Tag Archives: ontario

EIFS “Panels” Using Reveals

Posted by Admin on March 9, 2011 None comments

I was driving through London, Ontario a while back and saw what looked like panels on the London Fire Department Station. When I got closer however, I realized that it was just cleverly disguised EIFS. The architect has specified reveals to be cut into the EIFS to segment it into panels, and black spots to be placed where the screws should be holding the panels up.

EIFS Fire Department, London

Aside from providing valuable insulation, EIFS is a much less expensive material than panel products like Alucobond and Fibre-C, which can run $20-$40 per square foot. EIFS on the other hand, should cost around $10 per square foot with minor reveals included. the effect is nearly identical, but at 1/2 to 1/4 of the cost.

London EIFS Station

The material works extremely well with the reflective glass, traditional fire-hall-red bricks and stone skirt around the base. It’s a great modern re-imagining of what fire stations should look like.

London Fire Station

I can’t help but laugh however, because of articles I have seen from cities in the states where EIFS has been ignorantly outlawed. Cities and citizens alike have hired poor quality contractors who have installed an inferior system, which has either failed or caught on fire, prompting fire chiefs to speak out against the product. In Canada however, our Architects and building professionals are educated on the facts about EIFS and the improvements that have come along over the past decade. The styrofoam is treated with a fire-retardant, the system is approved for use anywhere (even meets non-combustible requirements, albeit some modifications are required at times) and it’s insulating properties fit our climate needs.

 

Definitely an eye-catching design.

Ontario HST in Effect on July 1st 2010

Posted by Admin on March 25, 2010 None comments

There has been (a bit more than) a little upset in Ontario with regards to the HST (Harmonized Sales Tax) implementation that is coming into effect on July 1st, 2010. While there is strong evidence that it will actually reduce business costs over the long run, very few people are actually believing the consumer will see any of these increased efficiencies. Actually, the general consensus is that as consumers, we will be paying more for everything from basic services, to our homes. As a result, there is expected to be a surge of home sales before July 1st by those looking to purchase within the next year – to avoid the additional 8% home owners will need to pay. Factor in the lowest-interest-rates-we-will-see-in-years, and you can expect it to be a very busy spring for anyone involved in the real estate market.

EIFS (Exterior Insulation Finish Systems, or “synthetic stucco”) renovations are one such service that will be affected by the HST implementation. Currently, because the renovation is a service, it is only subject to the GST (Government Sales Tax). As of July 1st of this year, this service will fall under the all-encompassing HST, effectively adding 8% to the cost of making your home more energy efficient.

Don’t risk delaying your project any further – typically it takes anywhere from 4-5 weeks to solicit quotes, qualify them and award the contract, then another 2-3 for the project to begin because of the contractor’s other projects. Seeing as there are only 13 weeks left until the HST is implemented and your costs rise 8% – we would recommend that anyone considering renovating their home this year register right now to get the process underway.

Go on over to the home owner stucco estimate request page.

Replacing Cladding is The Best Bang For Your Buck

Posted by Admin on September 9, 2009 3 comments

Remodeling Magazine surveys thousands of renovations and home sales each year to discover which renovation is currently giving the best value for your dollar (or “cost recoup”) using real world data, in it’s Cost vs. Value Report. Sitting again at the number one over-all position with a whopping 86.7% return on investment is Fiber-Cement Siding Replacement. Coming in second (for it’s category) at 80.4% is foam-backed vinyl siding.

This information is simultaneously beneficial and flawed for the purposes of EIFS / stucco. While the cementitious base-coat layer of EIFS is indeed “fiber-cement”, the actual product they are referring to is more than likely a solid-cement factory-made siding (such as Hardie Board), which has become popular due to it’s ability to withstand hurricane-force winds and debris. The problems James Hardie siding is currently dealing with (and that EIFS has long since corrected) is how to allow moisture to drain out that becomes trapped behind the siding (take a look at the hall of shame for an idea of what I’m talking about). I suspect that in the coming years the problems will begin to surface more frequently and it’s high value will drop some.

Then there’s the issue of geography. This information is based on data from the United States, not Canada. It is averaged over many different climates, not solely a cold-climate such as the one we have in Toronto. This means that energy efficiency renovations such as exterior insulation, or replacing a water heater, won’t have the same impact as they would have in Canada. On top of that, Toronto is by all rights the largest consumer of EIFS in North America – Canada and the U.S.A. While it’s not as popular in some of the states because of it’s history with lawsuits, that problem has been largely avoided here in Toronto using a different type of EIFS: Dual-Barrier.

Nevertheless, it shows that re-cladding your home is the sure-fire way of getting the most bang for your buck when it comes to home renovations. Factoring in the advantage of lowered heating bills in our climate due to the exterior insulation, and the superior aesthetic of EIFS to Hardiboard (and vinyl siding by a landslide), I feel confident in saying that EIFS renovations actually increase the value of a home beyond what a home owner pays for it. As much as 110-120%. Being that there is no data to back this up however, I’ll limit my claims to the next closest thing — the fiber-cement siding 86.7% ROI from Remodeling Magazine.

Update: The 2010 Cost vs Value Report can be found here

Exterior Insulation Government Rebates and Renovation Tax Credits

Posted by Admin on September 9, 2009 1 comments

The Canadian Government is currently running two concurrent programs to help home owners with home renovations. These programs provide monetary incentives to home owners who perform renovations on their home, stimulating the economy by providing work for skilled trades, and benefiting the home owners by helping them increase their home value.

Retrofit Rebate Program

The first program is the Retrofit Rebate Program, in which the home owner contacts one of the Auditors listed on the  Home Energy Audit Program website. The auditor performs an evaluation of where your home currently stands in terms of energy consumption and efficiency. This audit typically costs around $400, of which $150 is covered by the Government of Ontario. If you currently have a mortgage with Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), they have a program which covers the rest of the cost of the initial inspection, and unfortunately for the rest of you, they seem to be the only bank to do so. From the time of the inspection, home owners are given 18 months to complete any and all eligible energy efficiency renovations and have the auditor return to do the final inspection. Once the final inspection is complete, you are assessed for a rebate for upwards of $10,000 in the form of a cheque, split between the Government of Ontario and the Government of Canada, which tends to take 8-10 weeks to arrive. The genious behind this program is that these subsidized renovations actually DECREASE your expenses. This income gets spent instead on paying back the loan you took out (whether it was line-of-credit, or re-mortgaging), increasing your equity and investment in your largest asset — your home.

So why, with all the other renovations available, would you choose to re-clad your home with EIFS (exterior insulation finish system)? Simply put, it has the biggest pay back. Of all the renovations, exterior insulation (the “EI” in “EIFS”) provides the largest single rebate at $3,750. Furthermore, re-cladding your walls with EIFS has the largest potential to reduce your heating bills. See Saving Money on Heating/Cooling Bills. Additionally, EIFS helps improve air sealing — potentially adding another $480 to your rebate.

Home Renovation Tax Credit (HRTC)

The second program is the Home Renovation Tax Credit (HRTC), put on by the Canada Revenue Agency. Under this program, you are reimbursed for 15% of renovations between $1,000 and $10,000, for up to $1,350 [($10,000 ? $1,000) × 15%] on renovations done between January 27th, 2009 and February 1st, 2010. While the math may seem funny, it is nonetheless real money you get back. This money comes back to you in the form of a tax credit.

Simply keep your receipts/invoices for the renovations you had done (making sure that it is first eligible under the program), and present it to your accountant when you have your personal income taxes done.

Total Rebates and Credits

For the average $15,000 home EIFS renovation in Toronto, most home owners are looking at getting back $5,100 (plus possibly air sealing), putting the actual cost around $10,000. Factor in the increase in your home’s value and the money you save on heating/cooling bills and only a fool wouldn’t take advantage of this opportunity.

Tornado Rips Through Woodbridge / Vaughan, Sidings Damaged

Posted by Admin on August 21, 2009 None comments

WOODBRIDGE — An elderly Houston Rd. couple’s world caved in around them as a suspected tornado ripped bricks, wooden slats and plaster walls from their home yesterday.

Dominic, a senior who didn’t want his last name used, said his wife was slightly injured by falling debris. After the possible 7:30 p.m. tornado touchdown, shingles, eavestroughs, ripped lumber and trees ripped apart Houston Rd.

Some residents cried and comforted each other after their brush with an angry Mother Nature. Others were laughing in disbelief and relief.

York Regional Police and fire crews barricaded off at least eight uninhabitable homes and several roads north of Martin Grove Rd. and Hwy. 7 were closed.

Comforted by family, Dominic recalled what began as a peaceful evening cooking in his backyard.

“When I started seeing debris in the air,” and later realizing they were roof shingles, “I thought ‘This is dangerous’, and I turned the barbecue off,” he said.

“I ran inside because I was concerned about my wife’s safety,” Dominic said. “When I looked outside again, the barbecue was gone.”

Running to escape by the front door, “I saw everything flying towards us. The roof caved in … then the bricks caved in. “By the time we got out, nothing was happening anymore,” Dominic said.

“I feel really lucky because I came out of there alive,” along with their two dogs, he said.

At his nearby home, Christopher Quattrociocchi, 21, said that he “saw a tornado” through a window.

“The first instinct I had was to run downstairs to the basement,” he said. “I’ve never heard a noise like that before.

“It’s just like the movies,” said Quattrociocchi, who watched the upper levels of eight neighbouring homes ripped off.

In Newmarket, Glenn Phillips said “the clouds were doing something weird, something I’d never, ever seen before.

“When the debris started coming up, I thought ‘look at all those birds scattering’, and then I realized it wasn’t birds, it was shingles and wood and all kinds of crap going straight up,” he said of a suspected twister near his McCowan Rd.-Davis Dr. home.
bryn.weese@sunmedia.ca

Source: http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2009/08/21/10543121-sun.html.

The destruction of some roofs is fairly intensive, and so damage to windows, siding and doors is possible. Bricks being what they are, it may get quite expensive repairing them (to say nothing of the roofs), but at least you have options with the siding. Instead of brick repairs, I urge home owners to look into having EIFS (synthetic stucco) used on their homes to repair the damage. The cladding was used after World War 2 to repair damaged buildings in Europe less expensively, and now you can use it for it’s original purpose once again.

Add to that the insulating capabilities of EIFS, which can reduce heating bills by as much as 30%, and you may even be able to thank mother nature for saving you money (over the long term), assuming your insurance covers the damage.