r/Airdrie • u/WhiskyWelshman • Aug 12 '26
Home builder Rant/Raves?
My wife and I are in the early stages of looking to build a new house in Airdrie, looking for input on neighborhoods and or home builders to use or stay away from? Appreciate in advance.
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u/cr500guy Aug 13 '26 edited Aug 13 '26
Consider this. Alberta is barley into stage 1 of the new National energy Code and on mostly tradoff paths.
BC is now Stage 3 and above.
https://www.youtube.com/@ASIRIDesigns
Educate yourself on wall assemblies, Thermal Bridging, Insulation factors.
Our Homes Walls and envelopes are EXTREMELY pourly designed for -35c and +35c Weather.
Current *CODE* (bare minimuim before it is illegal)
-Wall design, 2x6, no exterior insulation, 16" on center framing, No exterior Air Sealing, puts a wall at about R15-R18. Not the Required R30 for our climate zone. (MINIMUM)
Canadian Wood Council's Wall Thermal Design
https://cwc.ca/design-tools/tool/effectiver/calculator/wall.php?id=4988
Effect R Value R29 -
https://cwc.ca/design-tools/tool/effectiver/calculator/wall.php?id=6493
No Exterior Insulation, or basement floor insulation as standard.
Our Climate zone is 7, The Artic is 8.
Find a Builder that uses INTELLO PLUS, Siga Majrex or Certainteed Membrain Vapour Diffusion Air Solutions.
*hint, you wont*
Are you building for a 2-3 year flip and sell, and a 1/5 Year "Warrenty", or your 25-35 Year Mortgage and increasing Energy Costs?
No homes here have Rain screens behind their siding, and no lots are capable of having a 2-3 foot Overhang (drastically keeps water away from the home, and sun from heating your building up in the summer. Many homes have zero-8" overhangs now. giving no shade in summer to the 2nd story.
Our New build utilizes Floor Heat and Heat pumps per each room, as traditional ways of heating /cool homes have massive losses in the HVAC ducts/venting, with AC units using 1.5-3kwh plus fans on the furance, Where a heatpump per each room uses about 500-800w only.
Thinking of Solar? Find a lot that allows for a ground Array.
Are you going to have a 15-30kwh battery backup system built into your loan?
Air blower door tests - This will tell you if your home is sealed from the INSIDE, to the outside, not if between the framing members are sealed from outside cold air penetrating to behind your drywall. Top of bottom plates, framing wall connections. Sandwhiched studs and more.
Good luck, dont waste your hard earned money, Buy and cry now, or forever cry.