Residential Retrofit (Enclosure)
LETHBRIDGE, ALBERTA, CANADA
042024 | 002207
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Project Type:
Residential (Health & Energy Performance Retrofit)Client:
One One Ten | Architecture + UrbanismBudget (CAD$):
WithheldSize / Program:
2,250 sq. ft. / 201.9 sq. m.Design / Engineering:
One One Ten | Architecture + UrbanismServices:
ArchitectureGeneral Contractor:
David ThomsenProject Date / Status:
Completed
We not only pulled off all the existing 60's era cladding (past the tar impregnated felt covering to the diagonal solid wood sheathing), the design and construction team pulled off our client's objectives while they lived there!
Our client felt their home was drafty, cold in winter/hot in summer and inefficient. Like many homes of this vintage they were built reasonably well, however, from a health, air-tightness and energy performance perspective they achieve far below expectations of comfort. In addition to air and thermal performance concerns, the enclosure's water and vapour management capabilities must be maintained from a wetting / drying perspective to ensure a long-term, healthy and higher performance dwelling enclosure.
We solved the client's primary problem by first introducing a modern continuous water-resistive barrier in the form of a liquid applied membrane (LAM) that could be applied directly to the sheathing surface and be sealed to the foundation joint full height of the wall. No stapled and taped building paper type membranes were used (we feel they do not perform as well and they do not survive our relentless winds for the sequence of construction). Window and door systems meeting minimum Energy Star performance (u-value 1.22) were recommended as a cost effective measure of improving overall wall performance (always get the best window systems you can afford). These window/door systems were installed in properly prepped-out rough openings leading to a fully enclosed dwelling from an air and water perspective. Following this a hydrophobic rigid mineral wool insulation board was applied to boost the thermal performance of the dwelling like a continuous "sweater" wrapping the dwelling. This continuous layer is not interruted by wood studs like the cavity wall the majority of homes rely on behind the sheathing. As a result, our client immediately sensed the impact of a proper air and thermal control layer located in the correct place for our cold climate before moving on to the final control layers of the enclosure. Finally, a new exterior stucco and lap siding finish was installed with the required flashings over a back-ventilated rainscreen space - a gap behind claddings that has been proven to increase drying and extend the life-cycle and durability of the cladding and overall wall enclosure.
Although there is much more building science at work here, the final design decisions for the enclosure retrofit and component upgrades realized an affordable solution relative to the much higher performance to be enjoyed over the next 40+ years.
The client even recieved a cash Energy Star rebate on their windows!
Our client felt their home was drafty, cold in winter/hot in summer and inefficient. Like many homes of this vintage they were built reasonably well, however, from a health, air-tightness and energy performance perspective they achieve far below expectations of comfort. In addition to air and thermal performance concerns, the enclosure's water and vapour management capabilities must be maintained from a wetting / drying perspective to ensure a long-term, healthy and higher performance dwelling enclosure.
We solved the client's primary problem by first introducing a modern continuous water-resistive barrier in the form of a liquid applied membrane (LAM) that could be applied directly to the sheathing surface and be sealed to the foundation joint full height of the wall. No stapled and taped building paper type membranes were used (we feel they do not perform as well and they do not survive our relentless winds for the sequence of construction). Window and door systems meeting minimum Energy Star performance (u-value 1.22) were recommended as a cost effective measure of improving overall wall performance (always get the best window systems you can afford). These window/door systems were installed in properly prepped-out rough openings leading to a fully enclosed dwelling from an air and water perspective. Following this a hydrophobic rigid mineral wool insulation board was applied to boost the thermal performance of the dwelling like a continuous "sweater" wrapping the dwelling. This continuous layer is not interruted by wood studs like the cavity wall the majority of homes rely on behind the sheathing. As a result, our client immediately sensed the impact of a proper air and thermal control layer located in the correct place for our cold climate before moving on to the final control layers of the enclosure. Finally, a new exterior stucco and lap siding finish was installed with the required flashings over a back-ventilated rainscreen space - a gap behind claddings that has been proven to increase drying and extend the life-cycle and durability of the cladding and overall wall enclosure.
Although there is much more building science at work here, the final design decisions for the enclosure retrofit and component upgrades realized an affordable solution relative to the much higher performance to be enjoyed over the next 40+ years.
The client even recieved a cash Energy Star rebate on their windows!
PROJECT TEAM
