Contractor Advantage January / February 2012

COMPLIMENTARY

January/February 2012

CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

ALSO:

Trims Trends + Branding Tips +

Insulation +

CA N A DA’ S M AG A Z I N E F O R P R O F E S S I O N A L C O N T R AC T O R S

CEILING

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Contents

Features

37

Green Growth / 25 This movement is forcing every contractor to ask a few more well-placed questions.

Lumber Outlook 2012 / 31 Contractors can expect reasonably stable lumber costs this year.

Crowning Glory / 37

Inside

42

31

NEWS WATCH / 5 Update on NECB 2011 NEW PRODUCTS / 9 New and improved products BUSINESS STRATEGIES / 12 In search of a superstar SMART MONEY / 14 The Capital Gains Exemption BRANDING TIPS / 16 A good logo is paramount ECONOMICS 101 / 18 Loyalty & you ONLINE MARKETING / 22 Social media marketing tips LEARNING CURVE / 23 Keeping clients, building culture January/February 2012 Vol. 18 No. 1

Editorial Director Castle Building Centres Group Ltd. James Jones Managing Editor Paul Barker Art Director Mark Ryan

Castle Building Centres Group Ltd., with building supply outlets in every province, is Canada’s leading supplier of lumber and building materials to professional contractors, builders and renovators.

Publications Mail Agreement #40006677 Return undeliverable Canadian Addresses to: 100 Milverton Drive, Suite 400 Mississauga, Ont. L5R 4H1

Contributors Nestor E. Arellano Lawrence Cummer Victoria Downing Stefan Dubowski Genae Girard Josh Kerbel Matt Mickiwicz Paul Rhodes David Chilton Saggers John G. Smith

Ceilings can truly bring all the design elements together.

Trim Trends / 42 New building materials make for lower installation costs and faster completions.

Gypsum Innovations / 48 Homeowners are asking for healthier, quieter, sturdier and more beautiful environments.

Does This Job Leave You Baffled? / 52 Eleven tips that will help you compare and use insulating products.

Advertising Enquiries Vendors whose products are carried in Castle Building Centres stores have the opportunity to advertise in

Contractor Advantage

For more information or to reserve space in the next issue, contact: Ellen Baltazar Advertising Coordinator, Phone: 905-564-3307 Fax: 905-564-6592 E-mail: ebaltazar@castle.ca

Published and designed exclusively for Castle Building Centres Group Ltd. by Business Information Group Material Contact: Jessica Jubb 416-510-5194 Copyright 2012

CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

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News Watch

New National Energy Code for Buildings a game changer for contractors

PHOTOS: PAUL BARKER

BY PAUL BARKER

There are huge changes contained in the new National Energy Code for Buildings 2011 (NECB), a groundbreaking document that was first released in the fall and is currently under review by individual provinces and territories.

According to Heather Knudsen, Technical Advisor, Canadian Codes Centre with National Research Council of Canada (NRC), the model code must still be adopted by each before it becomes law in that province or territory.

During a presentation at the 2011 Construct Canada & PM Expo Conference held in Toronto in December she discussed the many differences between the NECB and its predecessor, the 1997 Model National Energy Code for Buildings (MNECB).

“As a result of the changes, the general increase in energy performance is approximately 26%,” she said. “In other words, an NECB-compliant building consumes 26% less than an MNECB-compliant building.”

The new code, the NRC says, is the result of an “extensive consultation process” involving stakeholders from the construction industry, other industries, the general public and all three levels of government.

“Once adopted by the authorities having jurisdiction, the NECB will yield significant savings in energy costs of typical buildings, resulting in long-term benefits for both Canada’s economy and the environment. For the first time, the new code places Canada on a comparable footing with most countries that lead the world in energy-efficient building construction.

“The code contains close to 245 technical changes to address a host of issues such as the building envelope, lighting, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, service water heating, electrical power systems and motors; and building energy performance compliance.”

The document is also part of the National Model Construction Codes, which Continued on page 7

Speakers at Construct Canada included Heather Knudsen with the National Research Council of Canada (top left) and Jason Legere, Chief Marketing Manager, Nissan Commercial Vehicles, shown introducing Alex Waters (left) and David Nixon prior to their presentation on green home initiatives. As always, there was an impressive array of products and exhibits.

CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

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News Watch

includes the 2010 National Building Code, National Fire Code of Canada and National Plumbing Code of Canada.

There are six codes in total, described by the NRC as follows: • The National Building Code of Canada (NBC) addresses the design and construction of new buildings and the substantial renovation of existing buildings.

• The National Fire Code of Canada (NFC) provides minimum fire safety requirements for buildings, structures and areas where hazardous materials are used, and addresses fire protection and fire prevention in the ongoing operation of buildings and facilities.

• The National Plumbing Code (NPC) covers the design and installation of plumbing systems in buildings and facilities.

• The National Farm Building Code (NFBC) provides relaxations of the requirements in the NBC to address the particular needs of farm buildings.

• The National Energy Code of Canada for

Buildings (NECB) and the National Energy Code of Canada for Houses (NECH) provide technical requirements for the construction of energy-efficient buildings and houses.

When the new editions were launched in November 2010, NRC president John McDougall said strong national construction codes are an important tool for industry and provincial/territorial authorities.

He added that Canadians have a right “to be safe and secure in their home and workplaces. The 2010 National Model Construction Codes position Canada as a world leader in building safety and performance.”

Knudsen said there is still discussion going on about whether the next update will occur in 2015 or 2016.

An example of how far the construction industry has advanced can be found at The Power Trip Trail, a 1.6 kilometre trail located at the Kortright Centre in Vaughan, Ont. and operated by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority Considered one of Canada’s largest edu-

cational demonstrations of renewable energy and energy efficient technologies, it includes a wind turbine test site, wetland waste water treatment and black water recycling demonstrations, and two of the country’s greenest homes, which make up the Living City Campus at Kortright.

At Construct Canada, Alex Waters, senior manager at the campus and David Nixon, supervisor of the authority’s Sustainable Technologies Evaluation Program or STEP, provided an update on the two structures, which were awarded the coveted LEED Platinum status in 2010.

“We made sure that homeowners would like it and builders would be willing to build it,” said Waters. “The houses built on the property involved 125 different sponsors and 700 volunteers.”

The use of natural light was paramount.

“Every room has windows in two directions,” said Waters. “As humans, we have two eyes, which give us depth perception. When we have light coming in from two directions in a room it makes us feel very comfortable.”

Starts decline in October, stable in 2012: CMHC Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) forecasts housing starts will stabilize in 2012, according to its fourth quarter Housing Market Outlook, Canadian Edition.

The organization estimated housing starts in 2011 in the range between 170,900 and 199,900 units (with a point forecast of 191,000 units) and predicted housing starts in 2012 to be between 161,650 units and 206,350 units (with a point forecast of 186,750 units.) This is good news for the Canadian housing market, according to Mathieu Laberge, deputy chief economist for CMHC’s Market Analysis Centre.

“Despite continued uncertainty in the global economy, Canada’s economic fundamentals remain positive, particularly with respect to interest rates, employment and immigration,” he said. “These factors will continue to support Canada’s housing sector in 2012.

At press time, existing home sales in 2011 were predicted to be in the range of 423,600 to 470,100 units (with a point forecast of 450,100 units), while MLS sales are expected to rise modestly to between 406,100 to 509,000 units in 2012 (with a point forecast of 458,500 units.) The average price of MLS homes is expected to rise slightly as well, from a point forecast of $363,900 in 2011 to $368,200.

The CMHC forecasts an average price range of MLS homes between $315,800 and $418,700 in 2012, compared with its predicted

range of $353,100 and $375,300 in 2011.

Meanwhile, October, 2011 housing starts dropped moderately to a seasonally adjusted rate of 207,600 units, down from September’s rate of 208,800 units.

Single-detached starts in urban centres saw a decline in the month, while multiple housing starts in urban areas still remained high. The seasonally adjusted annual rate of urban starts decreased in October by 2.1% to 184,500 units, with urban single starts dipping by 9.0% (to 60,900 units) and multiple urban starts up 1.7% (to 123,600 units).

“Housing starts posted a slight decline in October due to a decrease in single-detached starts in urban centres,” Laberge said. “Urban multiple housing starts remained high in October, but overall housing starts are expected to moderate in line with demographic fundamentals.”

Regionally, October’s seasonally adjusted annual rate of urban starts saw drops by 43.5% and 28.8% in Atlantic Canada and Quebec, respectively. Other provinces saw urban starts increase, with starts up 1.5% in B.C., 11.7% in Ontario, and 28.2% in the Prairies.

Rural starts, in areas with a population of less than 10,000, were estimated at a seasonally adjusted rate of 23,100 units.

CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

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Nail it once and for all. ® LIQUID NAILS® ADHESIVE Liquid Nails, a line of adhesives providing maximum performance on any surface and nail-like strength in situation where a hammer and nail are not ideal. Used for all kinds of construction projects or home renovation, they are easy to use for professionals and for DIY. Each Liquid Nails product is scientifically formulated to offer the best possible performance for any surface.

An assortment of adhesives are available for construction, indoor and outdoor carpeting. Panelling and moulding, insulation panel and drywall, mirrors, tub surrounds ceramic tiles, concrete, parquet, wood flooring and much more.

All Liquid Nails products meet Canadian VOC standards, with many meeting the stringent environmental standards put forward by the Greenguard Environmental Institute (GEI), Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).

Some Liquid Nails products are formulated to resist rain or snow, while others work in extreme temperature, from -5°C to 48°C.

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New Products

Building Blocks

+

Innovative Products for Today’s Renovators ADHESIVE MAT MAKES FOR FAST, EASY AND CLEAN TILE INSTALLATION

The Bondera Tile MatSet, from Canwel Building Materials Ltd., is an advanced pressure-sensitive tile adhesive on a roll for wall and countertop applications. It replaces mortar, thin set or mastic to create a fast, easy and clean installation on smooth, flat surfaces.

The adhesive can be applied to almost any surface, since it contains no moisture, and once the tile is applied it is immediately ready to grout. Water tight and environmentally friendly, the Bondera Tile MatSet has an antimicrobial added to provide mold protection and contains no VOCs. The product also provides crack isolation, and has been industry tested to withstand up to 1/8� substrate movement.

Bondera Tile MatSet is available in three form factors for walls (including tub and shower surrounds and backsplashes), countertops (including tabletops) and vertical details for small narrow areas. To ensure a water-tight system, Bondera Wet Area Seam Tape should be applied into adjoining TileMat seams.

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BP LAMINATE SHINGLES RECEIVE WEATHER-TITE PROTECTIVE UPGRADE

Building Products of Canada Corp. has added its patented Weather-Tite technology to its line of laminate shingles, effectively doubling their protective strength.

Featuring two bands of high-tack adhesive, the hurricane-resistant technology provides increased resistance to wind, rain, water infiltration and surface uplift. WeatherTite technology has been industry tested for wind and rain resistance and proven to withstand some of the toughest climate conditions.

This level of protection allows BP to offer more aggressive wind warranties and lifetime guarantees on its Manoir, Everest, Harmony and Mystique laminate shingles. Regular Wind Warranties are now 180 km/h, while High-Wind Warranties are set at 220 km/h.

CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

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New Products

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HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPOSITE DECKING COMBINES DURABILITY AND STYLE

New Trex Enhance composite decking products, available from Trex Co. for the 2012 decking season, combine durability, wear-resistance with a high-quality appearance similar to Trex Transcend decking line.

Enhance rounds out Trex’s decking products, fitting between Trex Accents and Transcend, according to the company. Its three-sided shell protects against staining, fading and mold, while, unlike wood, the product requires no sanding, staining or painting. Designed for low-maintenance and heavy foot traffic, spills wash off with soap and water.

Each Trex Enhance deck board is offered in both square and grooved profiles measuring 1” x 5.5”. The grooved boards accommodate the Trex Hideaway Hidden Fastening System for a smooth finish, free of nails and other visible fasteners. Coordinating fascia also is available in 1” x 8” and 1” x 12” sizes.

Trex Enhance comes in two rich coastal-inspired colours, engineered right into the board for a deeper more natural wood-grain

appearance. ClamShell is a deep charcoal, while Beach Dune is a warm honey brown. Both colours mix and match with existing Trex Transcend decking. The decking collection is backed by a 20-year Limited Residential Fade and Stain Warranty, and is made from 95% recycled content.

+

ROOF VENTILATOR SYSTEM BLOCKS WATER, REQUIRES NO MAINTENANCE

MaxiFlo ventilators from Resisto increase the chimney effect on roofs, while enhancing their aesthetic design and preventing snow from accumulating and water infiltration. The product’s patented triangular design uses no moving parts to eliminate heat and humidity.

Lightweight, with a fast installation able to adjust to any roof slope, from 2-12 to 12-12, when combined with the effects of wind and pressure differences MaxiFlo creates a chimney effect that eliminates excess humidity in the attic space.

According to Resisto the ventilator is quiet and requires no maintenance. Made from UV resistant composite materials, it resists winds of up to 160 km/h.

Each unit can ventilate a roof area of up to 1300 sq. ft.

MaxiFlo ventilators are available in charcoal black, autumn brown and silver grey.

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Business Strategies

In Search Of A Superstar There are a number of ways to hire and, more importantly retain, top talent as your business grows.

BY VICTORIA DOWNING

The most successful renovators know that their employees have a huge impact on the success of their company. These savvy business owners hire the best they can get and then work to keep them engaged and happy. This one-two punch of hiring right and retention sets these companies ahead of their competition every time. Focusing on employees is important now, since many renovators will be in the position to grow their companies once again in the coming months.

“Studies show that the degree to which employees feel supported is the largest single factor in keeping them and keeping them happy,” says Tom Connellan of Performance Resource Associates.

Today’s worker wants a learning environment, a family-friendly environment, a culture of fun, caring and teamwork, of empowerment, shared decision making and more democratic management. Losing a talented, experienced employee is expensive; some studies show that replacing an employee can cost up to 16 times the annual salary of the lost employee. Add to that the time and effort needed to train and orientate the new hire and we are talking serious money.

Use the following checklist to assess your retention potential: (Rate your company on a scale of 1 ‘ poor! to 10 ‘ great!) _______ Pay: If you are the best company in your market, is it not likely you would need to have the best pay in order to attract the highest caliber people? Do you? _______ Benefits: How do you rank in providing health insurance, retirement funding, profit sharing, etc.? _______ P hysical Environment: Is your staff working in pleasant, private surroundings? Do they have the resources and tools to do the work they need whether it is computer software and hardware or construction tools. Would they be proud to show off their office or jobsite to their family? _______ P sychic Environment: Is your staff working in a positive, optimistic, fun atmosphere with generally good feelings between co-workers. Is there a permeable climate of respect between workers? Does the company host unifying social activities? _______ A dvancement: Do you publicize all new or open positions within the company first? If so, do you then put the employee applicants through the same process as the outside applicant? _______ C reative Benefits: Do you offer flextime? How about a four day work week with 10 hour days? Or is there a mountain cabin that families can use for vacations? What do you offer that is uniquely your company’s benefit? _______ F eedback: Do you receive regular, anonymous feedback on just how happy (or unhappy) your employees really are? You should!

Victoria Downing is president of Remodelers Advantage Inc. and is a leading authority in the remodeling industry. She has authored and co-authored several industry books, including The Remodeler’s Marketing PowerPak. She can be reached at victoria@remodelersadvantage.com address or by phone at 301 490-5620 ext. 105.

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Hiring Superstars!

If you are ready to grow, that often means it is time to hire and, as with all successful projects, planning is the key. If you want to hire the best person for the job and have them succeed follow these three steps:

Get Ready:

1. Write a clear job description that accurately describes the position. This has been called the “single best thing you can do to hire well.” This becomes your blueprint.

Include not only activities to be done but also the underlying traits that are needed to succeed in the job. The Sandler Sales Institute recommends that every job have a SEARCH description (a list of Skills, Education, Attitude, Results, Cognitive Skills, and Habits needed for the position).

2. Prepare open-ended questions that will let you probe for the underlying traits needed to successfully master the position. Just a “yes” or “no” cannot answer an open-ended question. Plan to use questions to bring out details on past performance. For example, ask, “Tell me about a time when you had to deal with an upset client.” This brings out real examples. Do not ask, “How would you deal with an upset client?” as this requires the applicant to imagine the future.

3. Plan your hiring procedure. How will you ask the applicant to apply? Who will screen applicants? Who will interview, and for how long? Will there be a formal rating sheet? Using other team members, or even an outside consultant, to cover the first phases of screening can save the owner hours of valuable time.

Compared to ten years ago, hiring today is much more serious and time-consuming task in a business. Be prepared to get very professional about it. On the other hand, you might

Business Strategies

find that when you learn to hire well and have a good system for doing so, you might enjoy the process. “I used to really dislike hiring,” explains David Foster of Foster Home Improvement Inc. “Now that we have developed a fairly foolproof system, I enjoy it.”

Attracting Great Prospective Employees: Below are some important tips for finding superstars for your company: • Recruit all the time. You often know what your next hire will be even if you are not ready to hire yet. Keep your eye out for good prospects at the grocery, the gas station or suppliers. Talk to peers at the association dinner meeting. Foster has had excellent results with talking to subs and suppliers and following up with a letter that describes the position he is filling. Utilize your industry knowledge, connections and network.

Is there a struggling remodeler who would happily fold their business and come to yours with their personnel? This might be a great opportunity to grow overall and bring on great, experienced employees.

• Encourage your employees to recruit. Some business owners offer a finding fee to the employee that brings in the next great employee.

• Market creatively.

• Develop fliers to leave at suppliers.

• Get a helper to distribute them on the trucks parked at the suppliers during the day.

• Call around to find out who will post your flier on a bulletin board at your grocery, your veterinarian, your printer and your suppliers.

• Consider holding a well-publicized early evening or early morning Open House if you have a showroom or good-looking office.

• Have employees on hand to talk and do a short interview.

• Hand out materials on the job openings

and for the best candidates set longer, more formal interview times.

• Offer employees and subs a referral fee for a referred employee who stays at least three months.

• Advertise on the online employment boards. Ask around for recommendations.

Two of the big ones are Monster.com and CareerBuilder.com • In all written ads, fliers and posters emphasize your company culture, intangible benefits and behavioral descriptors for the position as well as any technical requirements.

• Brainstorm with your team for unique ideas.

• Remember that top candidates may be from a totally different field, but who has the right attitude and excellent management skills.

• Advertise for superstar employees on your trucks and on your website.

Investing in the people side of your business will pay off for years.

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11-12-14 10:21 AM

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Smart Money

The Capital Gains Exemption Highly technical and often confusing, the up-side is that it can reduce the tax burden on owners selling their qualified small business.

The Capital Gains Exemption (CGE) has been around for many years, but is often misunderstood. This article provides a very brief overview of the type of capital gains that qualify for the exemption and of the conditions that must be met, plus a summary of some pitfalls that need to be avoided or managed.

The actual rules themselves are very technical in nature and therefore complicated. Due to these complexities, anyone intending to make use of the exemption in the near future should seek professional advice.

This article assumes a business-owner operating a construction company in Canada. The construction company may have been incorporated several years ago with nominal share capital and the owner is now looking to exit from the business by selling the shares, which will mean a substantial gain is realized.

The Capital Gains Exemption means that the taxpayer is allowed a deduction against taxable capital gains realized on sale of qualifying property. The amount that can be deducted during a taxpayer’s lifetime is 50% of the current exemption amount of $750,000 (due to the 50% income inclusion rate for gains and losses).

For example, in a straightforward case, if a taxpayer sells qualifying shares and realizes a gain of $800,000 and has not previously used any of the lifetime exemption, the taxable gain that is included in income is $25,000, calculated as 50% of $800,000 less 50% of $750,000.

The lifetime Capital Gains Exemption for a taxpayer was increased from $500,000

to $750,000 for gains realized after March 18, 2007. Therefore if the taxpayer has already used some of the exemption amount prior to that date, the remaining amount that is available is increased.

For the CGE to be available, the individual must be selling shares of a Qualified Small Business Corporation. A sale of the business assets does not qualify and if the shares in the operating company are held by a hold-

Paul Rhodes is a partner at Soberman LLP. His professional experience includes providing assurance and advisory counsel to a number of clients in construction, manufacturing, real estate and internal audit engagements. Paul is a member of the Toronto Construction Association.

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ing company, a sale by the holding company does not qualify.

For the construction operating company to be considered a Qualified Small Business Corporation all of the following conditions must be met: At the time of disposition of the shares, the company must be a Canadian-controlled small business corporation: meaning that the company uses all or most (90% or more) of its assets (determined using fair values) in carrying on an active business in Canada.

Shares of a holding company that owns such a corporation may also qualify.

During the 24 month period before the sale, the shares were not owned by anyone other than the taxpayer or a related person.

PHOTO: THINKSTOCK IMAGES

BY PAUL RHODES

Smart Money

Note that the shares may have been issued during the 24 month period, but cannot have been owned by anyone else.

During the 24 month period before the sale, at least 50% of the fair market value of the assets of the company must have been used in an active business carried on primarily in Canada by the corporation of a company related to it.

This description of the CGE becomes complicated once other circumstances are added and when other assets are held that are not used in the active business. Other assets may include surplus cash (that is, cash that is in excess of the amount necessary to operate the business), investments and rental real estate.

For example, the following should be considered: If a sale is anticipated and non-business assets are held, the assets held by the corporation should be analyzed based on fair value to ensure the 50% and 90% criteria are met.

A company in the construction industry will often operate with significant levels of cash and other working capital balances. For purposes of the test, a detailed analysis will be necessary to identify what surplus cash is on hand to ensure that these criteria are met.

The exemption is available to Canadian residents only, although special rules may allow the exemption in defined situations, which may be useful to anyone planning to emigrate.

Use of the capital gains exemption may be denied if you have a Cumulative Net Investment Loss balance. The Cumulative Net Investment Loss is the total of investment income less investment losses since the CGE was introduced.

For any business-owner operating a company, it is important that you are aware of how the CGE works and that there may be complications involved in being able to benefit from it. Ideally you have an open relationship with your independent accountant and communicate frequently on both current and future business and personal plans.

Identifying and discussing your plans early will ensure that your accountant has the time necessary to check that you meet the criteria; for example, that you are not off-side due to corporate investments held.

Tax planning strategies are often available to ensure that the exemption is available, such as to allow the gain to be crystallized early, or to remove non-business assets.

This article has been prepared for general information. Specific professional advice should be obtained prior to the implementation of any suggestion contained.

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Branding Tips

A Good Logo Is Paramount Fortunately, the Internet has made it simpler and easier than ever before to get quality graphic design work done.

BY MATT MICKIEWICZ

The owners of Strata Electrical Contracting had a similar challenge that every contractor across Canada faces at some point in business.

They needed a brand that would differentiate their services from a sea of competitors.

They wanted to stand out at every customer interaction whether that be with a business card, their website or a brochure.

They started in the right place by first creating a logo. They managed the entire process within a tight budget and had a unique logo created that spoke to their target audience.

A great logo is a compelling “picture” that communicates your business’ unique offering and provides an enduring symbol of your enterprise. It creates a clear, consistent and uniform feel that helps customers recognize you. It also reassures them that you are a professional who does not do anything on the cheap.

Unfortunately, many small businesses do not have marketing materials that “talk” to their prospects and customers. Their poorly designed logos, business cards or websites do not accurately reflect the great work they do for their customers, and in an increasingly competitive marketplace, this means lost sales.

To excite and engage new and current clients alike, your small business needs a solid brand – a promise you will keep when you show up at your client’s home and the experience they can expect when they buy your product. Fortunately, the Internet has made it simpler and easier than ever before to get quality graphic design work done,

LOOKS GOOD IN BLACK AND WHITE This logo would still look great going through a black-and-white printer or a fax machine.

SCALABLE You can shrink this creative image down to look good on a business card and product label or blow it up to poster size.

EASY TO READ This font is simple and interesting. It’s easy to distinguish between two letters and no one will confuse the i” and “l”.

Matt Mickiewicz is co-founder of 99designs.ca, the world’s largest crowdsourcing contest marketplace for design professionals.

The site has helped thousands of small businesses on tight budgets create essential branding elements such as logos, website designs, business cards and signage.

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without all the hassle, intimidation factor, or expense that’s been traditionally associated with hiring a design agency.

Seven secret elements of a great logo: Through my work at 99designs.ca and dealing with designers from around the globe, I have seen literally thousands of logos and designs for small businesses. Your investment in doing it right will pay off in trust, loyalty and repeat business, 10-fold. If you are looking for that marketing competitive advantage, follow these seven secrets and your next logo will help you win new business.

It is easy to read. A good logo uses simple fonts, and leaves no possibility that a reader will confuse one letter for another. Two different typefaces can be interesting, but more can be distracting.

You can blow it up or shrink it down. Ask your designer to show you how your logo will look blown up on signs and reduced on your business cards. Check to make sure the font is always legible. Alternatively, step back a few feet from the monitor and see what jumps out.

If you cannot recognize your logo when you shrink it down, ask your designer to eliminate all but essential elements.

It looks good in black and white. Ask your designer to come up with a logo in black and white, and then decide on the colours.

If it does not look good in black and white, colour will not change the design flaws.

Choosing the right colours. Ask your designer to use colours that capture your company’s personality and evoke desirable emotions. Green, for instance, is associated with nature, the environment and money.

Red often connotes danger or romance, and white can stand for peace and purity.

Here again, simplicity is key. Three colours are the maximum. More are confusing.

It reproduces well against different co-

Branding Tips

lour backgrounds. A good logo is versatile enough to print on coloured t-shirts, white business cards and a black trade show curtain/side of a pick-up truck or van.

Your own private focus group. Soliciting feedback from co-workers, family and friends can provide invaluable insight. Ideally show them many designs at once in a non-partisan manner so you do not influence their thoughts and feedback.

Leverage multiple designers. This last point is perhaps the most important. To find the best possible logo for your business, compare logos from different designers. Each designer will bring a specific style, certain preferences and a unique history.

Do not get discouraged by the cost, websites like 99designs.ca ensure that this last point will not blow your budget.

Once you have a standout company logo, it is time to put it to work. Your logo is the

face of your business, and should appear front and centre on every marketing and communications vehicle you develop.

According to Google, 97% of consumers search for local businesses online, which

If you cannot afford a website, you can still place your business and your logo on Google Maps. Add your business to Google Places for Business (at www.google.com/ placesforbusiness), and you get a public list-

A great logo is a compelling “picture” that communicates your business. means it is a good idea to develop your own website. A fresh, contemporary logo and a matching/corresponding website that continues the look and feel on every page tells people who you are and what you can do for them aligns your brand.

ing that helps prospects find you.

Finally, branding is not a one shot deal. If your business changes direction or you discover you need to sell to different audiences, it may be time to consider refreshing your brand to address your new offering or clientele.

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CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

DATE:

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Economics 101

Loyalty & You Incredible things can happen when you follow three simple rules listed below. People buy your services and they come back for more.

BY DON FARRELL

Loyalty, versus any other adjective or adverb you can come up with, is the best way to approach selling your potential clients for immediate and long term results.

Here is the first example of loyalty in a known commodity, selling gas at a gas station. Can you use this example in all selling situations?

You own a gas station and you know that the net profit margin is very slim, and you cannot afford to lower prices, or offer freebies as an incentive to picking up and retaining new customers. How then can you create a more loyal customer?

Most gas station customers are probably looking at price and location as the two greatest features. If your price is comparable to the next outlet and you are on their way to and from work, then people will more than likely call your gas station theirs. This is not much of a loyalty-driving proposition. What if the lighting at your gas station is weak, the window cleaning solution habitually dry, the pumps dirty or the receipt does not come out like it should?

These are probably enough reasons to chase customers to the next station. What if you, as the owner or manager, not only had these lighting and other operational fundamentals in place, but in addition you also made it a habit of walking the pump area, picking up trash and talking to your customers.

What would happen if you said, “Hi, my name is…and I own (or manage) this station.

If you need anything, I will be out here or just inside. Thanks for using us for your gas needs.”

When is the last time you received this kind

of a free benefit at a gas station? Never or very rarely. Customers would probably be blown away, because they would not expect it.

This is the first step in driving loyalty: exceeding expectations.

Let us try another example, one that has been repeated hundreds of times. You are a 25-year-old woman who is planning her wedding, something you have probably been thinking about for the past 20 years.

Like all women and men you want this day to be perfect, one of the very best of your entire life. You are getting ready to make the most important phone calls that will determine how your special day will go and the area that more things can go wrong or right: the reception facility.

How many places will the bride-to-be call to set up an appointment to meet with the catering staff to then determine which facility wins her trust? Three, four, five?

Regardless of how many, she will more than likely have a conversation with an experienced wedding planner who focuses on three very selfish things: rates, dates and space.

Those will be the three things the catering veteran will want to know in determining whether they even want this bride’s business.

This catering professional fields many calls in a month asking the same kinds of things, so she has learned to streamline the calls to save her time.

She may be a veteran wedding planner, but has learned how not to have a customercentric approach to selling or driving loyalty with that soon to be bride.

Don Farrell is the author of “Ethical Theft … how to steal business. ” He is a speaker who conducts training workshops and consults select clients on how to create a unique sales and service culture. To find out more go to www.FreshRevenues.com or call 731-514-1589.

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CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

As a result, rule number two in driving loyalty with your potential and existing customers is to make an emotional connection.

Why should you be concerned with loyalty?

If you go into your wallet you will likely see that you have a fair amount of frequency or loyalty program cards, some from competing brands of each other.

The truth is consumers are looking for more than satisfaction. They want personal perks, surprises and value-added kinds of goods and services.

How much more loyalty would you be driving if the fundamentals of good service were in place and on top of what customers were due, they got a surprise bonus; an emotional connection with managers who go out of their way to show care and concern.

What if customers received surprises in the form of delivery that exceeds their expectations as a consumer?

As business owners and operators you already know that it is expensive to find new customers and even more expensive to fix things that they are dissatisfied with.

Your mission should not be to make customers satisfied, but to go beyond satisfaction and straight to a commitment of loyalty the very second the experience begins.

Go back to the catering director who fielded the wedding reception request.

Instead of focusing on the catering hall’s selfish rates, dates and space needs, she could have instead made the bride feel incredibly special by beginning the conversation with a passionate tone: “…Well, Charlotte, let me just say congratulations to you and David on several levels.

First for your upcoming wedding and, secondly, for choosing to consider us for your reception needs. I and my staff are absolutely committed in every way possible to making this wedding day one of the very best days of your life.”

Caring more, doing more and commu-

Economics 101

nicating that you care better than any one of your competitors is what business leaders need to be doing.

Making the emotional connection and ensuring the customer focus comes before our own selfish gains solidifies and earns loyalty.

Rule three is to put customer needs before your own needs.

Delivering the basics creates satisfaction, but does not drive loyalty. Satisfaction is what consumers are supposed to get; loyalty comes from the added bonuses presented earlier.

Delivering more than customers expect must be the name of the game each and every day.

You cannot just ‘wow’ them once. Each and every time you touch them and they touch you loyalty needs to be driven home. When you do this, incredible things happen. People buy products and services from you and they come back for more.

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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

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“Simply enjoy life!”

Ideal Roofing’s New Long-life Steel Shingles This may very well be the last roof you install if you choose Ideal Roofing’s new long-life Wakefield Bridge steel roofing shingles. They come in 12 designer colours and are guaranteed 50 years.

Steel will resist winds of up to 194 km/h (120 mph) and will not rot, warp, crack, break, chip, peel and perforate and will last so much longer you may not need to reroof again in your lifetime. Ask your dealer about our 50-year limited warranty and have no fear of rain, ice, hail, sleet, snow, wind, sun, frost and even burning embers from forest fires. Simply enjoy life.

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Online Marketing

Social Media Marketing Tips Driving your prospects to your social media presence requires dedication to print, email and website campaigns.

BY JOSH KERBEL

I

t is possible to increase customer engagement by using traditional marketing to funnelling prospects into your social networks.

Hook them by offering them tips on products or services, but do not just hand them over, make the customer do a bit of work for them.

Here Is How You Do It: First things first, you must grab customers’ attention by intriguing them to want to read more from a direct mail piece they received or a newspaper advertisement. You do this by writing about a solution to a problem that many of your customers have, but do not tell them everything. This is your bait to reel a new prospect in.

Next, direct your prospect to your social media channel (Twitter or Facebook, or both) to read the rest of the solution. Finally, ask your prospects for their opinion on your solution to their problem. Solicit their feedback. For example, if you are in the restoration business, use before and after pictures of jobs that you are particularly proud of and ask prospects what they think of the end result. Trust me, people like to talk and are more than willing to offer their opinion.

Power To Your People Now, take the most common questions, group them together in a way that makes sense and answer them. This will help you learn a few things:

You will get a read on how the general public perceives your company. When you spend all day in a certain environment, you sometimes forget what the outside world thinks about you. This helps ground you in the reality of your customers.

More importantly, you get to understand all the different ways people ask the same question. You will be amazed how many people are often asking for the exact same thing.

So now you have a list of questions and your answers, you can do a number of creative things with them. You could create a series of simple blog articles, shoot short informational videos that address the content or even develop an eBook that prospects can download.

The most important thing to do here is to make all of this useful information easily accessible to your consumers and prospects.

This information library can also act as everyday reference material for employees when they talk to customers and prospects.

Remember to show your employees how they can use these resources during everyday conversations. Doing this properly will reduce the number of inbound phone calls and emails you get from people asking almost identical questions.

Use your email marketing campaigns to highlight the most popular social content on your site. If your site does not generate enough traffic to warrant the creation of a large amount of content, you can use a number of tools to republish popular relevant ar-

Josh Kerbel is Managing Director of Sales Funnel, a digital marketing agency that specializes in lead generation and prospect management systems. To get a copy of the free white paper, 8 Steps to Internet Marketing Success, please send an email to report.ca@thejoshkerbelproject.com.

ticles on your site for people to peruse. The important thing is that you reach out and invite your readers to share their opinion or buzz on the topic being discussed.

When you send out information that readers consider to be useful, they view your emails as being more educational than promotional. The ability for customers to interact with content in real time drives popularity (remember, everyone wants their opinion to be heard). If you want to put this to the test, track open rates between promotional emails versus emails that are educational and also include social content. You can then recycle the most popular email content by posting the most popular stories and articles on your blog or website.

Tell People What To Do On Your Website: Most Internet shopping sites love making recommendations on items that could be added to your basket. For example, a site that sells construction tools might recommend an extra set of drill bits to everyone who buys a drill. These cross-sells can be effective as they get the consumer to think about other items they may not have considered. The good thing is that you do not need to be an e-commerce site for this to work.

Ask readers to rate content on your site and then start recommending the most popular articles on your site to other readers.

Another great way to leverage content is to simply ask people to send it to their friends.

Many people have a natural drive to want to be seen as a fountain of information. Take advantage of this personality trait.

Remember, social media is all about connecting with your prospects and the only way to do that is by engaging them via other marketing channels.

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HOME RENOVATIONS

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To learn more about JELD-WEN products see your local Castle dealer or visit www.jeld-wen.ca.

Learning Curve

Keeping Clients, Building Culture Two new releases demonstrate how to grow and improve your client base, and how to gain and retain top talent.

CLIENTS, CLIENTS AND MORE CLIENTS McGraw-Hill

Many small businesses struggle when it comes to retaining customers.

“Clients, Clients and More Clients” from McGraw-Hill is designed to help overcome this challenge by teaching a company owner how to turn existing connections, made through lead generation, referrals, social media and other client outreach initiatives into actual business.

Author Larina Kase, a cognitive-behavioral psychologist and marketing consultant, applies her experience and the newest research in the field of psychology, to explain how to convert relationships into increased revenue.

According to the author, businesses face a number of challeng-

es when it comes to building rewarding business relationships.

These include not attracting the attention of the right people in the right way; not connecting and forming an emotional bond; and ultimately, not converting referrals into new clients.

With a background that includes social psychology, behavioural thinking and neuroscience, she presents multiple techniques to help close deals and beat the competition.

Using real world examples, she walks readers through how best to use Socratic questioning to better understand a client’s true needs, plus ways to access underlying emotions through use of metaphors.

In addition, readers will learn ways to alleviate client stress and fear, and how to use and process feedback to build client relationships for long-term success.

BUILDING A MAGNETIC CULTURE McGraw-Hill

An unengaged workforce results in low productivity, high employee turnover and, often, a failure to meet business goals. It is with that in mind that McGraw-Hill released Building a “Magnetic Culture: How to Attract and Retain Top Talent to Create an Engaged, Productive Workforce.”

Author Kevin Sheridan presents how unengaged workforces can drag a company’s overall performance down. He also concludes that 75% of the workforce exists in this state of disengagement. To overcome it, he provides direction to create what he describes as a “magnetic culture” in order to increase and improve employee productivity.

The book defines a “magnetic culture” as: • One that draws in and maintains top-talent • Employ workers who share a strong desire to be part of the value the business creates;

• Implement programs so employees remain loyal, creative and productive • Creates a culture that allows employees to stand apart from their peers. Ultimately driving business success.

The book helps readers understand what best engages and motivates employees and teaches them how to create a thriving environment.

Sheridan, CEO and chief consultant at HR Solutions, draws on real work examples from his years of consulting experience to show readers the steps to change their companies and create a consistent motivation. To help readers build a plan to transform their workplace, benchmarks and best practices are provided throughout the book, as well as interviews with executive and HR professionals from other employee-engaged companies.

Both books are currently available from www.amazon.ca and www.chapters.indigo.ca.

CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

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Vicwest Steel: the ultimate storm protection…

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Green

Feature

Growth

BY JOHN G. SMITH

With green building techniques and products emerging on a growing number of job sites, contractors should be prepared to ask a few well-placed questions.

PHOTO: THINKSTOCK IMAGES

T

he green features around Derek Satnik’s Kitchener, Ont., home are hardly limited to sage-coloured siding. The structure, honoured in ontariogreenspec.ca’s 2010 Home Sweet Home Competition, is a showcase for a long list of environmentally friendly building products and upgrades of every sort.

Consider just a few examples. The “Ontario Green Home’s” furnace has a variable speed motor which uses two-thirds less electricity than a comparable design. A 516-gallon tank captures rainwater to irrigate plants. The carpet fibres are made from

recycled pop and ketchup bottles. Upgraded insulation includes 2” of R10 rigid extruded polystyrene for the slab, and studs are spaced 19.2” apart to limit any thermal bridging through the outer walls. Even the concrete creates a smaller environmental footprint.

It replaces energy-wasting Portland cement with blast furnace slag, which is a by-product of manufacturing steel.

Maybe there should be little surprise that Satnik is an avid promoter of products like these. He is the managing director of Mindscape Innovations, which specializes in environmentally and technologically advanced build-

ing projects. The family’s next house, he says, will push the environmental boundaries even further than this 2,755 sq. ft. production home.

While builders are looking to secure formal Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), Built Green or Solar Ready designations on selected projects like this, there is no question that greener products are emerging on job sites of every kind.

It is a shift that will undeniably require every contractor to ask a few more wellplaced questions.

“What we are beginning to realize, more and more, is that quality has several ele-

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Feature

PHOTO: THINKSTOCK IMAGES

Contractors often need to look past any “green washing” that might make materials appear more environmentally friendly than they really are. ments to it, and not just ease of application and durability,” Satnik says, noting how environmental standards are joining more conversations about material choices.

For their part, product suppliers are ready with the answers, he adds. “They expect people to ask them where their materials came from and if it has got recycled content, and if they have done emissions testing, and if they know it has VOCs (health-harming Volatile Organic Compounds) in it. Any finishing material will have an MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet), and those sheets specify things like VOC content.”

In many cases, the weighing of greener choices will be a matter of common sense. The simple amount of recycled content, for example, will be an important measure whether it involves brick, concrete or drywall.

Still, the Construction Sector Council’s recent Green Sustainable Building in Canada: Implications for the Commercial and Residential and Construction Workforce study found a lack of clear standards to identify many of the greener options.

Contractors often need to look past any “green washing” that might make materials appear more environmentally friendly than they really are.

Satnik counters that builders and contrac-

tors simply need to know where to look. Thirdparty labels from sources including www.ontariogreenspec.ca, Environment Canada’s EcoLogo program, or category-specific programs such as the Carpet and Rug Institute’s FloorScore all offer important insight. Green Seal labels can be found on environmentally friendly finishing products, and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) label is found on sustainable forestry products.

“Generally speaking, they all follow the same principles,” he says of the programs.

“If you are comparing Product A to Product B, and one is making extra claims, you take that into account. Some of those things are actually pretty easy to compare when you get down to brass tacks.”

He likens some of today’s confusion to the early days of Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) files. “Now WHMIS information is expected,” Satnik says. “It is common, and people are good at it.”

Of course, the trends in greener construction are not limited to the material options. Some choices also play a role in the construction techniques themselves. Concrete that contains a higher percentage of recycled content, for example, can lead to longer curing times.

Perhaps the biggest change of all tends

to involve the way that a project’s waste is addressed. In fact, those who participated in the Construction Sector Council’s study found that recycling and waste management strategies are a greater concern than technical skills needed to work with green materials in the first place.

Many programs like LEED or Green Built will certainly base part of their ratings on the way waste is handled, and this can require a closer eye on weigh bills to track any improvements.

It is a good place to start. Building a residential home will typically create a couple of tons of waste. These documents can all be used to calculate the amount of construction waste per square foot, creating an accurate benchmark that can be used to track improvements.

“If you can make sure that waste goes to a recycler or to a salvager or somebody who is going to give it a second life and turn it into something new, then it counts,” Satnik says.

The ultimate goal is to limit the amount of waste generated in the first place, finding every possible way to re-use products or limit scraps.

Electricians can keep extra wiring for the next job, while extra framing material can be used as supplemental blocking to enhance a frame or simply take it to the next project. Even the dropped ceiling tiles used on a commercial building can be left as spares for building managers or taken to be installed elsewhere.

“Some people are pretty good at keeping their waste minimized. Just because you sent it all away to a dump does not necessarily mean you did anything wrong if you only sent half of the waste the guy next door sent,” Satnik stresses.

The biggest challenge of all, though, tends to emerge when it comes time to discuss the related prices. A typical “green” home might cost 1-3% more than its traditional counterpart, thanks to everything from enhanced products to slight increases in construction times, while an “aggressive” environmentally friendly project might cost 10% more, he adds.

This difference will likely need to be offset with some savvy marketing.

A third-party green label can help to prove a home’s enhanced value, whether the recognition comes with a LEED rating, Energy Star label, Built Green label, or Solar Ready platform.

CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

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Feature The Solar Ready program developed with Natural Resources Canada ensures the home has the piping and equipment needed to install a future rooftop solar power system, saving many of the costs traditionally associated with future retrofits. The roof boasts the right size, pitch and direction, while labeled conduits run from the mechanical room to the attic. Water heaters have extra valves and fittings, and an electrical outlet is located where a future solar tank may go.

For its part, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) covers a broad list of factors including site development, location, water and energy efficiency, material choices, the indoor environment, and the construction process and overall durability. The ratings themselves come in four levels, with platinum being the highest.

Energy Star labels, meanwhile, have been extended to new homes with an EnerGuide 80 rating, which is about 30% more energy-

efficient than structures built to meet the National Energy Code.

LEED is probably the most technically rigorous, but the Built Green program still enhances the rules outlined in Building Codes, adds Satnik, whose own home has earned LEED’s coveted platinum rating. “The point of these programs is to get people recognition for doing more. It is having a third party stand behind you and say you did a good job.”

The next step, of course, is to convince customers that green upgrades are worth the investment. Even though surveys continue to suggest that buyers would prefer green products when given a choice, their feelings often fail to translate into higher home sales.

Says the Construction Sector Council: “While social consciousness around environmentalism is high, home buyers are still reluctant to pay more for green homes, particularly when ‘green’ is perceived as implying large-scale approaches such as solar and geothermal energy. Conversely, builders are

not willing to build green without sufficient market demand and economic incentive.”

Satnik suggests that the real problem are builders and suppliers who stress technical benefits rather than the impact that individual upgrades can make.

Promoting a greener structure comes down to identifying the benefits that emerge with better materials and a durable design, he says. These structures will be healthier than competing homes, which can be an important factor for customers who suffer from allergies or asthma. Claims about energy savings also have more meaning if they can be described in the context of lower electricity, water and maintenance bills.

Then it is a matter of putting the added price in perspective. In many cases, all the features emerge for a lower price than a granite countertop.

Once the benefits are clearly explained, he says, the interest in greener building products and techniques are bound to grow.

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Green Friendly:

Building Rating Systems educational and online assessment tools; independent data audits; and a four-level performance certification program.

BOMA Go Green Plus

An online assessment tool that measures the environmental performance of commercial buildings.

Go Green Plus delivers scoring reports on how a building is performing, as well as providing very specific questions that enable the building manager to look at the components needed to achieve the benchmarks.

Green Globes Design

An online auditing tool to help integrate environmental performance in project delivery and to evaluate new building design against best practices and standards.

Green building rating systems are an important tool in measur- SBTool ing and evaluating the environmental performance of a build- Formerly known as GBTool, SBTool is a geframework for rating the sustainable ing. These rating systems cover a broad range of environmen- neric performance of buildings and projects. It may tal considerations from the building site selection, design, and also be thought of as a toolkit that assists local organizations to develop rating systems. construction, to building operations and workspace quality.

The system handles large projects or LEED® (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design)

Provides a framework for developing and evaluating high performance green buildings. LEED Canada is administered by the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC).

LEED is administered by the U.S. Green Building Council in the U.S.

BuiltGreen

Owned and managed by the Built Green Society of Canada, BuiltGreen BC offers certification for new single family homes and row homes. Membership in Built Green is open to all members of participating Home Builders’ Associations (HBA’s) including

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builders, renovators, product suppliers or manufacturers, service providers, community developers and municipalities.

BOMA BESt (Building Environmental Standards)

BOMA BESt is the leading environmental certification program for commercial buildings.

This national program was launched in 2005 by BOMA Canada to address an industry need for realistic standards for energy and environmental performance of existing buildings based on accurate, independently verified information.

Today, BOMA BESt has evolved from simply identifying key best practices to providing common standards; an array of

CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

single buildings, residential or commercial, new and existing construction, or a mix of the two. Download SBTool from the International Initiative for a Sustainable Built Environment site.

Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM)

A voluntary rating system, BREEAM Buildings can be used to assess any type of building (new or existing) against a set criteria and provides an overall score which will fall within a band providing either a; PASS, GOOD, VERY GOOD or EXCELLENT rating.

Source: Metro Vancouver (www.metrovancouver.org)

Feature

2012

LUMBER OUTLOOK

Contractors can expect reasonably stable lumber costs this year.

BY DAVID CHILTON SAGGERS

F

or the contractor, lumber might be considered king, even if bricks and cement are pretenders to the throne.

Because of this, the state of the lumber industry and its associated costs will determine whether it is likely he works at a profit or has to endure a loss. Nevertheless there are some measures he can take to protect himself from tough times turning into disasters when it comes to planning and buying lumber. Principal among them is taking note

of what the experts are saying about the next 12 months.

One of those lumber experts is Professor Han Chen, of the Natural Resources Management Department at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ont. What he has to say may help the contractor with his lumber planning and supply, allowing him to secure better quality wood at more or less constant prices given the enormous shifts being brought on by climate change.

First, says Chen, climate change is bringing greater tree mortality, although that same change is having the apparently positive effect of encouraging faster tree growth. “By knowing those two facts we know there are going to be more dead trees and we know trees that grow faster in a warmer climate will have less density. In consequence, the overall quality will be lower,� he explains.

How greater tree mortality and longer growing seasons will affect the lumber mar-

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PHOTO: THINKSTOCK IMAGES

Feature

ket, Chen cannot say. “Does it mean greater mortality will be compensated for by higher growth rates?” he asks.

“Perhaps mortality is more serious than increased growth, so we will have less volume. If I had to give a wild guess there would be greater mortality.”

Lakehead currently has a boreal forest study under way that will answer this question scientifically in a year or two, Chen says.

Species being studied include jack pine, balsam, fir and aspen. Wild guesses can be wildly inaccurate, but if Chen’s stab at an answer is more correct than not then this greater mortality will mean less volume and in theory, higher prices.

Much more dramatic than tree mortality or higher growth rates is insect infestation. It is a much bigger problem, Chen says, and is compounded by the fact that while lower growth rates mean denser, stronger wood and a higher resistance to insects, less dense wood offers up just the opposite. Other dangers to the lumber supply include wildfire, which is a danger to some trees more than others since some species are more highly associated with fire. Chen did not comment on how these two phenomena may affect lumber prices, but as they may diminish supply over time it would seem likely that they will put pressure on prices.

For 2012, Drew Stephens, who is responsible for eastern lumber supply for Taiga Building Products in Milton, Ont., thinks prices will remain pretty much as they were in 2011. He says he has seen no significant swing in prices in the last couple of years, and in any event “the builder-retailer relationship is quite different from before and the builder holds the trump card in most cases. Builders have got it pretty good with the retailers.” Still, for all this apparent sta-

bility, Stephens cautions there are a couple of wild cards in the mix. One of them is Russia, and if that country can get its distribution and other systems in place then the volumes of lumber it could bring to market would depress prices, he says. The second unknown is China. For the first quarter of 2012 the Asian giant has backed off a bit on its lumber imports, says Stephens, noting that country is a greater importer of Canadian lumber than is the U.S., although should China re-enter the market in a big way then all bets will likely be off.

China, a massive market for Canadian lumber, with exports up 140% to September 2011, now runs neck and neck with the U.S. as an export market, according to TD Economics, but the American market continues to falter, especially in the crucial new housing market. During the boom a few years ago the U.S. registered 2.2 million housing starts a year, says Stephens. Now, thanks to the sub-prime mortgage fiasco and other financial collapses, Stephens says they have been down to the 500,000 to 600,000 range for a while.

One lumber industry observer, who declined to be identified, is also standing pat. “Next year will be very, very similar to this year,” he says about prices. “OSB (oriented strand board) and plywood are fairly in balance too,” he adds, echoing Taiga’s Stephens. “We are seeing more engineered wood sales,” says Stephens. “Our own business in engineered wood is very good,” although here too prices are likely to remain about the same in 2012.

This is probably a good time for contractors, says the observer,

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ing a portable sawmill operator with his own machine to provide on-site cutting, a practice that is growing.

Portable sawmills can be used for everything from sawing logs to cutting timber for cabinetry, Lavallee points out. As an example of this versatility, he uses what he calls his company’s “workhorse”, the LC40 hydraulic sawmill. It can cut logs up to 36” in diameter and up to 21’ in length, he says, and can be up and running in 10 minutes. It runs on diesel or gasoline, generally a 29HP gas motor, and is a snap for towing behind a half-ton truck. The machine costs about $28,000, but purchasers get their HST refund payment right back, says Lavallee: “The write-offs are already there.”

One other way contractors might keep prices down and perhaps lessen their exposure to what would seem to be newer, lower quality lumber coming to market, would be to investigate using reclaimed lumber and beams on those parts of a dwelling that do not require new wood. Finding a provider will require some asking around or searching online, but it should be noted that oak, pine, maple and beech are typically available and can be used for millwork, cabinetry, paneling and so on.

Remember too that recycled timber is usually from old forests and so provides structural stability, higher quality and a denser grain. Using certified hem-fir framing lumber, certified plywood and reclaimed beams can save as much as $1,000 dollars in a single house and contractors can avail themselves of a “green” marketing advantage, says the Natural Resources Defense Council in the U.S. Of course, as has been established, contractors cannot influence the cost of lumber at source, but there are other ways to reduce their costs. The Council says trusses and panels use 26% less wood than traditional framing techniques, and stressed-skin panels can save up to 50% of the framing lumber used in a typical house. Then there is the matter of reducing wood waste. By doing that contractors can save themselves hundreds of dollars since about 1/6th of the wood delivered to a job site ends up in a landfill.

Contractors who have adopted waste reduction programs can save up to $800 on a single job.

For the contractor the 2012 lumber outlook is fair. Material costs will remain largely unchanged and innovation will continue to flourish, particularly on the hardware side.

All that is needed now is an economy showing signs of life.

PHOTO: THINKSTOCK IMAGES

since the state of the market lets them take on longer term commitments and to quote on projects over time.

In contrast, he continues, the same cannot be said for retailers or indeed the mills themselves, since most of them are struggling. According to International Wood Markets Group Inc. in Vancouver it will be the 2013-2015 period that sees a breakout in higher prices as demand starts to outstrip supply because of the mountain pine beetle epidemic in British Columbia and parts of the U.S., and diminished harvests in Ontario and Quebec, among other factors. Until that time International Wood Markets notes, the group says it does not see prices going above US$300 a thousand board feet, as measured by the Random Lengths Framing Composite.

Being able to depend on fairly constant lumber prices and thus plan ahead means the contractor can price his projects to his advantage; however, there are other ways for him to conserve his resources. Consider technology. There is software available from multiple vendors to help the contractor plan anything from an extensive renovation to a new sub-division.

On the hardware side there is not as much variety, but what there is suggests considerable savings potential. The portable sawmill is one such item. Dorian Lavallee, Canadian Sales Manager for Wood-Mizer in Lindsay, Ont., says custom home builders are among his biggest clients, and one of them told him he would recoup the full price of his purchase through the savings made by sawing his own lumber. A further potential saving could be made by the contractor hir-

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PHOTO: THINKSTOCK IMAGES

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CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

CROWNING

GLORY If doors can be used as visual cues to alert people of the style theme for a certain space, ceilings bring the design elements together.

BY NESTOR E. ARELLANO

PHOTO: ARMSTRONG WORLD INDUSTRIES

T

he man cave conjures images of a secluded, subterranean sanctuary, decked in wall-to-wall masculinity, adorned with a neon beer sign, the living room’s cast-off widescreen TV and a fully stocked beer fridge.

While such a basement barroom might be the place a weary contractor would want to kick off the old safety boots and relax, in reality the basement is one of the most popular areas homeowners target for renovation. A basement project might aim to create a play place for the man of the house, a separate family recreation area or a self-contained living area with extra income potential. When it comes to renovating confined spaces, contractors can look up to ceilings to provide top potential for altering a room’s character at near rock bottom prices.

A 2010 Canadian Mortgage Housing Corporation (CMHC) report indicates that the average amount spent by Canadian residents on home renovation was around $12,972. For the same period, homeowners in total spent over $22.8 million in home renovation proj-

ects. No less than 10 % of that amount was spent on projects involving ceilings and walls.

“Contractors should not neglect ceilings when approaching a renovation project,” says Lynn Edey, supplier director for Alexandria Moulding. “There are a wide range of moulding and other options that a good contractor can use on ceilings to help enhance the look of a room to suit almost any budget.”

If doors can be used as visual cues to alert people of the style theme for a certain space, ceilings bring the design elements together and can become the room’s crowning glory, he says. “By keeping up-to-date on the various options in the market, the latest materials and trends, a contractor will be better equipped to provide customers with the right advice and expert service needed to complete their project.”

Heads up on styling options: Gaze up at the ceiling of most homes and more likely than not you will find it made of drywall.

This type of ceiling can be painted, textured, accented with mouldings or left plain white. Drywall ceilings remain a contractor’s

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Feature and homeowner’s favourite because the material is cheap, easy to install, durable and blends easily with almost any décor.

Drywall ceilings generally cost around $2 to $7/sq. ft. to install. For converted attics and basements with limited headroom drywall is an ideal choice, taking up about only half an inch, since the ceiling can be at-

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tached directly to the joist. Still, many building material experts believe homeowners need not confine themselves to this favourite which supplanted plaster ceilings back in the 1950s.

In recent years another type of ceiling has come into favour, according to Scott Mahony, product manager for CGC Inc. a Brampton, Ont.-based firm that provides ceiling tiles and suspension systems. “With the emphasis on electronic gadgets for the home, suspended ceilings are fast becoming a very attractive option.”

In the era of the “smart home”, many rec rooms, living rooms and, yes, man caves have gone way beyond the pre-requisite wide screen televisions, says Mahony.

Besides the televisions, projection screens and sound systems, many households also can now have alarm systems, surveillance cameras and temperature control systems that can be monitored and controlled over the Internet.

“Electronics require wires and cables and the best way to keep them out of sight but easy to access for repairs and maintenance is with suspended ceilings,” explains Mahony.

The 2’x4’ foam rectangles as well as the newer 2’x2’ panels or 12”x12” tiles used in

suspended ceilings are attached to a suspended grid system of either light metal or vinyl material. The tiles can be temporarily removed and reattached with ease whenever cables or plumbing need to accessed.

There are also many ceiling tiles that cater to homeowners who value sustainable building practices, Mahony says.

For example, CGC’s Cast and Sandrift lines of ceiling panels have no VOC or volatile organic compounds, meaning they to do not emit harmful gasses into the environment.

“In the last few years manufacturers have also started selling ceiling products made from recycled materials or sourced from non-endangered wood species,” he says.

Suspended ceiling tiles can also compete

on price point against the economical drywall ceiling, according to John Hudson, retail sales manager for Armstrong World Industries.

There are low-cost tiles that sell for about $1 to $3/sq. ft. and PVC tiles, such as Armstrong’s #1280 that sell for roughly $5/sq. ft.

PVC tiles are lighter than fibre tiles, come in different textures, can be painted and keep their shape well, Hudson says. “For homeowners who want to create a specific look for their abode, tiles today come in a wide array of textures, styles and colours.”

For instance, Armstrong’s 266 Brighton series of tiles have a three-dimensional design that emulates the look of textured plaster.

“The 266 reflects light very well and enhances the colour contrast of TV screens. This is a

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product I would recommend for a rec room or that dream basement,” Hudson says.

It is not just all about beauty. Performance should also be considered when picking ceiling materials,” Mahony says.

For example, many tiles are able to endure exposure to flames for one hour. Tiles that are labelled Class A, the highest fire rating, will not combust after test flames are extinguished. Class A tiles also do not exceed the smoke spread limit.

A tile’s Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC) and Ceiling Attenuation Class (CAC) are also important factors to consider when noise insulation is important to the homeowner, Mahony adds.

NRC ratings measure how much noise is absorbed by construction materials. NRC ratings range from 0 (concrete floor) to 1.00 (acoustic tiles). An NRC rating of .7 is pretty good, says Mahony. It means the tile absorbs 70% of the noise hitting it. CAC measures how well the tile blocks the transmission of sound.

The highest CAC ratings range from 40 to 44.

For homeowners who value a more traditional look, contractors can suggest wood ceilings. “Wood ceilings have that rich, natural beauty. They have that rustic charm or old world feel to a place,” Edey says.

Popular species include pine, western red cedar, spruce, Douglas fir, birch and poplar.

To help homeowners economize, contractors can suggest alternatives such as beadboards. These are 5” x 84” strips of wood,

fibreboard or wood veneer laminates that look like expensive woods. Other options include wood ceiling panels made of MDF or fibreboard or plywood can help cut down the cost of materials by as much as 50%.

The space where the ceiling meets the wall often receives a visitor’s initial scrutiny. “Contractors can help a homeowner enhance this natural point of interest by installing crown mouldings as a decorative element,” Edey suggests.

Apart from evoking a styling statement, he says, mouldings can also be used to create the illusion that a room is larger than it actually is. When properly employed, mouldings can make walls look wider or make ceilings appear higher.

Another way to achieve the classical look is to install tin ceilings. Rolled tin panels with embossed designs were popular ceiling embellishes during the 1800s to early 1900s.

Today, specialty manufacturers still handcraft 2’x2’ tin panels that can be glued, or nailed to wood or drywall ceilings. Other models can even be fitted to suspended ceiling systems. Tin tiles are priced at around $3 to $5/sq. ft. They come in finishes like, tin, brass, copper, chrome, pewter or gold.

The embossed designs encompass classical to very modern patterns. Real metal ceilings reflect sound and are not ideal for areas where homeowners want to reduce the noise levels. Faux thin panels made of PVC are less noise reflective and are also lighter on the

wallet as they cost about $1.50 to $3/sq. ft.

The cost of installing a ceiling will largely depend on the type of ceiling a homeowner wants. For example, while material cost for drywall and ceiling tiles might not be too far apart, keep in mind that contractors also need to factor in the cost of priming and painting the installed drywall panels.

Similarly, contractors need to consider the cost and installation of suspension systems when working on dropped ceiling projects.

Do not forget to include additional work or equipment you may need to complete the project. This could include costs for removing pre-existing ceiling grid and tiles, removal of existing mouldings or panels and prepping of surfaces.

Removal or re-routing electrical wiring and plumbing is another vital concern. If you are certified and capable of dealing with these, they could be a source of extra income. Otherwise, have the homeowner hire another person to deal with the wiring, or sub-contract the electrical and plumbing work.

“Careful inspection of the project and a clear discussion with the homeowners about their expectations and plans will help ensure that you don’t get way in over your head and end up short changing yourself,” Mahony says.

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Trim

TRENDS NEW BUILDING MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES MAKE FOR LOWER INSTALLATION COSTS AND FASTER COMPLETIONS.

BY STEFAN DUBOWSKI

C

ontractors who want their projects to really shine have a range of millwork options to choose from, but thanks to advancements in the millwork industry many of the latest lines of baseboards, crown trim, stair accessories and doors are easier to install and less expensive than they used to be.

Gone are the days of long drawn-out trim work. Millwork providers now offer products that reduce the time required to put the final touch on projects. New offerings are also designed to last longer than ever, and they are more environmentally friendly.

Companies such as Moulding & Millwork and Alexandria Moulding are doing brisk

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sales of pre-finished trim. These products arrive at the jobsite already sporting their finished paint coats. Manufacturers say the finishes are specially designed to withstand the rigors of transporting the trim through the many steps in the supply chain from the plant to the jobsite. Pre-finished trim also comes with fillers and touch-up products that match the colour of the trim, making it easy to produce a clean, professional application.

“Rather than the project taking two, three, four, six days, it can be just the installation, the touch-up, and you are done,” says Stuart Cuthbert, the B.C. branch manager at Moulding & Millwork. This company’s pre-finished

CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

line, called FinTek, has flex additives so if large pieces of trim flex, the paint does not crack.

(Learn more on Moulding & Millwork’s website: www.mouldingandmillwork.com.)

Alexandria Moulding calls its pre-finished line DecoSmart. Marianne Thompson, director of corporate development, says the product is particularly popular with door and window installers.

“When they install a window, they have to install the interior trim. This just makes the installation that much faster.”

Still, speed of installation is not the only thing that matters. For some customers, environmental stewardship is important as well.

Feature

Millwork materials: What is the best choice?

Stuart Cuthbert, branch manager of Moulding & Millwork in B.C., provides a few pointers on the various types of material used in millwork.

MDF: Medium-density fibreboard is not only economical. It is also versatile.

“We have some high-end, multi-million dollar houses that use our MDF moulding package. It is inexpensive, it is easy to finish and it looks good.”

Poplar: Although more expensive than MDF, poplar is a good paintable alternative for high-traffic areas. “Poplar is a hardwood, so of course, it is hard.

MDF is essentially wood fibre and glue. It is softer. It is more liable to dent. If you have children, a hardwood like poplar would last better.”

PHOTO: MOULDING & MILLWORK

Douglas fir, hemlock: More expensive than either poplar or MDF, Douglas fir and hemlock both exhibit beautiful grains and colours that call out for staining instead of paint. Cuthbert recommends these materials for rooms designed to showcase architectural distinction.

That is why Moulding & Millwork developed its Spero line of MDF mouldings and boards.

Made of recycled wood fibre harvested from responsibly-managed forests, this low-emission solution contains no added urea-formaldehyde. It qualifies for LEED credits as a Low Emitting Material.

Spero products are 20% to 30% more expensive than traditional MDF, Cuthbert says, but he adds that environmentally-concerned organizations, such as the University of British Columbia and the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, find the premium worth paying.

“Quite a lot of this was used in the Athlete’s Village in Vancouver,” he says.

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Feature

Two-sided trim saves time, reduces waste Alexandria Moulding’s Flip Face crown moulding features the same profile on the front and the back, making it easier to install.

Marianne Thompson, Alexandria Moulding’s director of corporate development, says the product lets contractors set up their saws just once.

To change between inside and outside corners, simply flip the face of the trim.

“Now you are only going to set your saw once, and you do not have to move it,” Thompson says, adding that Flip Face also reduces the amount of wasted trim with fewer discarded triangles.

PHOTO: ALEXANDRIA MOULDING

SimpleTread: If Spero represents a green advancement, SimpleTread scores one for simplified installation. Developed by Alexandria Moulding, it gives contractors a way to transform a paint-grade staircase into a natural wood showcase without ripping out and replacing the treads. It is a superior stair tread cap constructed of durable engineered hardwood (oak or maple). It is designed to fit directly over the existing stair structure, saving time and money.

“For contractors, it is all about finishing the job as well and as quickly as possible,” says Thompson. “Before, they would have to take out a complete staircase and put in a new one. Sometimes the price point was so high it would not fit into the customer’s budget. Now with the capping program it gives the customer a cost-effective option.”

Alexandria Moulding also recently unveiled an online stair parts configurator.

Accessible via the company’s website (www. alexandriamoulding.com), the tool walks through the steps of designing a staircase, including options such as shape (straight run or turn with landing, for instance), newel post and balustrade requirements.

Thompson explains that the configurator generates a parts list, so when the contractor goes to the building supply store, he already has a good idea of what is required and the cost. “Your takeoff is already done after a few minutes on the website,” she says.

Alexandria Moulding has only offered the stair parts configurator for six months or so, but it is proving to be popular. “The number of hits to our website grows every day,” Thompson says.

The trend towards greater use of technology is undeniable, but it certainly is not the only trend in the millwork market. Manufacturers say that they are seeing more and more customers and projects opting for

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Feature boardroom, with a very beefy set of hardware,” Fafard says. “It is just stunning.”

Although sliding doors generally do not provide as good a sound seal as traditional hinged doors do, the sliding option is growing popular as a modern take on the room divider. Where homeowners would have chosen French doors in the past (between a living room and dining room, for example) many are going for sliding doors instead.

PHOTO: MADERO DOORS & HARDWARE

Composite jambs

relatively simple, clean lines in terms of trim and door styles, such as Moulding and Millworks’ soon-to-be-launched West End series of doors and mouldings. The wood panel doors provided by Lynne Fafard, president and CEO of Madero, notes that customers are moving away from the flat flush style of

door in favour of the more architecturally distinct wood panel option. She also points out that many projects call for sliding doors that operate on eye-catching industrial hardware.

“We just built a new building in Winnipeg and we used this kind of door for the

Alongside new door styles come new door trim options. Fafard points to a new exterior composite door jamb jointly developed by Madero and Nanya Plastics Corp. as exemplary of the changes in the industry. The product provides superior screw and staple holding power, and a tough exterior finish.

No need for cladding, no water absorption, no rotting or mold, and no warping. This jamb is virtually maintenance free, Madero says via its website (www.madero.com).

“It is now our number-one selling product,” Fafard says, explaining that out of the thousands of exterior doors that the company sells each year, “about 50% of them use composite jambs.”

It is important for contractors to take the time to learn how to install the composite product properly, though. “If it is like a limp noodle, it is not going to support the door,” Fafard says. “You need to install it a little bit differently than a traditional wood jamb, but when you get used to it, you just love it. Still, there is a bit of a training curve.”

It is also important for contractors to recognize the wealth of options available for trim work. As Thompson notes, Alexandria Moulding can match any trim design, so if the customer insists on maintaining the original style of his 1920s arts and craft cottage, contractors can make that happen.

Asked for advice on using Moulding & Millwork’s products, Cuthbert says light sanding is crucial to ensure a smooth painting or staining surface. (That does not apply to the pre-finished FinTek product, of course.)

As well, Cuthbert recommends using a 23-gauge nailer instead of 18 or 15-gauge. “It is a smaller hole,” he says. “That just means the holes are going to be easier to fill, it is going to look cleaner, and it saves time.”

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Feature

GYPSUM INNOVATIONS

BY LAWRENCE CUMMER

Homeowners are asking for healthier, quieter, sturdier and more beautiful environments, and they are getting that and more as a result of drywall advancements.

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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

been in the past. That is probably one of the biggest things driving innovations in wall board.”

Healthy, Sustainable and Safe: Reynolds says that the movement toward greater environmentally sustainability is driving more builders to seek LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for new homes, and causing manufacturers such as CertainTeed to develop drywall products that contribute to that certification.

Paul Copeland, Ontario sales manager at Lafarge Gypsum says his company has seen that same environmental push, prompting it to set up all their plants to develop drywall products that contribute to LEED certification.

“There are more and more projects out there that are specifying to be green, he says, adding that Lafarge’s drywall products are made

PHOTO: THINKSTOCK IMAGES

H

omeowners are more demanding and discerning than ever, and the solution to satisfying many of their demands can be written on their walls.

The abundance of information available on the Internet and the popularity of DIY home improvement TV shows have made today’s homeowner more aware of health issues, environmental concerns and building quality.

That knowledge is affecting the wallboards that homeowners, builders and architects alike are asking contractors to install and driving innovation from gypsum manufacturers.

“People as a whole are becoming better educated,” says Steve Reynolds, North American marketing manager for the contractor channel at CertainTeed. “The Internet has been a real boom for that. They are beginning to discover that there is more to building science, as well as wanting to be more sustainable than they have

Feature

PHOTO: THINKSTOCK IMAGES

from nearly 100% recycled materials. “Some of it might be marketing, but they are really trying to build greener.”

Energy efficiency itself can actually create new problems. As building envelopes become tighter and tighter to reduce heat transfer, air quality becomes an issue of concern. This too is being addressed by innovations in the drywall market.

CertainTeed has developed AirRenew, a gypsum board that absorbs VOCs (volatile organic compounds) from the air and converts them into safe, inert compounds. This is giving peace of mind and a breath of fresh air to homeowners, Reynolds says. “There has been a lot of research that suggests what we breathe affects our health. Furnishings and carpets give off VOCs, making the air quality inside sometimes worse than outdoors.”

AirRenew is also mold and moisture resistant, a feature being found in more products across manufacturers, such as Lafarge’s Mold Defense drywall and CGC’s Sheetrock brand Humitek gypsum panels. As well as being available in AirRenew, CertainTeed offers mold resistance in its ProRoc Moisture & Mold resistant family of drywall products.

For those with mold resistance and fireproofing needs, CGC also offers Sheetrock Mold Tough Firecode panels (in 5/8” thickness).

“Mold and moisture resistance is absolutely a growing trend,” says Yannick Devost, director of marketing at CGC Inc. “Contractors are asking for more mold resistant products. It is growing and it is not going to stop.”

He says that architects of new homes and buildings are pushing for mold resistant products at the specification level to ensure they will not have moisture problems with the building.

For contractors using mold resistant drywall, it is important to remember to also use resistant products, such as compound and tape, when sealing the joints between panels, or else mold and mildew can form between panels.

Safety has always been part of drywall’s composition, reminds Reynolds, since it provides passive fire protection compared with the lath and plaster process used until the late 1950s. In the manufacturing process, chemically-bonded water crystals are dehydrated along with the gypsum, and must evaporate before drywall catches fire.

To that end, thicker drywall (5/8”) provides greater fire resistance than thinner options. Type X drywall adds glass fibres to the gypsum to increase fire resistance once the crystalized water is gone.

As population density and proximity to neighbours increase, and when tenant apartments are being built in basements, concern for fire resistance naturally rises, says Reynolds.

“I do not think it is always on people’s minds until they start putting family members in the basement, or you start living in multi-family dwellings. If a fire happens next door, homeowners want to make sure they are containing it as best they can.”

Most building codes require a higher fire rating for multi-family units.

Comfortable, Tough and Soundproof: Noise pollution is a further concern arising from population density. Increasingly homeowners are looking for methods to not only block out the sounds of neighbours, but even noise in home interiors.

An ideal basement entertainment room renovation might require

Levels of Gypsum board finish Level 0: Used in temporary construction or if final decoration is undetermined, this level of finish requires no taping or further finishing.

Level 1: Appropriate for areas that would generally be outside of public view or traffic. The surface is left free of excess joint compound and ridges and tool marks are acceptable.

Level 2: Appropriate for garages, warehouses or storage areas where appearance is not as much of a concern. Joints and interior angles are embedded in joint compound, and then whipped with a knife leaving a thin coat. Joint compound is applied over all fastener heads and beads and the surface is left free of excess joint compound. Ridges and tool marks are acceptable for a Level 2 finish.

Level 3: For areas where medium or heavy texture, or heavy-grade wall coverings will decorate the wall, it is recommended for this level that the surface be coated with a drywall primer prior to application of final finishes.

Level 3 is not recommended for smooth paint surfaces or light to medium-weight wall coverings.

Level 4: If flat paint, light texture or lightweight wall coverings are going to be the final decoration, Level 4 finishing is recommended. This requires two separate coats of joint compound over all flat joints and one over each interior angle, plus three coats over fastener heads and accessories. Before final finishing a drywall primer is also recommended.

Level 5: Recommended for areas with severe lighting or that will receive gloss, semi-gloss, enamel or non-textured paints. All the requirements of Level 4, plus a thin “skim coat” of compound or additional material is applied to the entire surface. Level 5 provides the highest degree of uniformity in the appearance of the wall surface.

For more information on the requirements of different drywall finish levels, visit the Gypsum Association at www.gypsum.org or talk to your drywall manufacturer.

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Feature

some soundproofing. The same applies to the perfect home office.

To meet that challenge, CertainTeed recently introduced into the Canadian market QuietRock, a family of soundproof drywalls made

by American manufacturer Serious Materials.

Available in a matrix of different thicknesses and with different soundproofing abilities, QuietRock uses a technique called constrained-layer damping to reduce the vibrations that cause sound, instead dissipating acoustic energy as nominal amounts of heat.

Reynolds says the sound dampening drywall is less cumbersome to install than many other techniques to block sound. It can be used directly on the wall cavity, or added on top of existing drywall panels.

“It is very easy for a contractor to apply, and it will deliver the soundproofing that will allow people to comfortably cohabitate.”

A few gypsum products more commonly found in commercial buildings, are seeing greater interest from the home market, manufacturers say. In particular, durability is becoming a factor, causing contractors to be increasingly called on to install drywall able to stand up to greater abuse.

“People are tending to look for products that are more impact and scratch resistant and require less maintenance,” Reynolds says.

When selecting impact-resistant products, contractors should look closely at the damage the room or hallway is likely to witness, and whether it will see soft impacts or puncture impacts. Soft impact is, for example, tripping and banging into a wall, while puncture impact might be a wall being hit by a cart.

“There are different levels of abuse resistance you can achieve; they have a range,” Reynolds says. “Durability is even more important as we get into having more multiple family units. You want common areas to withstand a lot more abuse.”

The quality of the finish, an attribute usually seen in commercial applications, is becoming more important in residential jobs as well.

While a Level 4 finish is industry standard on new homes, some homeowners are starting to ask for Level 5 finishes, which require a lot more work on the part of the installer. (see sidebar) To create a Level 5 finish, walls must be plastered completely with a thin coat of compound then sanded down, as opposed to simply applying compound to joint, and then sanding about a foot out.

A Level 5 finish is recommended for areas that have severe lighting, or are going to receive gloss, semi-gloss, enamel or non-textured flat paints. Level 5 finishes in residential application are still niche,

according to Devost, but some homeowners are willing to pay for it in higher-end homes. Reynolds and Copeland agree, noting that manufacturers are producing more products that help attain this top-tier look, like Lafarge’s Rapid Deco Level 5 skim-coated drywall.

These discerning consumer tastes can be an opportunity for drywall specialists to upsell their skills and expertise, but often in the case of new home construction, homeowner’s expect it, but without paying a premium, says Frank Pirocchi, owner of 4 Star Drywall Ltd. in Concord, Ont. “Our biggest demand right now is for Level 5 finish, unfortunately the customers do not want to pay for it,” Pirocchi says, adding that homeowners buying new homes can sometimes be disappointed with standard Level 4 drywall finish when seeing it under particularly heavy light.

He attributes this disappointment to homeowners becoming educated about home construction, but also on builders that, he says, should be advertising a Level 5 finish as an upgrade option.

Fortunately, innovation has taken away some of the labour of creating a Level 5 finish through the emergence of spray-on compounds, like CGC’s Sheetrock brand Tuff-Hide Primer-Surfacer. Most spray-on veneers still needs to be sanded so, while the results are beautiful, they still require added time and equipment expense, Pirocchi says.

Installation Ease: Ultimately, one of the biggest recent innovations in gypsum board is not focused on performance, homeowner comfort, or appearance, but on making life easier for contractors via the light-weight panel. Offered by multiple manufacturers and introduced into the market last year, these drywall panels weigh 30% less than standard wallboard. For the contractor this allows them to be more efficient, while, from a cost perspective, they are priced the same or similar to ordinary drywall.

“It has been very popular,” Reynolds says. “One of the biggest problems a contractor faces on the job is that the body ultimately breaks down after a lot of use. The lighter-weight wallboards help with that.”

For contractors specializing in drywall, efficiency is the name of the game. Like any construction job, Pirocchi says service and quality are always the best way to grow a business.

High-quality drywall jobs and superior service will get repeat business, even when low-quality jobs might be offered for cheaper. Builders ultimately know who to hire, he suggests, and top-notch drywall contractors compete on quality not price.

CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

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Feature

Does this job leave you

BAFFLED? 11 t ips that will help you compare and use insulating products.

BY JOHN G. SMITH

M

aintaining the perfect temperature inside a building envelope is no small task. The warm air found indoors is always looking for a way out, whether it passes through a gap around a window, rises through a building with a boost from the stack effect, or circulates across the open cavity in a wall.

Insulation will obviously provide an important line of defence against any escape.

Granted, the choice of the best insulating products can appear to be downright baffling. The aisles in every building centre are filled with options as diverse as fiberglass batts, rigid foam products and Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF). Each promises different features and benefits, and will involve a few unique installation techniques along the way.

Consider these tips when choosing or installing your insulation of choice.

PHOTO: THINKSTOCK IMAGES

1 STUDY YOUR Rs In any public school, studies of the three Rs surround reading, writing (’riting) and arithmetic (’rithmetic), but every experienced insulation installer also knows the need to study R-values as well.

The R-value offers a clear measure of a product’s insulating properties. Higher numbers equate to more effective protective barriers. The minimum requirements can vary from one region to the next, so it will be important to check Building Codes that apply.

Here is just one example of differences that can exist. A wall in southern Ontario might need to deliver an R-20 rating, while the same structure in southern Manitoba would need to deliver an R-23. The ceil-

ings would need to offer values of R-32 and R-38, respectively. A floor that sits above an unheated space like a garage, meanwhile, would need to deliver an R-27 in southern Ontario or R-38 in southern Manitoba.

IT, BUT DO NOT PACK IT 2 FILL The fiberglass batts traditionally supplied in plastic bales tend to offer more than R-3.0 per inch, but there can be too much of a good thing. The space between the individual fibers actually plays a role in the insulating value, so while it is important to fill an entire cavity and eliminate any gaps, installers need to be careful not to cram too much of the material into the available space.

The batt insulation options are not limited to fiberglass, either. Products made with mineral wool can deliver similar R-values per inch and offer added protection against fire and noise. Roxul, for example, is made with a combination of volcanic rock and slag, and can handle temperatures up to 2,150 F. Better than that, it will resist slumping in wall cavities because of a high density, and will also resist rot, mildew, mold and bacteria.

3 GO GREENER Environmentally conscious customers will be interested in the insulation products that can reduce energy needs, but the greener options hardly end with higher R-values.

Many of today’s products are also produced with more recycled content than ever before. Owens Corning, for example, notes that 40% of its fiberglass insulation is made from recycled content.

Manufacturing processes make a difference of their own. The Dow Building Solutions plant in Varennes, Quebec creates Styrofoam Extruded Polystyrene insulation with a zero ozone-depleting, VOC-free technology, and helps to meet a commitment to phase out a nasty ozone-depleting compound known as HCFC 142b.

CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

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Feature ET THE RIGHT CHOICES YOU AWAY 4 LBLOW Blown insulation offers a great solution when insulating irregular spaces found in areas like an attic, but there are differences from one product to the next.

While a light fiberglass fill might tend to move around the space in an attic, a denser cellulose fiber will be more likely to stay put.

There is also a difference in insulating value to consider. An inch of a cellulose version will deliver R-3.6, as long as there is between 3.5 and 4.5 lb./sq. ft. In contrast, an inch of glass fiber insulation will deliver R-2.9.

No matter what choice is made, installers will also need to be careful not to cover soffit vents, since that could create unwanted ice dams.

Polyurethane foams will come in open cell (about 0.5 lb./cu.ft.) and closed cell (just under 2.0 lb./cu.ft.) varieties, and there are some important differences in these sprayed products.

The spaces in open cell foam will be filled with air, and can deliver an R-value of 3.5 for every inch. In contrast, a protective layer of closed cell foams will virtually double that insulating value.

Products with higher densities translate into stronger foams, higher R-values and better barriers against air or water vapour.

Closed cell foams are also a better choice for projects below grade since they are less likely to absorb water.

CONSIDER SOME SOLID CHOICES

Rigid foam insulation can offer a solid protective barrier when installed over studs, OSB or another non-insulating sheathing.

When insulating a porous concrete block, it will even lower the heat losses caused by convection, radiation or conduction.

Consider this example of the difference that rigid products can make. A single inch of expanded polystyrene bead board will offer an R-value approaching 4.0, and the piec54 |

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

7 THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX Many decisions about insulation often focus on the spaces inside a structure, or at least the space between the joists and studs. Those who choose to insulate the outside of a foundation can enhance the protection, limiting temperature differences and air convection in block cavities.

8 MIND THE GAPS

THE RIGHT CELL CALL 5 MAKE

6

es can even serve the dual role of a vapour barrier if the joints are properly sealed and the right thicknesses are used.

When space is at a premium and the R-value really needs to be boosted, a foilcovered polyurethane or polyisocyanurate board can make the difference.

As important as the space between the studs may be, every opening between building materials or around a window, door or header offers an unwanted path for the air.

An acoustical sealant offers a great option for sealing joints in vapour barriers and polyethylene. Do you need to stick to metal or masonry? A butyl rubber will fill an opening as wide as ½”. Urethane foam sealants will fill a variety of gaps as well, particularly those found around vents.

Just remember that the deepest gaps might simply need to be filled with between ¼” and 2” of foam backer rod before applying any caulking.

9 GET A GASKET The space around a plumbing stack obviously offers a large opening which needs to be plugged, but the stacks also tend to move.

In this case, a neoprene gasket can offer a great insulating barrier. When it comes to the space between a foundation and a sill plate, a polyethylene sill plate gasket can offer some added insulating value as well.

The openings around electrical outlets will deserve some attention of their own, and can be supported with the gaskets that fit behind cover plates.

CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

10PICK THE RIGHT STRIP Gaps under a window or door should be blocked with an added layer of protection, whether it comes in the form of flexible weather stripping or a compression strip at the bottom of a sliding window or hinged door.

Every product supports some unique uses. A ribbed foam compression strip made with a closed cell rubber will conform to irregular surfaces at the bottom of a window.

Meanwhile, a rubber tubular strip will be more durable than a plastic counterpart around windows and doors, and a spring vinyl tension strip or polypropylene V strip will address narrow gaps such as those in a tight-fitting, double-hung window.

Some strips will combine a number of these features, offering a perfect fit depending on the project.

11 BUILD WITH BLOCKS Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) combine insulation with a system used to build concrete walls. Typically, these products include a pair of rigid insulating panels separated by a frame or web. Rebar is fit in the space between the panels, and concrete is then poured into the cavity.

After the wall dries, the form itself becomes a valuable layer of insulation, and eliminates the thermal bridging that can occur when traditional wooden or steel studs touch a concrete wall. It even helps to combat everything from moisture to mold.

For installers, the blocks are certainly lighter than Concrete Masonry Units. Each ICF unit tends to weigh less than 5 lb., will usually be spaced 4”, 6”, 8” or 10” apart, and can be trimmed with a saw or utility knife.

The secret to working with this material is to ensure footings are straight, level and square, while the need for shims or trimmed blocks can be identified with a check level after installing the first two rows of blocks.

If the poured concrete actually blows out a piece of the form, installers can simply shovel away the lost concrete, remove the broken piece of foam, and screw a piece of plywood in place.

1-800-GET-PINK® or visit www.owenscorning.ca

ExcEptional pErformancE, a grEEnEr planEt. that’s pink . ™

today, contractors, builders and homeowners expect more from their insulation. that’s why we created foamUlar® rigid insulation. it has the same trusted insulating performance that your customers have come to expect from owens corning, while providing exceptional moisture resistance and durability. Versatile in its application, it exceeds all green expectations with its outstanding energy efficiency. so go green and stock pink™.

Why choose FOAMULAR® Insulation?

• Complies with 2010 Montreal Protocol – CFC- and HCFC-Free • Zero ozone depletion potential • 70% less global warming potential† • Minimum 20% recycled content

Contact your Owens Corning Area Sales Manager to find out how PINK™ can make a positive impact on your business.

thE pink panthEr™ & © 1964-2011 metro-goldwyn-mayer studios inc. all rights reserved. the colour pink is a registered trademark of owens corning. © 2011 owens corning. all rights reserved. †the insulation is manufactured with a blowing agent with 70% less global warming potential as compared to owens corning previous blowing agents. grEEngUarD children & schoolssm mark is a registered certification mark used under license through the grEEngUarD Environmental institute. owens corning pink™ insulation is grEEngUarD certified for indoor air quality, except bonded loosefill products. © 2011 owens corning. all rights reserved.

NE OZOLETION DERMPULA FO LE À FORMU ZERO SEMENT PAUVRISNE P A O ZÉRO DE L’OZ

1-800-GET-PINK® or visit www.owenscorning.ca

PINK reNovatIoNs are greeNer aNd save moNey ™

∆

today’s contractors and homeowners demand products that are easy to use,

Why choose EcoTouch PINK Insulation?

quick to install, safe and reliable - all from a name that they trust. that’s why we

• Designed by a leader in energy efficiency • Made from over 70%* recycled content – 3rd party SCS certified • Made with 99% natural** materials • GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certified and formaldehyde-free • Durable & dependable

created ecotouch™ PINK™ FIBergLas® Insulation with PureFiber™ technology. made with 99% natural** material and over 70%* recycled content, this breakthrough in insulation technology is easy to install and safe for homeowners. and now renovation projects can pay for themselves‡ because homeowners can save up to 28%^ on heating and cooling costs and take advantage of up to $5,000 in ecoeNergy† grants. so go green and use PINK™ in your next project.

™

™

SM

UP TO $5,000 ECOENERGY GRANTS †

†

www.ecoaction.gc.ca/homes

tHe PINK PaNtHer™ & © 1964-2011 metro-goldwyn-mayer studios Inc. all rights reserved. the colour PINK is a registered trademark of owens Corning. © 2011 owens Corning. all rights reserved. *70% recycled content is based on the average recycled glass content in all owens Corning fiberglass batts, rolls and unbonded loosefill insulation manufactured in Canada. sCs certified. **made with a minimum of 99% by weight natural materials consisting of minerals and plant-based compounds. ‡Insulating levels recommended should result in energy savings over time above the cost of the insulating cost, however, if you buy too much insulation, it can cost you more than you save on energy bills. ^Up to 28% heating and cooling savings based on Hot 2000, version 8.7 run for a 2 storey 1972 type base house with 1149 sf per floor for an increase from r-8 to r-40 in the attic plus an increase from zero to r-20 in the basement walls in Canadian climates. ∆savings vary depending on original amount of insulation in your home, climate, house size, air leaks, and personal energy use and living habits. greeNgUard Children & schoolssm mark is a registered certification mark used under license through the greeNgUard environmental Institute. owens Corning PINK™ insulation is greeNgUard Certified for indoor air quality, except bonded loosefill products. this product has achieved greeNgUard Children & schools Certification and is verified to be formaldehyde free. © 2011 owens Corning. all rights reserved.