The new definitive guide for home renovation in Canada
In Canada, the renovation sector creates great jobs and employs even more people than the new home building sector. Annually, Canadians invest more in renovation and repair of their homes than is invested in building new homes. Approximately 90% of Canadians have said they want to live in their homes as long as they possibly can. There are many opportunities in the renovation industry.
Home renovation starts with a building that may be decades old, sometimes with hidden problems from the wear and tear of time, weather, older materials and more. Renovators need to understand and apply building science to every project they undertake. Created as a companion text for the Builders' Manual, this first edition of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association Renovators’ Manual takes a deep dive into applying building science to renovating for a wide variety of circumstances. Knowledge is a key element of any successful renovation and this manual delivers.
Here is a brief overview of what’s in this manual:
- Building science fundamentals – what renovators need to know about how houses work
- The House as a System – the house is not simply a collection of components
- The Renovation Hierarchy
- A history of Canadian housing
- What renovators might find on site and what the preferred solutions look like
- How houses fail – learning from building science mistakes
- Building hazards – asbestos, mould, radon, pests, and what to do
- Disasters – fire, floods and wind
- Renovating to high levels of energy efficiency, including Net Zero
- Septic systems - what renovators need to know
- Introduction to renovations for accessibility and renovations to historic buildings
- Contracts
- Renovator checklists
Preview Table of Contents