We’re expecting to finish the framing this week, so I figured this might be an appropriate time to reflect on what we encountered along the way. Aside from a few tweaks, I’d say the framing has turned out quite well. However, that’s not to say we haven’t encountered a few unexpected complexities… most of which stemmed ...
As I’ve previously mentioned, we decided very early on to excavate under our garage and take advantage of the 200 sqft that would have otherwise sat unused. Our original intention was to use a product called Insul-Deck to support the garage floor, however we’ve since had to abandon this approach in favor of a straightforward concrete & ...
I don’t believe this is particularly common, but we’re planning on building two extra rooms in our basement by excavating the space under our garage. In a typical garage, the floor is simply a concrete slab that sits on top of soil, however we’re going to approach things a bit differently. Because our foundation will be ...
First, let me say this – Choosing Altius has been the smartest decision I’ve made so far. They’ve been an absolute pleasure to work with, and I really can’t say enough about them. We certainly wouldn’t be building the home we’re about to, had it not been for Cathy, Tao and the team at Altius. That ...
What exactly spurs someone to take on a project like this? After 5 years in a small pre-war bungalow, my wife and I decided we wanted more room to start a family. So for us, this project was born out of a need for more space. However, at some point along the way, our priorities changed. ...
My first instinct was to investigate a prefab solution when we began this project. I find the concept of prefabricated eco-modern homes very attractive, but living in Toronto definitely limited our options… apparently there aren’t many nearby factories. Who knew? I was particularly fond of Michelle Kaufmann’s Sidebreeze, but the shipping costs definitely made it cost ...
