I do apologize for the lack of activity. Regular operation will be returned as soon as possible. I blame the weather, personally.

May 1st, 2009

Weekly (hopefully more often!) articles will begin making an appearance here, as well as other information relating to green building. The inaugural post to the right will try to cram several topics into one such post, and with luck will succeed!

Look For Us In The Daily News!
Posted by Chris Sundquist, October 18th, 2009, 10:27pm

I was as surprised as anyone to hear from The Kamloops Daily News last week, but it seems some interest from the Energy Fair sparked someone's memory, and we're being features in the Tuesday edition. This coincides remarkably well with a few inquiries about straw bale homes, and a partnership with a local developer to bring the power of straw to the city in the coming year. Feel free to drop us a line, we're here to answer your questions!

New Year, New Host, New Energy Fair
Posted by Chris Sundquist, March 17th 2009, 11:15pm

I feel a little dismayed that the site has fallen into such disrepair, but sadly the past year hasn't been that great for green building in the interior! With the exception of a few local homeowners, there hasn't been any great attention paid to new green technologies or projects, but with this year's bigger and better Energy Fair, that should change!

My website has shifted hosting to Lynx Technical Solutions, out of Salmon Arm, and my wife has promised to start making me post more articles here, or else do more chores around the house. It was a surprisingly easy choice! In addition to new articles, I will also be talking about our ongoing small-scale project in the back yard, a straw-bale shed with a fully-functional green roof herb garden! I plan to put a chair up there and watch the sun set by the end of the summer. Wish us luck!



Matters Of Size Matters & The Energy Fair
Posted by Chris Sundquist, May 1st 2008, 1:35pm

As part of my day job, I have been required to look into the most cutting-edge theories of small-home design, as well as the recent research and design into mini-homes. While nearly every group I've come across has lauded the advantages of the small home, I find myself in a bit of an ethical quandry. Smaller homes do require less material, and a smaller volume does make heating and cooling substantially easier, and a smaller footprint can only be beneficial to the current problems with urban sprawl and residential density.

In spite of all this, there is still a desire by many homebuilders to create a home that is large, dramatic, and impressive. While dramatic and impressive are certainly possible with smaller homes (especially the remarkable innovation of the Sustain.ca miniHOME), quite a large number of people can't see themselves saving up for their retirement, and then buying a beautiful and secluded piece of land, only to build a house small enough to fit inside their old living room.

There are a few simple methods that can be used to maximize the apparent space and minimize the actual space. Many of these have been taken to extremes by the miniHOME, but they can be scaled up quite easily to accomodate a two or three bedroom home, or more. Passive heating and cooling can take a considerable load off of the large home, and can even serve as an architectural focus for the entire building.

Many people I've spoken to all love the idea of the 'Grand Hall', or great room: a vaulted living room with as unobstructed a view as possible. On paper, this is very close to the least efficient use of home space imaginable, since the window-wall concept is a nightmare for temperature control, particularly when paired with the vaulted cieling that interferes with natural air flow, as well as providing large amounts of expensive building envelope area.

The way to recoup some of the lost efficiency is for the great room to have as much external watt area as possible, by sharing partition walls with other useful portions of the house. Maximizing the roof overhang and installing appropriately-controlled awning windows helps get the air circulating when the temperature allows, and by allowing loft-style access to the upper-portions of the room spreads light and air throughout the house. Well-insulated windows kept to a reasonable amount will still allow for excellent views when paired with complementary (and less expensive) architectural features such as stonework or concretework, which also help keep the room thermally anchored for the season.

Don't be afraid to admit that you want a big home... anything is possible.

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The Kamloops Energy Fair is getting closer! May 25th, at the Kamloops Exhibition Association (KXA for you locals). Come see dozens of local companies and groups dedicated to helping you get the most out of your home. There will be talks throughout the day, activities for the kids, and more! Come on out and support the Green Revolution!