What is a Passive House Header

Whistler Green Lake Home Reno

If you follow us on Facebook you will have seen progress shots of our large project off Highway 99, just past Rainbow, on Green Lake. 

I have not done a formal post on this project, and thought it was time to do so as we get lots of people asking questions about the home.

This project is a show piece for RDC; not only it is a beautiful design, on a stunning lot facing Green Lake, with views of both Whistler and Blackcomb, it will  deliver on our brand promise of a healthy, comfortable, energy efficient home with an Energuide rating of 87.

As you might expect with a project on the highway facing the lake, we get a lot of questions on the home; one of the comments I hear frequently is how long the project seems to be taking, so here is a chronology of our construction journey so far.

Green Lake Shot

This photo was taken November 28, 2013 and was one of the 1st days we had equipment on site to begin clearing and loading the preload material that would sit on the site for the next 6 months or so.

Nov 28 - 13 Work Start

This was a challenging site as it was not serviced, and would require extensive site works to get it ready for construction.

Over the next 12 months we would submit for our Building Permit. 

As a part of the process we had to engage a civil engineering firm to:

  1. Get permission from The Department of Highways for drive way access to Highway 99;
  2. Propose a location for fire truck access and pull out (we eventually had to widen the valley trail by the highway);
  3. Engineer a wastewater lift station and connection to the sewer force main;
  4. Bring a water line from the Rainbow subdivision under the highway. We used a directional drilling machine to core under the highway.

Once all these issues had been addressed we were able to pick up a building permit in the fall of 2014, and get started on the next phase.

Site Nov 14

Skip forward almost 12 months to November 14, 2014, and while the site does not look much different a lot has happened.

All the preload has been removed and some 60 steel piles and 11 tension piles have been sunk, the building footprint has been prepped between the piles and is ready for the piles to be filled with concrete; this was followed by the forming of the 12″ raft slab with 24″ grade beams connecting to the piles.

HWY-99 Site

The day before Christmas 2014, the forming for the raft slab is in progress and the under slab plumbing rough in is complete.

All the plumbing rough in pipe will be hung from stainless steel connectors attached to the underside of the raft slab; this will ensure that if the grade under the slab settles over time (the site sits on a one metre deep peat bog)  the drains will not settle and separate.

Hwy 99 Power

We also finally got power to the site! 

A new power pole had to be installed and a power line brought over for the opposite side of the highway.

HWY 99 Concrete

February 3rd 2015, all the raft slab rebar is in place, the voids between the 24″ grade beams has been filled with Type 2 EPS foam filler blocks, electrical and plumbing rough ins are complete, and the mud is flowing! After nearly 14 months of work we are at a stage where construction of the home can actually begin.

Over the next 2 months we will form, pour and frame the garage while we await completing of the engineering design for the main home

Sea to Sky construction

By early May 2015 the Logix Insulated Concrete Forms are ready for concrete. All the lower floor interior walls are full height ICF (15′). Once the walls were poured we formed a Comslab suspended slab for the main floor of the home.

Sea to Sky Construction View

By mid September 2015, the Comslab is in place and structural steel package for the 2nd floor has finally been delivered and installed. As you can see from the photo above, the size of the steel beams is impressive!

The steel shop drawing review seemed endless; the time was proven to be well spent as all the steel fit like a glove! The installer commented that it was one of the smoothest installs they had ever performed.

Hwy99 Roof

By the end of November, the roof is nearly complete and the house is starting to take shape!

By now all the geothermal holes have been sunk and the rough grading around the home is also complete.

Warmboard and Insulation Main Floor

As of last week the house has dried out (all the framing is testing well below the 20% moisture mark required by the building code) and the installation of our Warmboard radiant heating sub floor is well underway. 

Check out the warmboard link, this is a great product that will improve the comfort and performance of the radiant heating, as well as reduce our energy costs. As you can see in the photo the floor has been insulated with EPS foam to ensure all the heat from the radiant heating goes up into the living space and not down into the Comslab.

As we move forward in February, mechanical and plumbing rough-ins will start with electrical to follow. The triple glazed Gaulhofer window and door package will be installed in late March and we will be on to the finishing phase.

The home is scheduled to be completed in late fall, stay tuned for a late summer update.

If you are interested in how we can turn your dream home into a high-performance superstar give me a call or connect with me here.

Cheers,
Bob Deeks

Enjoy? Share with your friends!

Facebook
X(Twitter)
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

MORE RDC FINE HOMES BLOG POSTS

How to Hire a Builder

The Builder Checklist

Whether you're hiring RDC or any other contractor, it’s helpful to make use of a checklist of things to consider in the selection process.
Learn More
Gates Lake Reno Updates

Gates Lake Net Zero Home Renovation

This energy-efficient Net Zero family home renovation was nominated for a 2021 Georgie Award!
View Project