roofing / Green Building & Sustainable Home Renovation Information & Advice

R values and insulation performance
Efficient home design

Understanding thermal performance

First published in ecoHouse Canada The thermal performance of wall assemblies and insulation products has long been characterized using R-value, a metric which describes thermal resistance. While R-value is useful, it doesn’t tell the whole story about heat flow through building enclosures such as walls and roofs. Rece...

Metal roof with solar panels
Roof coverings

How to choose roofing materials

...roofing material for a single installation, but its short lifespan will make it the most expensive choice over the life of a home.  2. Metal roofs: Metal roofing © Ecohome While the extraction and rendering of metal roofing has a high-embodied energy, it will probably last your lifetime, and at the end of its life it...

Ecohome's Kenogami House 'The Most Resilient Home in North America'
Concept and design

Resilient design features for new home construction

...roofing. Over the lifespan of a well-built home, asphalt shingles will need to be replaced so many times that in reality they are the more expensive, least durable and most environmentally damaging roofing material option.  Metal fascia and soffit will reduce long-term maintenance costs and prevent invasion by rodents ...

Tesla Solar Roof Tiles installation just got easier
Solar photovoltaic

Tesla solar roof gains ground with target of 1000 solar roofs / week

...roofing materials.  Further to that,  a shingle roof, metal roof, or any other composite recycled-material roofing product will not turn your lights on, nor will it fill your gas tank for you. That’s where Tesla really delivers. Tesla has equated the cost of their solar shingles to the price of a standard shingled ro...

Living green roof installation on the Edelwiess house
Roof coverings

DIY green roof installation video

DIY Green Roof Installation The following DIY green roof video shows the steps needed to ensure your green roof will not leak. Watch more Green Building Guide videos from EcoHome on YouTube here The most common building material used for roofing in North America is asphalt shingles, and because of their poor durabili...

Choosing a building lot
Excavation

Things to look for when purchasing land for building a house

It is not illegal to sell an unbuildable lot, so buyers beware. Any number of roadblocks can prevent you from building the house you want, or any house at all, so before you make a purchase make sure you can proceed with your plans. Issues to consider before making an offer: Zoning: First check that you are allowed to ...

How to Vent Roofs - the Methods, Vent Types, Fans
Walls and Roofs

Why Roofs need to be ventilated and how to ventilate a roof properly

...roofing material from the inside. This is less of an issue with metal roofs and other durable roofing materials, but a big issue with asphalt shingles and can significantly shorten the lifespan of roof coverings.  A cooler roof will help keep interior temperatures cooler as well, thus reducing the need for air conditio...

Lifestyle, location and commuting

Home-buying tips for seniors looking to downsize

More and more seniors are buying homes now as the downsizing trend is in full effect. If you’re on the fence about relocating to a new home and dread the thought of house hunting, packing, and moving, you should know that the process is much easier now than it was when you were searching for the perfect house for your ...

Real estate

Are you selling a house? Here are the top 10 things homebuyers look for

A market study by AVID Ratings Canada for the Canadian Home Builders' Association (CHBA) surveyed 12,000 homebuyers across Canada to see what Canadians are looking for when they go house shopping. We were pleased but not at all surprised by the results - here they are: The top 10 assets that homebuyers value: 1. Walk-i...

Tesla Solar Roof Cost Comparison, Competitors & Reviews
Solar photovoltaic

Are Tesla solar roofs worth the money? Are there any competitors? Our take on the future of BIPV

...roofing materials such as asphalt shingles or metal in areas of low solar exposure. An instant advantage with BIPV over existing rooftop solar panels, is that you don’t need to remove roof coverings in order to replace them, since BIPVs themselves offer weather proofing. That alone is a significant improvement over PV ...

Do you need a backup heat source with central heat pumps in a power outage?
Heating and cooling

Do heat pumps need a backup heat source?

...roofing measures and heat security, or have a backup plan in place for safety. How well-prepared are the residents for an emergency situation? Is there a good stock of food, warm clothing, a reliable vehicle with fuel, 4 x 4 and winter tires, a driver with lots of winter experience (and who can make a call on whether t...