Kimi Ansari and Fellipe Falluh were pursuing ambitious goals when they set out to find their first home.
Posted at 12:00 p.m.
The orientation of the rear of the house towards the south, a guarantee of maximum sunshine, was at the top of their priorities. The house would also require major renovations and be located in a promising area. Kimi and Fellipe bought a more than 100-year-old duplex in Pointe-Saint-Charles that needed some love, with the goal of making it as energy efficient as possible, maybe even ready for Net Zero.
It was his dream to renovate a house so that one day, after the installation of renewable energies, it would not consume any energy over the course of a year. But she had to get on board so he could move on. “I like the design and the beautiful materials, reveals the young woman. To see the price of the 11 windows, it was really difficult. I was thinking of the counters and the furniture that we could have had. But in the long run, we will be winners. »
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
Kimi Ansari and Fellipe Falluh chose a duplex in need of love, in Pointe-Saint-Charles, in order to do a major energy-efficient renovation.
The biggest challenge
Passionate about green building, Fellipe is LEED accredited. He studied more specifically the major energy-efficient renovation of houses during his last year in civil engineering at McGill University, where he graduated in 2019, with a minor in environmental engineering. As the housing stock ages, energy-efficient renovation of homes is the biggest challenge that needs to be addressed, the professor who supervised him realized. During the pandemic, he founded the company Construction Retrofit. His wife agreed to let him use the property they were going to buy as a pilot project.
He had in mind the certification program for Net Zero energy consumption and Net Zero ready homes, for renovation, launched in October 2021 by the Canadian Home Builders Association (CHBA).
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
Before the gypsum was laid, Fellipe Falluh called on the company Aerobarrier Global to plug all the holes in the envelope, in the upper apartment.
The two dwellings are separate and the work has been more in-depth at the top, where we live. We stripped everything upstairs and we added an extension, knowing that we were in a good area.
Fellipe Falluh, co-owner
He was guided by two energy consultants, one in Quebec (Énergie 3R) and the other in Ontario (Homesol Building Solutions). The latter did some modeling and helped Fellipe make several decisions to optimize the work.
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PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
The very fine particles of the Aerobarrier sealant, thrown into the air, followed the air which sought to escape through the small holes, clumping together and sealing them.
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PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
Great care had already been given to the insulation of the house. Fellipe Falluh ensured that the envelope was really waterproof.
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PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
The accommodation of Kimi Ansari and Fellipe Falluh is bright. The section on the right, lit by huge windows, has been added.
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PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
The two-storey extension adds a lot of value to the property.
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“I emphasized the triple-glazed windows, the orientation of the house and an efficient mechanical system,” he explains. But in the first place, it was crucial not to have air leaks, to avoid problems of all kinds. You can have super-insulated walls, but if your house isn’t airtight, there’s no point. »
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
Before the gypsum was laid, the housing was subjected to the same conditions as during a leak test. A computer controlled the amount of sealant injected based on the pressure in the home. The team followed the evolution of the data, which revealed the airtightness of the house as the injection system operated. Fellipe Falluh was aiming for a performance rating of less than 2 CAH50 (air change per hour at a pressure of 50 pascals). He stopped the operation when the rate of 0.6 CAH50 was reached.
He hired Aerobarrier Global, which sealed all the holes in the envelope, in the top apartment, using Aerobarrier sealant. Before the gypsum was laid, the housing was subjected to the same conditions as during a leak test. The very fine particles of the product, projected into the air, followed the air which sought to escape through the small holes, clumping together and clogging them.
“There are few requests to optimize the envelope of new construction and even fewer to carry out a renovation ready for Net Zero, deplores Patrick Rouleau, director of sales and marketing at Aeroseal Global. People don’t consider the extra cost of energy and don’t consider that their house will keep its value, because it will meet the standards that will be put in place in 2030 in terms of envelope tightness. »
Kimi Ansari is reassured, having seen what is hidden behind the walls. “The envelope is tight, there is no air or water that will enter. We won’t have a mold problem, she says. Thanks to the mechanical system that was installed, I also know that the air is clean. It is very important for me. Even my plants are doing better! »
Ready for Net Zero
She appreciates triple-glazed windows, which she initially considered so expensive. “You don’t hear construction noise outside,” she notes.
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
The rear of the duplex faces south. The couple would not have purchased the property had this not been the case. The huge windows are triple glazed. The interior is very bright without being too hot in summer, thanks to the tree in the yard, which helps regulate the temperature.
The housing is 10 times more sealed than before. The house, built in 1895, is one of the most efficient in Quebec.
Fellipe Falluh
Brett Cass, technical director for Net Zero Energy Homes at the Ottawa-based CHBA, confirms that the project is aiming for certification for Net Zero-ready homes in the retrofit stream.
“I spent a little more to carry out work that had to be done anyway,” notes the 26-year-old, who was able to count on the financial support of his parents. “It allows me to have a house that will last much longer, which is more comfortable and which is healthier. It makes a lot of sense. »
In numbers
Total cost: nearly $500,000 for the two apartments combined (including the extension of the upper apartment)
Eleven triple-glazed windows ((upper housing)
Total cost: $50,000
Additional cost (top-of-the-range product, better sealing): approximately $5,000
Mechanical system (ventilation, heating, air conditioning) for the upper housing
Additional cost (no need to be very powerful): $0
Waterproofing (Aerobarrier)
Additional cost: approximately $2200 for the top housing
Insulation: spray urethane ($3000), rock wool ($1500) and green exterior panels (ZIP panels, $3000)
Additional cost: $7500
Products to make the envelope high performance (intelligent vapor barriers, high performance adhesive tapes, etc.)
Additional cost: approximately $2000
Total incremental costs: $16,700 (rounded up to approximately $20,000)
Only 4% of the cost of the renovation