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Mid-Project Open House: Saturday, June 21st, 1 pm – 4 pm
12 Topham Road, Toronto (East York)

You are invited to look behind the scenes as we retrofit the first Now House — near zero energy wartime home. Day-by-day, our changes are moving this home towards zero energy use. That means it will be very green and very cheap to operate, in fact we’re aiming for zero energy cost. From major insulation improvements and new windows, to radiant floor warming and solar energy production, come see what it takes to turn a 60-year old modest bungalow from an energy user to an energy producer. This is a work in progress so you will see what has been done so far and sketches of what’s coming next. The Now House team and our product sponsors will be on hand to answer questions.

How to get there:

By TTC:
Take the 70, 70A, or 70B bus from Coxwell or Warden station. See map below.

By car:
Click here for driving directions from Downtown Toronto.

Now House™ is proud to be one of the winners of CMHC’s sustainable housing demonstration initiative. It is partially funded by CMHC. Platinum sponsorship is provided by RBC Royal Bank.

Exterior walls
The existing aluminum siding was removed from the house and recycled so as to be able to add significantly more insulation to the exterior walls. The existing insulation R-8 rockwool will be maintained. A frame will be built around the exterior walls into which foam insulation (BASF Walltite R31Insulation/Air Barrier System) will be sprayed. This will create a second layer of continuous insulation preventing cold bridging and bringing the exterior wall insulation up to R-39. Insulating from the outside creates a lot less disruption for our homeowner. The exterior walls will be finished with James Hardie HardiePlank. This is a fiber cement siding that resists deterioration from water, heat, cold, and UV radiation, not to mention fire and insects.

Basement floor
On the other hand, jackhammering out the basement slab sent the homeowner and his dog out of town for a few days. The concrete slab is being removed to better insulate the floor and prepare it for installation of radiant floor warming.

The Now House retrofit started by insulating the outside basement walls, damproofing and foundation drainage. We will improve the insulation factor called the R factor from almost zero to R25 by adding two layers of thermal insulation board. The insulation acts as a drainage layer and will keep water away from the foundation. The insulation will protect the foundation walls, reduce the risk of interior condensation and improve the comfort of the basement.

Renovations got underway on Earth Day, April 21, 2008.

We started by excavating around the foundation wall in preparation for waterproofing and insulating the basement walls.

The crew used a drain auger, some-times called a sewer snake, to test for blockage from tree roots or breaks in the drain pipes. The old pipe was crushed so new weeping tiles were installed to manage drain water.

A sump pump will be installed in this hole in the basement floor. It will collect water from the newly installed weeping tiles (see next photo) and push the water outside the house through a discharge pipe.

Weeping tiles consist of a pipe made of plastic with small slits cut length-wise into it. The weeping tile or pipe was buried around the foundation walls and was covered with gravel.

The gravel, which is larger than the slits in the weeping tiles, prevents excessive soil from falling through the slits into the tile.

This allows water in the surrounding soil above the weeping tile to flow into the weeping tile and then into the sump pump.

Foundations walls were painted with a water sealer and rigid board insulation was then adhered to the outside. Thanks to our sponsor, Owens Corning who provided the Celfort 200 PINK rigid insulation boards which are GREENGUARD and certified by Scien-tific Certification Systems for their “green” content.

A waterproofing membrane (black stuff) was applied to the outside of the insulation.

Then the pit around the foundation wall was partially filled with a layer of gravel and then the original dirt (in this case clay) was put back into the excavation.

And finally, it’s play time with John’s dog Alvin. John Van Dusen is the owner of the first Now House.

Earth Day, April 22, 2008. Construction on the first Now House got under way today. General Contractor, Martin Osborne and his crew started by digging out around the foundation of the first Now House. New weeping tiles (the coil to the right) will be laid and the exterior foundation walls will be insulated and waterproofed. Watch this space for news and photos as Canada’s first near zero energy retrofit project progresses.

My wife and I bought our wartime house in 2000. I grew up listening to my mother deride the wartime houses in our city because they were so tiny. But when we were shopping for a home with a very limited budget (the bank only approved us for a $50K mortgage because my wife works for social work non-profits and I’m a freelance artist) wartime houses offered the most square footage of anything in our price range (1,000+ square feet.)

We were thrilled to become homeowners and took every advantage of our huge lot (50 x 125 feet) by creating lovely landscaping and even a solar-heated above-ground swimming pool which the family loves. We’ve had a lot of fun here and recently begun to raise a family.

However, we have had concerns. Our wartime house is built on crawl space with a partial basement that houses the utilities. The crawl space is very poorly insulated and difficult to access. The basement is also damp which causes an annual infestation of moisture-loving insects.

This is very distressing for us when because the bugs make their way upstairs into the living area. We’re also concerned about the posibility of radon gas–we were told by an engineer to level the dirt in the crawl space and cover it with plastic. The dirt is very uneven due the previous escavation of the partial basment. We were also told that mold would be a problem with the dirt basement and sure enough our young children are suffering from health problems that could be related to mold. We sometimes have seen it as a blessing that our house is so drafty because it might ensure cleaner air.

What foundation we have is cracked and shifting. From day one we considered lifting the house and putting in a full basement. We’ve been back and forth on this issue but since we bought our home eight years ago the property has more than doubled in value. (Regina’s housing market is on fire, last year alone values went up 26 per cent and are expected to do the same this year so our home is now worth $130K and will be worth $150 by next year, three times what we paid for it only nine years previous.)

Going Green

A year after we bought the house I installed a steel walled above ground swimming pool heated by a 100,000 BTU natural gas induced draft heater. That little heater ran for hours every day in the summer because of our dry, cool nights here on the Prairies. After five years it had all but disintegrated and needed to be replaced for about $1100.00.

I decided to install pool heating solar panels on the garage roof to replace the pool heater at about the same cost. They are basically black rubber mats with tiny chambers that the pool water circulates through while being heated by the sun.

When I put my hand by the water outlet valve in the pool and felt the hot water rushing out from the solar panels, the same way my natural gas heater struggled to do at great expense to my wallet and the environment, it was a life-changing moment. I had long dreamed of building a off-grid house (even when I was a kid in the 70s) but this moment really made me realize alternative energy was very real. It really sunk in that sunshine could be converted into the same energy I was used to getting from fossil fuels.

So now I was on fire with passion to do something with our wartime house to improve it’s energy efficiency. The housing market had overnight killed our dreams of moving into a newer home so we started looking at what we could do here.

We usually live from pay cheque to pay cheque but recently I’ve been getting more work as an actor-comedian after a long drought. I took my first pay cheque from a TV pilot and promptly ordered the replacement of our picture window with a new triple-paned low-e, argon filled window. The original windows are still in the living room and do not even have storms so they are VERY drafty. It gets replaced in a few weeks and it we’re very excited.

Yesterday we switched to green-generated electricity at a cost of only $15 per month. I can’t tell you how good that feels!

My main frustration right now is the orientation of our house. The whole city of Regina is built on a grid system that orients the front of houses east or west. I’m a big believer in passive solar design for homes. My big old roof faces east and west which is disappointing. And if I put more windows in the south, I’m still restricted by my neighbours large tree which shadows out the sun even in winter. I’m thinking of rotating the house if I get a new basement so I can face the roof in a more advantageous direction for solar panels.

We’ve also considered tearing off the energy inefficient roof and turning the house into a full two-storey home. There’s something like 250 square feet of unused floor space in the crawl spaces behind the knee walls. I’m not sure if that’s a viable solution for our cramped conditions.

Before the Now House project, there was hardly a mention of wartime houses on the Internet. I’m so happy this project has been initiated. I can’t wait for a blue print recipe for my home to I can implement changes too, as we can afford it.

For now, I’m going to replace another window or two this year and hopefully add a drain water heat recovery system, and if money and grant funding permit, a tankless on-demand water heater.

Yesterday, I found a row of wartime houses with the backs facing south, just like I want. They’re in a undervalued part of the city. I might consider buying another wartime house one day because I’m gained so much experience with this one. My goal is to leave every house I inhabit better for the environment than I found it.

Cheers to Lorraine and the Now House team and a big hello to all my fellow Wartime home owners!

I hope to post a video tour of my wartime house here in the near future.

James

P.S.: How do you insulate the roof when there’s no real attic?

We live in a 1 1/2 level “Victory Home” house in the Glenwood School Drive area (named so from the school that used to be at the end of the street-proper). Although the newer homes in the area appear to bring up the values of the surrounding properties, my husband and I cannot help but be saddened as the wartime homes are being levelled to make way for monster-homes. It seems to get more frequent as the older generation either move out, of what many times was their first and only home, into retirement residences or simply pass away.

We’re actually of the newer generation and are always excited to see new people moving in with all intentions of restoring the wartime home they’ve purchased as opposed to demolishing it. Unfortunately, many houses have been left to practically rot away. For example, some of the houses along the outside roadway, not being a very well kept secret, have been purchased by a land developer waiting on the sale of a couple of lots and houses along the inside streets before approaching the city for permits. And at that time, with all of the new building going on around us and the city looking to intensify the interior of the city since it’s running out of space, will probably make a push for it, despite any opposition from the surrounding community.

For the time being, though, we love our 1946 wartime home, upgrading what needs to be done (windows, furnace, etc) and restoring what has gotten tired over time (bathroom, kitchen, etc). We plan to live it for many years to come!

I found your site quite by accident and enjoyed it very much.  I recently purchased (July 31, 2007) a wartime home in Brantford, ON.  It sits on the standard 41′x100′ lot in a very  old neighbourhood of the city.  At the time of construction however this part of the neighbourhood would have been farmland spreading out to the banks of the Grand River.  The original footprint of the house would have been 25′x25′ giving it a total of 625 sq.ft.  The original house would not have had a full basement, just a crawl space, but at some point the basement was dug out by hand ( you can tell by the 18″ support ledge around the perimeter of the basement).  The land was considered a flood plain when the house was built (1946 I think) but in the last 30 years the city has erected a number of large berms to prevent any flooding from the river nearby.  The flooring in the livingroom and the two bedrooms was maple plank flooring now sadly covered in carpet and laminate although there is still hope for uncovering the original floor in what was once the larger of the two bedrooms.  After speaking to my 89 year old neighbour who has lived in the neighbourhood since her house was brand new in 1948 she has told me that my house predated hers and was considered a war time house but that her 1 1/2 story house was not considered a wartime house.  The original bathroom had a taupe and white patterned linoleum floor which I uncovered under the peel and stick vinyl tiles when putting in a new ceramic floor.  The kitchen still retains a number of cabinets which I think are original to the home although additional ones were added when the house had an addition built onto the rear.  The cabinets were slab style made of oak planks, almost like 3/4 “oak floor boards.  Not being able to afford new kitchen cabinets I took them all down, sanded them, primed them with an oil based primer/sealer and applied mouldings to the edges and after giving them 3 coats of antique white oil based paint I changed out the hardware to knobs  and bin pulls on the drawers.  Two of the cabinets I had cut out to fit with glass and they now flank the small microwave shelf.  The previous owners (two  before me) built a lovely extension on the house which increased the footprint to 1189 sq. ft.  Whoever they had to construct it did a very nice job.  Instead of simply building an extension off the rear of the house they enlarged the smaller of the two bedrooms (originally 8′x10″) to 18′x10 and behind it put in a hallway with a closet and another door to the family room providing a very functional air lock entrance to the side of the house and the driveway and the hallway also houses the stairs to the basement.  The eat in kitchen now has a 14′ ft vaulted ceiling with a skylight above the kitchen table and the addition also has an L shaped family and dining room with 2 windows and sliding patio doors to the deck.  The vaulted ceilings continue into this area giving the house a much more spacious feel.  My neigbour said that originally the house was wood sided but this was later replaced with vinyl siding and vinyl windows.  The front door I guess to be original as I have seen several others with slight variations on the street.  It is a cedar door with carvings and gold diamond glass inserts.  I have been looking for information on what the house would have looked like originally after it was built but have yet to find one where renovations have not occurred in the last 60 years.  The one bathroom is very small measuring 7 1/2″x5′.  When I purchased the home the 4 pc bathroom looked like a bad gas station restroom but it did have a window in it which is a feature I like in a bathroom.  The 2 door vanity had a heavily crazed cultured marble sink and counter and dated fixtures.  The American Standard toilet has a date of March 1973 in the tank so I know this is not original, nor I suppose was the cabinet and sink.   The depth of the vanity was only 18″ by 37″ long.  I was not able to locate a ready made vanity to accomodate the limited depth required in order to open the door into the bathroom and I didn’t want to lose valuable storage space by installing a pedestal sink but I was able to have an antique three drawer dresser retrofitted to accomodate a stainless steel bar sink (it was the only sink small enough to fit) and a new faucet. When money permits I will have the steel tub (not original, 1973 I think) reglazed.  The 1973 furnace in the home is forced air natural.  It has a b-vent chiminey which I must by law have inspected on a yearly basis.  The original motor on the furnace was replaced in 1999.  I presume the original heating in the home was oil but am not certain of that.  I think the house was replumbed in the early 1970s but the piping in the house is copper.  There house was rewired as well but I think that happened in the 1980s when the addition was put on.  The addition has a full poured concrete foundation basement unfortunately much of the excavated earth was left in it I guess to save the cost of having it hauled away and dumped.  I would estimate there is 2 feet of dirt remaining because I am able to stand up in that part of the basement without stooping.  There are no windows in the basement area under the addition so I think the owners at the time never intended for it to be finished in the future.  There is at least a door at the landing to the original part of the basement to close off the dirt room from sight.  The dirt fortunately is debris free and bone dry so there is no odour.  Maybe one day I will convert it into a wine cellar depending on the year round ambient temperature.  Anyway I look forward to visiting this site and have saved it as one of my favourites.  Thanks for listening.

Our house is a 1.5 storey home with old sash windows including the storm windows. It is white sided and has two small porches on front and back of the house. The main floor has kitchen, living room, bathroom(tiny) and kitchen. The second floor has just two small bedrooms with slant ceilings.  Im fairly convinced that it is a war time house. We have recently purchased this home. The closing date is November first. Our first upgrades are already in the works for a new high efficiency furnace with HEPA filter and new EnergyStar rated windows. We have been using cfl bulbs in our entire household for quite sometime and will continue. We plan on expanding the bathroom,into the kitchen and opening up the kitchen and living room for more visual space and to improve air flow.I look forward to learning more about the project and cant wait to continue upgrading our little piece of the earth.

Recently, we heard from Selina who lives in “The Vets” community in Ottawa. Here are her comments posted here with her permission:

As a single mother living in a wartime house in « The Vets », a community in Ottawa, I am very excited about the Now House project.  I have wanted to improved my home, knowing that it isn’t as energy efficient as I would like it to be.  I’ve been intimidated by the cost and work involved, so it’s been an unrealized dream.  I’ll be watching your project carefully.  Please share any information that might me help me improve my house on a limited budget.

Thanks,

Selina Bishop

I’m very excited about the existence of the Now House project and can’t wait to hear about the results.  Not only am I concerned about energy efficiency and sustainability in general , but would like to learn about alternatives for when we renovate our basement for added living space with the arrival of our baby boy (Mateo) early this year.

Shortly after we got married (about 3 1/2  years ago),  my wife and I purchased our first home - a 1954 ranch-style bungalow in Don Mills (Toronto) Ontario, from the original owner.

We love the neighbourhood, and have made the choice to live closer to the city in a small house vs a new bigger house in a subdivision, in an area with lots of parks and green space.  

Now that we’re getting ready to renovate the basement, for added living space, we want to take the opportunity to incorporate energy efficient alternatives.

I’ll be posting some photos of the house soon.

Good luck with the project.