This is also a venue for us to showcase some of our ongoing projects, both new homes and renovations, and discuss their features. In the past we have been a little lax in pictorially documenting our undertakings but with this blog that is about to change.

The blog posts below are in chronological order, but we’ve also organized the posts by topic using the tabs above in order to make it easer for you to find information of specific interest. We hope you enjoy…

For more information on Braden Homes, please visit our website at www.bradenhomes.ca. We are proud builders of energy efficient homes and renovations, in business with this focus since 1986.

Sunset on residence built by Braden Homes in 2011, in background with solar collectors in front.

Windows can range hugely in cost and for this reason a whole house assessment of energy efficiency issues should be undertaken before a decision on whether or how much money to spend on windows is made in existing homes.

In Braden Homes’ new home construction, where we are building very efficient and sealed structures, we incorporate triple thermopane, argon filled, Low E coated, aluminium-capped wood casement windows. Quite a mouthful. Let’s break this down.

Triple thermopane – means that there are 3 layers of glazing (window panes) in the sealed unit. This allows for four gradients of temperature, outside, in between the first two layers of glass, between the second and the third, and the inside temperature. Thus the inside pane is warmer and the heat loss and resulting condensation is reduced. The condensation is a result of the warm moist household air contacting a cold window causing the air to shed its water as it is cooled (i.e. the air has cooled to its dewpoint such that water vapour condenses to liquid water). This is the reason why western B.C. is rainy – the warmer Pacific air is cooled as it hits the Rockies, but I digress.

Argon gas – is an inert gas and assists in reducing the transmission of cold or hot over the temperature gradient from inside to out. Say no more.

Low E coating – is in essence a coating that reflects heat back from where it came. Depending on the effect that one is trying to achieve, the window can be coated on either one or two of the inner surfaces. Two coatings result in a better insulating window (R 8, U .125), whereas a single coating allows for greater heat gain in the winter in Braden Homes’ passive solar houses, while compromising only a small amount of heat loss (R 5.4, U .185)

Aluminium-capped wood windows – relates to two functions. Firstly, the aluminium exterior with its custom colour baked-on finish provides a low maintenance exterior. We typically use wood windows because wood is not as thermally conductive as other window materials, primarily vinyl. Also wood can provide a much more aesthetically pleasing finish.

Casement window in Braden Homes built house

Casement windows – are hinged windows that swing out like a door. A corollary to these are awning windows, which are a type of casement window that is hung horizontally and hinged on the top, so it swings upward. One of the issues with windows is air leakage, which relates to the quality and integrity of the seal. A sliding window (single or double hung) moves along its seal, causing wear and subsequent failure of the seal. A casement window closes against its seal, compressing it and thus not compromising the seal’s longevity. The added bonus to casement windows is that with thoughtful placement they can enhance cross ventilation of the home by directing air movement into the interior, assisting in summer cooling.

Back to windows, windows, windows. In the case of replacement windows in an older home it may not necessarily be cost effective or possible to use the high end windows that have been described above. A full assessment of the structure is always beneficial and it may be more appropriate to first address other areas of inefficiency, while investing a more moderate amount on windows. Other areas of investment may include the incorporation of more efficient mechanical elements and other improvements, such as insulation, wind buffering, and shading, which will be discussed in other entries. Money may be better spent improving on these and other aspects of the home, and improvements may be more effectively spread out over the whole structure rather than concentrated in one area.

Two recent Braden Homesrenovation projects are pictured in this blog post. The first, above and at right, is a late 1800′s home located in Dundas, Ontario. Braden Homes raised the top 1/2 storey, creating a master bedroom with a vaulted ceiling. The ceiling was insulated with three layers of bidirectional batt insulation. The interior face of the existing exterior walls on the first and second floors were stripped and studded, then foamed with soya foam. The new roof insulation value is R54, compared to an estimated less than R12 pre-renovation, and the walls are R20 with foam between and behind the 2×3 studs. With the addition of triple glazed double Low E (low emissivity, heat reflective coating) windows, this is a now a very energy conserving house, with its old-style architectural appeal preserved.

The second home, with the exterior wall buildout shown at left and after application of exterior finish shown below, is a 1920′s double brick structure located in Hamilton. We also raised the top 1/2 storey, but more so. In this case the home was insulated on the exterior with the installation of 14″ I joists, which were filled with a fiberglass product called Spiderglas at R54. This is a drill and fill application as the walls were sheathed before the product was applied. The benefit of this method of retro insulation is that the existing double brick walls now act as a thermal mass to assist in heating the home. Similar windows to the previous renovation were installed.

At Braden Homes our preference is the latter technique but we understand that at times the aesthetics of the structure must be taken into account as energy efficiency is not a be all and end all.

This Campbellville-area project, located approximately mid-way between Guelph and Hamilton, will be discussed in detail in upcoming blog entries.