Changes are here now. My time has come to close off SIP Building Systems after 23 years incorporated and 4 years prior to that dedicated to development and design of high energy efficiency buildings, and prior to that 10 years dedicated to engineered wood design and supply to contractor and truss yards.
I remain involved, but will now be a service provider of home design, energy audit, structural design, and shop drawings of simple OR complex structures for residential and commercial. In-house energy audit, with optional integration of complete assembly detailing & shop drawings. At some point I will offer MURB energy audit service.
Designing and constructing a home has become a highly technical process with so many added requirements before shovels are in the ground. What used to be a $5000 cost to break ground has multiplied 5-10 times that with most facets of building requiring certification and good documentation. For better or worse this is the new reality. The energy code is slowly improving, but the biggest hurdle is just getting the documents together. The actual cost of building NET-ZERO does not have to be a rich persons project. The cost of a better insulating home is the least of the costs -and provides the highest rate of return of ALL building details. R-40 to R60 walls in Canada with the exception of the west coast at R32 +/- coupled with excellent air tightness makes it easy to get to NET-ZERO.
I remain involved, but will now be a service provider of home design, energy audit, structural design, and shop drawings of simple OR complex structures for residential and commercial. In-house energy audit, with optional integration of complete assembly detailing & shop drawings. At some point I will offer MURB energy audit service.
Designing and constructing a home has become a highly technical process with so many added requirements before shovels are in the ground. What used to be a $5000 cost to break ground has multiplied 5-10 times that with most facets of building requiring certification and good documentation. For better or worse this is the new reality. The energy code is slowly improving, but the biggest hurdle is just getting the documents together. The actual cost of building NET-ZERO does not have to be a rich persons project. The cost of a better insulating home is the least of the costs -and provides the highest rate of return of ALL building details. R-40 to R60 walls in Canada with the exception of the west coast at R32 +/- coupled with excellent air tightness makes it easy to get to NET-ZERO.