expert home inspector: Equilibrium Housing will Help to Conserve Natural Resources
- 06/21/07 08:22 AM
Through thoughtful, innovative design and construction processes, it is expected that EQuilibrium housing will help to conserve our natural resources. Building size should be optimized for intended use, materials should be specified from local and renewable resources, and construction waste should be reduced and well managed. Additionally, improving the durability of building components can reduce the consumption of resources. Water conservation is also another important element of an EQuilibrium home design. Sustainable Materials Maximize the use of healthy, renewable or sustainable materials, while minimizing their transportation factor. Design the house and use construction practices which maximize use of renewable or sustainable (0 comments)
expert home inspector: Equilibrium Housing is Environment Friendly
- 06/21/07 08:15 AM
Eqilibrium Housing involves site planning and community design that reduces demand for greenfield development, protects wildlife habitat, agriculture and fisheries, promotes resource-efficient native landscaping, and considers broader community issues such as efficient transportation, reduced infrastructure, and preservation and restoration of natural features. To reduce the environmental impact of housing generally means doing more with less, optimizing the use of land resources, minimizing the impact of construction activities on the surrounding area and watershed and reducing the release of pollutants into the land, water and air. Land Use Planning and Landscaping Minimize impacts from the construction and operation of housing on land, (0 comments)
expert home inspector: Equilibrium Housing is affordable
- 06/21/07 01:00 AM
Affordability is an essential aspect of sustainable housing. Sustainable developments generally reduce the life cycle costs of their buildings and infrastructure. They are conceived as durable systems with low maintenance and operating costs that use significantly less purchased energy. Flexible and adaptable design solutions enable the home to easily and inexpensively adjust to an occupant's changing needs and capabilities, both financial and physical, over their lifetime, thus responding to the diverse dynamics of the Canadian demographic profile today, and readily adapting to the evolving needs of tomorrow. Financing Build a successful financial case for the EQuilibrium housing project to obtain a (0 comments)
expert home inspector: Equilibrium Housing is Energy Efficient
- 06/21/07 12:54 AM
One of the primary objectives of the EQuilibrium Housing initiative is to demonstrate the capacity of housing to drastically reduce the energy load required by a home, and then to produce as much, or more, renewable energy than it consumes on an annual basis. This will be achieved by matching high-performance, energy-efficient, passive solar house design with commercially available on-site renewable energy systems such as solar water heating, photovoltaics, wind and ground-source heat. Connected to the electricity grid, these homes draw power only as needed — and can feed excess power back into the system. EQuilibrium housing also addresses two other growing (1 comments)
expert home inspector: Equilibrium Housing
- 06/20/07 11:24 PM
Faced with rising energy costs, a greater concern for the environment and an increased focus on the health of their families, more and more Canadians are looking for housing options that are healthy, energy-efficient, environmentally friendly and less expensive to operate and maintain. EQuilibrium Housing is a national design and demonstration initiative, which brings the private and public sectors together to develop zero impact sustainable homes in communities across the country. EQuilibrium housing offers builders and developers across the country a powerful new approach to meet this growing demand and establish a reputation for building affordable, premium quality homes that provide for (1 comments)
expert home inspector: Building Science Fundamentals 2007
- 06/20/07 11:16 PM
Building Science Fundamentals 2007 is an advanced two-day seminar about optimizing building performance. That is, designing buildings that perform as they should: efficiently and without assemblies that spall, decay, corrode, peel, blister, mold, condense water, leak air and water and otherwise annoy occupants, clients and authorities with jurisdiction. This course is aimed at practitioners of building science, as well as property owners, building officials, building product manufacturers, HVAC designers, regulators, developers, and others involved in the building industry. A special theme of the seminar is green building. Green buildings need to be durable and resource efficient. An understanding of building science (0 comments)
expert home inspector: All Plastic Vent Piping to be certified to ULC S636 Standard
- 06/20/07 11:13 PM
Canadian provinces have now notified gas certificate holders on the date they plan to adopt the 2007 Supplement to the national Natural Gas and Propane Installation Code (CSA B149-1S1-07). This supplement will require that all plastic vent piping to be certified to ULC S636 “Standard for Type BH Gas Venting Systems”. The code change affects all new natural gas and propane appliance installations and replacement installations. The code change is not retroactive so existing appliances and their plastic venting systems will not require action until replacement is required. IPEX Inc. (currently the only manufacturer of ULC S636 compliant venting systems) provided (0 comments)
expert home inspector: New Homes – Pre Delivery Inspection
- 05/09/07 03:03 PM
Checklist for Possible Deficiencies / Malfunctions Nalliah Thayabharan, Registered Home Inspector, Member of CAHPI-Ontario and Certified By ASHI, Expert Building Inspections Ltd., Markham ON 905 940 0811 www.expertinspector.comExterior Doors Warped Dented Sticks Does not close completely Swings open or closes by itself Crooked in the frame Drags on the floor Does not latch Rubs on the doorjamb Bind from improperly installed hinges Weather stripping is not in contact with the perimeter of the door Scratched and/or cracked glass Sliding Doors Does not roll smoothly Screen will not stay in track Come off tracks Garage Door Does not operate properly Windows Screen damaged and/or missing (0 comments)
expert home inspector: Brickwork
- 05/08/07 04:57 PM
During the life of a building its brick walls may need to be cleaned on several occasions, the first occuring even before it goes into service when the general dirt and dust of construction, including mortar splashed or smeared on the bricks as a result of the bricklaying procedure, have to be removed. A second cleaning will sometimes be necessary to remove efflorescence. Because mortar must be wet to render it plastic for bricklaying, brickwork becomes damp in the course of construction. As it subsequently dries, the moisture, in which the various salts derived from mortar and bricks have been dissolved, (0 comments)
expert home inspector: Sliding Snow
- 05/08/07 04:51 PM
Sloping roofs on buildings are common. In the last few years, large inclined glass and metal roofs have become popular on major buildings in an urban setting. Designing for snow on all such sloping roofs, even on inclines as low as 10°, calls for a double measure of caution; they must be able to carry substantial snow loads but the possibility also exists of the snow suddenly breaking loose and sliding off, and endangering people, vehicles, other roofs, and mechanical and electrical installations below. The Mechanics of Sliding Figure 1 shows the forces involved when snow is deposited on a sloping roof. The (0 comments)
expert home inspector: Moisture in Houses
- 05/08/07 04:47 PM
Winter moisture condensation is probably the most common moisture-related problem that affects houses. In its mildest form, it appears only as harmless surface condensation on windows. In severe cases it causes decay that might affect the structure itself. In between these extremes, it can manifest itself as mildew growth on the interior finish, or as ceiling stains, ceiling leaks or paint peeling. Moisture is added to room air in a variety of ways. It is also removed in a variety of ways. The balance created between the rate of moisture generation and the rate of moisture removal establishes the equilibrium humidity level (1 comments)
expert home inspector: Noise Control
- 05/08/07 04:45 PM
Sound waves are small rapid fluctuations in pressure that propagate in air as well as in solids and liquids. A distinction is made between airborne sound and structure-borne sound depending on the medium in which the sound waves are travelling. In buildings, sound waves may originate as airborne sound, then travel for some distance as structure-borne sound and be radiated again as airborne sound in another location. Physical Properties of Sound The frequency of a sound wave is the number of times that its basic pattern repeats itself per second. So, a musical note characterised by a pattern of pressure variations that repeats (0 comments)
expert home inspector: Visibility in Fires
- 05/08/07 04:42 PM
The designer can help to assure that the modern building is safe from the sight-obscuring effects of smoke from fires by knowing the amount of smoke that can be generated and by knowing how to provide for efficient exit signage. Smoke causes more loss of life in building fires than any other element. One reason is that people become trapped when they cannot find familiar landmarks and subsequently succumb to toxic gases, heat or flames. The size of fire that can produce a life-threatening situation is remarkably small: the combustion of even a single, ill-chosen seat cushion can generate enough smoke (0 comments)
expert home inspector: Wood Shrinkage
- 05/08/07 04:30 PM
Characteristics of Shrinkage Wood shrinks when it dries and swells when it becomes wet. These dimensional changes vary with the species and the orientation of the wood fibres. When wood dries from its green condition, little or no shrinkage occurs until the moisture content falls below the fibre saturation level. At this level, all free moisture has been released from the cell cavities, leaving only the cell walls saturated. The moisture content at which this condition is reached varies, but averages 30% (based on the ratio of the weight of water to the oven-dried weight of wood). As the cell walls continue (1 comments)
expert home inspector: Redevelopment of Corktown
- 05/01/07 03:14 PM
Corktown, one of Toronto's most historic areas is poised for massive redevelopment. Corktown is a historic Old Town neighbourhood in downtown Toronto is located just south of Regent Park and north of the Gardiner Expressway, between Berkeley Street to the west and the Don River to the east. The southern part of this area borders, but is not part of, the Distillery District and contains many vacated industrial buildings, some in use by production and movie studios. The proposed "West Donlands" urban re-development project, slated to be built over the next few years, will encompass the south-east corner of this area. (0 comments)
expert home inspector: NY Thermal recalls NTI Trinity Gas fired Hot Water Boilers
- 05/01/07 02:39 PM
NY Thermal Inc. recalls to repair Gas Fired Hot Water Boilers due to Carbon Monoxide Hazard.Product: NTI Trinity Gas Fired Hot Water Boilers model numbers:Ti1oo, Ti150, Ti200, and Ti400.Manufactured between Nov28, 2005 and January 8, 2007All are wall mounted units with the exception of the Ti400 which rests on the floor.Gray in colour and NTI appears on the front cover. Model and date of manufacture are located on the label inside the front cover.NY Thermal Inc - Recall hotline (800) 688-2575 Nalliah Thayabharan, Registered Home Inspector, Member of CAHPI-Ontario and Certified By ASHI, Expert Building Inspections Ltd., Markham ON 905 940 0811 (0 comments)
expert home inspector: Design of Passive Solar Heated Buildings
- 05/01/07 09:15 AM
The following are general recommendations that should be followed in the design of passive solar heated buildings. Passive solar heating will tend to work best, and be most economical, in climates with clear skies during the winter heating season and where alternative heating sources are relatively expensive. Use passive solar heating strategies only when they are appropriate. Passive solar heating works better in smaller buildings where the envelope design controls the energy demand. Careful attention should be paid to constructing a durable, energy-conserving building envelope. Address orientation issues during site planning. To the maximum extent possible, reduce east and west glass and (0 comments)
expert home inspector: Stack Effect
- 05/01/07 09:09 AM
Stack effect is the movement of air into and out of buildings, chimneys, flue gas stacks, or other containers, and is driven by buoyancy. Buoyancy occurs due to a difference in indoor-to-outdoor air density resulting from temperature and moisture differences. The result is either a positive or negative buoyancy force. The greater the thermal difference and the height of the structure, the greater the buoyancy force, and thus the stack effect. The stack effect is also referred to as the "chimney effect", and it helps drive natural ventilation and infiltration Stack effect in buildings Since buildings are not totally sealed (at the very (1 comments)
expert home inspector: Building Science - Bernoulli's Equation
- 05/01/07 08:58 AM
Bernoulli's Principle states that in an ideal fluid (low speed air is a good approximation), with no work being performed on the fluid, an increase in velocity occurs simultaneously with decrease in pressure or a change in the fluid's gravitational potential energy. This principle is a simplification of Bernoulli's equation, which states that the sum of all forms of energy in a fluid flowing along an enclosed path (a streamline) is the same at any two points in that path. It is named after the Dutch/Swiss mathematician/scientist Daniel Bernoulli, though it was previously understood by Leonhard Euler and others. In fluid flow (0 comments)
expert home inspector: Basic Building Science - Fourier's Equation
- 05/01/07 08:50 AM
Heat conduction or Thermal conduction is the spontaneous transfer of thermal energy through matter, from a region of higher temperature to a region of lower temperature, and hence acts to even out temperature differences. It should be noted that heat can also be transferred by Thermal radiation and/or convection, and often more than one of these processes occur in a particular situation. The law of heat conduction, also known as Fourier's law, states that the rate, in time, of heat transfer through a material is proportional to the negative gradient in the temperature and to the area at right angles, to that gradient, (0 comments)