Better Builder Magazine, Issue 21 / Spring 2017

ISSUE 21 | SPRING 2017PUBLICATIONNUMBER42408014
Intensification & Affordability
Multi-Family Challenges
Changing the Building Code
Low Energy & Water Conservation
Finnigan’s Wake
Thermally Protecting Foam
IN THIS ISSUE
Changing
Housing Forms

A b r e a t h o f f r e s h a i r .
MAX SERVICE
All mechanical and electrical components are
accessible from the front of the unit.
Heating coil and fan/motor slide out for easy
service.
One of the most extensive warranties in the
business:1-year parts & labour,2-years on parts
only,where applicable.
MAX COMFORT
With the increased efficiency of this optional
Electronically Commuted Motor (ECM),
homeowners will be free to cycle air continuously
with a minimal increase in electricity cost.
Continuous fan operation helps improve
filtration,reduce temperature variations,and
helps keep the air clear of dust and allergens –
making your customers’ homes more comfortable.
Mini Ducted Hi-Velocity Air Handling System
Optional Prioritizing of Comfort Levels with Energy Savings
MAX SPACE SAVER
The MAXAIR fan coil is so compact that it fits
anywhere:laundry room,attic,crawl space,you
can even place it in a closet.
It can be installed in new or existing homes.
It takes less than 1/3 of the space of a conventional
heating and air conditioning unit.
MAX ENERGY SAVINGS
Energy savings,temperature control and comfort
levels are achieved in individual levels of the home
by prioritizing the requirements.This is achieved
by installing optional space thermostats. If any
area calls for heating or cooling, the individual
thermostat allows the space it serves to achieve
optimum comfort and still maintain continuous
air circulation throughout the home.
This method of prioritizing is a great energy
savings measure while offering an increased
comfort level to the home owner.
FLEXAIRTM
DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
MAX FLEXIBILITY
The supply outlets can be placed in the wall,
ceiling or floor.
Each unit has four choices of locations for the
return air connections.
The FLEXAIR™ insulated 2½" supply
duct will fit in a standard 2"x 4" wall cavity.
Can be mounted for vertical or horizontal airflow.
Can be combined with humidifiers,high efficiency
air cleaners or ERVs / HRVs.
Snap-together branch duct and diffuser
connections.
MAX ELECTRICAL SAVINGS
ECMs are ultra-high-efficient programmable
brushless DC motors that are more efficient than
the permanently split capacitor (PSC) motors used
in most residential furnaces.This is especially true
at lower speeds used for continuous circulation in
many new homes.
1-800-453-6669 905-951-0022519-578-5560613-966-5643 416-213-1555 877-254-4729905-264-1414
For distribution of Air Max Technologies products call
www.airmaxtechnologies.com209 Citation Drive, Units 5&6, Concord, ON L4K 2Y8, Canada

BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 21 | SPRING 2017
16
1
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
2
The Changing Form of
Low-Rise Housing
by John Godden
THE BADA TEST
3
Intensification, Affordability
and the 2017 Ontario
Building Code
by Lou Bada
INDUSTRY EXPERT
6
Multi-Family Challenges
by Gord Cooke
INDUSTRY EXPERT
10
Changing the Building
Code One Step at a Time
by Michael Lio
BUILDER NEWS
12
Rodeo Fine Homes –
Low Energy with Water
Conservation in East
Gwillimbury
by Alex Newman
BUILDER NEWS
22
Greyter Awards
by Better Builder Staff
SITE SPECIFIC
25
Finnigan’s Wake
by Rob Blackstien
FROM THE GROUND UP
30
Thermally Protecting Foam
by Doug Tarry
FEATURE STORY
16
Meeting the Challenge
Royalpark Homes is delivering innovative housing options in a
challenging environment.
by Rob Blackstien
12
22
ISSUE 21 | SPRING 2017
On our cover: Bob Finnigan, President, Canadian
Homebuilders Association & COO Housing, Herity
Images internally supplied unless otherwise credited.

T
he Greater Toronto Area (GTA) is growing by nearly 100,000 people
a year. In contrast, the average number of housing units
constructed annually is about 35,000. And in 2015, half of these
were low-rise and under four storeys.
Why this trend in low-rise housing? The answer is simple: single-
family homes are expensive to build and service – the average price of a
new one has surpassed $1 million. In order to meet market demand for a
growing population and government-imposed density regulations,
many builders are now offering stacked and row townhouses for a
higher yield on a relatively small footprint. This issue examines the
benefits and drawbacks of these changing housing forms.
There is, of course, the question of cost. Shared walls and multi-
family houses can be more affordable because of lower construction
costs, and they also reduce energy consumption and heat loss. However,
shared floors and walls can cause challenges for sound transmission,
fire protection and egress. Gord Cooke offers detailed tips for achieving
airtightness on page 6.
Many builders, like Rodeo Fine Homes, have experienced the
difficulties of air leakage across party walls with programs like ENERGY
STAR (“Not Their First Rodeo” on page 12). To be successful, builders,
designers and site personnel must collaborate to design, detail and
execute party wall construction that minimizes air leakage. By
compartmentalizing townhouse units, airborne sound and odour
transmission are reduced as more people live closer together.
Attached housing is also becoming narrower and taller, thus
requiring more stairs. A harmonization between the Ontario Building
Code and National Building Code has been proposed that would
increase stair tread length, which means that more space in home
designs would need to be allocated for stairwells. See “Changing the
Building Code, One Step at a Time” by Michael Lio on page 10 for more
on potential changes to stair runs.
Royalpark Homes is a fine example of a builder who is adapting to
different building forms, with offerings from singles to stacked towns to
six-storey mid-rises. “Meeting the Challenge,” our feature on Royalpark,
is on page 16. (See also “Changing Housing Forms, Royalpark Style” on
page 20, for more on specific projects.)
With each Code change comes many challenges with interpretation.
Doug Tarry rolls up his sleeves to have a discussion with local building
officials about thermal protection for foam insulation, and Lou Bada
(page 3) and Bob Finnigan of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association
(page 25) each provide their own take on how government-imposed density
regulations, sustainability and affordability are all inextricably linked.
At the end of the day, no matter what form the building takes,
regulation must be balanced with innovation. BB
Singles, Semis, Stacks and Towns
The Changing Form of Low-Rise Housing
PUBLISHER
Better Builder Magazine
63 Blair Street
Toronto ON M4B 3N5
416-481-4218 | fax 416-481-4695
sales@betterbuilder.ca
is a sponsor of
PUBLISHING EDITOR
John B. Godden
MANAGING EDITOR
Wendy Shami
editorial@betterbuilder.ca
To advertise, contribute a story,
or join our distribution list, please
contact sales@betterbuilder.ca
FEATURE WRITERS
Rob Blackstien, Alex Newman
PROOFREADING
Carmen Siu
CREATIVE
Wallflower Design
www.wallflowerdesign.com
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.
TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER
All company and/or product
names may be trade names,
trademarks and/or registered
trademarks of the respective
owners with which they are
associated.
UNDELIVERABLE MAIL
63 Blair Street
Toronto ON M4B 3N5
Better Builder Magazine is
published four times a year.
publisher’snote / JOHN GODDEN
John Godden
Alex Newman
Gord Cooke
Michael Lio
Lou Bada
Doug Tarry
CONTRIBUTORS

BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 21 | SPRING 2017 3
A
s home builders, we navigate a
complex and often competing
set of governmental rules and
regulations to meet market demand.
The ambitious goals that all four
levels of government aspire to are
eventually converted into legislations
and regulations that invariably affect
home builders. Often though, when
government overreaches, it can make
for some poorly thought out and
contradictory regulation with less
than desirable outcomes for everyone.
Intensification has become
a cornerstone of provincial and
municipal planning policy initiatives
meant to put us on a path toward
more sustainable land development.
Loosely defined, intensification, or
density, means more people living
and working within less space.
Essentially, it means trying to do
more with fewer resources and strains
on the environment, especially where
we can have “in-fill” development
(built within the current urban
boundaries). The most salient effect
here is that we build smaller homes
for people to live in. Although high-
rise buildings represent the densest
form of development, they are not
always appropriate for certain
neighbourhoods or areas. Denser low-
rise building forms are sometimes
needed instead.
“Re-imagined” ground-related
housing – known in the building
industry as back-to-back semi-
detached or back-to-back town
houses, as well as stacked townhouses
– has made its way into our building
vocabulary. In the last few years,
there has been a rise in demand for
these housing types. These homes
usually fall under Part 9 of the Ontario
Building Code. It is important here to
highlight that the Code, in most
instances, applies equally to all types
and sizes of homes, whether they are
1,000 or 10,000 square feet in size. The
reason for this is plain when you
understand why and how the Code was
developed. I’ll get back to this later.
I’ll now turn to other social policy
goals of government – namely, foster
ing affordable housing and accessible
housing (for the elderly and physically
challenged). Both are laudable goals,
along with sustainability. There are
hundreds of proposed Code amend
ments for the current code cycle
review, many of which have caught the
eye of our industry.
In terms of affordability, the
proposals to make (legal) secondary
suites for low-cost rentals in the
basements of homes more plausible
have generated several changes. One is
to mandate an egress window (e.g., 47
inches wide by 36 inches high) in the
basement where an exit door is not
provided.
This becomes a problem. Imagine a
basement of a back-to-back townhouse
or stacked townhouse where three
of the four walls are common (party)
walls with one exterior wall on the front
elevation only. There is often no wall
space available for any size window,
let alone an egress window. With this
regulation, these homes cannot be
built with a basement at all, preventing
new home owners from benefitting
from a secondary suite. It also limits
the possibility of using the basement
as a mechanical/storage room to make
these small units more livable.
On the other hand, local munici
palities may preclude secondary suites
Intensification, Affordability
and the 2017 Ontario Building Code
thebadatest / LOU BADA

for some types of homes or smaller
lot sizes through zoning bylaws.
According to the proposed Code
amendments, builders would still
have to provide a basement egress
window and other provisions for
secondary suites where none could be
built legally. That’s an increased cost
with no benefit. Does that make sense
to you?
New code change proposals to
make houses more accessible, most
notably for the elderly, have focused
on making stair treads (steps) deeper
by an inch, from approximately 10
inches to 11 inches. On most homes,
this makes the stair openings about
one foot, six inches bigger on each
floor. For a new, denser, 13- or 14-foot
wide townhouse (stacked or otherwise)
or semi-detached, this enlargement is
almost unworkable in any satisfactory
way. Small detached houses will suffer
in their designs greatly, too – a new
secondary suite will be even smaller. It
seems we want to encourage intensi
fication and sustainability, yet make
smaller new homes less livable and
more difficult to build at the same time.
The examples above are just two
proposed code changes – believe me, I
could go on – where contradictions
exist in the regulations based on the
disparate direction of government
policies. We want low-rise intensifi
cation (sustainability), accessibility
and affordability all at once – and we
want it now. How is this reasonable?
And how will anyone be able to afford a
new home with all of these changes
coming down the pipe all at once?
Mind you, none of these proposed
regulations are a problem in a
10,000 square foot home that we are
discouraged to build; the Code is
applied in the same way for these
homes. However, few owners of
massive homes are interested in
renting out their basements. The Code
was developed as a minimum standard
for the safety of occupants, but these
proposed changes are going to increase
the cost of a new home and hinder the
owner’s ability to earn some cash back
on a crucial investment.
This leads me to ask two questions:
(1) Is regulation the only way to
achieve our goals? And (2) where is
the robust cost–benefit analysis to
prove we need to make these changes?
Let’s face it: if builders were to suggest
changes without a proper cost–benefit
analysis, they would not meet the
ministry’s own submission quality
standards.
The Ontario Building Code and
land-use policies have become
overly politicized and, quite frankly,
dysfunctional in many cases. I support
continuous improvement, fairness
and environmental consciousness, but
uncreative, lazy-minded regulations
designed to placate special interests
just won’t do. Let’s not harm the
industry with more thoughtless
regulation. BB
Lou Bada is Vice President of Low
Rise Construction at Starlane Home
Corporation and sits on the board of
directors for the Residential Construction
Council of Ontario (RESCON).

EcoVent™
—The fan
that meets designed
airﬂow requirements.
For true performance under the hood,
install Panasonic EcoVent™
with Veri-Boost.™
Ideal for new residential construction,
EcoVent is the perfect solution for home
builders looking to meet designed airflow
requirements the first time and avoid the
hassle of replacing underperforming fans.
EcoVent is a cost effective ENERGY STAR®
rated
solution that delivers strong performance. If you need
to bump up the CFM output to achieve airflow design,
simply flip the Veri-Boost switch and increase the
flow from 70 to 90 CFM and you’re good to go!
Learn more at Panasonic.com

In my opinion, both the volume of
multi-family projects and the type of
ownership have a tendency to raise
the performance expectations of
multi-family units by suite owners.
Specifically, in this article, I would
like to focus on “separation anxiety”:
the interest in ensuring high levels
of fire safety, noise and odour
transmission reduction, and air
leakage control between suites. In this
regard, I could claim the U.S. is ahead
of us – at the time of writing this
article, 20 states have adopted a state-
wide code that requires airtightness
testing of all houses, including
multi-family suites. The airtightness
requirement (in all but the most
southern states) is three air changes
per hour at 50 pascal (3 ACH@50)
pressure. In Canada, airtightness
testing is only required in the city
of Vancouver and in the ENERGY
STAR for New Homes program, LEED
projects and Passive House projects.
There is one other fine point
of distinction with respect to
airtightness. The ENERGY STAR
program and Ontario code references
(although mandatory testing is not
required in code) allow for three
different metrics for airtightness: the
volume-based metric of ACH@50 plus
two metrics based on surface area of
the suites. The surface area metrics are
considered to be a fairer way to assess
airtightness in multi-family suites and
thus may be seen as easier to pass than
the U.S. metric.
Airtightness, beyond simply
meeting a code or program require
ment, is also an important factor in
noise and odour transmission control.
So let’s explore airtightness strategies
and techniques in separation walls.
The first strategy should be to
have the architect identify and
detail the air barrier for separation
walls. This sounds straightforward
enough, but it has been our experience
that architects, and even material
suppliers, haven’t given this enough
thought, and we end up cobbling
together components on site with the
construction team.
For example, in high-rise buildings
in Toronto, demising walls are often, or
at least substantially, concrete to carry
structural loads. These walls are
inherently airtight, so we find builders
regularly meet the LEED airtightness
requirements for “compartmentaliza
tion”. (This term was coined out of
research that was conducted primarily
in Toronto in the early 2000s and is a
term we should all commit to.)
In low-rise multi-family, the typical
demising or party wall is a double 2
x 4 wall with a one-inch air space to
R
ecently, I was asked to present a building science session to a large group
of multi-family home builders in the U.S. In my research for the event, it
was interesting to note both a few differences and similarities between
the Canadian and U.S. multi-family market. For example, it will probably be no
surprise to readers of this article that the CMHC Housing Market Outlook stats for
2016 show that 60% to 65% of total housing starts are multi-family, both in Ontario
and in Canada as a whole. In contrast, U.S. housing starts reported by the National
Association of Home Builders (NAHB) indicates multi-family units represent just
30% to 35% of starts. Moreover, it has been my experience that the U.S. multi-
family units are more commonly built as rental properties whereas, specifically in
Ontario, the trend has been for projects to be condominium ownership.
industryexpert / GORD COOKE
Multi-Family
Challenges
The challenge, though,
is still how to detail that
air barrier through floor
separations, intersecting
walls and at the ceiling.

meet the one-hour fire separation
requirements. That one-inch air
space, often directly connected to
outside and the attic, presents a
problem. It means both sides of the
wall need to be treated as outside
walls and need to be detailed as such.
In Canada, we typically use poly as
the primary air barrier on exterior
walls. Thus we get asked if we can use
poly on either side of the party walls.
Some would worry that this presents
a double vapour barrier risk. In fact,
both sides of the wall are warm, so it
doesn’t really present a vapour risk –
but if water did happen to get in the
wall, it would have very low drying
potential and thus not a very forgiving
assembly. The poly could be replaced
with a permeable membrane, such as
Tyvek, to avoid that concern.
The challenge, though, is still how
to detail that air barrier through floor
separations, intersecting walls and
at the ceiling. Of course, drywall on
its own is an excellent air barrier if
detailed correctly at all intersections.
Indeed, in the U.S., I see shaft liner
as the demising wall of choice: two
layers of one-inch drywall in a metal
H-clip assembly erected between the
2 x 4 interior walls. These assemblies
typically provide a two-hour fire
separation and have excellent sound
transmission co-efficient (STC) ratings
of over 60.
Oddly though, I know of none that
have an approved air sealing strategy
for the H-clips, and thus they still
leak air, even though they look to
be very airtight. There is a relatively
new assembly coming our way called
FlameBlock by LP. It is a fire-coated
oriented strand board (OSB) that is
used for both structural integrity and
fire protection of partition walls (as
well as exterior wall applications). It
too has excellent STC ratings in the
60+ range. Check out the assembly
on the Construction Instruction App
(available in the App Store for iOS or
Google Play for Android).
The second strategy, after the
architect identifies the overall air
7
FIBERGLASS INSULATION
1-SIDED
LP® FLAMEBLOCK®
1-SIDED
LP® FLAMEBLOCK®
TYPE X
GYPSUM
TYPE X
GYPSUM
2" x 4" STUDS (MINIMUM)
GP Shaftliner assembly with H-clips. Still needs air sealing details.
LP FlameBlock assembly. See constructioninstruction.com for an animation.

barrier assembly, is to work out all
the ever-more complex intersections,
transitions and penetrations on
site. Start by compartmentalizing
those one-inch air spaces. Use a
fully detailed exterior house wrap to
transition across the fire separation
wall on exterior walls. Use a thin
sheet metal plate between floors and
at attics to seal the one-inch space
between those separations. Use
blocking and caulking to seal between
the primary air barrier and any steel
or concrete block structural elements
at each and every floor or wall
penetration. We often see confusion
on how to handle bumped-out walls
or chases for mechanical systems.
Again, first identify the primary air
barrier plane and seal to that. This
often means the best thing to do is to
drywall or use a thin ply sheathing or
OSB behind the bump-out to maintain
the air barrier plane (much like you
would treat behind a tub or shower on
an exterior wall) and then build the
bump-out in front of that.
Finally, air test early. In a multi-
family project, complete a mock-up
suite to demonstrate the accepted air
barrier details to all trades early in
the process. Have them experience
an airtightness test to feel the impact
of the work they do. Given the high
expectations of the residents who are
likely to invest in these beautiful, but
often complex, urban multi-family
projects, you need every trade to
commit to ensuring high levels of
separation between units. It all starts
with excellent airtightness details. BB
Gord Cooke is president of Building
Knowledge Canada.
The second strategy
is to work out all the
ever-more complex
intersections,
transitions and
penetrations on site.

Barrie, GTA West, GTA North
Eric Byle | 416-937-8793
Toronto East
Al Crost | 416-676-0168
Available to water heater customers whose equipment is not operational (i.e. no hot water)

industryexpert / MICHAEL LIO
So why did the NBC change the
run dimension? According to the
National Research Council, in 2012,
falls on stairs resulted in approxi
mately 300 deaths, 9,000 hospitaliza
tions and almost 100,000 emergency
room visits across Canada. This
resulted in direct health care spend
ing of $476 million. The scientific
literature was finally available that
established a relationship between
stair geometry and falls. It showed
that the stair run is directly correlated
to the falls that are experienced.
As part of the Code review cycle
for the 2015 NBC, a national joint
task group on step dimensions
(JTG) was established. The JTG
reviewed technical literature, studies
and reports, and was tasked with
delivering a cost-benefit analysis of
various step geometries. The JTG
included three representatives from
the health sector, three home/stair
builders, one regulator and two
general-interest representatives.
Here is what they found: larger runs
will reduce the number of falls on
stairs and significantly increase
the safety of stairs in homes. The
result: dramatically fewer ER visits,
hospitalizations and deaths, and a
reduction in health care spending
across Canada.
Five run sizes over 210 millimetres
were analyzed for their cost–benefit
to society. A 255-millimetre run
provides the best net positive benefits
under conservative assumptions.
Shorter runs can result in loss of
balance, slipping off the step, missteps,
oversteps, heel scuffs, crabbing and
foot overhang. Larger runs result in
higher stability by offering increased
space for foot placement. The technical
literature revealed that larger runs
mitigate risk falls for all age groups in
all conditions (including when users
are intoxicated, when wearing high
heels, or where stairs are poorly lit).
How will this Code change impact
builders? If the proposed change is
successful and the next OBC requires
a minimum run dimension of 255
millimetres, stair designs will need
to be reworked as the stairs will
require more space. The JTG studied
the impact of the change on space-
constrained designs. They found that
some unusual space-constrained
designs would be challenged with the
new stair geometry. But for the vast
majority of houses, the change will be
easily accommodated.
This is an important change, and
the JTG report highlights the need
to implement it: across Canada, one
in 200 homes with the current step
dimensions will be the scene of a
stair-related fall that results in death
or permanent total disability (over a
75-year service life). It is estimated that
this Code change would reduce fall
incidents by 64%. Given this significant
potential safety benefit, builders are
looking to the upcoming OBC review
cycle to take that next step. BB
Michael Lio is the former executive
director of the Consumers Council
of Canada and the Homeowner
Protection Centre.
Changing the Building Code,
One Step at a Time
T
here is currently a proposed change to the Ontario Building Code (OBC)
relating to the minimum run dimension of stairs. The change would
harmonize the OBC with the 2015 National Building Code (NBC), which
changed the minimum run for a private stair with a rectangular tread from 210
millimetres to 255 millimetres. The change would also harmonize requirements
in the province with those in the U.S.
Larger runs will reduce
the number of falls on
stairs and significantly
increase the safety of
stairs in homes.
RISE
RUN
TREAD
DEPTH
NOSING
STAIR TERMINOLOGY

buildernews / ALEX NEWMAN
That’s a lot of water, and regions
want to make sure that doesn’t go up.
In fact, York Region has developed
stringent water conservation guide
lines, and some municipalities within
the region are even more austere. The
town of East Gwillimbury, for example,
outlines a three-pronged approach in
its Sustainable Development Invest
ment Partnership (SDIP) conservation
guidelines for new builders: water
conservation, ENERGY STAR
construction and landscaping
measures.
Two years ago, a local developer
purchased a parcel of land with those
sustainability guidelines in place.
While higher densities were permitted
in these cases, the town’s stringent
water conservation expectations
affected other aspects of building the
site, such as ENERGY STAR home
construction, which must deal with the
air leakage so typical in the townhouse
form, certain landscaping require
ments, and dealing with developing
water mains that don’t leak. It involves
working with a third party to conduct
leak detection checks. This would be an
onerous undertaking for any builder,
A
s water becomes scarcer, government bodies will be looking for ways
to conserve the precious commodity. In Canada, it is plentiful for now
– but global water tables are dropping and piping in water is growing
more costly. The Great Lakes, which hold 20% of the world’s fresh water, isn’t an
answer, since eight American states have already looked into diverting water
from there. The best answer isn’t only to secure resources, but to work at reducing
consumption. Right now, Canadians are one of the highest per capita water users
in the world, averaging out at 251 litres per person per day.
Not Their First Rodeo
Markham Builder Leads in Sustainable Building

but the developer was familiar with
Rodeo Fine Homes’ previous
experience in sustainable building.
In 2009, Rodeo built Canada’s first
LEED Platinum-certified community
in Newmarket. That’s when Rodeo
principals Frank Morrow and Vince
Naccarato were first introduced to
Clearsphere’s John Godden, who
facilitated the LEED designation
by helping to design the most
appropriate components.
Then, in 2014, when Naccarato
and Morrow purchased the East
Gwillimbury property, they again
consulted Godden – this time to help
design a set of components that would
satisfy the region’s water conservation
guidelines, says Frank Muto, Rodeo’s
construction manager.
Muto first started with Rodeo
once they’d purchased the East
Gwillimbury property. His extensive
construction background both in
operations and administration – he
started in the industry in 1985 after
getting an economics degree – gave
him the on-site know-how and the
administrative overview to tackle
the challenges of the sustainability
guidelines.
Since the land was already
developed, Rodeo only had to under
stand the guidelines within the
context of construction – developing
construction drawings and model
types, and handling marketing and
sales, Muto says. “It’s what every
builder working in that town would
have to deal with.”
But it’s not necessarily something
that builders – or their trades – have
a lot of experience with, Muto says.
“Some trades have never been trained
in this, so we have to inspect the work
afterward just to make sure. I don’t
understand why the union doesn’t
train the workers on this stuff so
13
Left to right: David Fifield (Assistant), Frank Muto
(Construction Manager) and Sergio Conforti (Site
Supervisor) of Rodeo Fine Homes.
As water becomes scarcer,
government bodies will
be looking for ways to
conserve the precious
commodity. The best
answer isn’t only to secure
resources, but to work at
reducing consumption.

everyone’s on the same page. This is
where building is going, and better to
learn now and be ahead of the pack
when the time comes.”
To help Rodeo’s management more
fully understand water conservation,
as well as building to ENERGY STAR
standards, Godden held seminars in
the office.
At the Heritage Collection site,
water conservation meant including
low-flow toilets and faucets for sinks
and showers, low-usage dishwashers
and washing machines, on-demand
hot water recirculation systems and
an approved residential humidifier.
Grey water recycling was not one
of the required features. To ensure
proper drainage (and not water
runoff), the landscaping had to have a
minimum six inches of topsoil.
To satisfy ENERGY STAR, the
homes have HVAC systems using
a Flowmax/Airmax combination
heating system, EXCEL exterior
insulated sheathing, solar ready
rough-in and high-efficiency
appliances.
A big challenge with townhomes
is the sound issues and air leakage
that come from the party wall. Muto
says architects aren’t usually involved
in the building process, “so their
drawings don’t always reflect what’s
required for building party walls.”
That meant redrawing the party
wall for building purposes and
beefing it up, over and above ENERGY
STAR requirements. “We could have
used fibreglass insulation, which
would have been less expensive,”
Muto says, “but I decided in
consultation with Sergio Conforti and
others to use ROXUL COMFORTBATT
R14 on both sides of the party wall,
which provided greater sound
attenuation and a higher fire grading.”
They also used ROXUL between the
floor joists. It was recommended to add
Super Six poly to one side of the party
wall to help compartmentalize each
unit for air leakage purposes. And where
the party wall ends, at both the front
and back of the unit, extra attention
had to be paid to capping and taping.
While townhomes are a better
way to go for efficiency and density
(reducing impact on the land), there
are challenges with meeting some
of the ENERGY STAR requirements,
particularly when it comes to the
party wall and air leakage. On the
inside and outside corners of the
units, where there is higher potential
for air leakage because they don’t
always overlap properly, a four-inch
flashing is required. The one Muto
uses is Dow’s Weathermate straight
flashing, coupled with Weathermate
construction tape for sealing the butt
joints in the sheathing and around
windows and doors for a complete
weather barrier. “It does make a
difference what you use, even on
what seems like a small detail, like
tape,” Muto says. “We used another
brand but it peeled, and even though
it ultimately gets covered up with the
exterior cladding, it’s still important to
get proper adhesion. The tape is double
the price, but we haven’t had any
problems with it since switching.”
There is also sound attenuation to
consider (as well as odours), and the
aim is to achieve “compartmental
ization,” which means creating each
unit to be as airtight as possible to
reduce sound, odour and air leakage,
as well as maximizing the fire
separation. Muto, in consultation with
the manufacturer, decided that ROXUL
would provide the best opportunity to
combat all of those issues. Because
ROXUL doesn’t burn and is three times
more dense than fibreglass, it’s a better
fire separation and also raises the
sound transmission class (STC). Part 9
of the Building Code requires a
minimum of 53; ROXUL, because of its
properties, increases that to 60.
Most builders don’t use ROXUL
because it’s more expensive, but Muto
very quickly saw the wisdom in using
it. “We’re not going to mess around
with saving a few dollars when there’s
a superior product that can cover all
those bases – higher fire separation,
sound and odour block – and reduce
air leakage.” BB
Alex Newman is a writer, editor and
researcher at www.alexnewmanwriter.com.
ROXUL Comfortbatt and Firestop reduce air
leakage and provide an STC of 60.
The second strategy
is to work out all the
ever-more complex
intersections,
transitions and
penetrations on site.

ProjectFutureProof:ACanadianHERSProviderusingthe
BetterThanCodePlatform
This Platform helps Builders with Municipal
Approvals, Subdivision Agreements and Build-
ing Permits. Navigating the performance path
can be complicated. A code change is coming
in 2017 which will cause more confusion. The
new code will be notionally 15% better than
2012 (HERS 51). How are you getting there?
Let the BTC Platform including
the HERS Index help you secure
Municipal Subdivision Approvals
and Building Permits and enhance
your marketing by selling your
homes’ energy efﬁciency.
projectfutureproof.com
BetterThanCodeusestheHERSIndextomeasureenergyefficiency–thelowerthescorethebetter–MeasureableandMarketable.
OBC2012 OBC2017
100 80 60 40 20 0
Formoreinformationemailinfo@projectfutureproof.comorcallusat416-481-7517
Better
ThanCode
This rating is available for homes
built by leading edge builders
who have chosen to advance
beyond current energy efﬁciency
programs and have taken the
next step on the path to full
sustainability.
PROJECTFUTUREPROOF.COM
HOMEADDRESS
123 Stone Street, Toronto, ON M6K 2T0
RATINGDATE
July 23, 2015
HOME
ENERGY
RATING
45
HERSSCORE
100 80 60 40 20 0
OBC2012
NearZero
YOURSCORE

Meeting
featurestory / ROB BLACKSTIEN

Royalpark Homes is
delivering innovative
housing options
in a challenging
environment
Royalpark Homes has been leaving
its mark in Ontario for over three
decades, having developed housing
communities in Toronto, Alliston,
Markham, Brampton, Barrie and
Mississauga. The company’s raison
d’etre is building quality homes that
will enhance the communities in
which they’re situated. In a nutshell,
Royalpark’s philosophy is building
homes with the communities’ and
purchasers’ interests at heart.
As a small, hands-on company, Royalpark
can provide home owners with a personal touch
– but its size has not prohibited it from also being
an innovator. Royalpark considers itself a next-
generation builder, one that has been pushing
the envelope for years with a key focus on
sustainability and adopting innovative techno
logies designed to raise the bar for all builders.
the Challenge
The Bean – A six storey mixed use building with 69 residential units and four commercial units.

The company’s track record in
green building speaks for itself: the
first LEED Silver house in Markham;
the first Enbridge Savings by Design
home in Brampton; the most
efficient wall system in Ontario as
per a Ryerson University study; and,
most recently, a partnership with
Panasonic Eco Solutions that resulted
in battery storage systems being
included in homes at Royalpark’s
Simcoe Shores in Barrie – a first in
Canadian housing history, according
to Doug Skeffington, director of land
development.
“It was mandatory that every
single house had to have [the Pana
sonic battery storage system],” says
project manager Chris Glassow. “We
looked into providing it as an option
in the past,” but the market did not
seem ready to accept it at the time.
But surpassing the Building
Code has been a long-standing goal
of Royalpark’s, Glassow explains:
“People have been building houses
the same way in Ontario for genera
tions, and a lot of times people want to
just do it the same way they’ve always
done it… We kind of move along
incrementally, as the Building Code
pushes us in a certain direction – and
it does take that political heaviness
to sort of hit us in the head every now
and then, much like what’s happen
ing now – but certainly what we’re
proposing to do extends well beyond
where the Building Code is right now.”
Driving the market forward
through innovation is not always
as simple as it sounds, because it
requires buy-in from both the home
buyers and – more importantly –
city hall, Skeffington says. “We’ve
been trying to sort of do things with
more of a comprehensive package,
including land development ideas. It
wasn’t necessarily that the market was
a bit of an issue, but the bureaucracy
had a real difficult time understanding
it, so we had to really try to dummy it
down a lot and focus on three or four
elements of the overall game plan.”
That’s exactly what Royalpark did
to push through its Barrie plan, and
now “everyone’s pretty excited about
getting this thing off the ground.”
He says Royalpark is working
with the City of Barrie and the
power company to understand the
ramifications this development will
have on the grid and on the house
construction requirements. “It adds a
bit more of an expense, but this is the
only thing in your house that’s actually
going to make you money,” Skeffington
adds. (For more on the ongoing issue
of extra costs associated with net
zero initiatives butting up against
the housing affordability crisis, see
“Finnigan’s Wake” on page 25.)
Skeffington says he has a different
take on the affordability issue.
His belief is that if the home has
sustainable features and is going to
reduce municipalities’ operating
budgets in terms of maintenance of
roads, garbage collection, etc., “then
perhaps there’s an opportunity to take
a look at how these kinds of houses get
taxed and how we pay development
charges on these kinds of homes if
we’re creating this benefit.”
Beyond that, home buyers are
paying less in utilities thanks to some
of these innovations. For instance,
Skeffington says the solar battery
storage system can provide annual
savings of $2,500 to $3,000. “So
operationally, your home can become
more affordable the more you embrace
these kinds of things that reduce other
components of what affordability
is, because it’s not just the house
construction: it’s the taxation, it’s
Houses at Simcoe Shores include a solar battery storage
system and sold out under the Power Haus brand.

maintenance and everything else that goes in. So if you can
attack it from a bunch of different angles, it might be able
to offset the additional cost of construction.” Skeffington
also hopes that, as sustainable construction becomes more
mainstream, it will become much less expensive to deploy
this technology.
Banks need to play a role here, too, he adds. “Why not
provide the bonuses? As developer/builder, we’re prepared
to take the leap in pushing our community ahead, but
[banks should] give the benefit to the end user because
they’re the ones that are, at the end of the day, going to
drive how much we’re able to do. So give them a better
deal on their mortgage. Create affordability that way, with
low interest on sustainable programs that can incorporate
into homes.”
He believes the time to drive this forward is now.
“To affect real change, you’ve got to get on with it. You
have to do it and you have to show real world examples that
work and get rid of that notion that the whole world is going
to fall apart because you’ve got some solar panels on your
roof, you’re dealing with grey water and you’re doing things
a little differently – because you’re always going to get
naysayers that suggest there’s going to be severe economic
collapse if we do this,” Skeffington says.
Roof truss and wood
sill connection.
Simpson Strong Tie
MGT system shown
Drywall
screwed
into amvic
polypropylene
webs as per
building code
Electrical
outlet
Wood sub-floor
installed as per
local building
Simpson strong tie
ICFLC and wood floor
joists connection
Amvic insulating
concrete forms
Amdeck floor &
roof system
Exterior wood
siding installed
as per local
building code
Amvic high
impact
polypropylene
webs
Acrylic,
standard
ptucco or eifs
applied to
exterior face
of Amvic ICF
Brick veneer
Parge face of
exposed
brick ledge
Grade
Peel-and-stick
waterproofing
membrane (or
equivalent)
as per local
building code
Perforated
weeping tile
INSULATED
CONCRETEFORMS
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT:
AMVIC.COM

Baker Street
Featuring 81 stacked townhomes, Baker
Street is not named after the 1978 Gerry
Rafferty song, but rather the bakery that
previously existed there. Apparently,
the location also once featured an
afterhours house that rumours suggest
may have been a booze can.
“You’ve got to create the opportun
ities for developers to go in and create
in these communities. Get rid of the
old and bring in something that’s new
and vibrant and not a nuisance. And if it
becomes overly cost-prohibitive, then
those mid-rise sites that are scattered
throughout the city will continue to be
dormant and attract the wrong kind of
neighbours for the existing residents,”
explains Doug Skeffington.
Chris Glassow says Royalpark did
some technically innovative things at this
project, including a groundwater filtration
system that employs a Jellyfish filter to
clean both groundwater and storm water.
Baker Street is currently about one-
quarter occupied as some of the units
are still being finished. Final landscaping
is expected to be wrapped up this year.
The Bean
This six-storey mid-rise building will
include 69 residential units and three
or four commercial units, one of which
will possibly be a coffee shop. The bean
theme abounds, as each suite type is
named after a different type of bean.
Changing Housing Forms, Royalpark Style
Originally slated to be a wood frame,
the building would have been unique
given its height, but it is now currently
designed with a light-gauge structural
steel frame, Glassow says. The property
is situated on an old service station,
so Royalpark remediated that land and
the contaminated soil as that area has
had nothing but service stations and
mechanics shops since around the 1960s,
he explains.
Located about 600 metres west of
Baker Street, The Bean is completely
sold, with construction expected to
begin shortly once a couple of items are
approved by the city.
Green Earth Village
Green Earth Village in East Gwillimbury
will be built in partnership with Signature
Developments and will be one of the
first near zero communities developed in
Canada. All elements of the community
plan will be designed to minimize
greenhouse gas emissions to ensure the
smallest GHG footprint and environmental
impact possible. The plan includes the
adoption of state-of-the-art energy
technologies, including solar panels,
home battery storage, geothermal
systems and grey water abatement
systems.
Green Earth Village building and
planning innovation will demonstrate that
greenfield communities can incorporate
cutting-edge technologies and remain
affordable for all their valued customers,
says Skeffington. – RB
Traditionally players in the single-family home space, Royalpark is at the forefront
of the current transition to different housing forms. Their two recent projects in
Toronto – Baker Street (a stacked townhouse development) and The Bean (a mid-
rise) – and Green Earth Village (coming soon to East Gwillimbury) showcase the
builder’s continuing innovation.

Clearly, when dealing with an innovative builder like
Royalpark, there is a learning curve for the city. Take
Toronto’s handling of some issues that cropped up with two
newer Royalpark projects that involved different housing
forms: Baker Street (stacked townhouses) and The Bean
(a mid-rise). (For more on these developments, see the
sidebar “Changing Housing Forms, Royalpark Style.”)
Royalpark is fairly new to the mid-rise market and
they quickly discovered that the city may still be trying
to develop its own approach to this housing form, too.
“There is a lot of planning work that’s gone into trying to
promote mid-rise developments, as they are less impactful
on communities and it helps create the hierarchy of built
forms that people have different opportunities to live in if
you don’t want to live in a high-rise,” Glassow says.
However, given the paucity of these projects, “the
bureaucracy treats that project type like a high-rise
because it’s what they’re used to.” Glassow said that
tendency manifested itself in section 37 requests that are
much more easily absorbed in a high-rise, as opposed to a
mid-rise where the costs will only be spread out over 60 or
70 units.
“It creates a difficult financial model to push it because
you’re not making tons of profit on these kinds of homes,
so you’re hopeful of filling in a market where you can get
in and out fairly quick – and that creates benefit, but the
bureaucracy needs to start to take a look at how they can
advance these projects in a cost-effective way,” he says.
At Baker Street, two major issues cropped up after the
units had been sold and the original approvals had gone
through, delaying the project and adding some serious costs.
One involved Royalpark having to replace a water
main, and the second saw the builder forced to retrofit
the building to accommodate an emergency generator
while having to revise the parking garage plans before its
discharge permit could be approved.
It’s a scenario that tends to arise when one planner has
moved on and a second one is reviewing the plans, seem
ingly through an entirely different lens – a situation that
can wreak havoc on a builder’s bottom line. It only seems
to cement the old adage that you can’t fight city hall. BB
Rob Blackstien is a Toronto-based
freelance writer. Pen-Ultimate.ca

buildernews / BETTER BUILDER STAFF
W
ith more than 400 entries
in nine categories, the
2017 National Association
of Home Builders’ International
Builders’ Show (NAHB IBS) features
the best home building products of
the year. Toronto-based Greyter Water
Systems was extremely honoured and
humbled to receive the Best Green
Building Product award in Orlando,
Florida in January for the Greyter
HOME – a residential system that
recycles shower and bath water so
that it can be reused for toilet flushing
or irrigation. The Greyter HOME is an
affordable and easy to install solution
that is capable of meeting water
quality standards of major markets,
requires little maintenance and leaves
a small footprint in the home.
A very special thank you to both
the NAHB for their nomination and
to the judges – 28 industry and media
professionals – for selecting the
Greyter HOME as this year’s winner.
We also recognize and salute this
year’s finalists for all of their accom
plishments. We would like to extend a
huge thank you to the Greyter Water
Systems team for their hard work and
perseverance. And, of course, thank
you to our extended family and
friends for always supporting us.
We are also deeply grateful to Craig
Wardlaw (National Research Council
Canada Industrial Research Assist
ance Program), the WaterTAP team,
the MaRS team, Brenda Lucas
(Southern Ontario Water Consortium),
Rita Patlan (Ministry of International
Trade) and Dr. Brent Wootton and the
Centre for Alternative Wastewater
Treatment staff. BB
Greyter Voted the Best by NAHB
Mark Sales, Dana Morgoch and John Bell,
part of the proud Greyter team.
John Bell and Mark Sales presented with
the Best Green Building Product award.

sitespecific / ROB BLACKSTIEN
However, it’s hard to be envious
of the task he faces – namely, trying
to balance a national housing market
that has very different regional
concerns, while attempting to
address two somewhat conflicting
issues: the affordability crisis and
the government’s goal to mandate
sweeping energy efficiency and
environment-related initiatives.
Going back to Finnigan’s roots, it
seems he’s always been destined to
work with Hugh Heron. As a 16-year-
old in the late 1970s, Finnigan’s
first job was cleaning straw out
of new basements before Heron’s
building company put floors down.
It would take about a half hour to
complete, and Finnigan would split
$200 between four workers. Not
bad, considering his other friends
were making $1.50 an hour working
at McDonald’s, he said. (Ontario’s
minimum wage was actually $3 an
hour in 1979.)
Finnigan continued to work as a
labourer in the housing industry over
the next few summers, and when he
finished university in 1982 (studying
economic geography retail locations),
the job market was pretty spotty, so
he wound up back at Heron Homes,
spending about a year in its services
department. Finnigan finally landed a
gig in his chosen field, working briefly
for Dominion Stores before spending
about four years doing retail location
analysis for a subsidiary of Sobeys.
In 1988, just before the end of an
economic boom, he returned to Heron
Homes (then called The Heron Group)
and he’s been there since. Finnigan is
currently Heron’s COO, Acquisitions
and Housing. Now 57, he is married
with children (two daughters) and
enjoys golfing, skiing and playing
hockey in his “spare” time.
Of course, much of that leisure time
is now being ticketed towards perhaps
his greatest challenge yet as the head
of the CHBA. He officially took the
reins in early summer, but got going in
earnest in the fall.
Now, Finnigan is confident his
time at the local and provincial levels
prepared him well for the national
gig. “They’re very, very similar. I
think the only difference is the people
who you’re talking to and how wide
a spectrum you have to have in your
discussions,” he says.
At the local level, Finnigan would
deal with mayors and chief municipal
planners about issues specific to them.
Moving up to the provincial level, he’d
deal with Queen’s Park, where “it’s a
little more nebulous as to direct involve
ment,” as he addressed issues like
development charges and the Building
Code. And on the national scale, “it’s
Finnigan’s Wake
The new president of the CHBA is trying to make waves with
the government to help solve the housing affordability crisis.
B
ob Finnigan certainly has the background to be very successful as the
new president of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA).
His long-time experience in the housing industry, combined with his
extensive association background (he is past president of both the Greater
Toronto Home Builders’ Association [now BILD] and the Ontario Home
Builders’ Association, and also served a six-year stint as a Tarion Warranty
Corporation board member), makes him an ideal person for the job.
Bob Finnigan
President, Canadian Home Builders’
Association COO Housing, Herity

just trading an MPP for an MP.”
Finnigan can easily outline an
array of issues the Canadian home
building industry is currently facing
– including mortgage rates, down
payment requirements, development
charges, energy efficiency, and
affordable housing vs. housing
affordability – but points out that
“they all roll up to one thing –
affordability.”
He explains that in Toronto and, to
a lesser extent, Vancouver, it’s simply
a matter of demand outstripping
supply. However, Finnigan’s challenge
is that at the national level, you can’t
affect what the province does with
that supply. Nevertheless, he’s doing
his best to “spread the message that
if you screw with the economics of
housing – I shouldn’t say ‘screw’: ‘get
involved’ or ‘alter the effects of the
natural supply-demand schedule’ –
in any way, shape or form, including
interest rate changes, it sort of caters to
a shortage of supply.”
Given that 100,000 people come
to Toronto every year, no one has yet
figured out how to curb demand, so the
prices just keep skyrocketing. What’s
not helping the affordability situation
is the fact that municipalities are
getting more demanding, to the point
where development charges are going
through the roof, while provincial
mandates and municipal-level
pressures regarding energy efficiency
and the move towards net zero just
keep increasing – both major factors
in rising construction costs that are
passed on to home buyers.
Finnigan says that at the federal
level, over the next half-year, the
CHBA plans to concentrate on interest
26
vanee.ca
All these products meet ENERGY STAR’s higher standards
For more information or to order, contact your local distributor.
vänEE 100H vänEE 200HvänEE 60H vänEE 60H-V+ vänEE 90H-V ECMvänEE 40H+vänEE 90H-V+ vänEE 60H+ vänEE 50H1001 HRV
vänEE Gold Series
2001 HRV
vänEE Gold Series
vänEE air exchangers: improved line-up
meets ENERGY STAR®
standards
Superior Energy Efﬁciency
Ideal for LEED homes and new building codes
5-year warranty*
FRESH AIR JUST
GOT GREENER
*ON MOST MODELS.
Finnigan says that at
the federal level, over
the next half-year, the
CHBA plans to concen
trate on interest rates
and mortgage rules.

Save more.
Worry less.
Professionals who install Uponor PEX plumbing, radiant floor heating, and fire sprinkler
systems report faster installation times, fewer callbacks and greater peace of mind.
Exceptional products, tools and support. Uponor. Tested in the lab. Proven in the field.
Connect with Uponor.
Connect with confidence.
PEX PLUMBING
FIRE SPRINKLER SYSTEMS
RADIANT HEATING COOLING
PRE-INSULATED PIPEFind your solution at
www.uponor.ca

rates and mortgage rules. Given that
housing markets vary so widely across
the country, they’d like to explore
the possibility of regionalizing the
mortgage rules. “Don’t lump every
city in the same boat,” he advises.
Another area Finnigan has been
pushing the feds on is in recognizing
work that goes into existing homes
to make them more energy efficient.
Given the rising cost of utilities,
the CHBA has been lobbying the
federal government to introduce a
renovation tax credit based on energy
savings – especially in light of the fact,
according to the association, every
dollar in energy retrofits yields four
to seven times more energy savings
than each dollar spent upgrading a
new home. “We’re hoping that’s going
to be in the budget in the spring, and
we’ve made some strong cases for
that,” he explains.
The CHBA is, of course, backing
the net zero initiative (in which
several governments have set a
goal of 2031 to be carbon-free) with
its own Net Zero Energy Council,
but Finnigan is a big believer that
government should not mandate
the issue, and instead should “let us
do our jobs” by having the building
industry bring along the technologies
through proper trials and testing.
“We don’t need a guy like [Ontario
Minister of the Environment and
Climate Change] Glen Murray who
would like to have net zero in four or
five years,” he argues. “Let us do the
time-tested studies that we need to
do to make sure what we put into the
houses is right and works.” To wit, he
references when ENERGY STAR was
first introduced and cost $7,500 to
achieve. A year and a half later, it was
down to $3,500, and then just $2,000,
as builders developed efficiencies for
adopting this standard, Finnigan says.
He maintains that a good place
to start is by building homes that are
net zero ready, which is a whole lot
easier than getting to net zero because
“you’re not doing the batteries, you’re
not doing the solar panels.”
Finnigan’s message to the govern
ment? “We’ll get there. We understand
the rules. We’re already performing
way better than any other country, so
don’t push, because every time we get
mandated to do something, there’s
mistakes made or people adopt stuff
that – three, four years down the road –
is bad. It doesn’t work.”
Another challenge facing the
industry is the changing house form
as we move away from single-family
homes into a world of semis, stacks and
towns. Finnigan points to two factors
driving this: provincially mandated
density regulations and affordability.
He says this is specifically an issue
in Toronto, but in other parts of the
country too, “the single family home
is becoming a thing of the past.” And
even in places where land density is not
a factor, the fact that housing prices are
rising so much faster than wages “just
reduces the amount of choice people
have to buy.” This is particularly a
concern for families in the Golden
Horseshoe and in Vancouver, as the
government is essentially mandating
smaller homes through densities, zoning
and energy efficiency, Finnigan says.
“We have made a tremendous
switch from ground-oriented housing
to high-rise, but what’s being offered
in those higher-density options is
too small for families,” he explains.
“So my concern as a builder, and as a
citizen, is that government policy has
really affected consumer choice and
affordability, far beyond I’m sure what
they intended in the beginning, but
they won’t put up their hand and say
‘that was us.’”
Of course, Finnigan has enough
on his plate without trying to force
a mea culpa from the government,
but if he can somehow manage to get
them to listen to reason about net zero
mandates, we may finally see some
progress in the affordability crisis. BB
Rob Blackstien is
a Toronto-based
freelance writer.
Pen-Ultimate.ca
Another challenge facing the industry is the
changing house form as we move away from
single-family homes into a world of semis,
stacks and towns. Finnigan points to two
factors driving this: provincially mandated
density regulations and affordability.

fromthegroundup / DOUG TARRY
O
ver the years, it has been
my great privilege to work
with a number of building
inspectors and chief building officials
(“CBOs”), locally and provincially, on
a number of Building Code matters.
In that time, I have worked on
building partnerships (pun intended)
between the members of our two
associations: the Ontario Home
Builders’ Association and the Ontario
Building Officials Association. I am
honoured that many inspectors and
CBOs seek my advice and opinion
to work through Code-related
challenges. I believe that when we
share knowledge and expertise
between us, it helps us all to produce
the best possible quality of homes for
our customers.
The Ontario Building Code is not a
simple document, and it is fairly easy
to end up with a misinterpretation
of what a sentence or clause actually
means (for example, the radon
logic trap I mentioned in issue 19).
Recently, I became aware of some
area building officials questioning the
use of ROXUL as a thermal barrier for
the protection of foamed plastics.
Let me be clear: if you are using
rigid insulation or other types of
foamed plastics, you must protect
them with a thermal barrier. There
are a number of options for this, but
in an unfinished basement – be it
the mechanical room, in an exposed
header, or a walk-out wall – we are
looking for cost-effective ways to
meet the insulation requirements
and the requirements for the
protection of foamed plastics. This
requirement is extremely important
and building inspectors are, and need
to be, very diligent in making sure
required thermal barriers are installed
correctly. I commend their efforts
toward making sure our home owners
are safe in their homes. The reason
is that, with a home fire, the foamed
plastic insulation produces a deadly
toxic gas when it smoulders. It can kill
very quickly, before a fire is even fully
engaged.
There were three main concerns
raised by building officials:
1) They were concerned that ROXUL
batts could be used in a header as
a thermal barrier, but could not
be used in a stud wall unless there
was ROXUL COMFORTBOARD
installed behind the stud. This
misinterpretation may have been
due to a ROXUL detail that shows
the product installed in the header,
but not in the stud wall.
cannot be used as a thermal
barrier as the foam insulation has
a flame-spread rating higher than
25, with the logic that when flame
spreads are between 25 and 500, the
material must pass CAN/ULC-S101,
which ROXUL has not been tested
to meet.
COMFORTBOARD might not have a
tested or approved R-value.
Ironically, I have been working
with ROXUL and Dow on some
of these details for several years,
Using Foam Insulation?
You Need to Protect It!

ultimately leading to our work on
the Optimum Basement Wall. So I
was somewhat concerned when I
was brought into this discussion.
If these points were correct, and
ROXUL was not an acceptable
thermal barrier, the implications for
our industry would be significant
as we move towards the greater
basement insulation requirements
of the new SB-12. Fortunately for our
industry, this situation turned out
to be a misunderstanding of testing
requirements and was resolved with
a more thorough review of the OBC
requirements for the protection of
foamed plastics.
Let’s take a look at the concerns
so that we all have a better
understanding of this important Code
requirement:
There are two separate tests that
have been conducted on the use of
ROXUL as a thermal barrier: one
by Dow in 2006 for protecting their
FROTH-PAK product and one by
ROXUL in 2014 for protecting foam
insulation. Here is the actual notice
provided by ROXUL from the report
COMFORTBATT CBIS Thermal
Barriers:
Addressing industry needs for thermal
barrier solutions for the protection of
foamed plastics, ROXUL COMFORT
BATT®
at 5 ½ and COMFORTBOARD™
IS at 2 3 have been tested and
approved in accordance with CAN/ULC
S124-06. These products meet the
requirements of a thermal barrier as
specified in clauses 9.10.17.10(1)(c) and
3.1.5.12.(2)(e) of the 2010 National
Building Code of Canada. These
requirements outline the need to
protect foamed plastic insulation with
“any thermal barrier that meets the
requirements of classification B when
tested in conformance with CAN/ULC-
124-, ‘Test for the Evaluation of Protec
tive Coverings for Foamed Plastic’.”
The header detail that was
referenced was created to show
industry stakeholders the method for
installation of ROXUL into the header
and what kept it there (friction fit). This
detail was never intended to limit the
use to headers. I reached out to Rick
Roos from ROXUL and asked him for
information regarding the testing that
was done for meeting the requirement
of 3.1.5.12.(2)(e). As it turns out, the test
was conducted by simulating a wall
system that is the same wall system as
for our net zero homes. There is no
limitation on the location of its use in a
wall or a header.
The second point correctly
identifies that the flame-spread
rating of foam is greater than 25, but
incorrectly suggests that the testing
requirement for the standard CAN/
ULC-S101 noted in 3.1.5.12.(3)(d)
applies. That specific clause is actually
referencing two exemptions: one for
buildings that are not sprinklered and
are more than 18 metres high, and
another for non-sprinklered buildings
that are regulated by subsection
3.2.6. Neither of these conditions
apply in this situation. 3.1.5.12.(3),
when identifying insulation with a
flame-spread rating between 25 and
500, redirects you back to the same
requirement found in 3.1.5.12.(2)(e), or
a Class B thermal barrier, just like the
reports indicate.
Here is where it gets really simple
for residential builders on this topic.
When a permit is applied for under
Part 9 of the OBC, the applicable Code
requirement is 9.10.17.10.(1)(c) (Protec
31

tion of Foam Plastics), and there is no
mention of a flame-spread rating. It
merely points you back specifically to
clause 3.1.5.12.(2)(e), not sentence
3.1.5.12.(2) – so the flame-spread
rating is not a limitation for a Part 9
permit. Therefore, the use of ROXUL is
compliant by either Code path.
The last concern questioned if
there was a tested and approved
R-value for ROXUL COMFORTBOARD
specifically.
ROXUL COMFORTBOARD is a
product that we worked directly with
ROXUL to develop, right down to the
fastener details – and we are very
proud to have been associated with its
development. So I can assure readers
that ROXUL COMFORTBOARD has a
well-published R-value of R4 per inch
as established by the ASTM testing
standards C177 and C518.
As builders, building inspectors and
home designers, it is important that
we account for and include a thermal
barrier when using foamed plastics.
The OBC does not provide details
on how to do it; it just indicates that
we have to. I hope this has helped to
address any remaining concerns about
using ROXUL, or any other mineral
wool that has a Class B rating, in a
thermal barrier assembly. If we work
together on solutions, we will continue
to lead the country in building the best
homes possible. BB
Doug Tarry Jr is director of marketing at
Doug Tarry Homes in St. Thomas, Ontario.
Dow’s full house of insulation, air sealants and
adhesives work together to create an airtight,
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)
www.insulateyourhome.ca
®™The DOW Diamond Logo is a trademark of The Dow Chemical Company © 2014
Whole-House
SolutionstHAt HElP BuilDERS AnD
ContRACtoRS outPERFoRM
As builders, building inspectors and home designers,
it is important that we account for and include a
thermal barrier when using foamed plastics.
The OBC does not provide details on how to do it;
it just indicates that we have to.

Your reputation is built, or crumbles, long after the keys have been handed over.
That’s why projects like The Edelweiss Home – Canada’s first LEED®
v4 home, and
second in the world to achieve Platinum status – rely on the continuous insulation of
ROXUL®
COMFORTBOARD™
exterior sheathing. Its vapour permeability enables your
wall assembly to dry to the outside, providing your clients with durability and comfort.
See why ROXUL is a better fit for your next project at roxul.com/comfortboard
A BETTER WAY TO BUILD YOUR HOMES –
AND YOUR REPUTATION.
CAVITYROCK
®
and COMFORTBOARD
TM
.
For a better way to build.
COMFORTBOARD™
.
For the better way to build.LEED®
is a registered trademark of United States Green Building Council.

Together,wemakebetter
energyperformancepossible.
Building energy efficient buildings doesn’t need to be costly and
complicated. Savings by Design can help, whether you’re a residential or
commercial builder. This comprehensive program gives you free access to
industry experts and performance incentives for constructing energy
efficient, sustainable buildings beyond code requirements.
Learn more at savingsbydesign.ca

Better Builder Magazine, Issue 21 / Spring 2017

Recomendados

Recomendados

Mais conteúdo relacionado

Mais procurados

Mais procurados (20)

Semelhante a Better Builder Magazine, Issue 21 / Spring 2017

Semelhante a Better Builder Magazine, Issue 21 / Spring 2017 (20)

Mais de Better Builder Magazine

Mais de Better Builder Magazine (14)

Último

Último (20)

Better Builder Magazine, Issue 21 / Spring 2017