a predominance

of hard surface flooring and sealed

combustion appliances. I suspect you

would easily meet these requirements.

Foundation moisture control is also

on the list and this is nicely addressed

by professional builders with drainage

products. The checklist also requires

use of low volatile organic compound

(VOC) coatings, adhesives and seal-

ants. These products too, although

not necessarily code requirements, are

now in common use. Work is still to

be done on the requirements for solid

wood or formaldehyde-free cabinets,

subfloor and trim products, but they

are widely available.

��,ULYN`�,ɉJPLUJ`!�Healthy Hous-ing reduces energy use for space and water heating, and appliances and lighting.

With energy efficiency firmly

engrained in Part 12 of the Ontario

Building Code (OBC), most builders

would get an A+ for the checklist

items in this element. Always room

for improvement, of course, as we

head toward net-zero homes.

��9LZV\YJL�,ɉJPLUJ`!�Healthy /V\ZPUN�THRLZ�LɉJPLU[�\ZL�VM�building materials and reduces construction waste. Durability of building components is essential.

Here, in my opinion and from my

travels, is where work is needed,

Five Key Elements of Healthy Homes

industryexpertB y G o rd C o o k e

Top 10 Water Management Details Checklist: Done This Year 1–3 years

01.� 7HU�ÅHZOLK�^PUKV^�HUK�KVVY�ZPSSZ� � �02.� -\SS`�ÅHZOLK�^PUKV^Z�HUK�KVVYZ�J�^�KYPW�JHW� � �03.� *VTWYLOLUZP]L�L_[LYPVY�HPY��^LH[OLY�IHYYPLY� � �04. Drainage gap behind all exterior claddings

05.� +YPW�JHW�HUK�ÅHZOPUN�H[�KLJR�PU[LYMHJL� � �06. Capillary break between footings and foundation

07. Below-grade exterior drainage layer

08�� >OVSL�OV\ZL�Z\TTLY�KLO\TPKPÄJH[PVU�Z[YH[LN`� � �09. ERV v. HRV for ventilation

10. Eavestroughs and downspouts


both to the CMHC checklist and in

building practices. The checklist

speaks to simple items like set-back

thermostats and efficient water fix-

tures. However, that doesn’t address

the “essential” durability objective.

Remember that the number one thing

that destroys buildings and building

materials is moisture. Moreover, the

very elements that make homes more

efficient, like higher levels of insula-

tion, reduce the drying potential of

building assemblies. Having done

dozens of indoor air quality audits

under the CMHC Indoor Air Quality

Investigators’ protocol (a protocol

CMHC has inexplicably dropped

from its information resources), I can

confidently say builders need to reas-

sess flashing details at windows and

doors, roof to wall interfaces and at

decks. Red tape, goops of foam and

faced sealed caulking of exterior ele-

ments don’t withstand the rigours of

more complicated designs, reduced

drying potential and the higher

expectations of consumers. A full

and comprehensive weather barrier

should be the next action item for

every professional builder. Recent ex-

periences across the U.S. and Canada

indicate it can take 5 to10 years for

exterior moisture issues to show up

and none of us need that risk hang-

ing over us. Especially since proper

water management details represent

less than 1 per cent of total con-

struction costs, while water damage

represents 80 per cent of construc-

tion defects and litigation. On this

specific issue I highly recommend

readers check out the EPA’s Indoor

airPLUS construction specifications.

They have a great air quality check-

list that highlights comprehensive

and cost-effective water management

details. It can be found at www.epa.

gov/indoorairplus.

4. Environmental Responsibility: Healthy Housing encourages site planning that reduces land require-TLU[Z��WYVTV[LZ�YLZV\YJL�LɉJPLU[�landscaping and considers broader community planning issues such as transportation.

The fact that as many as 50 per cent

of new homes built in Ontario the last

few years have been multifamily speaks

to this principal element. The check-

list for this element also identifies

waste reduction, reuse and recycling of

building materials as a requirement of

healthy homes. There is always room

for improvement and diligence in this

regard, as it pays off in lower material

and waste disposal costs.

��(ɈVYKHIPSP[`!�Many features of /LHS[O`�/V\ZPUN�THRL�P[�HɈVYK-able, and its design makes it easily adaptable to its occupants’ chang-ing needs.

Again, while land costs are still

rising in Canada, the lower energy

bills and wider range of innovative

multifamily projects is evidence the

industry has an eye to maintaining

affordability.

Having been connected to indoor

air quality from the early days design-

ing the second generation of HRVs

in 1984, it is wonderful for me to see

the commitment to improvement the

homebuilding industry has made with

respect to truly healthier homes. No

doubt you can proudly score yourself

well in this regard, and then immedi-

ately recognize the opportunity to re-

duce risks and liability, and offer cost

effectively an even healthier, more

durable, and therefore more sustain-

able home by putting an emphasis on

water management. BB

Gord Cooke is president of Building Knowledge Canada.


On typical Toronto summer days

– muggy and still with only the

sound of crickets interrupting

the silence – the home of Chungsen

Leung and Deborah Chute is unaf-

fected by the heat, even though the

façade is almost entirely glass. Several

things make it quite unlike the other

houses on this Richmond Hill street.

For one, there is a 4 ft. overhang

from the steel roof which enables a

deep shadow to be cast over the up-

per floor, keeping it cool. The roof of

the house next door with its standard

12” soffit, for example, doesn’t throw

a shadow large enough to hit even the

top of the small traditional windows

on the second floor.

The overhang has also eliminated

the need for gutters and downspouts.

Instead, rainwater pours directly off

the roof into a drainage system just

below the ground around the home

(but above the frost line). This ir-

rigates the backyard where a bed of

smallish river rocks wends its way

through the butterfly-friendly garden.

It’s a standard design for an Asian

home, says Leung. The drains have a

semipermeable lining to keep pebbles

from sinking into the ground while al-

lowing water to irrigate. Since seepage

is slow, the excess water runs into the

collection pond in the back of the yard

and follows the swale as it drains into

the city sewage system during a deluge.

The Asian drains around the house

have a 6” permeable pipe to allow

faster drainage away from the building,

and they work for melting snow as well.

The garage too is different. Because

Leung and Chute both suffer from en-

vironmental allergies, it was decided to

separate the garage from the home to

prevent gas fumes from leaking inside.

Those allergies drove all construc-

tion decisions – from mechanical sys-

tems and building materials to finish-

es and paints – in efforts to make the

indoor air as pure as possible. And so

natural or very low volatile organic

compound (VOC) finishes were used,

floors are either ceramic tile or Forest

Stewardship Council (FSC) hardwood,

and the HVAC system is forward

thinking even by today’s standards.

The wood finishes were tested out

to see which ones gave the least odour

and least offensive chemical com-

pounds, using ECOLOGO products in

some cases.

Along the way, it was discovered

that a healthy home can also be an

energy-efficient one and the couple

has enjoyed lower energy bills. Leung

figures they’ve shaved about 50 per

cent off their energy bills over the

past 11 years.

Built to R2000 standards, the 2,200

sq. ft. house (above ground, and below

is an additional 1,100 sq. ft.) is both

airtight and well ventilated. Fresh air

is drawn in from the outside through

a super high efficiency, fully ducted

heat recovery ventilator (HRV), then

purified by high efficiency particulate

air (HEPA) filters that remove pollen,

dust and pollutants. That system is

also energy efficient – warm air is

exhausted to preheat incoming air,

which keeps the air fresh and reduces

the energy required for heating and

cooling. As well, the couple opted for

two HRVs, one for the main house-

hold, and the other to vent closets be-

cause of Chute’s allergies to perfumes

and dry cleaning solutions.

Also nontoxic and odour-free is

the home’s 6” of polyicynene foam

insulation sprayed in on both sides of

the steel studs, between the drywall

and the brick exterior. The insulated

sheathing was covered in an exterior air

barrier system, one of the first times

it’s been used in Ontario. A blower door

test done – before drywall – revealed

the house surpassed R2000 standards.

Even on the exterior, builder John

Godden of Clearsphere was mindful

of chemical use, the only one being

caulking. All the rest of the glues and

finishes are natural – made from wax

Continued on page 10

buildernewsB y A l e x N e w m a n

Living in the Clear

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or tree sap – and paints are all organic.

Silicone used in the bathrooms was

low VOC. Chute researched grouts and

found a method of natural tile grout

commonly applied over a hundred

years ago, as well as the company that

still uses it today.

“Our Italian tile setter said this was

the same process used by his ances-

tors, and uses mostly sand and a little

cement for the base. So far we have

experienced no shifting of the floors,”

Leung says.

The couple is very happy about the

home. No longer do they struggle with

allergies, their utilities are lower, and

the house has tons of natural light.

Light coming in through the floor

to ceiling windows of the solarium

saturates the back of the house. Plus

it provides sweeping views of the

natural wild garden.

At the front, daylight – as well as

moonlight – stream in through the

large modern Inline fibreglass win-

dows that span both floors. The 4

ft. exterior overhang serves a vital

purpose that can be seen from inside.

It drastically reduces the amount of

direct summer sun that comes in. But

in winter, when the sun is lower on

the horizon, the slanting rays are able

to penetrate the interior.

So much light has one drawback –

few window coverings will stand up

to it, especially if they are made of

all-natural fibres like hemp and silk,

and without fire retardants which give

off fumes. Chute will be having new

ones made by a local seamstress in

the same material.

The couple is also replacing the hot

water system. A solar panel on the

roof heats water, which is then drawn

through a 90,000 BTU condensing

gas boiler to raise the temperature

– to 30°C for the radiant floors and

60°C for regular domestic use such

as showers and dishwasher (although

these are on separate loops).

The main source of heat for the

house is the radiant floors. Hot water

for the system is warmed through the

high efficiency gas boiler and then de-

livered via pipes buried in a 2” cement

subfloor that emits neither fumes nor

dust. Supplemental heat, if Chute and

Leung want it, comes from the airtight

EPA-rated fireplace in the living room,

which is a steel-enclosed fire box that

retains all the heat.

By building the fireplace inside the

walls of the house, and enclosing the

chimney in a cavity that heats up and

provides radiant heat to the upstairs,

Leung says they have been able to

capture more of its heat. During last

winter’s ice storm when electricity was

off for 72 hours, the house lost only

10°C due to the home’s air tightness.

But the boiler heats only 3.5 gal.

of water a minute, not enough to fill

the huge Japanese soaker tub in the

upstairs bath. Godden says the boiler

is a good one, but provides water on

demand – as opposed to a storage type

– which is a feature designed to save

energy. That means water needs warm-

ing up a few minutes before showers

or baths. One solution would be to

install a storage hot water tank that

will store the water heated through the

boiler. Leung and Chute have done just

that so they have a continuous supply

of hot water.

Continued from page 8

High performance windows and roof overhangs help manage solar gain on the south elevation.

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The solar hot water heater

that preheats the water is first

generation, Godden says, and

the technology has certainly

been improved in the 11 years

since the house was built. It

could easily be updated as well.

The high velocity heating

and air distribution system is

used mostly for the air con-

ditioning. Air doesn’t need to

be moved around with radiant

floors, but it does for cooling

the air. It’s done via a distri-

bution system large enough

to counteract the temperature

increase that comes from so

many windows. After reduc-

ing the amount of windows by

about half, Godden selected

special coatings for the glass

to help with the home’s ther-

mal insulation. In 2003, Inline

windows was only one of a

few manufacturers offering

these selective coatings, which

reject heat when not needed –

like when the AC is on.

Even so, the AC had a sub-

stantial cooling load to deal

with. The cool air is circulated

through insulated ducts and

to each room via small ceiling

vents.

The downside of such a

large system is the sound lev-

els that go with it – the steady

hum of white noise – so Leung

and Chute have resized the

air handler to compensate for

such a large air conditioning

unit. They have invested in a

new fan motor that operates

at two speeds – when set on

low the air movement isn’t

audible. At the higher speed

it’s audible, but necessary in

the summer for cooling. At

the same time they switched

the system from AC to DC.

At the time of its construc-

tion, the house had one-half

the heat loss and used one-

third the energy of an equiva-

lent house constructed to

building code standards. It

also produced about half the

greenhouse gas emissions of

a regular house to code. Even

with today’s far more stringent

code, the house is still further

ahead in energy efficiency.

An exquisite element of the

home is its backyard. Extend-

ing 190 ft. back, Chute has

reclaimed it for a completely

natural indigenous garden,

with plants that attract bees

and butterflies, and require

little maintenance in terms of

fertilizer or watering.

“To my surprise and de-

light,” Chute says, “planting

native species has brought

lots of welcome activity to this

garden. Goldfinches enjoy the

seed heads of pale purple cone-

flower and prairie smoke. The

red and yellow flowers of wild

columbine attract humming-

birds in late spring. The Ameri-

can lady butterfly appears ev-

ery spring to pussytoes where

she lays her green-striped eggs.

Monarchs especially enjoy blaz-

ing star and swamp milkweed.

Eastern tiger swallowtails, red

and white admirals and ques-

tion marks appear later in the

summer.”

On warm sunny days

dragonflies appear, and

throughout the summer bees

come to feed on pollen and

nectar from Chute’s blooming

plants. “Their numbers are

severely declining in North

America because of pesticide

use so I use none here, mak-

ing it safe for them.” BB




Radon is seen by many as a

looming public health concern.

Radon is a soil gas that infil-

trates new and old buildings through

cracks in the foundation and gaps in

the air barrier. Long-term exposure to

radon increases the risk of developing

lung cancer. Some estimates place the

number of radon-induced lung cancer

deaths in Canada at over 3,000 per

year.1 Recent data from Public Health

Ontario suggest radon is attributable

to almost 850 lung cancer deaths per

year just in Ontario – more than two

deaths per day.2 That is equivalent to

two jumbo jets going down every year

at Pearson Airport. Tackling radon in-

filtration through changes in construc-

tion is key to creating healthier homes.

While many may be familiar with

the soil gas infiltration provisions

in the National Building Code (NBC

9.13.4.), there is a community of

radon professionals and civil servants,

led by Health Canada, who are contin-

ually working toward new methods of

lowering radon levels in buildings.

“One of the pillars of Health

Canada’s National Radon program is

support for radon research to mini-

mize radon exposure to Canadians,”

said Jeff Whyte, who runs the radon

technical operations section at Health

Canada’s Radiation Protection Bureau.

“The program has been involved in ef-

forts to reduce radon in new construc-

tion, which began in late 2007 when I

was part of a task group which led to

changes to the 2010 National Build-

ing Code (NBC). The result was the

incorporation of a rough-in for active

subslab depressurization, the most ef-

fective method of radon reduction.

“Health Canada also partners with

the National Research Council (NRC) to

support mitigation research. Most re-

cently, this partnership has resulted in

construction of the RIBETS (Radon Infil-

tration Building Envelope Test System)

test bed facility at NRC,“ continued

Whyte. “RIBETS will allow for the evalu-

ation of various construction elements

such as subslab membranes, concrete

slabs and gas permeable layers.”

“As the public becomes more aware

of radon, the research will help to

present effective and efficient solu-

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New Research for Healthier Homes

industrynewsB y M i c h a e l L i o

It is wise for home-owners to check their homes for radon.

1 CBC News. Radon linked to more lung cancer deaths than previously thought. (\N\Z[��^^ �̂JIJ�JH�UL^Z�OLHS[O�YHKVU�SPURLK�[V�TVYL�S\UN�JHUJLY�deaths-than-previously-thought-1.1209858

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tions,” said Dr. Liang Grace Zhou, who

is leading radon research at the NRC.

Her team at NRC is researching practi-

cal and cost-effective solutions at the

Canadian Centre for Housing Technol-

ogy twin house, and the Indoor Air

Research Laboratory and the RIBETS

facility in Ottawa. Specifically her team

will answer the following questions:

� Will radon discharged from mitiga-

tion exhaust fans re-enter neigh-

bouring buildings? This aspect is

especially important for densely

built developments, where outdoor

air intakes, windows and doors usu-

ally are close to discharged air.

� By how much can improved mem-

branes and concrete assemblies

featuring reduced permeability for

radon reduce concentrations in

basements or first floors?

� Will an adjustable speed drive (ASD)

fan or ventilation system triggered

by the detection of indoor radon

concentration and air pressure

reduce indoor concentrations in

basements or first floors, and save

energy at the same time?

� Will the negative pressure created

by a radon fan increase the risk of

back drafting of harmful exhaust

gases from combustion appliances

in the basement?

“This research will benefit both

home builders and the public,” she

said.

Dr. Zhou also recently completed

testing on Radon Guard, a new

structural underslab ventilation panel

designed for radon mitigation. Randi

Fox, principal of Fox Architecture and

inventor of Radon Guard, said, “Radon

Guard acts as a 1:1 replacement of

the requirement for a gas permeable

layer in the code. It acts as a capil-

lary break for moisture, and the clear

channels along the bottom of the

panel allow for easy radon mitigation.

The expanded polystyrene panel also

provides underslab insulation.” The

panel was designed to replace the gas

permeable layer for areas of Canada

where clean granular fill is hard to

obtain or prohibitively expensive.

Fox participated in the recent Brit-

ish Columbia Building Code (BCBC)

revision process. The modifications,

currently out for public comment,

propose a change of wording from

“clean granular fill” to “gas permeable

layer” to allow for products such as

Radon Guard. “The proposed BCBC

changes also include a change from

the rough-in stub requirements of

the National Building Code (NBC) to

the installation of a full passive-stack

radon mitigation system,” Fox contin-

ued. “In the code revision discussions,

the building community was happy

to include a system that could reduce

radon levels from the day of installa-

tion, instead of a stub that may not be

used by the homeowner. The number

of homeowners who will test their

homes for radon is still low, and the

number who will mitigate high levels

is lower, but a passive system can

proactively reduce radon levels and

better protect homeowners. And if

there is no radon problem, then there

is no harm done.”

Two new national radon standards

are under development. “Health

Canada has recently partnered with

the Canadian General Standards Board

(CGSB) to create two national stan-

dards on radon mitigation, one for

existing construction and one for new

construction,” mentioned Whyte.

Annie Joannette, senior advisor,

media and public relations at Pub-

lic Works and Government Services

Canada, provided the objectives of

these standards:

� To provide requirements, specifica-

tions, guidelines and characteristics

that can be used consistently to

ensure that materials, products,

processes and services used in the

radon mitigation of low-rise residen-

tial homes are fit for their purpose.

� To harmonize technical specifica-

tions of products and services

with the goal of making the radon

industry more efficient by applying

standard practices in mitigation.

� To provide organizations and radon

mitigation professionals in the

industry a measure/tool to ensure

their products and services are con-

sistent, compatible, effective and

safe.

� To ensure conformity to standards

so that products and services are

safe, reliable and of good quality for

Canadians.

“There are two working groups that

are responsible for drafting each of the

two standards, which will then be re-

viewed by the full technical committee,”

mentioned Joannette. “These working

groups have held numerous teleconfer-

ences in the last year to advance the

work on the draft standards. The first

full committee meeting was held on

March 24 and 25, 2014 in Ottawa. The

next technical committee meeting is

planned for September 2014.”

“These standards will provide guid-

ance to builders and renovators re-

garding reducing radon levels in both

new and existing construction, and

will be finalized in 2015,” said Whyte.

Health Canada has also begun col-

laborating with builders across Canada

on radon research initiatives. “It is

truly exciting to work with so many

organizations and individuals who are

all working so passionately to reduce

radon exposure in order to protect the

health of Canadians,” he said. BB

Michael Lio is president and Ceara Allen is manager, technical services, at buildABILITY Corporation. [email protected].

industrynewsB y M i c h a e l L i o

For more information:��1LɈ�>O`[L��OLHK�VM�[OL�YHKVU

technical operations section, Health Canada, 613-957-1926

�Y��3PHUN�.YHJL�AOV\��YLZLHYJO+��VɉJLY��I\PSKPUN�ZJPLUJLZ� �PUKVVY�environment, NRC, 613-990-1220

-��9HUKP�-V_��WYPUJPWHS��-V_�(YJOP[LJture, 250-681-3691


Features


featurestoryB y H i l t o n Tu d h o p e

People Like Us:

Some Lessons LearnedDon’t be surprised if more people with health

concerns are showing up at your offices or pre-

sentation centres these days. The total chemical

load in our environment is increasing every year

and taxing our bodies’ ability to deal with it. We

adapt, but our bodies get overloaded, and the detoxifica-

tion systems of some people simply cannot keep up with

eliminating the toxins. Acquired sensitivity to electromag-

netic fields (EMF) and cell phone radiation often makes the

impact of these problems much worse.

While these topics are controversial, one thing is certain

– to individuals experiencing the health impacts of chemi-

cal or electromagnetic pollution, the effects can be very

real and debilitating.

For those like my wife Barbara, who endured years when

her immune system was so compromised by toxic chemi-

cals and poor function that it attacked almost everything

in her body, a healthy living environment is a necessity

of life. Ensuring that she would not slide backwards after

several years of hard-won gains in her vitality is what led

us to build our own healthy house, a LEED Gold-targeted

sanctuary near the Bruce Trail in Mulmur, Ont. If you need

to – or want to – deal with people like us, there are a few

lessons we learned building healthy that may help you

through the process. And help your clients get the healthi-

est house possible for the money they have to spend.

Believe in your clients’ health issues or aspirations.

Don’t bother going down the healthy building route unless

you’re open to embracing your clients’ health issues – or at

least their importance to clients. As my wife succinctly put

it early on, “We need to find people who are open to the

possibility that I experience my environment differently.”

We were fortunate to be introduced to superkül (www.

superkul.ca), a small and highly regarded architectural

firm in Toronto, who in turn introduced us to our even-

tual choice as contractor, Toronto-based Wilson Project

Management (www.wilsonproject.ca). We threw down the

challenge – design and build us a contemporary home on

a demanding site, and ensure it will not make Barbara sick

when we move in. We gave them Paula Baker-Laporte’s

Prescriptions for a Healthy House: A Practical Guide for

Architects, Builders & Homeowners (New Society Publishers,

3rd Edition, 2008), a detailed guide to healthy building,

and insisted it be the touchstone for virtually every deci-

sion to be made about the design and materials.

Whatever skepticism the architect and contractor had

about meeting our requirements, we never knew. Both

were willing to fight the inertia of the status quo and trust

in the process of finding the right answers when nothing

seemed to be right. What bound us, beyond the client-

supplier relationship, was the common intention to create

something great and healthy.

It’s mostly about the materials. While there are ele-

ments of design that contribute to the health of a house

– passive and active ventilation, how light enters the home,

water diversion, minimal dust-collecting surfaces – we

found that healthy building is mostly about the materials

used in construction.

Prescriptions for a Healthy House identifies a great num-

ber of healthier, alternative products. But what was newer

or might work for Barbara’s specific sensitivities? Finding

out put the onus of initial product research squarely on

superkül’s shoulders. Andre D’Elia, the lead architect, told

us, “We always wanted more than one product – three, in

fact – in case all three failed. Overall, I’d say the house was

65 per cent new product for us.”

By “failed” he meant a product that did not pass my

wife’s “sniff test.” Prior to construction, she literally

sniffed every material that went into the interior of the

house to gauge her reaction, from headache to sneezing.

We don’t necessarily recommend this procedure for ev-

eryone, especially the very sensitive, but we knew it would

work for Barbara despite her discomfort.

Even before the testing phase, superkül rejected dozens

of potential construction components they knew would not

react well with my wife. It was a process they later claimed

taught them as much about healthy building as the prod-

ucts they eventually specified for the house. In the end,

there were only a few materials used in the construction

that didn’t test well, and most of those were on the exterior,


or isolated in one way or another from the living space.

Look for the unseen. For the environmentally sensi-

tive person, it’s often what you can’t see in a house that

has the most potential for harm. Our home may look like

a typically constructed contemporary home, but every

precaution was taken to reduce or eliminate material off-

gassing, electromagnetic radiation and airborne pollutants.

Where we could not avoid a material that off-gassed,

we treated it with an AFM Safecoat product to lock in

the gases. The interior walls are finished in plaster-like

American Clay. Millwork panels were double sealed and

heat treated before fabrication, and every exposed edge

was then resealed to minimize off-gassing. Broadloom was

out of the question. A hospital-grade Lifebreath air cleaner

removes nearly all airborne allergens and pollutants.

EMFs were also a major concern because of their poten-

tial impact on sleep. Our demand was clear – limit average

EMF readings to less than 1 milliGauss. As a result, much of

the wiring runs through flexible metal conduit. Three-way

switches were checked and double checked for correct con-

nections. The main supply, smart meter and internet modem

are isolated from the house. The result of these and numer-

ous other strategies? An EMF reading of about 0.5 milliGauss

and a relieved electrical contractor.

So how do you deal with people like us in a production

home environment in which costs and margins are impor-

tant considerations? Do your research so you can become

an ally, not an adversary. Prescriptions for a Healthy House

is a great place to start. Focus on what you and your trades

can deliver at a reasonable cost, like substantially reduced

volatile organic compounds (VOC) and better air filtration.

And pay extra attention to air quality and EMFs in the most

important rooms – the bedrooms. It’s where we regenerate

each night, and they should be the healthiest part of any

house on which you put your name. BB

Hilton Tudhope is a business writer based in Dallas, Texas and Mulmur, Ont.

A healthy living environment is a necessity of life. Hilton and Barbara Tudhope built their own healthy house in Mulmur, Ont.

Building Healthy

PHOTO: HILTON TUDHOPE


featurestoryB y D a l j i t B a s a n a n d B e t t e r B u i l d e r

Combining contemporary design principles with sus-

tainability and environmental sensibilities, +House

located in Mulmur, Ont., was awarded the 2012 Design

Excellence Award by the Ontario Association of Architects.

The +House is equally unique and sustainable. Mindscape

Innovations collaborated with superkül to provide consult-

ing services in pursuit of acquiring LEED Gold certification.

The home was designed with a keen eye toward environ-

mental sensitivities by carefully selecting each component

in the building design.

Project SummaryProject Goal: LEED for Homes gold certification

Project Type: Single-family residential on previously devel-

oped land, 2150 sq. ft.

Project Partners: superkül Inc.

Sustainable MetricsAnnual energy consumption: 25,378 ekWh

Energy density: 126.89 ekWh/m2

+House: Sustainability and Contemporary LEED Gold-Targeted Home

Continued on page 20

The +House is healthy inside and out with maximized natural light, a green roof, and is built on a sustainable site with natural landscaping.


ALL

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1-800-567-2733www.dettson.ca

WARM AIR GAS FURNACE DESIGNED, RIGHT-SIZED, AND MANUFACTURED IN CANADA FOR HEATING

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20 WWW.BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 11 | FALL 201420 WWW.BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 11 | FALL 2014

Environmental and Healthy DesignIn creating this healthy home design, the architect careful-

ly secured materials, systems, and finishes to ensure there

would be no adverse physical reaction by an environmen-

tally sensitive client. Working with the client in selecting

the materials was a key step in ensuring the house is truly

safe for the homeowner.

+House has targeted LEED Gold certification by reduc-

ing the cost and environmental impact of the home. To

learn about some of the innovative features of the home,

see photos and descriptions below. BB

Daljit Basan, BES, is sustainable design specialist at Mindscape Innovations Group Inc.

Continued from page 18

Geothermal System (above left): clean and safe source for heating and cooling, reduced utility costs, enhanced comfort, low maintenance. In pond, not trenched or drilled. Environmentally Preferable Products (above right): inert concrete blocks that produce no VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and inhibit the growth of fungi and moulds, natural clay plaster for interior wall ÄUPZO��ZV`�IHZLK�ZLHSLY�MVY�JVUJYL[L�ÅVVYZ�HUK�JV\U[LYZ��7=*�MYLL�ISHJRV\[�YVSSLY�ZOHKL�MHIYPJ��\U[YLH[LK�ZPSR�HUK�OLTW�MHIYPJ�MVY�J\Y[HPUZ��OVZWP[HS�NYHKL�OPNO�LɉJPLUJ`�WHY[PJ\SH[L�HPY��/,7(��ÄS[LYZ�PU�K\J[�Z`Z[LT��Green Roof (below):�LULYN`�LɉJPLU[��PUJYLHZLZ�YVVÄUN�TLTIYHUL�K\YHIPSP[ �̀�Z[VYT^H[LY�THUHNLTLU[�

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-VYLZ[�:[L^HYKZOPW�*V\UJPS��-:*��*LY[PÄLK�>VVK��HIV]L�!�wood used from forests that are responsibly managed and meet strict environmental and social standards. ;YPWSL�.SHaLK�>PUKV^Z��HIV]L�YPNO[�!�greater insula-[PVU��TH_PT\T�JVTMVY[��OPNOLY�LɉJPLUJ`�HUK�LULYN`�ZH]PUNZ��

6WLYHISL�:R`SPNO[Z�HUK�>PUKV^Z!�VɈLYPUN�WHZZP]L�]LU[PSH[PVU�HUK�natural daylighting across 100 per JLU[�VM�VJJ\WPLK�ÅVVY�HYLH��



sitespecificB y T h e D o w C h e m i c a l C o m p a n y

Midland, Mich. – June 30, 2014 – David Kelly has

been named a 2013 recipient of The Dow Chemi-

cal Company’s prestigious Pinnacle Award, in

recognition of his outstanding achievements in the Dow

Building Solutions business. Dave has worked at Dow for

25 years and currently holds the position of senior account

manager for the Ontario residential market. This is Dave’s

4th Pinnacle Award.

The Pinnacle Award, established in 1995, pays tribute to

Dow professionals who continually make strategic think-

ing, creativity, innovative problem solving and customer

satisfaction their inspiration for success. The results of

their efforts are unsurpassed customer loyalty and out-

standing results. Those receiving the award represent the

top 5 per cent of Dow’s global organization.

“Customer loyalty evolves through outstanding service,

responsiveness, creativity and innovation,

and the Pinnacle recipients demonstrate

the ability to reach beyond their boundar-

ies and identify exceptional ways to ensure

long-term customer satisfaction. Their pas-

sion and efforts are a critical component

of Dow’s growth strategy and an inspira-

tion to us all,” said Heinz Haller, executive

vice president, chief commercial officer

and president of Dow Europe, Middle East

and Africa.

About DowDow (NYSE: DOW) combines the power of

science and technology to passionately in-

novate what is essential to human prog-

ress. The company is driving innovations

that extract value from the intersection of

chemical, physical and biological sciences

to help address many of the world’s most

challenging problems such as the need for

clean water, clean energy generation, con-

servation and increasing agricultural pro-

ductivity. Dow’s integrated, market-driven,

industry-leading portfolio of specialty

chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences

and plastics businesses delivers a broad

range of technology-based products and solutions to cus-

tomers in approximately 180 countries and in high growth

sectors such as packaging, electronics, water, coatings and

agriculture. In 2013, Dow had annual sales of more than

$57 billion and employed approximately 53,000 people

worldwide. The company’s more than 6,000 products

are manufactured at 201 sites in 36 countries across the

globe. References to “Dow” or the “company” mean The

Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries

unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about

Dow can be found at www.dow.com. BB

Kathleen Davis, communications, The Dow Chemical Company. [email protected].

David Kelly Receives Dow Pinnacle Award for Selling Excellence

David Kelly (r) has worked at Dow for 25 years and has just received his fourth Pin-nacle Award.

SUPP

LIED

PH

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®™The DOW Diamond Logo is a trademark of The Dow Chemical Company © 2014

Dow’s full house of insulation, air sealants and adhesives work together to create an air-tight, moisture resistant structure from roof to foundation, helping builders and contractors meet or exceed building codes, reduce callbacks and create a comfortable, durable, energy efficient structure for their customers.

DOW BUILDING SOLUTIONS 1-866-583-BLUE (2583)

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Whole-House Solutions THAT HELP BUILDERS AND CONTRACTORS OUTPERFORM


Everyone knows climate change is

occurring much faster than origi-

nally expected. We know that

homes and vehicles are responsible for

about a third of all carbon emissions.

We also know that when people are

motivated, change happens – witness

the closing of the gaps in the ozone

layer thanks to global initiatives.

In spite of this knowledge, the

environment is no longer top of mind

for most homebuyers, so builders,

developers – and even climate change

experts – have taken a different tack.

Appeals to being socially responsible

don’t work, but offering comfortable,

light-filled homes that happen to be

energy efficient do.

Enter the Active House.

Not unique for a custom home, the

Active House is unusual for subdivi-

sion/tract developers and builders.

Great Gulf decided to take a risk and

build such a home in a Thorold, Ont.,

subdivision because they believed buy-

ers would be interested in paying for

a home that was environmentally sus-

tainable as long as it was also healthy

on the inside – light filled, open and

with good air quality.

Tad Putyra, Great Gulf’s president

and COO of low rise and a trained

architect, explains the company’s inter-

est in being green since building one of

the first R2000 homes, and since then

trying various green systems. The chal-

lenge has been getting buyers to pay

extra, even as little as $1 per square

foot, for energy efficiency.

In 2009 during a trip to Europe,

when Putyra saw the Active House

concept, he realized the pitch was all

wrong. What was different about this

concept, he says, is addressing the

buyer. “We’d always addressed en-

ergy efficiency and appealed to social

responsibility, which is good and may

create awareness, but it doesn’t create

demand. Now we look at comfort. The

product has to improve quality of life

with a holistic approach. This house

does that, providing an indoor climate

that promotes well-being through good

air distribution and daylighting. Stud-

ies prove that daylight is critical to our

well-being, so we decided to measure

and design for it.”

Around the Active House was an

alliance of scientists, designers and

builders who were taking energy re-

duction in a serious way, Putyra says.

When it came time to test the concept

here, Great Gulf collaborated with ar-

chitects Meg Graham and Andre D’Elia,

principals of the firm superkül.

That collaboration, says D’Elia, mar-

ried the best of skills – Great Gulf’s

vast experience in developing, con-

struction and design, which resulted

in knowing exactly what could be built

and for how much, and superkül’s

esthetics in design and understanding

of what makes a house healthy – excel-

lent indoor air circulation, daylighting

and natural materials.

Through many meetings the designs

went back and forth, with comments

on the proportions, material, con-

structability (money and time, durabil-

ity), and decisions having to be made

based on a certain set of criteria. The

community of Thorold too had some

guidelines which dictated some of the

form and materiality so there would be

some kind of cohesiveness.

The result is a home that estheti-

cally fits with the surrounding neigh-

bourhood – its roofline, exterior profile

and material palette are not dissimilar

from neighbouring homes. But that’s

where the similarities end.

“This is a very modern house built

in a traditional residential develop-

ment that looks, feels and behaves

completely differently from the

normative model,” says Graham. “It’s

a watershed in Canadian suburban

development.”

Inside, the home is modern, spa-

cious and airy, with high ceilings

under a gable roof that allowed for

large skylights that, along with the

many windows, flood the interior with

so much natural light that it’s rarely

necessary to turn on lights during the

buildernewsB y A l e x N e w m a n

Follow the Leader:Daylight and great air quality become standard in subdivision housing.

HISTORY: Energy concerns have waxed and waned over the past 40 years, starting with the oil crisis of the 1970s which caused builders to look at an increasingly tight building envelope. But once you seal houses that tightly, Graham points out, all the advances in building materials – plastics, resins, composites – conspire to create bad indoor air quality.

“There’s a growing sense not just in the building industry, but V[OLYZ�HZ�^LSS��MVVK�HUK�JSV[OPUN��^P[O�VYNHUPJZ�HUK�ÄYL�YL[HY-

dants, that the farther we get along the technological path with chemicals and products, there’s a corollary question to what are we putting in and around our bodies?” Graham says. “Now that people are generally more health conscious, that also changes the consumer demand for better, healthier and more sustainable construction, but it’s an evolving kind of conversation as we get to know more about what’s available to use, and we understand that some things aren’t as good or healthy as we initially thought.”


day. With white walls, floors a pale

hardwood and glass stair railings, it

looks and feels breathable.

What drove the design was the

desire for natural daylight and ventila-

tion, made possible through an open

cross-axial plan, operable VELUX roof

skylights, and many windows that re-

duce the need for artificial light during

the day. “When you bring the outside

in through so much glazing, the spatial

quality is very different and the house

is going to feel different, and bigger.”

What enabled such an open plan,

Graham says, was the gabled roof. “It

allowed for lots of natural light and

superior environmental performance,

removing barriers between living spac-

es which helps make the home seem

larger than its 3200 sq. ft. In addition,

the two intersecting axes maximize

crossbreezes and natural ventilation,

thereby minimizing reliance on air

conditioning.”

“Off the bat, we knew we had to

do a pitched roof, either gable or hip,

and we reinterpreted in order to get a

double height space plus skylights to

bring light deep into the home,” D’Elia

says. At the ground level you can see

almost the entire house with gables

and skylights.

To complement this, the HVAC

system includes zoned heating, heat

recovery ventilators (HRVs) and a high

efficiency furnace. The HRV is a cop-

per pipe that acts as a heat exchanger

within the stack, which recovers the

heat energy from warm to hot waste-

water. It requires no maintenance and

is a passive form of energy. An ERV

heat exchanger exhausts warm air that

heats up outside winter air coming in

from outside, and does the reverse in

summer, reducing the amount of elec-

tricity to heat the home. A second HRV

is located in the attic to keep fresh air

circulating at all times.

The south-facing windows are triple

glazed to maximize solar heat gain in

winter, while overhangs and shades

keep it cooler in summer. There’s also

a solar water heating system, all lights

are light-emitting diode (LED), and all

finishes and paints are low volatile

organic compound (VOC).

The home also includes a water

conservation system, unusual in a sub-

division home considering water is not

on the radar of most buyers. “We take

water for granted. We’re the land of

lakes, and we grew up wasting water,”

D’Elia says.

The system includes a means of

rainwater collection, capturing rain

from the roof as well as the weeping

tile, and channeling to a cistern, which

then circulates the water for use in

the garden and in flushing toilets.

This allows the house to achieve a

35 per cent reduction in water us-

age based on the annual rainfall in

Ontario, and complements the whole

Active House philosophy to have as

little impact on the environment as

possible, D’Elia says.

The construction of the Active House

is also unique. Built entirely off-site in

Brockport’s Kitchener-Waterloo factory,

the house is flat packed and assembled

on-site. The prefab panels – roof, floors

and walls – are insulated – above-grade

walls at R35, basement walls at R22,

and ceiling (which has no attic) at R40.

As a baseline all homes should be

built to this Active House standard,

Graham says. What’s held most buyers

back are the extra costs. But Putyra

believes that once people try out a

home that feels this good, and with

this much natural daylight, “It’s like

a smartphone – you get addicted to it

and can’t give it up.” BB


EcoLiving Awards Finalistssuperkül received an honourable mention for this home in the very tight race between ]LY`�OPNO�JHSPIYL�LU[YPLZ�PU�:JV[PHIHUR»Z�WYLZ[PNPV\Z�,JV3P]PUN�L]LU[��;OL�ÄYT�HSZV�designed the chemically sensitive home featured in this same issue.

In the brochure accompanying their entry, the Active House was described as “being designed to push the boundaries of green residential building … stressing en-LYN`�LɉJPLUJ �̀�SV^�LU]PYVUTLU[HS�PTWHJ[�HUK�Z\WLYPVY�PUKVVY�LU]PYVUTLU[HS�X\HSP[ �̀¹�

;OL�HPT�^HZ�[V�¸ZOPM[�[OL�LTWOHZPZ�H^H`�MYVT�S\_\Y`�ÄUPZOLZ�HUK�[YHKP[PVUHS�KL-sign, neither of which contributes to human or environmental health,” while working within a tight budget and creating a heavily insulated building envelope. The house also includes a solar domestic hot water system, drainwater heat recovery, rainwater JVSSLJ[PVU��YLJ`JSLK�PU�NHYKLU�HUK�[VPSL[Z��OPNO�LɉJPLUJ`�NHZ�M\YUHJL�HUK�/9=Z��

Active House design maximizes daylighting with skylights and windows.

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VELUX_Better_Builder_FP_Sept_Ad.indd 1 2014-07-16 9:50 AM


fromthegroundupB y D o u g Ta r r y

As an industry we are building

much tighter homes than even

a few years ago, increasing the

amount of insulation in the walls, put-

ting vapour barriers on the inside and

oriented strand board (OSB) or rigid

insulation on the outside of our walls.

Basically we are building a selection

of large, ready to fill water containers

made of wood and plastic, and then

we wonder why they fail when we let

moisture into these spaces.

This never used to be much of an

issue when we built drafty houses

that were poorly insulated, because

heat loss and air flow through the

walls provided a great deal of dry-

ing potential. That does not mean we

need to go back to leaky houses with

little insulation. It means we have to

figure out how to build walls that are

more forgiving and durable.

This past spring I had the oppor-

tunity to attend the Building Science

Spring Training Camp put on by John

Straube, Gord Cooke and Tex McLeod.

It was great fun and very informative.

I was honoured to be asked to pres-

ent on the Optimum Basement Wall,

and the need to rethink basement

wall designs and the use of poly. I’ve

written about this extensively, so I

thought it was time to get out of the

basement and share some thoughts

about above-grade walls.

During the camp we discussed

challenges of building tighter homes

with more insulation and the result-

ing performance issues we have seen

over the last two decades. One of

our presenters was Mark Gauvin, a

builder based in Vancouver, B.C., who

has done extensive research on walls

and why they fail. Not to oversimplify

it, but moisture, moisture, moisture.

Mark was so frustrated by what he

saw happening in B.C., he offered to

work with Dr. John Straube and Dr.

Joe Lstiburek on a test hut to study

the performance of a variety of wall

types under a variety of conditions

over what turned out to be a number

of years.

Mark discussed the challenges

with building tighter walls with more

insulation during his presentation at

the spring training sessions. Some of

the key takeaways from his studies

that we need to consider as we design

tighter, more energy-efficient wall as-

semblies are:

� Drying is slow in any modern insu-

lated wall assembly.

� Therefore, rainwater management

is critical for all assemblies. In

Vancouver rainscreen cavity walls

provide a drainage space, capillary

break and ventilation to assist dry-

ing.

� Wetting is also caused by interior

and exterior relative humidity.

(Remember that wood moisture

content increases with increasing

relative humidity.)

� In a given environment, decreasing

temperature will increase relative hu-

midity and condensation potential.

� More stud cavity insulation de-

creases the temperature of exterior

sheathing, pushing relative humid-

Tighter Homes, More Insulation, Less Energy, but Where Did the Water Go?

New homes are well insulated, but that can create water and moisture problems.

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ity and wood moisture content

higher, and increasing condensation

potential.

� Exterior insulation has the opposite

effect, raising wintertime sheathing

temperatures – and helps reduce:

� running wood moisture content

� condensation potential due to

air leakage.

� Ventilation is important – for con-

trol of indoor relative humidity.

These points certainly verify what

we’ve been noticing with some of the

home performance issues we’ve been

observing. Here are some of the solu-

tions we have implemented at Doug

Tarry Homes to help control moisture

within the home:

� 24” overhangs with eaves, down-

spouts and splash blocks

� whole home Tyvek HomeWrap with

window and door flashing details,

and Tyvek StuccoWrap behind

stucco and cement board siding

� air conditioning and energy recov-

ery ventilators (ERV) in all homes

along with providing a dehumidifier

for the shoulder seasons

� ongoing education of our home-

owners about the need to control

humidity levels within the home

� commercial dehumidification units

during construction to reduce con-

struction moisture levels within the

home

� R5 rigid insulation on the exterior

walls along with advanced framing

details to allow for more insulation

in the walls

� basement poly replaced with smart

membrane (as described with the

Optimum Basement Wall).

For me, moisture management of

wall assemblies has become an ongo-

ing journey of discovery as we try

to understand how to build a more

durable home and reduce costly war-

ranty callbacks. It is time for a major

rethink of how we build wall assem-

blies for our homes and install vapour

barriers. It is comforting to know

there are other builders out there like

Mark Gauvin doing some really great

work on our behalf.

More information is available about

the Vancouver Test Hut project at www.

vancouver.buildingscience.com. BB

Doug Tarry Jr. is director of marketing at

Doug Tarry Homes in St. Thomas, Ont.

fromthegroundupB y D o u g Ta r r y




Niagara: July 14, 2014 – Brook-

field Residential was honoured

to receive three outstanding

recognition certificates at their leader-

ship in energy and environmental

design (LEED) gold presentation

centre and model home at The Village,

Niagara-on-the-Lake. First, the Healthy

Housing Recognition from the Canada

Mortgage and Housing Corporation

(CMHC) for their efforts in building

healthier homes, second for exceed-

ing the required points scored, and

third for winning the Cross Border

Challenge for building the highest

performing houses rated on the home

energy rating system (HERS) index in

both Canada and the United States.

CMHC’s Healthy Housing Recogni-

tion program honours builders and

others in Ontario who put their knowl-

edge of CMHC’s five Healthy Housing

principles into practice. These five prin-

ciples include occupant health, energy

efficiency, resource efficiency, environ-

mental responsibility and affordability.

The program recognizes housing indus-

try professionals who demonstrate

their knowledge by building, renovating

or designing a home that meets criteria

under the principles.

Brookfield’s presentation centre

and model home at 24 Norton Street

in Niagara-on-the-Lake’s The Village is

the only LEED for Homes project that

has achieved gold certification in the

Niagara region.

In terms of its energy efficiency,

the house performs 27 per cent better

than a comparable house built to to-

day’s building code. The model home

boasts the highest efficiency furnace

with a zoned system to maximize oc-

cupant comfort, and incorporates the

latest ventilation technology using a

Vanee ERV (energy recovery ventilator).

To reduce water demand, Brookfield

installed a greywater recycling system

buildernewsB y B ro o k f i e l d R e s i d e n t i a l a n d B e t t e r B u i l d e r

Brookfield Receives Accolades for High Performance & Healthy Housing

Front Row, left to right: John Hawley, Lord Mayor Dave Eke, Brian Couperthwaite, Steve Jacques and William Grieg. Back Row, left to right: John Godden, Anthony Competiello, Bob Stewart, Rolf Wiens and Jamie Shipley.

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RELIABLE, CONSISTENT, MARTINOHeating • Air Conditioning • Indoor Air Quality • HVAC Design

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integrated with drainwater heat recov-

ery, lowering water usage and heating

costs by up to 35 per cent. The house

has an extremely durable building

envelope comprised of a drainage layer

of Henry Blueskin and ROXUL [COM-

FORTBOARD] IS (insulated sheath-

ing). To top off the list of sustainable

features, the house is landscaped with

draught-tolerant grass and a specially

designed irrigation system.

“We are so honoured to be recog-

nized for doing what we absolutely

love doing – creating the best places

to call home – and what better back-

drop for the presentation than this

high performance model home in Ni-

agara-on-the-Lake,” said Brian Couper-

thwaite, vice-president of construction

at Brookfield Homes. “This model is

inspiring and provides our homeown-

ers with a glimpse of how they might

take advantage of space, see great

design ideas, and also learn about the

benefits of living in a healthier and

more energy-efficient home.”

Brookfield is dedicated to creating

the best places to call home and has

built more than 25,000 homes in On-

tario since 1956. Brookfield’s ongoing

commitment to quality, design, and

customer service has earned the com-

pany several highly coveted industry

recognitions including the J.D. Power

and Associates Award for Highest in

Customer Satisfaction and Ontario

Builder of the Year from the Ontario

Home Builders’ Association (OHBA)

and Tarion.

Brookfield currently has active

communities in Alliston (Treetops),

Aurora (Arbors), Bradford (Grand Cen-

tral), Bowmanville (BrookHill), Caledon

East (Pathways), Mono (Fieldstone),

Niagara-on-the-Lake (The Village) and

Tottenham (Willow Glen). For more

information about Brookfield, please

visit www.brookfieldhomes.ca. BB


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PAGE TITLE

Features

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EAQ1130_AugustBetterBuilder_Ad_9X11.5_final.indd 1 2013-07-08 2:16 PM