Ontario Home Builder - Spring 2019 by Ontario Home Builder

pu b lic spe a k ing: sh ed th e fe a r a n d co m m a n d th e cr ow d P.4 6 g i v i n g h o p e : h u m a n i ta r i a n m i s s i o n s t h at a r e c h a n g i n g l i v e s at h o m e a n d a b r o a d P. 4 0

piece by piece: the thriving modular home market P.54

stories from the edge Five builders share the unique challenges of waterfront builds

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Contents

30 On the Waterfront Seven stories from the edge showcase the unique challenges of shoreline projects

46 Speech! Speech! Trembling in your shoes at the thought of public speaking? Here’s some expert advice

40 Hope Above All Industry humanitarian missions are changing lives at home and abroad 9 One Voice OHBA’s advice to government on industry issues increasingly relies upon member input 11 Ontario Report OHBA’s 2019 Housing Study Tour will be a Nordic adventure, plan to win at this year’s Awards of Distinction, responding to housing supply consultations and the EQ Awards winners are.... 18 Frame of Mind Why narrow thinking could pay off for Ontario builders ohba.ca

21 Inside Storey Cosentino Group and 842 of their closest friends peer 25 years into the future to see what’s on the menu for kitchen design 25 Top Shelf Hot items for builders, contractors and designers include a staircase in glass, a Master-ful insurance option, the next level in washers and dryers, rising to new heights in accommodating elevators and a case for owning, not renting, your project fencing

54 Piece by Piece Why are modular homes a perfect fit for so many clients?

61 Building Buzz Brass and brushed gold are among 2019’s bathroom trends, Tarion’s improved communication lines and prepping for WSIB’s new era of enhanced transparency and clarity in premium rate setting 69 Product Focus Is the forecast clear in the windows and doors market? Our six experts weigh in

ON THE COVER

Cityzen’s Tower at Pier 27, one of Ontario’s striking new waterfront projects.

78 Words to Build By Louie Zagordo, President, SLV Homes ontario home builder SPRING 2019

The official publication of the Ontario Home Builders’ Association SPRING 2019 | Vol. 35 Issue 2

editor

Ted McIntyre ted@laureloak.ca

True beauty.

associate editor

Norma Kimmins, OHBA art director

Erik Mohr assistant art director

Ian Sullivan Cant Graphic design Intern

Sarah Ellis copy editor

Barbara Chambers contributors

Avi Friedman, Tracy Hanes, David McPherson, Jonathan Oke, Joe Vaccaro advertising

Tricia Beaudoin, ext. 223 tricia@laureloak.ca Cindy Kaye, ext. 232 cindy@laureloak.ca publisher

Sheryl Humphreys, ext. 245 sheryl@laureloak.ca PRESIDENT

Wayne Narciso Published by

Laurel Oak Publishing laureloak.ca

ohba.ca Ontario Home Builder is published six times per year (Winter, Spring, Renovation, Summer, Fall, Awards). All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher © 2019

Better chemistry. Better looks. Our unique stone delivers a natural beauty that is more than skip deep. Arriscraft’s special chemistry creates the most durable, strongest manufactured products on the market.

For address corrections please email info@laureloak.ca or phone: (905) 333-9432. Single copy price is $5.00. Subscription Rates: Canada $12.95 + HST per year, USA $29.95 USD.

Order online at http://ohba.ca/subscribe-or-buy-past-issues CANADIAN PUBLICATION MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 42011539 ISSN No. 1182-1345

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One Voice

Building on success OHBA’s achievements rely on strong membership and local association engagement i have noted on many occasions

that the Ontario Home Builders’ Association is very much a grassroots organization. The more successful a local home builders’ association is, the more successful our provincial association will be. And yes, while we employ dedicated staff, the backbone of the provincial association comes from its members—volunteers from across the province who support the work of OHBA by sharing their time, talent and expertise. And since the Ontario Progressive Conservatives were elected to a majority government last June, it has been ‘all hands on deck’ for OHBA and its members as we do our best to respond to the enormous load of government consultations around housing that have been held, are underway or are expected. One of the most far-reaching and comprehensive consultations has centred around barriers faced by our industry to bring more housing choice and supply to market. In late January, ohba.ca

“it has been ‘all hands on deck’ for ohba and its members.” after discussion, input and thoughtful perspective from members across the province, we presented government with the OHBA Housing Supply Action Plan Submission, which you can access on our website. It is full of workable, practical, real-world solutions that will help our industry get more housing to market more quickly. We couldn’t have pulled it off without local association and membership engagement, such as the Housing Summit conducted by Simcoe Country HBA in January (see p. 12), with Quinte HBA set to hold a summit as well, on March 18-19. Also, in January we presented government with the OHBA

Made-in-Ontario Environmental Plan Submission, in which we outlined areas where our industry can play a leading role in climate change mitigation, including recommendations that seek to balance a healthy environment with a healthy economy. Once again, we relied on the experience and knowledge of OHBA members as well as our partners at EnerQuality in compiling a detailed and achievable plan. Earlier this year, government released a proposed amendment to the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe that impacts 11 local home builders’ associations. OHBA believes that many of the proposed amendments will support more housing supply and choice. This positive news is, in part, a result of the diligent work done last fall by OHBA, its members and local associations who participated in five working group sessions, as well as a stakeholders’ forum advising the provincial government about the challenges industry and municipalities were facing in implementing the 2017 Growth Plan. And there’s lots more to come, including upcoming reviews on the Endangered Species Act and the Real Estate and Business Brokers’ Act. Once again, with the support of its members, OHBA will present evidencebased, sound and workable recommendations to these reviews. Besides bringing members up to date on some of the key issues that OHBA is currently dealing with, this column is really both a thank-you and a request. Thank you to our local associations and generous volunteer members who have supported OHBA’s work in the past. And when the ask comes for more participation in the months ahead—which it will—I hope the answer is, “I’m ready to help!” OHB

joe vaccaro is the CEO of the ontario home builders’ association

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Ontario Report

Other EQ Award winners include: Ontario Green Builder: Sifton Properties Building Innovation – LowRise: RND Construction Ltd Building Innovation – Mid/ High-Rise: Times Group Energy Star for New Homes Builder (Small Volume): Lucchetta Homes

Ontario’s Elite Green Builders

Photo: Rodney Daw

Mason among award winners as EnerQuality recognizes leaders in energy efficiency for their contributions and impact

Ontario’s changemakers and innovators were honoured at the 2018 EnerQuality Awards Gala held Feb. 28 in Markham. Enthusiastic guests, including the Ontario Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, the Honourable Rod Philips, and Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti celebrated 20 years of EnerQuality as well as the announcing the award winners in 22 categories. “It speaks volumes to see how the longevity of EnerQuality and our certifications like Energy Star have continued to remain relevant and grow in impact over the years,” said Corey McBurney, President of EnerQuality. “The 2018 EQ Awards allowed the industry to celebrate where we have come from and spotlight the pioneers who are joining forces to carve a new path for the future with programs such as our Energy Star Multifamily High-Rise certification.” Honourees included Sean Mason as the 2018 Hall of Fame recipient. Mason (pictured above) has been a long-time proponent of Energy Star for New Homes since its very first days. From 2002-2013, he encouraged green building and land initiatives at Mason Homes, when the firm was one of the first three builders in Canada to participate in and certify with the thennew Energy Star program. Since Mason formed Sean.ca in 2013, the company has won numerous awards, including BILD’s Green Builder of the Year in 2015 and EnerQuality’s Energy Star Builder (Small Volume) in 2017. At Sean.ca, Energy Star is the company’s standard ohba.ca

offering, certifying 100% of their homes with Mason’s stamp on more than 1,000 Energy Star homes over the past decade. Tamarack Homes was the recipient of the EnerQuality 2018 Impact Award for making significant long-term voluntary progress in reducing carbon emissions and showing outstanding achievements through energy efficiency and sustainable practices. From its beginnings more than 70 years ago, Tamarack Homes has strived for the highest quality in construction and customer service by pursuing materials and technology that would become industry standards. Thirteen years ago, with the launch of a brand-new Ottawa community called Jackson Trails, Tamarack certified its first Energy Star home. Impressed with the results, Tamarack Homes committed the entire community to the new standard, a first for the entire region. Today, every home Tamarack builds carries the Energy Star certification. The People’s Choice Award, a new category this year, was won by Acorn Developments. “The People’s Choice Award was an amazing new addition to the awards, allowing us to involve the greater community in both recognizing and selecting the winner,” noted Shannon Bertuzzi, V.P. of Market Development at EnerQuality. “Our certifications are voluntary investments by our builders and EnerQuality is committed to ensuring the greater public is aware of the investment these builders are making for the sustainability of these communities.”

Energy Star for New Homes Builder (Mid Volume): Doug Tarry Custom Homes Energy Star for New Homes Builder (Large Volume): Minto Group Energy Star Champion: JoAnn DiCarlo, Remington Group Net Zero Builder: Reid’s Heritage Homes Green Marketing Campaign (Print): Sifton Properties Green Marketing Campaign (Other): Great Gulf Leader of the Year: Roya Khaleeli, Minto Group Product Innovation: AeroBarrier Industry Partner Award: Enbridge Gas Distribution, Owens Corning, Union Gas Enbridge Affordable Housing Award: Toronto Community Housing Enbridge Savings By Design Award (Residential): Briarwood Homes Enbridge Savings By Design Award (Commercial): Times Group Union Gas Optimum Home Award: Hilden Homes Energy Advisor: Mark Rosen, Building Energy Inc. Builder Achievement: Jacqueline Collier, Tamarack Homes ontario home builder SPRING 2019

Ontario Report

IBE SPRING COURSE SCHEDULE The Ontario Home Builders’ Association and our Institute of Building Excellence (IBE) are committed to providing professional development opportunities for the residential construction industry. With a focus on updating and developing new training programs, we continue to raise the level of professionalism and set a high standard in this important economic sector. The most effective way this can be done is through a certification program, providing builders and renovators with something tangible they can use to promote their business and keep a competitive edge in today’s economy. Upcoming courses include:

Tarion Customer Service and Warranty*

Project Management and Site Supervision*

Increase your awareness and understanding of the elements of Customer Service and Warranty that directly affect the everyday operation of your building or renovating company. Management and staff will gain a better understanding of the importance of exceeding service expectations. Location: OHBA offices, North York Date: April 4 Instructors: Victor Fiume/Stefanie Coleman

This course will help both novice and experienced superintendents improve their awareness and understanding of the primary elements of construction supervision that will result in improved performance and profitability for your building companies. It covers methods to encourage employees and subtrades to work together to get the job done on time and on budget while meeting standards for quality and using new and innovative methods and materials. You will learn techniques that will help in planning and scheduling of complex projects, get people working as a team and keep your projects on the path to successful completion.

*Courses approved by Tarion Warranty Corporation. These courses are required to obtain warranty coverage. Get ahead of the competition and start fulfilling your training requirements today! All course fees are $350 (includes the final exam). Visit learnyourliving.ca today for further information and to enrol.

Location: OHBA offices, North York Date: April 26 Instructor: Greg Labbe

OHBA Responds to New

Environment Plan

L-R: Nathan Stone (CHBA President), Peter Brewda (SCHBA President), Sandy Tuckey (SCHBA EO), Jeff Lehman (Mayor of Barrie), MPP Caroline Mulroney (Ontario Attorney General), Rick Martins (OHBA President), MPP Andrea Khanjin and Bob Schickedanz (OHBA 1st Vice President).

Simcoe County Housing Summit The Simcoe County Home Builders’ Association (SCHBA) kicked off the new year hosting over 130 industry, housing stakeholder and municipal representatives for some deep-dive policy discussions on the Housing Supply Action Plan at its Simcoe County Housing Summit. The SCHBA welcomed Barrie Mayor Jeff Lehman as the event keynote speaker, who explained the housing challenges in Barrie and across Simcoe County. Also in attendance were 11 mayors, deputy mayors and wardens from across the county. The highly successful event featured an address from the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, the Hon. Steve Clark, who reviewed each of the five key themes of the consultation and reiterated that the provincial PC government is serious about undertaking transformative change to deliver more housing supply to the market. Three key Simcoe County MPPs participated in the summit, including Attorney General Caroline Mulroney (MPP for York Simcoe), MPP Doug Downey (Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte) and MPP Andrea Khanjin (Barrie-Innisfil), who spoke of being a #homebeliever and what it means to her, as an immigrant, to strive for and achieve the great Canadian dream of homeownership. An effective component of the Summit was the roundtable discussions, where participants representing a wide diversity of stakeholders rolled up their sleeves and engaged in group discussions on various themes and issues identified in the Housing Supply Action Plan. 12

ontario home builder SPRING 2019

The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) released a proposed Made-in-Ontario Environment Plan to which OHBA responded with a formal submission in January 2019 (posted on OHBA’s website). OHBA recognizes that members have an essential role to play in protecting and preserving our environment. Whether through environmental stewardship, building energy-efficient new housing or upgrading aging homes, creating transit-efficient communities or cleaning up brownfield sites, our members are important partners with the government in delivering the Made-in-Ontario Environment Plan. In the OHBA submission, OHBA outlined areas in which our industry can play a leading role in climate change mitigation and provided public policy recommendations to balance a healthy environment with a healthy economy. OHBA believes that the consultation represents an important opportunity to: • Recalibrate public policy to facilitate the construction of more new energy-efficient homes. • Encourage homeowners to upgrade the energy efficiency of existing homes. • Modernize other environmental regulations to facilitate the cleanup of more brownfield sites. • Provide clarity on excess soil movements and several other positive initiatives.

OHBA is generally supportive of the Made-in-Ontario Environment Plan and looks forward to working with government to address the complex issues impacting the housing system and our members’ ability to deliver the new energy-efficient housing supply. ohba.ca

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Ontario Report

Providing Solutions: OHBA Responds to Housing Supply Consultations Late last year, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing launched a Housing Supply Action Plan consultation to address the barriers to creating more housing supply and choice in Ontario. Following that announcement, OHBA held numerous meetings with Cabinet Ministers and MPPs about the issue, and several local home builders’ associations also held locally focused meetings with MPPs and members of the Cabinet to consider how the provincial government can make policy changes to improve the swift delivery of housing options to Ontarians. OHBA responded to the consultation in January with a robust and comprehensive submission with recommendations. Thanks to our many volunteer members and local HBAs for sharing their expertise, knowledge and ideas in preparing our final submission, which is available on OHBA’s website. OHBA is gearing up for a busy spring Legislative session at Queen’s Park as the government works to implement various aspects of the Housing Supply Action Plan.

EXPLORING NORDIC HOUSING

Planning to Win

OHBA is excited to be travelling with a small group of builder/developer members on our upcoming International Housing Study Tour to Copenhagen, Denmark and Malmö, Sweden. The May 12-16 tour will have a strong focus on modern architecture, energy sustainability, urban planning and active transportation within complete communities, and provides an opportunity to take in the culture of these two fantastic Scandanavian cities, while connecting directly with the most innovative and leading-edge residential construction sites.

It’s not too early to start thinking about and planning your company’s entries for the 2019 OHBA Awards of Distinction program. You can review details about all the categories and specific requirements at the awards website, ohbaaod.ca, which opens on April 1 (no, we aren’t fooling).

Joining us will be our partnering sponsors: EnerQuality, Building Knowledge Canada, Cricket Energy, Ozz Electric and Velux. The four-day spring tour will feature local guides, meetings with housing, planning and building officials, architectural walking tours of newly emerging communities and innovative technology in Ørestad City / Harbour South, including new residential buildings by the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). Development site tours will include the Silo by COBE architects in Nordhavn, an area being transformed from an industrial port into a modern residential and business quarter, as well as the Maersk Tower and Copenhagen International School (Active House Certified) by CF Møller Architects. Be sure to check out an upcoming edition of Ontario Home Builder magazine to see photos and a tour report!

You can begin filling out the entry requirements on May 1, and if you complete your entries by May 31, you will enjoy significant savings with the early bird reduced entry fee.

ontario home builder SPRING 2019

Online entry deadline is Friday, June 21 —no extensions.

Remember: You can’t win if you don’t enter, so start planning now! ohba.ca

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Ontario Report

Local Association Events Date Event

Local

Contact Name

Contact Number or email

March 8-17

National Home Show

BILD

Tiffany Kohl

416-391-3446; tkohl@bildgta.ca

March 28

Ottawa Hockey Night

GOHBA

Jason Burggraaf

613-723-2926 x.224; jason@gohba.ca

March 29

Build Brantford

BHBA

Fred DeCator

519-755-9690; freddecator@rogers.com

March 29

Housing Design Awards

PKHBA danica logan

705-876-7304; danica@pkhba.ca

March 30-31

Home and Lifestyle Show

SDHBA TBA

705-671-6099; sudburyhomebuilders@vianet.ca

April 7-13

Housing Innovation Tour

BILD

Tiffany Kohl

416-391-3446; tkohl@bildgta.ca

April 11

23rd Annual SAM Awards of Distinction

WRHBA

Hayley Hopkins

519-884-7590; hayley-hopkins@wrhba.com

April 11

Awards of Excellence

DRHBA

Stacey Hawkins

905-579-8080 x. 1001; s.hawkins@drhba.com

April 11

Ottawa Reno Day

GOHBA

Jason Burggraaf

613-723-2926 x.224; jason@gohba.ca

April 12

Awards of Excellence

NHBA

Alicia Dimitrov-Lawrence

905-646-6281; alicia@nhba.ca

April 12-14

Stratford Home & Leisure Show

SABA

Derek Smith

519-271-4795; dsmith@stratfordbuilders.ca

April 16

Meet the Mayor Luncheon

GOHBA

Jason Burggraaf

613-723-2926 x.224; jason@gohba.ca

April 24

Awards of Distinction

HHHBA

Cindy McIntosh

905-575-3344 x.3; cindym@hhhba.ca

April 24

Industry Luncheon

GDHBA

Melissa Jonker

519-836-8560; guelph.homebuilders@gmail.com

May 2

President’s Industry Dinner

LHBA

Lois Langdon

519-686-0343; llangdon@lhba.on.ca

May 3

BILD Awards

BILD

Tiffany Kohl

416-391-3446; tkohl@bildgta.ca

May 14

President’s Dinner Meeting

NHBA

Alicia Dimitrov-Lawrence

905-646-6281; alicia@nhba.ca

May 22

Building Innovation Trade Show

GOHBA

Jason Burggraaf

613-723-2926 x.224; jason@gohba.ca

May 29

Land and Development Conference

BILD

Tiffany Kohl

416-391-3446; tkohl@bildgta.ca

June 11

Trades Appreciation BBQ

STEHBA

Amanda Koning

519-852-6025; stehba@25percentmore.com

June 12

SABA Awards of Distinction

SABA

Derek Smith

519-271-4795; dsmith@stratfordbuilders.ca

July 10

10th Annual Race for Humanity and Charity BBQ

BILD

Tiffany Kohl

416-391-3446; tkohl@bildgta.ca

July 12

Charity BBQ

HHHBA

Cindy McIntosh

905-575-3344 x.3; cindym@hhhba.ca

september 22-24

OHBA ANNUAL CONFERENCE

OHBA

Sajida jiwani

416-443-1545 ext. 222; sjiwani@ohba.ca

September 26-29

Ottawa Fall Home Show

GOHBA

Jason Burggraaf

613-723-2926 x.224; jason@gohba.ca

October 4-6

Fall Home Show

BILD

Tiffany Kohl

416-391-3446; tkohl@bildgta.ca

October 6

Ottawa Reno Tour

GOHBA

Jason Burggraaf

613-723-2926 x.224; jason@gohba.ca

October 10

Awards Gala

LHBA

Lois Langdon

519-686-0343; llangdon@lhba.on.ca

October 19

Housing Design Awards Gala

GOHBA

Jason Burggraaf

613-723-2926 x.224; jason@gohba.ca

November 1

President’s Ball

KFHBA & KHBA

Alex Pacheco

613-547-0986; khba@khba.ca

November 4-8

Housing Innovation Tour

BILD

Tiffany Kohl

416-391-3446; tkohl@bildgta.ca

November 12

Membership Drive

CKHBA

Kevin Owen

519-437-9663; ckhba.eo@gmail.com

November 14

Golden Hammer Awards

STEHBA

Amanda Koning

519-852-6025; stehba@25percentmore.com

November 15

ACE Awards of Creative Excellence

SCHBA

Sandy Tuckey

705-718-1202; office@simcoehomebuilders.com

November 16

President’s Gala

HHHBA

Cindy McIntosh

905-575-3344 x.3; cindym@hhhba.ca

November 20

SAM Awards Luncheon

GOHBA

Jason Burggraaf

613-723-2926 x.224; jason@gohba.ca

November 22

Golden Hammer Awards Gala

WEHBA

Kierstyn Pare

519-948-3247; windsoressexhba@gmail.com

February 15, 2020

Charity Ice Fishing Tournament

SCHBA

Sandy Tuckey

705-718-1202; office@simcoehomebuilders.com

ontario home builder SPRING 2019

ohba.ca

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Frame of Mind

skinny-dipping Why builders should take a narrow approach to infill by D r . Av i F r i e d m a n

have you ever wondered how narrow a home can be? As cities are being densified and people are moving to the cores, builders are exploring opportunities to build on infill urban sites. One of the prototypes being explored is the narrow home. Narrow homes were a favourite of builders for centuries. First, the joined units of row housing reduce lot areas and street lengths, which saves on land costs. Second, when attached, the row-house configuration can effectively reduce energy consumption, since heat loss is limited to fewer exterior walls and smaller roof areas. Further, grouping houses is also an effective way to improve construction efficiency. When homes are built in a row, exposure to natural light is critical. Ideally, each function may have an exposure to daylight, but this often isn’t possible, so prioritization is necessary. The tendency is to locate the kitchen ohba.ca

and living area in each of the dwelling’s extremes and, on the sleeping level, to place the bedrooms at either end. On both levels, the centre is occupied by utility and service functions, where natural light is less important. The design of narrow dwellings requires careful attention to the location and design of stairs between floors. In general, reducing the amount of space allocated to circulation is the objective. The common approach is to use the less-lit areas for movement, which in townhomes would be the axis along the longitudinal wall. Despite its small width, there are several possibilities for locating stairs and designing circulation in a narrow house. It’s practical to place them near the entrance for fast and easy access to upper levels, whereas a rear location would block natural light. The location of the stairs determines the layouts of upper or lower levels. Reaching the

middle of the sleeping floor or the attic is preferred since it frees the extreme ends for bedrooms. This is less of a priority for a basement floor, where the arrangement of functions is less formal. The oft-asked question is how narrow can the house be? In Tokyo, where such homes are common, you might come across the “1.8m Width House” by YUUA Architects and Associates— built on a site just 2.5 metres wide and 11 metres long—in the Toshima Ward. The 80m2 (861 sq. ft.), four-storey building uses split-level floors to create natural partitions and increase the efficiency and use of space. This construction method reduces the need for interior walls, making small rooms feel more spacious. There is a staircase in the back of the house that connects the three upper-most levels, while an additional small, central staircase allows for circulation between the lower floors. To maximize the space, there are open shelves around the stairs and in the kitchen, as well as open piping routes that are both adaptable and easy to maintain. As it is difficult to have natural lighting enter such a narrow house, tall windows are used on the building’s front facade, overlooking the street. Towards the back of the home, there are two skylights to illuminate areas where daylight streaming through the main windows cannot reach. In addition, the stairs are steel-tread open-risers with slender handrails to allow light to filter through. Due to the constraints of the space, the architects thoughtfully chose the materials for the interior in order to to manipulate the sense of space. The 1.8m Width House demonstrates an innovative layout that provides comfort—physical and psychological— while maintaining the privacy of the home’s inhabitants. It also demonstrates that narrow homes will continue to be a viable urban solution for cities, builders and homeowners. OHB Dr. Avi Friedman is an architect, professor and social observer. He can be reached at avi.friedman@mcgill.ca.

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Inside Storey

Envisioning the kitchen of the future

of a kitchen model that is fully integrated with the rest of the home. In addition to food handling and cooking, it will be the hub of other activities which traditionally have been carried out in other areas of the home. But we can’t underestimate the importance of preparing meals. We’re increasingly valuing recipes that have been passed down through generations, as well as the craftsmanship of meals. And new appliances will make it easier for us to cook those meals. As far as the kitchen layout goes, one of our panel, Italian architect Piero Lissoni, says we have to be sensitive to the life, dynamics and surroundings of the space. “People move around, open a bottle of wine and prepare a salad while talking,” he says. “Designing an excellent kitchen for the future requires taking these activities into account.” The experts consulted underscore the emotional value of the new kitchen model, enhancing its role as a space for relaxation, but also for fostering community and interpersonal relationships.

By Ted McIntyre with suzy margorian, showroom manager, cosentino City Toronto

What about countertops?

Chew on this! Roughly since man invented fire, the space where food is prepared has been the heart and soul of the home. And things aren’t going to change anytime soon, suggests Suzy Margorian, the showroom manager of Cosentino City Toronto, whose Spanish-based company produces and distributes high-value innovative surfaces for the world of design and architecture. Margorian is citing a Cosentinoorganized international study entitled “Global Kitchen,” which takes a deep dive into the sociological, environmental and technological factors that will shape the way we live 25 years from now, and how they specifically pertain to the most important room in the house. Seventeen experts from eight countries, including a Michelin-star chef, gerontologist, renowned architects, interior designers and a Harvard professor, were brought in for the project, with additional consultation ohba.ca

taking place among another 842 kitchen industry professionals. While a second edition of the study is in progress, Margorian presented some of the current study’s findings at January’s Interior Design Show in Toronto. OHB: The open-concept design dominates today. will that continue? suzy margorian: No matter where

you are in the world, people have always gathered around the fire, where food is being prepared. And 87% of the panel’s experts believe the kitchen will become even more relevant as a hub of activity and gathering place. In fact, when they were asked what activities will take place in kitchens in the future, more people said “spending time with family and friends” (93%) than actually eating (83%). We’ll see the gradual popularization

According to industry professionals, countertops of the future should allow users to cook directly on the surface, besides incorporating connectivity and acting like a control panel. You spoke of food craftsmanship?

Worldwide, we have increasingly valued the expertise of celebrity chefs and of the experience of someone making food for us. We want to emulate that— to create those recipes in-home. That’s where we’ll see further tech innovation, allowing people to create these dishes, while eating healthier. Three-Michelinstar chef Jonnie Boer thinks that in 25 years, home kitchens will look more like professional restaurant kitchens, since people are showing a growing interest in the technical appliances and the installations they require. The study highlights an impending food shortage.

We know we’re already not producing ontario home builder SPRING 2019

enough food to feed the world’s population. Our experts highlight how meat will become a luxury item. The current production levels are not sustainable, nor does it do any good for the planet. We’ll be eating more seafood and vegetables. And to help grow those vegetables, we’ll see a rise of shared patios and gardens, or of live indoor walls. Technology and LED lighting will play a big part in the controlled feeding and watering of those plants. As one of our experts, Singapore chef André Chiang, notes, “We need to make more accurate calculations regarding the things we eat: Where do they come from? Do they contain chemicals? Are they organic? Will we be able to have food that can be grown in small spaces?” We’ll also see more stages of food. Instead of throwing something out, we’ll find other recipes—other uses of it—prior to composting and using that to fertilize. We’ll see a 360-cycle of food systems, with data generated from the garden to help us with recipes, all the way back around to waste management. It’s part of the more circular economy we’ll have—the life of the product, how its resources are generated, how it’s repaired, how long it lasts, how they are recycable. The experts are saying we can’t continue to make appliances with lifespans of just eight years. It won’t be just a 3R (reduce, reuse, recycle) thought process anymore. It will be multi-R: rethink, redesign, repairable, reuse, recycle, remanufacture. As panel member Piero Lissoni of Italy said, “True creativity is linked to the responsible use of resources.” And, no doubt, more connectivity?

Interconnectivity will increase, with our appliances talking to each other, as well as to us, and adapting to user habits, likes and dislikes. Protecting all that information from being shared with manufacturers and other sources will always be a concern. And we’ll still age in place?

Absolutely. We have both a gerontologist and manufacturing expert on the panel who agree that the kicthen will no longer be an interconnected series of cabinetry, but more like pieces of 22

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furniture dedicated to specific functions—one for your coffee and tea, one for cooking, one for washing, etc. Many pieces will be portable, so that, for example, the infirm or aged can easily roll their coffee-and-tea-making item into their rooms. Each of these items will be made-to-order and delivered, then pieced together with other kitchen ‘furniture.’ There will not be the permanency of today’s designs. As part of ‘Inclusive Lifespan Design,’ gerontologist Patricia Moore feels that a growing trend of ‘self-care’ health maintenance combined with nutrition will trigger this revolutionary decentralization—that activities traditionally relegated to the kitchen will be spread through mutiple rooms. Along that line, interior designer Sandy Gordon notes how one of the most important kitchen innovations is the induction cooker, in that it allows people of all generations to use the kitchen space safely. She believes the multigenerational use of the kitchen will definitely change the way it’s designed. In an environment of increased collective experience, technological innovations should also facilitate the use of household appliances and other equipment by all household members. These changes will specifically benefit children and the elderly, who are currently limited in the kitchen for reasons of safety and access. Can we predict the kitchen design of the future?

Experts almost unanimously agree that the kitchen industry will undergo a transformation in the coming years and the diversity of trends observed will force practitioners to face the design of this new model with an interdisciplinary approach—working together. Of course, when looking 25 years ahead, we don’t know what we don’t know.

As Chef Chiang says, “There is no doubt that in the near future some breakthrough technology will change the rules of the game, similar to what happened when microwave technology emerged. Other devices will appear and cause a new design and lifestyle approach.” OHB ohba.ca

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Dial In the Perfect Wash Gorenje’s European-made washers and dryers offer a number of easy-to-use features to dial in the perfect setting, from its Baby program, created to protect a young one’s delicate skin by dissolving detergents and reducing allergens after a wash, to the Anti-Allergy setting, which offers an extended washing time at a higher temperature. The anti-mite setting, meanwhile, is ideal for larger items like bedding, pillows and blankets. Euro-line-appliances.com Pure Elegance Deep, rich colours and a multitude of remarkably realistic textures combine to deliver the timeless beauty of Unilock Elegance. From the timeworn look of European cobblestones to the classic luxury of riven natural stone slabs, the Elegance collection offers unique styles. And thanks to Ultima Concrete, the look you purchase is the look that will last, with up to four times the strength of pouredin-place concrete. Unilock.com 26

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It’s Time You Started Owning It! Olivec Canada’s easy-to-install and easy-tostore temporary construction fence panels are making the concept of renting obsolete. Available in a variety of sizes, colours and finishes, the affordable yet durable galvanized steel portable panels (available in standard powder coat or PVC finish) will likely pay for themselves in as little as eight months. Available for immediate pick-up or delivery across Ontario. Globalfence.ca ohba.ca

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Home and Dry Amvic’s Amdry is an all-in-one, DIY insulated subflooring system with a moisture barrier designed to be installed over existing concrete slabs. The combination of the moistureresistant protective high-impact polystyrene film with raised drainage channels protects the floor assemblies above by allowing trapped moisture to dry over time, thereby creating a healthy, comfortable and warm basement floor. Easily installed, it’s compatible with virtually any screw-down, nail-down or floating finish floor. Amvicsystem.com

GOING OUT ON A LEDGE Sleek and streamlined, Lenova’s Ultra Ledge, available in 46" and 58" models, provides a serious prep and clean-up station worthy of the busiest home chefs. Apart from its generous proportions, its dual levels of accessories facilitate easy food preparation, while engineered platforms allow the user to slide in optional accessories as needed, including a colander, cutting boards and roll-up grid racks. Lenovasinks.com

AN UPLIFTING VIEW OF THE FUTURE Universal design and aging-in-place are becoming hot topics with the growth of an aging—and often affluent— population. The Savaria Vuelift is an ideal solution to enable future mobility without compromising style. Simply attach to a balcony, ascend through the floor, or plan stairs around the lift. Proudly made in Ontario, Vuelift includes an integrated hoistway and is available in a 950-lb capacity model that can accommodate a wheelchair. Vuelift.com 28

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On The

WATERFRONT The unique challenges and rewards of Ontarioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shoreline developments By T e d M c I n t y r e

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“Buy land,”

Mark Twain once wrote. “They’re not making it anymore.” Had Twain refined his thoughts a bit, he probably would have suggested: “Buy waterfront property.” Lord knows we’re willing to pay handsomely for it. Perhaps it’s because it’s in our DNA— we do spend nine months floating in liquid before being introduced to the world, after all. Or maybe it’s just human nature—civilization having grown up, as it did, near rivers and oceans. Or perhaps it’s simply the unadulterated beauty of it all. But there’s a lot more going on than mere visual appeal, science informs. A boatload of recent studies highlight the psychological and physical advantages of waterside living. According to Michael Depledge, chair of Environment and Human Health at the University of Exeter Medical School in England, living near the water not only “promotes physical activity and general fitness,” it also slows your heart rate and reduces stress, boosting our mental health. Whether it’s the placid, sun-dappled aesthetic or the soothing sounds of waters splashing along the shoreline,

the health benefits are something most Ontario consumers don’t typically fully appreciate when they purchase a home overlooking one of Ontario’s many lakes, rivers and other bodies of water. Those folks primarily come for the view, and they’ll dig deep into their pockets for the privilege. It’s why a two-bedroom suite with a lake view at WaterClub condominiums at Queen’s Quay and York will fetch $1 million+ on the resale market, whereas the same condo facing the Gardiner Expressway will run you $750,000 to $800,000, informs Gabi Fiumara of Re/ Max, who specializes in GTA waterfront condo resales. If a primary motivator for a prospective buyer is to face Lake Ontario, they won’t be placated with something else in the same building, regardless of its amenities, Fiumara says. “Anybody asking for lake view will not settle for garden view, much less a highway view. They will almost always move along to a different building.”

Among the Thousand Islands Kingston-based CaraCo Development Corporation has made sure purchasers

don’t have to worry about that problem with its new Stone & South project. Facing a smattering of the Thousand Islands and designed to showcase a clear water view from every balcony, the boutique development is taking shape at the head of the Gananoque and St. Lawrence Rivers in the quaint town of Gananoque. Absorbing the sublime view was among the first experiences of Gennaro DiSanto after signing on as the company’s new CEO in September 2017. “It was my second day on the job,” DiSanto remembers. “As soon as I got there, I stood in front of the property and looked out over the water and said, ‘Wow—this site and the views are spectacular. Who would not want to live here?’ My wife and I were among the first purchasers! Last summer, rather than driving by car, I took a boat from Kingston to the property and arrived where our dock would be, and knew it would be something incredible when it’s built.” Featuring a total of 70 units—41 in the first phase and 29 in the second among two six-storey buildings—Stone & South will include its own marina—a big selling point, according to DiSanto, since “more than half the purchasers While the Waterfront Shores consortium won the bid for Pier 8, the City of Hamilton is playing a big role in the development.

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ontario home builder SPRING 2019

Clockwise from left: Spacious suites and spectacular architecture are key draws at Tridel’s luxurious Aqualuna at Bayside; clearing Pier 27 of a near shipwreck opened the way for Cityzen Development Group, and the southern exposure of the Toronto Islands from a model suite at Pier 27.

will have their own boats parked there.” “A number are recreational users. Many are from the GTA, Ottawa, some from Kingston—only a few from Gananoque,” DiSanto says. “This replaces a summer cottage for them.” Ranging between 913 and 1,547 sq. ft., suites start at $523,900. Construction of Phase One is just underway, with occupancy expected to begin in spring 2020. While CaraCo has a waterfront project in Florida, this is the company’s first such development in Canada. How much extra time has the process required versus a project, say, a kilometre inland? “The layers that get added include the conservation authority, fisheries, the Ministry of Natural Resources, specifically as it relates to the construction of the seawall and marina,” DiSanto notes. “There are 32

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restrictions related to fish habitats that prevent us from working on the seawall or putting boat slips in from the middle of March to the middle of July. A lot of the approvals are being done concurrently, but obviously the more you have, the more time it takes. All told, it likely added up to an extra three to six months.” Part of CaraCo’s sensitive construction has included a roughly 150-foot seawall as part of the deal. “Including design fees, etc., it’s certainly into seven figures,” DiSanto admits. But there was nowhere else a boutique project like this would work in the region, he says. “The suites are spacious and the finishes high-end, but Gananoque is a small market. The interest in Stone & South is solely related to the fact that it’s on the water.” While many neighbours across the

street complained they were losing their view—after CaraCo had cleared existing buildings from the land—a clear majority of the feedback has been positive, DiSanto notes. “A development like this in a town like Gananoque drives a lot of economic impact. The local business community, especially in the downtown core, is extremely excited. This will bring 150-200 new people there on a quasipermanent basis.” Now that CaraCo has a taste of the local waters, there’s a thirst for more. “We always say, ‘No matter where you are, there’s only so much waterfront,’” DiSanto says. “And in the Kingston market, there is a significant premium for it.” And it doesn’t have to be a major river or lake to command that fee, DiSanto notes. “Over the years, I’ve done a substantial ohba.ca

A seven-figure seawall and dedicated marina are part of CaraCo’s Stone & South project in Gananoque.

“I think with this building we’re making an architectural statement not just for this location, but for the city” amount of development in low-rise, single-family detached, semis and townhouses, and even then there could be a lot premium of $100,000 for homes backing on to a stormwater management pond.”

Aqualand While CaraCo has dipped its toes into the water in Gananoque, it’s been more of a plunge for Toronto’s Tridel, whose lakefront exposure dates back to a phone call in 2010 with Houston-based real estate giant Hines. After winning the bid of a Toronto Waterfront tender of the city’s Bayside site, Hines in their capacity as the master developer selected Tridel to be the exclusive residential partner for the 13-acre megaproject. Tridel and Hines are now marketing the fourth and final condo in a series ohba.ca

along Queens Quay East that also includes their award-winning creations of Aqualina, Aquavista and Aquabella. The new Aqualuna at Bayside, launched last June, will be a striking design from Copenhagen-based 3XN Architects. Standing 14 storeys at its highest point, with a valley between two offset towers, the design features cascading terraces with suites that will range from 821 to a whopping 4,622 sq. ft.—each designed to maximize views to the water. “I think with this building we’re making an architectural statement not just for this location, but for the city,” offers Jim Ritchie, Executive Vice-President, Sales & Marketing with Tridel. If there was one surprise along the way, it was the progressing appetite for luxury

suites, Ritchie says. “The sales absorptions were better than we thought, and are certainly commanding prices that if I told somebody we would do this a few years ago, they would have looked at us and said we were crazy.” At an average of $1,450 a square foot, the typical selling price at Aqualuna is over $2 million. “But we’ve had most of our success in the $2-$4 million range,” Ritchie says. “The most expensive suite sold thus far is $7.5 million, and there’s one available at $8.9 million.” Taking advantage as much as possible of its signature location—with larger suites reserved for optimal Lake Ontario vistas and smaller suites offering less dramatic perspectives—was the philosophy at Aqualuna. “One thing we discovered with these buildings, clearly with waterfront property, is that people are looking for larger condominium homes than you’d typically find in this sub-market,” Ritchie says. “You don’t find your buyers from the immediate neighbourhood. You tend to bring them in from all over the GTA. Even those looking for larger condos in the $3-$7 million range are coming from established neighbourhoods with large homes. “As each of the buildings came to market, we made the average (unit) sizes ontario home builder SPRING 2019

larger,” Ritchie explains. How much so? Despite the fact that both projects possess roughly the same square footage, Phase One featured 362 condo suites while Aqualuna will have just 225.

The Nest Golf Course is not only a key attraction at Friday Harbour Resort, it also provided a convenient spot to dump 2 million cubic metres of earth dredged from Lake Simcoe.

Pier Review A few blocks east along Queen’s Quay, at the foot of Yonge Street, Cityzen Development Group is erecting The Tower at Pier 27. Designed by Peter Clewes of architectsAlliance, the rhythmic and oscillating design of the 35-storey condominium is meant to suggest the lapping of waves, while offering some of the finest panoramic views of the water, Toronto Islands and the city. But it hasn’t always been smooth sailing at Pier 27. Cityzen president Sam Crignano first acquired the property in 2003 from Avro Quay Ltd. “When I got the call, Avro had already invested 20 years in getting approvals, but decided they didn’t want to go any further,” Crignano says. “We tweaked the zoning, applying for minor variances.” There was one lingering eyesore, though: the permanently docked MS Jadran, home to Captain John’s Harbour

Boat Restaurant, which had declared bankruptcy the previous year. The boat had long since fallen into a state of disrepair when the City, with the owner owing more than $1 million in taxes and fees, initiated the process of seizing the vessel in 2013. In May 2015, it was finally towed away, providing unobstructed views of the slip for the first time in ages. “It was Waterfront Toronto’s plan to get

rid of that eyesore for some time, and we helped wherever we could,” says Crignano, whose partnership with Waterfront Toronto has included the construction of the Promenade along the water’s edge and Yonge Quay. “The revitalization has created amenities like Sugar Beach and Sherbourne Common, which are destinations for people throughout the city,” says Crignano. “Add to that new streetcar

All the Dirt on Friday Harbour Jumping through the requisite environmental hoops is always a challenge for developers working near a shoreline, much less when you’re actually digging in the water. Such was the case for the Friday Harbour development team headed by Geranium Corporation. The resort’s centrepiece, a 40-acre, 1,000-slip man-made marina, required a massive dredging project at the edge of Lake Simcoe. Approvals took years. But what to do with all that mud? Fortunately, another key piece of the masterplanned resort was a golf course designed by 34

award-winning architect Doug Carrick, who was happy to accommodate the extra earth—all two million cubic metres of it. “That’s a lot of earth,” concedes Carrick, who was part of the project since drawing up preliminary course routings in 2002. “We never did a calculation, but it probably saved them millions of dollars to be able to use all that earth on the golf course, instead of shipping it elsewhere.” The huge volume of soil enabled Carrick to add movement to a relatively flat piece of terrain, which helped the design team create enough elevation to view the

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lake in spots—no simple task when the closest of the holes is about a mile away. Carrick had initially intended to begin and end the course at the marina, weaving through the community, before environmental and community design plans altered its final location. “When a project drags on that long, you kind of wonder sometimes if it will get approved and built,” says Carrick, whose team finally started clearing the land in the fall of 2013, with The Nest GC opening last year. “It was a huge undertaking and investment in time and money

by our client, Geranium Corporation, as well as Condrain, who excavated the marina, moved all the earth to the golf course and also installed all the services. “There was a lot of expertise provided by a team of planning, engineering, legal, architectural and environmental consultants,” Carrick adds. “It takes a lot of time to do all the studies and convince the governing bodies that you can create a community like this without harming the environment. Being on the edge of Lake Simcoe probably increased the scrutiny of the project 10-fold.” ohba.ca

The view across the lake to Toronto from New Horizon’s Sapphire condos in Stoney Creek could be the best in Ontario, suggests company president Jeff Paikin.

tracks, bike lanes and pedestrian-friendly walkways that have made the community more vibrant and accessible.” Crignano has been front and centre as real estate prices have taken off since 2003. “The cost has probably doubled for suites from the first to third phase, but the land value has probably quadrupled,” he notes. And, as always, there’s a pretty penny to face the lake. “It’s about 20% for a direct water view,” Crignano says. “So if today’s values are about $1,100 to $1,200 a square foot, you’re looking at upwards of $1,500 a square foot.” There’s also an added price to pay for construction. “The challenge is obviously working that close to the water,” Crignano notes. “First there was a seawall that had to be rebuilt. And the shoring system was very complicated—we needed to bathtub it since the lowest level of our garage was actually below the bottom of the lake. When you get to those lower levels, you’re actually excavating into shale, so you’re concerned about percolation through the shale there. That’s why you want to cover it with concrete as quickly as possible. We anticipated these things, but you’re paying more attention to engineering design and construction, so obviously it’s costlier to do this since it’s not conventional.”

Digging Deep While they’re not necessarily at the water’s edge, the Molinaro Group features six finished or current projects in Burlington overlooking Lake Ontario. The builder’s newest design, however, will 36

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require a construction first for the firm. Molinaro’s Brock 2, a 22-storey, 162unit condo a couple blocks north of the lakeshore just off Burlington’s downtown core, includes four underground levels—and that’s where the challenge pops up, explains the firm’s president, Vince Molinaro. “Our underground will extend about seven metres below the water table,” Molinaro notes. “There are construction and post-construction issues with that. We have to do a hydrogeological report (roughly $50,000) to determine the volume and quality of the water. The report then will be circulated to our shoring, structural, site servicing and architect consultants for review and recommendation. With our particular project, they’re recommending a raft slab—essentially a giant piece of concrete floating in the ground to deal with the hydrostatic pressure from the water below. The slab, which will anchor the building in place, could be massive—up to 10+ feet thick. Definitely not conventional construction!” And kind of expensive. Molinaro has budgeted $1 million for the slab, dewatering, waterproofing, etc. “We’re essentially going to have to bathtub the underground, which is over and above the regular concrete and foundation. And there’s the Permit to Take Water application we’ll have to file through the MOE—so that’s another time-consuming process that requires studies, drawings and approvals. Regulation allows us to discharge 400,000 litres a day, and we’re gonna be around 600,000, so well above the guideline. The City is also involved in the process.”

Altogether, Molinaro estimates at least an extra three to four months to the construction process due to the required approvals, compared to the norm. “You’re carrying a lot of costs (for these type of builds).” Once complete, Molinaro expects lakeview suites to command premiums of around $50,000, with one-bedroom suites starting around the low $400,000s. How do sales compare to that of Molinaro’s Paradigm project near a GO Train site in Burlington? “At Paradigm, it was well over 50% investors,” Molinaro says. “But with Brock 2 being a pricier build and located downtown, we anticipate getting a lot more end-users.”

The Great 8 Had the City of Hamilton never explored the steel industry, its waterside vistas would be among the best in Canada. History being what it is, the City has had to play the hand it’s been dealt. But an ambitious plan for Hamilton’s west harbour is laying the foundation for waterfront reinvention. Pending the signing of the final development agreement, the 13-acre mixed-use Pier 8 project will be developed by Waterfront Shores, a consortium consisting of Hamilton architect Bruce Kuwabara of KPMB Architects, Cityzen Development Corp., Fernbrook Homes Group, GFL Environmental Inc. and Greybrook Realty Partners Inc. It will entail 1,292 condos in 20 separate buildings (65 units of which will be through Habitat for Humanity). Forrec Ltd. is designing the promenade, called ohba.ca

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New Horizon’s Bridgewater project will command the Burlington waterfront.

Hammer City, which will include a beach, a games terrace, café, playground and “wetland remediation gardens.” The Hamilton Port Authority acquired the former industrial shipping pier, built on reclaimed land, from the federal government in 2000, but the City was unable to secure control until 2013, when the Port Authority agreed to terminate the leases early, notes Chris Phillips, Senior Advisor for Planning and Economic Development with the City of Hamilton. “This is different in that the City continues to act in some degree as the land developer, with the City taking the site through planning approvals, subdivision and appeals to the OMB/LPAT,” says Phillips. “We’re also the ones physically putting in all the services—water, sewer, fibre cable—which would typically be the developer’s responsibility.” The City, which is also budgeting $15 million just to rehabilitate the shoreline. launched a request for quotation in April 2017, with 13 different consortiums interested at the initial stage. City Council approved the preferred proponent in June 2018. Waterfront Shores will pay at least $41,258,843 for the site between now and 2025 (“at least” because the land will be purchased in four blocks, with the City of Hamilton applying market value 38

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at the time of each purchase). The largest payment—a minimum $22,722,438— will be made sometime this year or next. Once complete, the developer will pay the city 1% of the gross revenue. And as always, Phillips says, “being on the waterfront means the spotlight is much brighter than with any other type of project. And this sits right across the street from a 100-year-old neighbourhood of 10,000-15,000 people.”

Bridge of Destiny While Pier 8’s redevelopment was in doubt for decades, a Burlington project seems like it was always meant to be for New Horizon president Jeff Paikin. “The first time I saw the property was actually as a prospective customer for the condo that was originally going to be built there,” recalls Paikin of his Bridgewater Residences on the Lake, currently taking shape along the Burlington waterfront. “My wife wanted me to build us a house on the water, and I said, ‘I won’t do it, because by the time it’s finished, our kids will have moved out and we’ll have a house three times bigger than we’ll need. And by the way, if I had my way, I’d want to live in a hotel so that when I get home I’ll never have to lift a finger.’

“We had a good chuckle,” says Paikin. “And then she was riding her bike one day in August of 2014 and saw them pounding a sign into the ground on the Bridgewater site, saying, ‘Coming soon— Condominiums—Mady Development.’ The project then included an adjacent hotel. So she came home and said, ‘I think we have the answer here! And according to the information, you’ll even be able to get room service from the hotel!’ “So we went down and bought a unit from Mady,” Paikin relates. “They were about 30% into sales when they ran into some issues with a couple other properties they had on the go, and the people who sold the Burlington condos on Mady’s behalf asked me if we were capable of taking the project over. I said, ‘You’re darn tootin’ we can!’ We signed our purchase agreement in October 2014, and informed the purchasers in January 2015, letting them know that we knew better than anybody what they were expecting, since I signed a contract myself!” “We’ll have our first move-ins later this year,” Paikin says. “Our own unit will be about a year from now—the seventh floor of the seven-floor building. There’s also a 22-storey building next door.” While builders are prepared for the worst when they break ground near a major body of water, there can be a random nature to it, suggests Paikin. “For Bridgewater, we dug down four floors for underground parking right beside the lake and it was bone dry. We had no issues in Stoney Creek (Sapphire at Waterfront Trails) right beside the lake either. Around 2006, though, on our fourstorey Westwood project on Plains Rd. in Burlington, we started digging for our one level of underground parking and it overflowed with water like crazy. We had to redesign and raise the building a couple feet—and that’s about a mile from the lake! But water flows off the escarpment and it goes where it wants to go.” More predictable are land costs. Paikin estimates waterfront real estate is a minimum double the price in Burlington versus a kilometre inland. But oh, those views! “At Sapphire, you can see the CN Tower plain as day right across Lake Ontario,” Paikin notes. “Being on the bay versus Burlington is a completely different view. I think it’s the best anywhere.” OHB ohba.ca

Hope Above All 40

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ohba.ca

Puerto Rico humanitarian missions have left an imprint on locals and volunteers alike By T r ac y H a n e s

t’s been a rough few years for 73-year-old Raul Negron, a farmworker who lives in the remote mountain village of San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico. After his ex-wife suffered mental health issues, his son and daughter were put in foster care. Just after Negron won custody of Carlos, 15, and Pendind, 14, Hurricane Maria hit the island on October 6, 2017. The bridge in San Lorenzo was decimated and villagers had to ford a fast-moving river to obtain food and water. They lived without electricity for almost a year. The hurricane caused an estimated $139 billion in damages—including $33 billion in housing—across Puerto Rico. Fourteen months later, Raul and his children were living in his still badly damaged concrete house. Negron’s income from harvesting cacao wasn’t sufficient to fund home repairs. The house had a leaky, makeshift roof, no bathroom, stove or fridge, and the family slept on water-logged, mould-infested beds. In December, 12 Canadian volunteers of Hope Agua Vida, a humanitarian home-rebuilding mission founded by Doug Tarry of Doug Tarry Homes, Scott Davis of Winmar Property Restoration Specialists, and Tarry Homes customer Juan Pablo Hernandez, found Raul and his children living in his ramshackle shelter and got to work to improve the family’s situation. “It was a total gut job. We built them a new roof that works and will withstand a Category 4 hurricane,” says Tarry. The house is now safe, dry and the family has a new stove, beds and bathroom fixtures. As the Canadians and Negrons were celebrating completion of the five-day rebuild, the heavens opened and everyone had to run inside. “It was symbolic, as we all had to take shelter under the roof,” says Tarry. “It’s tiring, it’s hard work, you work pretty ohba.ca

hard in the heat, but it’s so incredibly rewarding.” Initially, Negron was reluctant to have the Canadians help, as a lot of opportunistic contractors have been out just for money and there is a lack of rebuilding controls in Puerto Rico. “By the second day, the tears were flowing, because they didn’t believe people from Canada could do such an amazing job in just a few days,” says Hernandez, who serves as Hope Agua Vita’s translator and project coordinator. “Raul’s blood pressure was high and it was such an intense, emotional experience for him that we had to look out for him numerous times. He said, ‘I’ve never received anything like you’ve given me.’” Hope Agua Vita’s first visit to Puerto Rico was in November 2017 with 12 volunteers. The group was stunned by the extent of the damage and the conditions people were living in. It was followed by a mission with 12 volunteers in January 2018, then another with 25 in May that included tradespeople, three engineers, a Fanshaw College professor for the Women and Carpentry program, as well as a University of Western Ontario graduate student studying wood-frame roofing in hurricane zones. Island homes have three basic types of construction: concrete houses with concrete roofs; concrete houses with wood roofs; and wood houses with wood roofs. The homes are poorly built so are not resistant to hurricane-force winds and flooding. “We’ve done one house, five wood roofs and five concrete roofs. That’s not bad for a little start-up initiative,” says Tarry. At first, the arrival of such a humanitarian mission can be a bit traumatizing for the local community, Tarry explains. “You have these big Canadians coming in and pounding away for five or six days on a house. As much as they know you are coming, ontario home builder SPRING 2019

Canadian volunteers of Hope Agua Vida at work in December. Some of the beneficiaries of this and other life-altering humanitarian missions in Puerto Rico have been villagers Nancy Morales and her husband Luis Salgado (bottom left) and Raul Negron (centre at bottom-right).

“I’ve never received anything like you’ve given me.” they don’t realize the upheaval that happens, as we have to have a clean working environment. But by the second or third day, they realize what we are doing and are amazed by the building science and technology.” On a previous mission, Hope Agua Vita rebuilt a home for a villager named Nancy, who had helped facilitate the Canadians’ efforts in San Lorenzo. “Nancy never asked for anything and on the third mission we went to her house and realized it was no place for her or her family to live, and so we rebuilt it from scratch,” says 42

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Hernandez. “It was hard to stop her crying from the joy that brought. Nancy is our ambassador to many organizations; she’s much more engaged in the community and wants to help.” Nancy proudly flies the Canadian flag at her house and told the Hope Agua Vita volunteers, “Thank you very much, Canada. You taught us the meaning of hope.” During the December 2018 mission, she hosted lunch for the Canadian crew every day at her house. “Ruben and Lourdes, who we helped before, were on site every day, even though Ruben is going blind and Lourdes is recovering from cancer treatment,” relates Tarry. “It’s really nice to see these folks giving back. Some of the younger people who were on the periphery last mission got more involved. That was really awesome.” Raul Negron is engaged with the community, very sportsoriented and works with kids who want to play baseball. Tarry says that initially Raul’s children were shy and hung back when the Hope Agua Vita team arrived, but by the second day of working on their house, his son Carlos was on the roof carrying wood and asking to help, and Pendind became more engaged with the group. On the final day, the crew gave Carlos a pair of safety glasses. “Carlos was very emotional, as he got our 100% commitment to help him accomplish his dreams (to be a professional baseball player),” says Hernandez. “There is no longer the ohba.ca

Nasir and Shehla Ali, with their children (oldest to youngest) Jaohar, Haider and Shazeb, are flanked by Niall Haggart (left) and Don Pugh of The Daniels Corp. at the 2017 key ceremony.

What Does it Mean When Habitat Lends a Helping Hand? Nasir and Shehla Ali have peace of mind knowing their three young sons are growing up in a nurturing, safe environment, thanks to Habitat for Humanity. The Alis emigrated from Bombay, India in 2010 to settle in Canada with their oldest son, Jaohar, in search of a better life. They lived in a basement unit for two years, then moved to a one-bedroom rental condo after their second son, Haider, arrived. With the birth of their third son, Shazeb, they were overcrowded in the space, and crime was becoming an issue in the area. According to a recent report by planning consultant firm Malone Given Parsons, with data from

ohba.ca

Statistics Canada, 36% of families living in onebedroom dwellings in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area are not suitably housed, including families like the Alis, who are forced to live in apartments that are too small or that create health issues. In 2017, the Alis became owners of a new three-bedroom stacked townhouse in Sunny Meadow in Brampton, purchased through Habitat GTA. The house was donated to Habitat by the Daniels Corporation. “It’s such a good place and the location is perfect for families,” says Shehla. “We are really happy here. Our oldest son has his own room, so he can study, and the two younger ones play

together in their room.” There is a playground with a slide and swings in front of their home and a library nearby. The move has also been positive for her and her husband, as they’ve made close friends in the neighbourhood, including other Indian families. Nasir described their situation prior to moving into their Habitat home as akin to living in a shelter rather than a home. And while they were surviving, he felt the family could not achieve its full potential. It was a Catch 22, Nasir explains: If they moved to a bigger place with higher rent, they’d never be able to save for a down payment. And if they didn’t move, their children wouldn’t grow up in a

safe, healthy environment. After applying and being accepted by Habitat GTA, the family put in 500 volunteer hours of ‘sweat equity’ as their down payment. They have fixed payments and a 20-year mortgage, so they can maximize their equity while their children grow up. Mortgage payments are calculated annually and shelter costs will never be more than 30% of their household income. “Our kids now have an opportunity to grow to their full potential,” Nasir says. “Their self-esteem will improve, and down the road, it will help them to not only succeed in life but also to give back to the community, knowing what Habitat and Daniels have done for us.” Daniels has been a trailblazer in terms of Habitat for Humanity work in Canada. Over the course of its 20-year partnership, the company has helped make it possible for 36 families to own homes. That commitment has included donating home sites across the GTA and donating townhouses and condo suites from Daniels’ projects. (For insurance purposes, safety regulations, etc., those homes have to be partially finished rather than startfrom-scratch builds such as Habitat single homes are.) “We wouldn’t have been able to become homeowners and provide a better home for our children if it wasn’t for Habitat and their partners,” Nasir says. “I am proud to be a homeowner. It wasn’t handed out to me—we worked hard to get to this position and will continue to work hard as we pay off our Habitat mortgage.” —Tracy Hanes

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An OHBA-led mission to the D.R. in 2011 gave families reason to smile amid the devastation.

Weathering the Storm In 2011, 200 home builder volunteers and their families spent four days building six homes in Nuevo Renacer, Dominican Republic, during the 2011 OHBA Conference and Humanitarian Build. The impoverished community of 1,000 families is less than 30 minutes from Puerto Plata’s popular beach resorts. The Canadians had to withstand downpours, negotiate muddy streets and improvise due to limited access to modern tools for the build. Open sewage flowed through the rock and dirt streets of the Aguas Negras barrio built on an old dump, named for the ‘black water’ that flowed during storms. While the ramshackle,

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pieced-together homes had flush toilets, they drained into backyards. The area is flood-prone and most houses were incapable of providing adequate shelter during heavy rains. Flood waters would often reach the top of beds, creating mould issues. The OHBA volunteers built six modest but safe and solid homes, raised two feet to keep dry when it rained. They were joined on the build by Canadian ambassador to the Dominican Republic, Todd Kuiack and his family. OHBA partnered with local contractors and Absolute Hero Holidays for the build that was completed on schedule, despite adverse weather conditions.

excuse he can’t achieve his dream because he doesn’t have a proper house to live in. He will be scouted by ball teams this year and he wants to move to a Triple-A team.” Hope Agua Vita has also served to empower women in the village. The Canadians have shown village mothers and grandmothers how to repair concrete roofs, bought them tools and materials and are mentoring them to form their own company. Stefanie Coleman, owner of London-area renovation company Pretty Smart Homes, was on Hope Agua Vita’s May 2018 mission and says the highlight for her was teaching five island women how to use a tape measure. “Two had broken English and the rest had none, but they understood numbers and I was able to explain it that way, and within 45 minutes, they all got it,” says Coleman. “Something that we take for granted gives these women a basic skill to be able to move forward to work on their own.” Coleman also helped to train the women how to seal concrete roofs and to install flashing around windows to protect from water penetration. “Stefanie and Jennifer Sanders (of Graystone Custom Homes and a Fanshawe College professor in the school of building technology)—oh my goodness, they are amazing,” says Hernandez. “They were cutting wood and using tools and swinging hammers like everyone else.” Tarry says Sarah Stevenson, the group’s PhD engineering student, has been another asset. “This was the second mission for Sarah and we got to see her evolution as an engineer. She was thinking, ‘How do I simplify explanations for these people to understand?’” Engineer Greg Hussey from Newfoundland, has also been on two missions, says Tarry. “It’s been a rewarding experience to see him working with a younger team.” Until now, Hope Agua Vita has done its own fundraising to finance its Puerto Rico endeavours, but Tarry says the goal is now to partner with an aid organization, such as FEMA or the Red Cross, or to set up its own non-profit entity. One idea is to create eco-tourism or volunteer vacations where people could work with Hope Agua Vita for four or five days, then enjoy the rest of the island. Hernandez, a former video producer who now works in business development for Graphenstone eco-friendly paints, immigrated to Canada from Colombia 10 years ago and says his involvement with Hope Agua Vita has been life-changing, not only for the Puerto Rican people the mission has assisted, but for him as well. “I love that Canadians stand up for Canadians and others,” Hernandez says. “If you give back, it will fill your heart and show you are not alone in this world. I learned that in Canada.” OHB ohba.ca

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SPEECH! SPEECH! How to transform your presentations from ghastly to gold By J o n at h a n O k e

ontario home builder SPRING 2019

ohba.ca

Three OHBA presidents walk into a bar… Heard that one? Seen that one? OK, at least I’ve got your attention. And that doesn’t happen with most presentations—not for long anyway. The majority of speeches are spectacular wastes of time, unless you consider 60 minutes reviewing social media on your smartphone as a productive work hour. They start full of promise, but, like the Hindenburg, quickly collapse into a ball of flames, with someone in the background crying, “Oh, the humanity!” “Ninety-seven percent of executives consider presentations non-inspiring or impactful,” says Kevin Crone, who, as president and managing partner of the Dale Carnegie of Ontario and Maritimes franchises, knows something of such statistics. “The greatest tragedy is when people have brilliant ideas but don’t get heard because of the way a speech is delivered. I think many folks in management don’t embrace the importance of communicating in a way that inspires, engages or teaches. And that’s a gigantic part of their job.” To be fair, unless you are slightly deranged, few relish the idea of standing at the head of a room and speaking to staff, much less a silent auditorium filled with hundreds of industry peers with their attention keenly fixed upon you. Most people would rather go skinny-dipping in a pool of eels. But if you’re going to call yourself a business leader or an expert on some particular subject, you’re not going to be able to avoid giving the occasional presentation. So you may as well commit to being good at it. Because the alternative will send the wrong message: that you don’t really know what you’re talking about, that perhaps you’re not the best person to lead your company into battle, and that your brand might not be the most reliable. OK, those last few thoughts might not be the sort of thing Tony Robbins would arm you with on your way to the podium. But it is human nature to contemplate the negative, as opposed to accentuating the positive, suggests Bernadette Smith, vicepresident, Talent Development Solutions with the Canadian Management Centre. “When most of us present, we’re thinking about how things can go wrong—it’s how we program our brains that creates this anxiety—as opposed to stepping onto the ohba.ca

Know 10 times more about your subject than what you’re presenting—even if it’s a two-minute job.

stage and saying to yourself, ‘I’m gonna knock this outta the park.’” When you view your upcoming presentation with all the gleeful anticipation of a root canal, it’s hard to shake the overwhelming anxiety that can accompany it. But know that your pounding heart, cotton-dry mouth and knot in your stomach are all normal symptoms, suggests Midhaven Homes owner and OHBA Past President Peter Saturno. “I don’t know anyone who doesn’t get nervous before a presentation,” says Saturno, who is counted among the industry’s most polished orators, despite the fact that he doesn’t consider himself particularly adept at it. “Even the people who I think are good public speakers always go into it with some trepidation.” Take billionaire investor Warren Buffet, for example. “I was terrified of public speaking. I couldn’t do it. I’d throw up,” Buffet recalled in a recent HBO documentary. But he faced his fears and signed up for a $100 Dale Carnegie course in his early adult years. It’s the best investment he ever made, Buffett maintains to this day. “The one easy way to become worth 50% more than you are now—at least—is to hone your communication skills,” echoed Buffett in a video posted on LinkedIn in December. “If you can’t communicate, it’s like winking at a

girl in the dark—nothing happens. You can have all the brainpower in the world, but you have to be able to transmit it.”

#1 KNOW WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT Step one to a successful presentation is to know your subject matter inside out, says Saturno. “Don’t speak about the internal combustion engine if you don’t know that much about it. And go over it three or four times. The one thing I always have in the back of my head is to not act as though I’m the sole authority on it, because there’s going to be people in that audience who always know as much, if not more. So I don’t state facts unless I absolutely know they’re correct.” “When I write a speech, I go over it as a big, big critic. Then I’ll spend hours in front of the mirror going over it again,” says Hugh Heron, president of Heathwood Homes and Heron Homes. While Heron is hardly a shrinking violet—he’s read Dylan Thomas’s A Child’s Christmas in Wales at Roy Thompson Hall, reeled off one Bobby Darin hit after another at bars much of his life and boasts the rendition of the Canadian National Anthem played at major OHBA ontario home builder SPRING 2019

and BILD functions—“it’s not as easy for me as people think,” he claims. “I’m often nervous as hell when I go up there.” “It’s work. You’ve simply got to prepare,” says Crone. “Know 10 times more about your subject than what you’re presenting—even if it’s a two-minute job. And practice. The mirror can often show you how little involved you are physically. Everyone thinks they’re absurdly gregarious, when, in fact, they’re actually not expressing anything. Have excitement riveting through you. “We call it incongruence when your body language does not match your tone and message,” says Crone in reference to a pair of studies from UCLA Professor Emeritus of Psychology Albert Mehrabian, who postulated that 55% of communication is non-verbal and 38% is how you say it, while the words coming out of your mouth account for just 7%. “People will default to your body language,” Crone observes. “We’ll believe that before we’ll believe what you’re actually saying.” Take a page out of the pre-game ritual of many professional athletes, suggests Smith. “The ability to rewire your brain and visualize a successful outcome helps you stay in a successful mindset,” she says. “Once you’ve got your speech down pat, put yourself in the room where you’re going to deliver it—confidently walking to the stage, standing in front of the lectern, being excited to be there and to share this information, making eye contact with individuals and seeing them hanging on your every word, wandering around the stage, people standing and applauding. The more you visualize it, the more it becomes your experience.”

#2 KNOW WHO YOU’RE TALKING TO Empathizing with your audience is as critical as speaking the same language, the experts agree. “The people in those seats want to know how this is going to impact them. You want to inspire them, not overwhelm them with information,” stresses Smith, who counts Canadian journalist Malcolm Gladwell, Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey and author and global researcher Marcus Buckingham among the most captivating speakers 48

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Move around the stage, standing and walking with confidence, making plenty of eye contact along the way.

she’s ever heard. Always remember to be there for your audience, suggests author and optimist Simon Sinek. “Rule number one in public speaking is to show up to give—I’m here to share something I know, and I want nothing in return,” Sinek tells online leadership inspiration site LeadersIn. “It’s unbelievable to me how many people show up to take. They want your business, your social media follows. But when we can tell that someone is showing up for us—and that they want nothing from us—we are grateful and will, in turn, express our gratitude and give them everything.” So how to begin? “A good practice is to start with a story—a very specific example that’s lively and engages your audience that will illustrate a key point you want to make,” suggests Crone. “Your job is to get them to see and feel what you felt, so paint them a picture. Anyone can tell a story. It also helps overcome the fear of what to say.” Far from merely presenting a topic, the speaker’s job is to entertain—to capture and keep the audience’s attention. So don’t hide behind the lectern, the experts advise. Move around the stage, standing and walking with confidence, making plenty of eye contact along the way. “Pick different people—back, front—like you’re actually having a conversation with them,” Crone suggests. “It makes it more conversational, more real.”

Sinek, for one, prefers the lights in the room to be bright enough that he can see the individuals he’s talking to. Universal among public speaking gurus? Make sure you give a damn about your topic! “Passion translates into energy and authenticity, and that matters to your audience,” writes Mike Michalowicz for AmericanExpress.com. “If you’re not invested and engaged with your subject, why on earth would your audience care? Emotion pulls them in and gets them involved in the process. If you find you’re not moved by your topic, modify it until it matters to you. If you’re going to invest the energy in writing and delivering a speech, it should be on a subject that’s important to you.” “Having a passion about what you’re speaking about will also prevent you from speaking in a monotone fashion,” adds Saturno. But keep it in check as best you can. “I was president of the OHBA and the new government was not overly fond of the industry at the time, and I felt, ‘If all is lost, I’m going to go out in a blaze of glory,’” Saturno recalls. “I could see (former OHBA Executive Officer) David Horton’s eyes rolling and thought he was going to go into cardiac arrest at any moment. I got a bit combative with that speech, but in as professional a way as I could. You know, I ended up becoming friends with a lot of the folks I was most combative with. I’d always challenge them to check my facts.” ohba.ca

#3 KEEPING IT REAL

“Passion translates into energy and authenticity, and that matters to your audience.”

Seizing Power! Want to take control of a PowerPoint presentation? Lesson One: Don’t turn and read the screen each time you flip to a new slide, cautions Bernadette Smith, V.P., Talent Development Solutions at the Canadian Management Centre. “It’s one common mistake I’ll see when people are presenting—they turn and talk to the screen, rather than connecting with their audience.” Help your audience to digest everything, adds professional keynote speaker Stacey Hanke. “People can’t read a slide and listen to you at the same time. When using a slide deck, keep it simple. Use brief bullet points and pictures that tell a story, but refrain from making it a novel. Try not to use more than three bullet points or one image at a time. When you forward to a new slide, don’t talk. Be quiet and allow the audience to read the data without your interruption. If you advance to a new slide while speaking, they are going to tune you out to take in what they see. Science has proven that the brain is incapable of consciously listening and reading simultaneously, so let them do one without the other. Be quiet long enough for them to read and understand the slide. Then black out the screen before you start talking. This allows you to re-engage without competing for their attention, which is easily achieved with handheld slide clickers and shortcut keys.”

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Among Saturno’s tricks of the trade is that when you write something down, “write it the way you want to say it. But then make talking points. I cannot stay to a script. When I do, I find I’m somewhat robotic. So as long as I’m hitting my touchpoints, I can wander off-script. I might miss something, but it will flow better.” And look around your audience before you get going, Saturno adds. “When I’d show up to an OHBA event, if I noticed everyone dressed casually while I’m in a suit and tie, the first thing I’d do after I got up there was say, ‘I don’t want this suit and tie on,’ and I’d take off my jacket, loosen my tie and roll up my sleeves. Now I was part of that audience. If you look at current events, Trudeau is famous for doing that—being one and the same with his audience.”

#4 DID YOU HEAR THE ONE ABOUT…? You also have to be able to think on your feet when something goes wrong, Saturno cautions. “I’ve been on the podium when someone’s phone has gone off. Rather than looking annoyed, I’ll make a joke about it. At one conference I stopped, looked over, and said to that person, ‘Tell them I’m busy right now, take a message and I’ll call them back.’ Then I went right back into my speech. You don’t want to embarrass the person in the audience. And this way, you put everyone at ease. And when you get the audience laughing a bit, it also puts you very much at ease.” Humour, however, isn’t always easy to execute. “When I was president of the OHBA in the 1980s and went to Korea to help Canada try to sell lumber there, they gave me a prepared speech, with an audience of about a thousand engineers,” Hugh Heron recalls. “I’d spent the previous day with an interpreter. As I was doing my speech, I looked up at the back of the room and behind the glass panels there were all these interpreters, while everybody in front of me had their headphones on. And as I went through this ohba.ca

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Ontario Home Builders’ Association

boring, boring speech about why they should be buying lumber from Canada, I thought, ‘This is silly!’ And so I went offscript and told a joke that I thought was pretty funny. And there was absolutely no response. Silence. And the interpreters are going crazy because they don’t know what I’m talking about. So lesson learned—never try to be funny in a foreign country! “But humour can be tough to get across at the best of times,” Heron notes. “So you have to be careful, and you have to know your audience. And even if it’s a good joke, you have to be able to deliver it properly. I was at a golf tournament and a chap told a story about a British pilot during the Second World War. I’d heard it a hundred times, but peed myself laughing because the delivery was so good. And it’s the same with delivering a speech—if you don’t do it well, you’re not going to get your message across. I usually invoke some Scottish humour—there’s nothing quite like joking about yourself. The way I look at it, though, is that I’ve been gifted with a Scottish accent, so nobody is going to understand what I’m saying anyway.”

#5 PACE YOURSELF Regardless of the subject, keeping the audience’s attention means not droning on for the sake of filling your time slot. When was the last time you sat through a presentation, looked at your watch and thought, “Geez, I hope this guy keeps talking for a while.” Some of the most memorable speeches in history were brief. Abraham Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” lasted less than two minutes. J.F.K.’s “Ask Not What Your Country Can Do for You” measured just 14 minutes. King George VI’s radio address to the nation in 1939, made famous by the movie The King’s Speech? 5:40. That’s not to say you want to blitz through your presentation. One of the most common mistakes for first-timers is talking too fast, Michalowicz reminds. “When in doubt, slow down and let the tortoise mind catch up to the rabbit speaker,” he notes. “If you’re naturally a quick talker, you can build pauses into your speech by saying things like, ‘Now 52

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Some of the most memorable speeches in history were brief.

think about that for a moment’ or ‘Let that sink in.’ It takes an audience more time to process your points than it will take for you to articulate them. Give them time to ponder your brilliant message.” Keeping everyone engaged can occasionally mean inviting feedback during your presentation, Saturno says. “I’ll sometimes say, ‘I don’t want to wait until the end for any questions—if you have something important, go ahead and put up your hand.’ Because if someone out there didn’t understand something I just said, more than likely half the other people didn’t get what the point was either. And never act like you know something you don’t. If you don’t know something that someone asks, own it and admit, ‘I don’t have the answer to that, but I will look into it and get back to you.’” There’s the obvious stuff too. “One thing I learned the hard way is to always go up with a glass or bottle of water,” Saturno says. “The last thing you want is your lips sticking together because your mouth is dry. Even if you just need a pause to gather your thoughts for those few seconds.” And before you wrap things up, remember why you’re there in the first place. “Create a memorable takeaway,” advises professional keynote speaker Stacey Hanke. “The takeaway isn’t a

summary of what was said, but instead is critical for the absolute understanding of the topic. Many presenters take this time to conclude their message by recapping what they’ve said, which invites listeners to check out. If you’re going to engage your audience from the beginning to the very end, the takeaway must be strong and purposeful. And if you open with a story, don’t hesitate to close with one, as well. This story shouldn’t present the problem, but instead should highlight how the listener will benefit from acting on what you shared. They will leave believing their time was well spent.” Learning to command an audience—to triumph over your fears and take advantage of a speaking opportunity rather than shying away from it—can be lifechanging. “I hear those stories so often that I’m almost oblivious to it,” relates Carnegie’s Kevin Crone. “It changes almost everything for many who have gone through the course. It’s not just about public speaking. I once had a gentleman call up and say, ‘I’d really like my son to take the course. It was such a defining time for me.’ I said, ‘How so?’ And he said, ‘Today I’m the mayor of my town, Port Hope. I would not be mayor if I didn’t take the course. It changed the whole view of what I thought of myself.’” OHB ohba.ca

Strong

Waterproof

Thin

Light

Modern factory efficiencies and guaranteed completion dates are making modular homes the perfect fit for many homebuyers by Dav i d M c P h e r s o n

Quality Homesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; factory production in Kenilworth ensures precision builds. 54

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ohba.ca

t’s mid-January in the Morewood head sales office of Guildcrest Homes, a factory-built home builder with 25 years’ experience. From newlyweds and a young urban couple with a newborn in their arms to retirees looking to downsize and settle in a lifestyle community, foot traffic on the sales floor is brisk. With rising house prices in major urban centres having made owning a traditional home unaffordable for many, it’s no surprise more homebuyers are considering modular as a viable and affordable option over a site-built home. The cost advantage does not always translate into actual dollars; rather, the savings occur because modular home builders provide an exact and complete price from the outset of the project the customer can count on. “Savings are realized in efficiencies in the process—time equals money— such as reduced site inspections,” explains George Tierney, Marketing Manager of Guildcrest Homes, whose company offers everything from single-family and semi-detached to townhouses and multi-unit buildings, and has built more than 5,000 modular homes since forming in 1991. “Our RBC specialist uses $4,000 as that amount saved in financing through reduced number of inspections. Further savings are realized in ohba.ca

the energy efficiency of the home and lower operating costs.” Predictability is another factor for many buyers. At a time when it might be -30C outdoors and traditional sites are shut down, rather than stressing whether their dream dwelling will be ready on time, clients know that a skilled labour crew is busy constructing their home indoors to the designs they signed off on last fall. No weather delays. No fear of the materials being compromised by the elements (think water damage or rotting due to rain exposure). Since the environment is totally controlled, there are no fluctuations with humidity, keeping building materials from warping or developing problems with mould. There are no difficult site locations to deal with. No cost overruns. No labour shortages—an increasing delay for many projects. Come spring, the finished home, ready for assembly, is delivered to the site, where a foundation has been dug. The home rolls safely down the highway on several oversized trailers. Once the trailers arrive on site, cranes assemble the jigsaw puzzle one modular piece at a time. While a typical one-storey bungalow consists of two or three modules, larger custom homes might use five or more of varying dimensions. Homes come 85%

complete, with utilities such as electrical and hydro all roughed in and finishings such as carpeting, kitchen cabinets and painting already done. A modular home can have any basement a client wants— the same as a site-built home—but it is a site job and not part of the modular portion of the build. Customers can ask the builder to rough in the lower floor and hire a subcontractor later to finish it or use the modular builder’s tradespeople. Even if there are no plans for a basement, modular homes must at least include a crawl space for the home to stitch on to. “We can deliver better-built homes faster and, at the end of the day, for the same price as a site-built home,” comments Tierney. “The precision of the building is something we take pride in. We use jigsaws and automated framing equipment in our plant, so everything is square, true and precise.” With rapid turnaround times, competitive pricing, precision indoor construction and predicted labour and skilled trade shortages in the construction industry, it’s not a surprise that modular home building is trending higher year over year. According to the latest statistics gathered by the Canadian Home Builders’ Association Modular Construction Council, the value of factory-built building ontario home builder SPRING 2019

production in Canada was slightly over $1.6 billion in 2016, up about 3.5% from 2015 and above the five-year average. Recognizing this trend, the CHBA established a modular council in early 2017 (see sidebar). Modular or prefabricated homes don’t refer to the style of the home, but rather the manufacturing process. A prefabricated home is a structure built in modules in a controlled environment, like a production facility. The modules are then transported to the home’s final location and fully assembled on a permanent foundation. Factory-site builds are on the upswing Ontario-wide. From The Beaches in Toronto’s east end to Tobermory on the northern tip of the Bruce Peninsula to Windsor in the west, the sector is represented in all pockets of the province, and has accounted for approximately 15% of single-family housing starts in Canada in recent years. Multi-family dwelling homes built off-site are also on the rise. The industry has come a long way in the past 30 years, and is a far cry from the typical two-piece homes witnessed in the mid-’80s. The biggest evolution is in the perception of what modular means, both from customers and the broader construction industry. Any stigmas and stereotypes of what modular means have dissipated. “It’s not a mobile home or a trailer,” notes 56

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Howard Sher, Executive Vice-President of Quality Homes. And while modular used to focus solely on the single-family market, there is now commercial and institutional construction and more stacked townhouses. Builders are also working with bathroom or kitchen modules that can be plugged in to mid-rise or high-rise buildings. Royal Homes, based in Wingham, is one of the province’s oldest modular builders. They’ve been in business since 1971, when the concept of preengineered homes was relatively new in Ontario. Their construction process starts with the floor, followed by the walls and ceilings. The walls are built flat, allowing for perfect symmetry. Chris Weppler, Sales & Design at Royal Homes, has been selling and helping clients design their perfect modular homes for most of the past four decades. “We offer one-stop shopping,” Weppler explains. “Customers know their pricing up front before they purchase. Unless there is something wrong with your site, which is rare, there are no cost overruns.” For a summer home or cottage, delivery time, in particular, is critical so that the short season is not lost. In a traditional site build, choosing the wrong contractor can often lead to time and cost overruns for consumers.

“Our homes are built indoors, protected from the elements, in an airtight manner.”

ohba.ca

Quality Homes’ Covington interior and Graystone exterior (top left and right) do not match the stereotypical views of modular homes, while Royal Homes (inset) puts the pieces into place.

CHBA Modular Construction Council In 2017, members of the Canadian Manufactured Housing Institute and MHICanada joined forces to create the CHBA Modular Construction Council to support the increasing role of factory-built modular construction in the building industry. The Council’s priority activities include: - M onitoring and participating in the development of codes, standards and regulations.*

Another key advantage for purchasers is that modular homes are often sturdier, Weppler says. This includes subfloors and especially floor joists. Since modular homes are transported down the highway, the structures are built more sturdily to withstand the road journey, usually leading to a stronger, more airtight home with less preventive maintenance needed in the future. “Our homes are built indoors, protected from the elements, in an airtight manner,” Weppler adds. “The walls are built on a flat table and we put the studs together with a one-piece vapour barrier, adding the drywall on the flat surface and not hacking into the vapour barrier to create that very important seal.”

DREAM DESIGNS Just because they are built in a factory doesn’t mean prefabricated homes are of an assembly line, cookie-cutter nature, notes Sher from Quality Homes. “Manufacturers and builders, designers and architects—everyone has raised their game.” Most modular builders now have thousands of custom options available, and the sales team and project managers are often amenable to customers bringing their own designs to a project, leading to more satisfied clients. ohba.ca

Barry McPherson is one of those satisfied clients. For years he drove by Royal Home’s Wingham facility en route to his parents’ cottage on the shores of Lake Huron, near Kincardine. When he decided to replace his family cottage with a modular home, he and his wife worked with Weppler and the design team at Royal Homes to create the dream family cottage for his children and grandkids to hopefully enjoy for generations to come. McPherson wanted lots of windows to make sure they could soak in Lake Huron’s famed sunsets while enjoying a meal at the dining room table. He wanted an open-concept kitchen and cathedral ceilings. He started with one of Royal’s floorplans as a template and then, working with one of the company’s designers, customized it to meet the expectations he and his wife had for this dream cottage. The end result: a 1,600-square-foot beachfront property and four-season dwelling that surpassed all his expectations. “I’ve been totally satisfied,” he says. “The quality control is very high and the price was very competitive. From dealing with the sales rep through to getting our design into their system and through to the production process, delivery, installation and finalization on site, the entire process was incredibly efficient and staff at all phases were very service-oriented. “It’s become the gathering place for our family and where we’ve now shared many special memories.” Royal Homes has now built three other properties along the same beachfront, with neighbouring homeowners seeing first-hand the magic of a modular-designed home.

- L iaising with codes and standards officials, government and regulatory bodies, related organizations and the public.* - F acilitating research to identify and prioritize technical problems and support codes and standards development. - C oordinating meetings and forums and participating in other industry events to gather intelligence and provide timely information to members. - C ollaborating with other CHBA councils and members to best support factory-built modular as a desirable construction option. - R eporting to council members, the CHBA board of directors and all CHBA members. - P reparing communication tools to support the Council’s priority actions. Kathleen Maynard, Senior Director, Building Innovation at the Canadian Home Builders’ Association explains the Council’s evolution. “We had the Canadian Manufactured Housing Institute as a separate organization that always shared space with the CHBA, and our members felt we were already integrated into the building industry. It made a lot of sense to join them, so we formed the Council at the beginning of 2017.” With skilled labour shortages, Maynard thinks there will be further increases in factory-based construction in the years to come. “Our council members are looking for more opportunities to connect with site builders and create more partnerships with developers and builders,” she says. “Durability is a positive feature of factorybuilt. At our fall meeting of the CHBA, we had discussions about climate resilience and talked about the fact that factory builders might have some techniques that site builders could use in terms of roofing, since factory-built homes need to make sure their roofing withstands driving down highway and high winds.”

*In collaboration with the CHBA Technical Research Committee ontario home builder SPRING 2019

of the highest standard Regardless of how or where a building is constructed, the authority having jurisdiction (i.e. the municipality) where the building will be located has a mandate to confirm that it is built to code requirements. A certification label, indicating compliance with the Canadian Standards Association (CSA), is the building inspector’s assurance that the factory-constructed parts of the building meet local requirements. Another advantage of factory-built homes is the high safety standards they must meet. Aside from provincial/territorial/municipal code requirements, three CSA standards apply primarily to factoryconstructed buildings in Canada. The first, CSA A277, is a factory certification procedure. It defines the quality-control and staff that a plant must have in place to ensure that the products are built in accordance with the relevant standards and codes. It’s not unlike the ISO-9000 standard, in that it deals with the concept of “total quality” throughout the manufacturing process, not just the final product. The A277 Standard does not cover those portions of structures, components or services that are not factory-installed, nor subsequent transportion and installation at the site. The CSA Z240 MH Series Standard, meanwhile, sets out requirements for the construction of manufactured homes specifically,including structure, building envelope, plumbing, electrical and heating service and energy efficiency. The final of the three standards, CSA Z240.10.1, details the construction of surface-mount foundations and the installation of the home. It is applicable to any home built on soil that is not frost-susceptible or that incorporates an integrated frame providing sufficient rigidity to protect the home from damage due to minor movements in the foundation. As part of CSA A277, all new factory-certified buildings must be labelled in a clearly visible manner before they leave the factory. The label plays a key role in the municipal building inspection, signifying that only the work done on site requires inspection. A certification label is affixed permanently to the building, often on the electrical panel. Manufacturers buy the labels directly from an accredited certification agency. A special label has been developed for members of the Canadian Manufactured Housing Institute.

TARION Certification To qualify for Tarion warranty coverage, the assembled sections must be placed on a permanent foundation that meets Part 9 of the OBC and that was installed by the same builder that sold the home to the purchaser. It must also meet the “new home requirements.”

ontario home builder SPRING 2019

Custom roofwork from Royal Homes and Guildcrest Homes’ fashionable Manchester kitchen.

Allowing for flexibility When it comes to design, modular is limited somewhat from site builds, such as how wide you can build (it’s not like you can construct a post-and-beam home indoors). But it has evolved considerably in the past 20 years. And while the standard building designs are also limited in the view of some customers when it comes to flooring, cabinetry and windows, most modular home builders like Royal are flexible and will work with clients to meet a client’s design demands and are not averse to subbing out certain features for sourced suppliers from a client. Who are buying these homes? When it comes to the typical modular customer, there is no set demographic or market segment. First-time homebuyers, newlyweds and/or young millennials looking for an affordable housing option are just as likely to consider buying a factory-built home as retirees looking to downsize or invest in a vacation property. The trend in 2019, at least for Guildcrest, is the demand for a smaller home. “We are talking in the 1,000- to 1,200-square-foot range,” says Tierney. “That’s the current sweet spot for efficiency and capabilities and what our consumer is looking for this year.” Modular homes are also known as some of the most energy-efficient and green homes on the market; they

were first out of the gate with net-zero and lead the market with the use of recycled materials. There are obviously also significantly fewer disturbances to the environment surrounding the construction site. And since these buildings are prefabricated in a controlled factory environment, there is negligible wastage of material resources and a highly efficient use of energy. It takes almost 50% less time for the building to be completed, compared to a traditionally constructed building. Modular buildings are also called “portable buildings” for a reason. They can literally be transported from one place to another without having to go through the process of demolition. The term “modular” comes from the fact that these buildings are built one module (or unit) at a time and are then assembled on site. So it stands to reason that they can also be dismantled. This makes it much easier to take down the building without disturbing the surrounding environment. At the end of the day, for customers, knowing they will get the keys to their home at the agreed-upon price and without significant delays is reason enough why modular is trending higher and higher. “On-budget, on-time building is almost extinct,” concludes Sher. “But that is something we guarantee.” OHB ohba.ca

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Building Buzz N e w s a n d m ov e s f ro m t h e i n d u s t ry

Shiny and New:

Brass and brushed gold among 2019 bathroom trends By Ted McIntyre

The bathroom remains near the top of the charts of home remodelling projects. And upcoming trends forecast that both warmer colour palettes and industrial hardware will play a huge role this year, according to Kenana Al Yakobi, Pfister Canada Channel Manager for Spectrum Brands Inc. While polished chrome finishes and modern minimalist aesthetics inspired bathroom design throughout 2018, the new year will celebrate classic brass finishes, vintage fixtures and natural elements. “With living spaces becoming smaller, people want to maximize bathroom space, yet still achieve a luxurious feel,” says Al Yakobi. “Functional fixtures combined in classic hardware finishes can help to provide this sense of luxury.” Here’s what Pfister cites as trending for the new year: Brass and Brushed Gold Finishes

— One of the biggest comebacks in bathroom design is the re-emergence of brass. Reflected in the jewellery industry, there has been a slow transition from silver and nickel, to ohba.ca

gold-toned finishes. Use subtle brushed gold touches in cabinet hardware or faucet features to bring depth and classic luxury into any space. Matte Black — The use of darker hues

in bathroom design started becoming popular in early 2018 and will continue to impact trends. Specifically, matteblack light fixtures, tiles, vanities and mirrors will bring a polished pop of contrast to modern room designs. Swap traditional showerheads with matte black fixtures to create dimension. Industrial Elegance — Combining

industrial sinks and vanities with classic colour palettes and organic materials is an urban trend expected for 2019. The sleek and modern edge of industrial fixtures complements a variety of traditional finishes and woodgrains, and works well within smaller apartment spaces. Expect to see exposed pipes and other metallic touches as focal points in the modern bathroom. Greenery and WoodGrain — A home decor trend that is sure to impact

bathroom design is the tendency to bring natural elements indoors. Rather than incorporating plastics and disposable goods into a living space, environmentally conscious materials such as unfinished woods, exposed bricks and greenery will be popular in 2019. Bathroom Innovations — Tech-

nology will have a definite impact when it comes to the practicality of bathroom features this year. From smart mirrors to bluetooth systems, 2019 promises to deliver new and innovative devices that make life more convenient. Hands-free technologies will also prove increasingly popular in the new year, as they allow you to turn the water on and off with ease. “Small, relatively inexpensive projects such as swapping a faucet or Roman tub with new hardware can make a significant impact,” says Al Yakobi. “Selecting the right trend that works with your (client’s) space and desired budget is essential to creating a bathroom that is both luxurious and efficient.” ontario home builder SPRING 2019

points of contact Tarion extending its lines of communication

opportunities. If you’d like to schedule a meeting with us to share your ideas and concerns, so we can continue to improve our services to builders, please reach out. We are here and we are listening!

Illegal Building: Encouraging Compliance

A February get-together with the Niagara HBA and OHBA staff helped set the tone for improved dialogue with Tarion.

In 2018, Tarion spent more time across Ontario meeting with you as individual builders and as leaders within your local associations. Some of the common themes you raised included: more accessibility and face-to-face time with Tarion representatives; better communications about Tarion’s policies and processes; more consistency and transparency in rules, process and decisions; and preventing illegal building in your local communities. We appreciate your honesty and time, and as a result of your very open feedback, Tarion has implemented several changes to better serve the industry. Our most recent enhancement is a change in Tarion’s scheduling process. In response to your concerns, a dedicated customer service team will be responsible for scheduling conciliation inspections, rescheduling and claim inspections. With this improvement, you can expect increased live service and more timely responses from Tarion. The scheduling team can be reached by calling (877) 982-7466 ext. 3033 or emailing scheduling@tarion.com. Thanks to OHBA’s ongoing advocacy work, we also developed and shared a process manual that outlines each of Tarion’s warranty-related processes and provides builders with easy-tounderstand visual aids for these processes. We hope that this manual will help you to better understand the roles and responsibilities of all, as well as where to turn should you have any questions throughout Tarion’s processes. We also anticipate that this 62

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manual will evolve and are always open to feedback on how to improve it. We heard that builders wanted more face-to-face meetings and the opportunity to meet with Tarion representatives in smaller communities. Tarion has since added two new stakeholder relations representatives to ensure that builders in all communities, and of all sizes, are heard. From Niagara to Windsor to Thunder Bay, Tarion has been travelling across the province to meet with builders and local associations. We want to keep the conversation going and continue to partner with you on initiatives that work for you.

Supports for Small Builders Tarion understands that small builders are the backbone of many local communities and have their own unique business needs and experiences. A lot of the feedback Tarion has recently received comes from the small building community, and we are relying on the leadership of the local HBAs to help Tarion connect with more small builders and to better understand their distinct concerns. Kicking off 2019, we had the chance to work closely with your dynamic local associations in Niagara and the Windsor-Essex area. Niagara HBA really set the tone on Feb. 5 for better collaboration and educational opportunities between Tarion, local associations and individual builders. Tarion appreciates the opportunity to have that frank dialogue at the local level and looks forward to many more

For years, Tarion, in partnership with OHBA and the Ontario Building Officials Association, has worked to curb illegal building through initiatives like the Ontario Building Partnership, the Illegal Building Prevention Pilot and regular industry forums in local communities. Day in and day out, the partnership brings awareness to the issue and speaks about the importance of hiring a registered builder and purchasing homes enrolled in the warranty program. Last April, at OHBA’s Industry Leaders’ Day, we made a commitment to your executive that we would work more closely with you to test out new and creative ways to address illegal building in your local communities. Tarion continues to learn from other regulators and is moving away from the traditional prosecution model to a more compliance-based approach to address illegal building. We have heard from local associations that the industry wants to see more compliance— meaning more people playing by the same rules that you already are—and we couldn’t agree more! So we will continue to partner with you in exploring new and creative ways to reach and educate homebuyers and potential builders. Stay tuned for more information on early education and warning letters that will be piloted in the coming months.

Let’s Keep Talking We want to make sure that we keep these important conversations going. The recent improvements we have made are only possible because of your thoughtful and honest feedback. If you have any suggestions or additional concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your Stakeholder Relations Representative. If you do not know who your representative is, please contact Tarion at (877) 982-7466 or stakeholderrelations@tarion.com for assistance. ohba.ca

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E n e r gy

New Era On the Horizon for the wsib

Home Builders 4.528 x 4.833 final.pdf

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2019-02-21

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Starting on January 1, 2020, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) will usher in a new era of enhanced transparency and clarity in premium rate-setting for almost 300,000 businesses across Ontario. The new model will introduce a standardized classification system for businesses, better reflect individual claims experiences, help businesses plan for the future by providing projected rate information and offer more clarity around how premium rates are set and adjusted. So what does this mean for OHBA members? As part of the transition, WSIB will be shifting its current classification structure to the North American Industry Classification System, which is already used by Statistics Canada, the Canada Revenue Agency and is a North American standard. It will help the Board simplify and streamline its classifications from 155 rate groups to 34 classes/subclasses. In the current model, most OHBA members would have been classified in home building operations in rate group 764. In WSIB’s new model, most builders and developers will be classified under Class G1 – Building Construction. This past December, you should have received a letter with a detailed breakdown of your new class information, and moving forward the WSIB can assist with any questions about your individual classification. How will it work? Based on the classification structure, WSIB’s new model uses a two-step approach to set and adjust premium rates for businesses. First, it sets an average premium rate for each industry class based on their risk profile and share of responsibility ohba.ca

to maintain the insurance fund. WSIB then adjusts your rates by looking at your individual claims history and comparing your risk to other businesses in your class. Risk-banding, another important feature of the new model, will then be used to divide businesses within each class. The risk band that your business falls under is derived from risk band 60, which represents the mid-point premium rate in each class. It is calculated based on the distribution of insurable earnings and represents the premium rate that a business would pay if their individual risk profile is similar to that of the class as a whole. Businesses will be assigned to a risk band that best represents their risk in relation to other businesses in their class. Depending on your claims experience, the risk band associated with your business may move above or below risk band 60. If it moves below, your premium rates will decrease over time; if it moves above risk band 60, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll see an increase. This ensures that premiums in each class reflect the risk and claims experience associated to an individual business. To help businesses transition to the new model, all premium rate changes will be staggered over four years, with the maximum increase in a single year being three risk bands (or 15%). In year one, 2020, there will be no rate increases and businesses with a projected premium rate decrease will receive the full rate decrease. In year two, businesses with projected premium rate increases will move up one risk band above their starting risk band rate. In year three, businesses will move up to two risk bands, or 10%. In year four and beyond, businesses will move up to three risk bands or 15% per year until they reach their projected risk band rate. WSIB wants to ensure that home builders and developers are ready for its transformative new premium rate-setting model and that the WSIB is here to help. For more information on the new premium rate-setting model, contact the Board at rateframework@wsib.on.ca or visit wsib.on.ca/ rateframework. ohba.ca

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ontario home builder SPRING 2019

MEMBER

Optimized daylight and views in the workplace are linked to significant improvements in employee engagement and satisfaction, according to newly released research. In a five-month study last year, employees at Canada Lands Company, a tenant of Oxford Properties in downtown Toronto, were surveyed regarding their work-related health and performance before and after the installation of dynamic glass, a product that maximizes daylight while controlling glare and reducing heat. Further validating a growing body of research, this latest study reports that staff experienced significant improvements in their mood and employee engagement. Health benefits included a 78% reduction in eye strain, 80% fewer headaches and 91% less drowsiness. Research findings were reviewed and analyzed by professors of the University of Southern California. “Employee experience and wellness is a top priority, and having the optimal amount of natural light in our new offices is a key enabler,” says John McBain, president and CEO for OHBA member Canada Lands Company. “The collaboration of View with Oxford Properties to install View Dynamic Glass in our new offices has improved the quality of daylight, comfort and employee morale. As an additional benefit, it’s reduced HVAC demand by 28% and better maintained the set temperatures.” The study was commissioned by View, arguably the leader in dynamic glass. Based in Silicon Valley, with installations including multi-family projects around the U.S., View’s smart windows are digital, connected and can be controlled from anywhere, including a smartphone. They feature a micro-thin electrochromic coating, which can be darkened or lightened by applying a very low voltage of electricity, with lithium ions and electrons transferring from one electrochromic layer to another. ohba.ca

Design

Perfect Figures Count MTI Baths among the companies enabling clients to mix and match design options with the click of a finger. The new MTI Configurator allows for a custom counter-sink design, ensuring a perfect measurement while being able to envision the finished product. Its step-by-step procedure keeps users from making mistakes and generates a summary with all part codes and retail pricing for easy ordering. Counter dimensions are carefully recorded by length, height and depth, and then other options are offered, such as installation mode (vanity or wallmount), the shape and position of the bowl, as well as faucet configuration. The Configurator also prompts users to consider factors they may not have thought of, such as drain types, edge treatments and bowl colours and finishes. It also offers a variety of finishing touches such as a backsplash, sidesplash and a matching cover to protect the bottom of the sink. design

havwoods flooring on show in T.O. Engineered hardwood supplier Havwoods International is opening the global brand’s first Canadian showroom this month. The 1,600 sq. ft. facility will welcome designers, architects, developers, specifiers and homeowners at its 201 Frederick St. location in the heart of Toronto’s King East Design District. “Our first showroom in Canada provides clientele in the Toronto area with convenient access to the brand’s superior quality wood designs for both the residential and commercial markets,” says Allan Singh, G.M. of Havwoods International, whose U.K.-based company was founded in 1975. Noted for its level of commitment to craft and service as a foremost wood flooring and wall cladding company, Havwoods features more than 500 engineered hardwood products in stock. OHB ohba.ca

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Product Focus I de a s for B u i l de r s & R e n ovat or s

ows wind rs & doo g t he buck in wit h e tr end rma nc perfo aus h p. 71

Lumon (Terrazzo solarium pictured) has upgraded the hardware in its retractable glass wall systems.

clear as day, dark as night

Unobstructed views and black interiors lead 2019’s window and door trends By Ted McIntyre

While there’s a lot to look at when it comes to what is trending in windows, there’s even more to look through. The combination of cutting-edge energy efficiency and the desire to feel a little closer to nature and let the natural light stream in is resulting in larger spans of glass than ever before. Arched windows have stepped aside in favour of cleaner, modern

rectilinear designs. Also quite clear is consumers’ increasing desire for darker interiors to make a bold statement. While that distinct design trend is following suit on the door front, consumers are also increasingly concerned with security. It all makes for a very hot segment of the home building and renovation market, cites the Door and Window

Market Report: Trends, Forecast and Competitive Analysis. According to the report, published in December, the global door and window market is expected to reach an estimated $259.8 billion (US) by 2023, with a compound annual growth rate of 4.2% from 2019 through 2023. OHB polled six experts in the field to pick their brains about what they see for Ontario this year.

Featuring

Paul Commisso Jeld-Wen Canada

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Jamie Van Gelderen Performance Haus Inc.

Valeria Aguirre Martin Lumon Canada

Phil Kyritsis Epal Canada

Stephen Attfield Ontario Screen Systems

Richard De Biasio Unitech Windows

ontario home builder SPRING 2019

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Product Focus What role is energy efficiency playing in your products? Paul Commisso, Jeld-Wen: Building codes are becoming more demanding. And homeowners today are better educated about energy efficiency. They’re receiving real-time data and monthly reporting from their utilities provider and are driven by social norms to reduce the energy they consume and to save on energy costs. This is driving the demand for high-performance products such as Tripane windows and NAFS-rated entry doors and improvements to patio door systems. Improving the energy performance of the window and door products has helped increase the consumer appetite for larger windows for their homes.

Ernestomeda has partnered with Italy’s Viva Porte (above and bottom right), while The Door Boutique is seeing red.

Jamie Van Gelderen, Performance Haus: “If a window isn’t installed properly, it won’t matter how energyefficient it is. Installing windows on a building with exterior insulation isn’t easy, though. The window and the rigid foam or mineral wool need to line up on the same plane for good drainage and proper cladding attachment, and to prevent compression of the insulation. Rough openings have always been the weakest spot on any building for air and water infiltration, and bumping the window out only makes it more difficult to achieve a good air and water seal. Traditionally a wood buck is built to extend the mounting point of the window to create a flush plane. But wood can rot, warp and shrink over time. Not only does it reduce the energy efficiency of the building, it causes condensation to form, and potential damage from moisture. And that’s where our ThermalBuck product comes in. It extends outward from the rough opening to create a flush plane with the exterior insulation and/or rainscreen. The unique L-shape supports the weight of the window and transfers loads to the structure. It’s made of a type XIV high-density EPS and coated in a waterproof resin. Not only does it have the compressive and shear strength to handle the weight of large, high-performance windows, but it also

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Opening Up in Style The style of interior doors is finally starting to sync with that of modern contemporary homes. “Contemporary kitchens started appearing about seven years ago,” says Serge Reche of The Door Boutique in Vaughan. “Ontario is very conservative, but we’re finally seeing doors catch up to match these kitchens. You can’t put a shaker door into that environment.” Reche’s stylish, heavy-duty models include soft-close catch-and-pull barn door styles (wherever no lock is required). The boutique’s high-end interior doors are assembled in Ukraine, after receiving specs from Germany and Italy. That keeps the price to around half of the $3,000 they would cost if assembled in Canada, Resche says. The workmanship is top-notch, with hardware to match, such as Tupai door handles, the pieces of which come in a custom-cut foam case. “Our customers never go back,” Resche says. Ontario has also seen a new injection of luxury interior doors from Ernestomeda. Although renowned for its kitchen design, Ernestomeda, which works with several Ontario builders and architects, has recently partnered with a few other high-end firms from Italy, including door manufacturer Viva Porte, which combines age-old values and cultural traditions of woodworking with state-of-the-art production technologies. Offering a high level of customization, Viva’s elegant doors are characterized by distinctive technical features and carefully selected raw materials.

ontario home builder SPRING 2019

Product Focus insulates the rough opening with an R-value of 4.4 per inch to limit thermal bridging. It also simplifies flashing and creates an additional air and water barrier in the building envelope.”

Bigger windows are trending “Natural light is believed to be good for health and wellness. As such, people want to optimize natural light throughout their home, work environment and the other spaces. So windows continue to get larger in order to control and capture more light in their living space. Frame sizes are getting thinner to help optimize light transmittance and to offer a more modern look. And with technology improvements such as Tripane windows and door glass inserts, homeowners are no longer having to trade off on window size for the energy efficiency of their home.”

Paul Commisso, Jeld-Wen:

Richard De Biasio, Unitech: “The modern look is fixed floor-to-ceiling glass—bigger panes providing an unobstructed view with no vertical or horizontal posts. Big glazing is very popular for both new homes and renovations.”

Clockwise from top: Jeld-Wen is catering to a shift toward larger windows to let natural light flood in; Jeld-Wen is also seeing a move to darker exterior door colours, as with this Aurora fibreglass model; ThermalBuck’s highperformance insulating window buck prevents wood rot; and Performance Haus windows feature the Defender Hardware System with multipoint locking.

Phil Kyritsis, Epal Canada: “There’s

definitely a demand for bigger windows—people want the outside in. We do aluminum windows, so we can do those big spans—up to 14 feet in one sheet of glass. And our windows are thermally broken, so very good in extreme weather.” Stephen Attfield, Ontario Screen Systems: Phantom has helped address

the demand with its XL Retractable Screen, which is now up to 10 feet high and 12 feet wide (24 feet with a double-door option). It’s a great solution for multi-panel doors, sliding, stacking and folding glass door systems. The screen disappears out of sight when not in use, and creates an enjoyable space that lets the breeze in and keeps the bugs out. It also features customized stopping points along the track to provide easy in-and-out access. And 72

ontario home builder SPRING 2019

the mesh is completely secured intrack to prevent sagging and blow-out in breezy conditions. Growth in the larger manual screen exponential and awareness of Phantom’s motorized screen is growing. Mesh used to have a maximum width of 24 feet for motorized versions, but now 40 feet is possible in the

motorized version. There have been a number of recent improvements in that system, including the ability of the motor to realize it has hit an object and immediately stop rolling. Valeria Aguirre Martin, Lumon Canada: “We’ve also seen that

increasing demand. Since entering the ohba.ca

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Product Focus Canadian market in 2011, we’ve seen the sales of our glass enclosures grow exponentially. For this year, we have increased and redesigned our retractable glass wall systems, with new hardware and locks that increase the functionality and aesthetic. In door handles, plastic elements have been substituted for metal-brushed and stainless steel locks. There are other enclosures, but nothing that compares with the uniqueness or quality of our product. We’re retractable and completely frameless, so there are no obscured views. The product really bridges the gap so that homeowners can enjoy the seasons at any stage. And it retracts—or closes— in seconds. It’s as easy as opening a door—you simply slide the glass forward and to the side along its track. The tempered glass panes measure 8mm thick, and they are fastened to profiles on the ceiling and floor, leaving no gaps between the panes. And they can withstand winds up to 300 km/h. The increase in condo construction has been good news for us. In Canada, balconies are not used to their full potential and they become a maintenance cost down the road. So it’s an opportunity for us to talk to builders about enclosing balconies, and offers the condo owner a cozier place to enjoy nature and comfort, while improving the aesthetic of the building and even security of the home.

Security seems to be on the minds of a lot of consumers. Richard De Biasio, Unitech: “Almost

every door system we sell right now has a multi-point locking system— three latches, with the extra two latches across from the hinges. A big reason is for security, since threepoint latching on the frame makes a forced entry very difficult for someone. But it’s also good for energy efficiency, since it holds the doors tight against the weatherstripping, stopping any air infiltration.” Jamie Van Gelderen, Performance Haus: “One of the features of our 74

ontario home builder SPRING 2019

Tilt and Turn window system that contributes to its performance is our Defender Hardware System. It features durable multi-point locking hardware, steel reinforcement and a welded frame and sash construction. These features work together to provide superior air, water and security.” Phil Kyritsis, Epal Canada: “A lot of people want more safety. All of our windows have multi-point locks—up to eight points for the windows and five for the doors. We have a new series of aluminum doors, EPAL-TopSecur. The external aluminum surface is 3mm thick, and the multi-point locking and the internal insulation panel provide the highest security level. At the same time, it achieves great levels of energy saving due to a low thermal conductivity index of the panel (with a thickness of 90mm) and a quadruple glaze made of Low-E glazing.”

What are you seeing colourwise for windows and doors?

Above, EPAL’s Slider doors allow homeowners to bring the outside in. Below, Unitech’s new vinyl/aluminum Hybrid window frame.

Chestnut Bronze, black, Desert Sand and Commercial Brown. We’re seeing a trend away from painted vinyl and to coloured laminate on the window interiors, as it’s more durable and defends against fading caused by years of exposure to UV. And there is a shift toward fibreglass entry door systems and windows with interior colour options.”

Paul Commisso, Jeld-Wen:

“Consumers are using colour as a design element. Coloured vinyl has trended upwards to 34% of JeldWen’s total volume, with the top four colour choices in Canada being

Richard De Biasio, Unitech: “There’s

no more ‘just white.’ There’s a lot of brown, black, dark greys, iron ore… And we’re noticing a lot of interior painting. A big trend is black or dark ohba.ca

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ONTARIO HOUSING UPDATES Direct to you!!! As the voice of Ontarioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s residential construction industry, OHBA informs members and subscribers of the latest news and events relevant to home construction and professional renovation in the province. Subscribe today to receive updates on housing data, expert columns, relevant industry events, awards and advocacy work. Stay current. Sign up now. WWW.OHBA.CA/SUBSCRIBE/

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16783 Thorndale Rd. Thorndale, Ontario, N0M 2P0 Tel: 519-461-1180 Toll free: 1-800-265-7086 Fax: 519-461-0903 www.trscomponents.ca Since 1974, TRS has offered builders a single source supply network of wall panels, roof trusses, floor panels. Our supply and install expertise will make your next job faster, easier and more efficient.

ontario home builder SPRING 2019

Product Focus greys on both the exterior and interior. The windows are becoming a solid colour, which is becoming a big portion of the market for us, especially on the custom end.

What have you got that’s new for 2019? Paul Commisso, Jeld-Wen: “We’re

committed to ensuring growth in Canadian NAFS products and filling gaps in the market with innovative new products such as our Hybrid Windows with an all-new black laminate interior option.” Richard De Biasio, Unitech: “Our new

aluminum hybrid window system is very popular. There’s an internal vinyl PVC subframe, but the exterior has an aluminum facade. The advantage is more durability, since it’s a much stronger window. And it works especially well for the darker colours—black and brown—that are popular. With the aluminum, it’s an extruded, powder-coated colour, so there’s less fading over time. A lot of people are impressed when they see it being made on the premises (in the factory connected to our showroom). Made locally is a big deal.” Jamie Van Gelderen, Performance Haus: “We’re seeing a trend away from slider windows and triple-glaze sashes, which sag over time with casement windows, which is why we like tilt-andturn, so you don’t have to worry about the sash moving. The Innotech Tilt + Turn Window Advantage system is German-engineered and made in North America. The dual-action tilt-and-turn operation isn’t just another way to open and close your windows, it’s an engineered system that allows for larger operable windows that are designed to provide better protection against air, water and sound for decades.”

now want the same sort of amenities as they have in indoor spaces, and this helps makes those enclosures into a three-season room. And with getting approvals for home additions being a challenge for many, this at least helps them get a double-use out of a space.”

Stephen Attfield, Ontario Screen

Valeria Aguirre Martin, Lumon:

Systems: “Last year we launched vinyl

“Last year we redesigned our VT4 roofing system. It was engineered to be built in a shorter amount of time, so less turnaround time and more

in our Phantom motorized screens, so with our new dual rollers, homeowners are now provided with options. People 76

ontario home builder SPRING 2019

TOP: Ontario Screen Systems’ Phantom line now offers dual rollers, where a more heavyduty vinyl screen can be added to create a three-season environment to an outdoor space. ABOVE: Unitech cites dark frames inside and out as trending in 2019.

efficient installation. You can purchase the system individually, then add glass enclosures at a later date if you like. We’re also offering custommade screens and blinds that can be purchased in conjunction with our balcony or sunroom enclosures. The sunroom shades allow you to control direct sunlight, and we have screens that are practically invisible to allow breeze to flow through but that keep away bugs and blowing leaves while still having that outdoor feeling.” OHB ohba.ca

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BUILDING ONTARIO SINCE 1903

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Ontario Home Builder - Spring 2019

Articles inside

What's Trending In Bathrooms

Kitchens of the Future

Modular Homes - Piece By Piece

Skinny-Dipping Into Laneway Housing