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The
Battle of Benny Farm
A federal Crown corporation's
redevelopment of a severely deteriorated WWII veterans' housing complex in
Montreal is a classic case of winning over hostile neighbours, blending affordable
and market housing, and a breadth of sustainability and green building likely
unsurpassed in Canada.
Heading for a soft landing
Montreal's skyline has
been redrawn and its urban image redefined with a burst of high-rise condominiums,
much like in Toronto and Vancouver, but housing generally is not an open-ended,
endlessly sustainable commodity. The law of supply and demand inevitably prevails,
until the next boom rolls around.
The
Battle Against Mould
Mould in houses is a
growing consumer concern and often an expensive and confusing issue for a conscientious
contractor.
The 2005 National
Construction Codes: What's New for Builders?
Since 1995, all three of the National Construction Codes - the National Building
Code (NBC), the National Fire Code (NFC) and the National Plumbing Code (NPC)
- have undergone extensive reviews and changes and offer many improvements
over the 1995 editions, including technical updates and new information to
help users understand what must be done to satisfy code provisions.
Why get complicated
with Saw Blades?
TOOL TALK by Jon Eakes
It is kind of funny to
think that we work seriously at efficiencies in our furnaces and in our vehicles,
but never think how we could double or triple the power of our saws or spend
less time with chipping and splintering by looking at the efficiencies of
specialty saw blades...
High-End Vinyl Siding
Much of our siding industry appears to be based around imitating old-fashioned
wood siding while trying to get away from the maintenance and aging of wood.
Fibre cement has often claimed the honours in the durability category but
it still has to be painted and repainted. Vinyl has won much of the market
because of cost, but often it starts out or ends up looking cheap.
Get
Ready for the Fall Selling Season
The economy is looking
stronger. Interest rates are still low and consumer confidence has not been
shaken by the oil price spike. Existing home sales have exceeded expectations
and are heading for a record this year, which will positively affect new housing
markets and renovation...
R2000 - Still
Crazy After All These Years
It was 20 years ago that
R-2000 started the revolution in how we build houses. Since then, R-2000 has
been through many highs and lows, but there is no doubt that it's had a positive
impact on all residential construction.
Revised NBC good news for firewalls
A revision to the National Building Code to be published at the end of September
will permit the use of gypsum drywall or other materials and change the existing
requirement that restricts home builders to use masonry or concrete for two-hour
firewalls at every 600 square metres between residential units.
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