insulated concrete forms - a lesson in efficiency

today's lesson in eco-home building deals with insulated concrete forms.

one of the most significant building decisions we've made is the use of insulated concrete forms (icf) for our foundation as well as the common wall (basement to attic).while icf is more expensive than traditional construction methods, it results in a more energy efficient home with greater insulation (both heat and sound insulation), increased structural strength and more comfortable living spaces than conventional homes.

icf is composed of interlocking polystyrene pieces, that lock together a lot like lego blocks.

as the blocks were stacked, rebar was placed within them to provide additional flexural strength. then the forms were filled with concrete.

unlike traditional foundation construction, after the concrete cures, our forms are left in place permanently.

in conclusion, the main reasons we chose icf are:

1. higher thermal insulation - because the concrete and foam are effectively sealed together, there is greater insulation value and less air leakage in icf structures. a traditional foundation with fibreglass insulation, studs and vapor barrier typically provides an r-value somewhere in the range of r-20. we can expect an r-value of r-40 for our foundation. since we plan on using the basement for living space, not just storage, the icf foundation will make the basement much more comfortable and usable. 

2. higher acoustic insulation - we wanted to ensure that the two homes never feel like they're sharing a wall. with an icf common wall we have increased soundproofing all the way to the attic.

3. minimal waste - because of the locking block format, there was very little in the way of materials waste or overages. our icf was ordered specifically for our design and arrived straight from the manufacturer. 

4. less material and labour - drywall can be drilled directly to the icf, removing the need for insulation, studs and vapor barrier.

that ends our lesson on icf, if you find yourself still wanting more information on the icf products we used and why they're a smart environmental choice, you can do some extra credit studying here: amvic building products

stay tuned next week for a history lesson on the historic neighbourhood of bridgeland's history.

something old. something new. (alternate title: let's wreck some stuff!)

it doesn't take long to demolish an 875 sq ft house. all in all, ours was just a pile of sticks in the basement within a couple hours. by the afternoon a flat piece of land with a big hole is all that remained. but before we tore it down we spent time pulling out the things we loved. part of the process of this build will include reclaiming and reusing materials and items that stand the test of time. we're doing this for a couple of reasons:

1. first of all, this new house is about building something that is good for the neighbourhood, our family and if we want to get really ambitious, the world. so every little bit we can stop from going to the landfill helps. the ideal solution would have been to move the house to another location. we attempted this option first, unfortunately all the movers who viewed the house deemed it too small for their clients.

2. we like old stuff. not everything old mind you, but there's something magical about pieces and materials from different eras. especially when those materials are used alongside newer, modern items. so the new homes will include items that stood the test of time in other locations, and will continue to do so here.

from our old house we salvaged the hardwood flooring, some beautiful light fixtures and a pair of french doors. we'll use these items as feature points in the new houses, the kind of thing that might spark a conversation with visitors over a glass of wine. even better if the wine is a few years old too.

44 feet 6 inches. width ain't nothing but a number.

our lot is 44' 6" wide. five years ago that meant nothing to us. but when the city re-wrote the planning policy for inner city homes, it became a big deal.

previously, to subdivide a lot, the minimum width was 50ft. however, in their efforts to increase inner-city density, planners found some interesting solutions when they looked at the numbers. the result was a new minimum lot width for side-by-side building of 44ft. when that policy passed, we happily found ourselves with 6 inches to spare. (insert your terrible double entendre here).

the reason for the change in minimum widths works like this:
- the minimum width size for a detached home is 25ft. in communities like sunnyside and bridgeland there are lots of lots this size. 
- a 25ft lot with a detached home has 3ft of side setback on each side.
- put two detached homes on lots beside each other and you have 6ft in-between them.
- but if these detached homes are instead attached, you remove the need for 6 extra ft...take that 6ft away from a 50ft lot and you're left with 44ft.

side-by-side homes on these 44ft wide lots will end up being the same width as detached homes on 25ft lots - about 18ft... give or take a few inches, depending on your build (insert your terrible double entendre once again).

the old house

we bought this house in the dark, cold winter of 2005. it had bad carpets, an ironing board in the kitchen wall, it smelled like cat urine mixed with cigarette smoke, and the ceilings were dangerously low. we ripped out the carpets and discovered hardwood, converted the ironing board nook into a spice rack and painted over the eau de feline marlboro. we couldn't do anything with the ceilings so we just pretended we were really tall whenever we were home. i particularly liked this.

the house was good. the neighbourhood was better. but as we grew and started to think about the future, questions popped up.
can we add another bedroom if we want two kids?
would a second story look silly?
are those pipes made of lead?
seriously, lead?
how much would it cost to do a complete reno?

the answers to these questions led us down the road we're on today. if we wanted a house that fit our values, our growing life, our bank account and yet was still in our neighbourhood, we'd have to find a unique solution.

an intense interest in infills soon developed, and we found ourselves on long walks that passed semi-detached construction sites.

the start

welcome to a blog about a house in bridgeland.

this is where we'll document the project and tell the story of our new home. but it's not just about our house. after all, we're building a semi-detached. a duplex. a side-by-side. so whatever you call it, this is really the story of two houses.

maybe this will be the story of your house too.

or maybe you're just a curious sort who enjoys reading about the highs and lows of inner-city construction.

wherever you fit in, welcome. we hope you enjoy the ride.