Better Builder Magazine, Issue 39 / Autumn 2021

PUBLICATION
NUMBER
42408014 ISSUE 39 | AUTUMN 2021
INSIDE
Alair Homes’ Unique Model
Greener Homes Opportunity
Low-Carbon Homes –
Are They Worth It?
The Renovation Conundrum
Future Code Changes
the
RenovationIssue
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BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 39 | AUTUMN 2021
16
1
FEATURE STORY
16
Power to the People
By employing a unique model that empowers its customers,
Alair Homes has earned plenty of recognition.
by Rob Blackstien
6
ISSUE 39 | AUTUMN 2021
On our cover: Alair Homes’ Menin project exterior photographed by Jules Lee.
Images internally supplied unless otherwise credited.
13
28
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
2
Keep the Power with
the People
by John Godden
THE BADA TEST
3
When is “Good Enough”
Good Enough?
by Lou Bada
INDUSTRY EXPERT
6
The Greener Homes
Opportunity
by Gord Cooke
INDUSTRY NEWS
9
The Renovation Conundrum
Can the government have
their cake and eat it too?
by Paul De Berardis
SITE SPECIFIC
13
Renovations from a Home
Owner’s Perspective
by Alex Newman
INDUSTRY NEWS
24
Low-Carbon Homes
Are they worth it?
by Marc Huminilowycz
BUILDER NEWS
28
Green Builder Challenge
Golf Tournament
FROM THE GROUND UP
30
Future Code Changes
and Renovations
by Doug Tarry

Keep the Power
with the People
2
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“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.”
— Albert Einstein
T
he federal government is recycling its ecoENERGY for Energy Retrofit program
(originally offered in 2007, then 2013). In 2021, it’s become the Greener Homes Grant.
700,000 households are eligible to participate over seven years at a cost of $2.6 billion.
The problem with programs like these, according to Dr. Nicholas Rivers from the
University of Ottawa, is free ridership and shallow retrofits. He contends that 50% of the
subsidies are going to households who are making these “investments” regardless of the
program assistance. Secondly and most importantly, the $5,000 incentive is not large
enough to encourage deep retrofits like insulating the exterior of building envelopes,
which would have the largest impact.
But if a house is treated as an asset, then retrofits become an investment against green
house gas emissions, and handouts are not necessary. For example, the Harper government’s
2009 home renovation tax credit supported the Canadian economy during the financial
crisis in the U.S. Generally, tax credits with bank financing can keep spending power in
the hands of consumers and better support the deep retrofits required to reduce CO2.
The most powerful means of change is consumer awareness and education. Our fea
ture article, “Power to the People” (page 17), describes how award-winning Alair Homes
puts the client in control of the construction process by streamlining cost, communica
tion and education.
Gord Cooke reviews the current Greener Homes Grant program (including its strengths)
on page 6. An energy audit provided by a third party is a powerful tool for educating home
owners, renovators and designers about their choices.
Meanwhile, on page 3, Lou Bada uses energy modelling information to access any
retrofit opportunities offered by the Greener Homes Grant program. (Spoiler: regretfully,
the best scenario – installing an air source heat pump – is not recognized by the program
because it promotes getting houses entirely off natural gas and onto electricity. That’s a
problem for Ontario, which has 40% of the population of Canada with an equal proportion
of existing houses in Canada that use natural gas.)
Any attempt to reduce carbon emissions must also be aligned with changes in building
codes. Doug Tarry helps us understand the current attempts to harmonize provincial
codes with the National Building Code (page 31). Like everything else, this process is in
flux, but Doug is a great guide to show us the way.
And last but not least, our interview with builder Tim Campanale (page 24) gets to
the heart of the issue. Treating the home as an asset with retrofitting as an investment
can create a market-driven strategy with financial institutions to reduce CO2 emissions.
This hybrid approach is very successful in the U.S. It means builders and government
are empowering home owners with processes and information, and banks are providing
loans for investments in assets like deep-retrofitted houses.
It’s important that we keep the power with the people, that we give them the tools they
actually need to make meaningful change. I’m closing this note the way I started – by
quoting the foremost authority on the workings of the known universe, Albert Einstein:
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” BB
publisher’snote / JOHN GODDEN

R-value as before but better perfor
mance), replaced my water heater to a
condensing type (Envirosense), added
a drain water heat recovery pipe,
replaced the furnace with a 97% effi
cient furnace with a variable gas valve
and ECM, and replaced my air condi
tioning condenser/coil to a two-stage,
16 SEER unit. I achieved a HERS rating
of 48. My 20-year-old home today is
52% more efficient than a home built to
the 1997 OBC and 16.7% more efficient
than package A1 in the current (2017)
OBC (see diagram below).
Great, right? Not so fast. Is it good
enough? Let’s see.
Howard Chau, of Clearsphere did
some valuable computer modelling
and analysis for me. Let me preface
According to the Canada Green
Building Council (CaGBC), 75% of the
buildings that will be in use in 2030
are already built and 30% of global
emissions come from heating, cooling
and lighting our buildings. Energy
retrofits of existing buildings must
become common if we want to greatly
reduce our GHG emissions. Let’s park
the notion of a net zero carbon target
by 2050 for the moment.
My personal experience:
When I built my current home
in 2001 (based on the 1997 Ontario
Building Code [OBC]), I believed I was
well ahead of the curve by installing
a two-stage furnace with electrically
commutated motor (ECM), an energy
recovery ventilator (ERV), low-E/argon
gas-filled glazing, increasing insulation
values and trying for a tighter building
envelope. (Note: I hadn’t met John
Godden yet or I would’ve sealed my
ductwork better…live and learn.) Also,
like most people, I didn’t know how
long I’d live there (which is a common
consumer sentiment we may need to
address in some manner in the future).
By 2014 I was still in the home and
decided it was time to make some
improvements (keep in mind, I am in
the homebuilding industry and have
some pricing advantages compared
to the average consumer). I airsealed
and sprayed polyurethane foam
insulation in my attic to R-40 (same
the discussion by reiterating that
although I am in the homebuilding
industry and personally have some
cost-saving advantages, not everyone
else is (and I don’t have a money tree
in the backyard). Thus, anything that
we consider must be through the lens
of what would make sense for me as an
average consumer.
The options included for discussion are
summarized in the chart on the next
page. They are as follows:
1) Adding cellulose blow-in insulation
in the attic to achieve R-60 from
R-40, which would cost about $600
to $800 for the average consumer.
2) An air source heat pump (ASHP)
in place of the air conditioner,
which would cost approximately
$4,000 for the average consumer.
An ASHP costs about $1,500 more
than replacing a conventional air
conditioner. (Remember that a
heat pump can not only cool your
home in the summer months but
also heat your home in the shoulder
seasons without the use of natural
gas in our climate zone.)
3
thebadatest / LOU BADA
When Is ‘Good Enough’
Good Enough?
I
t’s a trick question. The answer depends on when you ask it. What may have
been good enough in 2001 isn’t enough today when it comes to environmental
policy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions. What about in 2030 or
2050? Currently, overall targets in Canada are for a 30% reduction of 2005 GHG
levels by 2030 and net zero carbon by 2050. So that’s the future (for now) – but
what about the past?
Modeled Total Household Energy Usage by Year of Construction for Lou Bada’s House
1997
Building
Code
HERS 101
268 GJ
Package
J
2012
HERS 64
170 GJ
36%
Reduction
Package
A1
2017
HERS 57
149 GJ
44%
Reduction
Lou’s
2014
Retrofit
HERS 48
128 GJ
52%
Reduction
Future
Improve-
ments:
Heat Pump
+ R60 Attic
HERS 48
105 GJ
61%
Reduction

tion is $250. There would be no rebate
for an ASHP, which is disappointing
as (the less expensive) conventional
air conditioners are being installed/
replaced every day. If we decide to use
incentives, wouldn’t it be most useful
if the government incentivized what
made the most sense?
With this improvement, my home
would be almost 61% better than the
1997 OBC and almost 30% better than
the current 2017 OBC, based on the
modelling.
So, when have we done enough? I
don’t know, ask me tomorrow. Let’s just
do what really makes sense today. BB
Lou Bada is vice-
president of low-rise
construction at Starlane
Home Corporation
and on the board of
directors for the Residential Construction
Council of Ontario (RESCON).
Based on the chart above, the
winner is... Lou’s #1 choice: Additional
attic insulation and an air source heat
pump. For less than $5,000, I could
achieve an almost 18% improvement
in energy efficiency. It is also the least
expensive package with the greatest
improvement. It also doesn’t particu
larly rely on a government program.
As you can see, trendy triple-glazed
windows and photovoltaic panels are
not the most beneficial or cost-sensi
ble choice for a retrofit. Currently, the
rebate I could get for the attic insula
3) Airsealing the home with Aero
barrier (a projected reduction in
air changes per hour from 2.18
ACH to 1.18 ACH), which would
cost approximately $3,000 (and a
lot of clean up).
4) Adding a four-kilowatt photovol
taic energy system, at a cost of
about $10,000 to $12,000 without
battery storage. Adding battery
storage would be an additional
cost of $18,000 to $20,000.
5) Replacing the existing windows
with triple-glazed windows and
door glazing, which would cost
approximately $20,000 to $25,000
in total or $5,000 to $6,000 more
than replacing windows with
the best double-pane glazing
available (triple-glazed windows
are approximately 30% more
expensive to purchase and install).
Let’s remember that incentives/
rebates and government programs
are always changing. In my opinion,
though it is difficult to quantify,
programs and incentives also have the
tendency to raise prices in the market
because suppliers and vendors know
they exist and demand increases.
Also, in my opinion, it is important
to realize that rebates/incentives are
often not rationally derived.
So, what to do (if anything)? What
makes the most common sense for a
consumer?
LOU BADA RESIDENCE: FUTURE IMPROVEMENTS
COMPONENT
OBC 2017
PACKAGE A1
AS-BUILT AND
RETROFITTED
LOU’S #1 CHOICE: R60
+ SOURCE HEAT PUMP
Ceiling with attic R60 R40 R60
Exposed floor R31 R31 R31
Walls above grade R22 R13 + R5ci R13 + R5ci
Walls below grade R20 blanket R12 + 8ci R12 + 8ci
Below grade slab (below frost line) Uninsulated R7.5 R7.5
Windows sliding glass doors 1.6 1.8 1.8
Space heating (AFUE) 96% AFUE 97% c/w ECM 97% c/w ECM
Space cooling (SEER) 13 16 ASHP @9 HSPF, 16 SEER
Minimum hrv efficiency 75% 74% c/w ECM 74% c/w ECM
Domestic hot water heater (EF) 0.8 0.86 0.86
Lighting — 75% CFL 75% CFL
Drain water heat recovery 42% 4-ft Power Pipe 4-ft Power Pipe
PV NONE NONE NONE
ACH 3 2.18 2.18
HERS rating 58 48 48
Energy use (GJ) 149.1 127.76 104.87
% Improvement over as-built –16.7% — 17.9%
4
OTHER IMPROVEMENTS CONSIDERED
AS-BUILT
FEATURE
EXISTING
FEATURE
DESCRIPTION
IMPROVED
FEATURE
PERCENTAGE
IMPROVEMENT
COST
$
1
Attic R40 R60 17.90%
4,600
ASHP 0 ASHP 9.5 HSPF Included above
2 Air Change@50 Pa 2.18 1.18 5.80% 3,000
3 Solar Photovoltaics N/A 4Kw 12.20% 12,000
4 Windows U=1.8
U=1.2
(Triple Glazed)
6.10% 20,000

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PanasonicBreatheWell.com
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6
industryexpert / GORD COOKE
There have been very impres
sive improvements in new housing
efficiency due to voluntary programs
such as the R-2000 program and the
ENERGY STAR for New Homes pro
gram, as well as aggressive Building
Code changes over the last 40 years.
A new home built to the current
minimum Ontario Building Code
uses roughly half the energy of a new
home built as recently as 1990 and
one-quarter as much as a house built
in 1980, and that was largely without
any financial incentives. Of course, it
is more challenging to entice the own
ers of existing homes to invest in sig
nificant energy efficiency upgrades.
There have been success stories.
Programs like the very early Cana
dian Home Insulation Program
(CHIP) of the late 1970s and the
two iterations of the ecoEnergy
Efficiency Initiative (first started in
2007) certainly garnered interest
and prompted insulation upgrades,
window replacements and furnace
system upgrades. In the ecoEnergy
programs alone, approximately
one million homes were impacted.
Indeed, Natural Resources Canada
reports that energy use per Canadian
household has decreased by 28%
between 1990 and 2017. However,
the energy used in the residential
sector accounts for almost 17% of
the total secondary energy used
in Canada and almost 13% of our
country’s greenhouse gas emissions.
In light of our industry’s success in
past programs and the ever-more
alarming climate change urgency
and international commitment to
change, our industry should be able
to support and encourage the newest
of the federal government initiatives:
the Canada Greener Homes Grant
program, announced in the spring.
The Greener Homes program will
be offering up to 700,000 grants of up
to $5,000 each for approved energy effi
ciency retrofits in homes. For profes
sional builders, renovators and trade
contractors, there are some important
“need to know” elements. First, the
program, much like the ecoEnergy
initiatives, requires a performance
validation process. This means each
house must have an EnerGuide eval
uation done on it before any work can
be started. Furthermore, it requires a
second evaluation done after work is
completed before the homeowner will
see any of the grant money. These eval
uations must be conducted by a qual
ified Registered Energy Advisor (REA)
holding a current licence from Natural
Resources Canada. Fortunately, the
cost of the evaluations is covered up
to $600, and that is in addition to the
actual grant money.
The REAs must work with one or
more licensed service organizations
(SOs), and this is important for con
tractors and renovators to understand.
You will be most helpful to your clients
if you have a relationship with an REA
and an SO and relay that informa
tion to your client. You can find SOs
that service your area by going to the
following website and entering your
postal code: https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/
energy-efficiency/homes/find-ser-
vice-provider/find-service-organiza-
tions-for-existing-homes/23772
You will typically find half a dozen
or more SOs for most places in Canada.
It should be of some comfort that the
leading new home SOs that deliver
programs such as ENERGY STAR also
serve the Greener Homes program (for
example, EnerQuality Corporation in
Ontario is licensed for existing homes).
To start the process, the home
owner must register their interest in
getting an evaluation on the Greener
Homes website listed here: https://
www.nrcan.gc.ca/energy-efficiency/
homes/canada-greener-homes-grant/
make-your-home-more-energy-efficient/
I
n my career spanning 35+ years, I believe I can count at least four or five
federal government programs that came and went that were designed to spur
on energy-efficient retrofits in the 14 million or so existing homes in Canada.
In addition, there have been provincial and even municipal programs – and of
course, many utility programs, both electric and gas – all trying to mitigate the
energy used to condition existing homes in a very cold country.
The Greener Homes
Opportunity

plan-document-and-complete-your-
home-retrofits/eligible-grants-for-my-
home-retrofit/23504
When they are registering, home
owners must select a licensed SO they
would like to use, which is why you
will want to direct them to enter the
SO you are comfortable working with.
Reportedly, at the time of writing this
article, over 90,000 homeowners have
registered their interest in participat
ing, and Natural Resources Canada is
working to qualify these registrations
and metering them out to the selected
SOs. Some patience may be required
by both you and your client to allow
the early days of the program logistics
to catch up to demand.
The evaluation completed by the
REA ideally creates a comprehensive
plan for the homeowner that helps
them match up the overall renovation
project with the available incentive
grants. For example, if your project
includes recladding the exterior of the
building, they could receive a grant of
$3,300 for adding R-7.5 to R-12 of insu
lated sheathing. That won’t pay for the
recladding, but it would cover much of
the incremental cost of the insulated
sheathing and presents a significant
improvement in comfort and sound
control. Renovators and contractors
can appreciate the value of a solid rela
tionship with an REA who understands
the type of work they do and what is
practical for homeowners to achieve
when doing those types of projects.
The Greener Homes program
website has very specific rules about
the levels of insulation and the extent
of coverage required to qualify for
grants. Similarly, there are detailed
specifications for windows that can
qualify for grants. These are based on
ENERGY STAR specifications. Be sure
to carefully check with your window
supplier as to which models, styles and
glazing choices will qualify.
Perhaps the biggest difference
between this program and all previous
ones is the focus on heat pump
technology for both space heating
and domestic water heating. Even the
most efficient gas furnace or water
heater will not qualify for incentives.
This program is clearly focused on
maximizing energy and greenhouse
gas reductions. With that in mind, it’s
impossible to ignore the 300% to 400%
efficiency of air or ground source heat
pumps, plus the elimination of the CO2
and other combustion gases from fossil
fuel-burning appliances.
Applying for the heat pump incen
tive has some important parameters.
For example, for space heating,
the installing contractor must sign
two attestation statements: one
confirming they are licensed to install
equipment in the province and the
second stating that the heat pump to
be installed is capable of distributing
heat to the entire home. (This “entire
home” requirement deserves some
explanation. The program does not
wish to incent mini-split heat pumps
that serve one or two rooms. Moreover,
they want the heat pump to be sized
such that it can distribute heat to the
entire home for the bulk of the heating
days. Natural Resources Canada has a
heat pump sizing guide tool that they
encourage mechanical contractors
to use.) Lastly, there is a very specific
list of heat pumps and matching air
handlers that qualify for the grant.
Be advised that the homeowner
will be required to provide detailed
receipts and documentation for
7
Perhaps the biggest difference
between this program and
all previous ones is the focus
on heat pump technology
for both space heating and
domestic water heating.

8
all items installed in their home
when they apply for the grant,
including items such as the heat
pump sizing tool. They will need
your help in accumulating and
documenting these. The lessons of
the past ecoEnergy initiatives with
unscrupulous and unprofessional
contractors have been heeded.
This new program rewards the
professional contractor, if you have
the patience to follow the process.
If you are feeling angst about the
process and wonder if homeowners
really have the interest and patience
to follow through, I have been con
vinced in just the last few months by
conversations with acquaintances,
colleagues and clients that the inter
est level in doing what is right for the
future is compelling.
As one small example, a client who
is planning a renovation to start next
spring asked their renovator (a fellow I
have known for 30 years) to introduce
them to an EA now so they could be
made aware of what was possible.
They pointed to the old, but efficient,
gas boiler that provides hot water to
the cast iron radiators in a historically
significant house and said, “isn’t it time
we stopped burning fuels in houses?
We have such a green electrical grid
– shouldn’t we use it more, even if it
is more expensive right now?” What
followed was a great conversation
about the practical possibilities in that
very old home, with very little interest
in the incentives, but a huge interest in
the evaluation process and resulting
plan that would help them make better
decisions.
That, in my opinion, is the real
value of the Greener Homes program.
It can help you, and it can help your
clients make better decisions, which
ultimately helps them trust you more.
So plan ahead, find a licensed EA and
their preferred SOs, and include an
energy eval
uation in every project you
quote. BB
Gord Cooke is
president of Building
Knowledge Canada.  
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A growing number of housing
critics have pinned housing shortages
as a source of soaring home prices. As
Canada’s population grows – mostly
thanks to immigration, and as the
large millennial generation enters
the homebuying stage of their lives –
the country (but especially Ontario)
hasn’t been adding enough homes
to keep pace with demand. Each
party now has their own proposals to
boost the supply of homes available
for either ownership or rental. This
is refreshing as parties are finally
starting to acknowledge that we
have a supply-side issue. In the past,
most government policies have been
demand-side measures, such as
the mortgage stress test, the vacant
property tax or the foreign buyers tax.
Many of these levers did very little to
meaningfully temper the real estate
market.
The Liberals promise to build,
preserve or repair 1.4 million homes
in four years; the Conservatives want
to build one million homes in three
years; and the NDP aims to build
500,000 affordable homes in 10 years.
When it comes to financial help for
homebuyers and renters, the Liberals
propose a tax-free savings account to
save for a down payment and a rent-
to-own program; the Conservatives
intend to change the federal mortgage
stress test and promote seven- to
10-year mortgage terms; and the
NDP wants to re-introduce 30-year
insured mortgages and a $5,000 rental
subsidy. Each of the parties also has
similar promises to tax or temporarily
ban foreign investors and strengthen
measures to address money laundering
in real estate.
All of these campaign plans and
promises have potential to help
Canadians with the current challenges
in the real estate market. Only time
will tell which party is elected and
if any of their plans come to fruition
to bring about a more balanced real
estate market.
However, in my opinion, one
important aspect of the real estate
market that none of these political
leaders seem to be addressing is the
existing group of homeowners. Each
year, new construction only adds
about 1% more housing units onto
the existing housing stock. More
importantly, the existing housing
stock is comprised of homes from
various vintages built across the past
decades. So the affordability and
supply challenges in the current real
estate market have prevented a lot of
move-up buyers looking to get into
larger accommodations, or empty-
nesters seeking to downsize. With
more homeowners deciding to stay
put and renovate instead of move,
the renovation market has exploded
during the pandemic and is just as hot
as the real estate market.
A quick look at the stats shows
Canadian homeowners shelled out
roughly $80 billion on home renova
tions in 2019, according to a report
from Altus Group, whereas overall
spending on new home construction
was lower at approximately $60
billion. Since this edition of Better
Builder is focused on renovations, I
thought I would put a political spin on
the topic, given the ongoing federal
election. While there is a clear path
forward on how new homes will get
to zero emissions through gradual
regulatory changes to the Building
Code, it is still unknown how the
government intends to equally green
the existing housing stock.
9
The Renovation Conundrum:
Can the government have their cake and eat it too?
industrynews / PAUL DE BERARDIS
A
t the time of writing this article, the news is dominated by two topics:
the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and rising case numbers in Ontario,
as well as the recently called federal government election. Since this
is Better Builder after all, I won’t really be diving into the pandemic (even
though COVID-19 has brought about unprecedented building material price
escalations, supply chain nightmares and labour productivity challenges for
the residential building industry). I would, however, like to discuss the federal
election and the campaign platforms of the main political parties – more
specifically, how they relate to the building industry and the housing sector.
While there is a clear
path forward on how
new homes will get to
zero emissions through
gradual regulatory
changes, it is still
unknown how the
government intends
to equally green the
existing housing stock.

10
Given the fact that climate change
is still top of mind and Canada’s
federal government, like numerous
others from around the world, have
committed to net zero emissions by
2050, I was surprised to see that none
of the political parties really offered
much in terms of driving this agenda.
With the existing housing stock obvi
ously making up the bulk of housing
supply and the market trends in the
home renovation sector, would it not
make sense for the government to
take this opportunity to kill two birds
with one stone – achieve their net zero
emissions target while piggybacking
onto the already massive spending
homeowners pump into renovations?
Going back to 2007, Stephen
Harper’s Conservative government
offered the Home Retrofit Subsidy,
and later the Home Renovation Tax
Credit, which both arguably helped
stimulate Canada’s economy and
shielded Canada from the worst of
a global recession. Fast forward 14
years, and the current government
essentially has the same program
in place called the Canada Greener
Homes Grant, whereby a homeowner
can claim up to $5,000 total to help
you make energy-efficiency retrofits
to your home once verified using
pre- and post-retrofit EnerGuide
home evaluations. The latest Canada
Greener Homes Grant is applicable
for things like home insulation,
airsealing, windows and doors, space
and water heating, renewable energy
and resiliency measures – $5,000
does not go very far for these updates.
Especially since the new program no
longer covers things like replacing
natural gas-fired furnaces or hot
water heaters with more efficient units
(only electric heat pump equipment is
eligible now). At a time when building
materials and components are at an
all-time high and there is a shortage
of skilled trades driving up labour
prices, $5,000 is not doing much to
make homeowners prioritize energy-
efficiency improvements in their
renovation plans.
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In my opinion, if the government is
truly serious about reducing green
house gas emissions and moving to a
net zero emissions society by 2050, we
need some fresh and bold new ideas
instead of just recycling the same old
government programs. While I like
the idea behind the Canada Greener
Homes Grant, $5,000 feels like a drop
in the bucket. I think a program like
this would be more effective if it were
paired with some of the concepts
discussed by another fellow Better
Builder contributor, Lou Bada, in the
article “When Is ‘Good Enough’ Good
Enough?” (see page 3). Essentially, a
home with energy-efficiency mea
sures that are not readily apparent
must be looked at differently than a
typical home, especially when it comes
time to get a home appraisal for mort
gage financing or refinancing. The key
to this requires property appraisers
to recognize that homes that provide
notable savings on energy costs can
also be used to offset against mortgage
financing, similar to how an appraiser
can take into account rent from a
secondary suite against the mortgage
calculations. While this may seem
complicated, it really shouldn’t be
difficult to implement in Canada since
it’s already available to our American
neighbours in their housing mar
ket under the Residential Green and
Energy Efficient Addendum.
So, if I were to make one recom
mendation to our political party
leaders, it’d be this: Don’t simply focus
on helping homebuyers or renters.
This eventual planned shift to net
zero emissions will be a challenge for
all homeowners, and they will need
programs in place to support them and
effect meaningful change. BB
Paul De Berardis is
RESCON’s director of
building science and
innovation. Email him at
deberardis@rescon.com.
11

Part of the reason they wanted
to renovate was to maintain the
home’s history and character, in an
established neighbourhood; but
another big part of renovating was
creating a house specifically designed
for their lifestyle. They’d looked at
plenty of other houses that were
newly and beautifully renovated, but
“they just weren’t us,” David says.
Finding a contractor who under
stood the scope of the project – and
was willing to create a detailed written
quote – was challenging, until they
came to Amedeo Barbini. “He was
the only contractor who took the time
to thoroughly understand what we
wanted, then walked us through all the
variables that went into creating the
quote. We were really satisfied with his
process and his transparency.”
The process included a conversa
tion with Clearsphere’s John Godden,
“who took us through the workings of
the home from air flow to water flow, so
we’d understand not just the pretty parts
but the envelope too,” Heather says.
Barbini also took them through
process and budget, so there were no
surprises. “That made us feel secure
about delivery,” Heather says.
And because Barbini has worked
closely with Clearsphere since 2006, he
was on top of the most effective green
components. After attending a seminar
with Clearsphere, Barbini realized that
controlling the building envelope was
key to controlling the air quality. “I call
it ‘stealth comfort,’” he says. “You don’t
see it but experience it.”
The difference lies in being aware
of the latest improvements to green
technology and how the components
work together. “They’re not always
more expensive. Effective insulation,
for example, reduces the load on the
HVAC and you can get away with a
smaller system.” Barbini explains.
One particular component the
Andersons are excited about is the
Greyter HOME system, which recycles
water within the home by diverting
“grey” shower water for use in toilets
and also yard irrigation. “I love the idea
of reducing our home’s consumption of
water by as much as 25%. That’s huge,”
Heather says.
That’s not the only green item,
though, because the Andersons were
13
Renovations from a
Home Owner’s Perspective
specialinterest / ALEX NEWMAN
H
eather and David Anderson, old hands at renovating homes, have just
completed an ambitious project in Toronto’s tony Rosedale area.
Given the potential for problems – delayed schedules and deliveries,
unforeseen events such as a pandemic – you’d think they’d rather knock the whole
thing down and start new. But “old gems on special lots are way more satisfying to
bring back to life,” they say.
Heather and David Anderson

14
set on creating as clean a house as
possible. “From windows to the
plumbing system, we’re working with
a [variety of] experts to help us make
the right decisions for our home and
environment,” David says.
Barbini lists the components:
Greyter system; high-end energy-
efficient fiberglass windows;
ROCKWOOL insulation that provides
higher R-values; an HVAC system
with two different zones; and two
energy recovery ventilators (ERVs) to
moderate interior humidity levels. As
well, the “furnace” is a modulating
boiler with two air handlers: one for
the first floor and basement, the other
for the second and third floors. Even
the basement is green, with insulated
hydronically heated floors to make
it more comfortable with hot water
circulation through tubing, looping
from the boiler and back.
The only setback the Andersons
experienced was COVID-19, Heather
adds. While it didn’t stop the project,
“the price of wood and materials
skyrocketed, causing us quite a bit of
concern.”
One thing the Andersons have
learned through this process is not to
listen to the so-called home experts
on TV reality shows. “Don’t trust the
‘experts’ on TV. We learned so much
about the workings within the home
– from the windows, to the plumbing,
mechanical, insulation – by talking
with real experts in the field. Take the
time to make sure you learn about
all the options before jumping into
a renovation. There have been so
many advances in the home-building
industry in the past few years. They
can make a difference to the health of
your home and your wallet,” they say.
For example, the couple was all
set on spray-in insulation – instead
of the ROCKWOOL they ultimately
decided on – because of what they’d
seen on TV. “But it’s terrible for the
environment and more expensive.
People think spray foam will save
money, but they’re not learning best
practices from those actors.”
The reality is, home owners
need to have trust in their general
contractor when it comes to making
decisions about materials and
building systems. HGTV is full of
stories of projects gone wrong. The
big challenge is finding that renovator
who will deliver on their promise of
meeting goals and educating home
owners about their many choices
from design to project completion. BB
Alex Newman
is a writer, editor
and researcher at
alexnewmanwriter.com.
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insulation – by talking with real experts in the field.”

16
featurestory / ROB BLACKSTIEN

BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 39 | AUTUMN 2021 17
Alair Homes’ Sorauren project, winner of the
Best Kitchen Renovation Under $100,000.
P
H
OTO
G
R
A
P
H
Y
BY
J
U
LES
LE
E
U
N
LES
S
OT
H
E
R
W
I
S
E
S
P
E
C
I
F
I
E
D
MENIN
PROJECT
DESIG
NED
BY
SHIRLE
Y
MEISELS
OF
MHOUSE
INC
.
SOR
AUREN
PROJECT
DESIG
NED
BY
LINDSE
Y
KONIOR
OF
QANUK
By employing a unique
model that empowers
its customers, Alair
Homes has earned
plenty of recognition.
POWER TO
THE PEOPLE
E
velynn Ratcliffe believes that by
generally sticking to two fairly
restrictive models, the renovation/
custom home building industry has done a
disservice to its customers for many years.
The partner for Alair Homes, Forest
Hill, says that builders will typically offer
customers one of two models: fixed price
(providing customers peace of mind, budget
wise, but leaving loss of transparency and
little control over the finishes) or cost-plus
(providing customers control over the finishes,
but a high degree of uncertainty about costs).
“Traditionally, clients have been forced
to make that compromise and it feels like, as
an industry, we’ve maybe let people down
for many, many decades because there’s no
reason to force somebody to choose one or
the other,” Ratcliffe says. “You can in fact
have both. And part of our belief system is
you shouldn’t have to compromise.”

18
At the heart of that belief system is
the Client Control™ method, which has
been a major differentiator for Alair
Homes, helping bag the company a
boatload of awards (see “Alair’s Awards
on page 21).
She explains that it shouldn’t cost
more to get what you’re looking for. So
prior to construction, Alair takes the
time to scope each client’s project on a
category-by-category basis, getting as
granular with the details as possible.
“If we’re able to collect all that
information up front and help guide
you through making a decision about
it, then once we’ve got that scope
nailed down, I can take it to tender and
get a hard price for you,” Ratcliffe says.
That way, if a quote comes back
too high, they explore ways to value
engineer it back to a price point the
customer is comfortable with.
Therefore, once this process is
complete, Alair is on the exact same
page with the customer about precisely
what’s happening – who’s doing each
piece, how much each piece costs and
how long each piece will take. There
are no surprises.
Some builders offer a similar model,
but not on the scale that Alair does. In
fact, the company claims it’s the only
North American builder to take this
approach across the board for all its
projects.
“I haven’t come across anybody in
our industry that does this the way that
we do,” she says.
Then again, no one else can use the
specific term “Client Control,” as Alair
has trademarked it. But regardless
of what you want to call it, this is an
approach that Ratcliffe believes is the
way of the future.
“I think the whole industry has
to move in this direction. Clients are
becoming more savvy, [so] there’s
no reason for us to be anything
Back row, from left to right: Andrew Polischuk, Jamie Mckindsey, Evelynn Ratcliffe,
Andrew Black, Natalia Harhaj, Cory Norris (Markham), Jose Cajiao (North York),
Dan Wojcik (Mississauga), Nima Behrooz (Markham). Centre row: Amrit Singh,
Mike Fallico (North York), Leyla Rajabi, Adam Bryce. Front: Marissa Lee.
CLIENT
CONTROL™
ROADMAP
Client Control is a three phased
approach to maximize certainty
around what your project will cost,
what you are actually going to get,
and when it will be completed
before we ever start construction.
Project Manager Assigned
Ready for Pricing Drawings
(RPD) Completed
Confirm Permit Viability:
Local / Regional
Structural Scopes Verified
Against RPD
Structural Hard Fixed Costs
Verified Against RPD
Finish Scopes Verified Against RPD
Finish Hard Fixed Costs
Verified Against RPD
Trades Awarded
Schedules Confirmed
Total Cost Investment Verified:
Client Approved
Property or Land Secured
Financing Secured
Preliminary Plans
Risk Analysis Complete
Project Permit Viability
?
Sign Construction Agreement
Daily Project Management
Activity Reporting
Daily Trade Activity Reporting
Daily Financial Reporting
Weekly Client Status Meetings
Warranty Management
Scheduled Safety Management
Maintenance

but transparent and provide full
disclosure, because this information
is readily available now.”
Alair was founded in British
Columbia in 2007 by Blair McDaniel
to serve “a very discerning client
base,” says director of market
development Shane Duff. But
growing this business model – while
maintaining its integrity – proved
difficult.
“Blair faced the challenge of
sustainably scaling his business
without diluting the characteristics
that had driven his success in the
early years,” Duff explains.
The solution? Alair formed a
partnership with another builder,
and in 2012 it developed a franchise
format to replicate its model. Alair
has grown to nearly 125 offices across
North America, making it the largest
premium custom home building and
large-scale renovation/remodelling
brand in the world, Duff says.
He explains that it can be a chal
lenge to locate builders and renovators
that align with Alair’s philosophy, so
the partner vetting process is in-depth.
“Our goal is to partner with like-
minded industry leaders who not
only embody Alair’s core values,
but also work daily to reimagine the
construction experience by asking
ourselves how we can help others live
happier, healthier and more productive
lives,” Duff says.
Ratcliffe says Alair’s goal is Six
Sigma-like constant, never-ending
improvement, which manifests itself
in three core values:
1 – Surprise and delight: “For
us, it’s the opportunity to surprise
people and put smiles on their faces
every chance we can,” she explains.
This doesn’t just mean clients; it also
applies to neighbours and Alair’s
trade partners and market partners,
such as designers. “It requires us to
act with compassion, be empathetic,
really collaborate, make sure that
we’re connecting with people on a
more human level, getting to know
our clients well enough that we can
surprise and delight them.” This is
something the company takes very
seriously, Ratcliffe explains. In fact,
each week during their internal team
19
A
L
A
I
R
H
O
M
ES
F
O
R
ES
T
H
I
LL
Before (insets) and after
photos of Alair Homes’
Sorauren (left) and
Menin (right) projects.

20
with the never-ending improvement
focus, with a necessary sense of self-
awareness, she explains. “It requires us
to understand that as great as we are,
we cannot rest on our laurels.” So they
are always seeking more innovative,
more creative, more collaborative,
faster or more cost-effective ways to do
things. The curiosity part comes from
a never-ending quest to learn and to
be passionate about an industry that
they are driven to be trailblazers in,
she says.
3 – Smart, scalable and safe:
Ratcliffe says this boils down to
asking: “Are we making the smartest
possible decisions for the problem
at hand in concert with all the other
decisions that need to be made?” Have
they collected enough data? Is this
decision being rushed? In a nutshell,
this involves making sure that this
“decision is not only a good one, but
a scalable one” because the company
believes a consistent approach is key.
“Success isn’t about doing it great once;
it’s about doing it great over and over
and over again,” Ratcliffe says. And
obviously the safe part of this focus
has become particularly important
during the pandemic, but Ratcliffe says
this generally involves three areas:
“One: Is the site safe? Are we protecting
our trades? Is it free of physical
hazards? Two: Is it COVID safe? Are
we protecting our community and
our trades? Three: Is our client’s
investment safe? Are we protecting
I
N
S
E
T
P
H
OTOS
BY
A
L
A
I
R
H
O
M
ES
F
O
R
ES
T
H
I
LL
meetings, this is the first thing they
discuss as everyone has to talk about
how they surprised and delighted
someone that week. And part of
that involves doing nice things for
yourself, she adds. “We recognize that
you can’t fill from an empty cup, and
this is something that has become
more prevalent for us because of
COVID – if we’re not taking care
of ourselves, we can’t take care of
those around us.” Given that Alair
means “cheerful” in Latin, this seems
appropriate.
2 – Humble and curious: “For us,
we recognize that we are really good
at what we do, but there’s always
room for improvement,” Ratcliffe
says. So the humble piece ties in
Before (insets) and
after photos of the
Menin exterior.

ALAIR’S AWARDS
Alair has won several awards over the years, most recently taking home two 2020 BILD Renovation Custom Home Awards:
Best Kitchen Renovation under $100,000 (Sorauren Avenue) and Best Renovation (no addition) $250,000-$500,000 (Menin
Road), which Alair has now won for two straight years.
“It was awesome,” says Alair Homes, Forest Hill partner Andrew Black of the awards. “It gives us some great credibility.”
For Sorauren, the clients wanted a main floor powder room that wasn’t readily visible. However, because the house
wasn’t large, the room couldn’t be tucked away in a corner, so it wound up being right in the middle of the kitchen.
To compensate, the room was hidden behind a wall panel that looked like an alcove pass into the dining room. “But if you
push on the wall, the door opens up and there’s a bathroom in there,” Black explains.
The Menin home features a “stunning” overall design, Black says.
Some of the homes’ highlights include:
SORAUREN
• Kitchen gutted down to the masonry;
• Created two larger masonry openings to allow for
large windows to let in the light;
• Framed and strapped all exterior walls to allow for
spray foam insulation to create a tight envelope;
• Levelled the floor to allow for new millwork and
finishes;
• Full-height backsplash with floating shelves;
• Added bar area adjacent to the kitchen by
opening up an old partition to recess it into the
dining room; and
• Created a built-in banquet and table to maximize
the functionality of the overall space.
MENIN
• Full gut to existing envelope down to the masonry;
• Strap exterior walls and spray with two-pound closed cell
insulation throughout entire home;
• Triple-glaze Pella windows, entry doors and patio sliders;
• Combi boiler to pick up the domestic hot water and the
radiators for space heating;
• SpacePak high-velocity central air conditioning;
• New roofing, soffits, troughs and downspouts;
• New landscaping, driveway, garage doors, garage slab;
• Custom millwork throughout including the foyer, kitchen,
pantry, all vanities and laundry room; and
• Lighting automation with integrated sound system
controlled by tablet.
Menin kitchen.

22
them in being the stewards of their
investment, making sure that they are
properly educated, that they’ve been
given the options they need to make
the decision that makes the most
sense for them?”
Client education is a key part of the
company’s role, says Andrew Black,
partner at Alair Homes, Forest Hill.
“It’s hard to know what you want until
you know what you can get,” he says.
So during the planning phase, they
act as a trusted advisor to guide clients
through every step. “We want to make
sure we can identify what the scope is
and educate the client why we’re doing
these types of scopes of work and
what we’re putting into these scopes
of work and why, so they can make
a more informed decision on every
component, all the way from demo to
the final paint stroke,” Black says.
He explains that because there are
often several ways to tackle a specific
project task, in an effort to manage
the client’s expectations of the final
product, they will walk through all
the ramifications of each choice. They
will explain why one option is more
expensive and the overall impact
it will have, comparatively, and the
difference in terms of how the house
will perform.
As a result, clients are empowered
to make an educated choice. “We want
to make sure we educate them so they
understand exactly what the outcome
will be based on their decisions now,”
Black says.
What’s that? A builder taking
responsibility for client education?
That’s a dream come true for us (see
“Back to School” in the fall 2019 issue,
page 16). Small wonder Alair has
been winning over its customers and
industry experts alike. BB
Rob Blackstien is a
Toronto-based freelance
writer. Pen-Ultimate.ca
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24
industrynews / MARC HUMINILOW YCZ
M
ore and more Canadian
consumers are choosing to
invest money into buying
or building low-carbon, high-
performance homes. They’re doing
this for a number of reasons: reducing
their carbon footprint, saving money
on their energy bills, ensuring the
comfort and health of their families,
and choosing a better-built, “future-
proofed” home that will stand the
test of time. These homes cost more
money to build than Code-built ones.
When it comes time for financing or
selling, should they not be appraised
at a higher value?
This writer and his wife built a
high-performance home back in
2000. Although it has surpassed our
expectations in terms of comfort
and energy costs, the price of
labour and materials for its energy-
saving features at the time were
astronomical: specifically, the
custom-made triple-glazed windows
and doors that were virtually unheard
of, the superior levels of insulation in
the exterior walls and ceilings, and
double drywall on every wall and
ceiling in the house (for “thermal
mass”). When it came time to
refinance our mortgage and have our
home appraised, all of the original
investment “inside the walls” was not
taken into account in setting a value.
In the United States, the Appraisal
Institute (AI) and RESNET (the
Residential Energy Services Network,
established to develop a national
market for home energy rating
systems) have worked together to
train real estate appraisers about the
value of energy-efficient features in
homes. The result is a set of critical
tools and appraisal form tick boxes
that allow appraisers to make proper
comparisons and adjustments to
appraisal valuations, based on
guidance for homes that are better
quality, more durable and energy
efficient.
The Residential Green and Energy
Efficient Addendum in an appraisal
is used in the U.S. when a mortgage
is underwritten, so that buyers can
qualify for larger loans and sellers
can ask for a higher selling price.
The rationale is twofold: (1) a future-
proofed home that is more durable
and less costly to run and (2) savings
on energy costs that could also be
used to pay down financing more
quickly. Unfortunately, this appraisal
addendum does not yet exist in
Canada, leaving appraisers and
lending institutions mostly unaware of
its financial benefits.
A new federal government program
called the Canada Greener Homes
Grant (administered by Natural
Resources Canada) is currently
offering homeowners funds for home
evaluations and retrofits, to a total of
$5,600. Homeowners are eligible for up
to $600 for the cost of pre- and post-
retrofit EnerGuide evaluations, and
up to $5,000 for the implementation
of eligible retrofits such as insulation
and airsealing of windows and doors.
Meanwhile, the Canada Mortgage
and Housing Corporation (CMHC) is
offering a refund of up to 25% on its
mortgage loan insurance premium
when someone buys or builds an
energy-efficient home or buys an
existing home and makes energy-
saving renovations.
Low-Carbon Homes:
Are They Worth It?
ADAPTED
FROM
COSTAR.COM
/
UPLOADEDFILES/JOSRE
/JOURNALPDFS/
11
.
221
_
248.
PDF
Green Premium and Brown Discount Appraisal Valuations
GREEN PREMIUM
• Demand for green
• Sufficient supply of green buildings
• High-quality asset
• Premium value assignment
BROWN DISCOUNT
• High deferred maintenance-energy
operating costs
• Low-quality asset
• Declining regional markets
EARLY
ADAPTER
MID
ADAPTER
L
ATE
ADAPTER
2013
2014–2016
TIPPING POINT
Critical Mass
Mortgage Write-Downs

These initiatives are clear indica
tors of both consumers and govern
ments open to reducing the carbon
footprint of homes and helping save
money on energy bills. They also
strongly suggest that the market here
in Canada would support higher
appraisals based on the building qual
ity and energy efficiency of a home.
While the federal government
grant seems to be a good solution for
promoting energy-efficient housing,
like other government programs,
it never really impacts the market
place and it creates problems with
fraud. It is also a short-term solution
to a long-term problem. This $5,000
grant means homeowners are really
just getting their own tax dollars
back. Letting them keep their money
through a tax credit and expanding
their borrowing potential from finan
cial institutions would serve all in the
long term by building infrastructure.
This system can stand alone without
government intervention.
The recognition of the value of
low-carbon homes by appraisers,
banks and real estate agents is a long-
term solution which does not involve
tax dollars. Government grants
actually hinder the creation of this
market-based solution by obstructing
the building of an infrastructure in
the marketplace that helps people
borrow. Ideally, the market should
finance what is really needed. The
question is how to make it happen.
Ottawa builder Campanale Homes,
an early adopter of the Home Energy
Rating System (HERS), is committed
to building high-quality, low-
carbon homes, and would like to see
appraisers and banks recognizing their
value. According to contracts manager
Tim Campanale, appraising with HERS
and other energy-efficient standards
has been a challenge.
“It’s hard getting appraisers to
understand and banks to enforce,” says
Campanale. “Here’s an opportunity
for homeowners to value their homes
higher, and they should be able to
qualify for a higher mortgage – maybe
$10,000 to $15,000 more – because their
monthly operating costs are lower.
Canada is one of the most indebted
countries in the world. Our money is
all spent on making payments. It’s time
to change the marketplace and get
banks on board.”
According to Campanale, HERS
homes are getting more prevalent in
the Ottawa region, although they are
still competing with their Code-built
counterparts. As a real estate business
as well as a homebuilder, Campanale
Homes deals with people looking to
purchase resales of its existing homes.
“The first thing people look at is the
kitchen, but we’re always promoting
green things, focusing on what’s better
than Code – what’s inside that can save
them $1,000 per year down the road.”
25
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Government grants actually hinder
the creation of this market-based
solution by obstructing the building of
an infrastructure in the marketplace
that helps people borrow.

26
“We’re working on banks and appraisers to get
them on board in recognizing the value of low-carbon
homes,” says Campanale. “There’s the Green Energy
Money Concept for them to consider. Banks can
defer future risk and have a guarantee that the home
they are financing will not be obsolete in the future
(versus a Code-built home). The home’s value will
increase every year, and energy savings can be used by
borrowers to pay down their mortgage.”
A second concept which makes sense for apprais
ing high-performance homes is future proofing,
Campanale adds. “You need to consider the exponen
tial value of utility rates: water, electricity and gas,”
he says. “As an example, a greywater
system costs about $5,000 to install. It will save you
30% on your water bill, which equals about $150 per
year. Over the next years, as water rates go up – and
they inevitably will – you will be saving money for
the rest of your life. You’re spending money now to
save money tomorrow.” This begs the question: with
Canada currently in a housing affordability crisis,
wouldn’t a house that actually pays for itself be part of
the solution?
Campanale believes that the key to getting
appraisers and banks on board is knowledge. “Banks
recognize government programs like ENERGY STAR.
We need to get them to push appraisers, real estate
agents and even municipalities who don’t realize
the value of low-carbon homes on adopting the
green attributes of homes into their valuations,” he
says. “The Appraisal Institute of Canada needs to
start mandating a calculation – something not too
complicated that will satisfy all its members.”
“We’ve started the conversation with our bank,”
says Campanale. “But it will take the collaboration
of everyone – not just our company – to make this
happen. And, most of all, we need to get the big
builders to buy into the value of the idea.” BB
Marc Huminilowycz is a senior writer.
He lives and works in a low-energy
home built in 2000. As such, he brings
first-hand experience to his writing on
technology and residential housing
and has published numerous articles on the subject.
AMVIC AMDECK
MODULAR ONE-WAY
CONCRETE SLAB
ICFVL FLOOR LEDGER
CONNECTOR SYSTEM
ELECTRICAL
OUTLET

Check out our website at www.gsw-wh.com

28
buildernews / BETTER BUILDER STAFF
The Sustainable Housing Foundation’s
13th annual Green Builder Challenge™
Golf Tournament was held on Satur
day, June 12th at Flemingdon Park
Golf Club. Seven teams teed off for a
socially distanced best-ball round of
nine holes on a beautiful, sunny day.
The history of the tournament dates
back to John Godden’s 50th birthday,
when he challenged his green builder
clients and friends to build 50 homes
that were 50% more efficient. It became
known as the “Green is 50” challenge.
They celebrated by holding a golf
tournament, which has now become
an annual event and a fundraiser for
the work of the Sustainable Housing
Foundation (SHF).
This year’s COVID-19 restrictions
posed another barrier in that the
tournament was held on a Saturday
and numbers were limited. The golf
course owners accommodated our
need to socially distance and provided
an early dinner outside and a drinks
cart so that players could participate
without compromising their distance.
As a golfer and SHF Board member,
Christian Rinomato commented,
“It was an amazing event. It brought
together like-minded people in an
intimate and fun setting to build sus
tainable relationships. I had a blast!” BB
T H E W I N N E R S O F T H I S Y E A R ’ S P R I Z E S W E R E :
WOMEN’S LONGEST DRIVE
Liz Cameron
BEST FOURSOME
Paul Duffy’s Team
MEN’S LONGEST DRIVE
Scott Bullock
CLOSEST TO THE HOLE
John Godden
MOST HONEST FOURSOME
Heathwood Team
From left: Scott Bullock, Richard Lyall,
Paul Duffy and Antony Zanini.
From left: Dominic Conforti, Frank Muto
(Rodeo Team) and Paul Lowes.
From left: Tino Iamundo, Tony DiClemente,
Karlee Vincent and Christian Rinomato.
From left: Chris Watt, Anthony Martelli,
Kevin Watt and Doug Dailey.
GREEN
BUILDER
CHALLENGE

M A N Y T H A N K S T O
T H E S P O N S O R S O F T H I S
Y E A R ’ S C H A L L E N G E
RenewABILITY’s drain
water heat recovery
innovation. The X2-48
can be used for grey
water systems.
Team Heathwood, from left: Rocco Longo, Silvio
Longo, Howard Cohen and Matthew Solomon.
Team RESCON, from left: Grant Cameron, Liz
Cameron, Aonghus Kealy and Travis Schiller.
Dan Murphy, Nick Samavarchian,
Rod Buchalter and John Godden
Scott Bullock was the winner of the
longest drive AND the best ride.

30
fromthegroundup / DOUG TARRY
That being said, harmonizing the
Ontario Building Code (OBC) with the
NBC is more easily said than done.
There are several areas where the OBC
is, or has been, more advanced than
its national counterpart.
Take renovations, for instance.
Part 11 of the OBC has very detailed
guidance to follow when undertaking
a renovation and, depending on the
level of work and occupancy type,
different rules apply. Because of the
shift to looking at harmonization,
there isn’t really anything new being
discussed for the OBC. If anything,
it would appear that the NBC will be
looking to the OBC for direction. That
creates a situation where there isn’t
really an engagement framework for
considering potential Code changes
provincially. The recent tornado in
Barrie and the community’s demand
for answers may not have any place
for the work to go, unless the Ontario
Government decides to backtrack
on its position (more on the Barrie
tornado fallout a bit later).
So where does this leave renova
tors in relation to Code changes? For
the moment, there is not much to
report on, as there is no OBC process
happening. So, I checked in with
Frank Lohmann at the Canadian
Home Builders’ Association. Frank
was able to provide me with an update
on what is happening nationally.
A policy-level review was con
ducted, which produced a report1
for
the Canadian Commission on Building
and Fire Codes (CCBFC). This report
was approved, along with the go-ahead
on the resulting action items, in April
2020. While the approach has been
approved, the CCBFC has not approved
specific work by specific standing
committees on this. Here is a summary
of the recommended approach:
• It will be a separate part in each
Code (except for the Fire Code,
which already applies to existing
buildings).
• These parts will describe the
application of current Code
requirements to existing buildings
(much like the International
Code Council code for existing
buildings).
• Harmonization with Ontario’s
and Quebec’s existing parts on
renovation will be a high priority.
• It is not going to be called “retrofit”
as it is not retroactive.
• Requirements are “voluntary.”
This means they will apply to
renovations/alterations (whenever
they happen), but requirements
will not be mandatory where
renovations/alterations are not
planned.
• Aside from an “exempt” level,
requirements will be categorized
into “minor” and “major”
alterations, each with a different
requirement profile.
So where does this leave us moving
forward? Again, from Frank:
Next Phase (Now to 2025)
• The next phase of the work will be
done by a Joint Task Group (JTG)
between CCBFC and the Provincial/
Territorial Policy Advisory
Committee on Codes (PTPACC).
This format is like the previous
one that delivered the report and is
being chaired by Tom Cochren.
• The JTG will work on the technical
questions and which current Code
requirements should apply to renos.
• Standing committees will study the
proposed approach and scope out
what they need to work on in their
respective disciplines.
• The new JTG will provide support to
all standing committees while they
work out the details (for example,
whether new objectives are needed
or if other policy questions show
up).
• Overall, this task was given high
priority and energy efficiency is the
first subject being worked on.
• The goal is to produce requirements
for the 2025 Codes.
Future Code Changes and Renovations
T
he Government of Ontario, under Premier Ford, made the decision early in
their mandate that harmonization with the National Building Code (NBC)
would be their key policy direction. As such, there has been very little in the
way of Code changes being considered at the provincial level.
There is growing
support from all levels
of government in
Canada and around the
world to improve the
energy performance of
the built environment.

• This will be a major effort for
standing committees during this
Code cycle by all committees.
• The JTG meetings will be public.
• The first phase of the work will
end in 2022 with another round
of consultation with CCBFC and
provinices and territories (to make
sure they are okay with the exact
harmonized approach, etc.)
Following are two key highlights from the report that give a flavour of the
direction being taken.
Energy efficiency as a starting point
“Environment” is just one of 5 code objectives. There are 4 other objectives to
consider as well – and they all need to be considered holistically. For example,
improving the structural protection of a building to withstand a seismic event
could diminish its energy efficiency because of the effects of thermal bridging.
Likewise, improving the energy efficiency of a building through exterior cladding
could have an impact on fire safety so – depending on the materials used –
additional precautions may be needed. While all code objectives need to be
considered, alterations that improve the energy efficiency of buildings have
become the driving force behind this initiative.
Canada signed on to the Paris Climate Agreement and must regularly report
on its progress towards meeting its commitments. There is growing support from
all levels of government in Canada and around the world to improve the energy
performance of the built environment in light of the Paris Climate Agreement
commitments. The resulting Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and
Climate Change describes several goals with respect to the built environment
and a specific goal with respect to existing buildings: “Develop a model code
for existing buildings to help guide energy efficiency improvements during
renovations, with the goal that all provinces and territories adopt it.”
Sustainability
It is important to consider the big picture when introducing any regulation, and
this is particularly important with respect to alterations to existing buildings.
There are many factors that affect overall sustainability beyond reducing the
operational energy (i.e. energy efficiency) of a building – the carbon intensity of
buildings is one such factor. Although carbon is currently not addressed through
any of the code objectives, this subject could be re-visited if there is provincial/
territorial consensus that carbon should be addressed in the codes.
What does this mean for renova
tors? The report is signalling that we
have to look beyond energy consump
tion (operational carbon) and begin
to account for embodied carbon.
That’s the carbon footprint of the
products we use in our construction
and renovations. It can seem daunting
to consider, but here is a very basic
rule of thumb guide to get you started:
if it grows, or has a high recycled
content and you use it in your project
(sustainable forest wood, hemp and
blown cellulose insulation), then it
should reduce your carbon footprint
by storing the carbon the plant took
out of the atmosphere. If it is mined
and processed (concrete and steel),
then it will increase your carbon
31
Hurricane clip (left) and screw detail (install from outside of wall).
The report is signal
ling that we have
to look beyond
energy consumption
(operational carbon)
and begin to account
for embodied carbon.

32
footprint. Increasing the former
while decreasing the latter will get
you on your way to a reduced carbon
footprint.
However, while decarbonization
of our projects is an effort to mitigate
climate change, climate-resilient
construction is an acknowledgement
that the climate is already changing
rapidly, and we must also address
making our buildings more resilient,
such as being able to keep the roof on
during a tornado.
While municipalities look to
increase the climate resiliency of
new buildings, there is growing
discussion that some type of retrofit
rebate program might be needed in
order to increase the durability of our
buildings. Traditional thinking has
always been that we need to hold the
roof up. Climate-resilient construction
seeks to hold the roof down.
What can we do? Remove the sof
fits and, if there is exterior insulation
and/or a weather-resistant barrier,
pull these aside temporarily at
each truss/rafter bottom cord to
top plate connection. Then install
either a hurricane clip or applicable
engineered screw (Simpson Strong-
Tie has an applicable six-inch screw
for this application) and then replace
the insulation and weather-resistant
barrier before reinstalling the soffits.
If there is a gable overhand that is
scabbed on, then use a hurricane tie
to better connect it to the gable wall.
It’s a bit of a tedious task, but missing
rafter toe nails or scabbed on gables
are highly suspect in a high-wind
event and, if you lose your roof, then
the house is headed for the landfill
and that’s not reducing your carbon
footprint. I see this as a good business
opportunity for renovators to provide
homeowners with a greater sense of
security and hopefully create some
goodwill for our industry. This issue
can be tackled regardless of what
government decides if, or when, they
address the issue within the Building
Code framework. BB
Doug Tarry Jr is director
of marketing at Doug
Tarry Homes in St.
Thomas, Ontario.  
1 https://nrc.canada.ca/sites/default/files/2020-
07/final_report_alterations_to_existing_
buildings_joint_CCBFC_PTPACC_task.pdf
Traditional thinking has
always been that we
need to hold the roof
up. Climate-resilient
construction seeks to
hold the roof down.

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Builder and building
science expert
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3773

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Better Builder Magazine, Issue 39 / Autumn 2021

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Better Builder Magazine, Issue 39 / Autumn 2021