We had the good fortune yesterday to test at the pre-drywall stage, what is likely one of the most air tight Deep Energy Retrofit of an existing solid masonry home. The work was completed by the hard working crews of Greening Homes who achieved significantly better air tightness results than Passive House standard for renovations set at 1.0 Air Changes per Hour at 50 Pascals (ACH50) of pressure/depressurisation.
If that wasn’t enough, they even surpassed the 0.6 ACH50 PH standard for new construction I won’t steal Greening Homes thunder, but suffice it to say they have all the details on their awesome blog! Of course the staff are a committed bunch who are detail fanatics, but we suspect the liquid applied air barrier likely contributed to the success!
Did I mention the drywall’s not even on yet? That’s right, the story just keeps getting better, this was a pre-drywall test with all penetrations plumbed through the enclosure. So keep your fingers crossed to see if they can better the score for the final air tightness test of the finished home!
The build in progress where the solid block and brick masonry corner can still be seen in this earlier photo. The main floor was insulated on both sides of the old wall with Isocyanurate on the outside.
Andrew, M-C, and Shane striking a pose and behind them the 2LBS spray foam that covers the inside of the masonry walls.
Humber College students extraordinaire Cassandra Heide and Emilia Lundh putting the house through its paces. Thanks for all your hard work on the Double Brick Study and best wishes in the fall.
Martin Kuypers or Henry Co shows Steven Gray, the talented and focused Construction Manager for the renovation some new products.
President of Greening Homes, Christopher Phillips giving the participants the low-down on the build.
Amongst the many innovations,the use of a rolled, pre- compressed foam and U shims made for an excellent air seal around the windows.