Contractor Advantage July / August 2014

COMPLIMENTARY

july/august 2014

Contractor advantage

Also:

Online Marketing Power Tools Siding Styles

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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

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Contents

Features

Dot commerce / 20 There are dollars to be had in cyberspace, assuming of course the right online marketing tools are put into place.

Going for the combo / 24 When it comes to cordless tool combination kits, users typically fall into three camps.

Go big and stay home / 30 Your clients want more than a deck, a gazebo or a pergola. They want expansive, colourful and durable outdoor areas.

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Inside

NEWS WATCH / 5

Colour options/ 37 Pressure treated wood advances are giving contractors a whole new set of options for outdoor structures.

EPD initiative launched

PRODUCT SHOWCASE / 9 New and improved products BUSINESS STRATEGIES / 12 Planting, growing customers SMART MONEY / 14 Detecting and preventing fraud ECONOMICS 101 / 16 What sort of executive are you?

LEARNING CURVE / 19 Getting on side

July/August 2014 Vol. 18 No. 4

Editorial Director Castle Building Centres Group Ltd. Jennifer Mercieca

Art Director Mark Ryan

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

Cedar still takes top marks for siding choices, but options like vinyl and fibre-cement and steel have their places with homeowners.

ICF opportunities / 51 Insulated Concrete Forms offer several benefits over wooden structures.

Managing Editor Paul Barker

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.

Siding discussion / 42

Contributors Nestor E. Arellano Lawrence Cummer Victoria Downing Stefan Dubowski Tron Jordheim Jim Muccilli David Chilton Saggers John G. Smith Alisa Zorina Julie Zylberlight

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: Jennifer Mercieca Director of Communications Phone: 905-564-3307 Fax: 905-564-6592 E-mail: jmercieca@castle.ca

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

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Just another case of window envy.

With good looks and available state-of-the-art features like our leak-free V-Weld technology, it’s no wonder our windows attract attention. A variety of styles and price points ensures that we have the right fit for any project. Next time you’re building, choose our Canadian-made windows and doors to take full advantage of our commitment to ontime delivery and after-sales support. Just don’t be surprised if the job site attracts some attention.

Visit allweatherwindows.com to learn more.

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News Watch

CaGBC, CSA Group launch LEED v4 evaluation program

By Paul Barker

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ontractors will need to learn the intricacies of a recently formed initiative between the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) and the CSA Group alliance that has been likened to the nutritional labels on food items.

The initiative’s announcement, which was made at the council’s national conference and expo, entitled Building Lasting Change, held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in June, revolves around LEED v4 and the CSA Group’s Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) program.

According to a release issued by the two organizations, EPDs are a means of measuring the environmental impact of either a product or system and an “important part of the life cycle assessment” of a building.

“EPDs can start with raw materials and continue all the way through to the end product, measuring overall energy use and efficiency, the materials that were used to make the product, chemical substances, emissions and waste generation. For the final occupants of a building, whether it is an office or a home, EPDs are like the nutrition label on a food box; they help give a full picture of how green a building is from beginning to end.”

Thomas Mueller, president and CEO of the CaGBC, said that Leed v4 incorporates a greater emphasis on building performance and material transparency for more building types than ever before.

Formally launched at Greenbuild in November 2013, Bonnie Rose, president of standards with the CSA Group, described it as a document that includes changes that require third-party verification of buildings and building materials as well as more transparency on the environmental impact of products and systems that go

Among the speakers at the Canada Green Building Council’s national conference and expo was noted biologist and biomimicry expert Janine Benyus. into a building. She urged contractors to take it upon themselves to learn about EPDs. “They are the future,” Rose said in an interview with Contractor Advantage.

“Contractors need to learn about them. It is not hard. It is a case of just educating themselves so they can understand what they are looking at and can use them effectively.

“Most people don’t know the overall environmental impact of their home or where they work and that’s why EPDs can make a difference. They paint a picture of a building’s environmental impact from ground-breaking to end of life. They help you make informed choices for a healthier environment benefits us all.”

EPDs, the two organizations said, play an important role in LEED v4 and understanding and adopting this practice will help ensure more sustainable building

practices now and into the future.

The announcement took place on the show floor of the conference, which featured 100 exhibitors, city green building tours and an international delegate program.

“As the pressure mounts for immediate solutions and innovative ideas to combat the growing impacts of climate change, this annual event becomes all the more important,” said Mueller.

“Green buldings have emerged as a proven solution globally with Canada as a leader in green buildings and communities.”

The event also included a keynote speech from noted biologist and biomimicry expert Janine Benyus.

Biomimicry, she writes, is a discipline that emulates “nature’s designs and processes to create a healthier, more sustainable planet.”

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CA

News Watch

Housing starts forecast reveals soft landing this year and next

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conomics and demographics continue to support new building starts, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.’s second quarter 2014 Housing Market Outlook, Canada Edition.

Still, the organization expects builders to continue to adjust activity, particularly with respect to multi-units such as condominiums in order to manage inventory levels.

“Builders are expected to continue to manage their starts activity in order to ensure that demand from buyers seeking new condominium units is first channeled toward unsold completed units or unsold units that are currently under construction,” said Mathieu Laberge, deputy chief economist for CMHC. On an annual basis, housing starts are expected to range between 172,300 and 189,900 units in 2014, with a point forecast of 181,100 units, down from 187,923 units in

2013. In 2015, housing starts are expected to range from 160,600 to 203,600 units, with a point forecast of 182,100 units.

Multiple Listing Service (MLS) sales are expected to range between 428,100 and 487,700 units in 2014, with a point forecast of 457,900 units, marginally changed from 457,338 in 2013. In 2015, sales are expected to range from 441,800 to 500,400 units,

with an increase in the point forecast to 471,100 units.

The average MLS price is forecast to be between $386,400 and $405,600 in 2014 and between $388,200 and $416,200 in 2015.

CMHC’s point forecast for the average MLS price calls for a 3.5% gain to $396,000 in 2014 and a further 1.6% gain to $402,200 in 2015.

Canada’s Building Trades Unions launch tradeswoman initiative

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ourneyman, a national program to promote, support and mentor women employed or considering employment within the unionized skilled construction trades, was launched recently at the 2014 Canadian Building Trades Legislative Conference in Gatineau, Que. The program is represented nationally by female representatives who are apprentices or journeymen, each a member of one of the 14 CBTU (Canada’s Building Trades Unions)-affiliated trade unions.

The representatives work in a variety of trades and have diverse backgrounds, stories and experiences.

They will be responsible for mentoring trade workers and aspiring male and female workers, as well as attending various regional and local happenings including networking functions, mentorship activities, high schools, charity and media events, trade shows and career fairs.

“What inspires me about our representatives is how much they love what they do,” said Lindsay Amundsen, director of program development and operations for Journeyman.

“They are passionate, strong and dedicated to what they

do. I feel that they are trailblazers for the next generation of tradeswomen.”

In Canada women represent only 4% of the construction trade workforce, and that number is smaller in other skilled trades.

The skilled labour shortage and large population of workers gearing up for retirement represent enormous opportunities for women seeking secure, well-paid and fulfilling employment in challenging careers, according to the CBTU. “The more we at Journeyman educate young women and men through mentorship, the more they will see the many incredible career paths they can pursue in the skilled trades,” said Journeyman founder Jamie McMillan, a Hamilton, Ont., ironworker and foreman.

“There are 14 affiliated Building Trades unions in Canada and over 60 apprenticeships within them, journeyman wages that range from $35 to $45 per hour, and a range of work from coast to coast. It sells itself.”

More information on the program, including information about each representative can be found at www.journeymaninc.ca CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

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WHAT YOU’RE REALLY INSTALLING IS A REFERRAL.

When you install a Steel-Craft door, you’re installing more than just a door. With a patented WeatherLock system, the highest quality insulation and weather-ready hardware, it’s Steel-Craft’s superior engineering that makes the difference.

WEATHERLOCK

CLIMACORE

DURAWARE

Our patented system overlaps the interior and exterior skins, keeping moisture out and extending the life of your door.

We have the highest quality insulation between the panels which provides higher R-Value, better strength and consistent protection from the elements.

Every Steel-Craft component is made by Steel-Craft. Track, hinges, and rollers are made to handle our weather.

THE DOOR WITH MORE. A personalized Door Designer awaits you at Steel-Craft.ca

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Product showcase

Building Blocks

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Innovative Products for Today’s Renovators MILWAUKEE TORQUE LOCK MAXIMIZES LOCKING FORCE

Milwaukee Tool’s recently released Locking Pliers and Locking C-Clamps feature a Torque Lock adjustment system that allows a contractor to maximize locking force with a faster, controlled set-up.

The patent pending system features a thumb screw with a more convenient geometry for hand force and a unique screwdriver through-hole design to produce maximum locking force, according to the company. Each of the tools also include hardened jaws for increased gripping power on the jobsite material and are made from chrome-plated forged alloy steel for durability and rust protection. A traditional release-lever design provides additional functionality and convenience to improve productivity.

The tools are backed by a limited lifetime warranty.

Visit www.milwaukeetool.com for more information.

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STANLEY HAMMERS DESIGNED TO REDUCE VIBRATIONS

Two new FatMax Anti-Vibe hammers from Stanley Tools are constructed with a two-piece steel core to reduce vibrations.

The FMHT51249 (14 oz.) and FMHT51244 (17 oz.) model hammers isolate vibration to the hammer head, reducing the amount transferred to the user. The hammers’ steel cores are wrapped in layers of multiple dampening materials, and a shock-absorbing collar between the head and handle further isolates vibrations.

Both hammers feature black exposed steel under the head, which provides over-strike protection to help prevent damage to the hammer body if the handle accidentally strikes a surface. The 17 oz. framer features a checkered face design to reduce slipping off nails when striking compared to a smooth face hammer. It also features a magnetic nail starter for when mobility is restricted. The 14 oz. nailer, which has a smooth face, does not have magnetic nail starter.

Visit www.stanleytools.com for more information.

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Product showcase

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4. 5. URBAHN SIDING USES INNOVATIVE BRUSHING PROCESS Maibec Siding’s Urbāhn series features a brushed face that lets wood grain shine through making it ideal for contemporary architecture.

The siding is available both in Modern and Rabbeted Bevel maibec em+ siding profiles, and in a selection of natural tones and solid colours. It also features metal outside corners available in three colours, for a more sleek design.

The siding uses Maibec’s em+ profile, which simplifies installation. End-matched tongue-and-groove joints help the siding lock into place easily and firmly secure it at the top, bottom and ends of every board. This results in siding being installed faster with less waste, according to the company.

Maibec Urbāhn siding is distributed in Canada through Owl Distribution. It includes a 50-year warranty against wood decay.

Visit maibec.com for more information.

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DEWALT SCREW LOCK SYSTEM PREVENTS STRIPPED SCREWS DeWalt’s new Impact Ready FlexTorq Screwdriving Bits and 10X Magnetic Screw Lock System allows bits to flex up to 15 degrees under high torque loads for a longer bit life.

The FlexTorq design also features oversized wings to provide a better fit between fasteners and the bit tip. The 10X Magnetic Screw Lock System minimizes drops and reduces wobbling by utilizing a powerful magnet to lock the fastener in place on the bit tip. It includes a new rapid-load holder (compatible with all 1” bits), and a collar that fits onto 2”, 3.5” and 6” FlexTorq power bits. A Magnetic Screw Lock Sleeve features a floating ring magnet for fastner retention.

Visit www.dewalt.com for more information.

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Product showcase

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CERTAINTEED BRINGS EVERNEW RAILINGS TO CANADA

CertainTeed’s EverNew vinyl railing systems have received third-party evaluation showing they meet the loading requirements for guards within residential homes with up to two dwelling units, making them code compliant in Canada.

The newly-available railing systems come in two styles, Oxford and Kingston with both available in white, almond or clay colours.

The Oxford style delivers a seamless appearance with either a routed or bracketed metal-to-metal, rail-to-post connection.

Its aluminum-reinforced T-rail top rail and 2x4 bottomrail design provides strength, aesthetics and longevity, the company says. It comes in two heights and two lengths, with a choice of square or colonial balusters.

Kingston vinyl railing system offers classic wood styling in a durable, low-maintenance broad-loaf design for both top and bottom rails. It features aluminum rail mount brackets to provide a safe and secure metal-to-metal, rail-to-post

connection for strength and longevity. Kingston comes in two heights and two lengths, with a choice of square or traditional balusters.

Both Kingston and Oxford are compliant up to an 8’ span for exterior guard rail systems for one- and two-family dwellings. Each offers a lifetime limited warranty with fiveyear SureStart protection.

Visit www.certainteed.com for more information.

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OPULENCE LATEST TREND IN HOME DECOR

Opulence is one of the hottest looks for the home in 2014, according to SICO paint. The company adds that it is presenting itself with dramatic colours, rich metallic shades, and plush velvet and suede – think shimmery antique golds highlighted by sophisticated darks and extravagant gem tones such as emerald, ruby and sapphire.

“Home décor is taking its cue from the world of fashion and cars, and this is translating into lavish colours and designs for walls, furniture, floors and accessories,” said Mylène Gévry, marketing manager for SICO paint, a brand of PPG Architectural Coatings. In unveiling the newest SICO paint colour theme, a collection of opulent hues called Design Splendour, she said the look is contemporary, mixed with vintage touches such as tapestries, brocades, damasks, embossing, toile de Jouy and gilding, reminiscent of a more regal era in history.

Included in the Design Splendour paint palette is a mix of both warm and cool SICO paint tones. The warm hues – such as Royal Jelly (6095-84) golden yellow, Bloody Mary (6057-65) red and Champagne Glass (6039-21) pink – are a balance of

exotic, intense colour and subtle, softened neutrals. The cool tones of the palette – including Polynesian Blue (6003-73), Jazz Night (6019-83) slate and Galapagos Green (6146-73) – are rich and saturated, contrasting well with the warm shades.

Visit www.sico.ca for more information.

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Business Strategies

Planting and Growing Your Own Customers Remodelers Advantage’s marketing guru Mark Harari shares his insights on how to nurture an expansive garden of potential customers.

by Victoria Downing

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veryone at Remodelers Advantage is dedicated to helping renovators build strong, consistently profitable businesses. That is what we do, and each team member brings a different set of strengths to that end.

One example of that is our marketing director Mark Harari. While Mark is responsible for all of our marketing and branding, he regularly uses his expertise on our client’s behalf as well. Because he is so good at what he does and passionate about effective marketing, I am giving him the floor in this issue’s column. Enjoy and learn as Mark shares his thoughts on Planting and Growing Your Own Customers:

a trusted advisor, be it a relative, friend or colleague.

But beyond referrals, the proverbial holy grail of leads, building trust takes time. You have to build a relationship, and that can take weeks, months or even years. Fortunately, (thanks to the Internet) you now have a way to build these relationships en masse via your blog. Sadly, 97% of remodelers in Canada

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 or by phone at 301 490-5620 ext. 105.

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and the U.S. either do not have a blog, do not publish it regularly or are churning out garbage. This does bode well for you, if you follow these steps:

Step 1: Plant the seeds Planting a field of future customers comes down to five simple yet powerful words: You must regularly publish stories.

Let us breakdown the two key points of this statement: • Regularly. I have had remodelers tell me they post whenever they get time.

If this is your plan, stop reading now.

Seriously. Go Google something.

To make this work, create a schedule

photo: Thinkstock Images

Imagine having a list of thousands of people who know you, trust you and will one day need your services (or will know someone that does). This should be the goal of every successful remodeler.

We can talk about your website’s Testimonials page, Portfolio page or even your About Us page until you are blue in the face. The fact of the matter is they are all a last ditch effort at establishing trust. Trust is what it is all about.

The single most important factor in getting a prospect to sign a contract is trust. Price, quality and all the rest of it does not make a lick of difference if they do not trust you. This is the reason why a referral is so incredibly powerful: they are coming to you on the word of

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Business Strategies

and stick to it. Imagine if your local paper was delivered on Tuesday and Wednesday, then you did not see it for three weeks, then it came on a Friday night. Then the Sunday after next.

Sounds ludicrous, does it not?

You want your readers to say, ‘Your blog is the premier publication on this topic. I cannot get this stuff anywhere else on the planet.’

You must believe this statement and treat your blog as such. If you do not then how can you expect your readers to?

• Stories. I did not say posts, articles or blogs, I said stories. I am not talking about ‘keyword-rich posts that will propel you to the top of search engine results,’ as your SEO guru might say. I am talking about dynamic, compelling and entertaining stories.

(Do not stress this! I have a free tool to help you generate ideas at the end.)

Do not get me wrong; of course SEO is important. A top position on Google is a fantastic place to be. But consider this a great byproduct of producing entertaining content, not the sole purpose of blogging.

Side note: This is where most remodelers slip up. They get caught up in the SEO hype and churn-out garbage that humans would never voluntarily read.

Step 2: Water the fields Amazing stories are just letters organized on a page if no one reads them. Your BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) should be that every single person in your target market subscribes to and reads your blog.

Here are some keys to making that happen: • Name your blog something other than “blog.” (Notice that ours is PowerTips?)

• Have a “Subscribe to [blog name]” form on every page of your website.

• Share every story you post on social media.

• Ask readers to share the stories. Speaking of which, if you like what you have read here, please share.

Also, make sure that every single piece of external communication asks people to

subscribe to your blog: email signatures, invoices, estimates, proposals, brochures, catalogs… Everything.

Step 3: Talk to them You have heard it before: talking to plants helps them to grow better. This same philosophy is absolutely true as you attempt to grow your readers into customers.

Ask them questions. Ask for feedback on your stories. Start discussions in the comments section. This is the most important step in building the relationship.

With each and every comment and response you build trust.

Two important things to consider: Respond reasonably fast to comments. There are many tools that can make this easier. We use Disqus instead of the native WordPress commenting system.

The advantage (besides virtually ending all

comment-spam) is that I get instant notifications via email when someone comments.

Also, I can easily approve the comment by replying “approve” to the notification email.

The notification also provides a link to the discussion so I can reply instantly.

The emails your subscribers receive should come from your email address. Again, it is about building a relationship. Open yourself to your readers. Encourage them to reply to your email. Never, ever use a noreply@…com email address. It is like saying, “Unless you want to buy something, leave me alone.”

So there you have it. Plant. Water. Talk.

Easy, right?

No? I promised to give you a tool to help generate story ideas. We have created a free Blog Idea Generator to help ease your anxiety a little bit. Just visit http://bit.ly/BlogIdeaGenerator.”

Contractor advantage 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

In the next issue of • Closing the building envelope • Garage builds • Solar and alternative energy options • Basement renovations • Smart homes • Money matters: accounting and finance

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Smart Money

Detecting And Preventing Fraud Occupational fraud is prevalent in contracting and it is worth the effort to look for red flags and prevent it.

By Jim Muccilli, Alisa Zorina and Julie Zylberlicht

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here opportunity for illegitimate personal gain exists with a small chance of being caught it is more likely to be exploited.

Small and medium-sized businesses in all industries are highly susceptible to such opportunities. The manufacturing and construction industry (all sizes) make up approximately 13% of the organizations that are victims of fraud; whereas, SMBs make up 32% of occupational fraud cases, as reported in a 2012 survey by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE). Even so, fraud is not cheap: the same survey shows that private companies experienced median losses of $200,000 per incident. This is in addition to time and energy spent dealing with the fraud once uncovered. Since nearly half of victim organizations do not recover the losses, prevention and early detection is the most cost-effective way to limit fraud.

Understanding the types of fraud is the first step to prevention. External fraud includes theft of customers’ financial information, mobile fraud and other intentional external ruses. Internal fraud, also known as occupational fraud, includes billing schemes, corruption and other internal machinations performed for personal gain to the detriment of the business. In small and medium-sized contracting companies occupational fraud is prevalent. Often because of limited

resources or internal control weaknesses, such as lack of segregation of duties, the fraud risks assumed by these companies differ from those faced by larger organizations. They frequently include the following:

Billing schemes As the most common fraud committed in SMBs, billing schemes are instances where an employee sets up bogus entities that charge the employer for fabricated services, expenses or personal items. Fictitious sub-trade contractors or material

Jim Muccilli is a partner in the Valuations/Forensics/Litigation Group at Crowe Soberman. He has over 20 years of experience in the areas of business valuation, loss quantification and forensic investigations and is a qualified expert witness. Julie Zylberlicht is a manager in the Valuations/Forensics/Litigation Group with extensive experience in the areas of matrimonial matters, shareholder and partnership disputes, corporate and commercial damage claims, corporate reorganizations and other litigation support. Alisa Zorina is a specialist involved in the Valuations/Forensics/Litigation Group.

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suppliers are common. A business owner is wise to track such items on a project-byproject basis to allow easier comparisons of actual expenses to initial expectations so that anomalies are easier to identify.

Segregate authorization of payments from accounting and have multi-layered approvals, including the job foreman and accounting personnel.

Cheque tampering These consist of instances where an employee steals or alters cheques. It is not that difficult to set up fictitious entities with names similar to your actual customer names.

Payroll schemes Payroll schemes occur when an employee with responsibility over payroll adds ghost employees or claims fictitious overtime.

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Smart Money

Skimming schemes

photo: Thinkstock Images

These schemes encompass instances when cash is stolen from the business before it is recorded. An example is the theft of cash payments from customers while manipulating the accounting of receivables or sales. In contracting companies this can also take the form of a kick-back scheme.

Being proactive about fraud prevention and detection is paramount. Providing ethics training and fraud awareness to employees can significantly reduce losses in organizations of all sizes. Furthermore, the following preventative actions can be taken to lessen the chances of fraud in SMBs: • One top-ranking detection method is to implement a fraud-reporting mechanism, which allow employees and customers to report anonymously potential fraudulent activity.

• Make this a well-known and respected policy, as it is likely the best detection tool available when resources for better internal control are limited.

• Increase perception of proactive fraud detection by making corporate fraud policies highly visible.

• Retain forensic accountants or risk consultants to review and implement fraud policies and controls.

• Instill integrity into company culture.

• Increase segregation of recordkeeping and cash handling duties.

• Conduct pre-employment background checks.

• Pursue an open-door policy to enable communication.

• Conduct anonymous surveys of employee morale.

• Watch out for red flags (discussed below).

on them. Specific red flags act as warning signs and should not be overlooked in lieu of faith in long-term employees.

The ACFE fraud survey indicates that although only 25% of fraud is committed by employees with more than 10 years tenure, the cost of fraud generally increases with the level of seniority of the perpetrator.

Drastic changes in the lifestyle of key employees, including sudden purchases of luxury items, can indicate unusual deviations from known purchasing capabilities. “Living beyond their means” is an indicator in over one-third of employee fraud cases reported in the ACFE survey, so do not be quick to dismiss an employee’s deviations as lottery winnings.

Lack of vacation time by key recordkeepers or managers is another red flag.

Employee reluctance to let someone else cover the position for a short period of

time demonstrates excessive control issues that can stem from the employee having something to hide. Be wary if management exhibits such behaviour along with long hours spent at the office and reluctance to delegate basic tasks.

Dedicated employees help the business prosper, while employees dedicated to covering their tracks stump business growth.

The impact of fraud is not only financial, but can also damage reputation, reduce morale and impact relationships with stakeholders who have a vested interest in effective control of the business’ assets.

If you see multiple warning signs exhibited by employees and unusual fluctuations in financial results, take the time to check it out. It may not be fraud, but active vigilance will reduce the risk of getting caught off-guard.

UNNATURALLY LOW MAINTENANCE

Red flags As employees gain seniority in the business, especially in top management, a degree of caution should be exercised as more reliance and trust are placed CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

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Economics 101

What Sort Of Executive Are You? Knowing your management style is a key to motivating employees to get the job done better.

By Tron Jordheim

Being an effective leader is what makes it possible to know how to get those right things done.

Successful executives look at their own leadership styles and examine how those styles impact the ability to get the right things done. he or she would need to cheer on the team as it tries to win against competitors for client orders. In the normal day-today course of business, executives tend to default to their most comfortable or most natural personal style. What sort of executive are you?

The General — The General likes organizational discipline and a rigid and sensible approach to managing the workforce, defining missions and conquering objectives. He or she likes to spend time strategizing, studying the competitors and the surrounding business environment for signs of weakness or opportunity. The General sees business as war, the competitors as enemies and sees employees as troops. This may seem like an antiquated idea in an era where war is no longer one nation versus another, but there are many important aspects of the general persona that can help executives.

Sun Tzu’s advice in The Art of War is still being well used by business strategists. Carl von Clausewitz’s Principles of War is still a best seller. An executive who understands organizational discipline, cohesive and consistent training processes, supply-line management, contingency

Tron Jordheim is the CMO of StorageMart, one of the world’s largest privately held self-storage companies with locations across the U.S. and Canada. He has helped lead the company to double-digit revenue growth for the last four years by embracing digital marketing and call centre support. For more information, please visit www.storage-mart.com/blog/author/tron-jordheim.

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planning and the collection of intelligence is going to be successful. Doesn’t every business leader want to plant their flag on their enemy’s hill? The downfall to the General is that there is no experimentation, innovation or discussion allowed.

If a change or initiative is to take shape, it must come from the top down.

The Tribal Chief — The Tribal Chief is not just a political or military leader, as the General is, but is also a leader in culture, lifestyle and belief systems. A tribe does not just have to be an extended family group, but it often feels like one. A tribal leader usually is intertwined with legend.

There are some great examples in North American history of how impactful tribal leaders can be. Think of Tecumseh of the Shawnee. He quickly inspired a large number of people to move with great intensity towards a common goal.

Look at some of the modern tribes in present-day American popular culture: Jerry Garcia and his friends in the Grateful Dead created a tribe that followed them around the world supporting their jam philosophy. George Clinton of the Funkadelics still leads a tribe of funk fans who support his idea of outrageous enjoyments. Steve Jobs became a tribal leader of Apple product devotees.

Wouldn’t every business executive want to lead a company with a following like Apple’s? The difficulty with being a Tribal Chief is that chiefs fall out of fashion and

photo: Thinkstock Images

Y

ou may know your business or your industry well, but do you know anything about yourself?

Forward thinking executives and business leaders evaluate their employees and clients to help better understand work styles and personality types. Sales trainers try to understand the types of buyers their sales people are talking to and how those buyers will make purchasing decisions. Marketers try to understand the personality types that one can reach out to and how those personalities will receive a message. Understanding the types of people one works with is important knowledge especially for executives.

Peter F. Drucker put forward a simple and basic mission for executives: “Get the right things done.” Knowing what motivates clients and employees makes it possible to know what those right things might be. Being an effective leader is what makes it possible to know how to get those right things done. Successful executives look at their own leadership styles and examine how those styles impact the ability to get the right things done.

Depending on what needs to be done and depending on who needs to take action, an executive’s leadership style could be quite different from moment to moment. If an organization is preparing to launch a new service offering to its client base, a good leader would make sure the offering is crafted correctly and talked about effectively. If that same executive is taking a group of sales people to a trade show in order to attract new clients, then

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Economics 101

tribal members often leave to follow other interests. Tribes sometimes break up as easily as they form.

The Sports Coach — Whether or not you are a sports fan, you have seen one coach or another become the figurehead and leader of a school or a city. The idea of gathering your team for a quick tactical huddle before putting them back out on the field, where they make the big play in the last seconds of the game to win the big trophy is very appealing. The hard fact about coaching is that for every second of point-scoring exhilaration, there are hours and hours of recruiting, training, practice, study, research, discussion, preparation and anxiety. These are commonalities shared by sports and business.

Sport coaches know their business is all about the fun and the thrill of victory, but they also understand clearly how that all relates to cash flow and asset apprecia-

tion. A Sports Coach can fall short when people in the organization do not relate to sports analogies or are not driven by team competition.

The Spoiled Brat — Sometimes a boss always wants to get his or her own way. There are some executives who are not interested in the talent their people bring, but only in production. These types of executives usually like to bark orders and berate people who do not complete tasks exactly the way the executive wanted them done. There are times the Spoiled Brat will have a temper tantrum or suddenly change his or her mind about a task just to throw people off balance. There are times the Spoiled Brat will confuse himself or herself with the General, but he or she is not. The General will hold composure and keep the battle plan in mind even under pressure. When under pressure, the Spoiled Brat overreacts and lashes out until someone offers a paci-

fier. The advantage the Spoiled Brat has is that people do react quickly and try to make this type of executive happy in order to avoid those tantrums. The downside of the Spoiled Brat is just that: they are a spoiled brat.

There are many personas one could imagine to describe your default executive style. The keys to being an effective executive are to know the strengths and weaknesses of your default style or persona and then to be able to adopt a different persona as conditions or circumstances require. You may need to be the strategizing general today while you prepare for a long-range planning retreat with your board, and tomorrow you might need to be the sports coach cheering for your company at a meeting of mid-level managers. Which persona is going to get the right things done in which set of circumstances? That is the executive you should be.

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CA

Learning Curve

Getting On Side

Whether it is installing siding or managing customer service, two books guide you to improve your customer relationship.

Siding, Roofing, and Trim The Taunton Press Details make the exterior of a home stand out, and Siding, Roofing, and Trim: Completely Revised and Updated from the Taunton Press aims to help contractors excel at them.

The latest in Taunton’s For Pros

by Pros book series compiled by the editors of Fine Homebuilding, the revised and updated edition provides expert advice and instruction around the choosing, installing and detailing of these three main home exterior elements.

Design topics covered include: • How to safely replace a roof, while keeping in mind venting and flashing for a weather-tight and long-lasting installation;

• Working with manufactured stone • Applying trim details to achieve that finished look • Repairing rotting trim • Choosing a long-lasting roof • Synthetic roofing underlayments • Storm-proofing • Expert painting tips and best practices for lead-safe painting • How to fix the most typical roof goofs, and • Energy-saving advice.

For a visual perspective, Siding, Roofing, and Trim includes 350 photographs and 50 illustrations. Taunton’s For Pros by Pros series provides readers with practical information on the important issues that builders and homeowners face.

Legendary Service McGraw-Hill Written as a customer service parable, Legendary Service from McGrawHill presents a customer service model based on the importance of caring for both internal and external customers.

The book looks at how delivering outstanding customer service is only achieved through motivated employees with the knowledge and authority to resolve issues. It suggests that successful companies make the connection between legendary customer service and their growth and recognize the way employees treat customers is directly related to the way managers treat employees.

Written for managers seeking to inspire their employees and self-driven professionals, this guide combines practical advice with the rationale behind it to increase customer loyalty.

In the book readers will learn how to: • Engage employees and differentiate an organization through outstanding customer service.

• Increase market share, improve margins and reduce costs through continuous service improvements.

• Deliver customer service that drives repeat business and customer loyalty; and • Empower people and fulfill their leadership potential.

In Legendary Service, author Ken Blanchard and his co-authors provide both business leaders and employees with the tools to build a more solid, profitable company through stronger customer service. Blanchard is a leadership expert and co-author of 60 books, including The One Minute Manager. Coauthors Kathy Cuff and Vicki Halsey are also expert trainers, consultants and keynote speakers. Both books are currently available from www.amazon.ca and www.chapters.indigo.ca.

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CA

Dot Commerce Feature

There are dollars to be had in cyberspace, assuming of course the right online marketing tools are put into place.

By John G. Smith

C

anadians continue to point, click and connect at a record-breaking pace. An astonishing 84% of us are now connected to the Internet, according to Mapping Your Future Growth, a report by the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC). This makes Canada one of the most wired nations in the world.

Put another way, cyberspace is packed with potential customers, and not just those buying books through Amazon or vacation packages through Travelocity. According to the BDC research, half (47%) of consumers complete broad online searches before spending their money; 42% consult customer review sites.

“The Internet now shapes nearly every aspect of a customer’s purchasing decision,” the researchers observed. “The first step for many Canadians begins on the Web. They search for the product or service, are heavily influenced by online reviews, compare product characteristics across websites, locate businesses with 20

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proximity searches and often purchase online.”

Each related tool plays a unique role in what is often referred to as a sales funnel. Early email promotions and updates through social media news feeds can build general awareness. Blogs and online customer reviews shape opinions when a customer intends to buy. Once someone is ready to put down their money, options such as e-coupons help to close the deal.

The foundation A carefully constructed website will be the foundation for all of these activities, but this now requires more than “business card” designs that simply define who contractors are, or the “brochure” styles that catalogue services, says Robert Fraser, CEO of oogled Digital Marketing Agency. “Think of a website as a place where you turn visitors into leads and then customers. The website’s job is to create a trust, engage visitors, answer their questions, understand their pain points and encourage them to take the

CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

next step and set up a meeting.”

Many businesses mistakenly decide on what a website should include before considering how customers will use it, adds Richard Gauder of CMS Web Solutions. A little research upfront will steer site designers in the right direction. “How are they coming to your existing website? What information are they looking for, and how do they wish to see that information?” As blunt as it sounds, the contractor does not count, he says. “It is all about that person on the other side of the screen.”

The good news is that contractors already have a wealth of information that can enhance a website, Fraser says, referring to knowledge which can be translated into blogs or pages of Frequently

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photo: Thinkstock Images

Feature

Asked Questions. “You want to capture that you have immense knowledge of your industry.”

If someone struggles to convey these details in writing, a video blog offers a great alternative. “It builds a bond between you and a potential customer,” he says. “You can start projecting your personality. Visitors come to feel that you are almost like a friend.”

Still, Gauder believes that a website’s moving pictures and sound should end with the video. Animation and sound effects which serve no real purpose are usually more annoying than anything else. The blaring sound of a power saw, which might seem “cool” to a contractor, will hardly be appreciated if a potential customer is surfing the Web while sitting

in the midst of a cubicle farm. Usability studies also continue to show that spinning graphics can be more distracting than engaging.

The ultimate look of the site, he says, should convey a sense of professionalism and trust. This makes the case for images which showcase previous work, comments from happy customers, and references to memberships in trusted organizations. The ability to process online credit card payments also helps to convey a sense of financial stability.

As counterintuitive as it may sound, Gauder even suggests offering how-to tips for the do-it-yourself crowd. Information like this helps to establish a contractor’s reputation as an expert to be consulted for more-demanding projects.

The website can be more than a purely online marketing tool, he adds. Think of the site as a two-way communications hub. The sales traditionally completed with binders over a kitchen table can now be completed over the phone, simply by asking if a caller is in front of a computer and then guiding them through specific areas of the site.

“They engage in the sales process a lot quicker,” Gauder says.

Of course, websites also need to be structured to support Search Engine Optimization efforts, which improve rankings through sites such as Google. “Before and after pictures are like magic,” Fraser says as an example, but to be found in a search engine they need to be accompanied by proper descriptions.

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Online reviews When it comes to building trust, testimonials and recommendations have always been powerful online marketing tools, but a contractor’s existing customers can now share those thoughts with a broader audience than ever before. Services such as HomeStars have been created specifically to give people a place to promote or complain about those who swing hammers for a living.

Get social

photo: Thinkstock Images

As important as the company website will be, there is no mistaking the way that social media platforms are helping contractors to actively engage with customers online. About two-thirds of Canadian Internet users log onto Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn every day.

The question is: how a contractor can best use these tools to their advantage?

The choice of platform should be based on customer demographics, says Robert Rock, president of Social Media Learning. General contractors working on high-value projects such as custom homes or pools, for example, may want to engage a professional audience through a platform such as LinkedIn. In contrast, someone promoting kitchens and closets might want to use a picture-sharing site such as Pinterest, particularly if their traditional clients are women. About 68% of the people who use that site, which allows users to “pin” favourite pictures for future reference, fall into this demographic group.

There is an added advantage to defining

a typical customer, Fraser says. The website’s content can more easily adopt a voice and personality if it is written with that customer in mind.

Facebook tends to be a central piece of most consumer-facing social media strategies for an obvious reason. The reach is unmatched. “Having a good strategy, and having good content, and a good outreach program, you can most likely find an audience,” Rock says.

Of course, compelling and engaging content will make a difference no matter what platform is used. This is the material that is more likely to be shared, or convince potential customers to keep coming back for more.

“Remember that people tend not want to be sold to in social,” Rock says. “We are using it to engage and start to build relationships.”

The BDC echoes the need to tread carefully when trying to sell services through Facebook and other platforms. “Social media allows consumers to stay connected with companies and voice their opinions,” its researchers concluded. “Misuse of this channel with overly aggressive behaviour by companies is likely to alienate most users.”

The idea is to drive traffic back to a business website, where consumers expect to be sold in a more overt manner. That is where a specific offer for a discount on granite countertops might be posted next to a blog about options to consider when renovating a kitchen.

“My website is still the single place where I have all the control,” Fraser agrees. “This is where I can engage them and turn them into customers.” One effective approach is to require visitors to provide an email address to access more-detailed content like an e-book or white paper. This supports future connections. “Now I can start to reach out and start to create that bond and that trust,” he says.

That voice is being heard.

More than 3/4 of Internet users told Nielsen pollsters that online ratings and reviews influence buying decisions, although some sources carry more weight than others. Recommendations from friends top the list, at 92%, but other posted consumer comments were close behind at 70%. It is not always good news, either. A negative review is considered a “deal breaker” for another seven in 10 consumers.

Part of a successful online marketing strategy is obviously to encourage happy customers to post their positive reviews online, helping to lessen the influence of those who may not have been as pleased with the results.

“If negative comments get out there, treat them with respect, solve their issue, apologize, show others on the site how you deal with people when issues come up,” Fraser says.

Any responses should empathize about the poor experience, and offer to address the issue through an offline discussion, Rock adds. “As long as you are trying to recover from that in a dignified, good manner… you are going to look good.” Often, when the concern is acknowledged, angry customers will remove their negative comment or even post a positive review once a situation is resolved.

“It is extremely important to continue monitoring those spaces,” he continues, referring to affordable tools such as the HootSuite Social Media Management Dashboard, which can be used to monitor any mentions of a business.

It is one of the keys to finding the commerce in a dot-com.

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CA

Feature

Going for the

combo

Tool experts cut through misconceptions to help you nail the perfect combo kit for your needs.

W

hen it comes to cordless tool combination kits, users typically fall into three camps.

There are those who view a combo kit as an overpriced, bloated bundle of hardly used tools. Some see a combo kits as an intimidating arsenal designed only for the most seasoned professionals. Meanwhile, there are those so blinded by shiny new gadgets that they cannot seem to keep their hands off them.

Selecting the right combo kit depends on finding the right tool for the job at the right price, says Stephen Blain, associate category manager for tool maker Stanley Black & Decker.

Combo kits are two or more tools sold together, sometimes with a compliment of accessories and battery packs, at a reduced price than what a buyer forks out for the equipment separately. For example, a cordless 12-volt reciprocating saw may sell for $149 and a 12-volt 24

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hammer drill driver from the same manufacturer might cost $189. The same manufacturer is likely to have a combo kit selling both tools for a total of $299.

Combo kits can cost as little as $130 for a two-tool set to around $1,900 for a set of 15 tools that includes several kinds of hammers, drills, saws and a couple of special tools thrown in.

They are typically built around battery systems that are meant to be compatible with a larger family of tools, like DeWalt’s DCK296M2 hammer drill and impact driver combo that runs on the company’s 20-volt Max System, Blain says.

“The tools in this system all use the same battery platform, which allows the user to maintain consistency of battery with the tools that they want in their tool box,” he says. “Tools aimed at the professional will normally be part of a large system with more than 30 different types of tools running off of one type of battery.”

photo: Thinkstock Images

By Nestor E. Arellano

CA

photo: Mil

Feature

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“When you think of it, on many jobsites the radio is the first thing to be powered up and the last thing turned off.”

Other tools you might want to consider in a kit include:

photo: Makita

It is all about the right mix A lot of popular misconceptions around combo kits can be traced to the initial marketing strategies used by manufacturers when the kits entered the market, as well as uncertainly on the part of some buyers around their needs.

“In the past, high piece count kits with more than four different tools were commonplace; however, additional tools beyond drills and impact drivers were not always readily available and, if they were, they came with additional batteries and chargers at extra cost,” Blain explains.

This practice made it hard for users to customize their tool kits.

It is all about getting the right mix, says Keith Potts, national trainer for Milwaukee Power Tools.

Combo kits are not just another BOGO (buy-one-get-one free) deal, according to Potts, a veteran carpenter who now trains Milwaukee personnel, contractors and customers on how to use the company’s tools.

Still, a lot of things can go wrong if you do not know what you are doing, he says. The number one rule of thumb is to know what you need a combo kit for.

For instance, if you expect to do a lot of drilling on wood or drywall, a drill driver will likely suffice, but if you are working with concrete or masonry, you will need a combo kit that includes a hammer drill, like Milwaukee’s M12 hammer/impact combo or the company’s M18 hammer drill and impact driver combo, he says.

Contractors who expect to do some plumbing or electrical work should look for combo kits that include a hack saw or reciprocating saw that will be useful for cutting PVC pipes.

Milwaukee’s M12 Cordless Lithiumion 4-tool combo, for instance includes a Hackzall reciprocating saw and cordless copper tubing cutter.

If you are looking to make straight cuts through wood or chipboard, look for a combo kit that includes a circular saw, says Mathew Noel, product manager for Makita Canada Inc. Makita’s 18V LXT 4-toll combo kit includes a 6-1/2” cordless circular saw, a ½” cordless hammer driver/drill, a ¼” impact driver and a cordless reciprocating saw along with two 18-volt Li-ion batteries and a charger.

Also consider Makita’s 7 ½” DHS 711 circular saws. It is able to take two 18-volt batteries. The resulting 36 volts give it extra juice at the jobsite.

A tool for every trade Every trade has its own set of standard tools, but a hammer drill, impact driver and a circular or reciprocating saw are the de facto contents of most basic combo kits, according to Noel. Today’s combo kits; however, can come with a dizzying assortment of tools that seem to cover almost any trade but also cater to a user’s entertainment needs.

“You might be surprised, but some of our more popular kits are those that include a jobsite AM/FM radio or one that is also iPod and MP3 compatible,” he says.

• Wet/dry vacuum • Band saw • Jig saw • Oscillating tool or multi-tool

• Grinder • Snake camera • Work light • Impact wrench • Natural selection

Here are a few more things to consider when picking the right combo kit: Application – Tool experts cannot hammer this point enough: your combo kit selection will depend on what type of work you will use the tools for.

Batteries – To date Lithium ion or Li-ion batteries are the favoured power source for cordless tools. They charge within 20 to 30 minutes, compared to older NiCad batteries that have to be charged for two to four hours or longer. The newer 18-volt to 20-volt Li-ion batteries also last between two to four hours while NiCad batteries generally last 20 to 40 minutes.

This could mean the difference between carrying just two Li-ion batteries to the jobsite as opposed to three of four NiCad battery packs.

Motor – In the last three years

b rushless motors have been appearing on more power tools.

Brushless motors have an electronic controller using a solid-state circuit rather than the brush system used by older motors to keep the motor turning. This produces a higher torqueper-weight ratio, increased reliability and less electronic interference, and creates less noise.

Brushless motors like those found in DeWalt’s 20-volt Li-ion powered XR line of power tools provide up to 57 %

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longer run time than brush motors, Blain says.

Ergonomics – Once you have decided on the type of tools, try out models from different makers and find out how the products feel in your hands. Are they easy or awkward to handle? Do you think they would become too heavy after short period of use?

Accessories – Go for quality when picking accessories for your power tools, says Peter Ulmer, national field sales manager for Task Tools.

For example a plain $5 blade may be good for a few light tasks, but one that costs $20 and has carbide coated teeth would be able to cut through material faster and last twice as long.

For light jobs, Ulmer says Task Tools’ Tuf-E Nuf light duty blade is typically adequate. Professionals might opt for the “jobber quality” Supercut blade, designed to be re-sharpened or the Hardbody line, which offers different

blades for cutting laminate floors, pressure treated lumber or nails embedded on wood. Task Tools’ Signature blades feature extra-large micro grain tungsten carbide teeth that last longer than ordinary metal blades.

“If there is one mistake that many

professionals and amateurs share, it is scrimping on the things that matter most,” Ulmer says. “It is always great to save a few bucks, but if your livelihood and reputation depends on it, you need to make sure you have the tool that is up to the job.”

Getting the most out of your table saw

photo: Thinkstock Images

A

table saw is indispensable for cutting large or small pieces of wood quickly and accurately in the workshop or on the jobsite.

Versatility is the hallmark of a good table saw.

It should be able to handle both thick and thin pieces of wood using a variety of cutting methods like ripping, beveling and mitering. Here are some tips to help you make the most of your table saw.

Contractors should make sure they are using the appropriate blade for the cut they need, according to Peter Ulmer of Task Tools. For example, ripping requires a blade with a different teeth than that used for making a miter cut.

A general-purpose 10” carbide-tipped blade can crosscut a 4x4. Replacing it with a blade with a 40-tooth combination will further improve the quality of the cut.

Most heavy duty table saws, called cabinet table saws, use large amounts of iron and steel to minimize the vibration of motors in the threeto five-horsepower range. Eliminating vibration is necessary to ensure accurate cuts. These table saws also require heavy duty circuits In recent years, manufacturers have introduced lighter portable table saws with one- to two-horsepower motors that use standard electrical circuits.

For example, DeWalt’s recently launched DWE7491RS 10” portable table saw comes with a rolling stand. Stephen Blain of Stanley Black & Decker says the unit is the lightest in its class, weighing only 90 lbs.

The DWE7491RS also has a removable guard that allows the saw to make non-through cuts, such as rabbet or dado cuts.

Other table saw essentials to look for include: Anti-kickback pawls – Sharp-toothed arms that prevent a work piece from moving backwards when it is being cut.

Telescopic roller stands – Stands that quickly extend the reach of a table saw. but make sure it is exactly perpendicular to the saw to avoid the work piece from wiggling and creating sideways pressure on the blade. Sideways pressure can cause the blade to bind or kickback.

Splitter – A vertical metal piece behind the blade that prevents kick back and binding.

Blade tilt handle – A handle that angles the blade for bevel cuts of up to 45 degrees.

Look for one with adjusting screws that allows you to set precise 90 and 45 degree stop points.

Ele vation wheel – A mechanism that controls the blade height and depth of cut.

Of course, always wear a pair of safety glasses to protect your eyes and ear plugs or earmuffs to protect against noise. Before cutting anything, make sure you have a push stick to guide the board through the saw.

CA

Feature

Go

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and stay

home Your clients want more than a deck, a gazebo or a pergola. They want expansive, colourful and durable outdoor areas where they can live the high life all summer long.

By Stefan Dubowski

By Stefan Dubowski

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CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

CA

photo: TREX

Feature

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D

photo: Nicholson and Cates Limited

ecks used to be simple. They had a single level, railings for safety and a few steps down to the yard. Not so today. Modern decks are more complex and more impressive. They may feature multiple levels, high-end furniture, and distinct areas for different activities, be it lounging in the sun, reading in the shade or hosting a dinner al fresco. They can incorporate plants, water features and, where permitted, fire pits.

“Decks are larger and more complex than they used to be,” says Rick McQuin, vice-president of market development at Nicholson & Cates Ltd., a decking products provider in Burlington, Ont. “They incorporate railing systems with lighting and anything the homeowner can do to make their deck stand out.”

Society’s very attitude towards outdoor structures is different than it used to be. “Decks have become another room in the house, just without walls and a roof,” McQuin points out. “When the economy took a downturn a few years ago, people started looking more inward: if I cannot go away, then I will have a nice place to stay in my own back yard.”

Homeowners are getting creative with this increasingly important recreation area. “We are seeing people build multicoloured decks,” says Debbie Dickie, director of strategic planning at Madison Chemical Industries Inc. in Milton, Ont., the parent company of decking material provider GemThane. “They may use a natural colour for the interior and then outline it with a colour that matches or accents the colour of the house.”

Whatever hue they opt for, homeowners make good use of their outdoor living areas. In a recent survey, composite decking manufacturer Fiberon found that 72% of people use their decks at least three times a week, and 89% classify their decks as the most important summertime spaces on their properties.

New designs call for new materials The range of products available for deck construction has extended. Wood is not the only choice anymore. Composite boards are growing popular. Trex Company Inc.’s Trex boards have become the go-to product for many builders. These planks are made from wood fibre and plastic combined for a durable, rot- and warp-resistant deck surface. Unlike ear-

Feature

lier composite products, the latest Trex offerings are manufactured with a highperformance shell that wraps around the composite to help protect the board from the elements. This coating also makes the board resistant to fading, staining, scratches and mold. The material is available in a wide range of colours and finishes to satisfy homeowners’ design details. It is also environmentally friendly, with no toxic chemicals or preservatives.

The beauty of composites is not only in the way they look, but also in their ease of maintenance. Whereas wood decks must be stained or painted frequently to protect them from the ele-

You want warm and happy, not hot and angry

A beautiful summer night; a fire glowing in a brand new, deck-mounted fire pit; a visit from a municipal by-law officer; a whopping big fine. That could be your client’s experience with his new deck fire feature if he does not do his homework. In many towns and cities, it is illegal to have an open flame burning unless it is used specifically for cooking purposes and it is never left unattended. Call the municipality’s government or the fire department before installing an outdoor fire feature and make sure it is permitted. That way, your customer can skip the fine and get on with enjoying his yard safely.

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CA

Feature Outdoor projects put cash into contractors’ pockets

Outdoor structures may be popular, but homeowners do not want to be the ones responsible for building their own decks, gazebos and pergolas. In a study of the home renovation market published in 2012, marketing firm Principia Consulting LLC found that more than half of Canadian and U.S. property owners would hire a contractor for the work and 20% would buy the materials, but then still hire a contractor to put the structures together. Regarding the pay for that work, Principia found that homeowners spent $4,000 on average for deck projects.

ments, composites need no such upkeep.

“They are not completely maintenance free,” says McQuin from Nicholson & Cates. “It will get dirty and you will have to clean it,” but that is the worst of the maintenance burden, he says.

Another composite decking option comes from Fiberon. This company’s boards are available in a range of hardwood tones and grain patterns, marrying the natural look of wood with the durability of composites. Matching fascia and riser boards create a unified design system.

Some homeowners love the look and feel of wood, so wood remains an extremely popular decking material. Still, as a contractor, you may have to help clients address a dilemma: they prefer wood, but worry about the hassle of repainting or staining frequently, which is necessary unless they are willing to risk seeing the deck wrecked by the weather.

GemThane introduced its Dex-N-Dox line to give customers the best of both worlds. Developed here in Canada, where freeze and thaw cycles can play havoc with paints and stains, Dex-N-Dox matches sustainably harvested eastern white pine boards with marine-grade polymers, which are applied to the wood at the factory. These polymers keep dirt, sap and other material from getting into the pine.

The boards are stain resistant, easy to clean and easy to maintain, which may be especially important for clients who 34

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photo: Nicholson and Cates Limited, Gemthane

The best of wood and composite in one

CA

Feature

want to use their decks for summertime dining. Customers need only refresh the protective coating once every five years, which is much less taxing than the yearly or bi-yearly application of paint or stain required for traditional wood decks.

Dex-N-Dox comes in a range of 22 colours. GemThane recommends using its Cottage Coat liquid for refreshes, but the company does not sell the Dex-NDox initial coating material separately.

According to district sales manager Ingrid Thompson, GemThane takes quality control seriously and selling Dex-N-Dox as an integrated system is the best way for the company to ensure high quality.

“Buying a substrate and applying a product always leaves you open to failure,” she says. “If we are not in charge of the preparation of the wood or how the coating is applied, invariably someone is going to be unhappy.”

The very reason GemThane offers Dex-N-Dox in the first place has to do with unhappiness. Company founder Ross Mitchell was dissatisfied with having to choose between the beauty of wood and the durability of composite.

He wanted a way to protect his own wood outdoor structures so he would not have the hassle of painting and staining so often. Mitchell reformulated a Madison Chemical product to work with wood,

and that is how Dex-N-Dox came to be.

Alongside wood and composite, straightforward PVC has carved a niche out of the outdoor structure market. From its factory in Woodbridge, Ont., Vision Outdoor Products Ltd. manufactures a PVC deck and porch railing that mimics the style of traditional wood without the maintenance headache. “It will give the homeowner a railing they will never have to paint again,” says operations manager Alex Catanzaro. He adds that some of Canada’s largest homebuilders use it in their projects and many a contractor recommends Vision’s railings for decks.

He would not go so far as to say the product fools anyone into thinking it looks like real wood, though, especially upon inspection. “As you get closer and you go to feel it, it will always seem like a PVC rail. You will never achieve the perfect look and feel of wood, but customers do not want to spend time on maintenance.”

Not your grandfather’s gazebo Decks have grown in size and complexity, but gazebos are changing, too. They used to feature straightforward roofs and plain seating. In fact, the design had not changed for centuries. Gazebos date back to ancient China, Persia and other clas-

sical civilizations. Now, however, these freestanding or walkway-attached buildings sport fans to keep the air moving during still summer nights and heaters to help extend their usefulness further into the fall.

Pergolas remain primarily warmweather structures, especially if they are meant to support climbing plants that create verdant walls and roofing. Pergola building material, though, now includes not only wood and stone, but also PVC, fiberglass and composite wood-plastics.

Vision, for example, makes pergolas, arbors and trellises from premium vinyl, so the structures are easy to clean and do not require the heavy maintenance of wood. The company offers five sizes of pergolas from 8’x8’ to 12’x12’ in white or khaki-brown.

Customers opt for pergolas as quiet areas for reading and contemplation, which makes these structures the perfect addition for a growing household, where boisterous family members may take over the main deck and quieter folks seek calm shelter. It all adds up to an outdoor area that could rival the country’s most exclusive holiday spots without the annoyance of packing and travelling.

After all, as McQuin says, decks, gazebos and pergolas represent “a resort you can visit every day.”

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CA

r u o l o C Feature

options for pressure treated wood Alternative pressure treated wood options may not be green in colour, but proponents of these new brown and earthy-coloured woods say they are greener for the environment.

Regal Railings A.indd 1

photo: Thinkstock Images photo: Goodfellow

By Lawrence Cummer

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non-arsenate wood preservatives, limiting CCA’s residential use to shakes, shingles and permanent wood foundations. It is still widely used for non-residential and industrial applications, such as farm fencing and utility poles.

Finding the right mix Since being phased out a decade ago two formulas have replaced CCA in residential applications in Canada: ACQ (alkaline copper quaternary) and CA (copper azole). Still based on copper, ACQ replaces arsenic with a quaternary ammonium compound (called a “quat”). Outside of wood treatment quats are used to clean pipes at dairies and breweries, and as antiseptic wipes or eyewash.

CA is similar, except the copper is boosted by an azole co-biocide rather than quats. The co-biocides in CA are also used to protect food crops and similar compounds are used in, for example, athlete’s foot creams.

Both alternatives are widely available in Canada; however, some preservative developers have recently taken them a

CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

step further with what are called particulate copper preservatives (dubbed “micronized” or “dispersed” depending on the company).

Rather than copper being dissolved in organic solvents as it is in ACQ and CA, it is instead mechanically ground into micro-sized particles and then pressure treated. Proponents say the resulting preservative performs as well or better than ACQ and CA, but offers specific advantages such as being more leach-resistant.

It is important to note that although micronized or dispersed copper preservatives claim to leach less copper into the environment, experts say the copper leached from ACQ and CA is safe for people. “Copper is not really a health issue,” Morris points out. “We drink water out of copper pipes, but copper is quite toxic for aquatic life.”

In that way, micronized or dispersed copper preservatives may be more environmentally friendly. They are also more appropriate for incidental water contact, Morris says.

Because of the way the micro-sized copper bonds with the wood cells in

photo: Thinkstock Images

P

ressure treated wood advances are giving contractors a whole new set of options for outdoor structures that may be more environmentally friendly, less corrosive and better looking than the options that have been available up to now.

“It is an exciting time,” says Paul Morris, research leader for durability and sustainability at FPInnovations, an organization that conducts scientific research to support the Canadian forestry industry.

He suggests that the contractor profession is seeing the biggest change in the pressure treated wood market since the industry phased out CCA (chromated copper arsenate) from residential use in North America in 2004. For most of the 20th century, the mix of copper, chrome and arsenic was the most common method of treatment. The copper combats fungi that decay wood, arsenic acts as an insecticide and chrome binds the chemicals to the wood.

Public perception around its arsenic content prompted the Canadian and U.S. lumber industry to voluntarily move to

CA

Feature

photo: Goodfellow

ties looked to the techniques embraced by the paint manufacturers when they moved away from heavy solvent-based paints to reduce VOCs (volatile organic compounds). Perhaps it is not surprising then that it has received a number of green certifications, including being recognized as an Environmentally Preferable Product (EPP) by Scientific Certifications Systems (SCS).

“It also has Greenguard Gold certification, and can apply more points or green building,” Dalkowski adds. “That is the advancement in the technology, but what has really got people excited is actually the colour.” these newer techniques, these treated woods are approved for above-ground, ground-contact and fresh water emersion, according to Timber Specialties Co., which last year introduced a micronized copper preservative to Canada that it calls MicroPro. Although new to Canada, these new preservatives have been offered in the U.S. for around seven years and have become quite popular. “It has taken over 70% of the market in the U.S.,” says Mary-Anne Dalkowski, vice-president of marketing at Timber Specialties.

She suggests it is with good reason that this new type of preservative has taken the U.S. by storm. “The same solvent you use (in ACQ or CA) to put the copper into the wood also helps to take it out. This creates issues around contact with metal, such as fasteners, and it is the main reason why you cannot have treated wood up against aluminum.”

It is a problem that she says her company’s micronized copper preservative overcomes.

To develop MicroPro, Timber Special-

A deck of a different colour In the U.S. the newer particulate preservatives are generally close to clear, but that would not work in the Canadian market where outdoor projects are often designed using varied species from different provinces with colour differences. ACQ and CA give pressure treated lumber its familiar green tint, but the micronized techniques introduce the option of new colours.

Timber Specialties developed a browncoloured treated wood, dubbed MicroPro Sienna, which its lumber partners offer in Ontario and the West. In the Quebec market, Goodfellow uses the treatment to offer the more earthy-toned Goodfellow Terra. Both use micronized colour pigments added during the treatment process.

“The other thing that has comes out from the new preservatives is around the issue of colour,” says Henry Walthert, executive director at Wood Preservation Canada, the association that represents the treated wood industry in Canada.

“The industry was unsure last year

whether brown pressure treated wood was going to take off.

“It was kind of a mixed reaction, because people have been used to this stuff being green. They often refer to it as ‘the green stuff’ or ‘the green wood’ and suddenly you come out with a colour and they are not quite sure. ‘Is it still pressure treated?’ they ask.”

It harkens back to confusion that occurred when clear preserved wood options were made available in the country. Many homeowners and contractors simply did not know what to make of it.

To be sure there was a market, FPInnovations and its member companies first conducted studies and focus groups into consumer preferences.

“People are OK with the green, but they really like a rusty mid-brown,” Morris says. “People want the brown colour.”

Colour is finding its way into organic solvent-based treated wood as well. For example, Taiga Building Products has added Cedarlast, a treated wood pre-stained

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with a warm brown cedar colour, to its line of Taiga Select Preserved Woods.

“There is no need to stain,” says Ken Nelson, Taiga’s treated wood sales manager for the Prarie region. “Our motto with Cedarlast has been ‘drill it then grill it,’ since you can get started using your deck right away instead of leaving it green or waiting to stain.”

Nelson says Taiga’s process of prestaining, rather than adding colour during the treatment, creates a more lasting colour. Of course, left alone all treated wood will weather and colour will fade, based on factors like location and sunlight.

Proper care and handling

ucts may be stamped or treated differently. He says Wood Preservation Canada is working on improving education in the market from the retailer, through the contractor, to the consumer. Correct PWF material will be stamped that it conforms to the CSA Standard 0322.

Of course, all wood needs to be handled safely. To that end, a few simple rules should always be followed: • Never burn preserved wood; • Wear a dust mask and goggles when cutting or sanding any wood; • Wear gloves when working with any wood; • Do not use preserved wood as mulch; • Do not use ACQ or CA in direct contact with aluminum; • Use only corrosion-resistant fasteners.

Despite the less-corrosive reputation of newer particulate copper preservatives, experts still recommend high-quality non-corrosive fasteners.

“Contractors should not change the specifications or the fasteners,” Morris says. “Even with CCA they should have been using non-corrosive fasteners. Use tried-and-true galvanized stainless steel if you want your fastener to last as long as the treated wood.”

That is, after all, the point of pressure treated wood: a long-lasting, beautiful wood project.

photo: Goodfellow

Many homeowners act like treated wood is invincible, and while it may last up to five times as long as some untreated varieties, it is not exactly maintenance free. While they are insect- and fungus-resistant, pressure treated woods are not water resistant.

Since wood swells with rain and then shrinks when the sun comes out, untreated pockets can become exposed and subject to rot. During the summer the sun can cause the timber to check leaving cracks; then in the fall, rain soaks into those cracks. When that water then freezes those cracks expand, further exposing untreated areas.

As such, as soon as they are dry to the touch the project should have a water repellent applied; one with a UV inhibi-

tor will, naturally, also help protect the colour from fading. A litre of sealant applied every year or two could keep a deck looking brand-new for decades at a cost of only a few dollars and several minutes a year. Educate the homeowner on the need for this step, even if leaving the wood unstained.

Using the right treated wood for the application is another area that sadly bears mentioning.

Whether through confusion or lack of availability, wood treated for residential outdoor use (decks, pergolas, fences etc.) is too often finding itself substituted for that treated (with CCA) for foundations, and vice versa.

“Use the right products for the application,” suggests Nelson, who says that even after 10 years he is still seeing PWF (permanent wood foundation) lumber being used in some deck joists in the Prairies. “Wood for different applications offer different retentions, and above ground applications do not need as much chemical in the wood. Also, PWF is made with CCA which is not approved for decks.”

Walthert sees the opposite happening in regions like Ontario where PWF is less common. Here, he suggests, it is greater danger. “A wood foundation for a house is much more critical than an outdoor fence or deck that is 6” off the ground,” he says.

He says the confusion is exacerbated by cross-border lumber sales, since prod-

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CA

photo: Gentek

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photo: Thinkstock Images

Siding Discussion Cedar still takes top marks for siding choices, but options like vinyl and fibre-cement and steel have their places with homeowners.

By David Chilton Saggers

J

ust as a distinguished scholar is sometimes appointed Professor Emeritus of his or her university, the siding industry might want to consider naming cedar something like Siding Emeritus for its longevity, versatility and the many attempts that siding manufacturers have made to imitate this perennial favourite.

As siding, cedar is good in any kind of climate in Canada and is particularly suited to those houses that are typically gathered under the rather broad architectural category of “New England.�

Cedar naturally resists decay brought about by age and the environment and repels insects with equal facility; however, just as that Professor Emeritus might not have been admired by all his colleagues, cedar has its downsides too. Principal among them is the significant maintenance required when compared with vinyl, fibre-cement and other materials. One last consideration is cost, as cedar, whatever its merits, is not cheap.

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photo: Gentek

What is inexpensive, as least compared with all other materials, is vinyl. According to www.ontariocontractors.com, one sq. ft. board of non-insulated vinyl siding costs from $1.80 to $3.60 versus the $3.60 to $7.20 for clear cedar, and those same higher amounts are what is charged for hardboard siding, and aluminum siding that is rated R-2000. Yet there is more to vinyl than mere cost advantage.

Christine van Egmond, marketing manager for Gentek Building Products in Burlington, Ont., says her firm siding manufactures are about 75% vinyl and 25% steel. The former’s popularity stems from a few things, she says. “It is ease of maintenance; you can wash it off. It is ease of installation, and it is low cost.

They are probably the three main things.

If you need to install the product itself it

does not cost a lot because it is easy to install,” says van Egmond, whose company provides instructions for householders on how to do the job themselves.

Furthermore, van Egmond says, even if the vinyl is being professionally installed it is still less expensive than other options. Gentek, like its competitors, has a lifetime warranty on its vinyl products; the material will not dent, chip or need painting. As for fading, even that has been figured out.

“There is a consistent fading that will happen over time. Our vinyl siding is warranted against excessive fading, although there is an acceptable level of fading that happens throughout the whole panel,” she says.

If cedar resides in the upper echelon of the siding world, and if vinyl dominates

Design Talk

David Mitten is the executive director of SAWDAC, the Siding and Window Dealers Association of Canada, in Cambridge, Ont. The Association began 25 years ago and now has well over 200 members and associate members.

Q. What does SAWDAC do, and why do you do it?

A. We started in the fall of ’88. There was a group of contractors, mainly in the Cambridge area, and they felt it was time to get together, because there was no industry association to represent siding and window dealers. We have about 200 dealer members and about 35 or so associate members who are distributors and manufacturers.

Q. Can you speak about the developments in siding that you have observed over the last five or 10 years?

A. When I started in the business in ’68 there were four main types of siding: steel, aluminum, vinyl and hardboard, not counting wood. The traditional siding forever and ever has been cedar. Steel has pretty well become exContinued on Page 49

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the broad middle, what if anything is out on the fringes waiting to move closer to the centre? It is fibre-cement siding, which began life as asbestos-cement siding more than 100 years ago, using a formulation of Portland cement and asbestos fibres. Given the health hazards of asbestos, the material was banned in the 1970s, but has reemerged using a different formulation: cement, sand and wood fibre that is often an otherwise waste product.

It is available in many colours and styles and designed to resemble siding such as stucco, cedar and other types of wood.

Fibre-cement is rigid and exceptionally durable and can be painted by the manufacturer or at the jobsite, but like other materials it is more expensive than vinyl. It may not be a great fit for Canada, either. It can work in all climates, but hot and humid climates are where it comes into its own.

Irrespective of the material used, placing insulation between the wall to be covered and the siding just makes sense in a Canadian context. Arguments about the best sort of insulation are endless but, given the dominance of vinyl in the mar-

ket, installing insulated vinyl siding seems pretty much a no-brainer. The siding is standard vinyl product, which David Mitten, executive director of the Siding and Window Dealers Association of Canada, says is usually forty-thousandths to forty three-thousandths of an inch thick. It is bonded with rigid foam insulation, usually polystyrene, producing an R-value of 2.0.

There are no easy answers about installation. Even though the best bet would be to hire a contractor in that it is undoubtedly the most reliable option, all observers say that putting siding on a

house, even though it will take time, can probably done by the handier householder. Berney Fennema, who works in inside sales and marketing for Westform Metals in Chilliwack, B.C., calls his company’s steel siding “reasonably straightforward to install.”

No matter who does the job there are online tools to help with potentially tricky questions such as how much siding is needed and what will the finished job look like?

Mitten by Ply/Gem, which has its headquarters in Brantford, Ont., has enVISIONit,

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offering design help before the job is started, and which also lets someone upload a photo of their house to see what it would look like after new siding has been installed.

Mitten, like other firms, has an online vinyl siding calculator. The online tools can be found at www.mittenbp.com. At Kaycan Siding, marketing coordinator Joseph Boloten says the company works hard to provide customers with easy-touse products. There is a Home Designer application on the company’s website that can be used to visualize Kaycan products, and there is also an estimating tool that will take any guesswork out of estimating how much material is needed for a

project. Both applications are available at www.kaycan.com.

Of course, online measurement tools will make the project that much easier, but so will online design help: knowing what the finished job will look like before anything is bought and installed will eliminate the dowdy and the garish. After all, colour choices in the vinyl market have exploded in the last 10 to 15 years, and siding, like anything else, follows fashion. Right now, says Gentek’s van Egmond, dark colours such as black, dark greys and browns have the upper hand, and the company’s Iron Ore- coloured vinyl, which seems entirely appropriate for Canada, is proving very popular.

clusively a commercial and industrial product. Aluminum was the king back in the ’70s and up to the mid-’80s, then vinyl replaced it, mainly because vinyl has solid colour, it performs well and the cost of it went lower than that of aluminum in the mid-’80s.

There has been growth in cement siding. The advantage to that product is that it is rigid, and it is made out of cement so it does not burn. It is quite a bit more expensive than vinyl, and it has to be finished. Cement siding seems to be mostly in new housing; it has not caught on too much in the renovation business, mainly because it is quite heavy, and the labour cost of working with it is about three times what it would be with vinyl.

Hardboard has had a resurrection, as well. It was strong in the ’60s and ’70s, and then it faded almost out of sight, because those original hardboards were trying to imitate painted wood siding but they did not do a good job at that.

They said let’s go back to the drawing board and now the products look more rustic. They have darker colours and textured finishes that appeal to a certain type of architecture.

Vinyl is still by far the dominant product, and technology has not changed a lot in the last five years. The big development was 10 or 15 years ago when acrylics came out that allowed a whole range of colours. From the ’60s to the ’90s, the colours were limited to pastels and then darker colours emerged.

The problem at first with dark colours was that they absorbed heat and vinyl is a thermal plastic. Acrylics reflect the solar energy and they keep the siding panel relatively cool and heat dispersion is not a problem, so now the colour range has exploded.

Q. Has the gauge changed on the vinyl?

A. No, it has always been forty-thousandths of an inch.

Q. Is the market stable for vinyl siding?

A. It has been at a highly developed, mature stage for 20 years or more, but its popularity does not seem to be declining. Although there does not seem to be a huge amount of growth potential.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

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ICF

CA

Feature

Opportunities Insulated Concrete Forms offer several benefits over wooden structures.

By John G. Smith

photo: Advantage ICF System® photos courtesy of Plasti-Fab Ltd.

G

reg Doren knows comparisons between Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) and a popular toy are inevitable. “When people see it at a trade show or a home show, they go, ‘Wow. LEGO!’” says the product manager at Plasti-Fab, which produces the building systems.

He has heard the comments since the 1990’s.

The comparisons are not exactly fair.

While forms are easy to cut, shape and stack, a well-constructed ICF wall still requires care by trained contractors. In-

stallers need to know how to properly consolidate the ready mix concrete that is poured into a form’s cavity. Rebar choices are based on measurements of backfill heights and floor spans.

When everything is properly combined the results are impressive. There is the promise of creating spaces that require 44% less energy to heat and 32% less energy to cool when compared to a framed structure. Ratings of R-17 to R-26 help to ensure that. The double layer of insulation and concrete also helps to regulate temperatures throughout a finished living space.

Those who occupy the structures often discuss another benefit. “When they get in there and shut the door, the outside noise disappears,” Doren says. Barely 1/6 of the sound that passes through a woodframed wall will make its way through an ICF design. The structures will also stand tall and still in the face of wind gusts that noticeably shake framed walls.

Promises of durability have made the material a popular choice in commercial and institutional projects alike. Doren has seen ICF used to build everything from schools to hotels, motels and multi-family dwellings. “They have a stake in the longterm maintenance and upkeep of that building,” he adds, referring to the commercial building owners. “It is a superior, more energy-efficient way to build.”

Other benefits are noticed by builders who use the material. A conventional wall involves framing members, insula-

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tion, sheeting, air barriers and vapour barriers. If any one of those steps is not properly completed, the wall system will fail. In contrast, those who build an ICF wall can complete all of those stages in a single step.

The work is certainly less physically demanding. Lightweight foam is easier to move than lumber or Concrete Masonry Units, with individual ICF blocks weighing less than 5 lb. each, and the concrete itself is transferred using equipment rather than being hauled into place by hand. The foam itself is cut and trimmed using little more than hand saws, power saws, utility knives or even pocketknives.

Contractors do not need to strip, store and stock concrete forms like they might when working on a traditional concrete wall, either. There is no investment to maintain.

Concrete tips Most of the tricks of the trade involve the pouring of the concrete, which is typically placed with a concrete pump or, when working below grade, using a truck chute or conveyor belt. A hose reducer with a flexible hose will help to aim the concrete away from corners, openings or thin columns, which can stress the forms.

As the concrete is poured, the forms are monitored to ensure they stay plumb, and braces are adjusted as needed.

The ready mix also needs to be properly consolidated to minimize voids or honeycombing. CSA Standard A438 identifies the proper methods that rely on mechanical vibration or a puddling stick.

Plasti-Fab recommends using concrete with a 4”-6” slump, and an aggregate no larger than 14 mm. While smaller than the aggregate in a conventional mixture for flatwork or floors, this will flow more easily into a block’s cavity, around the rebar and interconnecting webs. “You want to make sure the aggregate does not hang up on the steel,” he says.

Sub-trades such as electricians and plumbers have their own methods to learn. The conduits for utilities are set in place before concrete is poured. Channels for the wiring and pipes are then cut into the foam with a hot knife or router.

Openings for doors are created with a wood or vinyl buck set in place when the blocks are stacked, with concrete poured around them.

Below grade, the EPS (Expanded Polystyrene) foam is waterproofed with a protective sealant, and a drainage path is placed around the foundation wall.

Product choices There are fewer ICF producers than in the mid-1990’s. Doren counted almost 70 different brands at one time, until new tests emerged through the Canadian

Construction Materials Centre (CCMC) and Building Codes began to recognize the way the forms should be assembled.

Now there are about 20 ICF brands in the well-established market.

“It went from this new way of building to a more mainstream approach to building,” he says.

Many of the differences between the available product lines involve size, the way the pieces connect, and attachments which hold the finishes or rebar in place.

The most obvious variations involve the size. Interconnecting ICF blocks range from 8”x16” to 16”x48”, according to the EPS Industry Alliance, a trade group representing the manufacturers. Most of the blocks are 10” wide, enclosing a 6” cavity which holds the concrete. In contrast, panel-based systems range from 1’x8’ to 4’x12’, with pieces tied together on site using purpose-designed connectors. The cavities in the latter walls can be up to 24” wide, depending on the need. Plank-based systems have smaller faces, measuring 8” to 12” high and between 4’ and 8’ wide.

These are tied together during the setting process rather than being preassembled before the concrete is poured.

Smaller sizes are more manageable on a typical jobsite, Doren says, adding that Plasti-Fab models are also marked with cut-lines along every inch of the surface. This can make it easier to create

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even openings for windows and doors.

Shorter blocks, meanwhile, can require more in the way of steel reinforcements.

Other differences involve cavities between the panels. A flat wall system will have a consistent thickness, much like a poured wall, while waffle grids include varying thicknesses. The grids can also create equally spaced horizontal and vertical columns which are completely enclosed in foam.

The insulated form itself is typically made using expanded polystyrene (EPS),

such as the foam used in a disposable coffee cup, or extruded polystyrene (XPS), like the foam that holds fresh meat in a supermarket. It can also be made with polyurethane or a cement-foam composite. The EPS tends to be the most affordable option, while the XPS boosts insulation by 25% and offers added strength, the EPS Industry Alliance says. However, the latter material is only available in sheet forms. The composite materials which contain cement, meanwhile, tend to be stronger and heavier, but can also

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be harder to cut. The nature of a building project tends to dictate the choices. Some ICFs are designed only for foundations, and will not support the taller walls and larger windows that people tend to want in finished living areas.

These materials can also be used to earn coveted credits for the LEED designations that recognize sustainability. Points are earned for reducing construction waste and incorporating recycled or regional content. A mere 2-5% of ICF tends to be wasted as the pieces are fit together, the concrete itself can include high percentages of fly ash, and the reinforcing steel generally includes more than 80% recycled content by weight. The EPS foam, meanwhile, does not emit Volatile Organic Compounds or formaldehyde.

Nor does it produce ozone-depleting CFCs or HCFCs during manufacturing.

The benefits do not end there. Concrete, for example, does not burn. In fire wall tests the material was able to withstand temperatures up to 2,000° F for as long as four hours. Wooden frames collapse in one-quarter that time, the EPS Industry Alliance notes.

Failing house wraps, tape or gaskets can also trap moisture inside a stud wall, creating mold and mildew. In contrast, concrete fills the entire cavity inside the ICF. Even if moisture did penetrate, the foam, rebar and concrete naturally resists the mold and mildew.

These products are hardly limited to short structures, either. Some ICF walls have been as much as 48’ tall. Still, there are additional steps to consider.

It is best to avoid pour joints in the middle of a tall wall, between the lateral supports like floor slabs or roofs, because this is where most of the bending will happen. The Concrete Code (CSA A23.3) allows cold pour joints, but includes strict requirements for vertical reinforcing bars.

Once all the panels are in place and the concrete is poured, their continuous layer of foam can be used as a backing for the drywall inside and the stucco, siding or brick on the outside, the EPS Industry Alliance says. A flange running from top to bottom on the forms will support the related fastening strips, while cladding can be attached using nothing more than screws.

When contractors are aware of benefits like these, they can see all the opportunities in ICF.

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