Contractor Advantage September / October 2013 by Espress Labs Inc.

COMPLIMENTARY

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013

CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

ALSO:

Legal Matters Tool Talk Gypsum

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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

RAISING THE

ROOF

PLUS: ENGINEERED WOOD SMARTER HOMES ®

Sometimes your hands could use a hand. TOUCH 2 O 速 TECHNOLOGY. TOUCH IT ON, TOUCH IT OFF. Touch anywhere on the spout or handle with your wrist or forearm to start and stop the flow of water. Another way that Delta速 is more than just a faucet. For a demo, visit deltafaucet.ca/touch

CONTENTS

Features

Greener roofs / 18

The lifespan of a well-installed roof can make one of the biggest environmental differences of all.

Smarter homes / 21 In an era of smart phones, contractors can also build smarter homes.

Legal matters / 25 Every toolkit should include a proper contract.

Tool talk / 28 Experts share their wisdom on when to spend top dollar on high-quality new tools.

Inside

NEWS WATCH / 5 June housing starts NEW PRODUCTS / 7 New and improved products SMART MONEY / 10 Foreign asset crackdown BUSINESS STRATEGIES / 12 Who’s, what’s of delegating ECONOMICS 101 / 14 Lowering change anxiety LEARNING CURVE / 17 Web design & rouge employees September/October 2013 Vol. 17 No. 5

Editorial Director Castle Building Centres Group Ltd. Jennifer Mercieca Managing Editor Paul Barker Art Director Mark Ryan

Castle Building Centres Group Ltd., with building supply outlets in every province, is Canada’s leading supplier of lumber and building materials to professional contractors, builders and renovators. Publications Mail Agreement #40006677 Return undeliverable Canadian Addresses to: 100 Milverton Drive, Suite 400 Mississauga, Ont. L5R 4H1

Contributors Nestor E. Arellano Lawrence Cummer Victoria Downing Stefan Dubowski Nathan Jamail Josh Kerbel David Chilton Saggers John G. Smith Tom Somodi

The sky’s the limit / 32 Engineered wood is a sustainable building material that can, in numerous cases, replace steel and concrete.

ICF opportunities / 38 Expertise in easy-to-use ICFs can help a contractor gain a bigger share of a job.

Gypsum journey / 44 New gypsum board options are lighter and more moisture resistant than earlier panels. 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

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They build their

windows and doors with the

environment

in mind

We waste less with sustainable solutions Some time ago, we made a deliberate decision to use, for a high-value purpose, every last bit of raw resource that enters our plants. We believe that building responsibly is just as important as building quality, which is why we instill sustainable and environmentally sound practices in to everything we do.

In-Store or Online, JELD-WEN has the resources I need. Visit www.jeld-wen.ca or scan our QR code to see the Top 10 Reasons why JELD-WEN is right for your next job and to find the dealer nearest you.

NEWS WATCH

CMHC reports housing starts stable in June for third straight month Housing starts in Canada were trending at 184,514 units in June compared to 184,087 in May, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). The trend is a six-month moving average of the monthly seasonally adjusted annual rates (SAAR) of housing starts. “As expected, the trend in total housing starts remained essentially stable in June for a third consecutive month,” said Mathieu Laberge, deputy chief economist at CMHC. “This reflects general stability in regional trends over the same period. As a result, the trend in national housing activity remains close to its historical average and is in-line with estimates of household formation.

In June, gains in housing starts in British Columbia were offset by declines in other regions of the country.” CMHC uses the trend measure as a complement to the monthly SAAR of housing starts to account for considerable swings in monthly estimates and obtain a more complete picture of the state of the housing market. In some situations analyzing only SAAR data can be misleading in some markets, as they are largely driven by the multiples segment of the markets, which can be quite variable from one month to the next, it said in a release. The standalone monthly SAAR was

199,586 units in June, a decrease from 204,616 in May. The SAAR of urban starts decreased by 2.7% in June to 177,085 units, as both the single and multiple urban starts segments declined. Specifically, single urban starts decreased by 4.1% to 62,743 units in June, while the multiple urban starts segment decreased by 2% to 114,342 units, June’s seasonally adjusted annual rate of urban starts increased in British Columbia. Urban starts decreased in all other regions, including Atlantic Canada, Ontario, Quebec and the Prairies. Rural starts were estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 22,501 units in June.

Constructive Solutions Adds Sage 100 Contractor Software to its portfolio Constructive Solutions for Business Inc. has added Sage 100 Contractor (formerly Sage Master Builder) to their stable of software titles available to Canadian contractors. Built for the construction industry, Sage 100 Contractor software allows a contractor to manage and control every aspect of a construction business from estimating and job costing to project management, service management and more. The latest version of Sage 100 Contractor now offers companies the ability to process payroll, electronically file government reporting (such as ROE forms, T4s and T5018s), and provide EFT for Payroll and AP. They will also be able to handle federal and provincial taxes such as GST, HST and PST and effectively manage holdbacks. Designed specifically for contractors managing $5 million to $20 million in revenues who have outgrown Sage 50 (Simply) and QuickBooks, Sage 100 Contractor s also provides companies with mobile access to project information anytime. It intergrates with Sage Construction Anywhere, a cloud-based offering designed to help companies better manage their field operations. FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE AT WWW.CONSTRUCTIVESOLUTIONS.COM CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013

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BUILDING WITH ARXX ICF: FIVE CONSTRUCTION STEPS COMBINED IN ONE

WHY YOU SHOULD CA BUY YOUR EWP FROM NEWS WATCH

A BOISE CASCADE DEALER:

OUR VALUE PROPOSITION

1 COMPLETE PRODUCT LINE Strong engineered wood products.

1. Structure 2. Insulation 3. Vapor and air barriers 4. Sound barrier 5. Fastening strips Designing and building with ARXX ICFs is a superior, proven way to deliver substantial savings in the operating costs of ownership for your institutional, commercial, industrial and residential clients. Building an energy-efficient structure is no longer a choice, but a necessity. • • • • • • •

Fast and easy to install Highly Energy efficient No risk of mold or mildew Warm, dry, comfortable living space Superior sound suppression Build all year long Installer training program available

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and when you want it. RoxulWhere signs partnership deals with Carlisle and Sika Sarnafil

Roxul Inc., a manufacturer of stone wool insulation products, recently signed partnership arrangements with Carlisle Construction Materials (CCM) and Sika Sarnafil. Carlisle roofing warranty programs, featuring EPDM and Better design & management tools. TPO membranes, will now include Roxul stone wool roof insulation. Products included in the warranty program are Toprock DD roofing insulation with integrated insulating coverboard and Monoboard insulating coverboard, as well as bitumen coated variations of both of these board products for Carlisle’s Hot-Mopped systems with FleeceBACK AFX membranes. The new systems will include the option of a limited thermal warranty, which will provide a guarantee of the insulationWe R-values theways duration the“Yes.” roofing system lookforfor to of say warranty up to 30 years. “Energy efficiency and fire safety are huge issues today and will only become more Learn more:important in the future,” said Brian Le Voguer, Roxul’s vice president of building envelope. http://x.co/bcc055 “Stone wool roof insulation, used in a hybrid assembly, adds to the performance of polyisocyanurate and EPS (expanded polystyrene), which are two well-known insulation materials.” Sika Sarnafil, meanwhile, is a manufacturer of thermodistributed by: plastic (PVC) roofing membrane. As a component of an approved Sika Sarnafil roofing system, Roxul insulation is included in Sika warGreat products areSarnafil only the beginning. ranty programs.

3 BEST TOOLS & GUIDANCE

4 EASY TO DO BUSINESS WITH

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www.BCewp.com or 800-232-0788

CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

PRODUCT SHOWCASE

Building Blocks

Innovative Products for Today’s Renovators ROXUL LAUNCHES CONTINOUS INSULATION SHEATHING BOARD

Roxul ComfortBoard CIS (Commercial Insulated Sheathing) helps highperformance exterior wall assemblies perform better by providing continuous insulation. The sheathing board is a rigid, high-density, non-combustible stone wool insulation board specifically designed for use as an exterior continuous insulation in commercial rain-screen wall systems. It is available in 1”, 1.25”, 2”, 2.5” and 3” thicknesses, with R-Values of R4, 5, 8, 10 and 12, respectively. Thermally efficient and vapour permeable, ComfortBoard CIS provides the rigidity and durability needed for many exterior cladding assemblies such as lightweight metal and composite panel systems. Its thermal properties improve energy efficiency. The stone wool insulation used in ComfortBoard CIS is also water repellent, providing a tertiary drainage plane for bulk water that may migrate into the wall cavity, but allows the breathability necessary for outward drying and effective moisture control. Visit www.rspec.com for more information on ComfortBoard CIS and Roxul’s commercial stone wool products, or www.roxul.com for information on other categories.

PORTER-CABLE OSCILLATING MULTI-TOOL BRINGS POWER, DURABILITY

Porter-Cable has expanded its corded oscillating multi-tool line with the launch of the PCE605K multi-tool kit. The kit includes a 3.0 amp motor for power and durability on the jobsite, delivering the performance needed for tough applications, including cutting, sanding, scraping and grinding, the company says. The PCE605K multi-tool delivers up to 10,000-22,000 oscillations per minute (OPM), which allows users to quickly complete different applications in a variety of materials. A depth/cutting guide featured in the new tool provides stability when making long cuts as well as control for making plunge cuts. For versatility, the PCE605K multi-tool includes a redesigned three-position over mould to provide comfort when operating the tool whether a user prefers to hold the tool in the front, middle or back, and a 10’ cord. Like its predecessor (the PC250MTK), the new multi-tool features a Tool-Free System blade change, so professionals can quickly and efficiently change out or adjust the position of the

accessory depending on the application. The unit retails for approximately $129 and comes with 31 accessories including the depth/cutting guide. It has a three-year limited warranty, one-year service contract and 90-day money-back guarantee. Further information is at www.portercable.com. CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013

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PRODUCT SHOWCASE

DELTA FAUCET STRIKES BALANCE BETWEEN FORM AND FUNCTION

Delta Faucet’s Trinsic collection provides a sleek style consistent with popular contemporary urban and Euro design trends and offers the option of the company’s unique Touch2O technology. The collection includes pull-down faucets with a two-function wand and deck-mount models, and Touch2O versions that allow the homeowner to start and stop the flow of water with a simple tap anywhere on the faucet spout or handle. In the past, this innovation was only available for faucet collections with traditional or transitional looks. The faucet’s Champagne Bronze finish meets the rising demand for the latest golden hue trend, which adds a sense of warmth and luxury to the home, the company says. The Trinsic collection features Delta Faucet’s patented Diamond Seal Technology, a diamond-coated valve that has been tested to last up to 10 times longer than the industry standard and ensure “like new” operation for the life of the faucet. The company’s InnoFlex waterways eliminate potential leak points and are easy to install, since all parts needed for installation are in the box. InnoFlex waterways connect directly onto hot and cold water shut off valves, which means there are no additional supply lines or connections to purchase. As well, Delta Faucet’s exclusive MagnaTite docking intuitively engages the spray head to its docked position with a powerful magnet, helping to keep the faucet and kitchen looking neat and orderly. Trinsic faucets are available in chrome, Arctic Stainless and Champagne Bronze finishes. Further information is at www. deltafaucet.ca. 8

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013

CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

PRODUCT SHOWCASE

TASK PROVIDES NEW SPIN ON SURGE PROTECTORS

A new family of surge protectors from Task Tools provides plugs with 360° rotating outlets. The rotation allows adjustments to be made for larger plugs, the company says. Devices may be powered even during rotation. The new 4-Outlet Rotating Surge Protector (T43401) offers four AC outlets with 540 joules of advanced surge protection through patented metal oxide varistors. A mounting screw allows the protector to be secured to wall plates and is removable for non-standard wall plates. The POWERCURVE Mobile Rotating Surge Protector (T43410) provides two AC and two USB outlets with 360 joules of protection. Featuring 4’ power cords and on/off switches with integrated 15-amp circuit breaker reset, the POWERCURVE 6-Outlet Rotating Surge Protector (T43411) and 7-Outlet Rotating Surge Protector (T43412) provide 1080 and 2160 joules of surge protection to six AC outlets, or five AC and two USB outlets, respectively. All of Task Tools’ new rotating surge protectors feature two LED lights indicating the surge protection is active, and that wiring is grounded. Further information is at www.task-tools.com.

CAULKING GUN EXTENSION ADDS 30” TO REACH

Toolway Industries Ltd.’s PROXGUN Caulking Gun Aluminum Extension for Power Tools adds 30” to the reach of caulking guns, helping eliminate some need for step-ladders or crouching for some caulking applications. An adjustable housing barrel handle, which rotates 360º, slides up and down the length of the plunger barrel housing

to provide comfort and two-handed stability, while safely applying caulking from a standing position. The expansion also includes 825 ml and 300 ml cartridge holding frames for attaching 13.5” and 9” caulking cartridges, respectively, and plunger adaptors for size. Further information is at www.toolway.com.

CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

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SMART MONEY

Foreign Asset Crackdown

To avoid serious penalties be accurate, timely and prepared for newly increased foreign investment reporting. BY PAUL RHODES

any investment held in a foreign entity and funds held in a foreign institution, but excludes personal use property such as a vacation property. The disclosure is still made to CRA on form T1135, the Foreign Income Verification Statement, but that statement includes additional information to enable CRA to ensure that all taxpayers comply with Canadian tax laws, including through both education of taxpayers and audit. Taxpayers are required to use the revised T1135 form for tax years ending during calendar 2013. The form is due on the same date as the taxpayer’s income tax return filing deadline (or the partnership information return filing deadline). An individual taxpayer must therefore indicate on the form whether the tax-

Paul Rhodes is a partner at Soberman LLP. His professional experience includes providing assurance and advisory counsel to a number of clients in construction, manufacturing, real estate and internal audit engagements. Paul is a member of the Toronto Construction Association. 10

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013

CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

payer’s spouse is self-employed due to the later tax filing deadline. An electronic filing process is not yet The previous version of the form included only general information about the locations of specified foreign property and the total of income earned from all such foreign property. The increased disclosure requirements include: • The name of the specified foreign institution or other entity holding funds outside Canada; • The name of each non-resident corporation in which the taxpayer owns shares; • The maximum cost amount of foreign property during the year and also the cost amount at year end; • The specific country to which each foreign investment property relates; and • The income generated from the foreign property and the amount of gain/loss on disposition of each specified property.

PHOTO: THINKSTOCK IMAGES

n June 25, Gail Shea, the Minister of National Revenue, announced the launch of strengthened international tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance measures. This includes both more detailed reporting of foreign investments to CRA, but also, measures that would give CRA authorization to obtain information from third parties, such as banks. The Minister stated: “Our government is committed to combating tax evasion and getting tough on tax cheats. We have introduced important new measures to strengthen the Canada Revenue Agency’s ability to audit and investigate taxpayers who may be hiding offshore property. Stronger reporting requirements will provide the CRA with more information to crack down on those who attempt to cheat the system.” The government of Canada is targeting foreign assets held by taxpayers as a source of potential tax evasion and therefore additional tax revenues. This article considers the compliance effect and broader implications of these new rules. The foreign reporting requirements in Canada have been in existence for many years; however, starting with the 2013 taxation year taxpayers who hold specified foreign property with a cost of over $100,000 at any time during the year will be required to comply with the increased foreign disclosure requirements. Specified foreign property includes

BUILDING WITH ARXX ICF: FIVE CONSTRUCTION STEPS COMBINED IN ONE in place for filing form T1135. Therefore forms must be mailed to the Ottawa Technology Centre of the CRA. For any investment in which the taxpayer receives a slip (either a T3 or T5) the taxpayer can benefit from a reporting exclusion. For example, if the taxpayer holds stock in a U.S. company with a cost over $100,000CAD and receives dividends that are reported on a T5 slip, then the taxpayer can check the box to identify the foreign property as being covered by the exclusion. The T113 form is still required to be filed within the deadline, but the detail called for on the firm need not be provided. Despite the stated objective of the government, these changes in Canadian tax compliance may have implications for the honest taxpayer: any taxpayer who fails to file a form T1135 time or files it with incomplete or 1. on Structure inaccurate information will be subjected to substantial 2. Insulation penalties imposed by CRA. Further, the3. government alsoair proposed in the 2013 Vaporhas and barriers Federal budget (Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity 4. Sound – Economic Action Plan 2013)barrier an extension to the reassessment period by three years a taxpayer has failed 5. Fasteningif strips to report income from a foreign property on the income tax return and form T1135 was not filed, was late filed or included incorrect or incomplete relating to Designing and building with ARXXinformation ICFs is a superior, a foreign property. proven way to deliver substantial savings in the For any taxpayer who answered “yes” to holding specified operating costs of ownership for your institutional, foreign property meeting the foreign reporting criteria for commercial, industrial and residential clients. filing the T1135 during the 2012 year, the CRA will include Building an energy-efficient is T1135 no longer a 2013 a reminder of the obligationstructure to file form for the choice, a necessity. year inbut their mailings to taxpayers. Provisions are in place for taxpayers to file amended should an error subsequently be identified • T1135 Fastforms and easy to install by the taxpayer; however, given the scrutiny that foreign • Highly Energy efficient reporting is likely to receive by CRA, and also the increased • penalties No riskthat of mold or mildew may be imposed for non-compliance, accurate • timely Warm, dry, comfortable reporting is a must. living space • Superior sound suppression Given that additional information (and time) will be foryear the long new income tax compliance, taxpayers • required Build all own foreign property must ensure that the required • who Installer training program available information is requested in sufficient time. Anyone in doubt about their reporting requirements under these new rules should consult their professional advisor, or can also make use of the related Q-and-A page on the CRA Website.

WHY YOU SHOULD BUY YOUR EWP FROM A BOISE CASCADE DEALER: OUR VALUE PROPOSITION

1 COMPLETE PRODUCT LINE Strong engineered wood products.

2 DEPENDABLE DISTRIBUTION Where and when you want it.

3 BEST TOOLS & GUIDANCE

Better design & management tools.

4 EASY TO DO BUSINESS WITH We look for ways to say “Yes.” Learn more: http://x.co/bcc055

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

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Great products are only the beginning.

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BUSINESS STRATEGIES

Who’s And What’s Of Delegating Once you know what you need to delegate, the next step is to determine who you will turn to. BY VICTORIA DOWNING

Before you can delegate tasks, choose the best person for the job. Here are some questions to ask: • Does the person you have in mind have the knowledge to do the job well? Often times, your employee is closer to the action so it is entirely possible that he or she is better than you. • Will they grow from the experience? Will it help make her more valuable to the team? Remember that one of the main goals of delegating tasks and responsibilities to anyone is to help him or her grow and expand their abilities. As it happens, morale goes up and the company benefits. • Does this employee share your values and perspectives? If they do not, they may come up with solutions that are unacceptable to you. • Do they have the Three Is (initiative, interest and imagination)? You want to choose employees who know how to think for themselves or can be trained to do so. Do not delegate to someone who cannot move forward on his or her own.

One way to determine your company’s potential stars is to start with an organizational chart that shows each employee in their own box. Draw a vertical line across each box and rate each employee. On top, rate his or her performance in their current role. Is he or she an A, B, or C? If A, then that’s wonderful. B is acceptable, but it is time to develop a plan to move him or her up to A. If you are rating any employee as a C, it is time to take action.

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. 12

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Now, on the bottom of the box, rate each employee on their “promotability.” Do they have the potential to be doing more in and for the company? If you have someone who is an A in his current position and C in promotability, thank your lucky stars that he is in that position and do nothing. If someone is rated B in their current position and an A in promotability, she is a prime candidate for more responsibility. A

PHOTO: THINKSTOCK IMAGES

n our last Business Strategies column we talked about the importance of delegation to the success of your business. In particular, we touched on when you should delegate, and what you should and should not. This issue we will look at the question of who to delegate work to.

BUSINESS STRATEGIES

C in their current job but an A in promotability, might suggest the employee is not in the right position with the company. Think about where else you could use him. Once you have narrowed the field, look at your organizational structure. A rule of thumb is to delegate to the lowest level at which a job can be done. The people who are closest to the actual work being performed or to the decision being made should be involved. They are the ones with the most accurate information. This increases efficiency and it frequently increases effectiveness. Remember, that any decision to delegate must be discussed with managers first. You must follow the chain of command so as not to antagonize a key manager. Delegation should be challenging enough to the employee that it stretches him or her to gain new skills. Therefore, the employee may need coaching or encouragement in order to complete the task up to your standards.

How Much Authority Do You Want To Give? Just because you want to delegate a task, it does not mean that you have to hand it over lock, stock and barrel. It is up to you to decide how much initiative the person should take. You can limit the amount of authority you are giving while you get used to delegating and until are comfortable with the quality and consistency of the employee’s work. The more experienced and reliable the other person is, the more freedom you can give. The more critical the task, then the more cautious you need to be about extending a lot of freedom, especially if your job or reputation depends on getting a good result. It is also important to ask the person you have chosen to delegate to what level of authority they would like to have. Do not assume that they want it, because some people are more confident than others. Come to agreement on what level is most appropriate, so that the job is done effectively and with minimal unnecessary involvement from you. Involving

Delegation should be challenging enough to the employee that it stretches him or her to gain new skills. the other person in this decision is an essential part of the “contract” that you make with them. No other part of delegation process causes more confusion. Be ready to talk about and make clear how much authority given the employee. There are six alternatives. The employee should:

Wait to be told what to do Take action only after specific directions are given. This is the least empowering as it does not allow any initiative on the part of the employee. They have no control over anything. While it is still considered delegating, it certainly does not help you reach your goal of expanding your employee’s abilities.

Ask what to do You might say, “Look into X and tell me about the various alternatives you come up with and then I’ll decide on the right solution.” This lets them have some control, but not much. They control some of the timing but they do not really get to make a decision. Your employee can develop ideas but can take no action until you give approval. It is better than nothing and will save you some time but is not really taking you where you want to get to. Recommend, and then take action after receiving the “go ahead”: This takes delegation to the next level. No action is allowed, but if the recommendation is sound, you can instruct them to move forward with praise for coming up with a good solution. The more successful they are at developing solutions that are on target, the more comfortable you will be in handing over more and more responsibility.

Act, then report results immediately If you are pretty comfortable with the skills of the employee, you can give permission to take some action (even if it is only the first step of a multi-step project) before they report back on their results. Use this only after you have some confidence in their abilities.

Take action and report routinely This is a fabulous level to reach. At this point, you feel that the employee is on board, understands what has to be done and has the judgment to make the right decisions. He or she has complete control over timing and content of the tasks assigned. Reporting occurs only in a routine fashion at regular meetings. This level of delegation is not only the most empowering but it is also the most likely to make your employee feel satisfied, energized and motivated.

Decide where action needs to be taken This level of delegation is for your top management team who are proven over time. When you reach this level of delegation, life as you knew it has changed and improved, and you are spending your time on the most critical and exciting parts of the business. By deciding the level of responsibility you want to give up front, you are reducing the stress that comes from wondering and worrying about the results. It also takes away your urge to micromanage. You decide: what level of delegation do you want to use?

CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

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ECONOMICS 101

Lowering Change Anxiety Recognizing positives and eliminating negatives can help you reduce the anxiety associated with change.

t is likely there have been situations when you have asked yourself, “Why are there times when I experience anxiety relative to a change I am facing in my life?” To answer this question, let us start by thinking of your replies to the following few simple questions: • What do you think has the potential of creating more anxiety: the change associated with taking a bus to work in the morning or the change associated with having an operation to repair your knee? • What do you think has the potential of creating more anxiety: the change associated with rearranging a room of furniture at work or the change associated with moving an entire business to a new location? • What do you think has the potential of creating more anxiety: the change associated with driving your car across town or the change associated with flying on an airplane across the country?

While the answers seem absurdly obvious and probably the associations between the questions may have some similarity in characteristics, there are definitely differences between the examples that are relevant to our quest to understand the relationship between anxiety and change.

In the first question, the major reason the anxiety associated with the operation on your knee is more likely to occur is due to how much more significant having an operation is relative to taking a bus to work. The level of significance associated with a specific change will tend to influence the potential anxiety you experience. In the second question, it is the level of difficulty that is a driver in determining the potential for anxiety. It is far more difficult to move an entire business operation to another location than it is to simply rearrange a few pieces of office furniture. We need to recognize that no matter how you want to personally define difficulty, the more difficulty you have associated with a change the more likely you are to experience the potential of anxiety. Finally, the third question raises the issue of control. When you are driving the car you are completely in control. Generally speaking, you are likely to experience less anxiety when you are in control than when you are not in control, such as in the case of relying on an airline and its pilot. It is an interesting dynamic that having control of a situation can often greatly reduce the level of anxiety associated with a change, even when that change fails to occur. A lack of control can also be associated with the unknown. Even though a change might be fairly simple, if an individual, organization, or society faces a

Tom Somodi is a speaker and expert in the areas of domestic and international reorganizations, acquisitions and strategic change initiatives covering manufacturing, distribution and service sectors. Tom’s forthcoming book, The Science of Change: Basics Behind Why Change Succeeds & Fails, is expected to be released this Fall. 14

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CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

change that contains a lot of unknowns, the unknowns create a feeling of a lack of control. This increases the potential for anxiety. For example, taking a train from one city to another city can be a relatively straightforward way of obtaining the change of traveling between locations; however, if you have never taken a train before and/or you are in a new city, there can be the potential for a great deal of anxiety associated with this change because the unknown creates a perception of a lack of control. If you continue to take this same train in the future between the cities, chances are your anxiety will decrease, given that you become more familiar (that is, more experienced) with the change, resulting in a feeling of being more in control. It is also important to realize that significance, difficulty, and control are not just individual characteristics but are, in fact, dynamics that can be interacting with each other relative to the same change. For example, a change can be very significant, but if you believe that you have a great deal of control over the change, then the anxiety that might otherwise exist can be tempered or even completely negated.

PHOTO: THINKSTOCK IMAGES

BY TOM SOMODI

ECONOMICS 101

The level of significance, difficulty, and control play a considerable role in the amount of anxiety that can be associated with any given change we are facing and the following rules can be applied: • The greater the significance associated with a change, the greater the potential for anxiety. • The greater the difficulty associated with a change, the greater the potential for anxiety. • The greater the control you have associated with a change, the lower the potential for anxiety.

Significance, difficulty, and control can be interacting simultaneously relative to a given change, creating a set of mixed dynamics relative to the anxiety that exists with any given change that we face. It is important to note that these rules apply to us not only as individuals but also as organizations and societies. In fact, much of history has been influenced by the anxiety associated with the change an organization or a society was facing. For example, there is a good chance that you have been employed by, or maybe even managed, a business organization that completely reorganized itself because of its anxiety around its ability to remain competitive in the changing marketplace. How about a society that went to war because of its anxiety over an actual or perceived loss of control in its access to food, water, or other resources? Now that we have established the main drivers behind anxiety and change, is there a “why” behind these relationships? The answer to “why” exists in the fact that you realize that you are not always successful in obtaining the change you desire. If you know that the change you desire will always take place, then there would be no reason to be anxious; however, through experience, you have come to recognize that a desired change cannot be guaranteed. You also have learned to realize the

ramifications and affects associated with significance, difficulty, and control and this inability to obtain guaranteed change. From the time you were a baby, you have accumulated a vast conscious and unconscious knowledge base relative to change. This knowledge base has inherently provided you with the ability to realize that change is not guaranteed and has created recognition that significance, difficulty, and control can play a major role when attempting to obtain a desired change. It has also inherently created a defense mechanism in the form of anxiety that helps bring certain change from the unconscious to the conscious where you are more likely to focus on it instead of everything else going on in your daily life. Even though in the end there might not be anything you can do about increasing the potential for success, this anxiety

response provides you with an opportunity to focus on the desired change with the hope of increasing the chances for a successful change. Is this set of dynamics good or bad? I believe it is generally good. While anxiety can sometime paralyze us or create negative consequences, these emotions are in fact the natural response associated with bringing issues into the forefront of our minds. This, in turn, helps us focus on changes that require immediate and/or our full mental awareness. In the end, this understanding of the relationship between anxiety and change should help you recognize the positives of the anxiety response, while eliminating some of the negative aspects. See anxiety as a basis for what to focus on, and take advantage of the underlying drivers of significance, difficulty and control.

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LEARNING CURVE

Web Design & Rogue Employees One book teaches you how to improve your online marketing content, while another teaches you how to overcome personnel hassles. DO THE WEB WRITE Self-Counsel Press There is no doubt that a strong online presence can help a contractor compete in today’s market, but few have expertise in building the perfect Website with strong content. This is where Do the Web Write from Self-Counsel Press helps. The hardest part of making a successful Website is not building it, since contractors can hire someone to do the design and coding. The hardest part is writing great content that will attract readers and keep them coming back. Do the Web Write is a complete guide to writing and running a successful Website. This small business-focused book looks not at Website coding, but how to determine what pages a business should have and how best to write them. Written in plain English, it covers many different types including blogs, corporate Websites, social networking sites and small business sites.

Online technology will change each year, but what remains constant is that a Website needs great content, written in an engaging and Web-friendly manner, to make it a success. This book takes readers step-by-step through every essential page they will need on their Website and demonstrates how to write each page. Topics include: • The fundamental elements of a successful Website; • How to format your Website in an order that is user friendly; • How to write attention-getting blog posts; • Creating helpful FAQ pages to generate more traffic; • Writing press releases that get attention on the Web; • And, how to write successful landing pages. Author Dan Furman has run several home businesses over the past 20 years, and has helped others with the marketing their own business. He is the author of Start & Run a Real Home-Based Business, also from Self-Counsel Press.

CRUCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY, 2ND EDITION McGraw-Hill Behind the problems that routinely plague businesses, teams and families are individuals who either cannot or will not deal with failed promises. New research suggests that these disappointments are not just irritating, but are costly. They sap organizational performance by 20-50% and account for up to 90% of divorces. They also break rules, miss deadlines and behave badly and in a corporate setting, even if they volunteer to do a job, they do not do it well thus creating a whole new set of problems. To help solve this accountability challenge, McGraw-Hill has released the second edition of Crucial Accountability: Tools for Resolving Violated Expectations, Broken Commitments, and Bad Behavior (previously titled Crucial Confrontations). Crucial Accountability offers tools for improving

relationships in the workplace and in life to permanently resolve problems. Drawn from over 10,000 hours of real-life observations, Crucial Accountability teaches readers the skills to increase confidence when facing tough issues. With it, readers learn to: • Permanently resolve failed promises and missed deadlines; •T ransform broken rules and bad behaviors into productive accountability; • Strengthen relationships, while solving problems. Authors Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, David Maxfield, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler are the leaders of VitalSmarts, an innovator in best-practices training and services. They have trained at more than 300 of the Fortune 500 companies, and previously released Crucial Conversations published by McGraw-Hill. Both books are currently available from www.amazon. ca and www.chapters.indigo.ca. CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

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FEATURE

Greener

ROOFS The lifespan of a well-installed roof can make one of the biggest environmental differences of all. BY JOHN G. SMITH

the amount of construction waste over the life of a home. IKO Industries manager of technical and industry affairs, Andy Lodge, refers to his recently replaced roof as just one example. The old roof lasted about 22 years, and he expects the new design to live longer than that. “The value you get for shingles, pound for pound, staring at the sun each day, taking the brunt of everything, is pretty good,” he says. Of course, these advantages can be quickly undone unless contractors focus on installation techniques. “Lumber roof decking does not like to be hot and sweaty,” Lodge says. “Shingles work best on a ventilated attic. One of the

PHOTO: THINKSTOCK IMAGES

iscussions about green roofs often focus on designs that are covered in layers of living plants, but there are also environmentally-friendly decisions at play when installing roofing products of any sort. Every contractor who works with an environmentallyconscious customer has the opportunity to discuss everything from recycled content to reduced construction waste, as well as the installation practices that will extend a roofing system’s life. Indeed, the lifespan of a well-installed roof can make one of the biggest environmental differences of all, limiting

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013

CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

ways they age is heat, and in an insulated, non-ventilated installation, they are sitting on a frying pan.” This can be generally addressed with a square foot of vents for every 300 square feet of attic, evenly split between the soffit and roof vents. It is not the only way that roofing choices can reduce the need for building materials. Since asphalt shingles are relatively lightweight, they do not require added support in the form of extra framing or lumber, notes the Canadian Asphalt Shingle Manufacturers’ Association (CASMA). Even when old shingles are shipped to landfill sites, their contents do not leach into groundwater. Traditional asphalt shingles may have offered more recycled material in the form of an organic base, which could be made with recycled wood and paper, but today’s fibreglass mat shingles use less material overall, Lodge adds. The fabric used to reinforce the shingles weighs about 1/5 as much as the organic paper, while the products also require less of the high-quality asphalt made from petroleum, he says. While some communities offer facilities to recycle disposed shingles, some of

the biggest examples of recycling can be found in the production processes themselves. Cut-outs and other trimmed pieces are reclaimed and added to paving materials. They are also used as a fuel source in operations such as cement kilns. Some roofing products can even be used to earn green seals of approval. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) credits, for example, will recognize advantages such as reduced shipping distances. Canadian buyers simply need to be

aware of differences between the environmental-related approvals found on each side of the border. While light-coloured shingles can earn Energy Star ratings in the U.S., recognizing their potential to reflect sunlight and reduce the size of a “heat island”, the ratings do not apply in Canada. “It works in reverse here,” Lodge explains, supporting the stance. “Even if you did have an effect on your building’s interior, you would have to have your furnace on more because we have a longer heating season than a cooling season.”

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FEATURE

SMARTER HOMES BELOW ARE FIVE PRODUCT CHOICES THAT WILL GIVE CUSTOMERS SOME ADDED CONTROL. BY JOHN G. SMITH

PHOTO: THINKSTOCK IMAGES, HONEYWELL

n an era of smart phones, there should be little surprise that contractors can also build smarter homes. Just a handful of sensors and electronics can give homeowners more control over their environment than ever before. They are the finishing touches that can elevate a renovation or installation, and help any space to feel more like the home of the future. Consider these options that are now available through Castle stores:

Programmable touch screen thermostats Few factors play a larger role in energy savings than the regulated temperatures

that can be set through a programmable thermostat. Now homeowners do not even need to be home when setting the controls. Programmable touch screen thermostats from Honeywell, for example, can be accessed remotely through a smart phone or computer, and come complete with the dedicated applications for iPhone, iPad and Android operating systems. At home, users can tap into a 10-squareinch touch screen, which can control just about any HVAC system. Programs cover all seven days of the week, with four programmable periods per day to ensure a match to any household schedule. Specific temperatures can also be held for a limited period of time, permanently, or during a

vacation. Meanwhile, a pre-programmed energy-saving schedule can control the HVAC system and fan alike, all in the name of lower utility bills. Those who opt for the RTH9580WF Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat enjoy a fullcolour display, with added functions, including a program based on the utility providerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s peak rate prices, and reminders to change humidifier pads. It even offers

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local weather reports and five-day forecasts at a glance. The required data is fed over a home’s broadband Internet service, using signals from 802.11 b/g/h routers that support typical wireless hotspots. The only added tools needed to install the systems come in the form of a Wi-Fi device, such as a smart phone, laptop or Web browser. Once everything is in place, homeowners can use their apps and Web portals to view and control temperatures, be reminded when to change filters, or receive alerts about high or low temperatures. Depending on how the HVAC system’s wires are configured, they can even control the fan. Unlike some other electronic thermostats, these versions will also reset their clocks after power failures and automatically adjust for seasonal time changes. The products will even learn from experience. Using Smart Response technology, the Honeywell thermostats will begin to pre-heat or pre-cool a home to ensure that requested temperatures are always reached at the programmed times.

PHOTO: HONEYWELL

Hands-free faucets Nothing can mess up the appearance of a brand new decorator faucet quicker than hands covered in food or grime, but Moen’s MotionSense allows homeowners to control the water without ever setting their fingers on a handle. Think of it like a second set of clean hands in the kitchen. This product line includes sensors which detect moving hands in one of two zones. The simple wave of a hand over a “wave sensor” at the top of the faucet sets the water flowing, while a “ready sensor” near the faucet’s base will wait for an object like a cup or hand to be placed under the spout. For those who still prefer a human touch, a handle is also available to adjust flows and temperature. There are practical advantages to the added controls. In addition to limiting the spread of germs, they also help to conserve water by ensuring the faucet only runs when needed. The related power supply can come from a pack of six standard AA batteries, which is mounted under the sink and typically lasts about 12 months, but installers can also add a hard-wired outlet for an optional AC power adapter. If power is lost for any reason, the faucet will continue to run manually.

Wireless chimes Gone are the days when installing a doorbell required an installer to fish a length of wire through the wall. Wireless chimes connect to the door’s button using a simple RF signal. It offers more than a simplified installation. Wireless Decor Door Chimes from Honeywell, for example, will work with up to six transmitters including bell push buttons, motion detectors or door contacts. Portable chimes can even be moved from room to room, so news about a visitor is always in hearing range.

Programmable light switches Depending on the model, programmable light switches will work with incandescent, halogen or fluorescent lights, helping to conserve energy and offer a sense of security. Honeywell’s EconoSwitch models, for example, offer seven-day timers to control everything from lights to ¾ hp motors, and will automatically activate at sunrise or sunset. The single-pole devices simply require a neutral wire when installed. The added feature of a backlit display will ensure the switch is easy to find in the middle of the night, and offers the added function of a nightlight. Models with random modes will also turn lights on and off to ensure that it always looks like someone is at home. All the valuable program information

will even be protected during a power outage, and the most advanced versions will reprogram themselves to adjust for time changes.

Water alarms Few threats are more damaging to a home than leaking water. A minor 1/8” crack in a pipe can release up to 250 U.S. gallons of water a day, while wet wood or drywall can become a breeding ground for mold. There should be little surprise that customers will be nervous about the potential of future leaks after hiring a contractor to tackle a related repair. Palm-sized water leak alarms can offer customers extra peace of mind, and can be installed in attics, under sinks, next to basement walls, or under any water-filled device. Disposable spot detectors like Honeywell’s RWD11 or RWD14 will sound a warning with as little as 1/16” of water. The required electric contacts inside it are activated with an expanding sponge.

For larger projects, the RWD41 will detect water anywhere along a 4’ cable, or even along lengths as long as 240’, offering a tool to watch over otherwise hidden areas around water heaters, sump pumps or the entire perimeter of a basement that has been prone to flooding.

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Legal Matters FEATURE

Every toolkit should include a proper contract. BY JOHN G. SMITH

PHOTO: THINKSTOCK IMAGES

ell-written contracts can protect against a wide array of threats, but Jamie D. MacNeil knows there needs to be a balance between legal wishes and business realities. While lawyers always like to see as many protective clauses as possible, a 10-page document could scare away a customer who expects nothing more than a simple Purchase Order, says the managing partner with BoyneClarke, one of Atlantic Canada’s largest law firms. “Nobody is going to contract with a contractor who demands everything under the sun in writing, and uses every legal term you can imagine.” It might explain why so many business deals are closed with little more than a handshake. “There are a lot of houses that get constructed, at least in B.C., where there is no written contract at all between the owner and the general contractor,” observes John Logan, a managing partner with Vancouverbased Jenkins Marzban Logan LLP. He calls that an “enormous mistake.” A formal agreement is still one of the most effective tools for contractors who want to protect their businesses. Luckily, a standard contract or wellstructured Purchase Order can address many issues in a limited number of pages. Orie Niedzviecki, a partner in Toronto-

based Ellyn Law LLP, says the goal is to clearly outline everybody’s expectations, schedules and payment conditions. “Get a signed contract,” he adds. “Do not shake hands. Do not fudge it with a few emails back and forth.” The final documents also need to be clearly understood by everyone who is involved in the deal, whether it is a homeowner, builder or subcontractor. “You do not want them to say, ‘This is not what I agreed to,’” Niedzviecki says. The language is not just a matter of avoiding disagreements, either. He remembers one case in which a judge voided an entire contract because the text included conflicting language. Every homeowner who hires a contractor will need to be educated, because they are not exposed to the world of construction, Logan adds. Issues such as holdbacks, liens and change orders may be familiar to those in the construction industry, but the person paying the bills may never have heard of the terms. “They may have completely different expectations than a general or a sub might have as to how business is conducted. They import things from their own businesses, and the rules in their own business may be completely different.” Subcontractors, meanwhile, need to understand the scope of a project and whether a quote is treated as an estimate or a fixed cost of work.

“Sometimes that is not clear,” he adds. Nothing can be left open to interpretation. One person’s “reasonable delay” may be unacceptable to the next person. Even the smallest shift in language can leave questions about whether the contract is based on a fixed price or a “cost-plus” arrangement. It is why MacNeil emphasizes the value of clearly defined exclusions in a contract. These will address many of the added costs that emerge if delays by another sub-trade push other work into winter months, or the added materials needed once a renovation project is underway. There will be no questions about how tasks are divided between subcontractors who touch the same project, such as mechanical and HVAC workers. The all-important contract language does not need to be drafted from scratch. Several options available through the Canadian Construction Documents Committee (www.ccdc.org) will cover many potential challenges. “Most of the standard-form contracts have been reviewed by all of the interest groups: owners, and general contractors, subcontractors, bonding companies, everybody has had their input and they are generally seen as being fair to everybody,” Logan says. Everything can be altered, but each change in the form of extra pages or scrawled notes can raise some warning flags. MacNeil always wonders why someone may be straying from the standard text.

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“Read it every time,” he adds, noting how many people sign documents without fully understanding how they are exposed. The format of the signature at the bottom of a contract can be just as important as the text above it. A subcontractor may sign an agreement using the name of their company, even though the business assets are limited to a truck and some rented equipment. If something goes wrong, there may be nothing to collect. If possible, Niedzviecki likes to see suppliers offer a personal name with the promise of personal liability. “It is more helpful than having an empty shell of a company,” he says. In many cases, the contracts will also need to evolve with a project. “Most contracts will say you cannot change any term of the contract unless it is in writing,” Niedzviecki says. “That is very good protection, but does not work so well practically when you are on the job. Things are moving quickly.” Emails can help in these cases, and will often be accepted as proof of what everyone intended to do. If decisions are made over a truck’s hood, for example, MacNeil says at least one person should pull out a smartphone and email the agreed details to everyone involved in the discussion. “Every time there is going to be extra work, there is an opportunity for a contractor to record that and say, ‘This is extra,’” Logan agrees. “In every one of those cases, you want the customer to be coming back and saying, ‘We agree.’” Of course, the wording of a contract is only the beginning. “If you engage in a pattern of conduct that is not within the contract and the other side goes along with that, a judge can easily find that a contract has changed because everybody was ignoring it,” Niedzviecki says. He refers to one case in which a contractor was asking for funds at times that were different than those listed in the contract. Since the owner paid whenever they were asked, the written contract was voided. Ultimately, any contract language is being put in place to protect everyone’s interests if there is a disagreement, and most disagreements surround payments.

allowed to pass before filing for a builder’s lien, and that traps many contractors who are still looking to resolve conflicts after a job is finished. It is why it is important to record the last day of work on a jobsite, and begin the countdown to the final day on which a lien can be filed. A successful filing will require proof including purchase orders, contracts, change orders, extras, time sheets from employees, and receipts for all material. “If you do not have it all, that can harm your case,” Niedzviecki says. “When you get money in from an owner, that money is impressed with a trust to be used to pay your subcontractors. Make sure you have books that show clearly what happened to that money. Do not just throw it into the general account and take out what you want.” There are other ways that money can be lost. MacNeil, for example, refers to the need to document the 1.5% or 2% of interest charged every month on overdue accounts. Courts will not consider any such penalties that are not in writing. The all-important text can also define exactly who will solve disputes, guiding the process from a project’s consultant to mediators, arbitrators and courts. Mediation tends to be the most popular option, because it is far cheaper than a court case, and it is usually finished in a day if everyone is prepared. Granted, arbitration is becoming more popular because it offers a binding decision, MacNeil says. “More often than not, you will get full indemnity for your costs if you win,” Logan says, referring to the arbitration process. “You might get 25% of your costs in the court process and you won.” It all adds to the value of proper legal advice, and a little research can uncover lawyers who are familiar with building contractors. Logan recommends beginning with online services such as Best Lawyers International (www.bestlawyers. com), Lexpert (www.lexpert.ca) or Martindale-Hubbell (www.martindale.com). The support does not need to be prohibitively expensive, either. “The problems that I see,” says Logan, “could be avoided for a relatively small amount of front-end lawyer time.”

PHOTO: THINKSTOCK IMAGES

The all-important contract language does not need to be drafted from scratch. Several options available through the Canadian Construction Documents Committee (www.ccdc.org) will cover many potential challenges. Some of the most common disputes can be traced to a difference between estimates and actual costs, Logan says. “Owners tend to get an estimate and they think the estimate is somehow binding.” “It is a common thing for the contractor to say to a subcontractor, ‘Well, I did not get paid by the owner so I do not have to pay you,’” Niedzviecki adds. “Technically you are still bound to pay that subcontractor even if the money did not come through from the owner yet.” MacNeil likes to see contracts with a “deficiency holdback” in addition to required “lien holdbacks”. Typically set at about 10% of a product’s value or at a fixed amount, the funds can be used as leverage until poor workmanship is addressed. While some people threaten to hold back a builder’s lien until problems are addressed, these fees are for those who are not paid for work or materials. “The lien holdback is mandated by legislation. It is very specific in terms of how much is required to be held back, why it is required to be held back, and for how long,” MacNeil says. Timelines play a key role when applying for these funds. Provincial legislation clearly defines how much time is

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FEATURE

TOOL TALK Experts share their wisdom on when to spend top dollar on high-quality new tools, and when it is OK to tighten the purse strings.

othing beats quality. That is the short, invariable answer you will get from any tool vendor when asked when a contractor can compromise on tool price over quality; however, dig a bit deeper you will find instances that afford contractors some latitude. “I always recommend that contractors buy the best tool they can get,” says Venkatesh Rao, regional sales and service manager for Makita Canada Ltd. “An inferior tool could break down on you just when you need it the most.” 28

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013

Still, Rao notes that price is not always an indication of quality, nor do realworld tool users always opt for quality. Savvy business owners always weigh cost against value. “As a rule, a contractor would want to maximize the money spent on tools, since they are an investment,” he says. “This does not always mean buying top quality. Depending on the application a contractor may opt for cheaper or slightly lesser quality tool.” For example, a contractor would likely

CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

go for the lower price tag if a tool was less likely to be used frequently in his or her specific line of work. Another occasion when going low-budget might be the wiser decision is when a contractor gets an assignment requiring the sudden recruitment of temporary help. “Let’s say you are ordered to rapidly construct a large number of booths or stalls that will be quickly dismantled soon after their use,” Rao says. “It might be more practical to hire a number of low-cost labourers and arm them with

PHOTO: MAKITA

BY NESTOR E. ARELLANO

less expensive hammers or drill guns.” In such a case, some contractors would cost the project and simply add the price of the tools, he adds.

PHOTO: DEWALT, TASK

When quality counts When is it foolhardy to compromise on quality? When your livelihood depends on it, says Stephen Blain, product manager for cordless tools at DeWalt Canada. “Definitely go for quality on the tools you rely on the most,” he says. “For tools that are used once in a blue moon, some would likely not purchase the latest and greatest.” Pneumatic nail guns, rotary percussion hammer drills, impact drivers, circular saws and reciprocating saws are typically tool box essentials; however, every contractor trade is different, so deciding which set of tools that provide the best benefit for a contractor varies based on the job. Accessories are one power tool component that contractors should not scrimp on, according to Chris Waldner, group product manager for Vancouver-based Task Tool, makers of power tool accessories. “Motors provide the power but accessories do the work,” says Waldner. “The blades do the cutting, the bits do the drilling and the fastening, and if you buy inferior quality accessories they could break on you or result in an inferior job.” Waldner believes contractors would be better off purchasing higher-quality accessories in order to maximize the use of their power tools. For example, the recently launched Task Signature reciprocating saw blades, with tungsten carbide coated teeth, are not only designed to cut faster and last longer, they also expand the application range of a reciprocating saw. The special blade can easily cut through wood as well as concrete and brick. Peter Vernon, general manager of Mississauga, Ont.-based Freud Tools Inc., agrees. “The biggest issues that contractors complain about are kit blades and bits,” says Vernon, who has been a finishing carpenter for years.

The accessories that come with some power tools are not always the best, he says. In order to cut down on cost and keep the price of the tool low, manufacturers may equip their products with accessories meant for general use. Vernon says contractors might save a bit of money on low-quality accessories, but end up losing in the long run. A cheap $5 blade could be good for only a single job, while a higher-quality one, such as Freud’s Thin Kerf Fusion blades, could cost up to $20, but can last up to four times longer than usual. There is also less likelihood of damaging surfaces, since the Kerf Fusion blade’s smooth finished sides are designed to reduce vibration and produce clean top and bottom cuts, Vernon says.

electronic controller, using a solid-state circuit, rather than brush system, to keep the motor turning. This arrangement produces a higher torque-to-weight ratio, increased reliability, reduced electronic interference and less noise. “In recent years brushless motors have found their way in high-end power tool

Invest in latest technology Contractors should be on the lookout for truly game changing tool technology that provides real benefits, Blain says. Traditional direct current motors use elements called brushes that make contact with electrodes to continually flip the polarity of the motor’s electromagnet in order to keep the armature or rotor spinning. This system is simple and cheap to manufacture, but it has a lot of problems: the brushes eventually wear out; the process creates sparking and electrical noise; brushes limit the speed of the motor; the motor easily heats up; and, it takes longer to cool down. By contrast, the newer brushless motor employs a fixed armature and an

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PHOTO: DEWALT, FREUD

lines, because they improve performance and reliability and their compact design enable the manufacture of smaller and lighter machines,” Blain says. “Brushless motors provide up to 57 % longer run time than brush motors.” Brushless motors are typically found in cordless drill tools such as DeWalt’s recently launched 20-volt lithium-ion powered XR line that includes the DCD790D2 compact driver, DCD795D2 hammer drill and DCF886D2 impact driver. DeWalt is planning to rollout other power tools using brushless motors. “When you are buying cordless power tools, check the power source,” Vernon cautions. “Perhaps the reason why it is cheaper is because it is still powered by nickelcadmium (NiCad) batteries.” One of the most significant advancements in power tool technology in the last five to eight years was the introduction of lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. Lithium batteries charge within 20 to 30 minutes, compared to NiCad batteries that require 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 only 20 to 40 minutes. “In the field, this could mean the difference between lugging three to four battery packs to just carrying two Lithium packs and being able to work with less interruption,” Vernon says. Also, look for tools that provide versatility, Venkatesh says. For example, impact drivers, such as Makita’s three-speed, reversible LXDT01Z1 impact driver, are currently enjoying the spotlight because of their versatility. They couple the drilling and driving functions of a regular power drill typically used on wood surfaces, with the pounding power of a hammer drill that is needed in work involving masonry. Hammer drills have a hammer setting that actuates a pounding action, similar to that in a jackhammer. This makes them noisy and they vibrate in the hand like a jackhammer would. Impact drivers, on the other hand, use a high-speed repetitive stop-turn-stopturn motion to spin the bit further. The result is less noise and minimal vibration.

They also have a lighter and smaller form factor than most hammer drills, so they are often easier to handle. Perhaps the most versatile of power tools is the oscillating tool dubbed the multi-tool. It uses cutting attachments that rapidly oscillate from side to side, unlike a reciprocating saw (which moves backwards and forwards) or a circular saw (that rotates). Depending on the attachment used, the oscillating tool can function as a cutting tool, a sanding tool or a scraping tool, like Makita’s 18-volt LXT lithium-ion powered cordless multi-tool. It will not replace your circular saw or your sander, but with the proper attachment an oscillating tool can undercut door casings and jambs, allow you to cut a section of a baseboard without having to remove it from the wall, scrape off grout from tiles and cut metal or plastic pipes in confined spaces.

Hand tools hold their own when accuracy, finish and finesse are the main criteria. “If I am supposed to drive more than a hundred screws or hack through drywall, I would definitely pick up a power drill and a reciprocating saw,” he says. “If I am working on a delicate piece of furniture or premium wood shelving, I would likely use a hammer because a power tool just might rip through the thing and damage the material.” While the temptation is always there to use hand tools and power tools in unorthodox ways to get the job done, it is not highly recommended. “Of course you can drive a nail with a wrench rather than hammer, or use a screw driver as a chisel,” Vernon says. “It may work for a while but sooner or later something is bound to give.” Each tool is designed for a different purpose, he says, and as such they have different stress points. Different tools are engineered to stand up to the abuses particular to the applications for which they were meant. “If you apply a tool beyond the parameters it was meant for, it can damage the material you are working on, or break and injure someone,” Vernon warns. “Every wise contractor knows to always use the tool for the job it was meant for.”

The hand tool advantage When speed, torque and consistency are called for it is hard to beat power tools, according to Waldner. CONTRACTOR ADVANTAGE

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Sky’ s limit FEATURE

the

Engineered wood is helping architects, builders and contractors turn to wood as an option for safe, sustainable, taller buildings and open-concept homes. BY LAWRENCE CUMMER

verything old becomes new again. Once the mainstay of construction, advances in engineered wood products have renewed interest in wood as a material for constructing low- and mid-rise buildings and lofty homes. Stronger and more dimensionally stable than traditional lumber, engineered wood affords the consistency of design needed to allow for taller structures, allowing it to, in some cases, supplant even steel and concrete. It is a trend that Alex Wimbush, regional sales manager, engineered wood products at Taiga Building Products, has been seeing more and more recently. “We just finished working on a large retirement home built with engineered wood, and I’m seeing it a lot in these kinds of institutions, but the same construction methods can be adapted easily for others,” he says. Wimbush estimates that he has seen roughly the same number of those projects in the last year as he did the previous two, attributing speed of production, cost and availability of products as possible drivers. 32

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013

Wood buildings on the rise To showcase engineered wood’s ability to literally scale construction to new heights, the Canadian Wood Council (CWC) earlier this year issued a request for developers, institutions, organizations and design teams to undertake the design and building of high-rise wood demonstration projects with funding support from Natural Resources Canada. The deadline for Expressions of Interest for the program is Oct. 18. It aims to find concepts, schematics or designs that safely and successfully demonstrate the use of wood as a viable structural element in buildings of 10 storeys and more. Effectively reaching those heights with wood generally demands the structural integrity found from engineered products. “They call it engineered for a reason,” notes Werner Hofstatter, Wood First Advisor at Wood WORKS! BC, the CWC-led initiative formed to increase the use of wood in commercial, industrial or institutional construction. “It is a lot more predictable. Because it is engineered, we can know its characteristics.”

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PHOTO: CANWEL

FEATURE

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and concrete started being looked at to the exclusion of wood, even where it may have still made sense. “If you look back 100 years ago, there are numerous examples of wood buildings that are eight, nine or 10 storeys tall that are still in use today” he says. “We want to get back to that mix, where there are higher amount of wood in buildings, because it is a very sustainable material.”

Building greener Wood advocates point to engineered wood as a sustainable building material that can, in numerous cases, replace steel and concrete, which can be both more expensive and environmentally costly. The building sector is a huge contributor to greenhouse gasses, Hofstatter says. He adds that demand is “huge” for

materials, such as engineered wood, that have less of an “embodied energy.” Embodied energy calculations incorporate the energy required to produce a product or material. It is used to assess the impact a product has on the environment over its life-cycle. When it comes to operations, Hofstatter says an engineered wood building should be effectively the same as one built with concrete and steel, while concrete advocates say concrete’s thermal mass reduces temperature changes and related energy costs. “Built properly, with the same level of envelope control, there should be no real difference between a non-wood building and a wood building, because you can control the airflow,” Hofstatter says of the environmental impact related to elements such as heating and cooling. “We applaud the efforts done by the steel industry around recycling and con-

PHOTO: CANWEL

Events are also in motion to adjust provincial and national building codes to allow for taller wood-framed structures that would take advantage of engineered wood. The National Building Code and Fire Codes of Canada in 1995 was changed to allow four storey wood buildings, where it since has remained; however, four years ago B.C. changed its provincial code to allow for wood building heights of up to six storeys. The province has since then requested that the Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes investigate adjusting the National Model Construction Codes to follow its lead. Other provinces already are, says Corrado Distefano, national engineered wood product manager for CanWel Building Materials Division. “Definitely Ontario is looking at adopting six storey wood-framed construction; Quebec has just adopted it and it has been going on in B.C. for some time now,” he says. “Engineered wood is playing a predominant role in that kind of construction. “I don’t think steel and concrete will ever completely go away, but with that kind of mid-rise building engineered wood becomes a major piece of the puzzle.” Of course tall wood-framed buildings and houses are not exactly new, Hofstatter points out. He suggests wood fell out of favour for non-residential construction in parallel with the growing popularity of the elevator, when traditional lumber could not effectively meet the requirements of the emerging high-rise buildings. As part of that evolution, steel

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crete industry to reduce their impact, but the truth is, those materials are always going to require more energy, more water and, in the case of concrete, chemical reactions that produce a tremendous amount of carbon dioxide.” On the other hand, he notes, the wood fibre from which engineered wood products are created generally come from renewable forests which act as carbon sinks, sequestering carbon dioxide, and produce oxygen.

The elevator might have spelled doom for some wood construction a century ago, but today it is creating unique opportunity for engineered wood in residential markets. “What you see going on here in Victoria is a lot more houses are going up with elevator shafts,” Hofstatter says. “Because of its span and straightness, you can build that with engineered wood and then it can blend into a regular house.” In addition, he points to engineered wood product as ideal for the building of balconies, or floor renovations. Other applications, such as open-concept twostorey family rooms (which cannot be built well with traditional lumber) are the sort where the benefits of engineered wood can really shine, Distefano adds. “It lets home architects open up spaces, provides opportunities for mechanical designs to be maybe pushed up into the floors, and gives a lot more options,” he says. For floor applications, engineered wood also provides a further benefit beyond that of span, strength and stability, Distefano notes, in that it will shrink less, eliminating squeakcausing moisture and related issues.

The challenge for contractors and builders, of course, is explaining the benefits to the homeowner. “Most builders are aware of the advantages of engineered wood, and will embrace and use it where it makes sense,” Wimbush says. He adds that the general public need more education on how the longer spans and dimensional stability from engineered wood help them. “No homeowner wants a squeaky floor, but it is often not something they think about during the design process.” Part of educating customers must include helping them to look beyond an often single-minded focus on material costs. Although there is a premium, since engineered wood products are easier to install the cost can be partly offset through reduced on-site labour. Reduced cut-off waste also results in faster clean up. For the contractor, though, a floor built with engineered wood results in that all-important reduction in complaints and call backs from the customer, Wimbush says. After all, everything performs better when it is built straight and true. “Ultimately, you’re going to be able to finish a project quicker and get onto the next one.”

Getting the job One aspect that can help sell homeowners on engineered wood is the warranty most of these products have around performance. Typically not seen with traditional lumber,

this can give a homeowner the peace of mind that their floor, for example, will be as squeak-free for its lifetime as it is today. Wimbush points to his engineered wood product’s lifetime warranties and support, but adds that contractors can not only get support from Taiga as a distributor, but from the retailers and lumber yards they buy from. “For example, we spend time training local Castle yards to be knowledgeable on engineered wood products, how to use it, make repairs and support it. So you can come to us, or go where you bought the product.” The price delta between traditional lumber and engineered wood is also currently smaller, Wimbush says, making it an opportune time for contractors to offer it to their customers. “I’ve observed a sort of disconnect: although the elements that make up engineered wood are lumber, lumber prices over the last year have gone up substantially, while engineered wood has not.” If contractors can help their customers understand the benefits engineered wood has today and over the life of their room, home or floor, the rest should fall into place, Distefano suggests. The quality improvement that comes from building projects with engineered wood can become a competitive advantage. “The more they use engineered wood and are familiar with its details, how to handle it, what not to do, and where not to cut, the better,” he says. “They’re just giving the consumer a better built home, and that means less complaints and a better reputation.”

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PHOTO: CANWEL

Redesigning residences

FEATURE

ICF OPPORT

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013

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FEATURE

Expertise in easy-to-use ICFs might help a traditional framing contractor take a bigger share of a building job than before, but looks can deceive and training is still needed. BY DAVID CHILTON SAGGERS

PHOTO: ARXX

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nsulated concrete forms first appeared in what was West Germany in the 1950s, a time when that country needed all the housing it could build following World War II. An influx of immigrant workers helped turn a devastated economy into a manufacturing colossus. The idea behind ICFs is simple: like the plastic blocks that a three-year old child can snap together with relative ease, so too can ICFs be snapped into place quickly and efficiently, which presumably is the principal reason for their early appearance in housing-short Germany. Appearances can be deceptive, though, and facile comparisons with a child’s toy may not stand up upon further examination. In other words, just how easy is it to use ICFs? Most construction professionals say easy enough. Ian Burns is a Red Seal carpenter and an instructor in the apprenticeship and renovation technician programs at George Brown College in Toronto. He used to be on the Board of Directors of Habitat for Humanity and recalls working on a house’s foundation using ICFs from Logix. “It’s an excellent system to use with volunteers because it is erected rather quickly,” Burns says. “It is like building blocks. For the layman it is a system that is fairly easy to install.” Ease of use is something Robin Jacobs, vice-president of marketing at Arxx Building Products in Cobourg, Ont., notes

about her firm’s ICFs, too. They simplify construction, she says. Their structural element is reinforced with rebar; and their insulation, air, vapour and air barriers are built in. With Arxx products there are also fastening strips that can be used on an interior or exterior finish in one step. “In the end people say ICFs are a new type of construction or it’s something different in the industry,” says Jacobs. “It really isn’t. It’s a concrete form that just stays in place. The plus on this is that it is so simple. I was out on a job site the other day and the gentleman who was acting as the general contractor for Habitat for Humanity houses that are being built here in Cobourg had been around concrete his entire life. He had never done ICF before. He said, ‘It’s not hard to do. It’s not that different from what we do with traditional forms.’” Of course, ICFs are not perfect, nor are they a product for the DIY enthusiast cautions Dave Gall, a carpenter instructor at the British Columbia Institute of Technology in Burnaby, B.C. Even the trained ICF installer should be on the immediate lookout for problems, he says. When the forms are first delivered contractors should check to see that nothing has been damaged, he warns, suggesting the installer plays with them a bit to see if there are any cracks in them or if anyone ran into them with a forklift. “If a package is damaged I would probably send it back,” Gall says.

Design Talk Bruce Tuchsen is an architectural technologist and facilitator in the Architectural Technologist program at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in Edmonton. He has worked in the construction industry for 30 years.

hat has your experience been with ICFs Q Wwhen it comes to ease of use. hey are a lot simpler to use than traditional A Tconcrete forming methods. There’s no doubt about it. They go up really quick. The nice

part about them is that once they’re in place, they’re in place. Once the concrete walls are poured you don’t need to come back and seal all the forms off, pack them up again and so on.

elow grade using ICFs might be advantaQ Bgeous, but what about their simplicity of use above grade.

Above grade, I’ve actually seen a lot of people

go from the footing right up to the roof with the ICF product. The major advantage to that is basically the strength of the structure and the soundproofing of it. I know I’ve been in a house that’s been built with ICFs, and when you close the door there’s no rattle; it’s extremely solid. Another aspect people should be aware of is their fire rating. The fire rating ICFs offer is outstanding because concrete just doesn’t burn.

Do ICFs have any quirks that contractors

should be aware of?

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waterproofing, and working with curved ICF walls. Once trained, the company notes that ICF-savvy contractors will need fewer sub-trades and earn higher profits. Trained ICF installers will also differentiate their companies from the competition. At ARXX, Jacobs says the company offers ICF training across North America and uses a variety of instructors depending location. Eight hours of detailed training by ARXX costs $125 (the same price as in the U.S.) and the fee is 100% refundable with the purchase of 300 ARXX ICFs. Additional benefits at ARXX include an installer certificate and wallet card to show construction inspectors; take home project workbooks and CDs; a free folding saw; and tips on how to win new business. The actual course content includes hands-on demonstrations, group discussions and Q-and-A periods. Other matters covered take in foundation requirements, stacking methods, rebar placement, concrete placement, plumbing and electrical installation, and interior and exterior finishes. A further benefit for traditional framing contractors, who usually do everything above grade and who switch to using all ICFs is that they can get a piece of the building that they didn’t get before, Jacobs says. Additionally, she adds, if they start to move into ICFs there is no big capital outlay of the sort that they would have to make with traditional forms. ICFs are not perfect, but they are smart technology. Perhaps what will drive them to greater acceptance is a common commodity: money. If their use can produce greater profits their uptake should grow apace.

Not really. It would depend on the complexity

of the home and the room size especially if you’re going from footing right up to the roof, so there are several different factors that will determine if ICF will work really well with that particular project or whether there will be challenges.

Q A

Do ICFs require any particular skills

or training?

es, definitely. I would imagine that the people Y that contractors send out to the do the forming and putting the actual ICF panels in place, and getting all of the preparation work done for the pouring of the concrete, have to be very wellversed and trained how to properly use ICFs. It is definitely not something that a weekend warrior could take on.

hat sort of experience is needed to take ICF Q Wtraining? A simple construction background, a background in architecture, or in forming?

T wo of the three are pretty critical. You will

need somebody who has experience in the concrete forming and concrete wall industry, but you will need also someone who has been trained specifically by the particular manufacturer of the ICF. There are quite a few different types.

Q A

Does each different type of ICF require slightly

different training?

I would imagine so. They would have differ-

ent technologies and different connection methods to help the reinforcing; to keep the forms in place while the concrete pouring was going on. Another reason why you need someone with actual experience in concrete forming and pouring is because you still have to place the rebar in that concrete.

Q A

Where does a contractor start to look for

training? Somewhere like NAIT, for example.

I would say they should go right to the manu-

facturer.

PHOTO: ARXX

John Romanov, an architect and a professor in the architectural technician and technologist programs at Toronto’s Centennial College, has worked with ICFs on a custom-built house. “The ICF wall came from footing level all the way up two and half stories above grade,” he says, recalling his successful experience with the product. He did encounter problems integrating the ICF part of the building with the wood framing of the rest of it. “It just became a little bit of a ‘how do you marry one system into another?’” Romanov says. Another issue he faced involved running electrical wiring and installing outlets without essentially creating two walls; a further disappointment was financial. Romanov says that the house did not go up as fast as it was promised, so cost savings suffered. One more potential drawback to ICFs is that they are not permitted everywhere, Burns says. Contractors should make sure that the municipality they are working in allows them. To find the right balance and to get the most out of building with ICFs, all agree that training is essential. There are about 24 ICF systems in Canada, says Insulating Concrete Forms Ontario. The majority are broadly similar and most manufacturers offer training in how to use them. For example, the course outline for Logix Insulated Concrete Forms of Minden, Ont. says participants will get hands-on wall building in class; instruction in window and door opening details; and the technical know how to avoid such problems as blowouts, voids, and wrong size openings. Other areas covered by Logix include training crews,

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FEATURE

GYPSUM JOURNEY New gypsum board options are lighter, tougher and more moisture resistant than earlier panels.

PHOTO: TURTURRO DESIGN STUDIO

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ypsum board (also known as drywall) has been the de facto standard wall and ceiling covering for decades, but that does not mean the product has not changed. In the last 10 years new types of gypsum panels have arrived on the market, giving builders and property owners a wealth of options to meet specific construction criteria. For instance, new abuse and impactresistant boards make a lot of sense for high-traffic areas in busy commercial buildings like hospitals and gyms, or homes with active children. Moldresistant boards battle moisture without the problems associated with older green board products. One innovative fire-resistant board is said to be easier to install and better for the environment than traditional gypsum panels.

PHOTO: CERTAINTEED GYPSUM, TURTURRO DESIGN STUDIO

Gypsum that can take a hit Unlike gypsum panels from years past, impact-resistant boards can take a lot of abuse without cracking. For example, CertainTeed Gypsum’s AirRenew Extreme Impact gypsum board has passed numerous tests developed by ASTM, a testing-standards organization, for bumps, scratches, and sharp hits. The product consists of a gypsum core with a fibreglass mesh-reinforced back paper, which fortifies the panel so it can withstand impacts significantly better than conventional boards. This tough product may be more expensive to buy, but it can save property owners on costs for future repairs and replacements. CGC Inc.’s Sheetrock Abuse-Resistant gypsum panel also meets ASTM impacttest criteria, but does so by encasing the gypsum core in paper that is heavier than normal and folded over on the ends. CGC

says this simple system provides a lowcost impact-resistant option to fibreglassreinforced boards.

Water fight Moisture resistance is another challenge with gypsum board. Traditional products have paper coverings that can grow mold if they get too wet, and transfer moisture to the gypsum core, ruining the board. In the past, manufacturers created panels with special moisture-resistant covers, usually tinted green to help distinguish these water-fighting products from conventional gypsum boards. Mention this green board to some contractors today, though, and they might turn red with anger. Designed to withstand trace amounts of moisture, early green board panels contained moisture-resistant additives that made them susceptible to sag. Builders had to install extra framing to hold the material in place, particularly in ceilings. Some builders used green board instead of mold-resistant tile backers, thinking the green board would work just as well for mold resistance.

Take care with glass-mat panels Glass-mat gypsum boards are durable and moisture resistant, thanks to their fibreglass coverings. Initially used only for exterior construction projects, glassmat boards are becoming standard for interior construction, particularly when a project calls for moisture resistance; however, Glass-mat requires special treatment. The surface is not smooth like paper, but “a fuzzy, prickly fibreglass surface,” notes an article on PaintInfo. com. “The paint system must fill the glass-mat surface and eliminate texture variations to provide an even finish.” The Website recommends using paints and primers with a higher percentage of solids than typical paints. Solids help fill the valleys in the glassmat surface and create a smooth finish. Look for a primer with 30 - 40% solids and paints with 30 - 45% solids. PaintInfo.com also suggests applying a Level 5 finish to glass-mat panels for a flat surface prior to painting. (See “Your level best,” page 50, for details.)

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China crisis Contractors should avoid using gypsum boards imported from China, advises the Gypsum Association. Given the serious health issues and structural problems that Chinese gypsum created a few years ago, it is better to source North American-made panels. Millions of square feet of Chinese gypsum board was brought to North America starting around 2001. The material proved to be dangerous. One published report stated that Chinese gypsum panels emitted a sulphurous, rotten-egg smell and caused many homeowners to be sick with allergylike symptoms. It also corroded copper pipes and wires behind walls, resulting in expensive repairs. Builders in Louisiana used plenty of Chinese gypsum panels to repair homes damaged during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Subsequently, homeowners joined class-action lawsuits against retailers and importers, seeking compensation for damage to their homes and health. According to The Toronto Star, more than 3 million square feet of Chinese drywall was imported to Canada between 2001 and 2007. “Houses built or renovated with contaminated Chinese drywall cannot be repaired,” wrote Star real estate columnist Bob Aaron. “The only possible fix is to have the owners move out for several months, gut the house and rebuild the interior.” It takes just three sheets of contaminated gypsum board to make a house uninhabitable, he said.

G r e e n board was never meant to battle mold growth. Nowadays, moisture-resistant gypsum panels are stronger and particularly effective against mold and moisture. “Conventional manufacturing techniques have allowed for the use of significantly denser yet lighter (mold-resistant) additives,” says Michael Gardner, CEO and executive director of the Gypsum Association in Hyattsville, Md. “This has eliminated the sag issue.” Gypsum panel manufacturers have been hard at work developing moistureresistant products. CGC’s Sheetrock Mold Tough panels, for instance, can be scored, snapped and screwed to studs just as simply as most other gypsum panels. “The active mold inhibitors in the paper and

in the core make them an ideal panel to be used as a tile substrate in dry areas or areas with limited water exposure,” says CGC spokesperson Scott Mahony. CertainTeed’s M2Tech Moisture- and Mold-Resistant gypsum board also suits areas where moisture is an issue. “It has added value over the industry’s previous green board in that it is specially designed for mold resistance,” says company spokesperson Amy Lee. “We also offer GlasRoc Diamondback Tile Backer, a paperless glass-mat gypsum board designed for extra moisture resistance in areas such as restrooms and showers.”

Firepower Moisture is an important consideration. Fire is another. Gypsum has natural fireresistant attributes, but manufacturers have taken things a few steps further with Type X panels that meet building code requirements for extra fire protection. This summer, CGC introduced Ultra-

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Light Firecode X, a lightweight fire-resistant panel. According to the company, this product beats the heat and, at the same time, helps the environment. CGC says it uses less energy and water to make the UltraLight line than traditional gypsum panels, but Mahony will not get into specifics about the proprietary manufacturing technique. He does note that UltraLight boards are up to 30% lighter than standard ½” gypsum panels. The lighter weight means the product is easier to install and requires 20% less energy to transport, which makes it more environmentally friendly.

All together now

Your level best For years, builders had to contend with contract documents that were vague about gypsum board finishing. Clients used terms such as “workmanlike finish,” but what did that really mean? Would two layers of sanded joint compound suffice? Three? To address these questions, a number of trade associations got together in 1990 to develop specific criteria for gypsum wall finishes. The groups created six levels, numbered 0 to 5, with zero the roughest and 5 the most polished. Now contract documents can be more precise about the level of finish required. Courtesy of the Gypsum Association, here is a summary of the levels for your reference. (For the full version, download Recommended Levels of Gypsum Board, available at www.gypsum.org; hover over Publications and click Download Publications Library.) Level 0 (for temporary construction or whenever the final decoration has not been determined) • No taping, finishing or accessories required Level 1 (for plenum areas above ceilings, in attics and other concealed areas) • All joints and interior angles have tape set in joint compound • Surface is free of excess joint compound; tool marks and ridges are acceptable Level 2 (when gypsum board is used as a tile substrate, or in garages, warehouses and other locations where surface appearance is not the primary concern) • All joints and interior angles have tape embedded in joint compound, wiped with a joint knife, leaving a thin coat of compound over joints and angles • Additional compound applied over tape at time of tape embedment • Fastener heads and accessories covered with a thin coat of compound; tool marks and ridges are acceptable • Surface is free of excess compound 50

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Level 3 (for areas which will receive heavy or medium texture finishes before final painting) • All joints and interior angles have tape embedded in joint compound, immediately wiped with a joint knife, leaving a thin coating of compound on joints and angles • One additional coat of joint compound applied over all joints and interior angles • Fastener heads and accessories covered with two separate coats of joint compound • Compound smooth and free of tool marks and ridges Level 4 (when flat paints, light textures or wall coverings will be applied) • All joints and interior angles have tape embedded in joint compound, immediately wiped with a joint knife, leaving a thin coat of compound over joints and angles • Two separate coats of joint compound applied over flat joints • One separate coat of compound applied over interior angles • Fastener head and accessories covered with three separate coats of compound • All compound smooth and free of tool marks and ridges Level 5 (when paint will be applied or where bright lighting conditions occur) • All joints and interior angles have tape embedded in joint compound, immediately wiped with a joint knife, leaving a thin coat of compound over joints and angles • Two separate coats of compound applied over all flat joints • One separate coat of compound applied over interior angles • Fastener heads and accessories covered with three separate coats of compound • A thin skim coat of compound or material made for this purpose, applied by trowel on the entire surface • The surface is smooth and free of tool marks and ridges

PHOTO: TURTURRO DESIGN STUDIO

Perhaps the most notable advancement in the gypsum-product market has to do with combined capabilities: modern panels do many things at once. UltraLight Firecode X withstands flame and helps the environment. CertainTeed’s Air Renew Extreme Impact board is strong, but it also fortifies indoor air quality by absorbing formaldehyde, a suspected carcinogen. Thanks to these united attributes, contractors and their clients no longer need to compromise so much on gypsum board performance. Given how well today’s gypsum products withstand heat, abuse and moisture, it will be interesting to see what panel manufacturers come up with in the future.

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HOURS

†

INSULATE AN ATTIC IN AS LITTLE AS

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THE PINK PANTHER™ & © 1964 - 2013 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved. The colour PINK is a registered trademark of Owens Corning. © 2013 Owens Corning. All Rights Reserved. *Savings vary depending on original amount of insulation in your home, climate, house size, air leaks, and personal energy use and living habits. Savings vary. Find out why in the seller’s fact sheet on R-values. Higher R-values mean greater insulating power. †Based on an attic size 100 m2 /1000 ft2 at RSI 8.8/R-50. 73% recycled content is based on the average recycled glass content in all Owens Corning fiberglass batts, rolls and unbonded loosefill insulation manufactured in Canada. SCS certified. GREENGUARD Certified products are certified to GREENGUARD standards for low chemical emissions into indoor air during product usage. For more information, visit ul.com/gg.

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*Savings vary depending on original amount of insulation in your home, climate, house size, air leaks, and personal energy use and living habits. THE PINK PANTHER™ & © 1964 - 2013 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved. The colour PINK is a registered trademark of Owens Corning. © 2013 Owens Corning. All Rights Reserved. 73% recycled content is based on the average recycled glass content in all Owens Corning fiberglass batts, rolls and unbonded loosefill insulation manufactured in Canada. SCS certified. GREENGUARD Certified products are certified to GREENGUARD standards for low chemical emissions into indoor air during product usage. For more information, visit ul.com/gg.