When building a home one of the biggest unknowns will be the cost to “GET OUT OF THE GROUND.” This will included but not limited to excavation and clearing of the land, services (water, sewer, power) and foundation work. This is where x-ray vision would come in hand for a contractor yes there is tools which you can get to help to survey the property ( ground penetrating radar $$$) or dig test holes not a bad idea but you need to get a machine and a operator out to the site to do such work. In some cases you get lucky and you may have a excavation going on in the neighbor hood or someone recently built there house, so can help to fill you in with what they had ran into on there property. For this this part of the project some assumptions need to be made on how tall the foundation wall will need to be for instance.

A thermal break concrete slab is concrete in your home (main floor and/or basement floor) that has insulation underneath to stop thermal bridging (which is a movement that “bridges” more heat across one weak area of construction over its surrounding materials). In this instance (concerning concrete slabs), the thermal bridging would be from the ground temperature trying to impact your interior house temperature – we’ve all walked barefoot on cold concrete before, and it goes without saying that it just makes the entire house feel cold. It’s important to have a consistent temperature throughout the house, and this is the reason why people opt for heated floors. Just another option to think about during the design phase to ensure your comfort in your home.

In this video, we talk about the importance of “stack framing” (or “advanced framing”); and touch base on air barriers and vapor barriers, insulation, as well as brace walls. We also share what we used to set our signature Shou Sugi Ban Fir posts.

The Weather Resistant Barrier (WRB) is the material that wraps your house to protect it from water and wind. Your WRB can also act as an air barrier, as well, which is designed to stop the flow of air (and moisture attached to it) from entering a building envelope – which is all the elements of a building that separate and protect the interior from the exterior.

When talking about “a good WRB”, we mean one that is designed to be vapour-open; so if moisture does happen to enter the inside of the wall, there is a way for it to escape – and will do so effortlessly for years to come.

Water is the number one killer of houses, so we feel having a good WRB is one of the most important parts of the house, as it ensures your investment (your home) stays in good shape and lasts.

In this video, we talk about how and why we installed our window bucks; we talk a little bit more about our air barrier; and we show off a new tool we got to use from Bissett.

In this video, we talk about Halo Exterra foam and why it is important in preventing thermal bridging and how it helps with permeability; and we also talk about the importance of Rainscreen and its advantages in the building envelope.

In this video, we prepare for and perform a Blower Door Test. We go over the results and give our thoughts on what our expectations were and what we would do differently next time.

What is air sealing and how does it work? Air sealing is the means of locking the outside air out of your home (literally sealing the air out) and can be done by applying a selection of materials. There is also a new technique (used by professional services) that involves spraying a sealant to which fogs within the interior of your home and uses a high-powered fan to pressurize the building – so as the air tries to escape through the tiny holes in the building, it carries the sealant with it and plugs the holes in the process. So, there are many options for you when it comes to air sealing your home – the most important thing is that you do air seal your home.

Good air sealing in your home prevents moisture and bugs from entering; saves you money; and, overall, protects your investment (your house). Understanding how we can achieve this goal all starts at the design phase.

Let’s give an example by talking more about moisture: if you do not have good air sealing details, and the wind is blowing hard on the side of your house, the moisture within the air could get blown into the wall cavity – which makes a nice home for where mold can grow. To protect your home, we want to make sure that the air and moisture is stopped on the outermost layer of the building.

Bugs… we know we do not need them in our home – so good air sealing can help fill all the hidden holes in your home and prevent the little critters from inviting themselves inside.

Good air sealing also means you can have smaller HVAC systems, so when it comes time to clean them or replace them, you will save money – which alone is a good incentive to properly air seal your home.

When designing your home, we need to think about all these important home-improvement details ahead of time. Our job is to help walk you through this step and discuss strategies to achieve this goal.

In this video, we finally get to start revealing the interior design – or at least the paint colours, trim details, light fixtures, and the flooring and carpet we decided on!

You’ve seen us in previous videos make our fir (and cedar) Shou Sugi Ban posts, but we take it to new heights and create a whole new ambience with these beams as part of our interior design!

This is the final installment of our “Building a Custom Home” series for Roberta Ranch! In this video we walk you through each room, revealing the interior design, while also explaining the importance of an energy efficient home and how it relates to your health and comfort living in the home.