it to help solve the housing shortage in our community by renting out the two apartments and paying down the mortgage for the next 10 years as our children grow.” The existing house was made from a pre-cast product called Durisol, which has been manufactured in Ontario since 1953. Jeff calls that an “energy-efficient product that was before its time,” as it uses recycled wood fibers as its base and thermal mass as its insulating factor. As part of the renovation, Just Working retained that material, but also added a complete air vapor barrier using INTELLO X and a fluid-applied air shield from WR Meadows. They also added a nine-and-a-half-inch I-Joist frame around the house and dense-packed it with recycled cellulose. After that, they installed their EIFS system. In total, they achieved an effective R-Value of R40-plus and R100 in the ceilings. To add to the environmental efficiency, they also utilized high-performance Vetta windows. They also removed gas power from the house, they added solar panels, and they installed an energy-efficient fresh air exchange system that tempers the air before entering the house using a built-in heat pump. The result is “a home that has been performing extremely well,” Jeff says, and is “net-zero ready” – all they need to do to get there is install the next round of solar panels. The home is environmentallyconscious in other ways, as well. Most of the materials were locally-sourced, for example, and many of the materials are recycled. Take the flooring – it’s all recycled ash from a local timber mill. FEBRUARY 2022
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