Ottawa Citizen Part 2

We had the interview with the Ottawa Citizen on Tuesday for the second part of the three (now four) part series on our renovation project. Considering all of the hard work that has gotten us to this point, it was fun to talk about the project and how it is still proceeding along. The focus of the article will be on the "green" side of our project (which we are happy to report hasn't been dropped off the wish list as real decisions are being made).

The article will come out mid-March. I will post the date when I know.

Geothermal Options

We are in the process of learning more about the options for geothermal systems. The answer is getting closer but before a decision is made I wanted to do one quick post to see what input we get.

No matter what we are limited to a vertical/diagonal, closed loop system. That is the only option for a lot of our size. What we need to decide upon though is between a Direct Exchange (DX) system or a Water-based system (anti-freeze). The best way to think about it is DX is Ground to Refrigerant to Air as the refrigerant is the thing circulating in the copper pipes in the ground which in turn provides heating and cooling to the house. In the Water-based system, it is Ground to Water to Refrigerant to Air which includes an extra step (polyethylene pipes in the ground and copper in the house). The DX system has just been recognized by the Canadian Geoexchange and now both are eligible for the government rebates. I could post links to websites on this stuff but instead I want to see what others have found… hint, hint (feel free to post a comment).

End of the First Week On-site

After the first week with Amsted on-site, we have a dining room free of plaster, a living room including fireplace stripped down to the bones and no bathroom upstairs or walls (only door frames). Outside we have new exterior basement insulation in place on one side of the house.

Rob and my friend who is visiting said that I was hilarious to watch running around the house taking photos. Apparently I was acting like it was Christmas!

Salvaging stuff is going well for far. The Habitat for Humanity Restore took the old bathroom sink, kitchen sink and the overhead lights that were not original 1930s. Those ones went to Avreco Lighting in Westboro for rewiring. They did such a good job on the hallway lantern that I had to bring them more.

Tree Update

We had the arborist back on site to talk about tree health and I want to make an effort to post what we learned.

The beautiful white spruce at the front corner of our property was already a little stressed before we bought the house because of its confined root location. We love the tree though and it still doing ok so we want to make a best effort to keep it.

The arborist said that the needles are thinning out which is a sign of stress (dropping older, less efficient needles). The cones near top are also a sign of distress as this means the tree is trying to move elsewhere (something about selfish genetic evolution). While the pine is leaning, it does not appear to be a structural issue at this point.

The arborist told us a few things that we can do to help the tree recognizing that we won’t really know the fate of the tree for about three years:

(1) ensure it has enough water in the summer; (2) continue to limit the trench size associated with the basement exterior insulation work; (3) the existing boulders are a good thing as they provide stability (roots to intertwine with); (4) protect root system and promote re-growth by trimming back mangled roots because they don’t heal this way and applying beeswax to prevent roots from drying out (check out the photo); (5) when the trench is being backfilled add in bone meal (high phosphorous) alternating with layers of soil to help promote root growth and make sure native soil goes back in with the boulders; (6) tie a rope between the pine and the spruce as a way to tell if the tree is starting to have stability issues; (7) tie back any branches that are near the roof instead of cut them down to help keep the tree canopy balanced.

In terms of all trees, one of the key tree health issues is how compacted the soil is when it goes back in or when you think about construction equipment driving around. The soil can’t be too loose or the roots won’t be able to grab onto anything. The advice we got is to install snow fence around all of the trees. It is a preventative measure and will provide a constant reminder to be careful, in particular for other contractors on site. We recognize that we can not protect out as far as the drip line based on the location of the house. If the ground is compacted too much by the equipment driving over the roots too much (i.e., frequency and weight), it inhibits root growth. On this front, we are going to place wood planks or sheet metal on the ground for the equipment to drive over (especially for work done in the spring when the ground is not frozen)

Thank you to Andrew Boyd of IFS Associates for your advice.

Kitchen Destruction

Before and After

Check out the floor!

Demolition

I had to write a quick post to celebrate the arrival of Amsted trucks this morning. By the time I got there at 9:30am, the kitchen cupboards were gone, the vinyl overlay in the octagon was no where to be seen and the gutting process had begun for our disgusting bathroom upstairs (Tania - the old metal shower with bar of soap is yours if you want it.....).

This next part of the process is going to go by so quickly. It is fun where you actually get to see results of all of your hard work. The great part too is that there is nice hardwood in the octagon landing underneath the old vinyl brick pattern!

Mont Tremblant Provincial Park

I know that the blog is supposed to all be about the house renovation project but I wanted to take this opportunity to post some information on one of my favourite places to go in the winter.

This weekend was our annual trip to Mont Tremblant Provincial Park where you can cross-country ski between huts. At night you get to sleep in the lofts of the huts and cook your meals on a wood stove. This was my fourth time going and I love the trip every time. Thank you to my friends for making it another awesome trip (icy hills and all).

Here is the info: http://www.sepaq.com/pq/mot/en/

Site Status Report

Amsted is coming, Amsted is coming!

We have our first true site meeting booked for this week to meet the crew. I can't wait! This means that the real fun begins.


Proof that they are coming is in the big sign on our lawn. One neighbour pointed out that it is a well made, sturdy sign which is a "good sign." hee hee

Waste Diversion

Having studied waste diversion at school, I want to make sure that this issue is discussed on the job site. Here is what has been done so far:

(1) When making a decision about which contractor to go with, we factored in the response we got from the contractors about waste diversion when interviewing them in the earlier stages

(2) We have discussed methods for diverting waste with the contractor selected. While work has not started yet, it is my understanding that as much construction waste as can be diverted will be dealt with through Tomlinson.

(3) We have already tried to salvage/sell everything that will not be reused by us. Some things can’t go yet (i.e., bathroom door, front door, old windows) but when it is time, we will continue to find homes for things. We even “have a guy” that will come in his truck and take useable things that are left over.

The idea of putting something in our contract was discussed. The issue is ‘legalese’ when it comes to trying to find a way to write “best efforts will be made” (i.e., what happens if they are not). I have heard of other people requiring a ‘waste diversion management plan’ for a project but I couldn’t actually find an example for a home retrofit project when we needed it. I think that there is room for the Greater Ottawa Home Builders Association to consider this more (hint, hint).

I did hear of the idea where a contractor puts out a firewood bin to fill up with scraps of wood when working on site. Workers can take the scraps home to use as kindling. This seems like an effective way to divert construction waste from a landfill. Feel free to post your ideas or suggestions.

The photo is of an old cupboard in the basement. We made the effort to pull it down instead of just destroying it. The creepy wall behind is also gone (clean basement here we come).

Reflections on the First Half

As we have hit this milestone of contract signing, I wanted to take a minute to post an entry that included some thoughts on the overall process so far.

When we started this project in July, there was a fleeting moment when we thought that we would be our own general contractors. Thank goodness that option was only considered for a moment. While we are highly involved with the details of this renovation project, it would have been very difficult to find the various tradespeople to get them to provide quotes, check references and then orchestrate the timing of the work they need to do. Not only is it about access to good people but it is about obtaining the right kind of advice and then the timing of everything.

Once it was decided that we needed some help, the next debate was what approach we would take. One option is to hire someone to prepare the design drawings and then tender out your drawings once they are done to general contractors to provide cost estimates. This has its advantages as you could be in the position to obtain competitive quotes. However, if we had gone with that option there would have been no one to contact to get advice and second options from other than the person doing the design drawings (the person being great, however, having more people on hand makes a big difference).

I also have to think that when it came time to get the different contractor’s quotes, your focus rightfully would be on trying to decide between the various companies. What we found is that we needed to focus on getting the price down from what was described on the drawings to something we could afford. I don’t know how that would have worked if we had three or four estimates in our hands. I guess that it would become the next step but then that has an impact on timing. If we had gone with this option, we would not be starting construction in the first week of February with an end date in mind. Not only does having a contractor lined up help with the timing pressure to get through the design stage but it means that you have someone with staff on hand, ready to go.

A big factor is timelines. The more time you have the better. However, when you buy a house and get possession of it one month later, you are either living in a dump or carrying a dump until the renovation project is over. This has a big impact on how fast you move through the process. It would have been great to have time to really think through each product selection but in the end, it comes down to moving through the project at an appropriate speed.

At this point, we are glad that we went with the Design-Build option. Having your design team and your construction team from day one has its benefits. This process can be so stressful that having the right people on your side makes a big difference.

SolTrak Solar Roofing System

"SolTrak™ is a Modular Solar Roofing system that incorporates photovoltaic integration. This system consists of a polymer roofing tile containing an integral solar-electric panel, which is mounted using a unique and proprietary track. Similar in concept to track lighting, it features custom extruded tracks enabling easy electrical & mechanical connection and greatly simplifying installation of the product."

Basically, the solar panels on your roof are part of the roofing shingle/panel as compared with mounted on top.....

We contacted this company to learn more about this product and the timing won't work out to even consider this further. Maybe if we post information on it, someone else in Ottawa will consider looking into this further???

The SolTrack system can be installed as a conventional roof and solar tiles can be added later, as a budget allows. As for timing, they don't expect to have their system in commercial production until early 2010. They are still in the pilot stage and are currently involved in a number of government sponsored installations. Apparently the UL certification has not been completed yet, however. they expect that their tiles will perform as well as asphalt - with considerably less embedded energy. If someone's project allows for some experimentation and pre-production materials, then there may be some potential to work with this company.

For more information, visit: http://www.msrinnovations.com/soltrak.html

If someone out there is interested and contacts this company, please post a comment on our blog so that I get to know.....

Potlights and the LED Option

I am falling a little behind on my blog entries. Work, cross-country skiing and the house are getting in the way.

One entry that I didn’t want to forget about is our visit to Marchand Electric. First of all because the person we met with was very helpful. His name is Jerry Towns. He explained the world of potlight housing and bulb options to me while also helping me see what the next step is in terms of fixture selections (something that I want to put off as long as possible – my brain just doesn’t want to think about chandeliers or ceiling light styles right now). On the theme of cost savings, I also really felt that he wasn’t just trying to sell me the high end stuff but that there was room to talk about more affordable fixture options.

The second interesting lighting topic is the world of LED lights. We have to decide if we buy lights that operate using typical incandescent bulbs or compact fluorescents and then use dimmer switches to increase the green factor. Or, we pay a little more so that the potlight housing is compatible for use with a LED bulb when they come more readily available. Some say this is soon and that the bulbs won’t be as expensive as we think. Others say that it could be five years or so before the market is ready for the LED bulb and that a bulb could cost $80. Why this is important to us is the fact that we want to make a conscious decision now whether or not to install the potlight housings that can accommodate the LED bulb. Once we install the potlights, we are not changing the housing in five years as the option becomes available. Also, it is my understanding there is no point installing dimmer switches if you end up using LED bulbs (they just don’t work that way).

In terms of cost, the housing compatible with LED bulbs appears to cost $10-$20 more than the typical version.

I know that I have posted this photo before of our hallway lantern original to the house but since we just got to call to say that the rewiring is done (thank you Arevco), I thought that I would post it again. We are not going to try and match the other lighting to this piece. We are just going to honour this fixture that came with the house by reinstalling it in the front hall.

Milestone

Big News! On Thursday we signed the contract with Amsted Construction which means that we worked out an appropriate scope of work and that they can get started on the inside of the house!

We wanted to take this opportunity to post a special thank you to Jamie at Amsted. He juggled our million questions and a head cold and still got us to contract signing. Thank you for everything.

CanExcel versus Hardiplank

I am the one that suggested Hardiplank from the beginning. We had done some research in the summer and found it to be referenced as one of the leading green products for siding. It is a fibre cement board product as compared with using aluminum to side your house. Hardiplank is also known for its durability and sound insulation. I don’t know if I am guilty of sounding so confident in it that no other suggestions for a product were made but it wasn’t until last Wednesday that an alternative siding was mentioned during a project meeting.

The other product is Canexel Wood Fibre Siding. It is promoted as offering the benefits of wood. It is made from compressed wood fibres (which means from an environmental standpoint that full length pieces of wood are not used to create the product). This Canadian company is based out of Vancouver and the website is: www.canwel.com/canexel.htm

We did speak with an architect friend of ours who referred to Canexcel as a good and reasonable product with a 25 year warranty. He suggested that if we used it we should pick a narrow profile with a cove detail to be in keeping with a traditional look.

To keep our project moving forward, we included an allowance that would work for the Hardiplank product in our contract. If you translate the last sentence it means that the Hardiplank product is more expensive so we kept the line item big enough to still be able to use the product originally planned for. Using the Canexcel product might result in some savings for us so we are looking into it further. The next step is to find a place to actually see and feel the product (as compared with a website). This would also mean revisiting the colour decision as a blue house would depend on the blue siding options offered by Canexcel.