LEED for Homes Checklist courtesy CaGBC
The checklist will help you understand the requirements for each LEED category, and help you decide on your targeted level of certification. It will not only be used for the evaluation of your project, but you can use it for tracking your progress. The checklist will allow you to:
Elite high-performance Horizon PVC windows
Horizon PVC windows
Formaldehyde-free & FSC certified hardwood plywood - Purebond
PureBond Formaldehyde-free hardwood Plywood
In-depth cleaning for a healthier environment
Venmar central vacuums - HEPA filtration
Yes, any homeowner or builder is allowed to submit the application and manage the build without being a LEED AP (Accredited Professional), or even having a LEED AP on your design team. You could receive a point towards certification by having an AP on your design team, but it isn't mandatory. Here is a page to get you started -
How to build a LEED Certified Home
What you need to do first is contact a LEED provider in your region, it is with them that you will make your submission and they will perform a preliminary rating to see if how your design would score. This step allows you to see where your design falls on the point scale, and to see if changes are necessary to help you meet your own targeted goal.
Below are some pages that may be of value depending on how familiar you already are with the rating system. We built the first LEED v4 Platinum house in Canada a few years ago (linked below); in there you can find your way to the video guide we created following its construction, that may be of value to you as well. Also check out the following pages, best of luck!
We really quite like prefab / pre built houses and firmly believe that if you were to fast forward 20 years into the future that all new homes will be made with pre built walls and more even more likelyis that prefabricated kit homes will be built, delivered and installed, faster and cheaper than the houses we currently build. We do have this page that walks you through all the options you just mentioned -
How to choose a wall system for home construction
Our prediction - and you heard it here first :)....the idea of raw materials such as 2x4s and insulation being delivered to a building site to sit in the rain will soon be considered as ridiculous as having car parts delivered to your house and assembling a Toyota or VW in your laneway.
When you talk about prefab wall assemblies, there are a couple of services that could fall under that general umbrella – At the base of that would be SIPS (structural insulated panels) usually made of rigid EPS (expanded polystyrene) panels. There are also companies that will take your building plans and create walls to match that can be delivered and assembled, that can be a great option as it is often cheaper as there is less material waste. And, you’re not leaving your wood frame exposed out in the rain for weeks or months to get saturated and warped.
The next level up from that are companies that offer prefab ‘turn key’ homes to choose from, and the best of those will let you make modifications to meet your specific needs. We like a lot of those options, but our favorite are prefab kit houses for sure, especially those that meet LEED or Passive house performance levels.
As for the one that you mentioned, nothing stands out as being particularly fantastic about it, in fact the diagram on the main page seems a little redundant, what’s with the OSB sheathing as well as ZIP structural sheathing? Cheaper than two layers of sheathing would be swapping one out for an exterior peel and stick WRB membrane.
And yes, there are some pre built homes that are much better in our opinion, that are manufactured in Ontario and Quebec. We can help you choose, so may I ask where you’re building? And what are your top priorities? (meaning – affordable, Eco friendly, LEED or Passive House ready kit homes, etc?) Let us know and we will set you up with something better and closer.
Choosing the best heating system for a home depends on a lot of factors, and probably the most important is location. That will determine what the cheapest and most reliable heating fuel is.
60% of U.S. homes are heated with natural gas, 25% with electricity. In Canada, 47% of homes are heated with natural gas, and 37% are heated with electricity. The rest are a mix of wood, pellets, oil and propane, and a very small amount of people heat their homes with of coal.
That covers the fuel sources, and costs will vary by region. But I suspect your question is likely about what heat delivery system is best for a home, so first I would look on our page about how to create a comfortable home –
How to design a home for thermal comfort
You will see on that page how there is a lot more to home comfort that we currently consider, and what a difference it can make if you design your home with comfort in mind. We will all have preferences, but from a physiological point of view, the most comfortable heat source is radiant. That is the exchange of heat between our bodies and the surfaces of a home. Various forms of radiant heat can be provided by all those fuel sources.
As for sizing your heating equipment, the amount of heat you will need to provide will be determined by the amount of heat you lose, so a well-insulated and airtight home saves money in fuel use, and often times in allowing for a reduced size of equipment.
Did you have a preferred heat delivery system in mind, or fuel source? And where are you located? We can help more with a bit more info. You can also learn more about the best home heating systems in our guide pages
Comments (0)
Sign Up to Comment