Passive House Construction in A COLD CLIMATE - High Performance Canada Episode 4

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On a stunning lakeside orchard in Summerland British Columbia, NIDO and Red Stag Contracting team up to deliver a stylish and comfortable home for a young family. The Build Show got a great tour of some very interesting details in the high performance Step 4 home. So much time and effort went into designing a perfectly efficient envelope for these clients that not one detail could be overlooked. It came to the attention of Brett and Andrew after filming this episode that the diagonal rain screen may not have been the optimal solution for this ultra-thick, 12” wall cavity. There was a risk that this ventilation cavity could have a hard time exhausting moist air from within the wall. So, the guys took the high road and replaced the rain screen with a double layer *vertical/horizontal configuration. Well done guys! What a stunning setting for a well-built home.
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Learn More:
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[@JoshuaRes]

so appreciate that you guys took the time to discus the strapping. I have noticed this detail in other projects and was curious about how it would vent optimally.

[@melvindenny8962]

Informative, educating. Nice to see young contractor willing to step forward. Ĺike to see house built on rainy coastal climate

[@matthelms4167]

The views from this home are amazing!

[@jacobkrzyzek5777]

Wish you could start showing the building details via structural/architectural drawings

[@tylerwillicome9528]

Building plans are considered intellectual property and cannot be shared without permission from all of the designers. It would also pose possible security concerns to future owners.

[@crimsonJerom]

@@tylerwillicome9528 just a Canadian small mindedness

[@feelcool1808]

I'd like to see a passive home video for the prairies. Here in Saskatchewan the temperature can vary 100 C° over the year. In other words, it can crazy cold in the winter, and stupid hot in the summer. I haven't seen any real information on building for these extremes. Code is... pretty much useless.

[@lisaorde6335]

And here in Alberta we also have crazy high winds, wondering how that might affect build requirements

[@morganspencer-churchill2136]

100ºC variation? Really?

[@billwingerak2363]

@@morganspencer-churchill2136 Yeah! Negative 50 in the winter and upwards of 45 above in the southeast!

[@Chris_at_Home]

I live in Alaska and get those kinds of temperatures. I built a place with double stud walls and 6 1/2” (16.5cm) close cell foam and R-59 fiberglass batts in the ceiling, R-21+R38. The ceiling vapor barrier is seal on the edge. We have 3440 sqft, 2118 sqft above grade and the rest daylight basement on the south side. We use about 600 gallons of heating oil a winter. We have already had temperatures around -20 F this winter.

[@kerrryschultz2904]

Get a copy of a book called The Superinsulated Home Book by J.D. Ned Nisson & Gautam Dutt. In saskatoon saskatchewan Harold Orr and crew built 12 homes that are to this day some of the most energy efficient homes built. It details proper air sealing, heat loss and building heating loads and how to calculate them, various framing techniques and advantages or disadvantages. Window and door airsealing, the need for an air exchanger to provide a healthy indoor air quality. Many other details. Very informative book.

[@latitude48design]

I understand but don't necessarily agree with the diagonal rain-screen issue, particularly in that climate. If I was the owner, builder, or designer, I'd likely advocate to keep it as is simply to avoid creating more issues with damage to the WRB during the demo, but that could have been replaced as well? Regardless, it is a great design with a very interesting wall assembly. Also, that ERV with the integrated heat pump is clutch, I'll be tracking that brand down for my own build.

[@25jmarch]

Minotair is the company. Excellent product.

[@tibbified]

I am very surprised that the 2x6 wall studs are so close. Not horrible thermal bridging but completely unnecessary. A 2x6 + 2x4 separated by 2" would have made much more sense. And been cheaper. Many spots could probably even have been double 2x4. I would like to know why they went that route instead.

[@robertbowman9108]

if your going to build a double layerd stud wall, why not build with two 2x4 and a bigger gap than two 2x6 with very small gap? Seams like a huge cost for no performance gain

[@thomasschafer7268]

Why not a tji 360mm. Cellulose inside. OSB inside. Outside a woodfiberplate 4cm.

[@robertbowman9108]

@@thomasschafer7268 what you suggested must cost 3x, for the same performance

[@gora876]

These snowflakes are self proclaimed experts. No point suggesting them anything.

[@2brazy4ubitch]

​@@robertbowman9108 TJIs are also not in the Canadian prescriptive codes so the exact wall elevation and all openings and protocols for mechanics cal penetrations would need to be stamped by engineer for every elevation. Or else engineer has to write a document explaining how to site build with TJIs to their standards. Total of time for worse fire performance and way higher durability risk.

[@ShaneEstabrooks]

By standards a 2x4 wall is 16" on center and 2x6 or bigger is 24" ..the more studs the more thermo bridging but good part of the question is what's the cost difference

[@TheFunkymohawk]

Hows that compare with an ICF construction? I assume it would be close to comparable cost to build

[@pauls9676]

What is the brand and model of the ERV unit? Thank you

[@solarheat9016]

I would have put 5cm Rockwool Comfort Board on the outside of that home.

[@CristobalAshton]

Do a house in Georgia in the summer

[@japt3318]

What about small animals (mice, bats, moles) getting under the cladding?

[@tyronetripod8536]

WHY DONT PASSIVE HOUSES TAKE ADVANTAGE OF LARGE OVERHANGS to shade as much of the building in the AC cooling days of summer but not so large that come oct or whenever the overhangs no longer shade near as much building and start absorbing more passive solar radiation to offset heating days of fall winter and spring?

[@thomasschafer7268]

Ein Passivhaus rechnet mit solaren Gewinnen auf Süden durch die Fenster in der Heizperiode. Im Sommer muss man mit Rollos oder aussenjalousetten verschatten.

[@HighGear7445]

I did incorporate that in my house build and went with 30" overhangs . I know it helps some but maybe not as much as one would think. Windows now a days are designed to repeal heat gain and the UV damage it can cause. The windows of old with clear glass would benefit on solar gain but lose at holding on to inside temps. Long overhangs help protect the wall and windows from weather/hail ect.

[@paulmaxwell8851]

We went with 42 inch overhangs on our super-insulated home and believe me, those overhangs really help keep the brutal summer sun out of the house. Without them I'd need to install air conditioning. Contrary to your assertion, today's windows do not exclude heat gain when the sun is directly impinging on the glass, or when the ambient temperature is 40C. And UV does enter the house even if the units are top-of-the-line triple glazed. Windows are the single biggest challenge in high-performance home design. @@HighGear7445

[@francesb-p2441]

Are there any builders who build net zero homes near Kingston Ontario?

[@felixchristians49]

What brand is the erv with built in heat pump from quebec?

[@lepetitgranite]

Minotair

[@elelegidosf9707]

Says that the weather is "a little bit colder" than the coast, then says that it goes down to -20 in winter. That's not a little bit colder.

[@canonicaltom]

-20 in the winter doesn't even count as a cold climate really.

[@pingpong9656]

Diagonal Bracing would really enhance earthquake resistance too...

[@imtheonevanhalen1557]

Insulating the ENTIRE house with poly-iso sheathing is always the best, and most economical way towards super-insulation...keeps the cavity insulation warm, keeps the complete house in a cocoon. The thermal break should always be against the the area of thermal intrusion.

[@seacoconut]

There’s no insulation ?

[@user-ve3xv8uu3m]

Yes, indeed... and I thought that the "cold climate" was when -30 was crushed in November, then in December-January it added up to -45 and released in March.😁😁😁

[@karlhungus545]

Yah, this is not a COLD climate for Canada 😂. Average temperature in December is 0C...that's t-shirt weather in Saskatchewan.

[@joshuasmith1215]

By not having exterior insulation, the dewpoint is on the back of the sheathing. Bad, bad, bad idea. Imagine what's going to happen if someone doesn't know any better and starts humidifying the house and the interior air seal is compromised.

[@lepetitgranite]

This wall assembly is designed to dry to the outside, so there shouldn't be any issu espacially with the rainscreen. The reason it is so important to move the dew point outside of the assembly with exterior rigid insulation is because of the vapour barrier created by this rigid insulation. There's no such VB on the exterior side of this assembly.

[@jamesroscoe7555]

The dew point depth into the wall will vary seasonally. The key is to have drying on both sides of the vapour barrier and have the vapour barrier always at a temperature above the dew point in all seasons. Adding external insulation does not guarantee this. In fact many homes have been built with batt insulation, poly vb, and 1" exterior impermeable foam, basically a vapour sandwich with sheathing below the dew point in winter. For the assembly in the video, presumably they are putting a VB on the inside of the framing and ensuring the OSB is more permeable than the VB. If the OSB was the most vapour retarding component in the assembly, then yes, I would share your concern. Generally, the exterior insulation requirement is to reduce the effects of thermal bridging, not necessarily to keep the sheathing above the dew point, though the permeability of one's sheathing should be considered.

[@HistoricHomePlans]

The rainscreen issue is interesting. Certainly a small amount of air movement is necessary to allow moisture in the wall to escape. But how much? And how much would the diagonal strapping have allowed? We need more "science" behind this, i.e. we need to be able to *quantify* based on reliable, real world test results. We should have to rely on gut feelings. Not only is that inefficient, very often it is simply wrong.

[@Willsimp4tacos]

Gotta love when builders are pushing planning committees to price people out of building houses.

[@RobertBierma]

who makes the erv with the heat pump built in?

[@andreycham4797]

In North America we have only two HRVs with integrated heat pumps Cerv ll and Minotair with the price tag of $5500 and higher My stimulus checks can not buy me these toys so I will go with chinese brand two times cheaper

[@bulatdavlet5141]

@@andreycham4797 Give chinese brand name please

[@andreycham4797]

@@bulatdavlet5141 joyclima

[@SteveEuser]

Maybe I missed something in this video... and I'm definitely not a building science expert but, with no exterior insulation, isn't the dew point within the wall cavity?

[@pingpong9656]

Yup - thick insulation shift dew point to wall interior.

[@bcoldwell1]

Isn't that what a warm side vapor barrier is for?

[@seacoconut]

@Donut Chucka are you saying that the dew stays outside the house wrap membrane like Tyvek ?

[@Krunch2020]

Where’s the warm side in the summer?

[@canonicaltom]

It's interesting to see so many professionals making such obvious mistakes on youtube. No exterior insulation, diagonal rain screen, poor framing practices, unnecessary thermal bridges everywhere in a design intended to be high performance. The reality is that houses are more forgiving than people realize, but what a waste of time, effort, and money.

[@thomasschafer7268]

A real passivhouse has joist from tji. 300mm bettet 360mm plus installationarea.6 better 8cm. Full insulated with isofloc. Learn a lot!!!👎🇩🇪

[@trevorhardy3544]

matt needs to give this guy lessons for being in front of the camera.

[@danbedard290]

No need to be a dick.

[@MasterGriff1]

How about you let the NIDO and Stag reps do the talking. They are the experts.

[@dline6634]

That’s how advancements happen. Never question the experts.

[@morganspencer-churchill2136]

Passive houses are old news. Energy positive carbon positive is where its at now

[@CybekCusal]

None of the trusses land on studs 😂 17:45 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@ykciR]

They don’t need to be when building with double 2x6s (2x12) wall.

[@CybekCusal]

@@ykciRcome on dude, don't be silly. If they can frame walls with 2x12, they can take the time to frame it properly... There's no reason NOT to do it. If they were going for bare minimum code compliant house, they wouldn't frame with 2x12.

[@CybekCusal]

@Edward Duff there's no reason not to do it. It doesn't cost extra

[@MurDocInc]

@@CybekCusal One reason could be that it's easier to fasten the trusses to the top plate without the studs in the way.

[@trevorhardy3544]

it’s a double plate. doesn’t need it. this is an earthquake prone/seismic area. you know nothing.

[@Freefarmer533]

All this science and it probably burnt to the ground in the summer of 2023!

[@danielmcardle944]

Low carbon to run, absolutely shed loads of carbon to build. This is not a green building.