Love your current neighbourhood but you’ve outgrown your house? The kids have moved out and your space doesn’t function properly anymore? You’re planning to sell but your home doesn’t show as well as it could? All good reasons to consider a renovation!

42% of Canadians in 10 major centres renovated their homes in 2010, with another 39% intending to do work in 2011*. The most popular improvements involved interior cosmetic changes, but a substantial number also upgraded the building envelope.

At Wilco Construction Ltd., we are finding that an increasing percentage of our projects involve major renovations to existing properties, primarily to suit new purchasers. Often clients will find the perfect lot but with the less than perfect house already on it. A lot with a dated house can often be purchased economically, and recycling an existing property can be a cost effective and eco-friendly alternative to building new.

Why consider a renovation?

- add value to your home (market value can often far exceed the cost of the renovation), and protect the investment you’ve already made

- improved lifestyle – more (or better use of) space, new aesthetics, reduced maintenance, allow aging in place, provide more comfortable surroundings

- healthier living environment – better air quality using low voc products and new building technologies,

- reduce on-going energy costs – eg. replacing an old gas furnace with a new heat pump will significantly cut monthly operating costs

- reduce carbon footprint – employing new energy technology and longer-lasting, low maintenance materials will reduce energy consumption and mitigate early replacement; low voc products reduce off-gassing

 Things to keep in mind if you are considering a renovation:

- How large a project are you prepared or willing to take on?  Large renovations generally require that homeowners vacate during the work.

- How long do you intend to stay in the property?   Does the investment make sense financially, or from a lifestyle perspective for the period of time you’ll live there?

- Budget – Minor cosmetic upgrades vs. major retrofits. Significant cost savings can be recouped from government grants for upgrading heating systems, windows & doors, insulation, etc. and on-going energy savings contribute to paying back the initial layout.

- Might there be potentially hazardous materials, eg. lead or asbestos, that need to be removed or remediated? This work must always be done by qualified personnel!

- Hire an experienced, licensed contractor. Make sure they are in good standing withWorkSafeBC. You will have constant contact with, and entrust your budget and vision to, this individual or team so make sure you have a good rapport before finalizing your decision.

 For more detailed topics, see:

http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/co/renoho/refash/refash_002.cfm

 * CMHC Renovation and Home Purchase Report

There are so many new products and technologies available to make your home more comfortable and energy efficient, it’s difficult for the average consumer to know where to start.  That’s where your experienced general contractor and hvac (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) professional can really help. 

In a nutshell, here is how these systems work:

Heat Pumps

Air Source – This type of heat pump draws warmth from the outdoor air and transfers it to your indoor environment.  Substantial heat can be extracted even at temperatures well below 0 degrees C.  Through a cycle of evaporation and condensation, the refrigerant in the unit extracts the heat from the outdoor air and transfers it to your home’s heating system. 

Two options include an “air to air” unit, located outside, which supplies a ducted forced-air handler in the home, while an “air to water” heat pump provides heat for a hydronic (in-floor water heating) system for distribution throughout the house.  Although the heat pump is run by electricity, its super-efficiency makes it a very attractive choice.

Ground Source – Also called geothermal or earth power.  This heat pump is located in the house rather than outside, but essentially functions similar to an air source unit.  Rather than drawing heat from the air, it extracts heat from the earth.  

There are two types of ground source systems – the vertical system runs piping in a well or bore hole, which can be several hundred feet deep.  The second type employs a buried system of piping which runs horizontally in a loop.  This requires a large, relatively flat area, therefore the vertical option is often used in urban areas.  As the earth’s temperature is virtually constant this system works particularly well in cold climates.

For more information:

http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/publications/infosource/pub/home/heating-heat-pump/booklet.pdf

http://www.bchydro.com/guides_tips/green-your-home/heating_guide/Install_A_Heat_Pump.html

Heat Recovery Ventilators

 HRV’s provide healthy indoor air quality without excessive energy use.  An hrv unit takes fresh outdoor air and exchanges it for stale indoor air.  An outdoor vent brings air into the unit where it is filtered and bypasses warm air being drawn from inside the house.  The heat from the extracted air warms the incoming fresh air being distributed throughout the house.  These units can be attached to a forced air system, or ducted separately, typically installed in new construction, or major renovations.  They are easy to maintain and ensure a constant supply of fresh air in your home.

http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/residential/personal/new-homes/r-2000/standard/how-hrv-works.cfm

This is a subject many of our clients ask about. Although lack of rainfall has not been an issue yet this year, normally by now we’d be thinking about the municipal or well water we will need to satisfy the gardens that we West Coasters love. 

Canada ranks 28^th out of 29 countries for per capita water consumption*. I suspect that throughout the Gulf Islands and Vancouver Island, people are more aware than the average Canadian about water conservation, but that doesn’t mean we use any less! The average British Columbian uses approximately 490 litres of water per day**. Here’s a neat, but by no means comprehensive, test to assess your water footprint – http://goblue.zerofootprint.net/?language=en

So what can we do to save water? Most people know that low-flow fixtures are widely available, economical and are mandatory in all new construction. Obviously just changing our habits to conserve will make a big difference, and planting native and drought-tolerant plants will reduce the water required. But when we do want to irrigate, why not use harvested rainwater?   

Collecting rainwater for potable use is a growing trend, but since filtration becomes more involved, I’ll concentrate here on irrigation. Our climate is perfect for collecting water throughout the winter for use during the dry summer months.

First, you need a suitable roof collection material – the most common is metal; concrete or slate tiles are also good. Asphalt shingles can be used but are harder to keep clean.  A new cedar roof is not considered a good collection surface, but aged shingles that have leached most of their toxins should be ok.  Shingles that contain moss inhibitors are not suitable for use on plants, especially veggies!

Charts showing the amount of rainfall collected from a roof surface can be found at Rainwater Connection – see link below.

There are lots of variables, and defining your needs is the first step. A collection system can be as simple as barrels at the bottom of your downspouts to an elaborate automated system with buried storage tanks and zoned irrigation.  It can be a diy project using off the shelf products (with a little knowledge and a lot of hard work) to a professionally designed and installed layout.  You can gravity feed with a garden hose, or pump from storage tanks through a pressurized system. 

A few basics to bear in mind if you are attacking this yourself – make sure your collection vessel is adequately screened to prevent mosquito larvae growth, and that your above-ground tanks are secure in case of earthquake. Make sure your gutters are cleaned regularly. A leaf guard on the downspout is a good idea, and a “nice-to-have” is a gauge to tell you how much water is in your tank. As with any construction project, up-front planning will yield more satisfying results and save you time, money and frustration along the way.

The links below show a wide variety of systems, and lots of useful information for designing your project: 

http://www.rainwaterconnection.com/rainwater_harvesting/about_rainwater_collection.htm

http://www.islandstrustfund.bc.ca/projects/rainwaterphotos.cfm

http://www.tieswithnature.ca/rain-water-harvesting/

http://www.cbs.state.or.us/bcd/pdf/3660.pdf

http://www.robertkourik.com/books/drip.html - This is my go-to book on diy irrigation, and it’s entertaining to read on a rainy day when you’re not out in the garden!

*among OECD countries – Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development

** BC Living Water Smart http://www.livingwatersmart.ca/watersmart/at_home.html

Note: Wilco Construction Ltd. does not necessarily endorse specific companies or products mentioned above.

With the re-instatement and expansion of the very successful LiveSmart program, the BC government is encouraging homeowners to upgrade their existing low-efficiency heating systems, insulation and windows, to name just a few. The full range of incentives are listed on their website.

http://www.homeperformance.com/bc-rebates-vancouver-victoria-bc-vancouver-island

An energy audit conducted prior to beginning the work gives a baseline.  This inexpensive assessment involves a thorough inspection of the house as well as a blower-door test to measure air leakage, and can be booked through an approved energy auditor (see links below). After the work has been performed, another energy audit is done and the resulting information is submitted for rebates. 

City Green   http://www.citygreen.ca/

 ShoreEnergy    http://www.shoreenergy.ca/

Both websites contain tons of useful tips on simple improvements that we can all make to help our homes become more energy efficient.

Many of the upgrades will have a short to medium payback period, especially considering the rebate, and after that time the savings go directly into the homeowner’s pocket.  With increasing energy costs, and a significant rebate package available, now is a great time to retrofit your home!

In addition to the program discussed above, check out BC Hydro for rebates on lighting, appliances and more at   http://www.bchydro.com/rebates_savings/

Interesting facts: the average home built in Canada between 1960 and 1990 has an EnerGuide Rating* of 55 – 65; in Oak Bay it’s 47, with the average new home coming in at about 77. The new building code, which will come out in 2012, will require all new homes to meet EnerGuide 80, with more aggressive improvements slated for future building code updates.  

 *The EnerGuide for Houses (EGH) Rating is determined by a software program that assesses the energy efficiency performance of the whole home.

Spurred by the recent rebate incentives we have just completed an energy retrofit, along with structural and aesthetic renovations, to a quaint 1920’s cottage. 

This included replacing an old oil furnace with a super-efficient air source heat pump, trading an inefficient wood burning fireplace for a low emission wood stove and updating plumbing fixtures, as well as adding insulation to previously uninsulated exterior walls and crawlspace.

Not only did this work improve the Energuide rating from an incredible low of 31 to a very respectable 77, it will provide the homeowners with a warm, comfortable home, on-going energy bill savings, and netted them some cash in their pockets.

More about the recently re-launched energy rebate program in an upcoming blog!