Construction
Building for Edmonton Winters: What Actually Matters
A home that performs at minus thirty is built in the details you cannot see once the drywall is up. Here is where the money is best spent.
The envelope beats the furnace
Continuous exterior insulation and a properly detailed air barrier will do more for comfort than upgrading the furnace. Cold rooms are almost always an air leakage problem, not a heating capacity problem.
Windows earn their cost
Triple-glazed units with warm-edge spacers stop the condensation and cold draft along the glass that people usually blame on the window size. On a south-facing wall they also keep summer heat manageable.
Ventilation you can actually feel
A tight home needs a heat recovery ventilator. It exchanges stale indoor air for fresh outdoor air while keeping most of the heat, which is the difference between a house that feels fresh in February and one that feels stuffy.
Slab and foundation detailing
Insulation under the basement slab and at the footing edge is inexpensive during construction and impossible to add later. It is the single cheapest way to make a lower level feel like real living space.
Thinking about an infill build in Edmonton?
Send us the lot and we will tell you honestly what it can support.
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