Some Awesome Insulation Details on this BC Passive House!

This British Columbia Passive House has some insulation details I’ve never seen before including a 2’ thick sub-slab raft, ICF Flood Hardy first floor walls, and an attic strategy I’ve never heard of. I was impressed. Comment below on what you thought was the most interesting feature of this Build! This is my final video from that amazing tour I took last December.
Mike Van Capelle
Blue Water Concepts Ltd.
bluewaterconcepts.ca
Instagram: @blue_water_concepts_ltd
Facebook: @BlueWaterConcepts
Passive House Consultant
Pierre-Andre Santin
mizupassivehouse.com
Big thanks to:
Siga www.siga.swiss/us_en
Innotech Windows www.innotech-windows.com/ and
QuadLock ICF www.quadlock.com/
for sponsoring my High Performance Building tour of Vancouver BC Canada
Check out www.driduck.com/ and use code RISINGERBUILD for 15% off. I'm wearing the APEX Jacket
Follow Matt on Instagram! / risingerbuild
or Twitter / mattrisinger
Huge thanks to our Show sponsors Polywall, Huber, Dorken Delta, Prosoco, Rockwool & Viewrail for helping to make these videos possible! These are all trusted companies that Matt has worked with for years and trusts their products in the homes he builds. We would highly encourage you to check out their websites for more info.
www.Poly-Wall.com
www.Dorken.com
www.Huberwood.com
www.Prosoco.com
www.Viewrail.com
www.Rockwool.com

[@bartlevenson7851]

Dear Matt, I love watching these videos. I knew a man in northern Vermont that had a 100% passive house that never needed his backup heater in five years, even though outside temps. went as low as minus 35 F. Not even a hair dryer needed! How did he do it? First of all, he used very thick foam block insulation all around , above and below his home for a super high R- value. Next, he had a huge triple glazed south facing window to gain him a lot of solar heat all day long. This sunlight hit a thick slab of black slate about 10 feet behind the long window in the back of his long, shallow living room, and was in the center of the house, with his bedrooms on the other side. At sunset, he lowered a huge, clamshell awning / cover for his giant picture window, so that on the sub- zero nights his R-9 window went to R-40+ because of the insulated cover over the picture window. So he had windows for the daytime, and battened down the hatches with window cranks at dark when there was nothing to see in the winter. In addition, he got electricity from solar all day, and by a wind turbine all night. These were stored in a 1900 pound submarine battery in his basement and he ran lights off 12 volts, and had an inverter for some 110 volt appliances. He had a strange gas powered refrigerator that used a propane tank he had refilled in town. He was completely off grid, near Stowe Vermont. Said the U. of Vermont would send engineers sometimes to see what he had accomplished. I was impressed! I live in a totally uninsulated condo in Los Angeles, and I am freezing inside when it is 63 degrees outside, as I have single pane R- 0.2 floor to ceiling windows on my whole exterior. I wish I had the comfort and energy savings of smart design!

[@jbweezer]

Loving all your recent pieces on all things about Canadian construction! Keep it up!

[@dumbdumber1885]

Built in a river bed on a "raft" lol. Makes total sense.

[@adamheron7796]

I bet ya it floats> even with the concrete.

[@chriscook1468]

I built a 15 unit residential over commercial building on land that was considered liquefaction land. I had to dig out and pour a "Matt" slab of 24 inches, (1,200 yards), to keep it from being swallowed up on the next big California quake. LOL. That was an expensive build. I like this structural foam concept. I bet I could of used 1 foot of structural foam and 1 foot of slab to get the same effect. Need to run the calc's on that.

[@longbeachdub420]

@@its.free.realestate hey, I think they said they brought in lots of feet worth of boulders before the crush/foam/slab. My whole neighborhood is subject to overland seasonal water (non/flowing) and it’s all good, pier and beam or vented crawl space. I’m guessing they are above the high water mark and just need feet that can get wet

[@crankysister]

Yay! As a Michigander, I am so happy to see you doing some content on northern builds!

[@michaelharris9981]

Can you imagine a house like that here in Michigan. WOW

[@alteragnostik]

Thank you so much for this kind of videos, Matt! Here in Ukraine we have similar climate, and these enginneering solutions inspire a lot.

[@dinakhrabsheh4144]

wow!! this is so informative. I am an architect from Jordan, we build passive differently because we use concrete structures instead of wood. But I moved to BC now and I am fascinated by these new building technologies.

[@snoozeuloozetv1562]

Wow what a house. Love the build quality

[@lovejcdc]

Holy freakin crapola lol R100! That's insane lol I never thought I would ever see a R100 anything lol

[@hailexiao2770]

I could definitely see R100 attics in a passive house in inland Alaska.

[@lovejcdc]

@@hailexiao2770 absolutely

[@robthewaywardwoodworker9956]

Just in case you thought your house cost too much per square foot... there's this one. Holy cow, that's the most intense over-build I've ever seen. That is just an exercise in chasing numbers. But cool on them for trying such a grand experiment.

[@tlangdon12]

It's not really an over-build given where the house is located and the aim for it to be heated passively, i.e. no active heating (no hair-dryer).

[@jameshutchins3396]

Wow! This would be wonderful in texas on red clay. Love it

[@MostlyPeacefulCombatVet]

Most intense sub slab and attic/roof detail I've ever seen. We don't have winters quite like that being in zone 4a. But if we insulate even half of what they did there, it's considered a superior build here.. I've not seen an envelope done like that either. It looks involved, but simple at the same time. Very interesting. I'd like to see how they run the mechanicals and address penetrations in that home also.. At any rate, there is no way they won't meet and/or exceed passive house assuming the window and door, and penetrations are addressed correctly. I couldn't imagine it anyway. Thanks for the content 👍

[@dubCanuck1]

It's Whistler. It's the "Florida" of Canadian cold. It gets damp and yeah, cold too, so that insulation isn't strictly required for thermal purposes. I think as much as anything it's an engineering exercise and showcase for the builder and the products. I like the roof though. I'm storing that idea for my upcoming ICF build.

[@kyleedooley7970]

That should be a standard in building. Right on 👍

[@johnleeyingzhang3504]

Thanks for coming to canada Matt. Please do more videos of builds in canada.

[@jeremiahcoles2378]

Super cool build!!!

[@charlesstevensEnki]

Luv this stuff!

[@paulbetka2966]

Awesome build 🙏👍🏻👍🏻

[@jongason660]

Wow impressed

[@enriquealdogarcia4850]

it´s really amazing!!! many thanks!!!

[@jt5747]

Matt, you should re-tear down your Austin build and do this instead.

[@TheIcyhydra]

insulation have diminishing return from investments

[@rakashaagain]

Passive is mostly usefull for cold climate and not sure if it would be cost effective for hot climate.

[@ryanroberts1104]

@@TheIcyhydra Matt Risinger has diminishing returns from investments. It was a joke.

[@TheIcyhydra]

@@rakashaagain there's a climate called "temperate climate" that's when you are near the sea and the difference in temperature from winter and summer is lowered compared to more dry areas.

[@rakashaagain]

@@TheIcyhydra yea colder area. Thatsy exactly ehat I said

[@scottcraig1047]

Insulated Concrete Form construction is becoming my favorite build method. I would like to see more videos on this.

[@dlorien7306]

In a way, that's good, because ICFs have a lot of advantages over sticks. In a way, that's bad, because usually (not always) AAC is a superior option, it's just not as widely known or marketed, in the US & Canada (it's all over Mexico, Japan, Europe, India, etc.). I think foam = technology = it must be great

[@canonicaltom]

Let me know how I can get R60 with AAC without using foam.

[@chadlegault9993]

Thank you for doing other climates!!! :)

[@deejohnson5163]

Hope you bring us back to see it finished.

[@simonjoshua1710]

Love the content, Matt! I had trouble hearing your guests, though.

[@buildshow]

I have a hard time mic’ing up three people. I’ll continue to work on audio. It’s always been my toughest yet most important part of making videos

[@R0yL33]

@@buildshow sub-titles for your guests only in this case would be good enough.

[@simonjoshua1710]

@@buildshow The content value makes up for occasional flukes like this. Thanks for what you do!

[@mountainbikerdave]

the details are insane. i would love to live in a passive house though.

[@scorpio6587]

Awesome

[@ToIsleOfView]

I really like these custom builds that showcase super insulation and/or special foundation features. As a follower of passive design, I saw the demise of underground homes and greenhouse homes. Adobe mud was a hip thing and then rammed earth & straw bales. The only thing that has lasted is building a conventional living space and then super-insulating it to reduce the total cost of heating and cooling. The use of light tubes can also reduce the amount of electrical lighting required. I distinctly remember the architect that built a passive house where winter sun streamed into the tiled kitchen and she stored that solar energy as heat in the mass of the floor but when she lived in the house she got tired of having to wear sunglasses in her kitchen every winter day. I think we have learned the house must be comfortable to actually live in and not just save energy. The commercial construction industry has some great architects that seek net zero. I don't like any of the nonsense about using recycled materials. I like the idea of a house with a 500-year lifespan.

[@JL10007406]

Agreed. The need to use recycled materials is irrelevant when the structure is designed to last 200+ years.

[@jeffreyroberts5530]

awesome...this foundation technique would work in Canmore and Banff with their respective floodplains in the eclectic downtown area

[@HistoricHomePlans]

Impressive! Whistler is obviously an extreme climate. Before people rush off and start tripling their insulation I just wanted to point out that in less severe climates there are definitely diminishing returns as far as adding insulation. Green Building Advisor has some articles on the subject.

[@canvfrluvr8005]

Not Whistler

[@je-fq7ve]

Hey Matt, @ <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="371">6:11</a> that carpenter is mooning us.

[@pwashcroft]

Looks like the ICF was so much easier than the rest. Probably better sealed too.

[@michaelmccloskey3341]

Did I mention I live in a yeti cooler? This guy☝🏻

[@joelrodriguez9231]

Nice I like

[@emmanuelgutierrez8616]

I think the future will be full of "big black box" construction with fo-windows that are actually monitors.

[@khandam7709]

nope people dont' wnat to live in the matrix.

[@peterscherling6594]

Eblankets guys it's super cheap radiant blanket that can be glued to the inside of foam on the 4 sides of a house! Also foam cement mix has an incredible insulation value for under the cement floor for radiant heating but add an emergency blanket and wala!

[@PrivateUsername]

So Matt, speaking of windows - have you seen people move to using two windows (an outside and inside) for some of these 12"+ thick walls? A place I stayed in Italy years ago did this, and I've not seen it stateside.

[@teekay1785]

@eyeonfish It probably would not do this if the outermost window is sealed well from infiltration and multipane and inner window single pane or multipane with small "breather holes" similar to old style exterior storm windows. The breathable hole might allow just enough air exchange to avoid that or alternatively go for super sealed multipane windows on inside also basically space between the two windows acts just like a multilane window

[@davidnielsen4490]

More than likely, each of those sash was single pane glazing rather than insulating glass. There has to be some airflow between the two windows otherwise there would develop condensation. I was in the window business from 1962 until 1993 and saw several installation in construction from the 1800s that had a swing out casement window on the outside and a swing in French window on the inside especially in Northern Wisconsin and Minnesota. The old timers of that day said the ideal space between the sash was 4".

[@davidnielsen4490]

Information for eyeonfish. Glass doesn't delaminate. What happens is there is seal failure. The two layers of glass are held apart by a metal extrusion that has a membrane that is applied to the glass to form a seal. Today's windows with Low Emissity films applied to one lite of glass or both sides of glass to increase the R value of the window unit. On the new construction on my home, we are using casement window units with a double layer of low E.

[@teekay1785]

@eyeonfish very true

[@teekay1785]

@@davidnielsen4490 Yes you are probably right . More or less a storm window with a larger insulating air space between the panes . I am sure the outside window was swing out casement for a couple of reasons . They may have needed to meet code for egress and to insure the best seal. Also remember if the window had much sun exposure in daytime the space between was likely warmer than the interior air. Condensation forms when air temp between layers is below the due point for that humidity level generally by contact with the outer colder glass. The reason modern multilane windows dont condense or fog is they are sealed with dry gas between the layers could be argon or even just dry air. One reason older storm type windows or the two window setup dont condense easier is that most heating methods (not an open flame) lower the humidity indoors so the air has a lower due point.

[@paullocke4609]

Love the high R factor insulation. I can't help wondering exactly how the house is "attached" to the ground while sitting on top of 22" of structural foam? Gravity?

[@Alex-lc1bv]

Plenty of gravity with all of that concrete. You have to remember that even the ground itself is attached to deeper ground with gravity.

[@RoscoeDaMule]

@@Alex-lc1bv lol str8 facts

[@peteolesen265]

I am not an engineer so take what I say with a grain of salt. I would be concerned in a flood relying on gravity alone to secure the house in place. I have seen footage of houses literally swept away in floods. The lateral forces are immense. I think in coastal areas with sand they put down piers and build on that. I am sure an engineer approved this design and it meets code, so likely is OK. It just looks “unachored” somehow.

[@davidh9368]

@@peteolesen265 And there was that reference to the "raft slab", hopefully that is not a foreshadowing of future events.

[@davidh9368]

we buy really dense foam for CNC mold forms that at 20-40lbs/ft3 is still able to float. 6 in 4x8 sheet needs a forklift.

[@TerryPullen]

You could heat this house with a candle.

[@brettmoore3194]

Maybe new graphene based infrared heaters best heat for the wattage

[@ToIsleOfView]

Matt could you reference the bang for the buck more often. Also, the KISS philosophy that can reduce mistakes that cost the builder money.

[@HeWearsGlasses]

I started laughing when he said 100 r value, that's crazy lol

[@fredio54]

It's only 17.6 in metric. Does that make you feel better? :-D 5.67826 is the ratio. Took me a few videos to realise that when I started watching these yank vids :-D

[@elcamel1216]

Would love to see a follow up on this one!

[@garvincentcia5873]

thats the type of foam used under sea barrages used to ride on them during floods when I was little in Northern Virginia pentomic river

[@exstox]

Hi Matt, Just discovered your channel. It's fantastic. I had a question on the foam that's being used more and more for the high R values it provides. How much oil and how much energy is required to produce the foam and how much green house gas is produced? I don't know if those numbers are easy to come by but maybe in one of your future videos you could cover this? I'll be doing a Passive House for my next residence and foam seems such a cool and easy way to go but it would be good to know the embodied energy involved with foam as I could go with other types of insulation depending on how these number compare. Thanks and keep up the good work!

[@archbuilder71]

Did they extend the rock wool insulation up the gable wall so the the top of the exterior insulation is the same height as the top of the attic insulation? That is kind of what it looked like in the shot showing the gable framing.

[@TeeJay_757]

That is the most expensive Monopoly house ever.

[@sdafasdfasdfsda]

It's definitely going on Boardwalk! Imagine the rent you get when someone lands on it!

[@rossmcleod7983]

@Thomas Lonergan and the cheapest to run.

[@zack9912000]

@@rossmcleod7983 Over its short life the equipment will work hard and harder because it will become under sized as the tight envelope leaks from age and repairs and it will becomes less efficient. Ultra high efficiency equipment cost substantially more to maintain and repair and blows past any savings you get on the utilities Also Not to mention the equipment runs longer and harder to keep warm in winter and to remove the heat mass in the summer. See a lot of this on new homes. cost of homes like this are triple the cost of a standard home. There is NO savings going this efficient

[@butopiatoo]

KelMaster Construction why in the world do this? I mean other than an academic exercise? Makes no sense to me.

[@zack9912000]

@@butopiatoo To prove it can be done and marketing bs. You can convince people to buy water at 2 dollars a bottle vs 10cents from their faucets. You can sell anything to some moron conviced it's what the cool people do.

[@samuraisamson]

What are your thoughts on autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) blocks for passive houses? Seems like they are used widely everywhere except North America for residential buildings.

[@stevepailet8258]

AAC is ok. using a layer of rigid insulation out board would make it better.

[@tlangdon12]

AAC has some potential for passive houses, especially if use with a thin-joint mortar system, but it does have problems with cracking that are quite difficult to manage - even the experts struggle to stop it cracking. I would recommend using a medium dense concrete block that doesn't have this problem. You can't use a thin-joint mortar system then, only conventional mortaring works, but they don't crack and they can be as airtight as AAC. You will need to add another inch of insulation to the wall though. AAC can also be difficult to get a good fixing into. You have to only use the correct fixings otherwise the blocks can crack, and the fixings can be hard to come by if you don't live in a country where AAC is commonly used.

[@DennisWintjes2]

Thx for sharing. Like #730

[@freeyesmaybe]

why i think this is a good thing CFC movie - "Get the technology advantage!" - KZbin

[@stewmeat9261]

the heating source will be a candle.

[@tlangdon12]

Heat source will be the bodies of the people in the home + the sun during the day.

[@davidschwartz2398]

The concrete slab and house on structural foam is mind blowing!

[@Joshua79C]

Nothing new, they do said foam filled/supported slabs already in parts of Australia.

[@douglasthompson2740]

My question is how did they pin the foam footings to keep the whole assembly from sliding about? This is adjacent to a major major fault line. Can't remember exactly but I believe the San Andreas goes right up through Vancouver Is. to the Queen Charlottes which puts Whistler within several miles. A sandy silty riverbed surrounding a very small rock pad isn't going to be fun under liquefaction. He said six feet down but no indication if that achieved bedrock either. I do applaud the rebar schedule in the slab.

[@joelrodriguez9231]

I wish I could live I love it it my dream house

[@dingking6123]

My dreaming houses are in "Matt Risinger"; my real house is in "This Old House".

[@ColeSpolaric]

Matt. Have you ever had a chance to compare Majrex with what Certainteed's smart vapor barrier?

[@johnp556]

That house must be quiet as a tomb inside.

[@doubledarefan]

Nothing a stereo cannot fix.

[@g.m.fallon3135]

John P It has to being next to the RR tracks, but hey I bet he got the lot for pennies

[@paulmcgown7504]

@@g.m.fallon3135 It would be interesting to know if the people in the house will hear the nearby trains with the s##t load of insulation.

[@s0uthp4w68]

I wonder if any of those techniques can be adopted for the heat in Florida and still make it safe through hurricane season.

[@Sub-Zero-Homes]

You can only slow heat down without the use of a vacuum and I always think it is better to have higher quality insulation than thicker because you are not only heating the inside but the mass of the insulation too. You need windows to let free heat in because insulation isn't one way only. There are vacuum insulation panels and aerogel and you can always cover windows up at night with super thin quality insulation like those I just mentioned.

[@tlangdon12]

You are correct that the insulation also adds thermal mass. This is very useful to allow heat pumps to run during the day when they can be more efficient and to switch off for a while to take advantage of the thermal mass.

[@TheGalacticWest]

We are cold too.

[@JTamilio]

Myvest... Majvest... Myvest... Majvest!

[@scottwebber652]

What I notice is that all that insulation etc will require a a similar approach for the air system n u still need heat for the-40 winter temperatures n more than u think because if it looks cold Ull b cold too even inside. U have to condition the inside as well !!

[@bryanverberg4342]

Ok R 100 house in a flood plain on a river bed Wtf

[@genemounce8302]

More $ than brains like the rest of the ppl that can afford these types of homes. lol

[@bryanverberg4342]

No thanks

[@ethiesm1]

At least in will Float

[@bryanverberg4342]

Elbert Basa if u want boat buy a boat

[@atlanteum]

What the heck is goin' on with the edit at <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="295">04:55</a> when Matt is projecting his voice like a ventriloquist to Pierre?? [GREAT episode, by the way!]

[@kstorm889]

i always think these are interesting, but when you have r60 walls and r100 roof, 95% of your heat loss is then from your air exchanger, and windows. something like this probably uses a heat pump based air exchange. I'm sure they probably have some r10 curtains the auto cover the windows at night too.

[@khandam7709]

Im pretty sure they do NOT have R10 auto cover windows at night. Because I've been researching that and no one makes them. Seems like a no brainer to have thermal shutters, but for some reason it just has not caught on, and the ones I do see are all custom made.

[@cokeyNbk]

they are on attic. tarp over studs. going to be fun when. the cable guys has to drop a line and drill through that . run conduit people. builders now a days should know this by now

[@dennispope8160]

Along with conduit to each room from a central area to run internet and whatever else the future brings.

[@snoozeuloozetv1562]

No need to come threw the roof with cable. Everything can be laid out in his interior wall cavity.

[@cokeyNbk]

snoozeulooze tv trust me. some one always wants extra lines. builders never put enough

[@berksoaks4340]

Talk about a yeti cooler!

[@bryanball2991]

With a house in a flood plain and that much foam it might float away. Maybe the Icf is to weight it down?

[@jamesoncross7494]

On the 2x6 framing, why do they run wood horizontally before they put plywood on?

[@tylerhuff4207]

I'm confused on the footing. I assume the frost line is deep there. I get shallow frost protected footings but the foam is sitting at grade level? Slab is about 12 inches above grade?

[@canvfrluvr8005]

Contrary to popular belief, Canada does not mean it's an icy Tundra. Rarely freezes there and not for long. Same weather as Seattle.

[@MikeGerz]

My biggest worry too is if it would float in a flood. Conventional homes float away bad enough in a flood, but I would think adding a two feet foam raft would just exacerbate the problem.

[@ailawil89]

Pretty sure it's offset by the amount of concrete in the lower level's walls and the floor slab, not to mention the rest of the house. At any rate, it's used in the construction of roads, bridges, and a bunch of other commercial structures. I'm sure it's safe enough.

[@rogueskywalker7649]

How difficult would it be to apply this passive insulation system and net zero? To like rammed earth walls and homes?

[@khandam7709]

I want to use 16" of foam blocks as my home addition foundation in Charlote, NC. Having a hard time finding a structural engineer to stamp off on it. I wonder what the PSI rating is on this structural foam? 60psi?

[@joelbruneski6486]

Wondering where to get structural foam?

[@timothydumais3114]

What's the density of the foam beneath the house? That's got to be like a buoy when it floods. What is being used as ballast or anchorage?

[@tlangdon12]

It could be anywhere from 2.2 to 3.4 pounds per cubic foot (for EPS300 to EPS400).

[@ericlundgren3319]

Id like to know the cost per sq ft on this one!

[@hiroanz]

Whistler is the Aspen of Canada. This house is worth $3M ~ 6M depending on location.

[@mariow1851]

Depending on the region, around $300 a square foot and up just to build.

[@ericlundgren3319]

Wow! My region is less than 150 sq.ft starting and goes up from there. Seems like bad times waiting to happen building in a flood plane. I just cant get over building where u anticipate flooding.. Shouldnt the house be built on stilts like coastal locations?

[@wally6193]

the build costs went up in BC a couple of years ago to the point where they are just absurd, no real reason that I could figure out as materials or labour never went that high. 3 years ago it was around $170/sqft on the island, yes whistler is more expensive for land and maybe add a bit for location/land. It's even at or over $300/sqft on the island for local builders now, just crazy, just ripping people. I should add that the $300/sqft was just for ordinary builds, nothing fancy.

[@Dougie_trades]

Eric Lundgren yea seems crazy to build a house that size for that amount per sq ft and put that at massive risk it’s not always that the water is flowing it’s what the water is flowing lol

[@user-xv5iw5zh4m]

How's the house fastned to the ground? Won't it be blown away or tipped on it's side by high winds? It's a fairly tall house you know, and that concrete isn't all that heavy IMO

[@sweetkellymay]

You need all that insulation, to deaden the noise from the train tracks, in the back yard..

[@audiobrad99]

You asked the right question, Matt, when you asked why the walls are so thick. All that insulation with R9 windows--makes no sense. You're just throwing money at it and barely improving the overall R value past a certain point. Assuming a tight seal (which this build definitely has) windows and doors are your weakest link. There comes a point when you simply can't overcome the heat loss through windows and doors with thicker walls, and they went way past it. But hey, more power to them for selling the client on a crazy amount of over-build. Fools and their money...

[@darylwright3393]

I hope this home is soundproof too because it's sitting right next to train tracks.

[@kalebbelcher4490]

I'm definitely a novice in building science-related things but if your groundwater level/flood water is rising up would the foam that is the base of the entire house float upwards?

[@cornpop7805]

You've got my curiosity peaked! Let's say the part of the building built on foam is 1000sq-ft because it can't be much bigger than that. Let's call the foam 2ft thick, that's 2000 cu-ft. The buoyancy lift of water is equal to the weight of the water that the object displaces. We know that water weighs 8.35 Lbs/gal. So the buoyancy of the water at 2ft deep is 125,000 Lbs. Now you can use that number against what you think that part of the house weighs. The 1st floor walls are poured concrete, probably 6" thick (probably 127 foot perimeter at 10ft hight = 47cu-yd concrete (=190k Lbs). The floor is poured concrete probably 5" thick (15.5cu-yd = 62k Lbs). The foam is probably 10Lbs/cu-ft, so it's 20,000 Lbs. That's 272k Lbs just for the down stairs. That's over double the weight the water displaces. It won't float. That's not counting the upstairs floor, walls, roof, etc.

[@mcm9531]

@@cornpop7805 I love math.

[@IMA944T]

Just wondering why Rockwell type insulation is used instead of a spray foam type insulation. Not a home builder but would like to know the difference in building with the Rockwell

[@doug-cdsimontrustee6609]

The spray foam insulation I've seen used in cargo containers needs to set at about 90F. That might be an issue in this circumstance when the big propane blower heaters are brought in. Maybe, maybe not. Depends on skill I guess.

[@x2thel]

Do people do CIF foundation + SIP upper?

[@flightographist]

yes

[@RandomUserName92840]

how long lasting is foam though? has there been any studies with that foam as a foundation submerged under water for a prolong period of time? Seems like it could break down if the flood water is carrying the right materials.

[@zack9912000]

Bridges they use similar products they break down and loose structural support in 10 years

[@canvfrluvr8005]

One of the biggest bitches about Styrofoam cups is that they don't break down in the landfills. As long as it is covered up it will easily last 100 years or more.

[@RandomUserName92840]

@@canvfrluvr8005 good point

[@lazlototh]

When a big quake hits, the house is liable to experience lateral forces of up to one g. How is the concrete slab tied to the ground through the 22" of foam?

[@canvfrluvr8005]

It likely isn't. That's kinda the point I would think.

[@barryrosolen5813]

What are the using for heat a/c?

[@longbeachdub420]

I wonder why the “service cavity” framing is vertical and not horizontal (inside of the vapor barrier and structural studs. I’ve seen it horizontal and then you don’t need to cut for the electrical wires and PeX

[@tlangdon12]

You don't need to cut the electric cables and water pipes if they drop from the ceiling inside the vertical service cavity. Houses built with "Posi-Joists" already have a thee dimensional cavity in the ceiling that can be used to route all services throughout the house to the walls.

[@joeschlotthauer840]

At <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="256">4:16</a> Nudura is clearly visible, but no link in the description....

[@stevepailet8258]

I would love to see if they even need a hair drier to heat this place in the middle of winter. What were the blower door results? this is a super layer cake of insulation and on top of that an air barrier with more insulation. living in climate zone 4 just no way that this would make sense for 5 houses

[@RussellNelson330]

More videos of your own house , what updating has been done?

[@rosscoep1450]

Whats this house cost, I feel like the cost to build out weights the energy savings.

[@douglashoule9666]

pretty sure the owner does not care about the savings. They have BIG enviro rules there, so to build to costs lots, and to do it right, it costs more..

[@ArthurDentZaphodBeeb]

These homes piss on the environment - massive amounts of hydrocarbons needed for the foam and concrete. Excavate 6' of subgrade and import 2' boulders. Layers of rockwool. All to save a few hundred in energy costs? Reality is money far better spent on a less energy-intensive building and simply installing solar. And then the occupants live in an off-gassing foam and rockwool cocoon (rockwool off-gasses formaldehyde) which then requires an expensive HVAC system. Rather than being impressed with these ridiculous homes, they deserve nothing but scorn and derision.

[@stickdoctor001]

@@ArthurDentZaphodBeeb Rockwool hasn't offgassed formaldehyde for 40 years.

[@rosscoep1450]

I'm all for energy efficiency, just wondering why be this efficient. It does seem like overkill, but if the house lasts for 150 years then it makes sense.

[@zack9912000]

@@stickdoctor001 today still it's a problem and clearly have not be following the imported products still do off gas.

[@pamelas9]

Lol. Matt is channeling @offtheranch on the outro.

[@kriskohut7159]

An old camping tarp shelter would be considered Passive on the west coast compared to anywhere else in Canada!

[@pianova5825]

Siga Majvest is not airtight!!! It allows air diffusion but works as a barrier for any water.

[@nomen_meus]

It allows vapor diffusion, not air diffusion. It IS an air barrier.

[@pianova5825]

Nomen Meus believe me. I’ve used this product and there’s definitely air coming through the material!

[@nomen_meus]

@@pianova5825 While no material may be 100% effective, Majvest performs well below the minimums to be considered an air barrier, according to Siga's specs. Air permeance (ASTM E2178) 0.00114 cfm/ft2 @1.57 psf 0.0058L/m².s @ 75 Pa (minimum for air barrier material is 0.02) Air leakage in assembly Penetrated Wall (ASTM E2357) (Including ASTM E283) 0.0002 cfm/ft2 @1.57 psf 0.0008 L/m².s @ 75 Pa (minimum for air barrier assembly is 0.20) Of course, all seams/joints in the material must be properly sealed.

[@barisay7244]

@@nomen_meus The notion that a membrane can allow vapor through but block air sounds utter BS to me, since vapor is part of air. There has to be a more accurate description of what these barriers do.

[@blanchae]

How is the slab anchored? It's a floating slab but the rest of the house is anchored. What would happen in an earthquake?

[@canvfrluvr8005]

weebles wobble but they don't fall down.

[@dallasgombash5381]

What about the HVAC system?

[@bruceda9]

Aztecs did the same thing, when building on a lake.

[@thewhiteknight02]

Window and door jambs must be ridiculous! R-100->!

[@russellstephan6844]

It's rather strange windows remain in these types of constructions -- solid foam walls ground-to-attic with large flat-screen televisions indoors to act as windows with CCTV cameras on the outside. Think about it... Any room in the house can have any window view desired. A couple of PV panels on the roof could supply all the power necessary for low-voltage daylight duplicating LED lighting. Of course, with a larger PV installation, a geothermal battery, and a heat pump, construction costs could be lowered on the house due to less reliance on perfect passivity. The options for near-off grid living are nearly unlimited today.

[@khandam7709]

people dont' want to live in the matrix! What' strange is there is no north american manufacturer making thermal shutters with a day light sensor that automatically opens window shutters during the day and closes them at night. a 3" r15 shutter would be easy to manufacture and could make an R7 window into a R22 assembly.

[@krap101]

So, the house floats if there's a flood?

[@chriscampbell5823]

krap101 a raft slab is a typical slab construction method for n Australia so is a waffle pod slabs so foam used instead of fill to raise insulation. Raft slab is good for reactive soil sights as when clay or soil expands the slab won't heave and crack due to the raft construction which is basically edge beams and thickening beams in the middle with the extra trench

[@user-qy8kw4cn2s]

I was just wondering who the passive house expert was and his company's website.

[@jaredf5000]

theres a video at BCIT with pierre a few weeks ago

[@nomen_meus]

0:52

[@thomassutherland5188]

So this is how you build Noah's Ark?

[@townsendliving9750]

Yupp god said let there be cubit of expanded polystyrene foam, and the righteous shall lay 22 mil stego wrap, let the insulated concrete forms reach for the heavens. Book of pierre chapter 6 verse 22

[@thomassutherland5188]

@@townsendliving9750 word for word..lol

[@WearySteerer]

Maybe the glass will heated? Some manufacturers do this in Europe.

[@Spirch]

what is the price per square of that build?

[@aevangel1]

....YES